Fuutarou was standing alone. On top of the main student building, he simply stood, looking up at the sky in the middle of its twilight. He wondered when the sun would fully go down. He was in deep thought. To think that he would ever feel this way was foreign to him. In just the span of a year and a half, this antisocial knew it all, this bookworm, only concerned with achieving good grades and making money, was here waiting for a certain someone of his own volition. No one was forcing him to stand there, he was not against the idea of being there, he simply wanted to wait for her. This was the only way he could think of to meet her alone. Through someone else, he would give the message that he was sure could be deciphered with ease. Then, it all came down to a simple fact, either she came or she didn't. If it was the latter, then Fuutarou would simply move on, refusing to press the issue any further. He would be sad about the ordeal, but he understood better than anyone what he did to the feelings thrown at him for the longest time was far more harmful. This was a truly selfish moment for Fuutarou. Despite everything he had done to escape these feelings, now he was the one that was reaching his hand out.

...

…

On the hot spring trip where Fuutarou met the sisters' grandfather. The two families had just taken their picture together and were ready to leave.

{"Isn't love supposed to make you blind? Gahaha!"}

{Fuutarou:"...In that case, when I could tell it was ~~~~~"}

Fuutarou began to pump himself up

Fuutarou:[I did a pretty good job in finding them, hehe. Now I won't be...fooled by them.]

The steps that could be heard coming closer had reached Fuutarou, leaving one of the sisters leaning on Fuutarou.

{Fuutarou:"Like, seriously, what do you want?" [This is...this has to be…]}

Then, the two fell down due to the slippery floor…

…

…

It was an odd moment in Fuutarou's life. Deep inside, he understood what had happened, it was nothing more than an incident, but the pain that was on her face was real. He wondered why she looked like that. If it was someone who liked him, he would assume that they would at least have some semblance of happy embarrassment, they would freak out, but no, this moment was of pure silence, of nothing but regret.

Fuutarou understood why she was like that, but he had put a mask over himself. This mask, despite not showing, was what kept Fuutarou holding back, what made him constantly second guess himself, what...kept him from simply saying the answer he already knew. He already knew who it was, he already knew his feelings, he already knew what he wanted. But...he continued to take a different path, he continued to circle around the problem this entire time. He began to attribute Rena and the girl from six years ago to her, he took her leaving as a sign that he didn't deserve to get in the way, he believed he simply existed to be useful to others. With all the turns he took, he got lost. Lost in his own thoughts, lost on his own excuses. He had given up on finding the ending, he was ready to put his mind on the matter in purgatory and hope he would eventually forget about it. But this caused him to make reckless decisions. His body and mind simply couldn't handle it, but it wasn't until...He was asked to be on equal grounds with them. Her tenacity, her unwillingness to give up, that was something he couldn't help but admire.

…

Fuutarou heard a noise, causing his heart to skip. He, who tried to hide his feelings under a mask for the longest time, now couldn't even handle his environment without reacting. He had made her wait for so long, he had tried to ignore her, and this is how he felt. It was hypocritical and it was selfish. But, even if it had turned out this way, he was ready to take it head on, no matter what it took. He asked those slowly forming stars in the sky to give him one last ounce of courage. His ears were ringing with the sounds of those below, but what caught his attention was the sound of a door opening. He knew who it was, but he didn't turn around, his emotions overtook him and cause him to freeze.

Fuutarou:[How pathetic.]

He was trying to get out of the maze that was his tangled heart, he wanted to turn around to face her. The sun was about to leave Fuutarou's line of sight, but a far brighter light was right behind him. Eventually he felt a tug on his shirt. At that very moment…

*DING DONG*

"The Asahi High School Festival's closing party is now ending. This is the final scheduled program!"

The sound of the announcement vibrated throughout the roof, normally making those who would hear it wince, but Fuutarou stayed still, feeling the slight tug was the only thing his body focused on. Despite the loud announcement, he didn't even notice it. It was like there were no other sounds for miles, in this moment, Fuutarou could still clearly hear the voice of the one behind him.

