…

I…

I was such a fool.

I watched the two of them break away from their kiss after some time, pausing to look at each other as if all of life's troubles had suddenly vanished into thin air. A long, quiet moment passed before Yukinoshita finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey, Hayama..."

"Hm?"

"Try not to call me every afternoon next time, okay?"

"Haha, sorry. I couldn't help it. I wanted to see you."

"I wanted to see you too. But I hardly spend much time with the others in the Service Club as it is. We'll find other chances to see each other, I'm sure."

"Okay. I know how important your friends are to you."

"And… one more thing. Are you... free... next week?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you… want to go to the aquarium with me? After the festival is over?"

"The aquarium? I thought you were planning to go with your friends in the Service Club."

"Yes, well… I don't think Hikigaya-kun wanted to go anyway. He didn't seem very interested when I asked him. That left Yuigahama-san and I, so I wanted to take the opportunity to finally reveal we're dating to her on the trip. I'll let Hikigaya-kun know about it later."

"Then of course I can go with you. No problem at all."

"...Thanks, Hayama. I knew I could count on you."

I don't remember what happened after that. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I tried to find all kinds of reasons to believe otherwise. I tried to find any kind of excuse not to think what I was thinking, any kind of reason to believe something else besides the one thing I didn't want to admit in my mind. But that moment, for sure, was when everything changed. That moment would burn itself into my memory ever since.

Because that was the moment that would remind me how much of a fool I was—for ever thinking I could've believed in that lie called 'romance'.

The day of the festival was finally here, and I was standing in Miura's rehearsal room a few hours before the opening ceremony was about to start. The children of her play were to be dressed and looked after by another supervisor that day, so we were the only two people in the room. Miura looked anxious. She had practiced intensely for that moment over the past month, skipping time with friends and even personal time at home just to make sure she didn't make any mistakes on the big day. That performance meant a lot to her, and she wanted to do it right. But, beneath that, I could tell, was an even deeper anxiety—one that had nothing to do with the performance she had been working on this whole time.

"Hikio, are you… sure… about this?"

"Scared?"

"I mean, it's not like I'm scared or anything, it's just..."

"Do you like Hayama?"

"I mean, I do, but..."

"Do you want Yukinoshita to take him away from you?"

"I… guess not..."

"Then I don't see the problem."

"But… but, I..."

I'd convinced her that morning that that day might've been her last chance to be with Hayama for the rest of her life. I'd told her earlier about the plan I'd come up with to help her get with Hayama and resolve things once and for all. It involved showing Yukinoshita that Hayama was hers, and hers only, by being the first to make a move before Yukinoshita could properly confess that she liked him. Of course, that was all made up. Miura didn't know about me finding out that Hayama and Yukinoshita were dating already. As far as she was concerned, the two of them were nothing more to each other than members of the same committee who had to see each other's faces every now and then when a meeting came up. That's why I had to sow the seeds of doubt that morning when I told her I'd overheard Yukinoshita asking Hayama out on a date to spend time alone together during the cultural festival. I just needed to nudge her in the right direction, and make her think that Yukinoshita really might've been about to take Hayama away from her as if she hadn't done so already.

And while she was busy with that, I would have bigger ambitions in mind.

"This is what we started all of this for. We joined the Planning Committee because you wanted to be with Hayama, and I wanted to be with Yukinoshita, and it's about time we made it happen," I said.

"Does this mean you, um, don't... want to go to the amusement park with me... anymore...?"

"What does that have to do with anything? Who cares about the amusement park? We have more important things to deal with. And we have to deal with them now, or we'll miss the only chance we have."

"Oh, um, r-right, yeah..."

"So, are you going to join me or not?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm joining, if that's… what you want..."

"Excellent. You won't regret this, Miura."

"So… what now?"

"First, we make sure to separate the two of them so Hayama can't fall for her during their date. Do you know where Hayama will be when the festival starts?"

"Um… I'm not sure. He said he was going to watch my performance and drop by to congratulate me after though."

