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Late that night.
I poured coffee into my mug and stared at it in my room.
I wasn't drinking it. Just staring.
No, I'll drink it. I will, okay? I'm going to drink it, but I felt like it was a bit of a waste.
Well, I have school tomorrow though. What if I can't sleep?
"...Well, it's too late for that now."
I felt nervous just from drinking coffee.
*Inhale... exhale...* I-I'm digging in.
I reached for the mug. At that moment, my smartphone rang with a loud noise.
Who's calling at this hour...? Wait.
"Riran?"
Why is Riran calling me?
I hesitated for a second to answer, but suppressing my racing heart, I tapped the call button.
"...Hello."
"Ah, hello, Akito?"
Riran's voice whispered in my ear. Just this made my ears feel happy.
"Ye-yeah. What's up?"
"No, I was just wondering what you were doing."
"I was about to drink coffee in the mug I got."
"! Wait a minute!"
I heard a clattering sound from the other end of the phone. I waited like that for a few minutes.
"Sorry for the wait! I poured some coffee too!"
"You won't be able to sleep."
"Same to you."
True enough.
"Well then, shall we stay up late together today?"
"Fufu. It feels like we're doing something bad."
"Staying up late isn't really a bad thing."
"What are you saying? If we oversleep tomorrow and can't go to school, that's bad enough."
"So diligent."
On the other side of the phone, Riran giggled and sipped her coffee. While listening to that, I also drank my coffee, which had reached just the right temperature. It was delicious.
"So, why did you call so suddenly?"
"Ah, that's right. Akito, can you look outside?"
"Outside?"
I opened the window and looked out. A refreshing night breeze stroked my cheek, cooling my flushed face.
"Is there something there?"
"Look at the sky."
"...Ah. The moon?"
Shining in the sky, the cold light of the moon illuminated the ground. Especially now since it was late at night. The lights from the houses were out, making the moonlight stand out beautifully.
"Apparently, it's a supermoon tonight."
"Ah, the one that looks the biggest in the year?"
"Yes, that's it. When I looked up at the sky, I wanted to tell you. Since you don't seem interested in things like this."
"If it's something you're telling me about, Riran, I'm interested in anything."
"Wha—!? ...Stupid. Why can you say such embarrassing things so easily?"
"Was it that embarrassing?"
As far as I'm concerned, I'm just saying what's on my mind.
"...Well, you've always been that kind of guy."
"Huh? Are you fed up with me?"
"I'm complimenting you."
It didn't sound like it though.
I placed my mug on the window frame, sat in my chair, and looked up at the sky.
"Are you looking at it too, Riran?"
"Yeah. ...It's a strange feeling. Even though we're in different places, we're looking up at the same sky."
"Even if we're not close by, the sky is connected. When we look up at the same sky, it doesn't matter if we're far apart or close together."
"...Akito, you're surprisingly romantic, aren't you?"
"Do you hate it?"
"...I like it."
"Stop it, that's embarrassing."
"You're the one who made me say it!"
Hey, it's nighttime, so don't make a scene.
"Haha. ...Riran."
"Hmph. What is it?"
"I love you."
"Hmph!"
I heard the sound of Riran hitting something. Hmm, cute. Riran being honest is so cute.
"I feel like lately, I've been played by Akito quite a bit..."
"It's just your imagination."
"No, it's not. Just you wait for summer vacation. I'm definitely going to make your heart race."
Isn't it bad to declare that? As always, she's quite diligent, or something like that.