...

Miku:"I found you."

…

Sunrise Festival - Finale

Miku:[Did...Did he hear me? That announcement was pretty loud.]

Fuutarou didn't move, not because of what happened outside, rather of what happened inside. The maze that he was trying to escape from suddenly turned into a straight line and he could clearly see the exit. He took one long, shaky breath and mustered up every amount of courage and turned around. Miku blushed, but she didn't step back. Fuutarou's eyes saw the sky as he was turning around, the stars in the sky suddenly multiplied, before coming to the spot where the moon was, surrounded by a plethora of stars. The sight that was missing in those first two days, those cloudy days, was now there for the world to see. But it wasn't the moon that Fuutarou wanted to see, it was who was under its light. Fuutarou looked down to see that Miku was looking up, their eyes making an unflinching stare. Fuutarou opened his mouth, there were a million things he wanted to say, but he knew he had to respond in kind.

Fuutarou:"You found my hiding place."

Miku:"You couldn't hide forever."

…

Fuutarou:"We should sit…"

Fuutarou turned to see that there was no place to sit down.

Miku:"U-Um…"

Fuutarou:"Ah, well, maybe on the floor?" [This is awkward. I did buy these, maybe I should pull them out now.]

Miku:"I wanted to ask you something."

Fuutarou:"What is it?"

Miku:"Are you…"

Fuutarou:[H-Here it comes!]

Miku:"You're not dying, are you?"

Fuutarou:"Eh? I'm sorry?"

Miku:"That message, it was in reference to the Uesugi Death Poem, who died in the spring of 1578, was it not?"

Fuutarou:"W-Well, that's not-"

Miku:"You have so much to live for, don't throw it all away!"

Fuutarou:"I'm telling you-"

Miku:"Or is it a disease!? Do you have a stomach ache? Chest pains?"

Fuutarou:"Well, yes on the chest pain-"

Miku:"Or maybe even an assassin!?"

Fuutarou:"Okay, that's enough."

Fuutarou grabbed Miku's shoulders.

Fuutarou:"I'm not dying, it was just a thing I did to look cool!"

Miku smiled.

Miku:"Thank goodness."

Fuutarou blushed, before letting go. He put his hands over his face.

Fuutarou:"This is what I get for trying to be cool! I swear I'll never make a poem again!"

Miku:"Ah! N-No, it was really cool, Fuutarou! It made my heart skip a beat and everything!"

Fuutarou:"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Miku:"Yeah, that's the point."

Silence befell upon them once again.

Miku:"I-I knew it was just using the poem, but…"

Miku blushed again.

Miku:"It was the only way to dispel this weird atmosphere."

Fuutarou:"...So that's what it was."

Miku:"I made you look uncool again."

Fuutarou looked at her, before smiling.

Fuutarou:"No, I think it was just what I needed…"

Miku smiled, before the two started laughing.

Fuutarou:"Hahaha!"

Miku:"Pupupu!"

Fuutarou:"Well, thankfully that awkward feeling is gone. Oh, they're starting up the bonfire."

Fuutarou goes towards the fence, looking to the bonfire below. He signals Miku to come over. Once she's there with him, they both look down to see the people beginning to dance.

Fuutarou:"Hm? There's Maeda. He did say something about confessing."

Fuutarou then saw another pair.

Fuutarou:"Takeda with that broadcast girl."

Miku:"That's surprising."

Fuutarou:"...Did you want to dance?"

Miku's head steamed as she went off on a monologue.

Miku:"W-Well, it is a part of our final festival, so maybe it would be good to at least experience that part. I mean, we did spend a lot of the festival working like hell, especially you, you've worked way too hard. My body is still sore all over but maybe I could do some quick dance moves, hm, hm."

Fuutarou:"Hahaha. I'll take that as a yes. Now I wonder if I should have taken some lessons..."

Miku:"I don't know the first thing about dancing either."

Fuutarou:"Well, let's learn it and we can try it out. Later, though, my legs barely work as is."

Miku:"...Yeah."

…

Miku:"Fuutarou, why me?"

