The next few weeks were agonizing for Takasu. Taiga was staying with her mother while she recovered from the incident, and thoughts of what he would say to her when she finally came back weighed heavily on his mind.

"Where do I even begin…" he quietly mumbled to himself, slowly pacing through the hall on his way to class.

"Heeeeey Takasu!" a voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his introspection.

He quickly turned around to see the source. "Oh hey, K-Kushieda," he stammered. "What's up?"

"Not much! Just heading to class!" she cheerfully replied. "What's going on with you though? You look like something's bothering you."

"S-sorta…" he managed to answer.

"Is it Taiga? Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine! I know it's a bummer not having her around, but I'm sure she'll be back in no time at all! And it's all thanks to you, you know!" She sounded as upbeat and ecstatic as ever. A welcome sight, considering how melancholy she'd been recently, but not enough to life the unease in Takasu's mind.

"Y-yeah, that too, but…there's something else," he said, taking a deep breath. "It's about…what happened that night. The night of the party…"

Kushieda's face slowly adopted a solemn look. "Oh yeah…that…"

Seeing her reaction, he tensed up, having second thoughts about pressing the matter. But just as quickly, he reassured himself. "I've chickened out on for too long already," he thought. "I have to resolve this, once and for all."

"I just have to know-I mean, what you said, were you-" he struggled to find the right words to convey the question, but before he could, Kushieda cut him off.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Takasu was taken aback. "W-what for?"

"I should've just been straight with you," she replied, "instead of…using all those weird metaphors and stuff."

His heart sank as he heard those words. "So then, you mean-"

"I like you, Takasu," Kushieda continued, "as a friend. You're a really nice guy, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. Listening to me ramble on about ghosts and UFOs and all that silly stuff, and trying to cheer me up when I'm sad – I really am grateful for all of it. But…" she paused just for a moment. "I just…don't feel that way about you."

Takasu slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I see…"

As she watched him, Kushieda felt slightly guilty. She quivered slightly as she started to speak. "Takasu, I'm really so-"

"Don't be."

She stopped. "Huh?"

"It's not your fault that you don't feel that way," Takasu stated. "You don't have to apologize for things that are out of your control. Just like what happened with that ornament of Taiga's. Things just happen sometimes, and you don't have to feel bad about that. And besides…"

He hesitated for a moment, remembering what his thoughts from the other night.

"I think…I might feel the same way."

Kushieda's remorse turned to confusion. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well, it's just…I've had a crush on you for the longest time, but I was always too scared to admit my feelings," Takasu explained. "And then when I was about to tell you, that night, you turned me down before I could even say anything, and I was devastated. But recently, I've been thinking….maybe my feelings for you aren't what I thought they were. Maybe what I really want is…to just be a really good friend to you. That's why I wanted make sure I knew how you felt. You know what I mean?"

Kushieda smiled softly. "Yeah, I get you. Honestly, I'm really relieved to hear you say that, because-"

She stopped shortly, as her eyes started to well, and a single tear fell to the floor.

"I…-I'd hate to lose you as a friend."

Almost unthinkingly, Takasu immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. He felt a little embarrassed once he realized what he was doing, but he continued to hold her anyway.

"I'll never stop being your friend," he said, "so don't worry."

Blushing lightly, Kushieda wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "Thank you, Takasu."

Takasu smiled, and as he released her from his embrace, his eyes wandered toward the clock on the wall. Noticing the time, he was instantly torn free from the emotion of the moment. "Oh shoot! Class is about to start!" He dashed into the classroom, with Kushieda, similarly experiencing shock, right behind him.