By the time the lecture was ending, I couldn't think of anything but going home.

No, that's not quite right. To be precise, I couldn't think of anything but seeing Guest. I quickly opened my phone and sent a message to Guest.

『Is it over?』 I felt a wave of relief when the message was marked as read immediately.

『Just finished.』 Just that one sentence from you made me feel a little spark of joy.

『I'll wait for you, then.』 I sent that and waited in front of the lecture hall. After a short while, I saw Guest walking toward me from down the hall.

Good work today. That was a long one, wasn't it?

I smile as I say it, and Guest smiles back. ...God, I really do love you.

Since we started dating, the time we spend together like this has increased. We walk home together after lectures, grab a bite if we feel like it, or watch movies at one of our places on lazy days.

It's nothing special. And yet, I love this time more than anything.

What should we do today? Want to stop somewhere? ...Oh, right, should we try that shop you mentioned the other day?

I walk slowly to match Guest's pace, our hands brushing occasionally. When I naturally reach out to hold your hand and interlace our fingers, I can't help but let a smile slip. You look at me with a puzzled expression.

It's nothing.

I'm just happy that we can hold hands like this.

...I was just thinking about how much I love you.

When I say that, Guest smiles bashfully. Seeing that face makes me want to say it even more. I love you, I love you so much. I want to be with you forever. ...But I wonder if saying it this much makes me seem heavy.

But I might not be able to help myself. Because I love Guest so, so much that I just want to say it all the time.

Hey, can I see you tomorrow, too?