Fuutarou:"Why you?"

Miku:"There were four others that you could have chosen. They were better than me in every way. They were…"

Fuutarou:"Are you disappointed in my choice?"

Miku:"N-No, I couldn't be happier, it's just...I want to know."

Miku's face couldn't get any redder. Fuutarou clapped his hands together, making Miku jump.

Fuutarou:"I get it! You want me to brag about you!"

Miku's head exploded, she put her hands over her face in a vain attempt to hide her massive embarrassment.

Miku:"T-That's too selfish, you bully."

Fuutarou went over to her and pulled her hands away from her face.

Fuutarou:"I'd say not selfish enough. What I'm doing is far more self-centered, with how much you had to wait for me."

Miku:"T-That's not-"

Fuutarou:"I tried hiding them so much. But now that I'm here, I'm going to be as honest as humanly possible!"

Miku was looking down, but she took a deep breath and accepted what Fuutarou was going to say.

Fuutarou:"On one condition. You have to do the same for me!"

Miku:"E-Ehh…"

Fuutarou:"It's only fair."

Miku:"...Okay."

Fuutarou let go of Miku and moved a little away from her.

Fuutarou:"When I first met you, my first impression was...that you were nothing but a low self-esteem idiot. That gloomy expression you wore washed over your actions. Even back then, I didn't think you were like your other sisters, but perhaps not in a well meaning way. You didn't have the career of Ichika, you didn't have the cooking prowess of Nino, you didn't have Yotsuba's stamina and you didn't have the wish to look for a future like Itsuki. You were...kind of like me. Despite how distant you were, I still found something within you. That mock test we made, I don't know if it was only by pure coincidence, or something else, but because you answered that first question currently, you were on my mind for a little bit. But...had you kept ignoring me, I would have just moved on to see if someone answered the second question. The reason that didn't happen was because of you. Do you remember that answer?"

Miku:"Sue Harukata."

Fuutarou:"You got it. Sue Harukata committed seppuku after a string of loses. Looking at it like that, I really wanted to give up when I started teaching you five. It seemed like too big of a hurdle for me. I thought that I would give up after a series of loses, and out of desperation, I tried to get you on my side. I said anything I could, and for that, I apologize."

Miku smiled.

Miku:"I thought that was the case for a while now."

Fuutarou:"I-Is that so…After that day, you began to try, perhaps for my sake, as someone who saw the worth in you. Despite your own viewpoint, you still gave it your all for the sake of another. However, it didn't always work out. You failed, over and over again. Whether it came to scores, or to cooking, or to your own self-image, you were constantly brought down again and again. Even when you were trying your absolute best, it simply wasn't enough. But, that didn't stop you. Even when you believed the world was against you, you got back up after every defeat and kept conquering the nations of doubt step by step. It's incredible. It was so much easier to give up...It's what I did at one point...But you brute forced through those obstacles. At times, it felt like I was the one following your lead. Your studies, your feelings, your dreams, your wishes, you never wavered from your goal."

Miku:"That's...not true."

Fuutarou:"Sure, there were some low points, but you never fell out of your path. All you truly needed was a simple push to keep you out of the pit of despair. Failure is the stepping stone of success and your path was made of nothing but those very stones. Had you taken one look down the narrow path you were on, you would have lost your balance, but that path you were taking was never a maze, rather a straight line. You said that anything you could do, the others could do better, and while there was a time I thought that was right, it was you who I was always rooting for. Your belief in me is what made me want to believe in the five of you, it's what made me believe your futures could be great. My flame of despair was washed away by your stream of hope."

Miku was blushing extremely hard, but Fuutarou wanted to continue. He was blushing as well, but for some reason, he didn't feel any willingness to stop. He wanted to continue, this is what he wanted to do.

