“Wouldn’t it be nice if this moment could last forever?”

I felt the same way. But it was about time to head home. The warm water shower’s operating hours were approaching their end, and despite it being midsummer, the evening air by the sea was a bit chilly. If we stayed like this, we might catch a cold.

I grabbed Iori’s hand, which refused to move, and we went to shower. Separately, of course. By the time we changed out of our swimsuits and regrouped, the sky had grown dark, with scattered stars beginning to appear.

“It kind of feels like waking up from a dream.”

Iori murmured, sounding a little lonely. Her outfit now was what you might call street style — an oversized shirt paired with cargo pants. The chest that had been so prominent earlier was now completely concealed. In that sense, I felt the opposite — like I was still dreaming.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t a dream.”

“Natsuki is my boyfriend, right?”

“Yeah. And Iori is my girlfriend.”

Confirming this important fact, we naturally reached out and held hands. I had held Iori’s hand many times before, but back then it had always been her pulling me along. I had only fumbled along, flustered by the attention we drew.

But now it was different.

This time, I was holding Iori’s hand by my own choice.

◆

We arrived at the station and soon boarded the train that came. The carriage was mostly empty, with only two or three other passengers besides us.

Sitting in the air-conditioned carriage, I must have been exhausted from all the fun because a pleasant drowsiness began to wash over me. If I fell asleep now, I knew it would feel amazing. Just as I was about to give in to the sweet temptation and close my eyes — thud — something soft touched my shoulder, and I jolted awake.

“…Iori?”

Iori had leaned against my shoulder, quietly breathing in her sleep. It was such a rare sight that I nearly shifted in surprise, but I managed to stay still.

Iori never let her guard down in public. Seeing her so defenseless, with such a peaceful sleeping face, was unimaginable before now. If this meant she trusted me enough to show this side of herself, I couldn’t be happier.

As the train rocked gently, I found myself watching her sleeping face. The realization that someone so important had become part of my life swelled within me — along with an equal amount of fear.

A fear of losing Iori.

…I once saw something on TV.

Apparently, only about ten percent of people end up marrying their first girlfriend.

That means nine out of ten couples eventually break up. Just by probability, the odds weren’t in our favor either. Every couple starts off feeling like they’ll be together forever, yet most end up parting ways. There was no guarantee that we’d be any different.

I had barely just stepped into the world of romance, but I understood enough to know that “being with the person you love forever” isn’t something that happens just because you wish for it.

“How to stay together with your girlfriend forever…”

Before I knew it, I had typed those words into a search engine. I knew there were no clear answers, yet I still wanted something — anything — to hold onto. The search results were filled with clichés like “Be considerate” and “Respect each other.” Of course, none of it eased my anxiety.

“Natsuki, you’re so cute.”

“Whoa!?”

Startled, I nearly dropped my phone. At some point, Iori had woken up and was peering at my phone while resting her head on my shoulder.

“Are you worried?”

“Not worried, exactly… I just want us to stay together forever.”

“I feel the same way. If that’s how we both feel, I think we’ll be fine.”

With that, Iori closed her eyes again.

“……”

I’m sure we’ll face all sorts of challenges ahead. There will be arguments, no doubt. Whether we can overcome them or not depends on us. Not some statistic about how only ten percent of couples make it.

The anxiety that had been weighing down my heart had quietly vanished. Putting my phone away, I slowly closed my eyes.