Origins Chapter 3: Hayato x Hifumi
Another school day at Kosei High School comes to an end as we see a lean, 6'1'' student with short, scarlet hair, and blue browline glasses leave the school. As he walked out of the school, one of the students waved goodbye to him.
"See you tomorrow, Hayato," the student said to him.
"Catch you later, bud," Hayato waved back.
"Can't wait to read your new article later this week," the student said.
"Yeah, it's gonna be good," Hayato said before saying under his breath, "I hope."
Hayato works as the head for the Kosei High School Newspaper, and his most recent assignment was to get an interview with Hifumi Togo and her rise to fame as a Shogi prodigy. Hayato walks up to the bus stop and takes a seat on the bench, waiting for a bus to arrive. As he sits, he's reading from a notepad that reads, 'Questions to ask Hifumi'. Eventually, the bus comes and he boards it. During the bus ride, Hayato's reading the questions out loud to make sure that they make sense, or that one question doesn't sound similar to another one. After reading over the questions about six or seven times, the young scarlet haired man took a deep breath.
"I'm ready for this interview," Hayato said.
Putting the notepad in his backpack, Hayato looked out the window to see that the bus had made it to his stop; Kanda. Somewhere in this district of Tokyo was the church where Hifumi Togo, one of the best Shogi players in the city, goes to practice.
"This is it," Hayato said to himself as he got off the bus and took a small piece of paper out of his pocket. This piece of paper had the address of the church where he'd find Hifumi. One of her friends gave it to him when he told her that he planned on interviewing her. As the bus left to continue on its route, Hayato began his trek to the church on foot.
As Hayato made his way to the church, he could feel his heart pound out of his chest. That's because, unbeknownst to Hifumi or the student body of Kosei, he had a crush on the Shogi player for the longest time. Ever since he moved to Tokyo from Takayama with his mother when he was eight years old, in fact. Hayato still remembers the day he met Hifumi as though it were only yesterday.
About a day or two after Hayato and his mother moved in, a family of three came over to greet them, the mother of the family with a tray of onigiri in her hands as a way to welcome the mother and son to the neighborhood. Hayato's mother was delighted to be welcomed by the family, but when the two adults introduced their daughter to them, Hayato felt a fluttering in his young heart.
"This is Hifumi," Hayato remembered the father saying as the little girl walked up to greet the young Hayato, "She has her mothers good looks and my brains. I'm sure you two will be fast friends."
"Hello," Hifumi said in a friendly tone.
"U-Um, h-hi," Hayato replied back as he held out his hand, which was quivering out of nervousness, for Hifumi to shake, which she did.
"Your palms are so sweaty," Hifumi chuckled, causing Hayato to blush, both from embarrassment and the fact that a girl was touching his hand.
Ever since that day, Hayato couldn't help but get a little nervous whenever he was around Hifumi. Her beauty and brains was something that he respected, feared, and loved all at once. Anytime Mr. and Mrs. Togo would come over to his and his mother's house, they'd usually bring along Hifumi and the two kids would hang out, talk, and play games. He'd never forget the first time she showed him Shogi. Naturally, she moped the floor with him as he had never played the game before, but he didn't mind. He was just impressed that a girl of Hifumi's caliber was hanging out with him.
Years later, Hayato still has those same feelings about Hifumi. He was sure that he had found his soulmate in life. The only problem was that he was too nervous to tell her how he feels about her. At the start of high school, Hayato took up guitar to not only make himself look more attractive to Hifumi, but also to try and gain the confidence to talk to her. Unfortunately, since life doesn't play out like a movie, Hayato still got nervous regardless, and the only good thing that came out of him taking up guitar is that he had another unique skill under his belt.
Back in the present day, however, Hayato finally made it to the church where Hifumi practices her Shogi. With a deep breath, he walks up to the front door, opens it, and steps inside. Upon entering the church, he immediately found Hifumi practicing. She was so in the zone that she didn't even notice his presence. It wasn't until Hayato cleared his throat and said, 'Excuse me,' that Hifumi looked up from the Shogi board and turned to face him.
"Hayato," Hifumi asked, "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"
Once again, Hayato felt his heart race and small beads of sweat roll down his forehead. Trembling, he stepped up to face his friend.
