"Onii-chan, wake up already! We're burning daylight!"

That familiar morning rollcall greeted my ears as my eyes opened softly to be met by the pouting face of my little sister. Komachi was standing right above me with her hands on her hips, looking as spoiled as ever as I sat up.

"There ya go, sleepyhead. It's the last day after all. Can't have you being late now."

I rubbed my eyes as I took in her words.

Right.

The last day of the trip.

Without looking at my phone, I knew that it was still 7th of March. It was still the third and final day of our impromptu trip. However, I had a feeling that it would also be the final day of being stuck in this temporal prison.

I should be panicking. Or perhaps, meticulously planning.

But I wasn't.

Instead, what washed over me was a soothing calm as I watched Komachi wake the others up. There was no stress or sense of urgency in my mind at that very moment, as if what happened last night with Yuigahama didn't really happen at all.

Or rather, I should say, it was the fact that Yuigahama and I talked last night that I felt so calm right now.

I took a shower soon after and went to wait for the others by the ever so familiar vending machine. And just as I got there, what greeted me was the wide grin of a pink-haired girl waving her hand at me. Just like me, she had no worries on her face; in fact, she seemed even jollier than usual. Those twinkles in her eyes and her smile seemed brighter today.

"Morning!"

"Morning."

Nodding right back at her, I approached Yuigahama before she thrusted a can of MAX Coffee into my face, "And here ya go, mister. Your daily dose of coffee."

"Thanks. How many times did you buy this for me anyways?"

"Dunno. Enough that I got used to how sweet it is," shrugged Yuigahama as she took a sip, only to shudder, "Okay never mind, still hella sweet."

"Hn, you're just not used to good coffee then."

"Oh, shut it."

We both basked in the calm silence of the early morning, knowing that soon, the others would come out and fill this place with ruckus. Besides, we had a plan to execute. Or rather, I did.

Because today, as Yuigahama Yui had wished for, I would be going on a date with Yukinoshita.

Alone.

Would it actually work?

Was that really Yuigahama's wish?

Some part of me pessimistically thought that it wouldn't work. After all, why would it? Could Yuigahama's words truly be trusted? Could she just be lying to herself about what her true desires were? Did she really change?

But I pushed that side of me down.

She has been in this time loop for longer than I was. Perhaps, far longer than any of us realize. It would stand to reason that Yuigahama might've seen something that I overlooked or figured out something that I dismissed. I'd even intentionally obscured information from her that could've helped her help me figure this out sooner.

Ergo, I didn't put my trust in her from the start.

But Yuigahama said she changed. And she showed that through her new work ethics and focus onto her future. Not only that, but she saw even more considerate of Yukinoshita's relationship with me, always finding an excuse to leave us alone. At the time, I just refused to see it because of how she acted in the past, blindly believing that someone like Yuigahama would stay the same no matter what.

This time, I'll trust her. If Yukinoshita was in my place, I have no doubts that she would've done so much earlier.

Besides, even if today's plan fails, we would still have time to figure everything out.

"I hope you haven't forgotten what you're gonna do today, Hikki," Yuigahama suddenly spoke up, a fake pout plastered on her face.

"Oh please, why the hell would I forget that I have a date with Yukinoshita today?"

"Good, good, because otherwise, I would've hit you if you did forget," said Yuigahama smugly, "You got any plans?"

"Some, yeah. She and I discussed about what to do in Kyoto when this trip was still…y'know, a couple's trip."

"I see, I see. Lemme see."

"See what?"

"Your notes, your plan, your blueprint – I dunno, just lemme see."

"I didn't note it down."

A deadpan glare was sent my way.

"What?"

"You're hopeless."

"Gah, give me a break. I still remember bits and pieces about the things she wanted to do," I grumbled.

"I mean, true, but then again, it's like way better to have a concrete plan, y'know? Helps with timing and you don't have to walk around for nothing," I nodded at Yuigahama's words before she pulled out her phone and shoved it into my face, "Which is why I did this!"

It was her phone's notepad app, filled with bullet points of the various attractions and touristic things to do in Kyoto, some of which I recognized and some that I didn't.

"A note?"

