A Small But Very Precious Moment

Ever since joining the Student Council, Maasa had grown used to leaving school with Ata and Taiju. But this time, it was different. Taiju left school early, needing to deal with something back home. Meanwhile, Ata stayed at school to deal with some leftover paperwork, insisting that he could do it on his own and Maasa could just go home.

While Maasa didn't mind it too much, he had almost forgotten how quiet it was to go home alone. The rain that started partway through didn't make it any better, but thankfully he had remembered to bring an umbrella.

As he continued on his way, he eventually spotted a familiar face. He smiled when he saw Taishi, although Taishi himself didn't seem very happy. He was inside a smoothie shop, looking at the rain through its glass doors with a worried expression and a pink cup in his hand that he was sipping on.

Careful not to slip on the wet floor, Maasa hastened his pace a little and waved his hand. Taishi didn't take long to spot him, and responded with a small smile and wave of his own.

Maasa happily greeted him and, after some quick talking, Maasa offered to accompany him on his way home. When Taishi asked if that was okay, Maasa simply said it was getting lonely to walk alone, and that their houses were in the same direction anyway. There were no more magical powers to deal with, there was no reason to hold back on being friendly.

Maasa didn't stop smiling as they walked off together. Taishi had started carrying umbrella, saying he wanted to at the very least do that to repay Maasa's kindness. So Maasa only had to keep up with his pace. He didn't have many opportunities to be alone with Taishi, considering they were so often with their friends, so he wanted to enjoy that rare moment as much as possible.

After a while of just walking together and chatting about nothing in particular, Taishi offered to let Maasa have some of his smoothie.

Maasa took a small moment to think, his face warming up. He asked what flavor it was to save himself some time, and Taishi said it was strawberry.

On the one hand, the chances of another opportunity for an indirect kiss with Taishi were even slimmer than his usual chances of being alone with him. On the other hand, he had been watching his diet so closely…

When Taishi asked if he was okay, he made his decision and quickly took a sip. The chances of this happening again were slim enough that the consequences were worth it.

He actually found himself quite enjoying the taste. The strawberry flavor wasn't artificial, nor did it taste too sweet. As he should have expected, Taishi had good taste.

Given his confused expression, Taishi was probably not gonna remember this day with the same fondness as Maasa. But to Maasa, it was a small but very precious moment.