Fifteenth
"Miyuki."
Shizuma stands outside Miyuki's room. For the past few days, the former Miator president has not been seen in class. The irony of standing outside Miyuki's locked door for a change, doesn't escape the former Etoile.
"Just go, Shizuma."
Judging by the quality of the sound, Shizuma guesses, accurately, that Miyuki is sitting on the floor, on the door's other side. The silver-haired woman sighs and seats herself by the door.
"I never thought that we'd ever swap places…especially this close to graduation."
"It hardly matters now whether I graduate or not. My future is…assured." All of Miyuki's resentment comes out in the way she says the last word.
Shizuma sighs again. Long moments of silence pass. Then finally, Miyuki's quiet voice carries through the door.
"Shizuma?"
"Hmmm?"
A short pause follows.
"Will you…will you write and tell me what it's like? Life in university, I mean?" From the other side of the door comes the sound of deep, painful sobs.
"Oh, Miyuki…" Shizuma listens in pain as her roommate, her only friend in the world, weeps alone. This time, she can't bring herself to calling Miyuki a crybaby. Instead, she makes comforting noises through the door—fervently hoping that Tamao's plan works.
A few more days pass, Miyuki is attending her classes again. The pain she has seen in Tamao's eyes when Tamao had seen her sorry condition had given her strength enough to rally. The younger girl was going through tremendous grief as well. Miyuki had no intention of adding to her burden the sight of her own lover's self-pity. But the sheer effort of pretending that nothing was amiss had been totally exhausting.
The first night after attending classes, Miyuki had collapsed into bed, into Tamao's comforting arms. She had looked up into the younger girl's gray eyes – those eyes that had only looked at her with respect, admiration and love. She had reached out and stroked the younger girl's cheek, and in a voice brimming with pain, she softly asked.
"Will you…forgive me, Tamao-chan?"
Tamao had smiled at her ever so gently, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Whatever for, Miyuki-sama?"
"…for…falling in love with you. For letting you fall in love with me. I had no right, being promised to another." Miyuki had begun to cry then.
Tamao had held her close then, had stroke her hair, and had kissed her eyes.
"Miyuki-sama, I'd do it all over again if I had to."
They had held each other that way until dawn.