Look whose updating again? I am!

An important announcement is that I"ve set up a goal on ko-fi for buying the second book in the Affection series ‘Affection:Fate of the Pair" which is a continuation of this story. So if you wanna see the happy ending of this story, please check the link to my ko-fi page below~

Anyways, go ahead and enjoy reading~

~^.^~

He could not objectively evaluate his own looks. The only thing he could say was that he did not really resemble either of his parents, but if he was forced to say something he would say he probably took after his grandfather. In contrast, he felt that Kizuki was made by adding up part of both of their parents. In other words, he and his twin did not resemble each other in either personality or appearance.

He did not understand falling for someone just for their appearance, but, nevertheless, he would diligently go over the letter he received, not leave it aside, and earnestly give an answer to the person.

Things like them crying and persisting to stick to him…were honestly quite annoying, but because his father had said it was the bare minimum courtesy for a man, he had adopted it as his own rule.

Not only letters, he also had a lot of experience with face-to-face confessions, but his heart had not been moved even once.

Somehow or other it was probably the same with Kizuki. He knew it because there was no sign he had gotten intimate with any girl.

In their case, for starters they had no such option as trying to date someone.

If they started dating a lover, it would be their "destined partner".

The partner who knew of their other form, but still accepted them.

If it was this person, they would most likely be the partner they would remain married to for a lifetime.

Such a destined partner does not appear that easily.

His mother and uncle had met their lifetime companions, their "bondmates", in high school.

The breeding season for wolves is in the winter.

What he meant by that was that it would not be strange for him and Kizuki as well if they happened to come across their partners in the winter of their first year of high school…

For him and Kizuki too, mating season (the rut) had not yet arrived.

He had been worried whether his physical development was not too slow, but according to their grandfather, "Everyone has their own time." It seemed like his uncle had matured early, while his mother had been a late bloomer. His grandfather had been 18 at the time as well.

(Mom, you said you realized it the moment you met dad.)

Even though his mom had said he"d "realize" it the moment they met, he did not get it. When he had tenaciously asked "What sort of feeling is it?" his mom had said with a bit of a troubled expression that, "You can"t explain it in words."

"At any rate, when you meet, you"ll understand it by their "smell"."

Being werewolves, their sense of smell was very developed, but it was probably a different kind of sense his mother was talking of, and not the fact their noses could smell faraway things.

"No matter what your whole body will have a reaction to this "smell""

(A reaction so strong you won"t be able to control yourself…)

He did not understand it. Because he had trained himself since childhood, restraining himself was his strong point. In early childhood he had transformed with just the smallest impulse, but at least since middle school there had been no cases of him not being able to control himself.

In the future, will such a moment come for him as well?

He somewhat couldn"t believe it, but…

"…"

Exhaling with a puff, he put the pink letter in his schoolbag.

"Today, are you going to stop by anywhere?"

"I want to stop by the bookshop."

Michiru answered as changed his shoes.

"Understood. I also have some books I want."

Having changed into loafers, Takahito prompted Michiru with, "Let"s go!" As they stood in the entranceway, snow still continued to fall softly.

When he saw that snow had fallen and lightly piled upon the schoolyard, and that numerous white snowflakes were fluttered down, he felt somewhat itchy.

"So cold…"

[t/n. Weakling. When I lived in j.a.pan, I went to Hokkaido, the northern island, in January, and let me tell you it was not really that cold. And this is Tokyo, in the frigging south. j.a.panese people have no idea what actual cold weather feels like.]

Exclaiming in a fed up voice, Michiru opened an umbrella.

"Eh? Taka, where"s your umbrella?"

"There"s only this much snow, no need to take it out."

Saying this, Takahito rushed out into the schoolyard without holding out his umbrella.

The feeling of the cold snow falling on his face was good.

He felt his mood was unusually uplifted.

Whenever he saw snow, it brought back the distant memories of running around the snowy mountains for the first time in his wolf shape.

He was in the sort of mood that, if this wasn"t the school, he would want to run around the schoolyard.

The moon had been full four days ago, so it had begun to wane little by little, but there was definitely still an aftertaste of the full moon left.

They were werewolves, so the waxing and waning of the moon had a big influence on the biorhythm of their bodies. Humans were also affected to a certain degree, but it could not compare to werewolves.

