I followed her hesitantly, not sure if I had made the best choice. The few seconds of silence that occupied our trip down the hall to Honoka's room made the air between us feel thick, something I wasn't used to when I was around her. Her room wasn't all that different from the last time I was here, but there were a few new trinkets here and there including pictures of Muse ranging from our first days as 9 to our last live show together. This didn't come as a surprise to me, yet it did bring a warm feeling to my chest.

"Honoka, where did you get these? I mean, you couldn't have taken them yourself since you're in the majority of these shots whether it be in the background or foreground." I cocked my head to the side in curiosity.

Her blue eyes shone vigorously, "Oh, those! I actually had someone take them for me so I could make a scrapbook for every Muse member. Those are still in the works so," She put a finger to her lips, "don't tell anyone, 'kay?"

I laughed and acted as if I was zipping my lips and threw out the key. Despite it being short, the conversation really eased the tension that had settled in the room. "I won't, I promise." Honoka giggled and mimicked my childish display. "Hey, Honoka," I wanted to say something before silence took over once again.

"Hmm?" She cocked her head to the side, curiously.

I looked to the side, I didn't want to bring her down since she was always shining, but this was a question I couldn't avoid. "When you graduate… are, are we still going to be this close? I just-"

"Of course we will! I mean, yeah, we don't see Eli, Nozomi, or Nico much, but that doesn't mean we're not close."

"I know that, but I just don't want us to all drift apart. I don't know if I could handle losing anymore of my friends. To me, you're like family and I'm not ready for that to break." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I blinked them back, it wasn't like me to cry. I was the stoic one of the group, the one who didn't let others in on her emotions. Or, at least I was supposed to be.

Without warning, Honoka hugged me. "Don't worry, your family's not going anywhere. I'm not letting it fall apart because I don't want to see anyone hurt. Especially not you, Maki." She wiped a tear off my cheek and looked me straight in the eye. "Trust me, it's going to be okay."

"Even with you saying that, I'm still worried." I picked up one of the photo albums Honoka mentioned earlier. "I wanted us to stay like we were in these pictures; always smiling and laughing like we didn't have a care in the world." I began thumbing through the photos and the last one was different. Rather than having most of Muse in it, there were only two people, Honoka and I. We were sitting in the music room going over a recent piece I had composed, I remembered this moment well, it was the first time I had really been alone with Honoka and in that span of about an hour, I felt like I learned so much about the older girl.

Honoka looked at the binder endearingly. "That one's yours, you know. It's the only one with that picture, I just remembered that day so vividly and I thought maybe you did too."

"Yeah, I remember it fondly. I think that's when we really became friends, don't you?" Honoka nodded her response and something about the way her sapphire eyes sparkled caused my stomach to churn. Her face wasn't far from mine and the proximity made it nearly impossible for me not to notice the fairness of her skin, her supple lips, and the tinge of pink in her cheeks. The proximity made it nearly impossible to breathe. "Honoka," my voice was barely audible, "we're always going to be close, I know it." And in my head, close was something I wanted, I needed. It didn't just apply to our friendship, I wanted more than that, but it was also literal. I wanted to be physically close to this girl, I needed someone bright in my life and Honoka was, by far, the best fit for me. Somehow, without noticing it, I had fallen in love with this girl and there was no turning back.

The ginger smiled at me again sending sparks down my spine. "Hmm, but how close? Sometimes I feel like you're pushing me away and then the next second you're reeling me back in. You shouldn't lead someone on like that, Maki." She sighed. "I want to be closer to you, but only if you'll let me."

"Then be closer, I don't mind it." I spoke before I had thought out what I was going to say and I desperately wanted to take it back. I knew my face had become a bright red, the embarrassment made it hard to look Honoka in the eyes.

I found myself in the arms of the older girl once again, her grip tighter this time. "Like I said, I'm here for you, I always will be." Honoka paused. "I'll always be here for you, Maki, because I love you."

Looking at Honoka, I could see her face was red enough to put a tomato to shame, but I probably wasn't any better off. "W-what are you talking about?" I knew fully well what she was trying to say, but it took a minute to process. "You couldn't love me, what about Umi?"

"Umi? Why bring her up?"

"I thought you liked her…" I trailed off, I had been under the impression that there was something going on between the two third years, but I was never sure.

She took my hand in hers and focused her eyes on me. "I promise you, I don't. Maki, I've only ever loved you."

"Really?" The words were more of a question for myself than for the girl in front of me.

"Really." Honoka's serious expression softened. "I love you," She said it for a third time, "so, will you go out with me?" Her blue eyes glittered with anticipation.

The way she spoke practically took my breath away. As I struggled to find the words, I gradually realized how genuine my feelings for her were. "Yes." I knew my words were no more than a whisper, but I also knew that Honoka had heard them by the way her face lit up. "Honoka, I love you too."

Her lips were only a centimeter away. "Good." And then they met mine.