Type: Summary
Chapter: 34-36
Series: Sasaki and Miyano
Author/Circle: Harusono Shou
Rating: PG
Language: English
Note: With many of our projects that are licensed in the middle of an ongoing story, rather than completely drop the project altogether and go full, “I don’t know her,” leaving fans without a clue what’s happening in the canon until the licensor catches up years and years down the road, we continue to provide content going forward in the form of detailed summaries.

We’re going to continue that fine tradition now with Sasaki to Miyano, so get strapped in! Today, you’re going to get completely caught up in one fell swoop (as we usually wait until a tank is released before scanlating new content, so we’ve got several chapters to cover!).

Ready to dive deep into Sasaki and Miyano’s brand new relationship? Then head behind the cut!

Chapter 34: Sick Visit

Note: This chapter was released in mid-May, at the peak of the Coronavirus crisis in Japan, and Sensei admitted that while it was a timely chapter, she had also been wanting to write it for a while, so the timing worked out nicely.

On a rare day he doesn’t have any club activities to attend to, Tashiro invites Miyano and Kuresawa to go to a candy shop. When he recalls that Kuresawa probably can’t go after all, seeing as he’ll likely be going to visit his hospitalized girlfriend, Kuresawa surprisingly says he’s free and would like to go with them.

It turns out she attends school online for the most part but does occasionally attend classes, and today is one of those days, so she’s spending free time after with her family. When Tashiro wonders why he doesn’t go anyway, Kuresawa explains he doesn’t want to butt in on her time with her family. Besides…

Kuresawa: “It’s fine; I’ll join them once I’m part of her family too.”
Tashiro: “THIS GUY JUST MADE A WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT.”

Tashiro checks with Miyano to make sure he doesn’t have any plans either, and when Miyano hesitates before admitting that he kind of does have plans, Tashiro blithely nods. “Got it. You’ve got a date.”

Kuresawa and Tashiro both get the hint: “Oh right… His exam was yesterday, huh?” “And he’s been cooped up at home studying for the past week, huh?” “So you haven’t seen him in a whole week, huh?” “Don’t worry, we get it.” “HAVE FUN.”

Mortified by his friends’ gentle ribbing, Miyano checks his phone when a message arrives and receives the most disappointing news:

/Sorry, I’ve got a cold today./

Over at Sasaki’s home, we see that he’d actually been planning on going to the school to see Miyano, even running a fever as he was, but his sister eventually convinces him to stay home and recover, though he’s more concerned with the risk of Miyano catching his cold than his own health.

He gloomily texts Miyano the bad news, drifting off to thoughts of possibly being able to see him the next day provided his fever has broken…and then is woken by a rather unexpected sight:

Miyano: Nice to see you’re awake.

Sasaki’s understandably confused about what Miyano is doing sitting by his bed in his room, and Miyano explains he wasn’t going to come, but Kuresawa and Tashiro convinced him they should all three go on a little ‘sick visit’, and that Miyano should go and take care of him. Miyano hadn’t thought it was necessary, seeing as Sasaki had his whole family around, but they insisted. They’d then abandoned Miyano to care for Sasaki, heading off to have fun themselves.

Miyano had been missing him and mostly just wanted to peek in, and he begins to pull out the goodies he brought along to help him feel better, but Sasaki just watches him, woozy and happy he’s there, and says:

Sasaki: “Myaa-chan. I missed you.”

He apologizes again for not being able to meet up with him like they’d agreed, and Miyano assures him it’s fine. But seeing that Sasaki seems genuinely disappointed and lonely, he offers something he’s been working towards:

Miyano: “Then…would you like to try leaning on me?”

He knows that Sasaki holds back with him, and that he tries to be strong, but in moments like these, he can see Sasaki’s weakness, and so he makes an effort to let Sasaki know that it’s all right to be a little selfish, to give in to the things he wants, because Miyano will accept that.

So Sasaki does, gladly, but before he can so much as get a little bit closer to his boyfriend…they’re interrupted.

Satoko: “How’s your f…riend?” (I didn’t know you had a guest!)
Miyano: “Hello; I’m Miyano, an underclassman.”
Satoko: “Miyano-kun! Welcome~” (I’m his sister!)