"Good. Use that opportunity to spend time with him at the festival. Invite him somewhere. Go see some stalls with him or something. The more time you spend with him, the better."

"Y-Yeah. I'll do that."

"When night comes, they'll start the bonfire dance. That's your chance for an intimate moment with him one-on-one. There'll be fireworks after, and that'll be your signal. Right when the fireworks are about to start, lead him somewhere away from the crowd, then hug him and tell him to close his eyes, and then..."

If I just ignored it, if I just pretended I never saw the two of them kiss that day and moved on, I'm sure things would've ended up much better than they did. But I couldn't do that. Just like with Yuigahama. Just like with Sagami. And now, just like with Yukinoshita. Everything was going to come full circle. I was going to finish what I'd started. I was going to do things my way until the final, bitter end.

Sometimes, I still think back to that moment in middle school when I asked Orimoto out and got rejected straight to my face, only for the whole class to find out and make fun of me for it after. Or that time I tried to text a girl for the first time only for her to never respond. Or that time I got excited and asked this girl out because I thought she liked me, only to realise she didn't. To me, romance had always been the same as rejection, always the same as knowing that I would end with less than I had before. I never liked romance because I never had a reason to. And I never had a reason to because no one had ever liked me.

This was the culmination of everything I hated about romance. This was the logical conclusion of the only person who I thought might ever understand me ending up with someone else. I was Hikigaya Hachiman, the greatest, most bitter loner of Sobu High—and this was my revenge.

It was just after noon, and the festival was well underway. I was standing outside the school gates watching the busy crowds of people come and go as I waited for Yukinoshita to arrive. We promised to meet up together before we'd go see Yuigahama while she was working her shift in our class' maid cafe. The cultural festival had always been popular among local Chiba residents, but that day seemed especially lively. It was probably the biggest turnout we'd seen in several years. Everywhere you looked there were people full of joy, laughing and smiling at an event they only got the chance to experience once a year.

Everywhere, except me.

Yukinoshita arrived shortly after. I greeted her with a smile, feeling somehow more ecstatic than usual.

"Good afternoon, Yukinoshita."

"...Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun. You seem… strangely energetic."

"I can't help it. It's the vibe of the festival, I think. Everyone being so cheery makes me feel cheery as well."

"Knowing you, that is possibly the single greatest lie I have ever heard come out of your mouth."

"Believe what you want. More importantly, we've got lots to do today. Let's not waste it by standing around here any longer."

We made our way to the school interior to meet Yuigahama during her shift in our classroom. The hallways were filled with people as they lined up to see the various booths and displays on offer. There were so many packed into a few tight corridors it was hard to navigate through it all. Our classroom seemed to be just as busy as the others, because by the time we arrived it looked like there was no end to Yuigahama's work in sight.

"Order for table six!", cried one of the maids.

"Who ordered the cream parfait?", cried another.

"U-Um, ice cream for table twelve! Or was it ten? O-Or...", yelled a familiar pink-haired girl from the door of the makeshift kitchen in the back. "Oh, Yukinon! Hikki! You made it!"

"Where's my damn ice cream already?!" yelled one of the customers in front.

"S-Sorry! I'll bring it over now!"

Yuigahama finished her order and walked up to us still standing near the doorway.

"Hey, guys! Jeez, it's just been so busy today. You don't know how relieved I am to see you here! Um, w-what do you think of the outfit? Is it cute? It's a bit embarrassing..."

It was unbelievably cute. To be honest, it was probably the cutest thing I'd seen anyone wear before, ever. Careful, Yuigahama. If you walked around wearing that for the whole day you might've ended up with fans for the rest of your life.

"It… has a certain charm, I'll admit. If I must use the term, then yes, it is certainly cute. I think it suits you," said an unusually pleasant Yukinoshita.

"Really?!"

Yuigahama rushed to hug her, and Yukinoshita was taken aback as usual.

"I-I was under the impression you were supposed to maintain professional conduct while working at all times..." said Yukinoshita, struggling to move now that Yuigahama was occupying her entire personal space.

