I Ended Up Cross-Dressing, My Secret Relationship with a Handsome Guy (BL) - Chapter 34

The moment I heard that distinctive notification sound, I knew it was from Kiryu.

Glancing at my phone screen, I saw his name displayed clearly.

“…Hello?”

I tried to keep my voice calm, but inside, I was a little panicked.

Keeping my expression neutral, I picked up the call while heading back to my room from the living room.

Even indoors, the chill of winter seeped through the walls, making me shudder slightly.

“Hey, sorry—were you doing something?”

“No, I was just watching TV.”

“Oh? What were you watching?”

“A music show. What about you?”

“Waiting for Yukiho to come out.”

“…Huh?”

The moment I stepped into my room, Kiryu’s words registered in my brain.

I froze in place.

Then—

I rushed to the window, threw open the curtains, and pushed up the glass.

A blast of freezing air hit my face, but I didn’t care.

I leaned out and looked toward my front door—

And that’s when I saw him.

Kiryu.

Standing outside, grinning, waving at me like an idiot.

“What the hell!?”

“Yukiho, let’s spend New Year’s together.”

For a solid five seconds, my brain shut down.

Then, without hesitation,

I slammed the window shut, locked it, and practically growled into the phone.

“You absolute moron!”

Hanging up without waiting for a reply, I ripped off my sweatpants and grabbed the warmest clothes I could find.

Shoving my phone and wallet into my coat pockets,

I stormed out of my room and into the living room, where my parents sat watching TV.

Both of them turned to look at me in surprise.

“Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden? Oh? You changed clothes?”

“Are you heading somewhere?”

“…I’m spending New Year’s with a friend.”

“You didn’t mention anything about that before,” my dad frowned.

“That’s because I just found out,” I replied bluntly.

“Now, now,” my mom laughed, patting my dad’s shoulder.

“Let him go. He’s a boy, after all. And he’s got friends, so he’ll be fine.”

Dad sighed in defeat, while Mom just smiled.

“Be careful, okay? You have your keys, right?”

“Yeah. I’m heading out.”

I closed the door behind me,

but even through it, I could still hear my mom teasing my dad about how he wanted to spend New Year’s with me.

Honestly, we do that every year, so I had no idea why he was acting all sentimental now.

Outside, Kiryu stood a few feet away, checking his phone.

The moment he noticed me, his face lit up instantly.

With long, determined strides, I stomped toward him,

ignoring the sharp sting of the cold wind against my cheeks.

The closer I got, the smugger his smile became.

It was the kind of grin that practically sparkled, as if flower petals were floating around him.

So the moment I was within reach—

I punched him in the gut.

“Urgh!”

“Why the hell are you so impulsive!?”

“Because I wanted to see you. Not my fault.”

This guy—

The same Kiryu who people always described as cool and unshakable at school—

Was now beaming at me like some overgrown golden retriever.

“Sigh… Whatever. Give me your scarf. I forgot mine.”

“Of course, Master Yukiho. Now, tilt your chin up a bit.”

Still grinning, he unwrapped his own scarf and gently wrapped it around my neck.

The soft fabric was still warm from his body heat.

And the scent—

It was undeniably Kiryu.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, feeling oddly comfortable.

And then—

I heard him chuckle.

Before I could question him—

A brief, fleeting kiss brushed against my lips.

And the second my brain processed what had just happened—

My face burned red.

“Wha— Y-You—! Not in front of my house!”

“Relax, no one saw.”

His voice dropped into a mischievous whisper as he smoothly took my right hand and started walking.

And now my heart was making a whole freaking scene.

“H-Hey! Hands—hands are off-limits too!”

“It’s fine. It’s dark right now.

I’ll let go once we reach a crowded area.

That’s a fair deal, right?”

Kiryu was so unfair.

He knew exactly how weak I was to his dumb puppy-eyed face,

And he was abusing that knowledge every chance he got.

“Sigh… Really, I should be praising myself for the amount of self-control I’m showing right now.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I mean, I haven’t hugged you yet,

Even though I haven’t touched you since Christmas.

That’s a huge achievement for me.”

The moment that word left his lips—

“…Christmas.”

My brain froze.

I couldn’t say anything.

I couldn’t even look at him.

I just buried my face in the scarf he had wrapped around me,

And stared at the dimly lit pavement.

That was all I could do.

Kiryu must have found it funny,

Because instead of just holding my hand,

He interlaced our fingers.

I swallowed hard.

Now it was even worse.

“…Are you feeling okay?”

The way he whispered those words—

It was not concern.

It was something else.

A low, teasing voice—knowing, full of implication.

I turned to glare at him,

And with every ounce of force I could muster,

I punched his shoulder.

Because seriously, What the hell was that, Kiryu!?

December 31st—New Year’s Eve.

Even though it was the middle of winter, my face was burning.

And it was all Kiryu’s fault.

“Ouch.”

“Seriously, do you have no sense of decency?”

“I do, but I can’t help worrying. You wrecked my self-control that day, Yukiho. And honestly, I think you should reflect on that too. As a fellow guy, I really think that kind of gift was unfair. I had a plan—I wanted to be gentle with you.”

