For relatives

“Melodia”.

Tezuka had just parked his car when he saw Kanade waiting under the ginkgo tree.

She was beautiful simply by standing there quietly. The clear winter sunlight filtered through the bare branches and fell upon her, giving her a vibrant life force.

Tezuka quickly got out of the car and walked up to her, naturally taking her hand in his. Sure enough, her fingertips were icy cold.

"Why didn't you come out later? It's cold outside." He said softly, wrapping her hand in his warm palm.

Kanade looked up at him, her eyes full of smiles: "I wanted to see you soon." He said last night that he was coming to Kanagawa, and she had been looking forward to it. Now that she had finally met him, she smiled and opened her arms to him, "Boyfriend, this is my compensation."

Tezuka looked into her bright eyes, his heart warmed, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her soft hair.

Last night she said she would make it up to him double, even if it was just a joke to comfort him, but he really held her tightly and kept the hug going for a long time. He felt the body in his arms gradually getting warmer, but he didn't let go.

He Zou turned her head in his arms, lazily rubbing against his warm chest, not wanting to move anymore.

Noticing her contentment, Tezuka raised his hand to stroke her long hair and said with a smile, "Didn't you say you were going to take me on a day trip to Kamakura?"

He Zou gently poked his side with the hand that was wrapped around his waist under his coat, blaming him for ruining the atmosphere.

The restless fingers on his waist made Tezuka's abdominal muscles tighten suddenly. He looked down and saw that she seemed to have found an interesting subject of study and wanted to continue observing, so he had no choice but to hold her hand: "Stop messing around."

It wasn't a reprimand, but rather a mixture of helpless indulgence, which made He Zou's heart flutter again.

She tilted her head back, touched his chest with her chin, and smiled at him without saying a word.

In his bright, beautiful eyes, there was a soft, shimmering light, and a clear image of him.

When his lover looked at him like that, Tezuka's composure suddenly crumbled, a heat spreading from his ears, and his chest felt as if it were being soaked in a warm liquid.

He released his hand from hers and covered her eyes.

The screen went dark, and Kazusa paused for a moment, feeling the warm touch on her eyelids. Then she smiled knowingly. But her boyfriend's reaction was too cute, and she wanted to tease him a little.

With her eyes covered, she blinked, letting her long, curled eyelashes brush against his palm, and feigned dissatisfaction as she complained to him, "What kind of boyfriend is like this? He won't let me touch him or look at him."

After she finished speaking, He Zou heard a very soft, low laugh from above her head, followed by the words, "For you, my love."

As soon as she finished speaking, Hezou felt a familiar breath brush against her cheek, and then her lips were suddenly pressed with a warm touch, which lasted only for a moment.

The hand that was on his eye was then removed.

But Kanade didn't open her eyes immediately. She kept her eyes closed and murmured, "Kunimitsu... that's too unfair."

Sure enough, I heard a soft laugh again.

He Zou suddenly opened his eyes. A smile spread from the corners of his mouth to the corners of his eyes on his handsome face, causing the ends of his phoenix eyes to curve slightly, forming a gentle arc.

Her gaze lingered on his eyebrows and the corners of his lips; that innocent smile made her heart pound painfully in her chest.

Is this what love is like? Wanting to talk to him, wanting to see him, with no end in sight. No matter what he does, an uncontrollable flutter in your heart?

The two stood under the withered ginkgo tree, embracing each other and chatting about their day's schedule or other unrelated things.

When Kanade got tired of hugging him, she simply put her hands into his coat pockets. Suddenly, she pulled Tezuka's hand away slightly, looked them over, and as if she had discovered something interesting, she looked up at him with surprise and said, "Kunimitsu, we're wearing matching outfits today!"

He wore dark casual trousers and a soft light gray sweater, topped with a simple black overcoat, which made him appear even taller and more slender.

Tezuka chuckled, glancing at her light brown coat. They were both wearing coats, so they must be matching outfits, right? But then he noticed a section of her calf was showing, and he frowned, saying, "It's only 10°C today, it'll be cold."

Upon hearing this, Kanade circled around in front of him and asked, "Isn't it pretty?"

"It looks good, but..."

"It looks good!" Kazuna said, taking his hand and leading him forward. "Tezuka-kun from Tokyo, welcome to Kanagawa in winter. Let me show you around Kamakura today~"

Tezuka was gently pulled forward by her, watching her cheerful figure as she walked away. He shook his head and let her go. He could pay attention to the route and stay indoors more often.

He was genuinely happy, happy that he had come to his world on his own initiative.

When he appeared in the city where she grew up, walked the roads she had walked, and saw the scenery she had seen, all her lingering unease and regret seemed to be soothed, giving her a wonderful sense of fulfillment.

This experience is like giving him a solemn introduction to your two most precious parts—your past and your future.

She led him past the small shops she frequented, along the path she used to take to school, and to the seaside in southern Hunan.

They walked slowly along the coast.

Kamakura is a city that combines the historical depth of an ancient capital with the expansiveness of the Shonan coast.

Perhaps it was a case of loving the house because of the house, but Tezuka felt that the atmosphere here was somewhat similar to that of Wakana.

