Hello there. It's me, Inuko Yuki! ...Ah, were you expecting someone else, perhaps? Well, I'm afraid it's just me for now. I'm a first-year at Sakuragaoka Girls High School, where I am currently one of two males in attendance. The other male is Leo Katnua, my senpai. We both are currently part of a group called the Light Music Club, which consists of seven members presently. Admittedly, I wasn't very interested in joining a club about music, but one very special reason sparked a resolve to not only get myself to love music, but to surpass everyone I know in it. That reason being…

"Mugi!" shouted Leo-senpai, swatting at a cat feather that Ms. Tsumugi playfully twirled at Azusa. "Just because you guys put cat ears on her doesn't mean Azusa is an actual cat now! Quit it, already!"

"Oh, Le-Le, don't be like that!" said Yui-senpai, hugging Leo-senpai from behind and seemingly draining him of all his will to fight back. "Azu-nyan looks adorable, doesn't she?"

"Th-that's not the point…" Leo-senpai weakly replied, making no attempt to fight back against her grip. Oh, Leo-senpai, your stubborn words ring so hollow when you never follow through with your actions.

Azusa seemed no worse for wear. She blushed quite cutely the whole time as she said nothing. She did not seem to love or hate her current predicament.

"Jeez…" Azusa sighed, reaching for a stick of chocolate pocky from a cup that sat at the table's center and drowning her frustration in sweet goodness.

So far, today seems as normal as any other for our humble clubroom. I very much liked these days that consisted of sweet nothings. The uneventful felt eventful and the meaningless carried all the meaning in the world. Sure, we all dreamed big, but that was only because it was fun to dream, not because of any aspirations we truly had. Deep down, we all knew that what we already had was more than enough. Going through our daily motions and being caught up in each other's turbulence gave us all a feeling that our mere existences completed one another.

...At least, all of that was what I once thought.

As I watched Leo-senpai clumsily run around the room, keeping the cat ears out of Yui-senpai's reach, a thought had dawned on me: these two truly love each other. Not just love in the familial or sibling-like sort of way, but even in the midst of their strange charade, they held smiles on their faces that told me that the two were pieces of a puzzle that somehow connected by pure happenstance. They found some strange purpose in each other that they pursued endlessly, showing their appreciation for each other in a language only they understood.

...Of course, I never caught onto their affection until after they broke the news that they were officially dating. I simply assumed that this was their method of communication. Looking back, I suppose that is the biggest proof that I am still a child at my core. Yet as my eyes seem unable to look away from their exchange of words in a language I could not hope to understand, why does this incessant pit that formed in my stomach not go away?

"Inuko?" called a sweet, ever-familiar voice.

"Ah, yes?" I turned to face Ms. Tsumugi. "What's the matter, Ms. Tsuー"

I coughed. "I mean, Mugi-senpai…?" I sighed. I'd done it again. No matter how many times it's been repeated back to me, no matter how many times I've heard people only refer to her as that name, my tongue is simply not adjusted to the name. Mugi was a nickname that she said she wanted to go by starting in high school, seemingly to help distance herself from her father's immensely wealthy name. But I've only ever known her as Ms. Tsumugi…

"Are you feeling well?" her azure eyes squinted, like a boundless yet gentle sea. "You were staring off into space. Something on your mind?"

Even if I wanted to trouble Ms. Tsumugi with my strange thoughts, I can't. I can't make heads or tails of what's wrong right now. I believe I am supposed to be happy at this moment. I mean, I am, aren't I? In the short timespan I've known the other members of this wonderful club, I've come to consider them irreplaceable friends. I love it here. Truly. Yet, as I stare into Ms. Tsumugi's ceaseless smile, why do I feel...

...as though I am missing something?

"Perhaps I am just feeling a little under the weather." I said, feeling up my forehead. Nowhere near warm enough to deduce that I have a fever.