Sasaki is murdering his sister inside his mind while Miyano skillfully navigates her offers of snacks and such. Being the polite little thing he is, he’s about to follow her from the room when she leaves, ready to offer to help her prepare snacks, when Sasaki reaches out and takes his hand, holding him in place. He quickly drops it, though, surprised at himself, and tells Miyano where he can find the kitchen.

Miyano leaves, and Sasaki silently berates himself for being so needy. It’s only, they’re dating, and Miyano’s in his *house*, and they were finally going to have some time to themselves, and he had to go and catch this stupid cold… Luck just isn’t on his side.

Miyano returns to find that Sasaki has drifted off in his absence, and catches sight of Sasaki’s desk in the corner, still littered with signs of how much studying he’s been doing recently to prepare for his exam.

He quietly settles on the floor beside Sasaki, who’s leaning onto his bed to nap, and quietly whispers, “Good work,” before laying his head on the bed beside Sasaki as well.

Sasaki wakes, eyes popping open to see Miyano right next to him, and apologizes for nodding off. In his sleep, the face mask he was wearing so that he wouldn’t pass his cold on to Miyano has come off, and with a soft leer, he asks Miyano:

Sasaki: “Did you try and kiss me?”

Miyano, flustered, replies that of course he didn’t; he would never jump someone while they were sleeping. Sasaki is touched, and then reminds him, a finger on his lips over the mask:

Sasaki: “I’m awake now.”

Even more flustered than before, Miyano reminds him that he’s got a fever, and that’s not really something they should be doing right now.

Eventually, Miyano takes his leave, urging Sasaki to feel better, and as he’s about to apologize for coming over out of the blue like this, Sasaki leans down…

…and finally gives Miyano the soft over-the-mask kiss he’s been wanting to do since Chapter 15.

Miyano leaves, feeling just a little bit guilty for finding Sasaki adorable even when he’s feeling terrible from a cold.

Sasaki immediately goes back to sleep and is already out when his sister finds him, remarking that it’s nice he’s made such good friends at his school.

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Chapter 35: Handmade

It’s Valentine’s Day in canon, which means time for Miyano to angst over whether and how to give his boyfriend chocolates! Our story opens with Miyano at a bookshop looking over all the recipe books on how to make chocolates. He recalls that the year before, they’d traded chocolates they’d randomly bought at a convenience store, which makes him wonder if Sasaki had already been in love with him then, since it would have been six months before he actually confessed to Miyano. Yup, probably.

He feels bad for having made Sasaki wait so long for a response to his confession, and while he doesn’t think it could really make up for it, he wants to do anything and everything he can to try.

As he’s pondering over how to make this Valentine’s Day special for Sasaki, a voice calls to him, “Are you thinking of making some chocolates?”

It’s Makimura! Aka Miyano’s middle school crush who briefly and inadvertently made Sasaki feel a bit self-conscious and worried that Miyano might still have feelings for her.

Seeing Miyano in the recipe section and being a bright young woman who can put two and two together, she asks if he’s going to make chocolates for ‘that Sempai’. When he asks why she would think that, she says:

Makimura: “Well, your eyes were just so bright back then!”

He doesn’t quite understand what she means, and she goes on to explain that she really wanted to sketch his expression at the time, it was so striking.

She recollects that he had rather disastrous experiences in cooking class back in middle school, so he probably shouldn’t attempt chocolate making on his own.

Miyano mulls over this advice privately–he agrees he should make them with someone, but he can only think of one person he’d want to make them with, and would it be weird to do that with the person you’re going to give them to?

Makimura looks on and reaffirms to herself that yeah…it would’ve been really nice to have sketched them. She then takes her leave, but not without saying, “Let me take your picture if you ever cut the cake!” (‘Cutting the cake’ referring to, of course, getting married). Miyano doesn’t quite get the suggestion, but he lets it go.

He later calls up Sasaki with the suggestion they make chocolates together. After all, Sasaki mentioned before that sometimes he makes sweets for himself, and Miyano wants to make him something too, but he’s not really good in the kitchen, so a little insurance would be nice. Sasaki immediately recalls, to Miyano’s horror, “Oh RIGHT! Your friends had to stop you from using a knife that one time!” which Miyano begs him to forget.

Despite his teasing, though, Sasaki is touched by the thought, and Miyano misinterprets his quietness for hesitation, since he did just finish a long bout of studying and might be busy, but Sasaki assures him that he’d love to.