"Ehh? But that's so boring! It's not like they're paying me anyway..."

"Yeah. It's cute," I said in agreement, which seemed to prompt Yuigahama to remember we were actually still in public where other people could see what we were doing and not in the privacy of our clubroom. She let go of Yukinoshita, embarrassed, and blushed.

"T-Thanks, Hikki. So, um, are you two ready to take a look around the festival?"

"You are sure you are not supposed to be working?" asked Yukinoshita in response.

"Um… yes, but… I can make it up to them later! Hehe~! So, what do you say? You don't have any more Planning Committee work to do, right?"

Yukinoshita closed her eyes and smiled, as if knowing something like this was going to happen from the start.

"I still have a few things to check up on, but I suppose… it can wait. Besides, it would be nice to see the fruits of my labour."

"Yay! I'll head in to get changed and get someone to cover for me. Wait right here!" said Yuigahama as she headed back inside and left the two of us by ourselves in the front of the classroom again.

"It really has been a while, hasn't it?" asked Yukinoshita suddenly.

"What has?"

"The last time we had an opportunity to spend together like this. What with our roles in the Planning Committee and all, it felt as if we were all starting to slowly drift apart."

"Heh. Our friendship must be pretty shallow if not showing up to the clubroom for a little bit can make us drift apart so easily."

"It's almost a relief to know you are still just as foul-mouthed as ever, Hikigaya-kun," she said, smiling. "But perhaps that is something to be grateful for, too. Someone taught me that I should cherish the people around me, and cherish the moments I spend with them, because there might come a day when I may never get to see them again."

"Someone?"

"Just… someone I know, I guess."

"I see."

I knew that someone could've been none other than Hayama. I knew of no one else in her life who could've possibly had the indomitable positivity to teach someone as jaded and insecure as her something so earnest and warm.

Hayama… and not me.

We didn't wait long after that. Yuigahama came back soon dressed in her usual school uniform with the kind of worried look on her face that said her negotiations with her manager might not have gone quite as smoothly as she'd planned.

"Sorry it took so long! It was hard finding a replacement and my manager got really angry at me. But, um, it's all sorted now! I'll just have to do… double the overtime later… haha..."

"That is of no concern. It was hardly a wait," said Yukinoshita, turning away from me.

"D-Did I interrupt something? It looked like you two were talking about something important…"

"Please, it was nothing so serious. We were merely catching up with each other. Right, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yeah, right..."

"Really? Okay, then! Let's go! Let's have some fun at the cultural festival!"

She stepped out of the classroom and started leading the way.

"Ooh, let's go see the fortune telling stall! I, like, really wanted to visit but my shift was going to last the whole day. I owe you guys for showing up!"

"You heard her, Hikigaya-kun. It's not often we get the chance to do this. Let us try to enjoy ourselves, I suppose."

She walked out and started following after Yuigahama in the busy crowd.

"Hey, what are you two doing?! Hurry up!"

...Whatever, I thought, as I made my way along.

We walked around to a few booths and made our way to the assembly hall after some time. There were maybe a few dozen people still there, some of whom were probably still leftover from the opening ceremony that had just finished, right as Miura's performance was about to start. I didn't originally plan to go watch it, but I figured I still had enough time for the plan to spare that day to see the results of her work. I could hear a couple of murmurs in the crowd wondering what the pink dinosaur and all those children who had just shown up on stage were doing there.

"Hey Hikki, what's this? Is this some kind of performance?"

"Well..."

"It is as you say, Yuigahama-san. We had a special collaboration with the local daycare center this year, and they wanted us to involve them in the cultural festival somehow."

I refrained from saying anything further. If she didn't know about it beforehand then that meant Miura hadn't told her she was going to be performing in it, which probably meant that Miura didn't want her to know if she didn't need to. It was a rare moment of truce between us, but I didn't mind at least respecting Miura's privacy like that.