"Well, uh," Hayato began, "As I'm sure you know, I'm head of Kosei's Newspaper. I've been tasked with getting an interview with you since your making quite the name for yourself in the world of Shogi. I hope you don't mind…I mean, it's cool if you do mind and you're busy, we can always do it later, but…yeah…"
Hifumi just chuckled and said, "Sure, I'm down for a quick interview. Especially if it's you who's giving it. So, what would you like to know?"
Still nervous, Hayato took a seat and took out his notepad and a pen, ready to write down the answers to his questions. He also took out his phone to record the interview in case he missed something important…which he very well might given how nervous he was.
"So, uh, question number A…uh, I mean question letter one…no, uh, question one," Hayato began, his nerves causing him to mess up, causing Hifumi to giggle, "Who inquired you to play Shogi?"
"You mean inspired?" Hifumi asked.
"Uh, yeah," Hayato said with an embarrassed blush, "Who inspired you?"
"That's an easy one," Hifumi said, "It all started when my father took me to the park when I was a little girl. As I'm sure you know, my father is a professional Shogi player who entered tournaments and won first place almost every single time. Well, someone recognized him and challenged him to a game right there in the park. I watched my father face the challenger, and just saw how serious he was while also having a good time playing the game. He just made an art form out of the game, you know? Anyway, it looked like so much fun that when we got home later that afternoon I asked him if he could teach me how to play. We've spent many weekends together playing Shogi, and I grew to love the game so much that I wanted to become a great Shogi player like him and even surpass him. After my mom stopped rigging matches so that I could win and become famous sooner, I resolved to become a better Shogi player on my own terms, and after winning my very first tournament last week, I can say confidently that I'm well on my way to becoming the great Shogi player that I was meant to be. Did you get all that?"
"Uh, yeah," Hayato said as he finished writing, "So, question two: How did you Shogi when you won your first feel tournament? Oh! I mean how did you feel when you won your first Shogi tournament?"
"I knew what you meant," Hifumi said.
That's pretty much how the whole rest of the interview went. Hayato messing up on asking his question because he was so nervous and so enamored with Hifumi, and Hifumi answering the questions as professionally as possible, while also noting how adorable Hayato looks when he's nervous. After a few more questions, Hayato turns off the camera on his phone and puts his pen and pad away.
"Well, I think I have what I need," Hayato said, "Thank you for your time, Hifumi."
"Anything for a friend," Hifumi said with a smile.
"Anyway, I'd better get out of your hair so that you can go back to practicing," Hayato said.
"I think I've practiced enough for today," Hifumi said, "Why don't we head over to Big Bang Burger and grab their new cookies and cream milkshake?"
Every fiber of his being was telling Hayato to say yes to the offer, but he was still so nervous that he thought it would be best to just go home.
"Sorry, Hifumi, but I can't," Hayato said, a blush coming to his cheeks, "I don't want to spoil my appetite for dinner."
"Oh, I understand," Hifumi said.
"Well, I should probably say goodnight," Hayato said as he held out his hand for Hifumi to shake.
"Still as sweaty as the day we met," Hifumi teased, causing Hayato to flash a nervous, toothy grin.
"Well…see you in school tomorrow," Hayato said before he grabbed his backpack and ran out of the church in a hurry, leaving Hifumi by herself.
"Oh, Hayato," Hifumi said to herself, "Why can't you just tell me how you feel?" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a special keepsake that she holds for good luck; a photograph of her and Hayato that Hifumi's father took of the two of them playing at the playground in Inokashira Park.
"Especially since I feel the same about you," Hifumi concluded as she smiled at the photo.
Later that night at the Yajima Residence, Hayato was seen looking over the footage of Hifumi's interview and typing out the news article on his laptop, taking quick breaks to sip on some hot cocoa that he brewed up. After a few hours, he finished his story on Hifumi and downloaded it on a USB so he could print it up at school tomorrow. With nothing else left to do, and with an audible yawn, Hayato decided to turn in for the night.
He went downstairs to clean out his hot cocoa mug, putting it on the drying rack when he was done. He then went back to his room and changed into a pair of pajamas before getting in bed.
15 minutes passed and Hayato couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Hifumi and how he wished he could muster the courage to tell her how he feels. To help him fall asleep faster, Hayato grabbed his phone and turned on his interview with Hifumi again, believing that her calming voice will help lull him to sleep. It worked like a charm as within minutes he felt his eyelids get heavier with the last thought he had before going completely under being…
"Tomorrow, I face my fears and work towards telling Hifumi how I feel."