"Of the stuff you two can do!" Yuigahama puffed her chest out proudly, "I'll send it over to your LINE so don't worry about that."

"Huh…when did you even find the time to do all this?"

"Last night – or well, you know what I mean," A sigh escaped Yuigahama's lips as she fiddled with her phone, presumably to send me the itinerary I saw earlier, "I just did some research then note them down in the morning."

How energetic can one person be…

"See? Without me, you would've totally given Yukinon a horrible date! So, you'd better be grateful, Hikki."

"Yeah, yeah," I scoffed while waving her utter smugness over.

One little beep later and I received today's plan, courtesy of Yuigahama. It was even more detailed than I thought; not only were there recommendations for restaurants, cafes, or activities to do, Yuigahama had also taken the time to list down the most fun things at every single place.

Honestly, it was…quite impressive.

"Yuigahama."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Hmph," huffed Yuigahama, "I'm just looking out for my two totally dense friends, y'know? What can I say? I'm just considerate like that."

"Okay, never mind, no more thank you."

"How rude!"

Yuigahama rained down the hammers of justice on my poor arm for a couple of seconds before turning away and pouting like a child. The others weren't still out yet so I was going to ask Yuigahama some things about her itinerary if not for her beating me to the punch first.

"Also, Hikki."

"Sup?"

"So, when are you like planning to whisk Yukinon away?" asked Yuigahama.

"Uhh…after the shrine visit?"

After all, the shrine visit was basically the 'centerpiece' of our trip, with everyone being so gung-ho about it and all. So why wouldn't Yukinoshita also want to have a look as well?

However, Yuigahama seemingly disagreed, shaking her head as she told me, "I think it'd be waaay better if you just take her out during the shrine visit."

"You sure? Wouldn't she want to make a wish too?"

"Oh please, I know how Yukinon thinks," Yuigahama gave a small laugh, "I mean, I'm definitely not as smart as her or you, but I can notice some stuff that you two don't, y'know."

A fair point on her part. She has a knack for that.

"And I know that she wants nothing more than to spend time with you, you big dummy," Another soft punch landed on my hand, "Don't make me spell everything out for you. Aren't you supposed to be her boyfriend?"

"It's not my fault that she's hard to decipher."

Yuigahama simply placed at my complaint, "Well, Yukinon is pretty hard to read sometimes. But trust me on this, okay? I saw the way she looked at you."

"And?"

"And let's just say that she wants you to sweep her off her feet and carry her away from the shrine. Like a princess from the movies!"

"I don't think that's gonna be approved by the shrine maidens."

"You know what I mean, jeez!"

But just like before, I was going to put my trust in Yuigahama. Since I was already doing so by going along with her wish anyways, what would be the harm in dragging my girlfriend away earlier on a solo date?

Before we could talk more, however, the others were already out and about, talking to one another excitedly about all the things they would do. We wordlessly agreed to cut our conversation short for now but before Yuigahama ran off to greet the others, she whispered to me.

"Make sure you and Yukinon have fun, okay? Otherwise, my speech the other day would've gone to waste."

"Oh, so then you actually did rehearse that heartfelt speech?"

Another hit to my arm, "If you're already giving me snark like that, then I guess I don't have to worry about you."

She gave me one last childish pout before going off and mingling with Yukinoshita and her other friends.

And before long, we were off again.

The same old sights. The same old conversation. The same old path towards the shrine.

But this time, the only difference was a renewed sense of purpose.

Yuigahama was walking up front with the others while I trailed behind the group. But she occasionally glanced back at me and she would either give nods or small smiles at me, as if telling me that she won't be going anywhere and that she won't be forgetting our goal anytime soon.

I found it…reassuring, even though I've already spent more than enough time with her.

This time, it felt like we were actually working together.

Then again, we could've been doing so much earlier if not for my doubt in her.

The climb up the shrine's stairs was as serene as ever, the leaves and cool morning air serving to give us a tranquil experience. However, I could only focus on Yukinoshita's unoccupied hand. Even as everyone was getting up to speed on what they needed to do to make a wish, I couldn't help stare at Yukinoshita.

But a pat on the back quickly snapped me out of my stupor.