Soon the curtains were drawn, then raised moments later to signal the start of the play. There was a pink dinosaur standing in the middle of several cardboard cutouts of what looked like modern day Japan. At first he was surprised that he'd been transported there all of a sudden, and the audience found it funny how he would end up lost and shock the local residents when they saw a walking pink dinosaur speaking to them when he tried to ask for directions back home. The play would go on to show him lamenting how cute and cuddly he looked, unlike the other big and scary dinosaurs he grew up with, and how he would realise being in modern day Japan was his opportunity to prove his worth as a fearsome dinosaur in a way he could never have done before. He then repeatedly tries to scare the children of the local daycare center as they go out to play, but he keeps failing because they find him too adorable to be scared by. Instead, the children grow to like him more and more, and soon start to look forward to him showing up to try to scare them for the day. Eventually, the dinosaur would realise how much more fun it was to make people smile than it was to scare them. He would then end up befriending the children, who are nice to him and enjoy his company, and enrolls at the daycare to put his cuteness and his ability to bring joy to people to better use.

The play went surprisingly well. People were touched by the story of the pink dinosaur who found a new purpose in life, and rose to give a standing ovation once the play was over. It seemed Yuigahama had changed her mind as well, because she'd burst into tears by the end of it. I was impressed. Miura had outdone herself in a way that I could never have imagined.

The two of them remained there to discuss what they thought of the play, and I excused myself from them to head to Miura's dressing room backstage. I wanted to congratulate her for a job well done, for one thing, but also to check up on her and ensure that progress on the plan was proceeding without issue. I knocked on her door once I'd arrived and, when Miura opened the door and saw me standing in front of her, stumbled back as she lurched herself onto me to squeeze me in a hug.

"Hikio! You made it! How was it? Did you like it? Was it good?"

"Yeah, I liked it. You did well."

"Yay! I couldn't have, like, done it without you, you know?"

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. It's not like I did that much."

"Do you think everyone else… liked it…?"

"Of course they did. The whole crowd was cheering for you. Hell, you even made Yuigahama cry at the end."

"I… I'm… I'm glad..."

We suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming up the backstage stairs. Miura quickly let go of me and put her hands behind her back, trying to act as normal as she could. Three tough-looking guys showed up to see us standing in the middle of the hallway. Miura rolled her eyes. It was none other than the Three Stooges, and I figured they had to be up to no good.

"Yo, yo, yo! Yu-mi-ko! We were, like, totally just passing by, man! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Oh, brother. These three again..." mumbled Miura in a voice only I could hear.

"Hey, Yu-mi-ko! You seen my man Hayato?!"

"He'll… be here soon, I think."

"Hehehe! For the one-on-one date, I suppose? Hehehe!" squeaked Ouoka in the same irritating voice as ever.

"For the last time, I am not dating him! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"W-Well, looking at y-y-y-you and L-Loserforce O-One here, maybe you've g-given up on Hayato for th-th-th-this guy?" stammered Yamato to the side, looking just as tall and stupid as I remembered.

"H-Huh?! What are you saying?! Of course we're not… I mean..."

"Hehehe! Where'd your dino-suit go, Miura-san? We wanted to take some pictures! Hehehe!"

"T-That was a g-great performance out there, M-M-Miura. You r-really fit the d-d-d-d-dinosaur well. N-No wonder, when y-you're just as l-loud and g-g-g-grouchy as your character in r-real life!"

They were starting to get on my nerves. I turned to face them, ready to challenge them head-on. It wasn't something I usually did, because I was usually at serious risk of being beaten up when I did it. But I was sick of those idiots, and I had somewhere else to be, so—

"Why don't you three shut up already?!"

I looked beside me to see Miura standing with clenched fists, her face white-hot with fury and ready to explode. Because the one who'd called them out that day wasn't me. It was Miura, of all people, who'd just lashed out at her own friends.

"I'm sick of you guys. You're always making fun of people for this or that, and you're always calling things others do that you don't like 'lame'. How about a newsflash for you assholes? You're lame. All you three do is make fun of other people to feel better about yourselves. You guys need to get a life."

That seemed to make them stunned. They stood there speechless for a while, staring down Miura as she stared them down back.

