43: Ayumu Always

"...Senpai." Setsuna stood before me, the wind blowing her hair, a hand straightening out her white dress. "Sorry for calling you out to the mall today…"

"No, it's fine!" I replied, heart thumping. "I mean, school's out and all…" My voice trailed off as Setsuna grasped my hand.

"...can we… hold hands?" she asked timidly, brushing up against me.

"Of-of course." I linked my fingers in hers, and we began walking down the path, awkwardly looking around at the stores around us. It still hadn't hit me that we had mutually confessed our love to each other.

"S-so, why did you want to come here? Wouldn't Akiba be a better choice?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

"Hmm? Well…" Setsuna released her hold on me and pressed her fingers together. "We're going to Okinawa tomorrow, so I thought we could get some last minute things…" She blushed and averted her eyes.

"Like…snacks?" I questioned.

"What? No, we're gonna have plenty to eat there… I was meaning… well…" Setsuna let out a sigh. "I wanna get a new swimsuit." She covered her face in embarrassment.

After my heart skipped a beat, I let out a laugh and pried her hands away, revealing her beet red cheeks.

"Really!? Well, let's go!" I cheered.

"I can tell from your grin that you're too excited… this is why I didn't want to tell you…" Setsuna twirled a lock of her hair and frowned.

"Well, you could have come here yourself, if you're too embarrassed…"

"No! Of course I want you to be here! If you weren't with me, then there would be no point…."

"Then there's no problem, eh? Let's go!" I pulled Setsuna ahead.

"W-whatever!" She punched my shoulder and trailed along, fanning herself nervously.

We entered the clothes store and headed over to the swimsuit section. I felt my ears burn up when we went there…

"Um. So… which one… do you think looks good?" Setsuna began flipping through a number of bikinis, not really looking at them but more so looking at me.

"I think they all look good on you," I replied, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"That's not helping… just pick one out, okay?" Setsuna was as nervous as me.

"Fine, fine!" I shamefully looked through the selection, picking out a red bikini that was extremely revealing. "This one!"

"No!" Setsuna objected immediately, grabbing it and placing it back on the rack.

"But… fine…" I found a white bikini with frills and held it up against her. "This one should do."

"Well…" She looked down at herself, then took it in her hands. "I guess this would work."

"It's pretty cute, but also kinda hot," I replied. "Want to try it on for me?"

"Uh, no! You gotta wait, okay?" Setsuna smiled slyly and turned for the register. I stood in wide-eyed shock, imagining Setsuna wearing a bikini and splashing water at me, then jogged after her.

After all, our relationship was pretty much the same, even after we had expressed our true feelings. I guess it was because we already acted like we were together before we were.

Setsuna and I spent the rest of the day shopping and chatting, finally deciding to eat dinner at a sushi restaurant. We took our seats at a table next to the window and began munching away. "So, is it good?" Setsuna asked, a hand on her chin as she watched me eat.

"Of course," I answered, placing a tuna sushi on her plate. "Don't just watch, have some yourself!"

"Thanks… but I gotta make sure you eat your fill!" Setsuna took her chopsticks and popped the sushi into her mouth. "Yum!"

"I'm so excited for this trip," I expressed. "I wanna go see the beach! I also gotta eat a bunch of food… See some wildlife…"

"Me too! I've been there once when I was little. But it'll probably be much more fun now! Especially because I'm with you now," Setsuna answered, brushing away her hair.

"Yeah…"

We stopped for a moment as our awkward romance continued.

"I'm glad you said what you said," Setsuna said with a heavy breath. "At graduation."

"Hmm? Well, I- I felt like I needed to say it. I know you wanted everyone to just stay as friends, and I did too- but I just needed to get it off my chest. Because I don't want to leave any regrets…"

"Exactly. Me too. If you didn't say it, senpai, I would have confessed to you. In fact, I was planning to ask you to dance during the festival, and confess after. I even changed into that dress, but I got so scared, I just made an excuse that I still had to do committee work... I'm such a scaredy-cat!" Setsuna took a sip of her tea.

"I was going to confess at the dance too, but I couldn't… at graduation, though, I just went for it. I don't know why. Maybe because your speech was so encouraging!"