Ms. Tsumugi then placed her hand on top of mine, before grasping it with both of them. Her cheeks become rosy and her eyes soften. "You know, Inuko. I love having you here. I love having you here a lot…"

Her eyebrows arched upward, almost as if communicating an apology. "But I don't want you to stay if you don't want to." she lets go of my hand, which I dropped weightlessly. "I might have been pushy about wanting to spend time with youー"

"Where is this coming from, Mugi-senpai?" I raised my voice mid-sentence, before my outrage quelled like cooled water. For Ms. Tsumugi to even so much as imply that this was her fault made me feel insulted on her behalf.

"Well," Ms. Tsumugi's golden locks found themselves between her docile fingers. "Lately, you've seemed distant almost…"

"Um, it's just that…"

"Arghー!"

"And there he goes…" Azusa added, her eyes watching the scene as if it were a show she had seen a thousand times.

The sudden crash into the wall startled the both of us as Leo-senpai was on the ground, his forehead a finely beaten crimson. I'm sure he already knows this himself, but it feels as though the universe is truly out to get him. I wonder what kind of crime he committed in the past for the world to pay him back in such harsh recompense?

"Le-Le!" Yui-senpai knelt beside him, crying, as though Leo-senpai had tragically fallen in combat. He gave only a dazed hum as drool trailed down from the side of his lip, a sign that he had suffered an absolute knockout.

"Step aside, I got this." The ever reliable Azusa walked over to the pair with a medical kit that she fetched from the room's closet.

"It seems today is business as usual." Ms. Tsumugi said with a voice that had surprisingly little worry in it. Given that we have both seen Leo-senpai suffer from worse, she is right not to be concerned about him. "By the way, what were you going to say earlier?"

"Ah." my eyes turned to an inquisitive Ms. Tsumugi and then back to watching Yui-senpai as she watched Azusa apply bandages to Leo-senpai's forehead. "It's just...don't you think those two seem happy together? Even with their..."

Leo-senpai, Yui-senpai, I'm sorry...

"...dysfunction?"

Ms. Tsumugi happily clapped her hands together. "Oh, yes! Of course! All of us in this club noticed quite quickly that those two would hit it off. But they weren't quick to notice their own feelings, so we just gave them a small push towards each other."

"...Ah." as her words reached my ears, that pit in my stomach became a swirling tornado. I want to move. I want to be anywhere but where I am right now. "I see…"

"Hey, we're here!" the clubroom door clattered open. Mio-senpai, Ritsu-senpai, and Ms. Sawako all spilled into the room.

"Woah, another Trademarked Leo Accident, huh?" Ritsu-senpai said curtly, watching Azusa and Yui lay him next to the wall. "Is it just me, or has this kinda thing been happening way more often? Yui, being his girlfriend took his already terrible luck and buried it."

"Ahh, don't say that!" Yui-senpai's tears flourished anew.

That word…'girlfriend'...

Perhaps I truly am sick, because I found myself unconsciously storming out of the clubroom moments later. Any comments left by the room's occupants fell on deaf ears as the only sounds I could hear were my own screeching thoughts.

I went home and layed on my bed for several hours. Mom and dad weren't home yet, as they typically wouldn't be. Normally, I would study or do my homework around this time, but I instead found myself listening to the cicadas sing their song to the moon. The song was calming, but it also left with a latent fear. Cicadas mean that summer is just around the corner. Summer usually means change. Why does knowing this fact terrify me so much?

I looked over to my phone that hung from the edge of my nightstand. I placed it at the center, but the buzzing from text messages I had yet to respond to left it displaced.

"Perhaps I should just talk with someone…"

I opened up my phone and my eyes went agog at the number of text messages I had waiting for me. I'm going to need to apologize for that later.

Out of instinct, I dialed Leo-senpai's number. He is another man, after all. I think he would be the best fit to help extrapolate these feelings of mine.

"Hello? Inuko?" Leo-senpai's voice came through my speaker, along with the sound of...sizzling?

"Um, is now a bad time, Leo-senpai?" I sat up, pressing my pillow against my stomach.