Fuutarou:"All of that eventually led to your leap of faith towards your career. You had outgrown me. You were now walking your own path. My life was never a peaceful one, and you quints certainly didn't make it easier...In that long road, which I had paved with nothing but regret, something else began to show through the cracks. It was the beginning of my appreciation of my fond memories with you. The five of you began to make me feel welcome. But it was when I was with you that I felt comfortable and calm. I wanted to feel that way forever. And it was that wish that almost caused me to lose it all. I began to fear the loss of our friendship. Yes, ever since that day…"

{Miku:"You got it!"}

Fuutarou:"On that day of our trip, I became fully aware of your feelings, and the trip to Kyoto made it even more abundantly clear. Those feelings you were expressing towards me...they scared me. The moment you told me you were moving overseas was the moment I should have realized everything, but instead I ran away from those feelings. I put a lock over my heart, and it did nothing but hurt you. You always wanted me to see through your disguise...but I was the one who wanted you to find me."

Miku flinched.

Fuutarou:"Yesterday, you continued to talk to me with the same smile, the same tone. That's when I realized, finally, that I was the one who had been the biggest idiot. All of you have changed so much. In turn, the five of you changed me, into the selfish man I am today. My life may have gone on for many years before, but my story didn't start until I met you. The days we shared together, from our joy, our sadness or our anger helped develop the love I had for you five, my irreplaceable friends. Your grandfather told me about how to tell you girls apart and how the accumulation of our days together made our relationship whole. I can tell all five of you apart, but when I see you, I feel something different...something special. I was, and still am nothing but an idiot. But, at this moment, I know that my feelings have developed into…"

Fuutarou poked Miku's cheek.

Fuutarou:"Love."

Miku's face could not get into a more intense version of red. It was as if the most pure version of that color was in front of Fuutarou, and he felt it too. He put his hand over his mouth.

Fuutarou:"Those are...my feelings."

…

Miku began to cry.

Fuutarou:"A-Ah! Why are you-"

Miku:"I'm just so happy. I don't know what to do…"

Fuutarou:"I-I see, haha. T-Then, you can always tell me how you fell for me!"

Fuutarou made a scary face while getting close to Miku.

Fuutarou:"Come on, I did my part, it's your turn. Let's gossip about our relationshiiiiip!"

Miku:"I-If it was embarrassing, you can just say it!"

Miku ran from the scary Fuutarou before he stopped and grabbed his bangs.

Fuutarou:"S-Sorry, I'm still getting used to these feelings."

Miku:"...You're such a bully."

Miku developed a pout, which Fuutarou deflated with another poke to the cheek.

Miku:"P-Please don't make that a pattern."

Fuutarou:"Too bad, it's too much fun."

Miku:"You bully..."

Miku took a deep breath as she went over to the fence. She grabbed it as she looked to the bonfire. The bed of stars behind her making a backdrop to her coming to terms with her thoughts.

Fuutarou:"...Pretty."

Miku:"Huh?"

Fuutarou:"I'm just saying what I'm thinking...is that too awkward?"

Miku:"No, right now, you look like the coolest guy in the world."

Fuutarou's heart skipped a beat.

Fuutarou:"Yeah, that's awkward."

Miku gave a gentle smile.

Miku:"...You were annoying to me. To be fair, pretty much anything was annoying. I just wanted to see my sister from behind, to see them reach a level of success I could never dream of achieving. But, in a way, I realized that I was doing nothing but using them as shields. I was afraid to get hurt. You say I wasn't stuck in a maze, rather, I was stuck in my own purgatory, unable to do anything. But you, it was you, Fuutarou, that pried the walls of my heart open and carried me out, whether I liked it or not. You were my light, Fuutarou."

Fuutarou:"..."