"And another thing. Just because I like spending my time with children doesn't make me lame. Just because I'm friends with this guy doesn't make me lame. And there's nothing lame about him, either! In fact, he's way cooler than you three! He's way cooler than the three of you will ever be!"

"Miura, you're embarrassing me..."

"You know what makes someone lame? When you always make fun of other people for being lame! And if that's how you guys are going to be, then you guys can get lost, because I don't need friends like you!"

"..."

We stood like that for a while, with Miura locked in a standoff with the Three Stooges who still hadn't said anything yet. The three of them looked truly stunned, as if this was the last thing they'd expected to hear from someone they without a doubt thought was one of their close friends. And then...

"...Whatever. Let's go, guys. We can wait for Hayato somewhere else," said Tobe suddenly.

They turned around without saying a word before heading back down the stairs to the main hall below. And then they were gone. It was all over so fast, but it felt like an eternity. I turned to look at Miura beside me, who was visibly shaking.

"I… I was so scared..."

"Heh, nice one. You could tell it worked because they didn't have anything to say back."

"R-Really…?"

"I'm not sure if you'll still be friends with them after this though."

"That's… fine, honestly. If being popular surrounds me with people like that, then I don't want to be popular."

"...I never thought I'd be hearing that from someone like you."

"Anyway… so, um, Hikio, what are you... doing now? Are you… free… by any chance...?"

"I'm returning to the plan we talked about this morning. You said Hayama will be here soon, right? This is the perfect opportunity for you to spend time with him. We can't mess this up."

"O-Oh, okay. The plan, right..."

"I think he's coming now. I'll meet you tonight when everything's in place. You know what to do."

"Y-Yeah. See you… then..."

It was great that Miura's play had gone so well, but I had more pressing concerns in mind. There were still a few things I needed to do to get ready for what was to come that night. Everything was in place. Everything was going according to plan. It was only a matter of time before the next step, when I would make the cultural festival a night none of us would ever forget.

It was almost evening by the time we'd finished walking around and returned to our clubroom to rest. We ended up visiting all sorts of booths that day. First we stepped into a magic show, then an amateur movie theatre, then a haunted house, then even a crossdressing cafe where boys served food in maid outfits and girls took your order in tuxedos, and much more. It was tiring, but that didn't stop Yuigahama from dragging us through all of the booths put up that day to make sure we did as much as possible during the last cultural festival of our high school lives.

"Hah, I'm beat! That was so much fun! I wish we could have a cultural festival every day!" said Yuigahama.

"That would hardly… be appropriate..." said Yukinoshita as she struggled to catch her breath after running around in the haunted house earlier.

"But, but, you had fun, didn't you, Yukinon?!"

"It was… not an unpleasant experience, I suppose."

"Right, right?! The haunted house was so cool! I've, like, never seen a zombie so real before! You were scared too, weren't you, Hikki?!"

"I guess."

I didn't feel like saying much. I walked over to the windows to look down at the school grounds. The two of them soon followed. The sun was starting to set, and a warm orange glow emanated from the large bonfire in the dance field below. It was packed. Some of the stalls were starting to close, but the festivities had yet to die down. People were gathering around the main event of the night, the bonfire dance, where people would dance in pairs around a bonfire before fireworks were launched to signal the end of the festival for good. All below us were crowds of parents with their children, students with their friends, and couples hand-in-hand making their way to the open dance area in front of the school. There were too many people to count.

"It's so pretty..." said Yuigahama.

"It really is, isn't it?" said Yukinoshita.

"You really did a great job setting all of this up, Yukinon!"

"You flatter me, but I am hardly to be praised. It was the work of everyone in the student council. Everyone that bothered to help, at least."

"Oh!", exclaimed Yuigahama suddenly. "I just remembered something! We, like, haven't seen each other lately, right? So I got us all presents to celebrate!"

"Presents?" I said, a little surprised.

"I am sure you are aware, Yuigahama-san, but you do not have to go out of your way to give us gifts just for something as simple as the three of us reconvening in the same clubroom together again."