"D-don't talk about that speech! It was so cringey…"

"What? No, it actually made me pretty emotional! You're a good writer," I complimented. "It was in English too!"

"Nope, nope!" Setsuna took another sip. "But then I feel so bad for Yu-chan. I don't want her to be sad… because I know she had feelings for you. I want to do something for her. Actually, I contacted the manager of the hotel we're staying at, and he said that there's a little stage outside where they hold performances all the time. He said he'll open up all the reservations for a night, so we can perform as many songs as we want! I told Yu-chan that I wanted her to be the final performer. Solo."

"Oh, really? That's great," I said, thinking about little Yu dancing. "I think she'll really appreciate that!"

"Except she said no," Setsuna replied. "She said she doesn't care about being an idol anymore…"

"What!? But yeah, she even gave up on her Youtube channel. I feel so bad for her... She gives up on me, then gives up on her dream. She never feels like she's good enough."

"Oh, Yu-chan…" Setsuna sighed and asked for the bill. "Life's so cruel, isn't it?"

We walked down the shadow shaded street, Setsuna clutching her shopping bags.

"Lemme hold those for you," I said, but she refused. "You're being too nice to me…" She shied away when I put my arm on her. "If… you weren't so nice, I wouldn't… have fallen for you…"

"I'm sorry… It's just, so few people were nice to me back home. I guess when you all acted so nice to me, all my repressed, unused kindness just came gushing out…" I scratched my neck nervously.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I hope that didn't come out wrong…I'm not saying I don't appreciate your kindness though," Setsuna replied. "After all, I love you. I just wish there was a way for us to all be happy. For all our dreams to come true."

"I know. Me too… but in the end, none of us are going to be happy, right? Because… it's only a matter of time…"

"Before you leave?" Setsuna hugged me. "If you leave, yeah, none of us are going to be happy. But I just thought of something! If that's the case, then… from another standpoint, we'll all be happy, right? Think of it this way. When you leave, no one loses, but no one wins. At the end, all we'll have are the memories we made. Together. All of us."

"Which also means… this relationship we have now… can't last," I responded, dreading the thought. We continued on our way, lost in thought at the paradox before us.

"Hey. Don't think about it, okay? Let's just- make the most of the time left for us." Setsuna looked away as the tears pooled in her eyes. She forced a smile. "Yay! We're going to Okinawa! Whooo!"

The two of us fell silent, too many worries within our hearts. Why does love have to be so complicated? I always thought that when I found a girl, everything would just be magically great. Turns out there's more to it than kisses.

We made it to the station, a pool of light in the dark.

The sound of our footsteps echoed across the unusually empty chambers.

Did our relationship really change? I really don't know. Everything… Everything is so indefinite. I don't know what to think.

"Derrick, can you promise me something?" Setsuna implored, her face solemn and resolute.

"Anything."

"If time runs out for the two of us, always remember me as your first love, okay?" Her eyes searched my face pensively. "Because you were mine."

Without reply, I took her in my hands and kissed her, not wanting to forget the sweet scent of her watermelon shampoo.

"I want the window seat! I want the window seat!" Kasumi screeched as we shuffled down the aisle. I found my designated seat and put my suitcase in the compartment.

"Morning, Derrick," Shizuku said, smiling as she gestured with her hand. "I was supposed to be sitting here, but I'll let Setsuna-senpai switch seats with me so she can be with you!"

"Oh! Thank you so much…hehe…" I turned to see Setsuna, characteristically shy, bowing in thanks and shuffling to the window seat. I sat down next to her in the middle seat, leaning my head on her shoulder.

"Morning, Setsuna."

"M-morning…" Setsuna pulled down the hem of her skirt over her knees.

"Whatcha hiding there!?" Yu blurted, appearing next to us. She yanked Setsuna's skirt up, revealing her white swimsuit underneath.

"KYAAAAAAA!" Setsuna pushed Yu off and pulled her skirt back down. "Really Yu?!"

Yu, laughing, slapped me on the shoulder.

"Whoo! She's all dressed up for you, Derrick!" She raised her eyebrow.

"Yu-chan! Just because he confessed to me doesn't mean you can make any manner of dirty jokes about us!" Setsuna scolded.

