[Short Story] First Love Lumonde

"What was everyone's first love like?"

We were hanging out at one of our friends' houses for a snack party and game tournament. In the middle of it, it was usually Komazawa, our resident mood-maker, who would blurt out these kinds of random thoughts.

"For me, it was Rika-chan from my class! She was the same age but seemed more mature, and she's actually the eldest of three sisters, so she'd often lend me things when I forgot my eraser."
"Oh, I see..."

So he's always had a thing for girls who like to take care of others. Everyone's attention naturally shifted to Class Representative Aoyama—Komazawa's "keeper"—who gave a wry smile, perhaps having his own thoughts on the matter.

"What about you, Rep?"
"The swimming school coach."
"A pervy brat?"
"A pervy brat, huh?"
"Definitely a pervy brat."
"Why are you guys like this!"

The adolescent boys made a ruckus, calling him a man of refined taste for liking competitive swimwear. The host, who had been watching them with a straight face, added one comment.

"So, are you a chest guy? A butt guy? Or a legs guy?"
"Shut up!"
"Yes, yes! I bet the Rep is a waist guy!"
"You're such a maniac, man."

The conversation continued with debates over big breasts versus small breasts, or whether the overall balance was more important than specific parts, but let's set that aside for now.

"What about you, Suruga?"
"Why me?"

I had expected the topic to come my way eventually, but it happened much sooner than I anticipated. I chewed on the Buddhist altar snack (I'd get in trouble for calling it that) while thinking about how to respond. I felt an itchy, uncomfortable gaze on me, and on a whim, a bit of mischief sprouted in my heart.

"For me—"

🌸🌸🌸

That was, if I recall, early April. It was a year where, unusually for this region, the cherry blossoms were still in full bloom on the day of the kindergarten entrance ceremony.
Yes, the day of the entrance ceremony. Suruga, born early in the year, had just turned three. I remember my brand-new uniform and yellow hat being a bit too big, and I kept having to pull them back up as they slipped down.
I remember being captivated by the vivid cherry blossoms fluttering in the bright blue sky, and I also remember my hat being blown away by a sudden gust of wind.
The hat rolled to the edge of the garden and was picked up right at the base of the cherry tree row.

"Thank you."

The person who picked up my hat was wearing the same uniform and hat, and though they were a head taller, they were likely another new student.

"...ke"
"Ke?"

Suruga must have blinked his eyes in confusion. It surely must have been adorable. As for Suruga himself, he doesn't like it because it sounds like he's bragging, but back then, he was the spitting image of his sister two years his senior—who was praised as looking like a child actor—so to put it modestly, he looked like a girl.
—This would lead to a bit of a misunderstanding and crossed wires later on, but setting that aside, the boy's words continued.

"Please marry me!"

🌸🌸🌸

"—The guy who proposed to me the first time we met."
"That's intense!?"

This was a story about the characters from this↑ and this↓.It was one of the pieces I thought up for BL-san's project, also known as the Lumonde Festival, but the punchline came before I could even reach the single bed (the prompt).