Unfortunately, his sister overhears this one-sided conversation and immediately begins tattling on him to their mother, because that is what siblings do.

Sasaki: “Sure, that should be fine…”
Satoko: “MOM! Shuu’s trying to make something again! (I heard him say something about chocolates!)”
Sasaki: “Sorry, could you wait just a sec?”
Miyano: “Of course.”
Sasaki: “STOP TELLING ON ME.”
Satoko: “You’ve been doing nothing but making sweets since you finished your exams! I’m gonna get fat with all this stuff you’re making!”
Sasaki: “No one’s telling you to eat it! Just DON’T EAT IT.”
Satoko: “But if it’s there then OF COURSE I’m gonna eat it! It’s friggin’ delicious!”
Sasaki: “Try some self-control, geez…”

Miyano overhears all of this and cannot help but chuckle in amusement, to which Sasaki accuses, “…You were just laughing at me, weren’t you?” and Miyano immediately responds seriously, “Oh no, I would never!”

At the Miyano home, Miyano finds his mother in the living room and asks if he could have someone over to make chocolates with on Valentine’s Day. His mother is, quite understandably, a bit confused.

Miyano Mama: “…You, who after failing to make pancakes FIVE TIMES IN A ROW swore he would never cook again…want to make chocolates with someone for Valentines Day? (Remember how you blew up the flour and broke the eggs and dropped the pan trying to flip the pancakes and served them half-cooked?)”
Miyano: “You can keep your voice down, you know…”

After her gentle teasing, she gives her blessing, wondering if it’s someone from school. He confirms that yes, it’s a sempai he’s making them with. She’s delighted at the idea of boys getting together to make chocolates and recalls that some boys even give them to their friends these days.

“That’s such a nice idea. Make some for me, won’t you~?”

Miyano steels himself, though, knowing this was coming and not intending to paint this as anything less than what it is.

Miyano: “The person I want to give the chocolates to…is a boy.”
Miyano Mama: “Oh, it is? You should introduce him to me sometime, then.”
Miyano: “…Oh, okay.”

And that’s that. Miyano feels like he needs her to understand what his feelings are, how serious he is about this, and goes on to explain that he really enjoys being around this person, and he wants to be with them going forward as well. “I…I love him.”

His mother only smiles at him, nodding. “Yeah. It’s nice being in love, isn’t it? I’m in love with your dad, too.”

She wonders if the person he wants to make chocolates with is the same sempai he’s just said he’s in love with, and Miyano affirms that yes, it is. She reminds him she’ll be out most of the day that day, but she’ll be back in the evening, so Miyano should invite him to stay for dinner, wondering if he has any foods he particularly likes or dislikes.

As she wanders into the kitchen to begin planning, Miyano quietly has a happy little breakdown on the couch. “…I’m so lucky she’s my mom…”

Valentine’s Day comes, and Sasaki comes calling. They manage to get through the chocolate-making process without blowing up any flour this time, and by the time Miyano’s mother returns, they’ve made some really gorgeous treats that they all three share for dessert. When it comes time for Sasaki to head home, Miyano tells his mother he’s going to walk him to the station, and she wishes Sasaki good night, inviting him back any time.

On the way back to the station (which we learn for the first time is the real-life Ten’ouchou Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, only ~45 min by train from Tokyo for anyone wanting to start a pilgrimage to SasaMyaa holy sites…or to just snoop on Google Maps), Sasaki pulls out a beautifully wrapped chocolate that he prepared with Miyano’s mom’s help while Miyano was in the bathroom.

Miyano is flustered, because he didn’t save anything to actually GIVE to Sasaki, thinking that the dessert they’d shared had been them giving chocolates to each other. He immediately darts into a convenience store, returning a few minutes later with a can of hot cocoa, clumsily wrapped with a ribbon.

Miyano: “Here, this is my chocolate for you.”

Sasaki is amused and gratefully takes it, and Miyano reminds him that next year for sure he’ll have learned to make something by himself that he can give to Sasaki. Sasaki is thrown by the statement: here, yet again, is Miyano demonstrating that he’s thinking about their future together.

As they part ways at the train station, Sasaki gently ruffles his hair and tells him good night, and though a little bit embarrassed by the gesture, Miyano still flushes happily as he tells Sasaki good night as well.

Walking back home alone, he stares at the beautifully wrapped chocolate, then lifts his head to the night sky, recalling the reactions of his friends and family to how he feels about Sasaki.

