Underneath The Bandages, You Are Prettier Than Anyone

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.

Wanting to talk more in private, I headed to the rooftop with Yuki.
The cerulean skies extended to the horizon, warmly enveloped by the sun’s embrace.
We walked up to the fence, where we had a clear view of the blooming cherry blossoms below.

She slowly turned around, facing me as the spring breeze swirled in between the rosy petals; her ivory hair swaying along with their dance.
Her eyes, blue as the sky above, glistened with their slight moisture, and her cheeks were rosy as the petals that swirled around us.

When we were in elementary school, I liked Yui, whose face I had never even seen.
I honestly had no clue how cute she truly was wrapped under those bandages, and it made my heart flutter even more.
If she was just a pretty girl I didn’t know, someone I could never reach, it wouldn’t have moved me as much.

Yuki had been by my side more than anyone else, I couldn’t contain the galloping of my heart.
I felt like I could wake up at any second.

“Haru-kun, we can talk more in private here.”

“Oh, Yuki… You surprised me.
You’re really back.”

“A lot has happened, so I only told you today.
I’ve actually come back a few months ago.”

“Also, why the surname change? You’re now a Shirahato, right?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s hard to talk about it… There’s a lot going on.”

“I see… You’ve got your own circumstances.”

“Yeah, but anyway, I’m glad I was able to see you again like this.”

“You’ve worked really hard out there, and you finally got your bandages removed… I also did my best here.
Since this school, the one we’d promised to meet again at, had a very high deviation score, I drowned myself in studying for three years and managed to enroll here.”

“I’m really sorry for that.
I didn’t know much about these things when I was in elementary…”

“Well, I used to say this school’s building was gorgeous with all the cherry blossoms, and the uniform was cute.
You wouldn’t really know the deviation score and things like that as a kid, so all you could use to judge was how it looked.”

“I’m sorry I made you go through that…”

“Don’t worry about it.
Going to the same school as you was my dream, and I was desperate to make it come true.
Besides, if I didn’t study that much back then, I would only drown in thoughts of you, of missing you… It was the right thing at the right time for me, really.”

When Yuki left, a piece of my heart was ripped out of my chest.
Studying was the only thing capable of distracting me from the ever-growing loneliness.
I devoted myself to studying because of that, and to make my dream of meeting her again come true.

“From now on, we’ll be together every single day.
For the next three years, please be as close to me as you were in elementary school.”

“That’s a given.
We’re classmates now, so let’s keep being friends.”

In elementary school, I used to play with her every day, and now I’m in high school.
I’m genuinely happy to see her again, to be with her once more.

“Where have you been living since you came back? the house you used to live in seems to be occupied by someone else.”

“I’m going to start living in a certain apartment, starting today.”

“I see… Actually, I’m living in an apartment by myself, too.
This school is pretty far from my old house, so my parents rented me an apartment nearby.
I’ve been living here since before starting my freshman year here.
It’s a really big two-bedroom apartment.
By the way, Yuki, where did you rent yours?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, so don’t tell anyone right now.”

“Don’t tell anyone, huh… Yeah, that’s fine.”

If I stay as close to Yuki as I was before, I’m sure I’d visit the place she lives… Just like we did back then.
I’ll ask her that next time we go out to play.

“Well then, Haru-kun, today was just the entrance ceremony, so there are no afternoon classes.
Let’s go home, then.”

“Yeah, you’re right.
Let’s go home together!”

“Fufu~, I’ve been looking forward to going home with you, Haru-kun.
Shoulder to shoulder.”

“Me too, Yuki.
I’ve been always hoping this day would come.”

And as we slowly strolled home, I couldn’t help but be overjoyed.
Days like these would continue to happen from tomorrow onward… My heart wouldn’t stop thumping with excitement.