NeonHorizon: Happy readers. I mean...Kirishima's liked her since chapter one. He dropped hints. And all eyes were on Shinsou. Well anyway. Here's Shirayuki's date with Shinsou. With the sports festival coming up, I'm going to have some action bits. I mean, I can't just leave out the sports festival! Despite this being slice of life, that stuff's still pretty important! And...I've got some some plans for it.

"What time are you going to be home, Ume? Do you need some spending money?" Her grandmother's voice held concern as she ran a brush through the girl's long, dark violet hair.

Shirayuki was sitting on the floor in the sitting room, patiently letting her grandmother remove the tangles from her hair so she could style it for her date. The training session with Kirishima had left it in disarray and it hurt to try to brush it herself. Kirishima-kun…Toying with the hairband around her wrist, she frowned and closed her eyes.

Although he had not outright said it, she knew what he wanted to say. It made her stomach fill with butterflies, but not in the same way as Shinsou. These butterflies were flapping their wings faster and the feeling was heavier. A guilt. A sadness. A bizarre happiness at the knowledge that someone felt that way about her. Each time she felt a sliver of happiness about him liking her, it was swiftly followed by a nearly overwhelming guilt.

How did I miss it? I thought…that I was good at reading people. But I didn't even notice how he felt. Kirishima-kun…I'm so sorry. Heat bloomed in her face, a stinging in the corners of her eyes as she remembered his smile. He had tried to say that she should not take his words seriously. That he was just thinking out loud. It was hard to ignore the pain in his eyes.

"…Grandma…am I…a bad person…?"

"What? Ume, no. You're one of the sweetest girls-"

"…I…didn't see…how someone felt…and I accidentally hurt them…" she confessed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "…what do you do…when that happens…?"

Her grandmother paused in brushing her hair and frowned. "Well, dear, I'd say that the best you can do is make amends. But if we're talking about boys, don't give them hope for something that can never be. It's going to sound cold, but just because someone likes you, it doesn't mean that you're obligated to share their feelings. If you like someone more than them, that's just how love is. It's sad, but that's how things are. Sometimes a person just doesn't love you. But that's okay, Ume. There's someone out there for everyone."

Shirayuki opened her eyes now and stared down at her hands. "…will he…be able to forgive me…?"

The old woman wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her into a warm hug. "I'm sure he will! If he's really your friend, he'll understand how you feel."

Hearing about the harsh reality of love made her chest feel tight. It hurt to think of people falling in love with someone that would never love them the same way. However, when her grandmother spoke of friendship and forgiveness, it was rather comforting.

Shirayuki wiped away her tears as he grandmother began to style her hair for her. It was curled loosely and fixed back away from her face with two thin braids. Honestly, this style was rather elegant and Shirayuki felt a bit strange with her hair this way, but she really wanted to impress Shinsou. Her grandmother had even bought her a new dress when she heard about the date.

Turning in a circle in front of the mirror in her room, Shirayuki was amazed at how she looked. The off the shoulder dress was a soft powder blue and brought out the dark sheen of her hair as well as the crimson brightness of her eyes. Pairing it with the elegant hairstyle, she briefly thought that she looked like a princess from a European fairy tale.

Then she caught sight of her wide mouth and all happiness faded. She felt shame rush to her face in a burst of warm redness and she bowed her head. I…still look like me. This mouth. Like a monster. I look like a fraud. Fresh tears brimmed in her eyes as she settled on her bed, facing the wall and hugging her dragon plush. Who am I trying to fool? Just because someone likes me, I let it get to my head. I let myself think that…I could be…normal…

She had not noticed the approaching footsteps so when a warm hand rested on her shoulder, the girl nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning her head quickly, Shirayuki's wide red eyes met a pair of calm, inquisitive indigo ones and more heat rose to her cheeks. "…Sh-Shinsou…?"

"Are you okay?" Realization seemed to hit him just then and he withdrew his hand, stepping back. Rubbing the back of his head, he frowned. "Sorry. I just barged into your room without thinking. But are you okay?"

"…I-I'm…fine…just embarrassed…" She wiped at her tears and got off of her bed, setting the dragon plush aside. "…um…s-so our date…we can leave in a few minutes…I just…need my mask…" The girl walked over to the drawer where she kept her assortment of masks and selected a white shimmery one that her grandmother had ordered online just for this occasion.

Shift P.O.V

Something's wrong. He knew her well enough by this point to know when she was hiding something from him. Sitting across from her in the restaurant, Shinsou could see that she was struggling with something. She was wearing a bracelet in place of a hairband on her wrist, but he could see her fidgeting with the ridges on it. "Shirayuki. Are you sure that you're okay? You can tell me if something's wrong."