Tashiro, knowing they were together (or at least wanted to be) before Miyano told him.

Makimura, finding the way Miyano looked at Sasaki so striking, she wanted to commit it to a sketch.

His own mother, letting him know she understood how good it felt to be in love with someone.

And Sasaki himself, with that bright smile and easy, “Myaa-chan,” always there for him.

He continues on home with a smile and a bright flush to his cheeks.

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Chapter 36: Lie

Our chapter opens with Sasaki nervously sitting in his room, clicking through a laptop borrowed from his sister to check a website. He’s been waiting for this day for a while, and it’s finally here: February 21 (yes, the day before Miyano’s birthday), the day exam results are announced.

He’s passed.

The shock of passing, all his hard work paying off, quickly gives way to relief, and Sasaki slumps against his desk, pulling out his phone to check the time. At 10:03 AM, he concludes that Miyano’s probably in class right now, so he shouldn’t call.

No, instead, he’ll just go directly to the school.

He returns the laptop to his sister, who hesitantly asks how he did. He says he passed and receives enthusiastic congratulations from his sister and mother. They definitely have to go out tonight to celebrate!

But before any decisions can be made, Sasaki is already at the entryway, putting on his shoes. His sister is confused about why he’s going to school. If he wants to let them know he passed, all he needs to do is to call them. Sasaki explains he has ‘other things’ he needs to do as well and exits the house to his sister once again telling on him to their long-suffering mother.

On the way to the station, he runs into Ogasawara, who was actually on his way to Sasaki’s place to pick up the guitar he’d stored in Sasaki’s room so he wouldn’t be tempted to play it while he was supposed to be studying for exams. Sasaki explains he’s heading to school and his room’s unlocked, so just go in and grab it.

Ogasawara asks him how his exam turned out, and Sasaki says he passed–Ogasawara? Yup, he passed too. But then why is Sasaki going to school? He could just call.

Sasaki: “…What does it matter if I go to school or not?”

After a beat, Ogasawara asks, “…Does it have anything to do with that BL fanboy?”

Sasaki is pretty shocked, wondering where Ogasawara got that idea from.

Ogasawara: “Well, I mean. It’s hardly like you to go to campus when attendance is optional (you’d even stopped arriving late when you DID have to go!). Plus you’ve ditched hanging out with me to go to bookshops with the BL fanboy.”

Finally working himself up to ask the question of all questions, he does so:

Ogasawara: “Are you…seriously dating him?”

Sasaki takes a beat, then reminds him it’s none of his business. Ogasawara agrees that yeah, it isn’t, but STILL.

Ogasawara: “Ugh, are you serious…?”
Sasaki: “What’s the big deal?”

He’s not happy at all that Ogasawara seems to be judging him, for whatever reason. He’s going to take precisely zero shit from anyone for being with Miyano, certainly not one of his closest friends.

The thing is…Ogasawara simply CANNOT HANDLE the thought of Sasaki and Miyano doing the kinds of things he’s seen in the BL manga that his girlfriend reads (which, we’re reminded, Ogasawara also reads).

Sasaki relaxes, realizing this isn’t Ogasawara being a homophobe necessarily; he’s just being really, really stupid.

They spend a few minutes discussing Ogasawara’s girlfriend’s taste in BL, and whether or not that has anything to do with Sasaki and/or Miyano, and just what sorts of ukes she likes, and what an uke actually *is*, which makes Sasaki quietly wonder just how he came to be sitting here, in the middle of the sidewalk, discussing BL with Ogasawara…and prompts Ogasawara to ask a very important question:

Ogasawara: “…So which are you?”

Sasaki is about to answer, when Ogasawara flailingly begs him not to. “When I stop and think about it, most people probably wouldn’t want to know that sort of thing about their friends.” Sasaki responds hotly with, “AND I DIDN’T WANT TO TELL YOU, EITHER.”

They part ways, and Sasaki is left pondering the question: Which is he?

At school, lunch break has just started, and Miyano receives a phone call from Sasaki. The first words from Sasaki’s mouth are, “I passed.” Miyano immediately congratulates him, but Sasaki follows it up with, “Can you come to my old third-year classroom?”

Almost before the words have even left his lips, Miyano is there, throwing the door to the empty classroom open to find Sasaki sitting in the back corner alone. “That was quick!” he laughs.