"No, I'm not particularly busy right now." The sound of running water and a high-pitched hiss followed his statement. "What do you need?"

"Erm…!" I spat out. Even with my idea, I neglected to come up with a way to navigate this topic. "How's your head feeling? Are you all better?" I asked, hoping he could steer the conversation where it needed to go.

"It's just fine. I'm pretty sure I did more damage to the wall than it did to me."

I couldn't help but let out a giggle at Leo-senpai's remark. Ever since the day I met him, I always admired his ability to downplay his own misfortunes. He never seemed to want to bother anyone with his problems. He's selfless to a fault, but I suppose that's all the more reason that I need to remain at his side. The line between selfless and self-destructive is a thin one, and I need to ensure he never crosses it.

"Is that all you were calling me about?" he asked, the sound of something bouncing and landing onto metal echoing.

"Ah, no. I was actually calling about something else…" I said, feeling my heart begin to swell. "Senpai, how is your relationship with Yui-senpai going so far?"

An audible 'click!' went off as he hummed curiously. "It's going about how I expected it would. Fundamentally, not much has changed from how we used to be. We're just more aware of how we're feeling towards each other, I guess."

"Really, is that all? But Yui-senpai seems...how do I put it…" images of Yui-senpai constantly trying and failing to peck Leo-senpai on the cheek emerged, causing my cheeks to heat up. Yui-senpai has given me several bear hugs in the past, just as she does with everyone in the club, but with Leo-senpai, she's clearly left wanting more. "...She's more 'passionate' than before."

"Ah…" Leo-senpai sighed, I could hear the sound of scratching from the other end. "She's just excited, is all. It's only been, what, a month since we've begun dating? It'll die down over time. Probably…" he said, that 'probably' filling me with little confidence.

"I see…" I replied, my voice trailing off weakly.

Seconds passed without many words between us. Sizzling and crackling from senpai's end could only barely fill the awkward silence left between us.

"Well, thank you for your time, senpai...I'll be hanging up now."

"Ah, before you do-" the sound of something close to shearing could be heard on Leo-senpai's end.

"What were you going to ask about, regarding Mugi?"

I jumped so high that my head scraped the ceiling. Picking up my phone once more, I spoke. "How did you-"

"I told you, didn't I? You're as easy to read as a children's book."

"Right…" I sighed. The day we went on that trip and when Ms. Tsumugi and I had difficulties, he could tell immediately. Is he that perceptive, or am I just an open book? More importantly, does she know about these troubled feelings I'm having if I am? "Well, what should I do? I can't just keep ignoring her or pushing back these thoughts."

"Why don't we meet up at the park tomorrow? As your senpai, it's my duty to do all that I can to help."

"...Thank you, Leo-senpai."

With his words, I was able to rest a little more peacefully than I had at first anticipated. The sun fell and rose again, and we met at the nearby park the next day, as we said we would.

"Leo-senpai, there you are!" I ran over to him resting under a tree. Leo-senpai's skin was somewhat dark, a sign of his mixed heritage. This conveniently makes him rather easy to spot in Japanese crowds.

"Mmm…?" his brown eyes fluttered open at me as I took a seat under the tree's shade. "Oh, you're here." he said in a whisper, rubbing something from his lip onto his hoodie. "Come on, have a seat." he patted the grass in front of me.

Familiar brown hair comboed with a uniquely prominent forehead stuck out from behind the tree. Her mile wide grin was iconic to the rest of the club, for good reasons and bad. "Let's get to it!" Ritsu-senpai declared passionately.

"We're here to help you!" said a cute, mouse-like voice followed by brown hair which held distinct yellow hair clips on one of her bangs. Yui-senpai had arrived on the scene, popping out of the tree a head above Ritsu-senpai.

"We got the message last night. It's about time." said a voice that was as calming as the ringing of a shrine bell, followed by flowing black hair that spoke of the natural beauty that was Mio-senpai, appearing a head above Yui-senpai.