Before and after full moon, without sleep or rest, for a twenty four hour period they were filled with physical power. This power seemed to especially intensify in the winter period.

However, because of that, it demanded even more self-control.

So that they would not inadvertently expose their abnormal power.

So that, definitely, they would not "transform" in front of people.

As he tried to persuade himself of that, inside of his heart that no one could hear he was screaming.

Once would be good enough, he wanted to remove all the shackles binding him – !

"Taka!"

Takahito"s shoulders shook with a start at the sound of a voice of an adult man calling his name. Takahito turned around, and his gaze was caught by the sight of a person hanging out from a window on the first floor.

"Yuuki-mama…no, Tachibansensei."

The moment his and the bespectacled man"s gazes met, like it was a conditioned reflex, his chest was filled with a warm feeling.

As Takahito began to walk towards the bespectacled man, Michiru also followed behind him.

Just as they had stepped up to the completely open window, the man began to speak.

"Are you going home?"

The man with the impressively gentle smiling face was Yuuki Tachibana. He was the partner of Takao Jinguuji, Takahito"s uncle from his mother"s side, and a teacher at the Meikou Academy. He was also the teacher in charge of the first year students like Takahito and the others.

"Good afternoon, Tachibansensei."

"Good afternoon Michiru-kun," Tachibana returned Michiru"s greeting. There were few adults who could speak normally with Michiru who had an intense fear of strangers. It was probably both because they had known each other for a long time, and because of Tachibana"s personality that did not discriminate against anyone.

"Did you not bring an umbrella?"

"I did, but…"

"If you have one, then use it. What will you do if you catch a cold?"

Takahito, who was being chided by Tachibana, reluctantly took out an umbrella from his schoolbag.

"Yuuki-mama" was as overprotective as always.

Until the twins had started elementary school, the Gamon family had lived in the residence of his mother"s parents – the Jinguuji. When Takahito and Kizuki were born, Tachibana had already been detachedly living together with their uncle, and after that for a long time had continued to live together with them like part of the family.

Amongst the 8 members large family that consisted of their grandfather and grand uncle, their uncle and his partner Tachibana, their parents and them, the twins, Takahito had been especially emotionally attached to Tachibana, and had followed around him, calling, "Mama, mama." Because he had been excessively clingy with Tachibana, everyone around had apparently said that, "Taka looked like Tachibansensei"s child."

For Takahito, Tachibana had been a "special" existence for a long time.

However, one day he had realized.

No matter how much Takahito liked him, he could not become someone special to Tachibana.

Because for Tachibana, the special one was his uncle.

The two had overcome their family differences, and as "bondmates" steadfastly tied together by fate, they will not separate for a lifetime.

Then, his own "bondmate"?

Takahito had begun to think about his "destined partner" from that day on.

If one day his destined partner appeared as well, what sort of person would they be?

Would he realize it by their "smell" as his mother had said?

Like when his mother had eloped upon meeting his father, when he met that person, would his life also change?

He had occasionally thought about his "bondmate" since he had entered high school, but these few days the subject had been on his mind quite frequently.

Despite having just thought about it, now it was on his thoughts again.

As he thought of his destined "bondmate" who was somewhere in this wide world, his heart would become noisily unsettled.

Where was that person? When would they meet?

He wanted to meet them soon…he was still scared to meet them…

Not knowing what to do about his itchy back and the noisiness of his heart, abruptly Takahito noticed that Tachibana was looking at him intently.

"…what is it?"

Tachibana, his eyes behind the lenses, steadily smiled with his whole face.

"Nothing…I just felt that recently your countenance has suddenly become quite grown-up."

"I have not changed much."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it"s just my disposition."

When Takahito replied, Tachibana laughed a little.

"…your disposition, huh?"

After he had whispered in a lonesome way for some reason, as if pulling himself back together, Tachibana pushed up his gla.s.ses with his middle finger. Looking at Takahito and Michiru alternatively, he spoke very much like a teacher.

"There"s a lot of snow falling. Don"t tarry around too long and return home before it gets dark."

~^.^~

That"s the first chapter done with. 6 more to go [In the first book]!

Next part will be up probably on Wednesday.

See you then~

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Reminder, if you want to see me translate the second book of this story as well, please consider checking the link below.

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