It was Yuigahama, who gave me a thumbs up before quickly getting into the queue to buy the so-called wishing shrine. Everyone else had already gotten in, so it was just me and Yukinoshita left. And obviously my girlfriend was going to get in line too.

Well, if not for me grabbing her hand.

And squeezing it tightly.

Yukinoshita looked at me with a small blush, "Hikigaya-kun?"

For some reason, I gulped as I looked at her face. She was more than flustered than I'd expected.

"Say Yukinoshita…why don't we go on a…date? Just the two of us."

Despite us already being an item, I still had quite a difficult time directly asking her for those sorts of things. I had to turn away from her, lest she saw my reddening face while fully expecting Yukinoshita to tease me about not allowing her to make her wish or perhaps, about monopolizing her time.

But instead of any of that, all I saw as I took a quick glance at my girlfriend was a crimson blush readily spreading on her cheeks. Her mouth was agape as she stared silently at me, wide eyes filled with questions but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a small simple whisper.

"…really?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

She squeezed my hand more tightly.

"What brought this on?"

"I was just thinking…if we can't spend the entire three days as a couple, why not make the last one count then?" I said, squeezing her hand back, "We did want this as a couple's trip after all."

"I see…" A smile formed on Yukinoshita's face as she looked down, "Actually…I was meaning to ask you on a date too but I didn't want to bother everyone else."

"Guess you're lucky that I'm the assertive one in our relationship then."

"Oh, shush, I was just being considerate about the others," retorted Yukinoshita, "Oh…but what about Yuigahama-san and the others?"

"It's fine, I already told her and well, let's just say she was more than happy to tell everyone else of our plan. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Will they? I am sure Komachi-san will utterly berate you."

"So will Isshiki, but hey, if that's the price of spending an entire day with my girlfriend, then that's a price I'm willing to pay."

"You and your accursed silver tongue."

"Hey, I thought you like this silver tongue."

"Oh, shut it," pouted Yukinoshita.

Looking at the others, they were more than distracted with conversations amongst themselves about wishes and whatnot, leaving us ample amount of time to just leave. And I didn't hesitate in taking Yukinoshita's hand again and asking her.

"Do you want to leave now?"

She stared at the group as well, "Well, I'm sure they will be rather occupied by their wishes and if Yuigahama-san promised to inform them then…"

Turning to me, the still-blushing Yukinoshita gave me a small smile, "I don't see why we can't go on a date straight away."

I couldn't help but smile as well as we gripped each other hands and began walking out of the line. From the corners of my eyes, I spotted Yuigahama looking at us. I was sure that she would give me some sort of supportive gestures as we were leaving but instead of all that, Yuigahama merely wore a wistful smile, a tinge of longing just barely visible on her face as she stared at us before turning away.

But I didn't focus on that too much.

I had someone else to focus on after all.

Yukinoshita Yukino.

In no time flat, we were off on our date. It felt so surreal to not have to worry about time loop or wish granting. Honestly, it was as if a dark cloud just lifted itself from my mind and even though there was no guarantee that this would be the thing that breaks the time loop, it didn't hold me back from enjoying my time with Yukinoshita.

There were already places that Yukinoshita had her eyes on; some of which were also on Yuigahama's list. Cafes, traditional restaurants, Japanese sweets shop, and so much more – neither of us held back in indulging the various attractions to be enjoyed in Kyoto.

It wasn't as if we never had dates before. Hell, I already had dinner with Yukinoshita and her family multiple times and she did with my own as well. We even made sure to have at least one date a week, but there was only so much you can do in Chiba after all.

This trip was supposed to be a getaway from all that. A new experience for the two of us.

And well…it didn't go as planned. Doubly so for me, considering what transpired.

But right then and there, as I held hands with Yukinoshita and walked around the city while enjoying the cool crisp morning air, everything felt like it was right. Like pieces of a puzzle perfectly slotted into one another.

All the while I was treated to the sight of Yukinoshita giving the brightest smile that I've ever seen on her face.

Yuigahama would occasionally check in once in a while through LINE, but other than that, the two of us basically weren't bothered by her or the others at all during the entire day.

Ah right. One other beautiful thing that day.