"Stop being so cold, Yukinon! That's what friends are for! But, um, I forgot them in the classroom earlier, so I'll go get them now! I'll be right back!"

Yuigahama left to go get her presents, which left Yukinoshita and I alone in the same clubroom together, quietly staring out of the windows. We kept watching as the school dance was about to start. It made me think about my years in middle school, and how we would hold a school-wide bonfire dance each year as some kind of old tradition. I always thought it was kind of lame. You were supposed to hold hands and dance in pairs with someone around a giant bonfire, but I never had a partner to dance with, and people looked at you funny if you ended up having to dance alone. Normally, on nights like that, I would've ignored the dance and went straight home. But not that night. Not when the final phase of my plan was just about to begin.

"Yukinoshita. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

"...Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"Answer me."

"I… would think not, no."

"You're lying, aren't you?"

"I fail to see what the purpose of your question is. I do not recall what reason I would have to 'hide' anything from y—"

"I know you're dating Hayama right now."

"W-What…?!"

Her eyes widened and her whole body seemed to freeze on the spot. You could see the visible shock on her face. I knew she wasn't going to take me finding out very lightly.

"What… what an absurd claim..."

"I saw the two of you kiss yesterday in the Planning Committee meeting room. That was you, wasn't it?"

"..."

Silence.

"It wasn't… it wasn't as if I was trying to hide it. I just… didn't want the two of you to think differently of me because of it," she said after a while.

"How long have the two of you been dating?"

"About six months, I suppose. We started around the time when preparations for the cultural festival this year were beginning."

"That's funny, because that's almost the same amount of time that Miura's been dating him, too."

"...What… did you say…?"

"Yukinoshita, listen to me. Hayama is cheating on you."

"I… what…? But… I… I don't… understand…?"

"When I found out about it, I knew I had to find a way to expose him to you. If I just told you outright you might not have believed me. And then, if you asked Hayama about it, he would've just denied it and made it even harder to catch them in the act."

"Please, Hikigaya-kun, if this is another one of your elaborate jokes—"

"That's why I've been following Miura around the whole time. She said she was looking for someone to help her do her homework and other school-related stuff while she was busy with something else. That something else being her new boyfriend, Hayama Hayato. I've been trying to find the right opportunity to expose their relationship once and for all, and I've finally found it. She said she'll be busy at the bonfire dance tonight, and we know that can only mean one thing. She's planning to dance with Hayama."

"You're joking… right...? Please tell me you are joking. Please. This… can't be real..."

Yukinoshita was lost for words. She looked like she couldn't understand what was going on. What I once might've seen of the usual calm and composed demeanor of hers had turned into cracks that seemed to tear into every part of her body, the seams of her once perfect facade starting to unravel itself before my very eyes.

I couldn't help but smile. It was going exactly the way I'd planned.

"Where do you think he is now? Do you even know?" I asked.

"He… he told me he was going to be with some friends for a while."

"Did he tell you which friends? Maybe a certain friend that you and I have in mind right now?"

"...No."

"Look out of the window right now. Look at the bonfire. Right over there, you see that?"

As if right on cue, the figure of Hayama walking hand-in-hand with Miura towards the bonfire dance area appeared.

"Does that look like he's just being with his friends?"

"..."

I knew Yukinoshita was a smart person. But, as smart as she was, she was still a loner. And if there was one thing, above all else, that loners never wanted to deal with, it was having to rely on anyone other than themselves. Maybe they were perfect for each other when they were together. But when they were apart, that was when the doubt in a loner started to creep in and take hold. Yukinoshita was a smart person, but that didn't mean she was any happier for it.

"How about we take a look for ourselves?" I said.

"If… you say so."

Yuigahama returned carrying her bag right as we were about to leave. She looked at us perplexed, staring at us holding our own bags at the door as if we were about to suddenly go home without telling her.

"Hey, where do you two think you're going?! I haven't even given you my presents yet!"

She reached inside her bag and took out three small purple tie-up sacks and handed one each to Yukinoshita and I before stepping back with a proud smile on her face.