"Hey! I just wanna get in as many jokes as I can. It's not like I'll have many more opportunities anyway. But have fun, you two!" Yu turned to leave.

"Wait, aren't you sitting here in the aisle seat with us?" I asked, confused. "Your ticket…"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm switching with Ayumu," Yu replied and left. Ayumu replaced her, plopping down on my left.

"Hey!" She reached over and hugged Setsuna, then hugged me, the scent of perfume whipping me in the face.

"Hi Ayumu!" We replied. "Why…did you switch spots with Yu?" I asked.

"You know her," Ayumu answered. "She doesn't want to get in your way."

"But she won't," Setsuna contested. "We wanted Yu to perform over at Okinawa too, but she turned us down… Ayumu, can you help us? We want to do whatever we can for her."

"Definitely." Ayumu gave us a thumbs up, then pulled out a pack of strawberry flavored gum. "Do you guys want one?"

"Oh, thanks!"

Ayumu blew a huge bubble as the engines started.

"Oh, we're taking off!" I could hear Kasumi's voice somewhere in front of us.

"Off to Okinawa!"

The plane zoomed across the runway and flew to the sky, Ayumu's bubble popping in my face, covering it in a stringy, sticky mess.

It was a bright summer afternoon when we arrived at the hotel, a large tower right next to the beach. Pulling our cases along, we accepted our room cards and headed into the elevator.

"Did you see the decorations outside?" Setsuna asked. "They were welcoming us!"

"Yeah! We're like celebrities!" Ayumu cheered.

"Except there was no paparazzi," Yu remarked.

"So, we have eleven people and three rooms with two double beds each, right?" I confirmed.

"Yeah," Setsuna replied as we entered the hallway. "Ten girls and one boy, up to four people per room…that means…"

"We'll fit five in one of the rooms, and leave the last room for just you and Derrick, so you'll have so much fun!" Emma suggested.

"What!? No!" Setsuna protested. "Stop saying weird things like that!" The rest of the girls all snickered.

"So what, we're gonna make Derrick sleep alone? That's really sad," Ayumu said. "I'll be with him if you don't want to!"

"M-me too," Yu added, and I felt that this was a reenactment of the winter training camp situation.

"That's great," Setsuna replied. "You two can go with him, and I'll go to another room. So you three Nijisaki Jonetsu people can be together."

"What? But he's your boyfriend, how can you not be with him?" Ai questioned exasperatedly.

"He- well…" Setsuna looked at me nervously.

"Setsuna can do as she pleases," I stated, smiling at her.

The room assignments ended as follows: Setsuna, Kasumi, Emma, and Shizuku in one room, Karin, Ai, Rina, and Kanata in another, and Ayumu, Yu and I in the last.

"Whoooo! We're here!" Yu whooped, throwing her bags down and leaping onto the bed, limbs spread. "Comfy bed!"

"Haha! Wait for me!" Ayumu joined, smashing onto Yu. I laughed and sat down on my own bed, which I would have all to myself. Sadly.

"Do you know why Setsuna didn't want to come with us? I mean, one of the other rooms can be a group of three, and she can just be with us! And you two could sleep on the same bed," Ayumu suggested.

"I guess she just… doesn't want anything too weird to happen," I replied. "But I respect that. After all, last time the two of us were alone in a room, you know…"

"Y'all naughty kids," Yu teased, taking off her shirt.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I screamed, turning away frantically.

"What? I'm changing! We're gonna hit the beach!" Yu replied, taking off her pants.

"Oh! Hold up!" Ayumu began following in her footsteps, and I quickly buried myself under the scented sheets, trying not to look.

"By the way," Ayumu asked, "Yu-chan, why don't you want to perform at the little event in a few days? I think it'll be really nice. Senpai also wants you too, right?" Ayumu patted the blob which was me wrapped in blankets.

"Yeah, Yu-chan, I wanna see you dance again," my muffled voice replied.