Before we went to the local festival, Yukinoshita and I visited this kimono rental shop and she decided on a flower-patterned sky-blue yukata that she would end up wearing to the festival.

Honestly, I had to remind myself to not keep my eyes glued on her otherwise I would start bumping into other people and objects. But even then, was I at blame? Or was it this beautiful woman with her hair tied up in a neat ponytail, walking daintily alongside me as she held my hand?

Even though the festival was as loud as ever, all I could focus on was Yukinoshita. Nothing else really mattered. Honestly, if I was still stuck in the time loop after this, I probably would not mind just using it to spend more time with her. I couldn't think of a better day to live through repeatedly.

But eventually though, all good things must come to an end. The PA system announced the start of the fireworks show in a few minutes and instead of meeting up with the others, I took Yukinoshita to a secluded hill overlooking the entire festival with a perfect view of the fireworks.

She teased me. That was expected.

Though I didn't deny what I brought her up here for and simply squeezed her hand.

Yukinoshita did so in return before we stared into each other's eyes for far longer than either of us expected to.

She seemed…smaller than ever before, as I noticed how her lips seemingly stayed parted. Just slightly though. Her cheeks were dusted red, although that was a bit hard to see with the shadows. All while her eyes were half-lidded and expectant.

No words were exchanged between us but we both knew what each other wanted.

When the fireworks began, all I remembered was the softness and sweetness of tasting Yukinoshita's lips.

She was rather voracious in tasting mine as well.

I didn't know how long we were at it, but by the time we pulled away from each other with burning crimson cheeks, the fireworks had already stopped and the festivalgoers had begun to disperse.

We stayed at the hill for a little bit, hugging and basking in each other's presence before eventually going back to the inn. Curfew was still a thing after all.

The entire way there, I made sure to hold on to Yukinoshita's hand and she returned my gesture in kind.

When we eventually had to part ways into our own rooms, Yukinoshita lunged into me on her tiptoes and gave me a peck on the lips before quickly scurrying back into her room, only giving me the satisfaction of seeing her smug face before she closed the door.

It was a good thing the other guys were busy with their own stuff, because there was no way that I could have hidden my smile.

Before I retire for the night, a message was sent to me from Yuigahama, asking me how the date was.

I simply told her that it was words wouldn't be enough to describe it.

She replied with a thumbs-up sticker before telling me to sleep since we'll have a big day tomorrow.

Scoffing, I decided to comply with her advice and put my phone down.

On some levels, I suppose Yuigahama really was right.

Tomorrow would be a big day.

…

…

…

…

…

"Yo, Hikitani-kun, you up yet, bro?"

A rather unfamiliar voice was my morning wakeup call as I struggled to open my eyes. And when I did, rather than seeing my usually haughty little sister pestering me from above, I saw a rather annoying face that inexplicably filled me with a sense of relief.

I couldn't place my finger on it until later, but for now.

"Kinda…what's up?"

"Oh, it's nothing, bro," Tobe replied before gesturing to the outside, "Though I guess you're kinda late actually? Some of our peeps are already outside and the others are preparing."

"Ah, I see…"

My fingers moved absentmindedly to find my phone as Tobe kept talking.

"You really slept in, huh? Don't tell me you had that much fun with Yukinoshita-san last night?"

I scoffed, "You can say that."

"Really?! Let's gooooooo! You're the man, Hikitani-kun!" exclaimed Tobe as he excitedly patted me in the back, effectively and rudely waking me up, "Anyways, I'm gonna go tell everyone that you're up! You got time to shower, so don't worry about that!"

"Alright, sure thing, Tobe."

For some reason, I was feeling much kinder to Tobe.

Oh well.

With a huge grin, my ditzy looking classmate got up and left the room, immediately causing the atmosphere outside to be so boisterous that even I could hear his voice through the walls.

Meanwhile, my fingers glided over to my phone screen and tapped it once.

Even though I didn't need to.

But I did anyways as the sight of what was on my phone immediately caused me to take a sharp inhale.

|8th March|

|6:55 AM|

A huge sigh of relief then escaped my lips as I hunched over.

It worked.

It actually worked.