Miku:"I hated myself, and I couldn't properly express those feelings. You said that those words you spoke of on the day where we ran around the school were fake, but I beg to differ. While your true feelings were somewhere else, there was that part of you that truly cared about us, even back then. Those words, 'Believe in what you love', they're what gave me the courage to try that first step. And just like you, I began to feel anxious when it came to my love for you. I thought that it was wrong for me to fall in love, that these feelings were not what I deserved. I had just begun to come out of my shell, and already I had this pain in my chest. I was worried that the small road I was paving would crumble if I confessed. I had some moments where my feelings got the better of me and I acted without thinking. But, slowly, I began to come to terms with those feelings. Despite thinking I was below them, when I saw my sisters falling for you, the only thing I could think of was, 'I don't want to lose', pretty pathetic, huh? So selfish of me…"

Fuutarou:"That's…"

Miku:"But that anxiety took hold of me. Back then...I began to fear for my real self. I knew I wanted to go overseas, but I was afraid of any relationship between us. I was afraid we would drift apart. But now, it doesn't matter how far apart we'll be, because our hearts will be connected. Fuutarou, you may say that you'll try acting cool, or that you'll become someone dependable. But, to me, you were already those things. I think you weren't quite aware of it yourself, but your words, your actions, your image, underneath that mask, you're the most wonderful man in the world! That man made my heart melt, that man gave me the courage to move forward, that man was the reason I found my dreams, that man was you, the man I love."

Miku opened her eyes to see Fuutarou's back. She realized what happened and got closer.

Miku:"At least look me in the eye, weren't you going to not hold back?"

Fuutarou:"Y-Yeah, just give me a minute."

Miku:"I could always keep going. Like, how you're really handsome, or how much I fantasize about going out with you! It's super embarrassing, but it's worth it if I can see Fuutarou make new faces."

Fuutarou:"Why you-"

Fuutarou turned around suddenly, which left his face extremely close to Miku's. They both realized this, but they didn't move. Suddenly, it was as if every sound disappeared. Both were looking at each other's lips, but Miku looked down.

Fuutarou:"...We've already kissed before."

Miku's eyes widened, but she wasn't too surprised.

Miku:"You could tell it was me."

Fuutarou:"Yeah, I have for a while. I tried to rationalize that it wasn't you, but the more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. I was blinded to the truth that was right in front of me."

Miku:"...I'm sorry about yesterday. You said that I wouldn't lie like that, yet that's exactly what I did."

Fuutarou:"You mentioned letting your emotions take you over, that was one of those moments, wasn't it?"

Miku grabbed her arm.

Fuutarou:"It's alright, I won't get mad."

Miku:"I know you won't, but I'm still so ashamed."

Miku began to think back to that day. The day that they left their grandfather's onsen.

…

…

Miku was ecstatic. Just a few moments ago, Fuutarou was able to see through her seemingly perfect disguise. She thought he had not only gotten closer to finding them all, but she thought she had gotten one step closer to Fuutarou's heart. Her love was at an all time high. After they took their last picture and the five Itsukis were walking away, Miku turned back to see Fuutarou, pondering to himself. She kept occasionally turning back until Fuutarou was barely blocked by the mountain.

{Ichika:"What's up, Miku?"}

{Miku:"...I forgot something, I'll be right back."}

…

Miku:[I was naive. I was stupid. I was just a girl in love who had her head in the clouds. After getting it right, I assumed that it wouldn't be a problem anymore. I heard him say that our disguises wouldn't work anymore, which simply made me happier. I went over to him, who was alone under that bell, and showed off. I expected him to immediately see through me and ask me if I was testing him for fun. At points, my mind went to other places, I was truly blinded. But, much like any hard problem on a test, just because you understand what you should do, it doesn't mean you'll get it right all the time. When he asked what I was doing, I leaned closer, I thought maybe he was tired and his eyes weren't in the best shape. But then…

We slipped.]

*DING DONG*

Miku:[Had this been in a different setting, I would have passed out from the thought of how his lips felt, but all I felt was heartbreak. Not only did he not figure out who I was, I had taken his kiss. I didn't know what to do, so I ran.]

…

{Raiha:"Hey!"}

Miku ran past Raiha, leaving her confused as to why she seemed sad. Once she came back with the group, Ichika approached her. She asked what had happened, and Raiha let her know. This caused Ichika's curiosity to flare up.

