LSOV Chapter 00

Prolog

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Something light dropped onto my hat with a soft tok. It wasn't big, so it didn't hurt.

"It was an acorn."

"An acorn?"

I raised my hand to check and felt around the hat. But I didn't touch anything except the corsage. He watched my fumbling with his composed expression, then lifted his arm.

He must be trying to take it off for me.

I leaned my body slightly toward him so he could see more easily. I could feel his weight touching the brim of my hat. I also felt the movement of his hand.

But when he lowered his hand, there was no acorn.

"And the acorn?"

"It's on your hat."

What he was holding was the corsage, thin layers of cloth rounded into a small ball. Just as he said, it really did look like a piece of fruit.

It had once been pinned to a hat, and the pin still clung to it.

I remember holding out my hand, and him placing the corsage in it. I think I even leaned toward him. It was my hand that brushed his chest, and my fingers that pinned the corsage to the pocket of his jacket.

Our eyes met. Since I was slightly leaning toward him, he was looking down at me a little more than usual.

Without thinking. Without meaning to, I pinned it there.

I wondered if he could hear my breath.

I lowered my head a little. The small, round, yellow corsage filled my view. Then I looked back up at him.

"Are you going to scold me for making a hole in your clothes?"

"How could I possibly do that to you?"

I covered my mouth with my hand, tilted my head slightly to the side, and tried not to make too much noise as I laughed.

As I laughed, I wondered what would happen if he recognized my eyes. I hoped he wouldn't, so I closed my eyes and turned my head away, yet in the end, I looked back because I wanted to see him.

He had beautiful eyes.

Yes… I just wanted to see those eyes.