The next day at Kosei High, there was only one person Hayato wanted to see before classes began. And that was up and coming artist, and close friend, Yusuke Kitagawa. He had heard how he had recently started courting Haru Okumura, daughter of the recently deceased Kunikazu Okumura. If anyone knew how to get a girl it would be him.
Hayato found Yusuke in Kosei's art room working on a painting.
"I thought I'd find you here," Hayato said as he entered the art room, catching the blue haired artist's attention.
"You know me, Hayato," Yusuke said, "This room has always been my sanctuary."
"I'm just surprised that Mr. Agawa trusts you with the spare key to his art room," Hayato said.
"He knows I'm harmless and wouldn't do anything sordid in here," Yusuke said, "But what about you? What are you doing here?"
"Well I had to print up my recent news article before classes began, but more important than that, I wanted to talk to you," Hayato answered.
"About what?" Yusuke asked.
"See," Hayato began, "I have this crush on this girl and-"
"It's Hifumi isn't it?" Yusuke asked, cutting him off.
"You know?" Hayato asked in shock.
"Anyone with eyes could see that you've fallen for her hard," Yusuke said, "The way you tense up, the amount you sweat, the way you stutter and mess up your words. It's all blatantly obvious."
"Point taken," Hayato said, "Anyway, I know you recently started dating that Okumura girl, and as one of my closest friends here I was hoping you'd tell me how you managed to get her so I can maybe use those same tricks into getting Hifumi."
"Well, this probably isn't the type of advice you want to hear," Yusuke began, "But the first step towards winning Hifumi's heart is to just man up and ask her out somewhere."
"You make it sound like it's easy," Hayato said.
"That's because it is," Yusuke said, "What helped when I asked Haru out on a first date was that I just told myself that that's exactly what it was, a first date. I knew the two of us wouldn't be married immediately afterwards as that takes time. So, just ask Hifumi out, and treat it like a friendly outing. Also, this goes without saying, but be yourself. Nobody likes fake people."
"So just ask her to meet me someplace and be myself," Hayato said, "There's gotta be more to it than that."
"Just trust me on this one," Yusuke said.
As the two of them were talking, Hifumi of all people entered the art room.
"Hey, guys," Hifumi greeted, "I didn't expect to find you two here so early."
Hearing Hifumi's voice caused Hayato to freeze up as he turned around to face her.
"H-Hi Hifumi," Hayato said.
"Remember," Yusuke whispered in his ear, "It's just one question, and it's only a first date. The worst she can do is say no."
"Right," Hayato said as he took a deep breath, "So, what's up?"
"I was hoping I could find you so I could get a sneak preview of the article you wrote about me," Hifumi said.
"Oh, I'd be happy to show you, but I have a quick question first," Hayato said, "Uh, Hifumi…where did you get that hair ornament? It's really cute."
"Hayato," Yusuke said in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"Right, right, sorry," Hayato said, "Hifumi, what I really wanted to ask you was…is that offer for those cookies and cream milkshakes at Big Bang Burger still open?"
"Of course," Hifumi said.
"Well…can we go there after school today?" Hayato asked.
"Okay, sure," Hifumi said happily.
"So, it's a date?" Hayato asked.
"I suppose it is," Hifumi said.
"Great," Hayato said with a smile, "Well then, I guess I'll pick you up from your last class and we can go straight there."
"Sounds like a plan," Hifumi said, "Now, about that article."
"Right," Hayato said, "I have them printed out in the school newsroom. Follow me."
As Hayato and Hifumi left the art studio, Hayato turned back to Yusuke who shot him a thumbs up, proud that his friend scored a first date with his crush.
The rest of the school day went by as quick as a wink, and before Hayato knew it he was picking Hifumi up from her last class so the two of them could go to Big Bang Burger for their first date.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, the two of them ordered two large cookies and cream milkshakes and a basket of cheese fries to share. They grabbed their food and grabbed a place to sit so they could eat their treats and talk.
"So, you said your father got you into Shogi," Hayato said.
"That's right," Hifumi answered, "I even picked up some of his mannerisms as embarrassing as that may sound."
"I don't think it's embarrassing," Hayato said, "I think it's kind of cute."
Hearing that made Hifumi blush and giggle.
