We set off down the long hall in silence, our footsteps echoing off the walls. Otonashi, Hinata, and Naoi had been waiting for us and continued to the medical center when they saw us. The whole walk to the infirmary, I kept wondering why Fujimaki had defended me against Noda. I couldn't find a logical reason no matter how many times I replayed the moment in my mind. Then it finally hit me. "Did it have anything to do with what Noda was going to say?"
"Huh?"
"Did you defending me have anything to do with what Noda was going to say?"
He twisted his head to the side in a feeble attempt to conceal the fluster that appeared on his cheeks. "Well—"
"It did!" I exclaimed. "What did he say? 'Well, at least I'm not completely oblivious to my feelings for Yuri like you are with—?'"
"Yeah…"
"Wait. Was he about to say…your crush's name?" I questioned in amusement as a huge grin stretched across my face.
"Shut up," he muttered, avoiding eye contact with me.
"Who is it? Come on, tell me," I demanded.
Surprisingly, he looked right at me with a shocked expression before changing it back to his usual abasing one, though I swear I saw a flash of disappointment. "You really are stupid sometimes, you know that?"
"What the hell?!" I shouted, taken aback by his response. "Why the hell did you say that?!"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Because you are."
"What does that have to do with who your crush is?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with it. I just thought I should let you know that," he replied with a smirk.
"Hey! If anyone's an idiot here, it's you!" I retorted angrily.
"And why would that be?"
"Well…ugh, just stop being such a smartass!" I shifted my aggravated gaze forward and heard him chuckle.
"Kanade, what are you doing out here?" Otonashi asked as he approached the white-haired girl.
"Where's Noda?" I wondered, noticing he wasn't around. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
"It's not like he'd die," Naoi remarked condescendingly.
"Not the point," I stated irritably
"He's inside," Kanade informed in her typical drone voice.
"How long has he been in there?" Fujimaki inquired.
"I'm not sure."
"What's he doing?" Hinata moved toward the door, but Kanade stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"He wants to be alone," she said.
Everyone was silent for a moment, probably either shocked or confused. I squeezed past Otonashi and Naoi and advanced to the door only to have Kanade grab my arm. "Kanade, have you checked to see if he's still in there?" I questioned.
"No, he said—"
"He wanted to be alone, I know, but what if he moved on and isn't in there anymore?" She didn't respond and released me, allowing me to go to the door. I slid it open slowly, only about an inch wide so it wouldn't be too noticeable. I attempted to peek inside, but everyone began to crowd around.
Inside, Noda was sitting in a chair next to Yuri's bed. She was still unconscious and he was holding her hand, staring at her peaceful expression. "You know…Yuri…I've…I've always sort of liked you," he confessed sheepishly as if she was awake.
"Whoa!" murmured Hinata.
"Shh!" I hushed.
"And," Noda continued, "I figured that…since it's almost the end and all…I should tell you…" He gently squeezed her hand as a light blush crept onto his cheeks. "I…I love you, Yuri."
I didn't even try to stop the wide grin that immediately placed itself on my lips. "Aw, that's so sweet," I cooed quietly. "I wish Yuri was up so she could tell him the same thing."
"How do you know she feels the same way?" whispered Otonashi.
"It's so obvious by the way she insults him."
"Yuri insults all of us," Fujimaki pointed out.
"Yeah, but she gives him special insults. Plus she's never told him to leave her alone or stop guarding her."
Noda stood up and we all shrank back a little, afraid he heard us. He stared at Yuri for a few more seconds before brushing her bangs aside and leaning down, gently kissing her forehead. When he drew back, he smiled at her lovingly. "Goodbye Yuri. Maybe we'll be together in our next lives." Then Noda disappeared without a trace.