"Well, um, it's been lonely since the two of you haven't been coming to the clubroom lately. But it's, like, fun in here, right? So I wanted something that when you looked at you'll be like, 'Oh, I miss the clubroom! Why don't I go pay Yuigahama a visit?'! I know it's a bit lame but I spent a lot of time choosing the right present! I even made them myself, so I really hope you like it!"

"I-I… we…"

Yukinoshita tried to speak, but she was struggling just to find the right words.

"Sorry Yuigahama, but we have something we need to take care of. We'll be back soon. You can wait in the clubroom. This doesn't concern you."

"W-Wait, but..."

"Yuigahama-san, please… it's… better… this way..." said Yukinoshita, the words barely escaping her mouth.

"O-Okay..."

Yukinoshita didn't say anything after that. She quietly followed me as I led the way out of the clubroom to head down to the bonfire dance area below. It felt like all the colour had drained from her face. She was no longer the proud and ruthless Yukinoshita I once knew and admired. In that moment, she was someone else entirely. She was the deepest, most sincere part of herself, the raw and vulnerable side of her that was tired of competing with her sister and having to prove herself to everyone else all the time. It was a side to her that I felt like I hadn't seen in an eternity, but it was a look I was very familiar with. It was the same look on Yuigahama's face during our second-year workplace field trip when I made her cry for the first time. And it was the same look Sagami had on the rooftop that day, exactly one year ago, when I humiliated her right in front of her friends. It was a look that I would see on Yukinoshita's face after that night ever since. It was a look that I would remember, and would haunt me in my dreams even now.

When we arrived on the ground it was just as crowded as when the evening had started. An announcement was made that the fireworks were about to start soon, and the crowd started to roar with excitement. Right on time, I thought.

"Where are you taking me?" Yukinoshita asked.

"You'll see."

We made our way through the crowds watching the bonfire dance only to find that they weren't there anymore. Yukinoshita was puzzled, but I could only smile.

"They're… gone?"

"They can't be far. If they stopped dancing already, that can only mean one thing. Follow me."

The crowd started chanting in unison to countdown until the fireworks started. They were all looking up to the sky behind us while we were passing them by in the other direction. We kept walking through the crowd surrounding the bonfire dance as I led Yukinoshita to the quiet area of the school behind it. The fire raged. We walked on.

"Three!" shouted the crowds around us.

It was strange, walking through the crowd with Yukinoshita like that. I didn't feel excitement. I didn't feel guilt. To be honest, I didn't feel anything at all. All I could think about in that moment was how I had to finish what I'd started. I looked at Yukinoshita still trailing behind me. She was silent, but no one could mistake the expression on her face at that moment. It was the look of someone who knew something was coming—and could only wish they didn't.

"Two!"

We soon made our way out and stood behind the last of the crowds that had gathered to see the fireworks. In front of us was the corner of the school building. There weren't any lights there as the festival hadn't been set up to cover that part of the school, but from what was left of the light from the bonfire you could see the faint shadows of two people peeking out from around the corner. At that moment I knew there was only one thing to do next. Only one place they could be, exactly as I'd planned.

"One!"

The sound of a sizzle lingered in the air for an instant before a BANG, and the sky was lit in a sea of sparks. The crowd cheered. The crowd hurrah-ed. They jumped at the occasion to celebrate the end of the festival and the long day of fun and joy the Planning Committee had worked to give everyone over the past several months. In another world, I might've been one of those people in that crowd that day. If I were someone who could've done things differently, who could've seen things beyond my small confines of anger, bitterness, and hate, I might've been celebrating with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama in the clubroom in that moment as well, just like everybody else.

But this was not that world. And I was not that person.

I led Yukinoshita around the corner of the school building as another round of fireworks erupted into bright sparks in the sky. And, in the afterglow of those explosions, we would see Miura's arms wrapped tightly around Hayama's neck as her lips pressed up right against his—the two of them holding each other, eyes closed, in the middle of a kiss.