"Look, I know you guys are trying to make me happy or something," Yu said, chuckling. "But I'm fine! Really. There are a lot of things in life that you can't change. You just gotta accept them and move on. Whether it's love or my unrealistic dream, some things are out of our control. But thanks for the thought." I heard Yu hug Ayumu, then she came over and yanked the blanket off of me. "Come on! Get changed!" She shouted, hands on her hips, classic Yu grin on her face. She was dressed in a light green bikini, her chest partially visible, and her short hair tied up in double dango buns. I gulped.

"Hurry up!" She started trying to yank off my shirt.

"Nooo, I don't wanna take off my shirt," I protested, prying her off.

"Come on, senpai," Ayumu joined, giggling as she took over for Yu, pulling my t-shirt halfway off my body.

"Yaaaaaa!" I pushed Ayumu, but she remained attached to me, and the next thing I knew I was on top of her, my hands on her chest, hers in my shirt. She was wearing a scanty pink bikini, the majority of her skin clear as day.

"Uh…" Ayumu's face was sweating, and she was breathing hard as her eyes looked upon the position we were in.

"S-sorry, senpai!" Ayumu and I immediately struggled to get off of each other. The flustered girl straightened her hair and picked up her towel. "Well, you can keep it on if you want. L-let's go! Y-yay!" She headed out the door.

"What a playboy," Yu remarked, amused, and followed her out.

"Come on! You guys are late!" Kasumi squealed, splashing water at us as we ran down to the shore, kicking up sand between our bare feet. The expansive beach was crowded, water clear and warm, the sun shining down upon us. "This feels amazing!" She pulled me into the water.

"Oi!" I piled a huge wave on Kasumi, who screamed and put a hand on her top and bottom, as if I was assaulting her.

"Kyaaaa! Do that to Setsuna-senpai instead!"

"Well, you attacked me first!" I shot back.

"By the way, where's Setsuna?" Ayumu asked, looking around.

"She's still getting ready," Emma informed. "Making you more and more nervous, Derrick? Can't wait to see her in her bikini?!"

"S-stop!" I said, blushing, and I splashed water on her.

"Hey! You'll regret that!" Emma retaliated, but Yu and Ayumu joined in on my side, and soon we were having a war on the beach.

"S-sorry for being late." Setsuna's voice appeared behind us, and we turned to see her, dressed in a short white dress, a sunhat on her head.

Our jaws dropped at the sight, her slightly pink cheeks, her shy eyes under the shadow of her hat.

"Psst! Splash her!" Emma nudged me, but I was so dumbstruck that I couldn't act. How could anyone attack such a precious thing!?

"W-why are you staring so much?" Setsuna asked quietly, holding her arm with the other.

"What happened to the bikini you were wearing!?" Yu asked. "I bet senpai picked it out for you! But you came out here in a dress?"

"I- I couldn't do it," Setsuna replied. "I… I've never actually worn a bikini to the beach… so… yeah… I'm just going to sit under the umbrella over there… have fun!" Setsuna ran off.

"Really…" Yu rolled her eyes. "You gotta get her to come out here in her bikini before this trip is over," she said, patting me on the back. "Well, go over and keep her company! Don't worry, we'll win the war for you!" She gave me a thumbs up, and I followed after Setsuna, the sounds of girls squealing and splashing each other receding behind me.

"Hey…" I said, finding Setsuna sitting on a mat under an umbrella, watching the show.

"Hi…" she scooted over to give space for me. "You can keep playing with them if you want…"

"No, I wanna be with you, Setsuna-chan." I sat down with her and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you…" she didn't make a tsundere style comeback this time, but just smiled and leaned against me, the two of us watching our friends play upon the beach.

"I love you so much, Derrick-senpai," she whispered, kissing me on the cheek.

"I love you more than anything," I replied, kissing her back.

After a couple hours, we decided to head back in. In the hotel lobby, we were greeted by a crowd- not looking for us, though.

"Oh my gosh! It's really them! Kotomichi High School!?" I heard some passerby say. We pushed through the crowd to see a procession of girls, all wearing expensive streetwear, sneakers, and had Adidas caps on their heads.

"W-what are they doing here!?" Setsuna screamed, turning to us.

"Are those- the girls who won first place at Love Live!?" Emma asked.

"Yeah…" Yu answered, watching as a horde of fans, male and female, began hounding them for signatures and pictures.