"How did I end up here, again?" said a voice that resembled the meowing of a rebellious cat. Feisty, but undoubtedly adorable in spite of its efforts to not be. Swinging pigtails came from the opposite side of the tree that our senpais were tottomed on. Azusa joined us too, to my surprise. Leo-senpai sat with a calm smile in the center, looking like a Romance Guru of sorts.

"We came to back you up." Mio-senpai took a seat on the grass.

Ritsu-senpai's arms did a slithering, snake-like motion as she also took her seat. "Yep, if you just relied on Leo, you'd never get anywhere." she gave him two confident pats on the back that only seemed to annoy him.

"Hey!" shouted Leo-senpai. "Don't be rude!"

"Let us help as much as we can." said Mio-senpai, taking my hand and giving it a firm shake. Strangely, I felt more at ease with that simple gesture. "We might not be men like Leo, but we're your senpais too!"

"Yup-yup!" said Ritsu-senpai and Yui-senpai in energetic synchronicity.

"I'm not your senpai…" Azusa's frown arched into a smile. "But I am your friend. Let's get to it!"

"Ah…" my eyes traced over the five people in front of me. All of them were so eager to help me with my problem. How is someone meant to repay gratitude to everyone like this? The look Leo-senpai was giving me said something along the lines of 'They're a strange bunch, yes?'

How many times has this exact thing happened to you, senpai?

"Thank you, everyone."

Yui-senpai stood tall, marching in front of Leo-senpai all while rolling up the sleeves of her pink hoodie. She gave a huff, drumming her chest once with her fist. "Guuuuts!" she roared, forcing us all to reel back.

"Yui, what are youー" Leo-senpai started.

"Guts! Guts! Gu-uts!" Yui-senpai repeated, cocking her arms with each passing word as she looked up at the sky, unblinking. Her eyes then locked to me, they were filled with a ferocity very much unlike the Yui-senpai that I know, the amber in her eyes crackling like a wildfire. It was refreshing and scary in equal parts. "Ya gotta have guts, Inuko!"

"I think he got that part, Yui." said Leo-senpai, taking Yui-senpai by the wrist and tugging at her to sit down. Doing so, she smiled as she turned to me.

"How do you want to tell her, Inuko?"

"I think that's what he's trying to figure out, Yui-senpai." said Azusa, turning to me as well. "Is that right?"

"Yes...Ms. Tsu- um, Mugi and I have a strange relationship that goes back a very long time." I said, thinking back to all the years we've known each other.

Presently, Ms. Tsumugi is sixteen while I am fifteen. We've known each other since we were about five years old. Ten years is a long time, and the nature of our relationship has morphed quite considerably since then, especially with how we ended up separating...but I suppose that matters little right now.

"I think you should just tell her, straight up." Ritsu-senpai shrugged. "If anything, being straightforward would be your best bet."

"J-Just tell her…?" I stammered.

"Yeah, you know?" Ritsu senpai clasped her hands together and puckered her lips, making kissing noises. "Be like: Oh, Mugi-senpai, be all mine, please?!" she said in a voice that I think was meant to mimic me, but it almost came off as mockery. That aside…

"I couldn't possibly do that!" my hands waved as my face became steamed, "What if she says no?!"

"Honestly, I think you should listen to Ritsu-senpai." said Azusa calmly, causing us all to gasp in surprise as we turned to her while she held a nonchalant expression. I think in all our time knowing each other, this is the first time Azusa has ever gone along with something Ritsu-senpai said. "I mean, the feeling is clearly mutual, isn't it?"

"No kidding." Ritsu-senpai crossed her arms and legs, smiling. "I swear, I hear the faint sounds of wedding bells whenever you two look at each other."

"W-wedding bells?!" I shouted, the image of seeing my longtime friend and senpai in a wedding dress being enough for me to want to shrivel up and die. "A-Anyways, could we get back on track, please?"

"Right, right." Leo-senpai waved a hand, as if to say he's been in the exact same situation. "I guess we should have you practice so you're not a nervous wreck."