The girl shook her head. "…it's…nothing that you can fix…I'm sorry…"

"You know, it doesn't have to be something that I can fix. I can just listen and it might make you feel better," he pointed out. She hasn't taken her mask off since we left the house and she kept her head down for the whole walk here. Is she just feeling self-conscious about her mouth?

"…I just…feel guilty…b-because today…I went to train with a friend…for the sports festival…and he said that he…that he liked me…and…I felt bad about it…but I…I really like you, Shinsou…and I just…I don't want to…want to lose my friend, but…I don't know what to do…" Her voice was softer than usual, a tremor in her words as she looked to him with watery crimson eyes.

Shinsou frowned and did the only thing he could think of to try to reassure her. He reached across the table, setting his hand on hers and feeling her fingers tremble beneath his. "Do you like him?"

"…Shinsou, I…I really like you…I like you so much…and just…just being around you…makes me so calm…and so happy…I-I don't even…know what to say…to express how I feel…" Her face went red as she lowered her gaze again.

Though her words made him feel happy, he still hated to see her looking so sad. Dinner was eaten quietly with him occasionally reaching over to hold her hand to try to reassure her again. When they left for the movie, he decided to take the initiative. Rather than let her continue to focus on her sadness, the boy needed to distract her.

In front of the movie theater, he paused and gently took her shoulder. Beneath the afternoon sun, Shinsou leaned down toward her. The girl's pale face was like the moon against the night-dark color of her hair and the way that her eyes sparkled made his heart skip a beat. His free hand lifted to her cheek and he eased his fingertips beneath her mask's edge. It was drawn down just enough for his lips to meet hers in a gentle, warm kiss that tasted of the chocolate dessert they had shared just moments before. A sweet kiss that filled his stomach with butterflies and made him want to draw her closer.

Shirayuki's hands were trembling, but she lifted her arms around his neck and kissed back. Her delicate, soft lips met his and molded against them. The girl's rapid pulse could be felt even through her dress and the pounding mirrored the boy's own heartbeat.

When he pulled away, Shinsou saw the vibrant blush that graced her cheeks, but his focus was on something else. The shy smile that pulled at her lips. The way that her eyes met his directly for a moment before timidly lowering. "Shirayuki. I hate to see you upset. So if something's bothering you, tell me, okay? I might not be able to do anything about it, but I can listen and try to make you feel better."

Shift P.O.V

Hearing these words filled her heart with such happiness that she thought she might burst. Shirayuki nodded her agreement. She was afraid that if she tried to speak, she might just end up rambling.

As they sat together in the movie theater, the girl found his arm slipping around her shoulders to pull her close against his side and her smile grew behind her mask. Shirayuki's guilt was pushed down as she slowly began to relax against his side, blushing at how warm he felt. Throughout the movie, her heart felt like it was racing, but in only the best way.

She almost wished that she could stay out with him all night. Disappointment made her chest tighten as they walked back toward their neighborhood. Every step closer to her house felt like a step away from him. He was holding her hand and they were talking about the movie they had seen, but when she laced her fingers with his, he went silent and looked down at her with a faint pinkish hue in his cheeks. "…I…wish that we didn't have to go home…" she quietly confessed.

Shinsou half-smiled and leaned down toward her. "Summer's coming up. Maybe we could take a trip somewhere. Like an overnight trip."

When they parted ways, it was with the promise to walk to school together the next morning. Shirayuki was still reluctant to part from him, however. When Shinsou kissed her this time, her arms went around his neck a bit quicker than before. She held onto him tightly, still wishing that they could continue the night.

"How was your date, Ume? Did you have fun?" Her grandmother greeted her with a smile when she entered the house.

"…it…was really fun…" Shirayuki nodded and removed her mask.

"Oh! That smile! See, I knew that Shinsou-kun was a good boy. Such a polite young man. Just remember what I warned you about, Ume. You're still young. There's no need to move too quickly in a relationship."

"…yes, Grandma…" She went to her room and changed out of her dress, putting on a pair of black pajama pants and a gray t-shirt with blue stars printed on it. Before Shirayuki could let her hair out of its braid, she heard a "tap" against her window. She looked over, but the blinds were down so she was blind to whatever made the sound. It repeated as she approached the window with caution. The girl hesitantly lifted one of the blinds to peer outside.

In the sun's dying light, she saw a figure outside that made her heart drop into her stomach. Shirayuki's hands trembled as she took a step back and tried to decide what she should do. I'm going to be a hero. I can do this, she decided.

The blinds were lifted and then the window. Before she could speak, he made his demand. "C'mon, Ume. We're going for a walk. And don't even think about saying "no" or I'll make tomorrow hell!"