I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 129: Dedicating My Heart to You

“By the way, Shinichiro, what did you use your part-time job earnings for? Unlike me, it didn’t seem like you had something specific in mind…”

“Ah, well… you see…”

Faced with this innocent question, I stumbled over my words. The answer was tied to the same reason I invited Haruka to walk home together today, making it a crucial part of my mission for the day.

(Now’s the time, I guess. No matter when, my heart’s going to race anyway…! So, I should bring it up now that she’s given me this opening!)

I scolded myself and turned to face Haruka.

As expected, my virgin mind protested vigorously, and I began sweating profusely due to nervousness. Even after Haruka mentioned how close we’d become earlier, I, the true embodiment of anxiety, stood before her.

However, this weakness was nothing new to me. While I might never completely erase my anxiety, I had enough determination to act beyond it.

“Um, actually… this is what I used my earnings for.”

Saying this, I took a small paper bag out of my bag. Then, I extended it towards Haruka, who was looking at me with curiosity.

This birthday present for Haruka was exactly the reason why I had asked her to walk home together today, and it was a crucial part of my mission.

“Ah, by the way, this is a birthday present. If you’d like… please accept it.”

“Huh…”

As I said this with warmth in my cheeks, Haruka’s expression clearly showed surprise.

“This, is it a signed copy of ‘Players!’ Volume One!? And this… wow! A lovely book cover and bookmark set!”

Hearing her pleased voice, I finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed I’d managed to avoid the worst possible outcome with my choice.

“But, why… ah! Is it perhaps because I mentioned my birthday on the phone earlier…!?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right.”

The beginning of all this was when I heard from Haruka over the phone last month that there would be a family birthday party next month.

Despite living a life devoid of romantic experiences, I knew that giving a gift on a birthday was an incredibly effective move in matters of love.

So, I consulted my little sister Kanako and secretly initiated “Operation Haruka’s Birthday Present” (codenamed: Kanako).

“I remembered that you wanted this signed copy, but this might have been hard to find now, I guess…”

“I searched on online auctions. But it didn’t feel complete with just that, so I added this hardcover and bookmark set for the paperback version. It’s really not much, though…”

“Th-thank you so much! B-but… you said you bought this with your earnings from the part-time job, right? Could it be… is it very expensive?”

Watching Haruka, who seemed to be deeply moved, I began to worry.

“Ah, no, it’s not like that. While it’s true that I used my earnings to buy these, they weren’t that expensive. So don’t worry about it.”

True, I did start the part-time job with the aim of earning money to give Haruka a birthday present.

But… as Haruka had just pointed out, a signed copy and a book cover set were things I could easily afford with my allowance. They weren’t so expensive that I had to put in extra effort to earn money for them.

So why did I even bother starting a part-time job?

The truth was, there wasn’t a grand reason behind it. It was just my personal satisfaction.

“Well, it’s a silly quirk of mine. I wanted to buy a present for you with the money I earned, rather than just using the allowance from my parents.”

“…”

As I confessed this, Haruka held the paper bag tightly and seemed stunned.

…In reality, it was indeed quite a silly quirk.

As a student, it was perfectly normal to buy a gift for a girl you liked with allowance money. Most high schoolers would do just that.

However, I used to be an adult in my past life.

From my perspective, buying a gift for a girl I liked with money from my parents felt a bit uncomfortable.

That’s why I made the decision to work a part-time job.

Although I might never completely overcome my nervousness, I did have enough determination to act beyond it.

“Well, if you don’t like the book cover and stuff, you don’t have to force yourself to use them… Huh? What’s wrong, Haruka?”

While I was blushing with embarrassment at having given a present to a girl I wasn’t even dating, I suddenly noticed something strange about Haruka.

Haruka held the paper bag close to her chest and lowered her face as if to hide it. I couldn’t see her expression, but her body trembled slightly, suggesting she was overwhelmed with some strong emotion.

Wh-what’s going on?

D-did giving a birthday present to a girl I’m not dating turn out to be an unimaginable act after all… Wait, huh!?

“Hey, wha—Whoa…!? H-Haruka!?”

I involuntarily let out an absurdly loud exclamation in the middle of the street.

For some unknown reason, as if driven by a sudden thought, Haruka, whose shoulders had been trembling, suddenly approached me. She pressed her head against my chest.

And just like that, the girl repeatedly tapped her forehead against my chest. It was as if a child with limited means of expressing emotions would do.

“Hey, uh, what are you doing!?”

“I don’t know…! I don’t understand…!”

Finally, Haruka lifted her face from my chest. Her eyes were filled with faint tears. Her face was flushed from heightened emotions, and she was barely able to speak through her teary voice.

“Ugh… I… I don’t even understand myself…! Even though I should only be feeling happy, I’m overwhelmed with such a profound sense of happiness… My heart and head are so full, my emotions feel like they’re about to burst…!”

As Haruka spoke all this in one breath, she breathed heavily. I watched her with a mix of surprise and concern.

Aside from the time when she got seasick, this might be the first time I’ve seen Haruka so emotionally stirred.

“Uh, well, first, please calm down. Here, want to use a tissue?”

“Th-thank you…”

As I took out a pocket tissue from my bag and handed it to her, Haruka accepted it while still blushing. She turned her back to me and wiped her face, which was now all crumpled from tears.

“Phew… I’m sorry for showing such an embarrassing side of me…”

“Oh, no, it’s perfectly fine…”

Once Haruka managed to regain her composure, she said apologetically. But from my perspective, once again, it felt like I gained something by seeing this side of her that she wasn’t aware of.

“…Shinichiro, you’re a little sneaky.”

“Huh!?”

“Despite the stylish atmosphere of that shop, I know from personal experience that the part-time job there is really tough. And yet, you used the money you earned from it to buy me a birthday present…”

Displaying an unusually slightly sulking expression, Haruka continued.

“Already feeling happy, my emotions became even more heightened… It’s so unfair that my heart is overflowing so easily…”

While still blushing, Haruka pouted and spoke.

“But… Thank you very much.”

Though her cheeks were still red, it seemed Haruka’s excited emotions had settled a bit. She took another step closer to me, the present from me still held tightly in her arms.

“Besides my family, this is the first time I’ve received a birthday present from anyone else… I never imagined it would be this wonderful. I’m really… my heart feels so full…”

With a touch of lingering excitement in her emotions, Haruka expressed herself as if pouring out her heartfelt thoughts.

“Guess… Shinichiro, you’re really something special.”

“Huh…”

In the next moment, she casually dropped that bombshell on me, and my eyes widened.

Did I just say something way too straightforward?

“That you remembered my birthday and gave me a present… I feel so incredibly fulfilled. I can’t help but think that I’m happier with this than with anything else I might receive from someone else.”

It wasn’t a conceited notion, but I did have a certain level of confidence that I held a significant place in Haruka’s heart.

Yet, even so, the word ‘special’ that Haruka spoke felt incredibly powerful, to the point where I felt momentarily dizzy.

“So… Thank you.”

Haruka’s voice was filled with a serene sense of happiness.

Everything her heart desired seemed to have been fulfilled.

“Having you here with me like this, Shinichiro, it just makes me happy. In all my life… this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

In that radiant moment, Haruka smiled, her cheeks just slightly tinged with pink.

Clutching the present from me with care, her face shone with a beautiful flush of joy, as if her heart’s contentment couldn’t be contained any longer.

(Oh… seriously, how many times can I fall in love…)

As the setting sun painted the world in shades of orange, within it, Haruka directed a smile, slightly tinged with embarrassment, only to me.

In that smile, more beautiful than anything resembling an angel—there it was.