Disclaimer: I don't own Ao no Kanata.
Class had yet to start at Kunahama, so Masaya and co were chatting, or specifically, Masaya simply watched the clouds outside the window with a hand to his chin.
"Oh, Madoka-chan should play FC!" Asuka suddenly said.
"Eh!?" Madoka said, then put her hands out. "Impossible impossible, I'm not cut out for that sorta thing."
"By the way, I wonder which of us Masaya likes the most," Misaki said out of the blue.
"What brought that on?" Mashiro asked.
"Nothing really, it was just something that came to my mind," Misaki said. "He always coaches or plays FC with us, right? But which one of us does he prefer the most?"
"Right," Asuka said thoughtfully.
The girls then walked up to him. "What?" Masaya asked in a bored tone.
"Question of the day!" Madoka exclaimed in a cocky voice and grin. "Which of us lovely girls do you like the most?"
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?" Masaya asked, but then gave it a moment of thought, and then spoke with no nervousness. "It would be Mashiro."
Mashiro blushed after realizing what she just heard. "EH!? W-what are you-" she stuttered.
"That didn't take long," Madoka grinned.
"You sure had no trouble making a decision," Misaki added in. "Picking her over the rest of us pretty girls."
"What did you say!?" Mashiro asked, for once angry at her.
"You're wrong," Masaya said in disagreement to Misaki, who was actually only teasing with the remark. "Besides, there is more to girls than looks."
They stared at him in curiosity, while Mashiro averted his gaze, her blush deepening as she made small flustered noises that weren't heard.
Class then started, prompting Mashiro to leave as she was in another class. Lunch eventually came, and Masaya got up to eat by himself like he always does. He briefly passed Mashiro, who stared at him for a few moments in interest before going over to the girls. As they ate outside together, Mashiro was very quiet.
"Aren't you being too silent?" Madoka asked, and then grinned. "Or is Masaya on your mind?"
"B-baka!" Mashiro yelped. "Of course he isn't-"
"If you want to know if he meant what he said, why not just ask him?" Misaki asked Mashiro, who looked hesitant. "Sitting here thinking about it won't do you any good after all."
Mashiro seemed shy for a few moments, then got up. "Saying something like that to me is so..." she mumbled before walking away.
Masaya was on the other side of the building, eating alone as per usual. Getting away from their rowdy noise was comforting to him. The silence and breeze felt like sweet relief to his ears and mind.
"I wonder what I should do for a new move," Masaya said out loud in thought. "Now that I'm in FC as a player again, I need to start thinking about creating my own strength."
After a bit, he heard footsteps behind him. Looking, it was Mashiro, who seemed silent. She then sat next to him.
"Man, you eat by yourself too much," Mashiro grumbled.
"My bad," Masaya said nervously. "So why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the others?"
"I-I just wanted a change!" Mashiro stuttered, but in a more shy tone.
Masaya let the matter drop, and continued to eat. As he did, Mashiro stole glances at him. Her eyes shifted from the ground to him as her cheeks were slightly red. Finally, she mustered the strength to ask what was on her mind.
"Um...say," Mashiro started. "Do you really mean it?"
"Mean what?" Masaya asked.
"You know...the stuff you said this morning," Mashiro said quietly.
"Yeah," Masaya answered, making Mashiro's cheeks go red.
"But why me?" Mashiro asked. "I'm not all attractive like the others, and I can be immature, and-"
"You're wrong," Masaya started, surprising her. "You're every bit as attractive as them. You may not think so, but I think you are. Perhaps you are immature at times, but isn't that the same for us all? Everyone can be a kid at times."
He then put a hand around her waiste and moved her close to him. "S-senpai!?" Mashiro stuttered, having a surprised expression from the action.
"Besides, you're too cute and lovable for me not to like you the most," Masaya earnestly spoke his thoughts with a friendly face.
'C-cute!?' Mashiro thought as her heart started to beat a bit faster, and her eyes glazed. After some moments, Mashiro spoke very gently. "W-well...I think you're really nice, senpai."