Even I found that hard to believe since the weight of this revelation hadn't truly hit me yet due to my drowsiness. But even so, with no one else in the room, I couldn't help but give a fist pump all by myself. Though I was sure that Yuigahama probably did the same when she woke up.

My shower was a brief one as I was eager to breathe in the new morning air. By the time I got out, I was actually the second to last one to do so; Isshiki was fashionably late as always. Komachi, despite the fact that I wasn't the last one, made sure to tease me and call me a sleepyhead. I merely shrugged and went on my merry way.

Yukinoshita was currently talking to Miura about something so since she was occupied with that, I decided to walk over to a familiar tuft of pink hair residing by an equally familiar vending machine.

"Good morning, Hikki," Yuigahama said, beaming as always.

"Morning."

We both said nothing as we stood next to each other, observing as the others in our group interacted. Eventually though, I had to break the ice and address the elephant in the room.

"It worked."

Those were my simple words but as I glanced over to Yuigahama, she too knew the weight of such simple words.

"It worked," she repeated, no doubt feeling proud of herself, "Not gonna lie…still feels unreal."

"Like this could all just be a dream?"

"Oh, don't jinx it!"

"Relax, relax, if this really is a dream, then I'd probably be dreaming about sleeping on my couch right now."

"True, and I'll probably be playing with Sable, huh."

Silence fell between us again as we were more than content with observing at how the others interact and at how the morning breeze, despite being as cool as always, felt different. It felt real. Felt new. Yet at the same time, the reality of the situation still hadn't sunk in yet.

It was as if what happened was merely a bad dream. Albeit, a rather long one at that.

"Yuigahama."

"What's up?"

"I think I owe you an apology."

"Eh? For what?"

"For…uh…"

Thinking the worse of you?

Assuming that you're a selfish, self-centered person?

Underestimating you in general?

"Not listening to you earlier…and thinking that you didn't change."

"Awww, you don't have to say that," Yuigahama waved away my concerns, flustered, "Like I said…I don't really blame ya for thinking like that. I was pretty…horrible. To say the least."

"Doesn't mean I can disregard the effort you put in to improve yourself."

"Oh, come on, you're making me blush here. I should've been upfront with you earlier," Yuigahama said before shrugging, "Though I actually thought I'd have to yell at you louder just to get you to listen."

I grimaced at my mental state at the time, treating Yuigahama as if she was a nuisance that was out to ruin my life.

What the hell happened to my mind back then…?

"…sorry."

"Don't be. New day, new us, yeah?"

I chuckled at her horrible joke, "Sure thing."

However, I still had one more thing to tell her.

"Yuigahama."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For figuring this out. And well, for everything."

Immediately, Yuigahama huffed, hands on her hips as she smugly replied, "Ehe, well if you insist on thanking me then I shouldn't refuse, huh? I'm totally not bragging or anything but you can praise me more, y'know. Come on, I know you wanna~"

"Okay, no more positive words to you ever again."

"How cruel! What about all the canned coffee I got you?!"

"Technically, it was only one day's worth."

Yuigahama glared at me childishly, "Oh, don't you dare you use make time-related jokes or so help me, I'll go up to that shrine and wish for you to get trapped in a time loop."

"Oh please, knowing you, you'll somehow cause it to backfire on yourself."

"Nuh uh. Because I'm smart enough to figure it out!"

"Oh, please. As if you'd be able to do that."

"I would totally be able to, you big dummy!"

"You two seem to be having fun."

A light chuckle from a third party caught both our attention as we turned towards Yukinoshita walking towards us, a small smile on her face; obviously a result of this little battle of the banters between me and Yuigahama.

"Yukinon!" exclaimed Yuigahama excitedly as she rushed over to Yukinoshita, "You finished your talks with Yumiko-chan?"

"Yes, she was just asking for my…skincare routine of all things," shrugged Yukinoshita, "It was quite an experience."

"Well, you do keep good care of your skin."

"Thank you, I try my best. I'm glad that at least someone notices it."

An unimpressed look was thrown my way. Actually, scratch that, it was two unimpressed looks.

A pair of deadpan eyes glaring a hole through my soul as I quickly stammered out a reply.