"Why are they here!? I thought first place got to go on a world tour!" Setsuna said, angry.

These were the girls who stole her dream.

"We get a world tour AND a trip to Okinawa," the lead girl replied, appearing in front of us. She had dyed brown hair, a white adidas cap, and wore an oversized t-shirt with black leggings. "You're Setsuna, right? From the Nijigasaki Academy? Nice to meet you. I'm Kyoko. Kotomichi High School. First place at Love Live? Yeah."

I flared with anger, and I could tell the rest of us did as well.

"Yeah, I'm Setsuna," she replied. "Just so you know, you're not winning next year. We're taking first place next time."

"Hahah! For sure, for sure," Kyoko replied dismissively. "So this is your one boy?" She looked me up and down. "You need to start working out!" She laughed, patting me on the shoulder. Eating too much ramen or something with these girls? Or too much barbecue to celebrate your SECOND PLACE?"

I wanted to punch her square in the face, I really didn't care if she was a girl.

I thought about all the times I had so much fun eating with the girls. She didn't know anything! And why does she have to stick the second place in our faces? Especially for Setsuna! But no. I can't lose my temper this time.

"Haha, sure, all that stress eating from losing the competition! Haha!" I replied, trying not to beat her up.

"Well, in any case, I don't want to be rude or anything, but your little bonus round was garbage," Kyoko said. "Really? An acoustic guitar, piano, and subpar singing? What is this, the twentieth century? Like seriously, that was basically country music. That's why you guys couldn't win… you gotta adapt with the times! Just saying. You can't expect to win when all of your music styles are so old-fashioned. Just keeping to your old ways. Technically speaking, we're not much better than you guys. We just know what good music is." She flipped her hair and turned to leave.

What the hell!? Did she really just say that!? This b*tch! I'm gonna… Not only does she disrespect our beautiful, emotional music, she even called Ayumu's singing SUBPAR!? She literally has one of the best voices I've ever heard!

"Hey! Wait up!" I screamed after her. I had the perfect idea for revenge.

"Hmm? You mad bro?"

"Yeah, I am! Here's the thing- we have a day when our club can perform on the stage outside. I want to have a mini competition. We'll show you what's up!" I shouted.

"Oh? Well, we have a performance day too. It's after yours, near the end of the week. We can hold it at the end of that day. That way, the two of our groups can hold regular performances for our fans first, okay?" Kyoko replied, grinning.

"Fine. Our competition is gonna be small subgroups, too! Because you dissed Nijisaki Jonetsu! And the winner will be decided by the audience vote!" I added.

"Sure! My subunit is the best, anyway. So, we'll see you then, okay? Bye!" Kyoko winked and left with her squad, paparazzi following.

"What did you just do? You just challenged them!?" Setsuna asked.

"Yup. I couldn't stand them saying things like that. And I want to get my revenge."

"Well, I want to too…" Setsuna smiled. "We'll make them pay."

"But it's only the subgroups, so you won't get to participate…" Yu said. "I'll just step down, and you can take my place, Setsuna."

"What? No, it's fine…"

"I know you want to make that loser pay," Yu replied. "You're part of Nijisaki Jonetsu now."

"But we can have four people, right?" I asked. "That's still a small group."

"Yeah," Ayumu agreed. "All four of us. Nijisaki 'Four'ever? Get it?"

"I like it! Let's do it," Setsuna said excitedly. "We'll show 'em that good music isn't dead!"

"No, no, not Fourever, because I'm not joining," Yu said. "You can just use the recorded keyboard sound. You don't need me! I'll just be a burden."

"Stop that, Yu! You're not a burden! Why don't you just play with us?" Ayumu questioned.

"It's fine. I'll be leading the cheer squad from the audience," Yu smiled. "RIght, girls?"

"Y-Yeah!" The others agreed, getting fired up. "Let's go, Nijisaki Jonetsu!"

That night, we all went to bed with excitement in our hearts.

Ahh, a final fight to redeem ourselves.

I hope this way, I can give Setsuna the hope and happiness she needs.

Because it's the same hope and happiness that I need.

That we all need.

"Psst! Derrick...senpai?"