…

Miku:[It was my fault. I was pathetic. That moment gave me a fear of disguises. What would happen if Fuutarou ever found me again? Would he hate me? What would I do? I wanted to start over. I decided to step back and tried giving him bread. Simply as a way to apologize for what I had done. But, even if he accepted me, there was nothing I could do about my shame. What Ichika did simply hit the point home, us being this similar caused this. She, like me, began to hate those disguises, and she eventually left. Perhaps, at first, I chose to go overseas as a way to run away. Even though Fuutarou humored me in Kyoto, I ran when I confessed. I felt a pit on my stomach, believing that he would reject me, and even if he said yes, I would have felt unworthy. I wanted to get there out of my own volition, without disguises and without my sisters dropping everything for my sake. I only took up the mantle one more time as a way to thank Yotsuba for everything she did. I believed that, since I was leaving, I should at least help her, who was clearly doing everything for me, even at the cost of her own feelings. But, that was just me running away, even then. I truly am pathetic…]

…

…

Fuutarou:"So that was it."

Miku:"I'm sorry I did that. I...I wanted to forget my shame. I wish I could just reset those moments."

Fuutarou:"Then let's do it."

Miku:"Huh?"

Fuutarou:"Let's start over. A false kiss and an interrupted kiss. That's what we've had so far. At this point, I'm pretty frustrated. So, let's do this one right. After all, the third time's the charm."

Miku:"Fuutarou!"

The tension once again filled the air, and Miku leaned on Fuutarou, causing them both to fall down.

Fuutarou:"Ow, did you let your emotions take over again?"

Miku:"No, that one...was on purpose."

Fuutarou:"Honestly…"

Fuutarou looked to see Miku with a bed of stars acting as a backdrop. His eyes focused on Miku once again.

Miku:"Do you not like it?"

Fuutarou:"I'm fine like this. What, did you want me to push you down?"

Miku jolted.

Miku:"F-Fuutarou pushing me down!?"

Miku's mind immediately went daydreaming about Fuutarou pushing her down. The air around her filled with hearts as Miku imagined all sorts of things.

Fuutarou:"Um…"

Miku:"Ah!"

Miku snapped back into reality.

Fuutarou:"Where you actually imagining that?"

Miku:"Y-Yeah."

Fuutarou:"Haha, I'm a little curious on what you think I would do."

Miku:"W-Well…"

Miku came closer and whispered what she was thinking of to Fuutarou's ear. His face slowly but surely getting more confused as she explained in detail what she was thinking about.

Fuutarou:"Eh...Eh? Ehhhh?"

After a full minute of explaining, Miku finally moved, her face now looking like the core of the earth. Fuutarou, also both embarrassed and a little shocked by what he heard, tried making a sentence.

Fuutarou:"W-Wow, okay. W-Well, I don't know about that last part. I mean, you really wanted to-"

Miku put her hands over his mouth.

Miku:"Don't say it out loud!"

Fuutarou took off Miku's hands.

Fuutarou:"Right...But, in terms of the more...tamer ones, you don't have to imagine anymore."

Miku:"Fuutarou."

Fuutarou:"Whether it's that, your graduation and your career, we'll make those a reality."

Miku:"...Yeah, let's do it together."

Fuutarou smiled and he took one final deep breath. Miku leaned down once again. This time, Fuutarou was ready for it. Their faces were as close as they could get, in one final motion, both Miku and Fuutarou leaned forward just a little bit more…

…

There was nothing else. It felt like the roof was gone, leaving them floating. The sky was gone, with no stars and no moon. The sounds underneath were nowhere to be heard. All that mattered to the two of them at that moment, were the feel of their lips.

…

They stayed like that for a while.

…

In time, the two eventually let go of each other. Neither knew what to say. It was as if their voices never existed. They tried opening their mouths but nothing was coming out, only simple sounds attempting to form words. Miku looked into Fuutarou's eyes again and dug into his shirt in complete embarrassment. Fuutarou didn't know what to say either. This wasn't his first kiss, not including the accident, he had been kissed 3 times within the last 24 hours, even if they were only on the cheek and chin, but this was nothing like anything he had felt before. Only one thing could crawl out of Fuutarou's mouth.

Fuutarou:"That felt nice."