“One more word, and I’m sewing your mouth shut with a sewing needle.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ever since that Sunday after finals—our so-called ‘last chance’ date—we had officially started dating.

And honestly, I think we were doing pretty well.

Of course, this was my first relationship ever, and Kiryu claimed I was the first person he had ever truly fallen for, so when it came to ‘proper’ couple stuff, we were both completely clueless.

The unfortunate soul caught in the middle of all this?

Tanaka.

I still feel bad about it.

For the first time ever, I saw that always laid-back guy look completely drained of life.

That aside, our relationship had been progressing smoothly.

Not much had changed at school—we still kept our interactions to a minimum, and the only real difference was that on days when Kiryu didn’t have club activities, I had started going over to his place again.

That, and…

I was experiencing a level of sweetness I never could have predicted.

“Hey… isn’t this shrine a little too far?”

I suddenly noticed that something was off.

We were supposed to be heading toward the shrine that had hosted the summer festival.

But we had been walking for a while now, and there was still no sign of the shrine—nor of any other people heading there.

When I turned to Kiryu, suspicion clear on my face, he met my gaze without a hint of guilt.

“Kiryu.”

“Hm?”

“We’re heading to a temple.”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“So I can hold your hand longer.”

“…You absolute—”

“Haha, come on, Yukiho.

You want this too, right?

At least for tonight, let’s actually act like a couple.”

His voice was so gentle that I couldn’t argue back.

The fact that he treated me as his actual boyfriend—

That made me so happy it warmed me from the inside out.

Instead of answering, I simply squeezed his hand a little tighter.

And he, without missing a beat, did the same.

As we walked further, we finally began hearing the murmurs of a crowd.

A glow in the distance signaled the temple’s location, and sure enough, the number of people around us steadily increased.

This late at night, in the freezing cold, the sight of so many people gathered together made the New Year’s atmosphere feel even more real.

Kiryu kept his promise—

The moment the crowd got thicker, he let go of my hand.

But the look on his face made it painfully obvious how much he hated it.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah, Kiryu, they have amazake! I want some.”

“Sure. Let’s grab some before we get in line.”

The temple grounds were bustling with people of all ages, the air thick with the scent of food and incense.

We got in line for the amazake stall, checking the time on our phones as we waited.

Just then, the deep, resonant sound of the temple’s bell rang through the air.

Hearing it up close was completely different from the way it had always sounded on TV.

“Here, your amazake. Let’s go over there to drink it.”

Kiryu handed me a warm paper cup, and we stepped away from the main crowd.

Just a few steps off to the side, and the noise dulled significantly.

The contrast made me appreciate how sound worked in a new way.

Blowing on the hot drink, I took a sip—

A fragrant sweetness spread across my tongue, warmth seeping into my chilled body.

“…This is a first for me.”

“Hm?”

“Coming to a temple on New Year’s Eve.

Drinking amazake outside.

…Kiryu, you’re the one teaching me all these firsts.”

I exhaled slowly, watching as my breath turned white against the night air.

Then—

The moment my glasses fogged up—

Kiryu moved.

“…This is 100% your fault.”

“Wait—what? What are you—why are you putting your arm around my waist!?”

“This is your fault.”

“Excuse me!?”

Without hesitation, Kiryu pulled me close, wrapping one arm around my waist and using the other to cup the back of my head.

His movements were so swift and confident that I had no time to react.

Flustered and stiff as a board, I barely registered the warmth pressing against me.

I knew I should push him away, but one of my hands was holding my amazake, and causing a scene in a crowded place like this was not an option.

Kiryu seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.

With that signature smirk of his, he leaned in just slightly—

Enough to whisper into my ear.

“Shhh…”

And just as his breath grazed my skin,

his lips touched mine—

Right as the temple’s priest announced the New Year.

“…Happy New Year, Yukiho.”

“…Happy New Year, you absolute dumbass.

Kissing is banned for the foreseeable future.”

“Yeah, no. I can’t do that.”

“Too bad. You brought this upon yourself.”

I shoved his chest and pulled myself free from his arms.

Still holding my amazake, I marched toward the line for the shrine’s main offering hall.

Kiryu, pouting, trailed after me.

“Alright, drink up.”

“…Why?”

“Because you are throwing this cup away when I’m done.”

Despite his sulky expression, he obediently took the empty cup from me once I finished.

Still, he kept giving me these lingering glances—like he really wanted to say something.

I ignored him.

“…What did you wish for?”

His voice was careful.

Like he was testing the waters.

I sipped my amazake.

Then, without even looking at him—

“Not telling.”

“Come on! You’re so mean!”

“Not telling, especially after what you just pulled.”

“Ugh, fine.

Then I wished for one thing, That I get to stay with Yukiho forever.”

“…Huh.”

He said it so simply.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

But it wasn’t fair.

Because now, I really couldn’t tell him mine.

“Hey, Yukiho, can we at least hold hands again? Seriously, this is torture.”

Beside me, Kiryu whined like a kicked puppy. I ignored him and kept walking.

My wish? It was the same as his.

But I’d never tell him that.