"Anyway, you said your mother originally rigged Shogi matches so you could win?" Hayato asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Hifumi answered, "Like I said in the interview, she wanted me to become famous faster. But what I chose to leave out was the fact that she only rigged them so she could basically live her life through me and so I can live the life she never had."
"That's horrible," Hayato said, "And your mother always seemed so nice. I never would've thought she'd do something so underhanded."
"You think that's bad," Hifumi continued, "She tried to get me to transition from shogi playing to modeling so that I can continue to fulfill her dreams rather than my own."
"Man," Hayato said in disbelief, "Didn't you try telling her that you didn't want to be a model?"
"I didn't want to disappoint her, so I kept my lips sealed," Hifumi answered, "Although, I guess I can see why my mom would want me to stop playing Shogi. At some point, my father was diagnosed with cancer that he's still battling today, and she thought that the stress of being a professional Shogi player was to blame. I guess she didn't want me to suffer a similar fate so she tried to change my career path while still making sure she lived her life through me."
"I'm so sorry, Hifumi," Hayato said.
"I'm just grateful that the Phantom Thieves came through and changed my mom's heart so she stopped rigging Shogi matches, let me compete for real, and in turn allowed me to become a better Shogi player than I thought possible," Hayato said.
"At least your story had a somewhat happy ending," Hayato said, "Because I'll tell you, I sure could have used the Phantom Thieves during my early childhood."
"What do you mean?" Hifumi asked.
"Have you ever wondered why my mom and I never really talked about my dad?" Hayato asked as Hifumi shook her head, "Because, pardon my French here, he was a complete bastard of a man."
"How so?" Hifumi asked.
"He would get his kicks by beating up on my mother," Hayato responded, causing Hifumi to gasp, "Didn't matter if he was drunk or sober, but usually he was drunk, he'd beat my mom for every infraction you can think of. Not only that, but he spent most of his days not working, just lazing around with hardly a care in the world and drinking like a fish."
Hifumi leaned in and listened intently to what her friend had to say, completely unaware of his past and wanting to learn as much as she could.
"Most kids from a small town like Takayma are supposed to go to sleep listening to crickets and frogs," Hayato continued, "But I fell asleep to the sound of my parents arguing and fighting. No child, no matter what age, should have to hear that."
"That's awful," Hifumi said, her heart breaking for him.
"It wasn't until my dad hit me for the first time for accidently spilling some juice on the carpet that my mom had had enough of the abuse," Hayato said, "In the dead of night, she packed a bag with some of our clothes and we left Takayama for my aunt's place here in Tokyo, where we stayed for a few months before moving in to your neighborhood."
"At least you got out," Hifumi said, "Did your father ever go looking for you?"
"Thankfully not," Hayato said, "But one afternoon a few years ago, I was in the public library working on a book report when this man came up to me. I looked up and saw the gruff, rugged face of my old man."
"What happened next?" Hifumi said with worry, "Did you guys talk or anything?"
"He just wanted to know how mom was doing and I said she was fine, but I wouldn't give him our new address," Hayato said, "In response he said that he didn't need her, or me for that matter, and had moved on with his life. But before he left he looked at me and said this one thing that I'll never forget."
"What did he say," Hifumi asked.
A moment of silence passed before Hayato answered with, "You're going to be just like me one day, son."
"What does that mean?" Hifumi asked.
"To this day I still have no idea," Hayato answered, "I don't know if that was him acknowledging that he was abusive and he treated me and my mom horribly, and he was apologizing in his own messed up way. Or if he knows that abuse is generational and he thinks that I'm going to be a bastard like him."
"I see," Hifumi said.
"Ever since then I've done everything I could to avoid being someone like him," Hayato said, "I've treated everyone I've ever come in contact with with respect and dignity. I joined the Kosei High School Newspaper as a way of contributing something to the world. I have a weekend job where I work the concession stand at the local movie theater so that I can make my own money. And above all, I take advantage of my talent."
"What talent would that be," Hifumi asked.
"Are you ready to hear about a side of me that you've never heard before," Hayato asked as Hifumi nodded her head, "While my mom and I were living with my aunt, I was having some trouble adjusting to the change in environment; both from small town to big city, and from abuse and hate to safety and love. My aunt had the bright idea to get me to express my feelings in writing. About an hour or two later, I came up with this short story about a little boy who went into his closet and would come out of another closet in a different part of the world."
"That's pretty cool," Hifumi said.
