Tamao woke early. Sitting up in bed quietly so she wouldn't wake her roommate, she looked at the sleeping girl in the bed next to hers.

"Nagisa-chan," she whispered, "you look so cute when you sleep!" Thoughtfully, she continued to gaze at her best friend. "I remember how you looked when you danced with Shizuma-sama…you will never look that way when we dance. And it's okay. I can't make you love me and I will move on. But I hope we will always be best friends, Nagisa-chan. And I hope you and Shizuma-sama will be happy, even if you and I become Etoile. I know you really love Shizuma-sama…you always say her name in your sleep."

Tamao hopped off her bed. "But now, it's time to get up!" she said more loudly.

"Wake up, Nagisa-chan!" Tamao called, kneeling next her friend's bed. Nagisa didn't even stir.

"Na-gi-sa-chan! Open your eyes! It's morning!" Tamao gently tickled the redhead's cheek.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Nagisa woke with a start and scratched her cheek. "Tamao-chan! That tickles!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"I'm sorry! But at least you're awake." Tamao giggled. "Today is really exciting! It's the Etoile election!"

"Hai, it is! I almost forgot!" Nagisa called.

"We have so much to do before everything starts! So let's get going!" Tamao jumped up and disappeared in the bathroom. A few minutes later, Nagisa heard the shower. She sighed and fell back onto her pillow and let her thoughts wander.

The dance with Shizuma…her emotions when held in the arms of the beautiful silver-haired woman. She loved Shizuma deeply and couldn't understand why the former Etoile had said that Nagisa should forget her. They had spent such wonderful times together…but Nagisa still couldn't forgive herself for letting Shizuma down at the summer home. But finding out about Kaori and seeing the former Etoile breaking down had been too much. Nagisa simply hadn't known what to do. So she had run. And destroyed everything between her and Shizuma.

Suddenly, Tamao stormed into the room, tearing Nagisa out of her bleak memories.
"Nagisa-chan, get up! I can't believe you're still in bed! We have so much to do!" Tamao snatched Nagisa's blanket and threw it onto the floor. Nagisa jumped out of bed and allowed herself to be swept along with Tamao's enthusiasm.

Shizuma quickly left the building. She had just given flowers to the competing couples and…after giving the bouquet to Amane, she had looked into Nagisa's eyes. Well, stared. Nagisa's eyes had been questioning, asking her why Shizuma had pushed her away. Her emotions had overwhelmed her so much that she had needed a word from Tamao to come back to reality and continue her task.

Now she was wandering from place to place, visiting all the sites she connected with Nagisa. The greenhouse, the grand piano, and finally, the tree. The tree which was her and Kaori's place. Shizuma's feet had taken her here seemingly on their own, she hadn't thought about where she was going. The tree. It was connected with Nagisa. And more with Nagisa than it had ever been connected with Kaori. Leaning against the rough wood, Shizuma let her mind roam. It roamed right to one face, red hair, a very sweet smile.

"Nagisa…" The name escaped her lips against her will. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. There was a reason why only Nagisa's face appeared, why looking into the younger girl's eyes unnerved her so much. And now she knew the reason. Hoping that it wasn't too late, Shizuma turned and ran.

It was a moment that would never be forgotten on Astrea Hill: The beautiful Hanazono Shizuma, framed by the doorway, her long silver hair blowing in the wind, having torn the door open just as the new Etoile was about to be announced, calling Nagisa's name in a commanding voice.

Miyuki stared. There was nothing else to do. A few moments later, Nagisa and Shizuma had left the building. Miyuki smiled to herself. The Shizuma that had been lost when Kaori died was finally back.

After the ceremony, Miyuki looked for Tamao. The young girl was walking back to the dormitory all by herself.

"Hey, Tamao-san!" she called out while catching up with her.

"Hello, Miyuki-sama." Tamao turned around and smiled.

"Can I walk back to the dormitory with you?"

"Sure."

For some minutes, they walked in silence.

"So, are you okay?" Miyuki finally asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, I am." The smile on Tamao's face was sincere when she looked in Miyuki's face.

"Really?" Miyuki wasn't convinced that easily.