"Azu-nyan, can you be his practice target?" asked Yui-senpai.

"W-Why me?! I'm not his girlfriend!" Azusa said, her face flushing as he carefully evaded Yui-senpai's legendarily tight vice grip. I wonder why she's so nervous, though. It's just practice, isn't it?

"Aw, please?" Yui-senpai clasped her hands as her face became that of a begging dog, scooching nearer to Azusa with her knees. "Inuko needs you! Plus, if you do…" Yui-senpai brought a finger to her lips, tracing them provocatively. "...I'll give you a kiss."

Azusa's pigtails perked up like feelers on a bug, her danger sensors going off as Yui-senpai approached her with kissing noises and arms that wiggled like flopping fish. "S-Stay away from me!"

A resound beat echoed as Azusa coldly slapped Yui-senpai away, her small hand leaving a giant red mark on Yui-senpai's cheek. "I'll do it, just knock it off."

Yui-senpai seemed satisfied as she took back her seat next to Leo-senpai, content that her gambit paid off. "Mmm, it stings…" she groaned as she rubbed the red mark Azusa left her.

"You kinda had that one coming…" Leo-senpai apologetically chuckled.

"I was just joking…"

Azusa took a seat right in front of me, her red-brown eyes taking up almost my entire view. They sparked with an intensity and pressure that could crush solid metals. "Remember, I'm only doing this to help you out. So even if it might seem hard…" her eyes awkwardly slanted at the grass as she paused. She looked as if she were trying to convince herself of something, but what? "...don't lose sight of your end goal, okay?" she said, her resolve-filled gaze returning to me.

"I-I understand…"

"You've got grit, Azusa!" Ritsu-senpai rose with a book in hand. The book's cover had many hearts and a silhouetted boy and girl on the cover, so I could only assume it was a book about love. How could Ritsu-senpai apparently be struggling in class when she's so prepared and mindful elsewhere? Is it a flaw with our educational system? "I'll read off your lines, you guys just be sure to play your parts."

"You better not try anything weird…" said Mio-senpai.

Ritsu-senpai gave a nonchalant nod, clearing her throat. "Now, Inuko, gently place your hands on Azusa's shoulders and bring her close to you."

Azusa closed her eyes, a nervous look about her as she entrusted herself to me. Doing as instructed, I placed my hands on her shoulders. Was Azusa always so...small? She quivered as her breathing became frazzled.

"Next?"

"Next…" Ritsu rolled up her book and pointed it at me, much like a film director. Are we going off-script? "Next you say, 'Oh, Azusa! I'm yours!' with bravado, okay? Remember, bravado!"

How could she say that with such a straight face? Azusa is so warm now, she's practically melting!

"Honestly, senpai…" Azusa said with a hushed voice, gritting her teeth as her face was flashing an unhealthy shade of red.

Sorry about this, Azusa. But it's for Mugi's sake…

"Azusa...I'm yours." I said, unmoved. For some reason, I couldn't work up the will to say it with any more heart than I just had.

The flushed look in Azusa's face warped into one of befuddlement. Azusa is far more keen eyed than our club members tend to credit her for, so perhaps she caught on? "...Oh."

I felt a sudden whack on my head as Ritsu-senpai had struck me with the book she'd curled up. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to knock me out of my odd trance.

"...May I ask what that was for?" I asked, rubbing my head.

"You're actin' weird, Inuko." Ritsu's lips arched strangely. "You're normally as bubbly and jumpy as Mugi. What's the issue now?"

"...I suppose I'm just now feeling it." I put a hand to my chest. It was warm. I was so embarrassed by all this that, for once, I understood why Leo-senpai got so flustered with Yui-senpai's advances. Yet still, I was warm, yet I was not hot. I had no drive to pursue...whatever this is.

"So you're saying that you would need Mugi-senpai to get yourself psyched up, is that right?" asked Azusa.

"...That is pretty much exactly right." I said, bewildered that Azusa had read me so easily. "I'm sorry, Azusa."

