Click, click, click.
Staring intently at the precise ticking second hand of the clock, Yufe confirmed that it was finally 7:28, then put her hand on the front doorknob.
It is autumn. The morning air is slightly cool and refreshing, and in the park near the Heights where Yufe lives, there are many people out jogging and walking.
Glancing at them from the side, Yufe clicks the heels of her comfortable lace-up boots as she slowly makes her way to work.
The clean-cut deep green skirt and flowing pure white blouse are her favorites, and they beautifully accentuate Yuhue’s soft, flowing chocolate-colored hair.
(Is it about time?)
I casually looked around and, just as I expected, I saw a familiar face coming towards me, and at an incredible speed.
“Yuffie! Good morning.”
The blond man called out her name loudly as he quickly closed the distance between them and stood next to Yufe with a big smile on his face.
His smiling face was carefree, just like a big, friendly dog, and Yufe couldn’t help but laugh.
“Good morning Fred. You’re as fast as ever… but it’s embarrassing when you call me by that loud voice.”
“Sorry, sorry. I was so happy when I saw you when I left the house. Hey, let’s go together.”
(So, so cute!)
However, it does seem odd to have such feelings towards a handsome young man who is taller than Yufe and dressed in a pure white guard uniform.
However, when she saw Fred with a happy look in his eyes, Yufe’s heart skipped a beat. It was all worth it to have carefully timed her encounter with him.
“Oh. Hey Fred, your hair is sticking up again.”
“What?! You’re kidding! I set it up properly.”
As I say this, I stroke her hair, but for some reason it doesn’t even brush against the spot I’m aiming for.
The crease between his brows was strange, so Yuhue gently reached out to touch his hair.
“Not there, but here. …Yes, it’s fixed.”
“Thanks, Yufei! I look in the mirror every day, you know?”
Fred tilted his head, thinking it was odd. Yufe and Fred exchanged conversations like this almost every day.
“Fred… are you doing your job properly? I’m really worried.”
“Eh, it’s okay! …Maybe.”
Fred’s gaze wandered obviously, but Yufe, who worked as an accounting clerk at the royal castle, knew that he was incredibly talented.
Fred was a soldier employed locally, but he had traveled to the royal capital once a year to represent the country in an exchange tournament, where he thoroughly defeated the elite soldiers who were seen as potential winners.
Since then, he has been assigned to the Royal Capital’s troops and has been making a great contribution to maintaining peace in the castle town. Recently, his troops were in the news for arresting a smuggling ring that had been shy until now.
In other words, Fred is, so to speak, a rising star among the young employees.
What’s more, he’s good looking. With his pale blonde hair and clear, sky-blue eyes, he’s said to be just like a prince from a storybook.
Being that kind of person, as you might imagine, he is extremely popular with the ladies. Apparently, he is often asked to be the personal bodyguard for the daughters of noble families.
“I’m really glad Yufe is here.”
To Yufe, it’s like a large dog wagging its tail and chasing after him.
◇
“That means you definitely like Yufe, don’t you?”
I was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, stuffing my face with the sandwich I had brought for lunch. The generous amount of mustard on it added a nice accent.
“That’s what I thought, isn’t it?! I do think she’s being overly self-conscious, but she does seem a bit flirtatious, don’t you think?”
“Well, when he was in the provinces, he wouldn’t turn away anyone who came. But now it’s just Yufe.”
“Just me? I’m not even dating anyone.”
“But even Yufe likes him, doesn’t she? A man who requires a lot of attention.”
“What a way to say it!”
Her close friend in the accounting department knows about Yu-Hwae’s love life. Yu-Hwae is an adult now. She dreams of marriage and has dated several men.
However, all the men she has known have been no good.
“You’re always doing too much for me.”
“Because… I want to do anything for the person I love.”
If she cooks meals, cleans, and takes good care of them, the other person will say, “It’s like being with your mother,” and dump her. But I don’t think Yufe is solely responsible for this. It’s them who have taken their kindness for granted.
Even Yufe has a girlish heart and wants to be led by a manly man.
However, for some reason, the people I fall in love with are the type that require a lot of care.
“Well, I think he’s far better than the others so far. Soldier is the number one profession people want to marry.”
“That’s because you have a muscle fetish, Mimi.”
“Ufufu♡”
She smiles meaningfully and seems to be aiming to become the captain of the guard’s second wife. Mimi, who has a fetish for muscles and likes older men, says that Captain Oswald is her type.
“Now, speaking of rumors, isn’t that Yufe’s husband?”
“That’s why you say it…!”
When he called me his husband, my cheeks involuntarily got hot. I’ll keep it a secret, but I briefly thought it would be nice if that happened.