"I wrote that short story because sometimes when my parents would fight I'd hide in my closet and pretend that I'm somewhere else," Hayato explained, "Anyway, my mother and my aunt loved it so much that they inspired me to write more stories like that, and that's how I learned that I have a talent for writing stories. I actually still carry around that short story I wrote for my mother and my aunt if you want to see it."
"Sure," Hifumi said as Hayato reached into his backpack, took out a binder and pulled out an old piece of paper that had Hayato's short story on it, "I like to carry it with me as a reminder of where I started with my writing passion. Go ahead, read it and tell me what you think."
Hayato handed Hifumi the piece of paper containing the short story and she began reading it. After a few minutes she handed the paper back to him.
"So, what did you think," Hayato asked.
"You said you were eight when you made that?" Hifumi asked in an impressed tone, "Because this is legitimately amazing!"
"Really?" Hayato said, flattered, "You're not just saying that, are you?"
"I wasn't raised to be a liar," Hifumi said, "I'm serious, Hayato, this is really good! For as long as I've known you I didn't know you had a talent for writing. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I guess I always thought people would look at my talent and think it's kind of lame," Hayato admitted, "I mean, compared to most other talents in the world, being able to write a story doesn't sound that exciting."
"Do you know how many people in the world would kill to hear great stories like this," Hifumi asked, "I mean it, a lot of money can be made from your talent. You should consider turning it into a career."
"In a way kind of already am," Hayato said, "Other than proving myself to be a better person than my father, joining the school paper works as a great outlet for my writing."
"But you can push your talents to greater heights right now," Hifumi said, "Don't wait until you graduate to take advantage of it, and don't restrict yourself to just the school paper. Your talent can get you places, Hayato, just like how I'm sure my Shogi playing can get me places."
Hayato thought about what Hifumi told him for a few seconds before realizing that she was right. He had a real talent for writing. And not only that, it was a talent that he enjoyed using, and he knew that he should take advantage of it now while he still could.
"Thank you, Hifumi," Hayato said, "I think somewhere deep down, I needed to hear something like that."
"Glad I could help," Hifumi said.
The two of them continued chatting while drinking their shakes and eating their fries until it was time to go home at which point Hayato walked Hifumi home before heading home himself. All in all it was a successful first date, with both Hayato and Hifumi learning something new about each other, Hayato becoming less nervous around Hifumi, Hayato learning to take his writing talent more seriously, and most importantly, the seed of love has been planted.
About a month went by since their first date, and it went over so well that Hayato and Hifumi went on many more, and with each date they both learned something new about each other. Other than dates, they'd also study and do homework together. Furthermore, thanks to Hifumi's encouragement, Hayato published a new column for the school paper where he'd write little poems for the student body to read. A majority of readers agreed that it was a good idea, and that Hayato had a serious talent for writing. Even more amazing for the young scarlet haired man, he felt himself getting less and less nervous around Hifumi. Hifumi, meanwhile, wouldn't admit it, but her crush on him was growing to be just as big as his crush on her currently was.
But now we see Hayato back in the school art room with Yusuke. The scarlet haired man tells his blue haired friend about the progress he's making in courting Hifumi.
"It's amazing, Yusuke," Hayato said, "It's like the more dates I go on with Hifumi the less nervous I become."
"You're becoming more confident," Yusuke said proudly, "Well done."
"I owe it all to you, Yusuke," Hayato said, "If it weren't for you telling me to go for it and ask Hifumi out I'd still be a nervous wreck around her and she'd still be at arm's length."
"I'm glad I could be of service," Yusuke said, "I'd say you're ready to ask Hifumi the big question."
"You know what, Yusuke, I think you're right," Hayato said confidently, "I think I'm ready to put my cards out on the table and tell Hifumi how I really feel. But that only leaves one question; How shall I do it? Yusuke, what did you do when you felt you were ready to tell Haru that you loved her?"
"Well, I did a grand gesture to show her how much I cared for her," Yusuke said, "In my case, I painted a lovely portrait of her. But you might want to do something different. Didn't you tell me that you took up guitar at one point?"
"Yeah," Hayato answered, "I thought that playing guitar might make me more attractive to her."
"Sounds to me like we've found your grand gesture," Yusuke said.
Hayato knew then and there what he had to do next.
