"Thank you, Imouto-san." Harima Kenji bowed deeply to the young woman before him, clasping his completed manuscript to his chest. "I could do nothing without your help." Tsuakamoto Yakumo blushed and bowed in return, simply murmuring "Harima-san".
Rising, Harima leaped onto his waiting motorcycle and sped off into the night, the Tsukamoto residence receding in his side mirror. Streetlights flashed over head as he wound along the road toward Dokansha headquarters. He could feel his cell phone vibrating in his pocket but ignored it. 'Fear not, editor-sama,' he thought trimumphantly, 'soon the needed pages will be in your hands and on their way to press. And when they are published, I will present them to Tenma-chan and she will finally know of my love!'
"Harima-kun... " Tsukamoto Tenma looked up at him with watery eyes, his manga clutched in hands at her lap. "Harima-kun... I never knew... but I've always known. Harima-kun, these pages... they show me the truth of my heart. It has always been you." Slowly, she extended her arms, the manga falling slowly to the floor through a cloud of rose petals. Her hands clasped behind his neck as she gazed deeply into his eyes and whispered the words he had longed to hear for so long now. "I lov...HONK"
The motorcycle swerved suddenly to the side, barely avoiding the oncoming truck that Harima had failed to notice in his reverie. He pulled to a stop on the side of the road and composed himself. "That was close! How ironic now that I am about to achieve my dreams to almost be hit by a truck." Harima patted the manuscript folder fondly and continued on. A gentle rain began to fall, the drops sparkling in the glare of the streetlights like a thousand fireflies heralding his mission of love.
Sawachika Eri, Suou Mikoto and Takano Akira huddled under the cover at the door to their friend Tenma's house, struggling to stay out of the rain. A short moment after knocking, the door flung open revealing a pajama-clad, tray-bearing Tenma smiling broadly at them. "Welcome everyone!" she shouted, stepping aside to let them bustle in. "Cookies!" she added, thrusting the tray under Mikoto's nose.
"I can see that, Tenma-chan," Mikoto replied, sniffing cautiously. "Did you make these?"
"No, that was Yakumo! She's the best little sister ever!" Tenma spun and thrust out a thumbs-up to Yakumo, who peered around a corner out of the kitchen, blushing. Mikoto smiled with relief and eagerly grabbed a cookie.
"I thought you were trying to diet, Miko-chan," Eri purred devilishly. Mikoto's face reddened as she spun to face her tormentor. "I worked out an extra hour at the dojo, just in case," she started to sputter, when suddenly a second cookie stabbed into her hand.
"Two, then!" Akira declared solemnly, even as she herself scooped up two cookies. Eri helped herself to a cookie as well and fell in with the others as Tenma led them deeper into the house.
As her friends deposited their bags and finished their cookies, Tenma laughed fondly and shouted "Are you guys ready for the best slumber party ever?"
Her three guests raised their hands in unison. "Hai!"