Chapter 257: I Can't Sleep Without You By My Side

When Miyahito pulled his feet out of the warm blankets, he suddenly realized.

He, Aragaki Miyahito, had actually gotten insomnia.

And it was the kind of insomnia where you just keep your eyes open, do absolutely nothing, and stare at the ceiling all night long.

Propping his palms on the edge of the bed and slipping his feet into the soft slippers beside it, Miyahito, sporting a pair of frighteningly dark circles under his eyes, stared blankly and vacantly at the school uniform hanging on the closet door, completely zoning out.

After a short while, looking somewhat haggard, he turned his head to glance at the phone on the nightstand and reached out to light up the screen.

“5:23 A.M.”

Looking up at the scenery outside the glass window, which was still immersed in darkness.

“Sigh…..” Raising his hand to scratch the matted hair on the back of his head with a hint of irritation, Miyahito sluggishly put on his slippers and wobbled to his feet from the edge of the bed.

Reaching out to grab the school uniform hanging on the closet door… he listlessly and slowly put on the uniform, draped his jacket over his shoulders, and casually picked up the scarf thrown over the back of the chair.

Yawning, he slowly and wearily made his way downstairs.

Habit really is a terrifying thing.

Although Miyahito knew in his heart the reason he hadn’t slept all night and suffered from insomnia… to put it bluntly, it was just because he spent the entire night thinking about how to arrange the upcoming “Christmas date,” how to prepare for the final exams, what he needed to do during the winter and spring breaks, and all sorts of other messy things.

But to be honest.

That feeling of lying in bed, curled up in a warm blanket, yet being unable to feel the familiar touch of the person beside you, accompanied by a lingering sense of emptiness in your heart, was truly hard to adapt to.

Unable to hear the steady breathing by his ear.

Unable to feel the slightly higher body temperature curled up in his arms.

The moment he opened his eyes, unable to see those cherry-pink lips curved into a reassuring smile.

Such a sudden separation was truly difficult to adapt to.

If it were a long vacation (like summer, winter, or spring break), activities that gave him enough time to adapt to being apart, it would be somewhat understandable.

But this sudden separation, without even calling each other last night… even if they didn’t say anything, just being able to hear each other’s breathing would have been nice.

After brushing his teeth and simply washing his messy hair in the sink, Miyahito, with wet hair, subconsciously reached out his hand to his side.

As a result, no one was there to hand him a dry towel, nor was there anyone to say to him in a slightly complaining tone:

“Good grief, you forgot to get your towel in advance again.”

“Sigh… Why do I feel like Utaha has turned me into a useless invalid?”

With a bittersweet expression on his face, Miyahito lowered his head, raised both hands to grope around blindly for a moment, and then casually grabbed a towel, throwing it over his wet head.

Closing his eyes and rubbing his hair haphazardly, Miyahito pulled the towel down and glanced down at the towel hanging around his neck.

Well… this is the one I used to dry my body after my shower last night. Oh well, it’s not a big deal.

About ten minutes later.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm….”

Humming a tune softly, Miyahito, fully dressed and holding his schoolbag, stood in the entryway changing his shoes.

After changing his shoes, he reached out, turned the doorknob, and gently pushed the door open.

Whoosh~!

A cold wind blew through the opened crack, hitting Miyahito straight in the face.

“Hiss~ So cold.”

Hurriedly raising his hand to pull his scarf up over his mouth and cover the lower half of his face, Miyahito shivered as he stepped out of the house and locked the door.

“Haa—!”

After exhaling a heavy breath of hot air into his palms, another gust of cold wind blew, freezing Miyahito so much that he quickly stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

“It’s so cold today.”

Looking up at the gradually brightening sky above, Miyahito muttered a quiet complaint about the freezing weather before turning around and heading toward his girlfriend’s apartment.

Even though it was only a little past six, which couldn’t exactly be called early in winter, it was at most just before the sky had fully brightened.

Moreover, at this hour, his girlfriend was undoubtedly still lazing around lazily in her blankets, fussing and refusing to get up.

Therefore, he needed to hurry up and wake Utaha, otherwise, they would be late for school.

However, just as Miyahito turned the corner, with about half the distance to Utaha’s apartment remaining.

“Eh?”

Miyahito’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression filled with disbelief as he looked at Utaha, who had suddenly appeared before him.

Shocked. Utaha is actually up? At this hour?

“Why are you looking at me like that….”

Not knowing whether she was embarrassed by her boyfriend’s surprised gaze, or perhaps feeling a bit self-conscious because her light makeup that morning was a bit too casual, a barely perceptible blush flew across Utaha’s cheeks.

Lowering her head slightly and tucking her lips a bit further into her scarf, she spoke to Miyahito, who was staring straight at her, her slightly shy voice hiding a hint of coquettishness.

“Stop looking at me!”

Her tone full of shy coquettishness, her cheeks flushed, Utaha raised her hand and anxiously pushed hard against the cheeks of Miyahito, who was still staring straight at her, squishing her boyfriend’s lips into a pout.

“You’re still looking!!”

“Eh! Eh? Utaha…..”

After making a fuss on the main street for a short while.

The two of them, their hands intertwined and fingers locked tightly together as always, walked side by side down the early morning street, which had only a sparse few pedestrians, facing the cold winter wind that hid the gentle warmth of the sun.

“Miyahito.”

Raising her eyelids slightly, her gaze seemingly casual as it fell on the heavy dark circles under her boyfriend’s eyes, Utaha complained with a hint of heartache.

“Did you stay up late again last night? Good grief, I told you not to stay up late, and you didn’t listen again?”

“Eh, no, I didn’t.” Pausing for a moment, Miyahito quickly shook his head in denial. “I was very obedient and went to bed early last night.”

“Then why do you still have such heavy dark circles? Hmph.”

“I really didn’t.”

Remembering the reason for his dark circles, Miyahito raised his hand to awkwardly scratch his cheeks a few times, his tone becoming somewhat hesitant.

“It’s just… it’s just… you know.”

“I couldn’t sleep without you by my side.”

This simple sentence caused Utaha’s heart to skip a beat.

Enough! Why can her man say something that makes her heart race so fast with such a nonchalant face!

Blushing slightly, Utaha quietly turned her face away a little and whispered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

“Me too.”

“Hmm?” For a moment, Miyahito heard his girlfriend’s voice, but couldn’t make out what she said.

“Utaha, what did you say?”

“Nothing at all!”

Responding with a slightly tsundere, coquettish tone, Utaha turned her head. The corners of her eyes overflowed with an unconcealable smile, and her intoxicating wine-red eyes reflected Miyahito’s figure.

“So, darling.”

Light and slightly expectant words drifted from her slightly moving lips. After blinking her eyes, Utaha continued with a curved smile at the corners of her mouth.

“I’m really looking forward to our ‘Christmas date’.”