"No need to apologize, that actually makes this whole thing easier."

Azusa rose to her feet, giving a confident strut as she overlooked town. The vastness of the world didn't seem to scare her at all. "You all know where I'm going with this, don't you, senpais?"

"I don't like where this is going," said Leo-senpai.

"Oh, we throw him straight into the fire!" Ritsu-senpai snapped her finger, "I love where your head's at, Azusa! If only you could be like that more often!"

"Precisely." Azusa said curtly.

"Is that what you want, Inuko?" asked Mio-senpai, giving a worried glance.

As they all stared at me, I couldn't help but ponder my options. I've already lost Ms. Tsumugi once before, and I can't lose her again. Not to someone else, and certainly not to my own cowardice. After all the kindness she's given me, I at least owe her that much.

"I'll do it. This is my responsibility, after all."

"Whoa…!" Yui-senpai hopped onto Leo-senpai's shoulders, both of them holding proud smiles. She excitedly jostled the two about. "Inuko's being a real man!"

I spent the remainder of my day steeling my mind for the day ahead. Tomorrow would be the day I told Ms. Tsumugi everything. How I felt, and how I wanted to know how she felt about me…

Before I knew it, tomorrow was now today. The final class of the day was going to be let out at any second now. Each tick-tock of the clock on the wall made my nerves jump, each passing second being a reminder that I had no out I could run towards.

I felt a comforting tap on my shoulder. I turned to the source, my deskmate: Azusa. She was smiling, holding a folded piece of paper in her hand. She silently nodded, beckoning me to take it from her.

Unfurling the folded paper, I found that it was a note.

"Are you nervous?" was all it said, written in plain English, for some reason. Azusa's handwriting is cute, but to the point and easy to read.

I turned to her, she was still smiling. I couldn't return it, as brave as I wanted to be, I'm simply not experienced enough when it comes to love. It's like I'm walking a plank on a ship, but nobody's forcing me to walk it but myself. I shook my head at her.

Azusa silently made a spinning motion with her fingers, like clothes in a dryer. Turn the paper around? But wh-

"Pffft…!"

"GUTS!" was written on the back, written in bold, black marker. Did Yui-senpai write this for me, I wonder? But the drawing of a man with huge, flexing muscles who was quite literally on fire seemed too high quality to be something that Yui-senpai produced. Perhaps Azusa wrote this for me to clear any doubts I might have had? Well, judging from my uncontrollable fidgeting, I suppose she did her job. I feel a little lighter now.

As my laughter settled, the school bell rang clearly. Amidst the dispersing of students, I grabbed onto Azusa's sleeve and gave it a tug.

"Thanks."

Azusa got up from her seat, hoisting her school bag around her arm. "We'll be waiting in the club for the good news, okay?"

I nodded firmly. "I won't disappoint you. I promise."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. All I could see was darkness. Then I saw a spark of light, and then another, and another, and then it felt as though blood rushed through my veins at burning speeds. Ah, is this adrenaline? I've never felt this before.

I dashed out of my seat as I yanked my schoolbag from my desk, moreso out of instinct than planning. I zoomed past the various schoolgirls that stood before me and the homeroom of Ms. Tsumugi. I couldn't really tell with all the wind in my face, but they seemed shocked at how strange I was acting. Believe me, this is a new experience for me as well.

By the time I reached the home room of our club's second years, I was resting on my knees to get some very much needed breath. All of the club's second years came out of the door at once, chatting about something involving cake.

"M-Ms. Tsu- erm, Mugi-senpai…!" I called out to them. As I did so, Ms. Tsumugi seemed shocked at my ungracious appearance. Everyone else simply smiled knowingly.

"Inuko?!" she dashed towards me in slight panic, placing a hand on my shoulder. "My goodness, what could the problem be?"

"I…" I huffed, my breath and my composure knocked off balance at her simple gesture. I took my own hand and placed it on hers, as if to force myself to follow through with my intentions. "I need to talk with you...on the roof."