My eyes opened in the dark, and I turned to see Ayumu, dressed in lounge shorts and a tank top, cuddling against me, face pink in the moonlight.

"Ayumu!? W-why are you on my bed?"

"Shhhh!" She turned to look back at the peacefully sleeping Yu-chan. "I want to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"Can we… take a walk?"

"Okay." What could Ayumu be up to at this hour? We had so many fun things planned for tomorrow, as well as our battle plan for beating those hags.

Ayumu and I put on thin jackets and left the room, hitching a ride down the elevator.

"So what is it?" I asked, turning to her as she adjusted the rim of her shorts and brushed her hair.

"I can't sleep," she replied, pinching my sleeve. "I know you can't either."

"How did you know I was awake?" We entered the bright but nearly empty lobby.

"You were rolling around like crazy."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I wanna get something to drink!" Ayumu walked over to the vending machine and got two boxes of banana milk. "For you."

"Thanks!" We sat down on a couch and sipped our drinks.

"Senpai… there's just so much going on right now… just today, we got ourselves caught up in another competition…"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had to do it for us. That girl made fun of your singing! And I want Setsuna to feel victory for once. And Yu too. If only she would agree to play music again."

"Mm. But it's true, my singing isn't that good…"

"Gosh, what's with everyone having no self-confidence?!" I said in disbelief.

"But, wasn't that also you?" Ayumu asked, and I realized she was right.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"But like I said before, thanks to you, I feel a little more confident than before." Ayumu smiled, a whitish mustache on her lips. I wiped it off for her, and she blushed. "Oh. Thanks." She looked out at the dark window. "Can we walk outside?"

We strolled side by side in the shining moonlight, the sound of the waves soothing and quiet. Our feet made tracks in the sand, and Ayumu zipped up her thin jacket as a light breeze overcame us.

"And there's a lot of other things to worry about," Ayumu explained. "Not just the immediate happiness of Setsuna, Yu, you and I. But our futures too. What we're going to do when we grow up, what we're gonna be. Who we're gonna be with." Her face was worried as she held her hair down from the wind.

"Yeah, I know. I think about it all the time."

"Really?" Ayumu slowly slid her hand around mine. "I want to make some things clear before you go, because I'm afraid I won't have another chance."

"W-what is it?" My heart slowly began to beat faster.

Ayumu stopped in her tracks, and we turned to view the glistening reflection of the moon upon the shining waves.

"I'm so grateful for the past half-year or so. You know, none of this would have ever happened if we never saw you that night at Sakurauchi-sama's wedding," Ayumu began. "But… I saw you… and I thought you were related to her or something, because you were all dressed up. So I mustered up all the courage I could, and finally asked you for directions. And the rest is history."

"I remember that now… it seemed so long ago," I replied.

"I was going to ask Yu-chan to do it for me, but she said that I had to start learning how to talk to strangers more. Especially boys. 'If you don't start now, you'll never become a wife!' she said. That's when I realized I really needed to make a change if I was going to succeed in the future." Ayumu sighed. "I know… I must seem really stupid all the time, becuase I always talk about trying to talk to boys or finding a partner. Unlike Yu or Setsuna, who actually have respectable dreams, dreams of touching peoples' hearts. I know Yu denies it, but she also dreams of helping others through her music. Those two are what you call real idols. But for me… I'm just a normal girl. I know they put me as the center all the time, but I've always felt- that I didn't deserve it. After all, I'm just a lonely and desperate girl. I tried so hard to find a boy that I even made everything awkward between us three. Coming on to you at the training camp, trying to seduce you… I'm so sorry," Ayumu apologized, smiling through her pain.

"No, no! It was fine. In the end, all of that just brought us closer to each other, right?"

"I guess. But that whole thing made me so sad. It seemed like the more I tried, the more I ended up hurting myself. The further I became from my goals."

"I know what you mean," I agreed. "Whenever I like a girl, I try so hard to be nice to her, she usually ends up getting creeped out by me and runs away."

"What? Hahah! But Setsuna still likes you! We all do!" Ayumu replied, sipping the bottom of her drink. "But that's kind of what I'm trying to say. I started off as your ideal girl, right? Senpai?"