Later that night, Hayato was seen walking down the street, his guitar in hand. Once again he felt his heart pounding out of his chest. What he was about to do next would go down as either the best decision he's ever made, or one of the most embarrassing moments in his life. But the one thing he knew for certain was that it had to be done. If not, he'd be left wondering about what could've been.
At long lost, Hayato made it to the Togo residence and he positioned himself by Hifumi's bedroom window.
"Alright, let's do this," Hayato said to himself as he picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at Hifumi's bedroom window. When nobody came to answer it, he threw another pebble. This time, someone came to investigate. Hayato saw somebody move the curtains on Hifumi's bedroom window aside, revealing that person Hifumi herself. When she saw Hayato standing there, she opened her window to talk to him."
"Hayato, what are you doing here?" Hifumi asked.
"Hifumi," Hayato began, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you ever since we first met all those years ago when my mom and I first moved into the neighborhood. And these words, while simple, are very powerful, and they need to be said so I can have peace of mind."
"What are they, Hayato?" Hifumi asked, having an idea where he was going with all of this.
"Hifumi," Hayato continued, "I love you!"
Hearing that made Hifumi blush. Her longtime crush had finally confessed his true feelings for her, and at that moment she couldn't be happier. She was about to tell Hayato that she loved him too, but before she could say anything Hayato began playing a song on his guitar that tells her how much she means to him.
"Listen baby! Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby! If you need me, call me! No matter where you are! No matter how far, don't worry, baby! Just call my name! I'll be there in a hurry! You don't have to worry! 'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, babe! Remember the day…"
As Hayato continued to play, Hifumi just stared at him dreamily, a cute and dopey smile on her face. Hayato's playing was so loud that it attracted the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Togo. Mr. Togo was just finished taking his medicine for his cancer when he heard the strumming of Hayato's guitar.
"Darling, what's that sound?" Mr. Togo asked his wife.
Mrs. Togo got out of bed and looked out the window to find Hayato playing his guitar.
"It's Hayato," Mrs. Togo answered as Mr. Togo came to her side just in time to watch Hayato conclude his song.
"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from getting to you, babe!"
And with that, Hayato concluded his song, looking up at Hifumi, who still had a dreamy look on her face.
"So, Hifumi, what did you think?" Hayato asked.
"Could you wait there for one second," Hifumi said as she closed her bedroom window and left her bedroom.
Within seconds, Hifumi left her house and ran over to meet Hayato. The young scarlet haired man turned to look at Hifumi running up to him and he put his guitar down so he could catch her in a loving hug.
"Hayato, that was beautiful," Hifumi said, "And I'm so glad you feel that way about me."
"You are?" Hayato asked.
"Yes," Hifumi answered, "Because truth be told, I've kind of been feeling the same way about you."
"You have?!" Hayato asked in an ecstatic tone.
"I've loved you ever since we were kids," Hifumi admitted, "I was hoping you felt the same way about me for the longest time, and this night confirmed it!"
"I can't take all the credit for this night," Hayato said, "The wooing was Yusuke's idea. I just had a tough time trying to figure out how to tell you that I love you, and I needed his help."
"Well I loved it, Hayato," Hifumi said, "Just like I love you!"
"I love you too, Hifumi," Hayato said as their lips met in their very first kiss.
From their bedroom window, Mr. and Mrs. Togo saw Hayato and Hifumi's kiss and they couldn't help but smile and feel happy for their daughter.
"Those two are perfect for each other," Mr. Togo said.
"They really are," Mrs. Togo concurred, "It almost reminds me of you and I when we first started dating."
"My thoughts exactly, darling," Mr. Togo said as he gave his wife a kiss on the cheek before they headed off for bed.
After their kiss, and since the following day was Saturday, Hifumi secretly invited Hayato up to her room for an impromptu sleepover to celebrate their getting together. Hayato agreed and sent a text to his mom saying that he's staying over at a friend's house for the night so that she'd be none the wiser. With Hayato being the big spoon and Hifumi being the little spoon, the two lovers cuddled in bed.
"You're not worried about getting caught in bed with me?" Hayato asked.
"My parents tend to sleep in on Saturdays," Hifumi answered, "If you're up early enough we can sneak you out so they'd be none the wiser."
"Sounds like a plan," Hayato said, "Good night, Hifumi."
"Good night, Hayato," Hifumi said with a yawn, "I love you."
"I love you too," Hayato said as he drifted off to sleep, with Hifumi following moments after.