Miku:"Fuuuuutarou."

Fuutarou:"Gah! Did I say that out loud?"

Miku:"You shouldn't say those things out without thinking…"

Fuutarou:"You don't think it felt nice?"

Miku put her hand over her mouth and whispered her response.

Miku:"Of course it did…"

Fuutarou:"Heh. Definitely felt warmer than the first one."

Miku:"P-Please stop~"

Miku got off of him.

Fuutarou:"Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing."

Miku:"Jerktarou."

Fuutarou:"Oh come on, that doesn't require a nickname."

Miku:"Jerktarou!"

Miku's pout was at maximum.

Fuutarou:"Eh..."

Miku lent a hand to Fuutarou to help him up.

Miku:"Let's get up already."

Fuutarou:"Yeah."

As he grabbed her hand, they were both thinking the same thing.

[We'll support each other.]

Once up, Fuutarou went to his backpack and grabbed something inside.

Fuutarou:"Good that they're still cold."

He took out a matcha soda can and a water bottle.

Fuutarou:"Let's watch the dance."

Miku:"You got it. Ah! I just remembered. I did see some chairs outside. We can use those."

Fuutarou:"Good idea."

Miku and Fuutarou grabbed one chair each. Miku grabbed the drink and they both went over to the edge of the roof, sitting next to each other. Miku looked to Fuutarou's shoulder with a blush. Trying to not make any noise, she tried to lean on him. Fuutarou could see it all, but he decided to stay quiet. However, something was getting in the way, causing Miku to separate. It was her headphones. She grabbed them while talking to Fuutarou.

Miku:"Fuutarou, do my disguises no longer fool you?"

Fuutarou:"Nope. In fact, I totally saw through your Rena outfit earlier but I played along."

Miku:"E-Ehhh...And you didn't say anything? W-Well, if that's the case…"

Miku took off her headphones. She looked at them for a bit before taking a deep breath. She smiled and threw them up in the air.

Miku:"I don't need to hide behind them anymore."

Fuutarou tracked the pair of headphones in awe as they soared through the air.

Fuutarou:"M-Miku…"

Miku smiled.

Fuutarou:"Don't you still use those to listen to musi-"

*Crash*

Fuutarou looked at the now broken set of headphones before turning to the stone faced girl next to him. Very slowly, her arms put themselves in position to catch her head as she wanted to die of embarrassment. Fuutarou could only see a little of her face through her fingers, but he could see something resembling a fire below with how red she was.

Miku:"Please forget you saw that."

Fuutarou couldn't hold it in and simply laughed. With shaky hands, Miku opened her can and tried to drink her problems away. Fuutarou saw this and began to wonder.

Fuutarou:"I was going to say I've never tasted matcha, but perhaps I already tasted it a couple minutes ago. Did you drink matcha at all today?"

Miku:"No, I haven't...Wait, w-what are you implying?"

Fuutarou:"Just wondering about your taste."

Miku:"F-Fuutarou…"

Fuutarou:"But, if it wasn't that..."

He then stared at her can

Miku:"Y-You want a sip? Although I already drank from it…"

Fuutarou:"I could get a sip, or I could get it another way."

Without Miku noticing, Fuutarou got close to her face. Miku suddenly felt something on her lips. She wasn't able to make any noise before Fuutarou separated himself from her lips. Almost dropping her drink, she made many sudden movements, unable to hide her shame.

Fuutarou:"Hm, you're right, it does taste different."

Miku:"J-Jerktarou…"

Fuutarou:"Haha. I just realized I didn't initiate any of them. Not a bad feeling to be the first one."

Miku then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him towards her as she leaned up against him.

Miku:"This is your apology."

Fuutarou:"You got it."

The two continued to watch the fire. In the silence, the two developed a smile.

Fuutarou:[This feeling, despite how nervous I am, I don't want it to end.]

Miku:[I can't stop smiling. I'm so happy.]

Despite the number of students dancing next to the fire, on top of the building, on the roof, the hearts of the two sitting close to each other were dancing far more than anyone else.

End of Chapter 95