"Me?" Masaya asked with a blink. "Besides coaching you guys in FC, I'm-"
"True you could be more sociable with us," Mashiro said, but smiled. "But just the fact you care enough to coach shows how much you do care. You could have refused us all when asked to be our coach, but you didn't. Because you wanted to help Asuka-senpai. That shows how nice you really are." Masaya looked forward, pondering, then Mashiro surprised him by resting her head on his shoulder. "And...embarrassing as it is for me to say, it made me really happy to know that you really think of me like this. Thank you, Masaya-senpai."
Masaya smiled, and put a hand to her head, gently rubbing it as the breeze moved their hair. The two stayed in the position they were in, not moving for the duration of the lunch.
After lunch break was over, Mashiro took her head off his shoulder, and the two walked, then parted ways once they neared his classroom. Mashiro waved him goodbye and left. He then went into the classroom, taking his seat. Masaya jolted and sweat dropped as he noticed Madoka and Misaki's grins at him. Avoiding their gaze nervously, he looked at his study paper in front of him. As soon as the after school bell rung, he instantly got up and tried to quickly leave, but in a burst of speed, Madoka blocked his way with Misaki.
"What's the rush?" Madoka asked.
"Right, what exactly happened?" Misaki asked, Asuka also interested.
"None of your business!" Masaya said with red cheeks, surprising Misaki he had such a reaction. "If that's it, I'm leaving."
"Awe, you're no fun!" Madoka pouted, and stopped blocking him.
"Coach?" Asuka asked in confusion as he left.
Misaki went silent, pondering the reaction he had. What could have happened between the two to get him embarrassed like this from teasing?
A minute later, Mashiro came in, and sweat dropped as Misaki and Madoka stared at her with grins.
"Want to explain why you never came back during lunch?" Misaki asked.
Mashiro jolted with red cheeks. "I-I don't know!" she stuttered, trying to play ignorant.
"If you say so," Madoka said, deciding to cut her a break.
Later on, while Masaya was laying on his bed relaxing, he heard a knock to his front door. Going and opening it, it was Mashiro.
"What is it?" Masaya asked.
"I just wanted to hang out," Mashiro said, and he let her in. "Prepare yourself!"
"Eh?" Masaya asked as Mashiro took out a portable console and controllers. "...How did you fit all of that?"
"You need to do more than laze around in your home," Mashiro stated with a grin. "Time to work those hands."
"Do as you wish," Masaya sighed.
So she set it up, and they had a few rounds on a sidescrolling plane shoot um up. Masaya got more into it as he played, the difficulty causing him to focus hard. Likewise Mashiro was pressing her firing buttons as quick as he was. Eventually despite their team work, it ended in a game over.
"So close!" Mashiro pouted. "If that one didn't fire at us while we were in a corner..."
"No helping it," Masaya said. "But that was fun."
"Right, I'm glad you had a great time," Mashiro said with a toothy grin. "Whoever designed this game must be some kind of freak who wants things to be almost impossible!"
"Tell me about it," Masaya said, agreeing with how crazy hard that game is. "Want me to warm us up something to eat?"
"Mmm, sounds good," Mashiro said.
Once he made some food, they sat on his couch together and turned on the TV. Flipping through, Mashiro found a gaming channel.
'I should have figured,' Masaya thought. 'But it's not like it's a bad thing.'
They ate quietly, but occasionally made a comment about something the people said, or the games being reviewed. Some of which were very hard games such as one about Toads and an infamous Volkmire's Inferno level.
"Yeesh, they actually make games this hard?" Mashiro asked.
"This makes the one we just played look like a joke," Masaya said. 'Who makes games like this?'
Eventually, Mashiro started to get tired, and her eyes kept opening and closing. Masaya then felt something on his arm. Mashiro fell asleep. Wanting to let her rest, he kept still and placed one of his arms around her to keep her somewhat warm.
Later, Mashiro woke up, only to realize Masaya had an arm around her. Looking, she noticed he was asleep. Then it hit her, she must have fallen asleep, and he didn't want to disturb her and let her rest.