"Hai. Nagisa-chan is my best friend in the world. I was in love with her for a while, but now I love her as a friend. Well, more like a sister. I want her to be happy and I know she will be with Shizuma-sama. And I know she will always be my best friend."

"You are amazing, Tamao-san. And you are very strong." Miyuki looked at her with approval.

Tamao blushed.

"I just want Nagisa-chan to be happy and I want to be her friend." They had almost reached the dormitory.

"May I ask you a question, Miyuki-sama?"

"Of course."

"Are you okay with what happened?"

Surprised, Miyuki looked at Tamao and saw concern in the younger girl's eyes.

"Yes, I am. It is similar to your situation. I used to be in love with Shizuma, but that changed a while ago. And I know that Nagisa-san will make her very happy. She has already done more to heal Shizuma than I was ever able to. I have to admit that stings a little." Miyuki grinned. "But it was good to see her back to normal again today."

"Yes, that really was Shizuma-sama, I guess." Tamao laughed. "No one will ever forget this Etoile election."

"Well, let's wait and see what happens at the winter ball…that's the next big event." Miyuki also laughed. "Even though it will be hard to top."

"True." Tamao looked at the door of the dormitory building, then turned to face Miyuki.

"Arrigato, Miyuki-sama. It was very nice of you to ask me if I was okay." She smiled gratefully.

"Don't mention it, Tamao-san. And just call me Miyuki." She started to walk toward the building.

"Hai…Miyuki…" Tamao stood rooted to the spot and stared after the student-council president.

"Tamao-chan! Tamao-chan!" Yaya came running up to her friend. "There you are. I looked for you everywhere."

"Yaya-chan! I'm sorry! Miyuki-sama walked to the dormitory with me, I didn't know you were looking for me."

"That's okay, Tamao-chan. Do you want to come to the tea party later on? Tsubomi-chan, Chiyo-chan, Kizuna-chan and Remon-chan will be there, too. I don't think Hikari-chan will come." Her face fell slightly.

"Yaya-chan? Are you okay?" Tamao took the black-haired girl's arm.

"Yes, I am." Yaya said hesitantly. "It's just…Hikari-chan will be very busy now and will spend very much time with Amane-sama. I'll miss her."

Tamao hugged her friend.

"She will be busy, but she will still need you to be her friend. Don't worry, Yaya-chan."

Hugging Tamao back, Yaya said: "I know. But it'll take some getting used to. So, are you coming to the party?"

Tamao hesitated. "Well, I want to be there when Nagisa-chan comes back. We have some things to talk about."

Yaya gave her a look. "Do you actually think Nagisa-chan will come back to your room tonight? I think she'll be spending the night with Shizuma-sama."

"I don't know…I think I'll pass this party. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Okay. If you change your mind, just come over. And if Nagisa-chan comes back, you can bring her."

"Okay. Goodnight, Yaya-chan!"

"Goodnight, Tamao-chan."

Late that night, Nagisa stood in front of the room she shared with Tamao. After what felt like an eternity, she opened the door and went inside. Tamao was still awake, lying in bed and reading a book.

"Nagisa-chan! Welcome back!" she called happily.

"Hello Tamao-chan." Nagisa stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, not sure how to start saying what she wanted to say.

"I…I'm sorry, Tamao-chan. I shouldn't have gone. I should have stayed with you."

"Nagisa-chan, I told you to go. It was the right thing to do. You belong with Shizuma-sama. You were the one who made her happy again after Kaori-san's death."

"But…but…I left you standing all alone on that stage…I hurt your feelings…I promised to be Etoile with you and then, I ran out!"

"Yes, you did. But you only wanted to be Etoile because Shizuma-sama told you to forget about her. And she realized her mistake before it was too late. I hope you two will be very, very happy with each other, Nagisa-chan. I only want what's best for you."

Tamao got up from her bed and hugged Nagisa tightly. "I love you as if you were my sister, Nagisa-chan. I want you to be happy and I want to be your best friend forever."

"Tamao-chan…" Nagisa returned the hug and buried her face on Tamao's shoulder, letting her tears run freely. The day had simply been too much, especially this unexpected understanding and accepting from Tamao.