She blinked at me a few times, her mouth opening slightly but not saying anything. Yumi-chan’s surprised face was really cute and it made me smile from the bottom of my heart. I covered my mouth with a hand and let out a chuckle.

When I turned my head to look at Kurosawa-san, it was my turn to be surprised. 

He was gaping at me unblinkingly, his eyes staring so intensely that it made my face feel hot.

Could it be that my words have startled him silly? What was so shocking about wanting to buy balloons for Yumi-chan?

“Ah, yes. Of course.” Kurosawa-san finally came back to life after a second. He smiled at Yumi-chan, then at me. “What shapes do you want?”

“Cat.” Yumi-chan and I both replied at the same time. We all looked at each other, then began laughing heartily.

Thus, we each got a balloon, two cats flanking an orange dog. Of course, the dog-shaped balloon was Kurosawa-san’s. I have to say, he chose something quite fitting for him. 

Later, we saw a vendor selling cotton candy. The sweet smell wafted towards us, making even adults drool. Pink and blue fluffy clouds came out of the machine, looking like delicate cotton spheres on a stick.

I decided to try my luck again and touched Yumi-chan’s arm as if by coincidence. Just as expected, she was all hyped up inside her head.

‘Whaaaa… cotton candy! So yummy… it looks so yummy. I want one too.’

Thus, the order haD been placed and Masato-sensei stepped forward before she even got a chance to express her wishes aloud. 

“Kurosawa-san, I think I want some cotton candy. What about you, Yumi-chan?”

For the second time that day this pair of uncle and niece goggled at me like I was some kind of bizarre creature. I honestly began to wonder, was it so weird for a grownup to feel like having a balloon or eating cotton candy? It’s not like I did that every day! This was a special occasion after all.

With laughter in his eyes, Kurosawa-san went and bought three sticks of cotton candy.

“Weren’t there blue ones as well?” I asked dejectedly, staring at the pink fluffy cloud in front of my eyes.

“I’m sorry. The vendor had already made the second one pink as well. By the time I got to tell him, it was already too late.” Kurosawa-san said sheepishly. Though, the wide grin he displayed didn’t make him appear too apologetic.

Meanwhile, Yumi-chan was eating her own pink cotton candy, giggling and looking lively.

‘Uncle Rin is so funny, teasing Masato-sensei like this.’ I heard her say inside her head.

Ah, yes. Right, my hand accidentally touched Yumi-chan’s side. Curious as to what more she had to say, I stuck close to her for a little while longer.

‘Masato-sensei too, doesn’t look like he dislikes it. He is always very kind and attentive with uncle Rin and me. And the way he smiles is so beautiful… his entire face goes sparkly.’

For some reason, her innocent thoughts made me blush. I averted my eyes and tried not to let my emotions show on my face. 

It’s true that I have been showing these two quite a preferential treatment as of late. But I didn’t realize it was so obvious. I have tried too hard to stay away from people that when I finally got close to someone, I didn’t know the value or the impact my actions would have on that person.

For Yumi-chan to think these things, was it a good thing or a bad thing?

Before I could reach a conclusion, Yumi-chan’s inner voice rang again.

‘Today I got everything I wanted without having to ask for it. Could it be that Masato-sensei can read my mind?’

This scared me out of my wits and I hurried to step away from Yumi-chan. Due to my fluster, though, I accidentally smacked some cotton candy on my face. It felt sticky to the touch and the more I tried to clean it, the worse it got. 

My movements eventually attracted Kurosawa-san’s attention and he came closer.

“Masato-sensei, let me help you with that.” I heard him say.

In one swift motion he pulled out a wet-nap from who knows where and proceeded to clean my cheek. Before I could react and say I could do it myself, he had already finished and pocketed the napkin away.

However, instead of moving away, he got even closer. He raised his hand again and brushed his thumb across my cheek, from the cheekbone to the corner of my lips. 

Baffled by the sudden gesture, I looked up and saw him staring at me quite fixedly. His eyes were bright with a touch of tenderness I had never seen before in him. His finger moved gently until all the moisture had dried away. Only then did he move away, leaving me some space to breathe.

Unexpectedly, a girl’s voice sounded in my head. 

‘Aah, such a pity. I thought he was going to kiss him.’ 

It appeared that sometime during our previous moment Yumi-chan came closer and her foot was sticking close to mine.

A second later I realized the meaning of her thoughts and a sudden blush rose to my face. I wanted to disappear right then and there. 

How could this child be thinking such things? It was obvious that Kurosawa-san was just helping me wipe my face, right? Where did a possible kiss come into the picture? And why was I blushing and feeling nervous all of a sudden?

When I glanced at Kurosawa-san he had already moved a few steps back and was enjoying his cotton candy, not even sparing me a glance.

That’s right! This person had no such interest in me! Not that I have anything against such things, but I don’t see him in that way. I just like his company and feel comfortable around him.

Also, his honesty and straightforwardness have rekindled my withered belief in people. For me, having someone like Kurosawa-san in my life as a friend is a precious gift. There are no other feelings attached to it.