Chapter 940: Another Magical Moment at the Summit of Mount Hakodate!

"We did it!" Kumiko let out a deep, relieved sigh as she threw her body against one of the benches that faced the horizon straight where the sun would rise.

"Come here, Ryukkun! Sit with me!" She patted the empty seat next to her, inviting Higo to come around.

Well, the boy didn’t need a second invitation. He took the seat next to her, and the next thing he knew, the girl had already taken out her phone for a selfie.

"Come on, Ryukkun! Make a pose!" She exclaimed, starting to make a peace sign with a pretty smile that showed off the dimples on the corners of her cheeks.

Higo didn’t hesitate here. He just used one hand to hug his girlfriend’s shoulder to bring her closer to him, to the point that he could hear her breathing, and the other hand made the same peace sign as he grinned in front of the camera.

Snap!

"Oh, that’s a nice photo." Higo nodded in appreciation. "Send it to me, okay? I want to post a story on Instagram as well."

"Sure." Kumiko nodded as she made one for herself. "Is it okay, though? You know that people still don’t know my identity, right?"

Higo froze instantly, realizing that indeed, he had only revealed that he had a girlfriend studying at Cologne University. As for the other information, let alone her face, everyone was still wondering about it, as he had never slipped up again since that incident.

"Um... You okay with that?" Higo asked carefully.

Kumiko’s cheeks turned red in the next second, either from the thought of announcing herself to the public or just because her heart was still beating fast from climbing up here.

In the end, the girl took another breath before giving a sure nod. "Yeah, I guess it is okay now."

Higo observed her expression one last time to make sure that she didn’t do it just for him. Once he was so sure, though, the boy couldn’t help but punch the air to celebrate, which only elicited a giggle from her.

"It has been a long time since we’ve been here, right?" Kumiko sighed once again, her gaze fell on the sky that started to turn hue red as the sun was rising on the horizon.

"Yeah, around two years ago, you told me so many times." Higo smiled softly; his gaze was also on the same line.

They held hands for a while, enjoying the slow ascent of the sun in the sky while enjoying the warm tea that Kumiko brought in her thermos.

The warm feeling down his throat fighting the cold around, coupled with the amazing scenery in front of them, created a tranquil feeling as they fell into a peaceful silence, enjoying everything in their life right now.

Somehow, Higo couldn’t help but have his memories rushing to the top of his head, remembering vividly what happened in the last two years.

From the national tournament, the Young Samurai team, fighting for Schalke, and now they were in the COVID era, everything moved so fast that he didn’t really have time for a break.

Kumiko was also in the same boat, having to fight against a lot of things in her life.

Now that they finally reached this point, they couldn’t help but feel quite melancholic about it.

"Next year..." The girl murmured quietly. "Next year, we have to go here again, okay?"

Higo pondered for a second before nodding gently. "Sure. Next year, and the year after that... Let’s spend every Christmas or New Year here, just the two of us."

Kumiko felt her heart beating when she heard that. "You promise?" She whispered, her voice soft and fragile.

"Pinky promise." Higo raised his pinky finger to her.

The girl paused for a second before a pretty smile formed on her face as she entangled his finger with hers. "Yes, pinky promise. If you lie, a needle will be stuck in your eyes, okay?" She giggled quietly.

Higo couldn’t help but shudder, somehow still not knowing why children always made the creepiest consequence for this kind of promise.

Still, he accepted her pinky, and in the next second, silence fell among them as their eyes met each other.

Higo could see every little detail that he had never paid attention to, from her sharp jaw to the pale skin behind the redness on her cheeks. His heart was beating fast right now, as his face somehow got closer to hers unconsciously.

Kumiko herself also had her face flustered, turning crimson red. However, she didn’t turn away, and if anything, the girl also leaned forward, as if she had just accepted this gesture.

Honestly, this was never in Higo’s plan. He only agreed to climb with Kumiko for the memory, not for any other ulterior motive.

However, now that they were here, he finally gritted his teeth, getting rid of any anxiety in his mind.

’Screw it! I have already reached this point; no room to back down anymore!’

In the next second, their lips finally met, and it was definitely the most magical feeling that they both had ever experienced.

Even though they had been dating for more than a year, they had never kissed directly like that, always playing around with a peck on the cheek, forehead, or something like that.

This was the first proper kiss that they had ever done, and while Higo didn’t know what Kumiko felt, he couldn’t help but shudder, feeling like a million volts jolted through his heart at that exact second.

The warmth of her red lips, the cold feeling of her cheeks when he held them, and her heart that kept beating faster that Higo could even hear it, everything was engraved inside his head, unable to escape from his brain.

Then, with the impulsiveness that was still there, Higo leaned forward once again for the second kiss, which Kumiko accepted readily.

They stayed quiet for a second, letting the hue of the red Christmas sky become the background for their love story.

It wasn’t until they lost breath that they released each other, but in that panting moment, a bright smile curled on their face simultaneously.

"That was..."

"...Incredible, yeah. I know..."