Secret Anniversary ~Melting Reason at a Snowy Hot Spring Inn~
Eren and Mikasa are celebrating their one-year anniversary. Normally, Eren teases the girl he likes because he can't be honest with his feelings, but he's slowly started to show his softer side only to Mikasa.
The two of them have a "secret anniversary" that they haven't told anyone about. It's a special day known only to them, completely separate from their real anniversary. To celebrate, Eren took the plunge and booked an expensive hot spring inn deep in the mountains. The tiny inn, far from
Secret Anniversary ~Melting Reason at a Snowy Hot Spring Inn~ - The way home, and an unfamiliar gaze
The gentle sway of the shuttle wagon slowly eased the travel fatigue lingering deep in their bodies.
Inside the vehicle heading for Mimori Station, the local driver arranged by Yamazakura-tei gripped the wheel with hands accustomed to snowy roads. Outside the window, a silver world glittered brilliantly under the morning sun, stretching endlessly in every direction. The snowscape that had stirred his heart so intensely at the journey's start now simply wrapped around the two of them — quietly, peacefully.
Suddenly, a soft weight settled against his shoulder.
He looked. Mikasa had closed her eyes and was leaning against him. Her glossy black hair spilled smoothly, brushing against his arm. Her sleeping face seemed filled with a deep sense of relief — different from anything he'd seen until last night.
Eren held his breath.
*(S-she's close.)*
His heart thumped hard. But it was a familiar kind of fluster now, not the kind that used to turn his mind completely blank. He straightened his back carefully, so as not to wake her. His own shoulder, serving as her pillow. Just that alone filled him with a strange feeling — somehow ticklish and embarrassing, yet deeply satisfying.
The wagon soon arrived at the small, unmanned station of Mimori. Old Tome was there as always, cleaning the station. She raised a hand casually to the driver she knew well, and when she noticed Eren and the others, her wrinkled face broke into a smile.
" Oh my, heading back already? It was a fine bath, wasn't it."
Strictly speaking, she was Tome, but her voice overlapped with the words of concern the innkeeper had once offered. At checkout, in the lobby of Yamazakura-tei, the innkeeper Suzuko had said:
" Since last night, the two of you have grown so much more natural with each other. Please come again, anytime. You truly are a lovely match."
The look in Suzuko's eyes then — satisfied, as if gazing at her own children. And how Eren had brusquely shot back, " Shut up. We'll come again." How Mikasa had stood beside him, bowing deeply and quietly, smiling. The innkeeper had surely seen through everything.
Eren gave Old Tome a small nod in return.
By the time they transferred to the local train, Mikasa had closed her eyes against his shoulder again. Only the snowscape flowing past the window slowly receded behind them. The way she clung to him — so bold during the trip — had now transformed into something natural, no longer a performance.
Her hair brushed against his neck. Ticklish. The warmth of her body against his shoulder seeped gently into his heart.
*(This is... really calming.)*
Eren stared at his own foolish face reflected in the window glass and murmured inwardly. The pounding that had dominated him until last night had changed into a different shape now. Something much deeper, quieter, unshakable. Right in the center of his chest, warm and cozy — as if a small flame had been lit.
*So this is what it feels like.*
He thought that, vaguely.
When they transferred to the limited express, the car was a bit crowded. They sat side by side in the window seats. As the capital drew nearer, the scenery outside changed from a silver world to the familiar suburban residential streets.
Mikasa slowly opened her eyes.
" ...Eren."
She spoke his name in a voice still slightly drowsy, then hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder once more. And then, as if making sure no one else was around, she brought her lips softly to his ear.
" The next secret anniversary... I'm looking forward to it too."
Her breath brushed his ear, and electricity shot through Eren's body. The memories of last night — the heat of her skin, her sweet voice, that moment when she had entrusted everything to him — all of it flashed back at once. His face instantly grew hot.
But he wasn't afraid.
His heart was pounding loud enough to be annoying, yet this time, he didn't feel crushed by its sound.
" ...Obviously."
His voice came out steadier than he'd expected. A reply so unhesitating it surprised even himself.
Mikasa's eyes widened slightly, as if startled. Then she let out a small, soft laugh. It was a genuine smile from her — someone who rarely smiled. She said nothing and leaned more of her weight against him. That weight, to him now, was nothing but warmth.
He looked outside the window. The flowing scenery. His heart was still noisy. His face was probably bright red too.
But there wasn't a shred of fear.
That fact, more than anything, made him happy, and to hide the grin spreading across his face, Eren deliberately turned toward the window. The corners of his mouth were relaxing.
The station nearest the university in the capital, Shinto.
The moment they passed through the ticket gate, the bustle of everyday life engulfed them both at once. Noisy announcements, people hurrying past, the cold, dry air of the city. The magic of the extraordinary was over.
That was when it happened.
He felt a sharp, stinging gaze on his back.
Eren turned around.
A pillar at the edge of the platform. Leaning against it stood a tall man. Probably around their age. He looked like a university student. From beneath a cap pulled low over his eyes, a sharp gaze was fixed intently — solely on Mikasa, standing beside Eren.
*(Who is that guy.)*
An alarm rang deep in Eren's chest. Those eyes — it should have been a face he'd never seen before, yet they were unmistakably eyes that "knew" her.
Mikasa noticed the gaze too. For an instant, her jet-black pupils intersected with the man's stare. The man gave a tiny nod, barely moving the corners of his mouth, then immediately turned his back and vanished into the crowd. As if he had been there for that purpose alone from the very beginning.
"...Mikasa."
Eren started to ask something, then swallowed his words.
Mikasa said nothing about the man and simply began walking as usual. Her profile was expressionless as always, revealing no emotion whatsoever. As if the gaze from moments ago had never existed at all.
Following after her, Eren felt bewildered by the burning sensation that had arisen deep in his chest.
This was something that, until last night, had definitely not been inside him.
Not jealousy. Not anger. Something darker, more viscous — an unpleasant heat. He felt as if the warmth of the hot spring was cooling in an instant.
Everyday life began to move again.
But it was tinged with a color slightly different from the everyday of yesterday. The warmth he'd gained from the hot spring trip was certainly within him. Yet right beside that warmth, a shadow was quietly beginning to make its place.
Eren turned back once more toward the crowd where the man had disappeared.
But there was nothing there now — only countless unfamiliar people passing by.
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