"Oh…" she blinked, turning to face our other senpais.

"Don't worry about us," Leo-senpai waved off her concerns. "We'll keep your seats warm."

"No need to hurry back." Yui-senpai winked, although I don't believe that did even a little in tipping Ms. Tsumugi off.

"Ritsu, you know a shortcut to the roof, right?" asked Mio-senpai.

Ritsu-senpai spun her fingers, giving a visual on where we ought to be heading. "Sure, you'll wanna take the stairwell on the western end of the school. The lock there's been busted for months."

"...Shall we get going, then?" I asked.

Heeding Ritsu-senpai's directions, we found ourselves walking up the dank, dust-filled western stairwell of the school. It's no wonder the door here was never locked, no one seems to go up it but Ritsu-senpai. As we walked up, Mugi-senpai's footsteps echoed loudly.

"So, um, what was it that you wanted to talk about, Inuko?"

We reached the top of the stairwell. The door to the roof was covered in dust, save for fingerprints all over the metal handle. I grabbed onto it, and turned. "I want to make sure that only you hear this, Mugi-senpai."

I opened the door fully, the outside air being refreshing after walking through such a drab place. I could hear the soft blow of the wind as it churned above our simple lives and small town.

"Wow…" Ms. Tsumugi took careful steps as she took in the view. From the roof, you could see a lot of what you normally couldn't. You were so high up that it felt as though you had a front-row ticket to the lives of the students that roamed the halls of the school. From the students running down in the track field, to the ones waiting for their lovers near the gate, life bustled here at Sakuragaoka. That's what I love most about this place.

"Is this your first time up here, Mugi-senpai?"

She clawed the fencing, staring down at children on their commute home with absolute intrigue. "It is…The world seems so big, yet so little from up here."

"It most certainly does." I said, standing next to her and leaning my back against the railing, watching as clouds drifted slowly by. "The fact that I was able to meet you here again still astonishes me."

Ms. Tsumugi's face became sheepish, is she blushing? "I don't wish to believe that this was mere coincidence, though."

Her face once again looked up, rejuvenated. "I think it was a sign, it was like something was telling us that...things are supposed to be this way, you know?"

"I do." I, for my part, also found myself smiling. It was so comforting to know that Ms. Tsumugi felt the same way I did.

Ms. Tsumugi stuck out her pinky. I knew immediately what it meant, but I wanted to confirm it anyway. "The promise we made in Okinawa, do you remember it?"

I locked my pinky with hers, Ms. Tsumugi always felt so small in my hands. "Of course. We said: no matter what may happen to us from now on, let's never part. Whatever struggles we may carry, we'll carry them together."

The whole time our pinkies were locked, Ms. Tsumugi bobbed them up and down, as if we were dancing or something.

"Good, you remember." She let go of my pinky, her face becoming serious all of a sudden. "Now that I know you remember, I need to ask…"

"...What have you been keeping from me, Inuko?"

"Oh." I said faintly. For some reason, I was neither shocked nor scared that she had caught on to my strange acting as of late. Was she merely pretending not to notice for my sake? She had a tempered look about her, as if she wanted to scold me, deep down. But for some reason, she didn't. "I guess I was close to breaking my promise, wasn't I…? But that's precisely the reason I brought you up here today."

"What do you mean?"

There was no point in mincing my words. I've known how I felt for a long time now, maybe as far back as when we were children. I simply didn't have the courage to acknowledge this, perhaps out of fear that I wouldn't be able to look at her the same. But I'm not scared right now, not with everyone backing me, and not with her right in front.

"I love you, Mugi-senpai."

The sound of the wind was silenced, as were the cheers and practice chants of the track team below. It was as if someone had stuffed cotton in my ears. The only thing I focused on were the movements of Ms. Tsumugi's lips, they almost seemed to quiver, as if not knowing what direction to take. But eventually, they arched into a smile.

"Is that all?" she said, almost bluntly.