“Yuffie! Please help me…”
Just as Mimi had said, it was Fred who came running up to her with frown and a look of near tears.
“Fred? Help me? What’s wrong?”
“My uniform got torn during training. We have an open training session in the afternoon, so I need to get it done properly. I can’t do anything about it, but can you fix it, Yufe…?”
Looking at the hem of the jacket, I saw that the stitching was indeed frayed and appeared to be torn.
Apparently, the spare clothes he usually keeps in his locker had been sent off to the wash, and all he had on hand was the clothes he was currently wearing.
“Hmm. I think I can fix this quickly. Let me borrow it.”
“Oh, thank goodness! I can only ask Yufe.”
“Yes, yes. It’s good that you have Yufe. But if it was just that much, surely any girl around here would have been happy to fix it if you asked them?”
“Mimi-san. You were there.”
“I’ve been here since before you came!”
“As you can see, I made a request to Yufe, so I’m sorry. You go back first. I’ll take Yufe home. And…”
“Hmm? Ah… Well, that can’t be helped! Yufe, see you later. Fred, I really care about that story!”
When Fred whispered something to Mimi, she ran off with bloodshot eyes.
“Fred? What did you say to Mimi?”
“A little bit about Captain Oswald. Hey, you should take this off, right?”
Saying this nonchalantly, Fred began unbuttoning his jacket. Yufe scolded herself for being a little captivated by his movements and took out a portable sewing kit from her bag.
In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve fixed Fred’s loose ends in this way.
He seems to be a bit absent-minded, and often brings loose button threads or holes in his clothes to Yu-Fei. He is so cute when he runs up to her crying out “Yu-Fei,” and Yu-Fei ends up spoiling him, but he also has little learning ability.
(There are a lot of girls who approach me. But he always comes to me. I guess it’s no use falling for him…?)
Taking the jacket, I stole a quick glance at Fred. The short-sleeved black shirt was tight-fitting for ease of movement, highlighting his impressive military physique.
Broad shoulders, bulging upper arms, and a chest that was full of thick muscles, exuding a voluptuous, sexy look.
His waist is tight and toned, but his abs are clearly visible in front, giving him a manly look.
Even though I’ve seen it countless times, I still can’t seem to get used to it. On the contrary, I’ve recently started fantasizing about what it would be like to be embraced by that body.
“Yuffie? Are you okay? I guess it’s not going to work after all…”
I saw Fred with his brows lowered and his back hunched, and I had a vision of him with droopy dog ears. He’s so cute. I want to pet him as much as I can.
“Ha! No, it’s okay. I’ll fix it right away, so just wait.”
Urging him to pull himself together as his thinking was becoming increasingly erratic, Yufe stabbed the needle into his jacket.
It was just a loose stitching, so it only took a few minutes for it to return to its original shape. With a snap, she cut the threads with a pair of small scissors, and handed the jacket to Fred with a satisfied look on her face.
“Yes, I did it. I think it will be fine if it’s just a little bit, but it’s an amateur repair, so be careful.”
“Thank you Yufe! You really helped me out. I know I always rely on you, so as a thank you, how about we go out for a drink today? There’s a bar that opened near my house, and it has a reputation for its delicious food.”
“That cute shop with the white exterior? Yay! It’s close by, and I’ve been wanting to go.”
“Well, I’ll come and pick you up after work, so just wait. Neither of us will have to work overtime today.”
“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”
My heart leaps with excitement at this unexpected promise. After that, the two of us enjoyed chatting in the soft sunlight until the very end of our lunch break.
◇
Fred came to pick me up after work as promised, wearing slim black pants and a nice jacket.
Since the two of them sometimes went out together like this, it was not unusual for her to see him in casual clothes, but Yufai, who was used to seeing Fred in his sharp guard uniform, found herself carelessly attracted to Fred in his casual clothes.
“Huh? Is that lipstick a different color than it was this morning?”
“Y-yes. I bought them because they came out in new autumn colors, but I thought they might be a little too flashy for the workplace. But they’ve come in handy right away.”
I felt a bit embarrassed to be told so soon after meeting him. It was hard to act normal, and my voice started to rise.
Because Fred’s melting gaze was fixed on Yufe’s lips.
“So cute… does that mean you dressed up just for me? I’m so happy, it suits you so well. Hey, can I hold your hand?”
“Huh?”
Without waiting for Yufe’s reply, Fred scooped up her right hand and walked away with a big smile on his face.
“F-Fred! As expectedhereRoyal CastleAnd it’s embarrassing.”
Hesitantly, I tried to shake him off, but he didn’t let go, even though his grip wasn’t strong. The hands of an active-duty soldier were large and gnarled, and very hard.
“Oh, sorry. I know that was unpleasant.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it! It’s just, you know, Fred, it would be embarrassing for you to be seen by someone you know, right?”
