Ritualistically, I make way up to the roof, ready for my break-time study. But as I go to push open the door, I hear a faint, weakly withheld set of sniffling and whimpers. I peer through the slant at the door to see Sayaka leaning over the railings, forlorn, her shoulders jerking with every sob. Very quietly, I open the door and close it behind me and walk over to her.

"Y-yo, Sayaka" I greet softly, hoping not to take her too much by surprise. She doesn't respond at all and I step a little closer to her. She must of heard me, we're the only ones up here.

Eventually, I come to stand beside her and her crying is a little less restrained now. I see tear drops fall onto the rails and I feel a tugging on my heart strings. I can already tell what she's thinking.

"L-look, Sayaka. Don't get yourself worked up about it. It's just a dance...".

"Nobody wants to go with me" she whispers hoarsely. "Do you have any idea how much that hurts?".

I can't say. I've never even danced and never really much cared for it, until now.

"Well-".

She sighs disdainfully " Of course you wouldn't. You're a guy. You probably don't even care".

I frown at the remark, inwardly hoping she wasn't picking up on the teacher's Misandry.

"What about your friends? Can't you still just go with us and have a good time? Madoka's not even remotely interested in finding a guy. She just wants to spend time with you and Hitomi".

"Mmm".

"Besides, wouldn't you rather have fun and tag along for even a laugh, rather than giving a damn about some guy you probably never taken a second glance at, just for the sake of conventions?".

"I guess I'm just a romantic" she admits, bashfully.

I snicker. "Wanting a prince charming to just whisk you off your feet and into a land whimsy?".

"Shud-dup" the bluenette pouts.

"Ooo, I'm the majestic Sayaka-chan, the Mitakihara maiden, waiting to be rescuoood from my life of middle-class misery. Woe is me!" I mock, prancing about flamboyantly.

"You're not funny".

"I don't get it. Are you just expecting that one night to be THE night everything falls into place for you and all your worries wash away?".

"No".

"So what's the use of crying over it?".

She turns around and leans against the railing, wiping her eyes "I just wish I could have that experience that everyone talks about, parades about: that there's this one person that makes them feel on top of the world. Together with them, they feel confident, strong, capable of doing anything. An overwhelming desire to be with that person forever and to sacrifice so much so that that one person can be happy. That that person's happiness means the world to them and they'd do what it took so that they'd feel that way as much as possible".

That's what I want. But, more so, I want her to have a sense of independence: that she feels maybe she doesn't need to have someone to be a great person. Someone who's smart, talented, loyal, kind, an inspiration. Someone who believes in themselves and that they can make changes if they act upon it, not just sitting around and waiting for it to happen. But, then again, I want her to be dependent on me: to make her smile, bring her joy, comfort her when she's sad, make her laugh, to embrace her, stroke her hair and tell her everything's alright. I wanna encourage her to follow through with her intentions and follow what she believes is right. I want her to be her own person, not a slave to the desire of other people's impressions of what's right and wrong.

She looks to me for a moment, as the wind blows her strands of her bright blue hair and shakes her head. "Why am I telling you this?".

"Because you trust me?" I propose.

Her eyes find mine again, and she smiles and nods.

"Thanks for listening to me, Kyoutarou-san. I know I'm a handful sometimes".

"Nothing wrong with having dreams. That's what this place is really all about: discovering who you are and creating your own mission in life, ambition, to succeed and achieve your ultimate dreams. Making yourself and the people you love happy in your accomplishments and inciting and persuading others to follow in your footsteps to wake to their own calling in life".

She's clearly taken aback. Even I am. I talk sometimes, without a clue, and just hoping whatever comes out is insightful or intelligent.

She cocks a brow at me, smiling coyly, with a hint of teasing "I think you're even more soppy than I am".

I grumble quietly and she chuckles. That bubbly sound hypnotizes me.

"So, Mr. sentimental, what's your dream?". She takes a step or more up to me, hands behind her back, bowing slightly, with those eyes staring alluringly into mine.

"N-Nothing!".

"Oooh, come now. You must have some idea, swimming in that egg-head brain of yours".

"I'm not an egghead!" I bite, spinning round with folded arms. She giggles and steps round, trying to catch my gaze again.

"Tell Sayaka-chan, she won't tell... that many people" she slyly pleas.

"I said no".

"Right, drastic measures".

Wha-?

"Drastic mea-?"

She pounces on me and attempts to wrestle me to the floor. There's an intoxicating smell of lemon and pine coming from her, probably a perfume or deodorant. I grunt, trying to shift her off me. I fear, she may shift my binder again.

"S-Stop, please!".

"No, I'm the interrogator and you shan't be released until you tell me what I want to kn-".

"I WANNA GO TO THE DANCE WITH YOU!" I confess and her eyes widen upon hearing.

The smile fades away and she lets me go. I get to my face, red faced, and brush myself off.

"Y-you do? After everything you said, I thought you didn't care at all about it" she murmurs, disbelieving what I'm saying.

"I do... I do care, about...m-making you happy".

The atmosphere is tense as hell and she seems to have frozen up, like a deer caught in headlights. I've talked too much. I may as well just throw the cards on the table now.

"I like you. I-I've liked you for a long time, Sayaka. I just kept my distance, 'cus I knew you liked Kyousuke and even afterwards thought maybe I wasn't your type. I'm no musician, I'm not some sophisticated intellectual... I'm some rough-edged, eggheaded doofus at most but, I wanted to be someone you can seek comfort, trust and happiness in".

Both of us were a burning crimson now. I gulp and scratch my arm in nervousness.

"You like me?" asks Sayaka, eventually after a long pause.

"I do. Please... will you go to the dance with me, Sayaka-Miki?".

I figured the formality would make it seem more serious. She cups her face in her hands, probably an attempt to cool herself. Have I worked her up that much? That's not a good sign.

"I'd love to" she whispers affectionately.

"I think you're going to have to find out for yourself. You can ask in the library for books if you think that'd help" Kyubey said, as we were walking home.

"Oh, come on! You've helped me out so much and gotten me this far, and you say you can't dance?".

"I was developed for research purposes, not entertainment" he gloated somewhat, abhorring my regard to his life experience.

"I know, I know. Sorry. Man, I guess I'll just practice at break time".

"See? Not a problem. So I imagine at the dance you'll want to achieve a sense of intimacy with her?".

"I-Intimacy?" I stutter, blushing.

"I imagine you'll want to kiss her. That's a big part in human courtship, no?".

"K-K-Kiss her?!" I exclaim, covering my mouth.

Yes, I remember playing around with her that day on the roof, chasing her, picking her up and wanting press my lips against hers so badly. Imagining it, I can still smell the berry lip balm that was shimmering, beckoning me to kiss her.

"I...I...".

"Don't say you haven't thought of it".

"I have. So what?".

"Are you going to tell her? Reveal your true gender and identity?".

How in the world could I? How could I do that now, after so long? What in the heck is she going to say and think? I can't. I can't tell her. I can't do this.

"You can't keep it a secret from her forever" Kyubey warned, flickering his tail as they made their way back to their dark, damp, dusty room.

End of Part Seven