"W-What?" I said, I feel as if someone punched the wind out of me. Of all the responses she could have given, this one tripped me up more than any I could have thought of.

"I mean, with the way everyone looks at us...and with the promise we made, I thought we were already something…" she explained, before suddenly becoming panicked. "Wait, but if we weren't a 'something', does that mean I was coming onto you?!"

"No, nothing like that!" I profusely waved my hands about. How is a man meant to respond to this? Am I the foolish one for not taking initiative, or is Ms. Tsumugi the foolish one for not clueing me in sooner?

...Are we both stupid?

"But...but if we were dating already, then why didn't you ever try something that couples, perhaps...I dunno...kiss me or something?"

"We hold hands, Inuko!"

"I thought that was just something people normally did!"

We both sighed, the awkward air had cleared up between us entirely, but this is quite possibly the most unromantic way I could have ever imagined this sort of scene going down. How did you fare when it came to this, Leo-senpai?

"...May I have proof?" I said, unconsciously.

"Hm?" Mugi's head tilted, her blonde locks drooping as she did so.

I wasn't satisfied by this. Mugi loves me, and apparently, I already was her boyfriend, but even still...I needed something, anything. Just, proof that what's happening right now is real, that these feelings I feel are valid. If I were to take Mugi's hands and let go, I would float away as if I were child had let go of their balloon.

"Proof...that you love me the same, I mean."

"Oh…" Ms. Tsumugi gave a warm, motherly smile as she nodded in understanding. She was utterly calm, as if she knew this day would eventually come. With how well I know her, and her penchant for preparing wildly in advance, perhaps she did see this day coming. Perhaps she also meticulously planned for me to fall in love with her.

If that's the case, well, she won her due several times over.

Ms. Tsumugi wrapped her arms around my neck, clearly struggling to maintain her tiptoe as she tried to stay at a height relatively equal to my own. I supported her back with my own arms so she could stand up easily. Ms. Tsumugi always smells good, but now, her scent is driving me up a wall for some reason. Are these those 'hormones' things that Leo-senpai sometimes rants about?

Has Ms. Tsumugi always been this...developed in her chest area? She shouldn't be this close to me. She shouldn't be this close as at all. Yet still, she's getting closer to me, her face telling me that she was absolutely enjoying the internal turmoil I was in.

"Hmph?!"

Ms. Tsumugi's soft lips pressed up against my own. I could only taste whatever it was she had eaten for lunch today. I was avoiding her the whole time until now, so I couldn't know for certain…

Yet even as I felt something was wrong, like that voice in the back of my head telling me that I shouldn't be doing this, I brought her in closer. I didn't want this wild and wonderfully new sensation to end, not yet. I'll cast any doubts I have aside if it means I get to stay with Ms. Tsumugi and see what the future holds for us.

Before I knew it, I could gauge her face again as our lips parted ways. Despite the act she was putting on, that deep shade of red told me that she was, at least internally, less bold than she acted.

"That was my first kiss…" she said, pressing her fingers up against her lips, as if savoring some kind of meal.

"I-It was mine, too…" I sheepishly scratched the back of my head. I was expecting some sort of result as we walked up those stairs, but this was far beyond what I could have imagined for the two of us.

"How was that for proof, then?"

"I-It was plenty, thank you. But, Mugi-senpai…?"

Ms. Tsumugi wrapped both her hands on one of mine. She was hot to the touch.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked.

"We can go wherever we want to." she said, guiding me by the hand.

Even if it's to the ends of the earthーwherever you may take me, I'll follow you, Ms. Tsumugi.

Afterword

Whew, this was probably the most difficult chapter I've written yet. Perspective shifts are hard, man!

You might notice some parallels in the two main relationships in this fic, it was fun comparing and contrasting the two.

The next chapter will also be Inuko and Mugi focused, with the chapters after that returning to Leo and his development with Yui and the rest of the club. Depending on how this chapter is received, I may have the perspective shift to Inuko on more occasions than this chapter and the next one.

Until next time, ciao!