'Really, you really are kind, senpai,' Mashiro thought, smiling at the sleeping Masaya and planted a silent kiss to his cheek. She stayed where she was, not wanting to get out of his arms and decided to go back to sleep.
As it neared night, Mashiro woke up and gently took his arm off her, careful to not wake him. She then left, going home so her mother wouldn't be worried.
As days followed, Masaya and Mashiro noticeably hanged out with each other more. This got them teases by Madoka and Misaki. Mashiro still was overly affectionate to Misaki, but Misaki could tell it was fading. As things continued, Mashiro started showing signs of being in love with Masaya. She even was able to realize it the more they spent time together. However, she didn't know what to do. Masaya started to feel tingly inside the more time he spent with her, and blush more often. Like her, he came to realize the feelings that were growing.
Right now, Masaya and Mashiro left by themselves after school.
"You must be relieved Mashiro-chan is getting out of your hair," Madoka stated to Misaki.
"Very," Misaki said. "Though I wonder what they're doing now."
"Mmm," Asuka said thoughtfully.
"You know, this is probably the most sociable Masaya has been with one of us," Misaki pointed out.
"Right, most of the time he just leaves us be unless it involves coaching or training us," Madoka said. "I'm glad to see him like this."
"Yes," Asuka nodded, smiling.
"Well he was so quick to admit he likes Mashiro out of us all," Misaki said. "Then claiming he thought Mashiro was pretty, I'd say he already had some feelings for her, even if he may not have known at the time."
"That's true," Madoka said, recalling.
"And we still don't know what they talked about during that lunch," Asuka said.
"Can't be helped, if they don't want to tell, we can't force them to," Madoka told her.
Meanwhile with Mashiro and Masaya, they went to her home and had refreshments. Mashiro and Masaya sat on her bed next to each other, stealing glances at one another back and forth. Mashiro's cheeks being somewhat red while Masaya slightly sweated. Finally, Masaya decided to say what he wanted to, but as he was about to open his mouth, Mashiro started.
"I love you," Mashiro confessed with a hand to her heart while looking at him directly. Masaya stared at her as a tense feeling left him. "T-that's why, um, well-mmph!"
Masaya had pressed his lips onto hers, holding a hand to her cheek with closed eyes. Mashiro, after a few moments, closed her eyes and returned the lip contact with red cheeks. Once they parted, he started.
"Same for me," Masaya started. "I love you too, Mashiro."
"Senpai!" Mashiro said in a happy tone and hugged him, to which he in turn hugged her back.
The next morning at school. Misaki and Madoka once more got in a tease at Masaya. As Madoka put a hand to his nose, Mashiro got defensive.
"What do you think you're doing!? Hands off!" Mashiro exclaimed in annoyance, causing Madoka to retract her finger.
"Aren't you being protective," Madoka stated with a grin.
"Of course I am when it comes to my boyfriend!" Mashiro pointed out, growling at her.
"EH!?" the other three girls yelled, and then quieted down so other people wouldn't get curious and get in on the conversation.
Mashiro then looked at Masaya, closing her eyes while smiling with red cheeks. He in turn smiled back.
After school, the gang did some FC practice near the trailer. Though Masaya and Mashiro just simply flew next to each other with peaceful looks on their faces. In the midst of flying, the two suddenly flew upwards towards the skies. Afterwards they flew back down in a spiral motion. The contrail left behind was one of unity.
"Beautiful, those two," Asuka muttered, coming down to take a break.
"They sure are having a blast," Misaki said, coming down to observe them.
"Well I get why they're so happy," Madoka stated gently, "I'd be lying if I wasn't just a little moved. Right now, only they can experience the feelings they feel, unlike us."
"True enough," Misaki said.
Back in the air, as they kept flying, Mashiro opened her mouth. "Senpai, I'll be counting on you now, and in the future," she told him gently.
Masaya nodded, smiling at her as the two flew under the sun.
THE END.
A/N: For those who know what game I was talking about with the Volkmire's Inferno and Toad hint, I've played that game time and time again, and I just find it near impossible. There's hard games, but then there are those ones that drive you insane because they're that hard.