“I don’t really mind though…”
Fred’s head drooped in obvious dejection and he reluctantly let go of his hand.
It’s embarrassing, that’s true. And no matter how obvious their feelings are, it’s unthinkable for a man and woman who aren’t dating to hold hands.
Maybe… No, I’m sure Fred likes me, but he hasn’t said it clearly yet, so our relationship is dangerous.
After that, we walked to the store, chatting about inoffensive things.
The cute white bar is stylish and bustling. The seat we were shown to was a semi-private room, so we could dine without worrying about the people around us.
“This is my first time here, but it seems like a nice restaurant. I’m looking forward to the food.”
“Please ask as much as you like. I’m treating you today.”
“Say that. Is that okay? Let’s order from the most expensive menu, okay?”
“I know how much Yufe eats. A junior who eats and drinks without hesitation even at a cheap restaurant will end up costing more.”
“That may well be true.”
For soldiers, their bodies are their greatest asset. Yufe is not a picky eater, but she can’t compare to them in any way.
We ordered stewed meat and seafood dishes and toasted with cold ale. Tomorrow was finally a day off, so we congratulated each other on our hard work this week.
“Ha――――! Delicious!”
“Mmmm, it’s true! It’s really cold and delicious.”
Fred lifted the large mug with ease and gulped down the ale with gusto.
The mug was placed on the small, round desk with a thud and there was almost nothing left.
“Want another drink?”
“Yes. But don’t worry about me. You eat it yourself, Yufe. It’s my way of thanking you for all you do. Here, I’ll peel the shrimp for you.”
“Eh! N-no, it’s fine. Your hands will get dirty.”
“Then there’s nothing else for Yufe to do. I’m good at peeling shrimp.”
”Look,” he said, peeling the shells off the shrimp with practiced hands. He was certainly good at it.
But this was the first time a man had done something like this for me. No man had ever done something as small as serving me food before.
As he was thinking about this, within a matter of seconds a large red object appeared and Fred held it out in front of Yufe.
“It looks really delicious. Come on, eat it quickly.”
“Eh, uh… on a plate.”
“I put a lot of sauce on it, so eat it all in one go.”
We were sitting across from each other, but before I knew it, our chairs were pressed together.
Unable to comprehend what had happened, she looked up in confusion to see Fred looking at Yufe with a smile on his face.
“Hurry up Yufe, the sauce will drip.”
“Ah, mmm.”
The moment she opened her mouth, a large shrimp was thrust in. It was too much to finish in one bite, so when she bit into it, the springy texture and delicious flavor spread throughout her mouth, making Yufe let out a voiceless cry.
“~~~~! This is delicious! The tomato sauce and shrimp go perfectly together!”
I was so moved that I turned to the side and was surprised to see the prince’s handsome face closer than I expected.
However, Fred leaned even closer to Yufe and whispered devilishly in her ear.
“This goes perfectly with cold ale. Drink it all in one go.”
“Ugh…!”
There was no way she could resist such a temptation, so Yufe followed his urging and took a sip of the ale.
The ale was so delicious that I kept drinking it. Before I knew it, I was feeling light and good thanks to the alcohol. Yufe’s alcohol tolerance was not that high.
“Yes, Yufe. This is the last shrimp, so please enjoy it slowly.”
“Hmm.”
The shrimp that was presented to her was small, so Yufe opened her mouth to eat it in one bite. Of course, the alcohol had also helped her, making her bolder than usual.
But the next moment, not only was the shrimp inserted, but Fred’s finger was also inserted.
“Huh…”
The index finger slipped into her mouth, brushed against Yufe’s red tongue, and then removed it.
In just that moment, a shiver of pleasure ran down my spine and I felt like my hips were going to give way. But that obscene sensation, something I’d never experienced before, caused all my thoughts to stop, and I could only stare at Fred in front of me.
“…the sauce dripped out.”
Saying this, Fred made a soft lip smacking sound as he licked the sauce off his index finger, the same fingertip that had just tickled Yufe’s tongue.
The naturalness of his actions made Yufe’s body go numb. She felt unbearably hot all over. She was embarrassed and wanted to look away, but she was drawn into his sky-blue eyes and couldn’t.
“Hey, here’s some water, so wash it quickly.”
“Thanks Yufe. Your face is red, are you okay?”
“It’s okay…”
“Or are you finally ready to accept me?”
Fred carefully washed his hands, then placed his left hand on Yufe’s delicate, white right hand and shook it tightly.
Our bold contact made my heart pound so hard it hurt. I wanted to make a joke, but our eyes were so serious that no words would come out.
“Hey Yufe, I’ve always liked you. Be my girlfriend.”
Leave a Reply