Rewrite Our Love? Too Late-Chapter 132: A Night Worth Remembering

So, had Eriri really come to "raid the night"?

The thought slipped into Yukima Azuma's mind, accompanied by the fluttering disbelief that came with watching the impossible unfold before your eyes. Eriri Sawamura Spencer standing in front of his room in the middle of the night—this wasn't a scene he had expected to witness in his lifetime. After all, getting Eriri to take the initiative in matters of the heart was like trying to pluck a star from the sky.

And yet, here she was.

Driven by his own motto—"opportunities don't come twice"—Azuma decided to act. He stepped aside without a word, gesturing subtly for her to enter.

Eriri's porcelain-pale face was now flushed as red as a summer peach. Her hands were clamped over her forehead, perhaps trying to ease the sting from their earlier accidental bump, or maybe she was just trying to hide the unmistakable blush spreading across her cheeks.

She hesitated for a moment, like a rabbit on the edge of a forest clearing, then finally stepped into the room.

Azuma couldn't help but marvel silently. This truly was a rare event—like the sun rising from the West.

He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a few ice cubes from the fridge, and returned to find Eriri seated on the chair in the corner, curled up like a cat. Still in her pajamas. She hadn't taken the chance to escape while he was gone.

He placed the makeshift ice pack gently against her forehead.

"Uwawa~!" she squeaked in surprise, her golden hair bouncing lightly with the movement.

Taking the ice pack from him, Eriri pressed it against her head herself. The cooling sensation helped, and her breathing slowed down.

Azuma watched her calm down slightly, then teased with a mischievous smile.

"So, Eriri really did come to raid the night, huh?"

His words drifted close to her cheek as he leaned in.

Eriri's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. At this close distance, she could see every detail of his face. His eyes, always carrying a quiet clarity, were locked on her. For a moment, she wanted to tell the truth. To admit everything.

Because... yes. She had come with intent.

The fortune-telling at the shrine had struck a nerve. Even someone as thick-headed as her couldn't ignore the warning signs anymore. She had already given her first kiss to this boy—in a movie theater of all places—and yet nothing had followed. Every plan she made after that either fell through or was derailed by her own awkward tsundere tendencies.

If this went on, she really would end up as just a background character.

And Eriri, who had memorized every trope from her beloved anime and manga, understood what that meant: being the "silly" girl meant you lost. Charmless. Forgettable.

She glanced toward Azuma again, lips parting slightly.

"I..."

But the words got caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Her eyes darted to the table where a novel rested—anything to break the tension.

"I just came to borrow a book, alright?! I couldn't sleep! What kind of weird thoughts are you having, Azuma!?"

There it was again—that tsundere fallback.

Azuma didn't even blink at her excuse. He simply stood up and reached for the book on the table.

"This one, right?"

Eriri squinted at the cover, recognizing it faintly.

"A Letter from an Unknown Woman."

It sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall reading it.

"Didn't Eriri already finish this?" Azuma asked casually, flipping the cover.

"Huh? I... did?"

She blinked in confusion. No memory of it surfaced. She rarely touched literature that didn't involve manga or light novels. If she had read it, it would've stood out.

Azuma chuckled softly.

"You forgot? It was the day Sayuri-oba-san couldn't pick you up. You came to my place. We read it together."

He paused, letting the memory hang in the air.

"You even said it was the first time you'd been in a boy's room."

Eriri froze.

Like a dam breaking, the memories rushed back in. That day—the warm sun outside, the nervous flutter in her chest, the texts from her mom telling her to wait somewhere else. Azuma had offered his home.

Back then, she'd been in full "Eri-sensei" mode—playing up her aloof artist persona, but secretly hoping something would happen.

"I didn't lie! That was my first time!" she blurted defensively.

Azuma gave her a sly look. "So you were too busy thinking about dirty things to read the book, huh?"

"W-What are you saying?! I'm not a pervert!!"

"You were the one imagining all that, Eriri. I just said the bed was soft."

"And you think that didn't imply something?!" she exploded. "You invited me into your room! Sat me on your bed!"

Golden hair fluttered with every word as she lowered her voice. "Weren't you trying to do something to me?"

Silence followed.

Embarrassed, she glanced up—and saw Azuma wearing the most awkward smile she'd ever seen on him.

"Honestly? I was tempted. Everything was perfect. The weather, the setting... But in the end, I couldn't go through with it."

"H-Huh...?" she stammered.

Azuma looked at her gently.

"You were so stiff. Like you were on the edge of panicking. I didn't want to push you."

Eriri's mouth dropped open.

"So why didn't you do anything?! I came over fully prepared!"

"You looked scared."

"I was nervous! But that doesn't mean I wasn't ready!"

She suddenly stood, grabbing the hem of his shirt tightly.

"I wanted to make a memory that day! And in the end... nothing happened. I went home and cried like an idiot. I even asked my mom if I was unattractive!"

Azuma was stunned.

Eriri, usually proud and explosive, now stood before him with tears in her eyes—no pretense, no filters.

"Was I not... good enough?" she whispered.

Azuma's chest tightened. Of course she was. He had always liked Eriri. But somewhere along the way, he had started expecting her to take the lead, not realizing the fear and self-doubt she carried behind her tsundere mask.

"Ara~," he murmured, trying to lighten the mood. "So Eriri's already prepared tonight, huh?"

Her grip tightened.

A long pause.

"...Mm," she answered softly.

Azuma reached out and gently took her hand.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms.

Her golden hair spilled across his chest. Her body trembled lightly.

With a tender motion, he lifted her chin.

And then, he kissed her.

Her resistance melted away, like snow beneath the sun.

His fingers drifted to the buttons of her blouse—but we'll stop there, lest we summon the mythical Censorship Beast.

Let's instead pan away, to the peaceful starlit sky outside. The meadows of Hokkaido shimmered silver under the moonlight. A night bird called out gently in the distance, and somewhere, a poem whispered on the wind:

"Hold hands, gently pulling into the curtain, shyly smiling, the light dims slightly.

Gold needles pierce the peach blossom's stamen, not daring to speak loudly, silently frowning."

A moment of poetry for a night that changed everything.

The Next Morning

Kato Megumi sniffed lightly as she approached Eriri with an innocent expression.

"Eriri smells nice today. Like a ripe pear."

"Eh? Really? Oh, right! I just switched shampoos!" Eriri's voice wavered slightly.

She smiled—but her eyes twitched.

This fragrance... the scent of deception! Sawamura Spencer Eriri, you little liar!

Megumi just nodded softly. "Sounds nice."

At the villa's entrance, Kasumigaoka Utaha waved at them.

"What's taking so long? We're going to miss our flight."

With luggage in hand, the group prepared to head home. The trip to Hokkaido—despite its bumps—had ended with more smiles than tears.

As they stood by the car, the girls all turned back for one last look at the villa.

Eriri, in particular, gazed at a single room window for a long moment.

But there was no sadness.

This wasn't an ending.

Only a comma in the story of their lives.

There would be more school trips. More late-night talks. More chances to change everything.

So for now, they simply looked ahead.

And walked on.