"Let me see…" The third year fiddled with the focusing knob of his telescope, miraculously still in one piece after the journey it took from his house to the school's rooftop. "Ah! Okay, it should be all set now!"

"Really? That's great Izumi-san!"

"Now all we need to do is find Jupit-"

The dark purple-haired boy paused mid-sentence as an ashen billow of clouds obstructed the night sky above. Not even the north star or Moon could be spotted anymore.

Bad luck strikes again.

Izumi let out a defeated laugh, sitting down on the floor as he poured out some green tea from his thermos.

"Should've known something like this was bound to happen, haha..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure those clouds will clear up soon." Shikimori took a seat beside her boyfriend, grabbing the thermos just before he overfilled his cup. "Just being here with you is already nice enough..."

Izumi took a sip of his tea and smiled. "I feel the same."

It was rather silent after that between the two lovers. Some may find the lack of words a bit uncomfortable, but neither felt that way. Maybe just the feeling of each other's presence was all the reassurance they needed sometimes.

Izumi put his hand onto Shikimori's, gently locking his fingers with hers. "It's been almost three years since we met… since we started dating."

"Three years… heh. I didn't understand what people meant when they said time flies but, it's really hitting these days."

"I know. Before… I was living the same day over and over again, facing misfortune at every path I walked. I hardly valued time back then." Izumi got closer to Shikimori, causing her green-blue eyes to instinctively widen. "But then I met you, and now… I'm always valuing time."

"Izumi-san…"

"You know, in the three years we've dated, Jupiter has only traveled a fourth of its way around the Sun?" The dark purple-haired boy stood up from the rooftop's ground, pulling his girlfriend up by just her hand elegantly.

"Just imagine where we'll both be together when it completes its journey."

Direct hit.

"E-eh, Shikimori-san? Are you okay? Your face is all red! Did I pull you up too hard? We should head back if you'r-"

The pink-haired girl squished her boyfriend's cheeks to shush his panicking, an adorable expression showing on his face.

"Haha I'm okay, Izumi-san. More than okay actually. If anything, I uh…" Shikimori spoke in a confident whisper, letting go of Izumi's soft cheeks. "kinda liked how bold you were just now."

"I-is that so?" Izumi blushed himself as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way…"

"Hah, yeah…"

The doting lovebirds looked everywhere but each other's eyes for a few seconds, causing Izumi to look up and notice the change of scenery.

"Woah, the sky cleared up after all! Let's see… there's the North Star… the Big Dipper is over there… oh and I think that's Orion!"

"Look at you being so smart." Shikimori stepped closer to her knowledgeable boyfriend. "But we didn't bring this bulky telescope just to look at the stars."

"Oh… right, Jupiter!" Izumi said excitedly before he remembered the context of that word in his bold expression of love to his soulmate, embarrassment hitting him instantly.

"It's only reached a fourth of its journey around the Sun since we've been together, right?" She said with a hint of smugness in her voice as she hugged the taller boy from behind.

"Mhm." He let the warm embrace of his girlfriend settle in, cherishing how special this moment felt in the grand scheme of things. How special he felt to be with her out of all the possibilities in the universe.

The universe…

Pointing the lens at just the right spot, he peaked through the eyepiece while she rested her head on his back. Between the stars that littered the night sky, and among a universe that knew no end, the dark purple-haired boy finally found the object that brought him and his soulmate together for the night.

"I found it..." Izumi finally said.

Shikimori simply hugged on tighter. "Let's keep track of its journey from now on."

"Together."