Miyano is surprised to see him at school, especially since third-years don’t have to be there anymore. Surely it’s annoying to come all the way to school when he could have just texted or called?

Sasaki laughs, reaching out to touch Miyano’s cheek. “…It’s not annoying.” No, it’s definitely not. It used to be, and he recalls a time when he hated being here so much, but it isn’t like that anymore. “Coming to school stopped being annoying,” he says, gently caressing Miyano’s nape, and flushing, Miyano covers Sasaki’s hand with his own. “…I’m glad, then.”

Well, since he passed, Sasaki feels like he’s earned a little something to celebrate. Miyano agrees, asking what Sasaki would like. With a devilish grin that says he’s been thinking about this for a while, he pulls Miyano down to sit between his legs, front to back, and whips out his phone to pull up an image he saved.

Miyano: “………What IS this?”

Sasaki explains that he saw this in a manga once and wanted to try it himself. Miyano warns him against getting too many ideas from BL, but Sasaki only laughs it off. A beat passes, and he asks Miyano how long he has for lunch break. Miyano shows the bentou he brought from home, which means he can start eating now and doesn’t have to worry about going to the cafeteria to order anything, so he can stay until the bell rings. Miyano then turns to ask what Sasaki is doing for lunch–

–and meets his lips.

Miyano gently pulls back, flushing, because they can’t do that sort of thing at school… Sasaki reassures him all he wants to do is kiss, promise, so…

Sasaki: “Can we just stay like this a little longer?”

Miyano burrows into him in silent agreement, but privately notes that Sasaki thinks this is just a matter of Sasaki having to hold back…not realizing that Miyano…wants to do things as well. He’s got wants and desires too.

Sasaki mistakes the torn expression on his face for pain, and Miyano quickly dismisses it, stammering a bit before he finally manages to find his words:

Miyano: “……..I’m not an uke.”
Sasaki: /”…What the heck is he talking about?”/

He’s VERY confused, and Miyano explains that that wasn’t really what he wanted to say, but everything he was thinking just got overwritten with BL terminology, so it came out like that, and then Sasaki realizes what the issue is.

Sasaki: “You’re you, Myaa-chan.”

Miyano swallows, steels himself, then makes his own desires known: “…I want to try again.” And that, Sasaki thinks, is just a really unfair thing to say right about now.

As they trade heated kisses and I love yous on the floor of an empty classroom, Sasaki thinks back to Ogasawara asking him ‘Which are you?’ As long as it’s with Miyano…he’d be okay with anything.

They are making out on the floor, though, and he spares a thought for the discomfort of lying on a bare floor in mid-February, asking Miyano if he’s cold where he is. Miyano assures him he’s fine, and Sasaki laughs, “…You know, I might find it hard to stop at just kissing when you say you’re ‘fine’ in this position.”

Miyano panics, flustered, and Sasaki teasingly reminds him that’s a lie.

Because he is lying.

Lying, because he knows he should be fine either way, but of course he’s got his preferences, positions he might feel more comfortable in, even though he knows that might make Miyano unhappy.

Lying, because they’re at school, yet he still wants to keep going, even though Miyano has told him he doesn’t want to do this sort of thing on campus.

Lying, because he said all he wanted to do was kiss…when he wants so much more now.

And our chapter closes on a panel of Sasaki already taking off his coat, straddling Miyano, who’s beginning to shoulder out of his own uniform, in an empty classroom.

[Next update: September 11]

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SO. HOW ABOUT THAT? What do you think of these chapters, hm? That’s quite a lot of development in such a short time, and we’re eating GOOD in the SasaMyaa fandom! From Miyano’s mom warmly welcoming Sasaki into the family and encouraging her son to pursue love, to Ogasawara’s TMI breakdown, to a possible sudden ratcheting up of the physical relationship between the two, it’s been a wild ride! Leave your predictions in a comment as to what you think might be coming next! Will they get interrupted? Will they stop themselves with cool heads returning? (as a reminder, Sensei has not been one to draw explicit art really–though she has done it before–so I would not expect much if any explicit content, especially right now, since she’s very much been focused on building up their emotional relationship; it’s still interesting seeing them finally exploring some more physical intimacy and seeing how someone like Miyano, who reads so much BL manga, might have his ideas about a physical relationship influenced by the [good and bad] things he’s read in manga)

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