I looked at her and bit my lip.

"Y-yeah."

"I knew that, and I thought you were pretty cute too. So I guess… I wanted to see if our relationship would go anywhere. But after all the things I did… I just ended up being placed in the back of the line. You didn't want to pursue me anymore, because you didn't want things to be awkward between Yu-chan."

"Mm."

"You felt kind of sorry for leaving Yu-chan in the dust, so you started paying more attention to her, and less to me. But that's understandable, because that's what anyone would do. You have to balance out the triangle, right?" Ayumu squeezed her empty drink box into a blob.

"Yeah...then you started hitting on Takeshi."

"Yep. I was so ashamed of myself for pushing you away, I was actually devastated. I never said so, but I actually cried so much when I found out you said you wanted to go back to America. I remember during the winter, we happened to see each other at my favorite cafe? And I said goodbye to you? I spent the rest of the day crying. But when you came back, at the first competition, and screamed my name- I felt so happy. You didn't abandon me. Sure, you might have moved on to Yu-chan, but you didn't throw me away. You were always there for me, regardless of our romantic relationship. It gave me hope. Hope that I could try again. That's why, when I met Yu's brother, who was the only other boy I was comfortable with, I began to pursue him. I really tried. But in the end, he really was a jerk. Yu was right."

"But you're fine now, right? You don't need him." I also finished my drink.

"That's right, thanks to You, Setsuna, and Yu-chan, all trying to make me feel better. Screaming goodbye to Takeshi in the night sky on Setsuna's balcony... At the amusement park, I said that I wanted to take a break from boys, and that I wanted to better myself before I tried again."

"I think you're already better, Ayumu."

"Not yet," she replied. "I still have a long way to go. But I really hope that sometime, in the future, I'll meet the one who's right for me. And that's just one of the countless worries I have…"

"Don't worry, Ayumu-chan," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Ayumu… I'll always be there for you. Always. No matter how far we may be, you give me a call, I'll answer. In fact, I owe everything to you. If you hadn't mustered the courage to speak to me on that autumn night, none of this would have ever happened, I wouldn't have met you, Yu-chan, Setsuna-chan, or any of the others. If you didn't have that courage, we wouldn't be standing here tonight. Ayumu, have some faith in yourself- you're not as useless as you say you are. And I know you'll be the perfect bride one day."

"Th-thank you… so much…" Ayumu was on the verge of tears, and she pulled me into her embrace. "I'll always be there for you too… if Setsuna isn't already there, heheh…" she looked into my eyes, a sad smile on her face.

"D-don't say that…"

"You know it's true. But I think Setsuna's really the best for you. Besides, you guys have so much anime stuff to talk about! It's a perfect match!"

We hugged each other again. Ayumu's grasp was so tight, I could feel her nails in my skin.

"And I want to say one more thing." She took a deep breath. "After I gave up on Takeshi, I know I said I wasn't looking for any more boys at the moment, but- but when I-" Ayumu's voice cracked, and the tears finally fell from her face. "I don't know why, but when I saw you starting to talk with Setsuna all the time, I just- I just felt… so- so sad! So… heartbroken…" She looked up into my eyes. "It was as if there was a feeling within me, telling me… that it wasn't over. That maybe, somehow, Derrick-senpai and I could still have a chance. Maybe we could start over again. Maybe I didn't have to better myself for a few years, because there was one boy who would accept me for who I was. But just the other day… Setsuna kissed you, and- and I knew in my heart that it really was over."

She looked behind my shoulder at the solemn, pale blue sea and sky. The rays of moonlight framed her soft cheeks, her teardrops shining as her thin eyebrows were upturned in sorrow.

"So you're saying…" I started, but my voice was quickly cut off.

Because Ayumu kissed me, the most passionate kiss you had ever seen, her lips touching mine, her tongue sliding against mine, her tears mixing with mine, which I had not realized were pouring from my eyes.

After a minute, she pulled away.

"I'm saying that I love you, Derrick," Ayumu finished, smiling as a fresh wave of tears fell. "I loved you so much. Goodbye."

She wiped her eyes and ran off, back in the direction of our hotel, leaving me standing there with the taste of banana milk on my lips.