"W-What? It's not my fault that you're basically good-looking every single day," I silently praised myself at that quick save, "So really, you can't blame me if I don't notice the minute changes that you make to your face, y'know."

Honestly, Hachiman, great job.

Years of being mocked and teased by Komachi finally came around full circle.

Or so I thought.

"Men."

Yuigahama was the first to speak up, turning to Yukinoshita with a deadpan glare.

"Men."

My girlfriend went along with it without batting an eye before they both burst into laughter at my dismay!

"Why are you guys still bullying me…"

While Yukinoshita was wiping tears away from her eyes while giving me a smug smile, Yuigahama was the one to move our topic to something other than my embarrassment, luckily for me.

"Oh, by the way Yukinon," Yuigahama began asking, an innocent smile adorning her face before that devilish peach-reddish eyes shifted over to me, "I heard your date went well last night?"

Oh, for fu-

Yukinoshita coughed into her hand, merely answering with a small, "Yes. Yes, it did."

"Eeeeeh, really? And Hikki did all the planning?"

At this point, even my girlfriend now was giving me that same devilish side eye, "Surprisingly, yes. It was quite a wonder as to how he did it, but he is rather full of surprise."

"I see, I see. Yeah, you're right. Hikki can be considerate sometimes."

"Sometimes."

"And I guess you can totally expect more dates when you're back home, huh?"

Yukinoshita's eyes twinkled, "Oh, you're right. Isn't she right, Hikigaya-kun?"

In response, I simply mutter out, "Please have pity on my poor wallet."

Sweet, tingling laughter filled the air as both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama continued to enjoy my misery. Isshiki was out by now, yelling all about how no one woke her up despite being in the same room as the ever-fastidious Yukinoshita and my punctual little sister. But since everyone was now ready, we were soon on our way to a quaint little café that Komachi had picked out as our breakfast spot.

As we were leaving, I couldn't help but give a passing glance at the path that we'd usually take each morning to go to the shrine. I was half-expecting a familiar fox mask to pop up and give a goodbye but fortunately for me, the brick-laden path was empty this morning.

On the way to the cafe, Yukinoshita told me and Yuigahama something rather interesting.

"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I know Hikigaya-kun's schedule," I grimaced at how she rudely intruded upon my personal timetable, "But Yuigahama-san, will you be going to the US after this trip?"

"Hmm, not immediately. Still have to make arrangements and like figure out the details for stuff like my place to stay and what to bring and all that. Why?"

"I was thinking of inviting you two to an event that my family is hosting. Though it will be a casual affair, if you're worried about it being uptight and too formal."

"Oh!"

An event, huh?

"My sister will be performing in a charity concert next month to support the local art and music schools for children. It will be on the fifth of April," explained Yukinoshita, "Naturally, I was roped into attending it by her, but I was wondering if you two would like to join me?"

I was a bit taken aback by the news, not really expecting Haruno to the humanitarian type.

"Are the tickets limited or something?"

"Something like that," she answered, "Surprisingly, the tickets were selling out a rather fast so if you want to attend, you can just tell me and I can arrange for our seats to be booked in advance."

"Is this a ploy by Haruno to get us to work for her or something?"

Laughing slightly at my concern, Yukinoshita reassured me, "I have already talked to her regarding that and trust me, we will simply just be attending the concert. No more, no less."

"Well…" I shrugged, "If that's the case, then sure, I'll join you."

"Great," Yukinoshita beamed at me before turning to Yuigahama, "Yuigahama-san?"

"Oh! Uh…" Unexpectedly, Yuigahama was caught by surprise as she jolted from being the focus of attention, "A charity concert, huh? Sounds fun actually!"

"Great then. I'll tell my sister to-"

"But I don't think I can join though…"

I blinked a couple of times in rapid succession in disbelief at Yuigahama's raincheck at the invitation. Usually, she would be jumping at the chance to hang out with us. Yet now, she was refusing?

"Oh…"

"Yeah…" Yuigahama rubbed the back of her neck before explaining, "I'll be kinda busy on that day with my whole uni stuff so I won't be available. I'm so sorry, Yukinon. I would've loved to join."

