Over the next few days, Rise saw him in school. But he was always withdrawn. Countless girls had approached him to ask him out but they were all turned down.

(That brown-eyed devil. Breaking hearts everywhere. ...get a grip Rise. Focus on something else. Anything.)

She found herself looking forward to Thursday evening. It was always hard to have a conversation with him in school. Yuri would either have his lunch in class with Souji and the rest, or he would eat alone on the roof. But even when he was alone, he always seemed to be deep in thought and Rise did not want to disturb him whenever he had that look on his face.

(But on Thursday evening... He'll be mine, even if it's just for a few minutes.)

Rise rushed home when the dismissal bell rang on Thursday. She put on her work clothes, her kerchief, and got to work. As 9pm began to draw nearer, Rise set aside three blocks of silken tofu and waited nervously.

Not long after that, she heard footsteps shuffling into the store and she knew it was him.

"Hey." He smiled that smile and walked over to the counter. Rise was just about to pack the tofu for him when he said: "Ah um, I won't be needing the tofu today, actually."

Rise put the bag down and looked at him curiously. Yuri's smile seemed to falter. Was he... nervous?

"Okay... Um, so... Everything okay, Yuri-kun?"

Yuri looked straight at her and hesitated for just a split second - but Rise caught his hesitation - before asking, "Do you wanna go somewhere? With me? After you've closed up the store? Just for a little while."

Rise did all she could to stop herself from grinning like a foolish teenage girl but the smile came out anyway. "Yeah. Sure. Just let me get changed, okay?"

Rise went to the back of the store to change out of her work clothes but her hair was too ruffled from the day's work so she decided to leave the kerchief on. She ran out and found Yuri waiting for her outside the store, leaning casually on the wall, with that small smile.

They walked up together to the top of the hill overlooking Inaba. They walked side-by-side in silence until they reached the top. Yuri leaned on the wooden fence and took a breath and said: "I uh... I like it when you wear your hair up."

He smiled, but it wasn't that damned polite smile Rise had become so used to. This was a new smile. A more mischievous one. She blushed when he said it and looked at the ground.

"Yuri-kun... There's something I need to say..." She looked at him. The smile was gone, replaced with a very slight frown and she knew he was listening intently.

"You've been on my mind for the past... three weeks. I can't explain why, but I just can't stop thinking about you." Her eyes stayed trained on him as she took a slow step forward. "I worry about you... And I know it's hard to believe, since we've only just met a few weeks ago, but... I have feelings for you... Yuri-kun."

She took a few more steps until they were both just inches away from each other. Rise wanted so much to just close that gap between them but she decided that she should at least wait for a response from him.

She didn't have to wait long because Yuri took her hand, slowly and hesitantly at first, but then he pulled her to him and they were locked in a close embrace; his arms around her waist, hers around his neck. Rise ran her fingers through his soft hair, like she'd wanted to, and she closed her eyes, taking in the smell of his jacket.

He whispered in her ear, sounding almost a little afraid, "K-Kujikawa-san. I love you." Yuri hugged her closer.

Rise smiled into his shoulder and shifted slightly so that her lips were directly at his ear.

"Call me Rise."

She heard him draw a sharp breath. "I love you... Rise."

She could feel his heartbeat through his shirt and jacket. It was quick, nervous.

(Who would've thought my mysterious brown-eyed devil could get so nervous?)

"I love you too, Yuri-kun."

He pushed her away very lightly but kept his hands on her waist. Yuri spotted a stray strand of deep red hair sticking out from her kerchief and he tucked it behind her ear gently. The smile was nowhere to be seen on his face. Yuri's gaze seemed so intense and Rise felt her face get hot.

"S-senpai..."

His hand rested on her cheek before moving to the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss.

Rise was ready for this moment. He felt nice against her soft lips. As soon as their lips met, it began drizzling lightly but they didn't mind. Rise's lips parted and she felt his tongue slide into her mouth. She kissed him fiercely, pushed his body closer to her, not wanting to let go.

Then it began pouring and they broke apart, gasping slightly for breath. Wearing only a shirt, Rise began shivering in the rain and Yuri quickly wrapped her in his jacket and they both ran, hand-in-hand, back to the shopping district. Taking shelter under the roof of the Marukyu store, Rise glanced at him and saw that he was staring hard at the rain, deep in thought.

She stared until Yuri felt her gaze and he looked at her, making Rise flush and she hurriedly looked away. When she finally mustered enough courage to turn back to him, the smile was back. Even when he was drenched, Yuri's good looks were still undeniable. Rise tugged at his hand and gestured towards the inside of the store. Without any words, she led Yuri up into her room above the tofu store.

"Um. You're drenched. You should get out of those clothes or you're gonna catch a cold..." she said shyly, and dug into her wardrobe for the biggest, dark-colored sweater she could find. Rise dug up a dark blue sweater that seemed large enough and tossed it to him.

Yuri caught it, unbuttoned his shirt and put it on the floor before pulling the sweater over his head. "I'll wait outside... While you get out of those wet clothes." He gave a small smile before leaving the room.

After changing, she opened the door and found Yuri standing outside her room. She asked if he would like some tea and when he nodded, she couldn't help smiling sweetly at him before running down to prepare the kettle. And in about 15 minutes, Yuri and Rise were sitting on her bedroom floor, drinking tea.

"Rise. I don't really know how to say this... I mean, I'm not good at this stuff. But... I have feelings for you too. And um. I-I'll do my best. I won't hurt you." Yuri stared at his tea after speaking.

(He really is nervous...)

"Hey... Stay the night, okay? It's late. And I don't want you walking back in the rain."

The two spent the night curled up on Rise's bed. She could hear the heavy rain pouring outside her window and every time there was a flash of lightning, Yuri would plant a soft kiss on the back of her neck, as if to reassure her that he was still there.