The winter sea breeze is cool, the seawater is a calming gray-blue, and the sound of the waves is regular and soothing.

Her purple hair fluttered slightly in the wind as she squinted at the distant horizon, her profile serene and graceful.

Tezuka walked beside her, his gaze mostly fixed on her.

He loved seeing her with that languid, relaxed expression, just like when they first met, making him feel as if the whole world had slowed down.

Suddenly, she let go of his hand and took two quick steps forward.

It turned out that there was a purple seashell among the sand near the sea. Tezuka watched as she bent down to pick up the seashell, which was the same color as her eyes, and happily held it up for him to see, as if she had discovered a treasure.

Just as she was about to speak, a slightly hesitant voice came from behind her—

"Yagyu... junior?"

The two turned around.

A young man dressed in a well-fitting light brown coat and wearing gold-rimmed glasses was looking at Hezou in surprise.

"It really is you! Yagyu-senpai, I'm Takahashi Shunsuke, one year ahead of you. We used to work together in the student council, do you remember?"

The man strode forward, his tone revealing obvious surprise.

Upon hearing this, Kazusa's initially surprised face softened into a polite smile, along with a perfectly timed expression of reminiscence: "Hello, Takahashi-senpai. I never expected to meet you here."

Her posture was impeccable, possessing the poise and appropriate distance typical of an excellent student.

This kind of propriety had appeared in Yagyu Hiroshi and Yukimura Seiichi before, but this was the first time Tezuka had seen it in Kanade—she had never shown this side of herself in front of him before.

But Mr. Takahashi clearly thought this was a normal attitude from Hezou, and he said excitedly, "Yes, what a coincidence! You went to Germany later, right? By the way, I'm also in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. I heard you participated in that German-Japanese collaborative project this year? That project is full of elites, and Yagyu is as amazing as ever!"

He expressed his admiration at length, his gaze fixed intently on Hezai, his admiration almost undisguised.

Tezuka stood quietly to the side, not saying a word, watching Kazusa exchange pleasantries with the other person with ease.

She is undoubtedly a shining star in her field, attracting everyone's attention, including this obviously outstanding senior.

The more he learned about her, the more he realized how vast and expansive her world was.

He should be proud of her, but at the same time, looking at the light brown coat on Takahashi, a more secret emotion welled up in his heart.

Just then, Kazusa seemed to notice his silence.

She suddenly stopped exchanging pleasantries, holding the seashell, and very naturally took a small step closer to Tezuka, her arm lightly touching his.

Then, she turned to Takahashi Shunsuke, her smile unchanged, but her tone was different from the familiar distance he knew. With a tenderness and intimacy he had never heard before, she introduced him: "Takahashi-senpai, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu, my boyfriend."

Takahashi Shunsuke paused for a moment, his gaze finally settling on Tezuka for the first time, filled with scrutiny and a hint of undisguised surprise and disappointment. "Tezuka...kun? You mean Tezuka Kunimitsu?"

"Hello." Tezuka nodded politely to him, his gaze calmly meeting the other's scrutiny.

Shunsuke Takahashi immediately realized that he shouldn't bother him any longer, and said goodbye hastily, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

After he walked away, only the two of them remained on the shore.

After a moment of silence—

"Kuoguang, are you jealous?"

"It's perfectly normal for outstanding women to have suitors."

"So you're jealous?"

"...Shouldn't I be jealous?"

"Yes, yes, I meant to say, Guoguang is so cute~"

"..."

"How about I reward you with this beautiful seashell?"

"……Thanks."

Such a polite way of showing jealousy is so cute; Kazusa couldn't stop smiling all the way home.

As they passed by Komachi-dori, there was a dessert shop she used to frequent. Tezuka glanced at her reddened calves and said, "Let's go in and sit down."

As soon as the door was opened, a little girl skipped out of the store. She was so focused on looking at the packaged taiyaki paper bag that she accidentally bumped into Tezuka's leg.

If Tezuka hadn't reacted quickly enough to catch the little girl on the back, she probably would have been thrown away.

The frightened little girl looked up, saw his serious face, and her previously bewildered expression instantly turned timid: "Uncle, I'm sorry."

Tezuka: "..."

Seeing that the other person's expression had become more serious, the little girl was about to cry when she suddenly heard a clear laugh coming from the side. She turned her head and saw Hezou smiling beside her.

Kanade crouched down and picked up the taiyaki bag she had dropped, returning it to her.

The little girl was comforted by her smile, took the paper bag, and politely thanked her, saying, "Thank you, sister!"

"You're welcome, you're a good girl. Go back now, be careful on the way."

"Okay! Goodbye, sister... Goodbye, uncle!"

Tezuka stiffened slightly again. Once the little girl was out of sight, he adjusted his glasses, turned his gaze to Kazuna, who was already doubled over with laughter, and asked in a flat tone, "Uncle?"

Seeing his dejected expression, Kanade finally stopped laughing, leaned on his arm, and said seriously, "Because Kunimitsu seems very reliable, a very mature adult. So, mature and reliable Tezuka-sama, don't be jealous anymore, okay?"

"...She calls you sister."

"Huh? Hahahaha—"