"No, it's quite alright. We can always hang out some other time instead," reassured Yukinoshita, "Though I suppose that would be hard once you leave Japan."

"Aww, it's alright, guys. I'll try to make time to visit you guys when I'm gone!"

"So will we."

"But hey look on the bright side, you can enjoy some alone time with Hikki, eh? About time you two have a concert date together," Yuigahama lightly dug her elbow into my rib while winking at Yukinoshita, "And then y'know, coerce him to take you on more dates."

"Well, I suppose that is a plus. Still, it's a shame that you can't join us, Yuigahama-san."

"Yeah…yeah, unfortunately…but hey, let's enjoy whatever time we still have left with each other on this trip then!"

"You're right."

Yuigahama gave us a dazzlingly energetic grin, "Well, I gotta go talk with Yumiko-chan for a bit soooo."

Without another word, Yuigahama hopped and skipped over to her other friend, casually patting Miura on the back as they began to shamelessly jump into a conversation over skincare routines, even beckoning Yukinoshita to come over so they can interrogate her further.

Girls will be girls huh?

But there was one thing that caught my attention. Namely, Yuigahama herself.

For a lack of a better word, her actions felt…off.

Not in a sense that she was not herself or possessed by an otherworldly entity or something.

She simply felt off.

Her actions felt off.

As if she wasn't being genuine with herself.

Ever since the morning up till our train ride back home, her boisterous attitude and high energy brought smiles to everyone's faces yet to me, it seemed manufactured. It was as if she was merely putting up a front for the others rather than truly enjoying herself.

The way she moved, the way she talked, the way she brought others into fun, meaningless conversations – all of it felt lacking.

The first time I noticed this was when Yukinoshita extended that charity concert invitation to us. From the corners of my eyes, I spotted Yuigahama being more than eager to attend the event with me and Yukinoshita. Her eyes were positively gleaming at the prospect but not a second after, it was as if that shine was gone as she refused the invitation.

But the most damning evidence were the smiles that she gave after that.

It never quite reached her eyes.

However, it wasn't until it was time for our little group to go our separate ways that I truly began to have some semblance of understanding behind Yuigahama's actions.

Seeing as we still have a few more hours to the day, Yukinoshita proposed another little hangout – this time, just between the members of the Service Club for old time's sake. It made sense; after all, from her point of view, the three of us hadn't hung out yet despite us having already done so in one of the loops.

Obviously, I agreed.

Yuigahama, however, simply put her hands together and apologized, taking another raincheck on our little hangout, citing that she had already promised to buy groceries and prepare dinner with mom. Yukinoshita was saddened, as expected, though Yuigahama did promised her that we would hang out sooner or later.

With another hug and an emotional farewell, Yuigahama began walking away to another part of the train station that would take her home, only turning back to us in order wave goodbye, complete with her trademark smile.

But while Yukinoshita softly wished her a safe trip, I noticed something just like before.

That smile of hers never quite reached Yuigahama's eyes.

In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Her eyes were full of hurt, longing, and regret.

The hurt from all the emotions she'd bottled up from the past year.

The longing to have a relationship that could never be.

The regret of not fulfilling her own desires.

But even so, Yuigahama simply put on a brave face and trudged through life, as if none of those things bothered her at all.

All because she cherishes me. Yukinoshita. The little after-school club that had been her happy place.

Because of all that, Yuigahama pushed down those self-serving thoughts with an upbeat smile so we would have our own happily-ever-after.

Even if she won't.

And as the small silhouette of Yuigahama disappeared among the sea of bustling train station crowd, one simple thought passed through my head.

Yuigahama Yui really is a nice girl.

Some quick author notes regarding this story, if you're so curious:

1) As mentioned, this story's central 'mechanic' is inspired by a rom-com manga named 'Amagami-San Chi no Enmusubi', specifically chapters 42-49.

2) Story also inspired by a piece of music on Youtube, aptly named 'I Secretly Love You | Piano & Cello' by Seycara.

3) Always wanted to do a Yui-centric story, considering how there's a lack of it on this website.

4) This really was intended to be just two-shot story but things obviously got out of hand.

There's probably more that I have in mind regarding this story, but I forgot. Till next time.