This is when things started to change. I don't know if it was because she'd changed or I had. Before this, we could spend hours just walking together without saying a word. She could disappear without a trace and I wouldn't wonder where she was. Not anymore.

I don't know how, but she'd wormed her way into my heart without me knowing. She'd knocked on my doors, and without my knowledge, I'd let her in. She didn't make a mess of it. She just walked in and took a seat in a room that I didn't know had been made for her.

Day and night, I would see her face. I would look in her direction and wonder if she saw me too. I would watch her during volleyball practice from the roof and wonder if she noticed the people watching her. I wondered if she cared. At night, I'd imagine her face and wonder what she was doing. I'd wonder where she was going or who she was talking to.

I'd tell her a story or a joke, realize it was stupid, and then tell her to forget it. It was funny to her, but I was a mess. I'd remember something I'd want to tell her and forget the whole thing the moment I looked into her eyes. I'd buy her something and then return it an hour later because I was afraid she wouldn't want it. She was driving me insane without even looking at me.

September 15

I was going to spend the night with the dog. I liked dogs, Koromaru more than the others. He was smart, probably even smarter than Aki. He was also a pretty good dog. He liked the food I made him. I walked him once or twice a week. She only came with us once.

"So..." It was the first time we did this together, going somewhere outside and not eating.

"So?" She smiled, sly and mischievous. "It's not like you to be so hesitant, senpai."

"...Moron. I'm not being hesitant." I dragged my beanie lower down on my face. "I've just never been out like this with you."

"Yes, you have. Plenty of times. We've gone to get coffee, and dinner. I've seen you walking home with Sanada senpai. It's just normally, we're not with Koromaru." She reached down to pet him softly on the head. The damn dog looked like he was in heaven.

The moment we made it to the shrine the dog ran off. He always did that when we made it there. He loved it, his old home, and the place where he lost the old priest. I could understand that. I still visited the station when I got the chance.

"What are you listening to?" She wore her headphones everywhere, normally around her neck. They weren't bulky, like the ones people put over their head. They were kinda small, with a curved hook that went around the ear and a pad that covered her ears. I'd never seen anyone else wear anything like it.

"Hmm...? I don't think you'd know it. Want to try listening?" She didn't wait for an answer. She took one of the speaker and planted it next to my ear. There weren't any words, just a combination of piano and strings. "Want to dance with me?"

"Wh-What? No. Don't be stupid. I don't dance."

"Come on, I'll teach you." She dragged me up, pulling with both arms. She moved both my hands onto her hips before placing her on hands on my shoulders. "Just listen to the music and move your feet a little. It's not too hard." She smiled up at me. I just watched my feet, afraid to step on her.

The song wasn't a very long one. It was a maybe a minute or two, but it felt like an hour. Just the two of us, swaying in time with the music. We didn't move around very much but it was nice, just holding her in my arms. She was so small.

"The song is called 花水月. It means flower, water, and moon in Chinese."

It wasn't a bad tune. It sounded a little sad, actually. Kind of like losing a bowl of ramen but still walking away with a piece of meat.

When the song ended, she didn't let go. Her arms were still wrapped around my neck but she wasn't looking at me. She was staring at the moon, far behind me. It hadn't been like this before. When it was quiet, we could stay that way. No one would say anything, and it'd both be okay. It didn't feel like that anymore. I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted to know more about her.

"I don't like the look of that weather. Seems like a storm's coming." My awkwardness had reduced me to talking about the weather. A safe topic, but a boring one.

"A typhoon is supposed to hit us in a few days. I wonder if we'll be locked in."Koromaru seemed to be having fun digging at something in the bushes. At least one of us is comfortable.

"Well, what happens, happens."

"How pessimistic. Don't you have any plans?"

"I...Not, really." That wasn't a complete lie. I'd thought she might want to spend time together the next night, but it would be a little hard if we were stuck in the dorm. Especially with Fuuka watching our every move.

"Well, I do. I wanted to go to the movies with someone. I guess we won't have the chance now." Her eyes were still looking far away, whimsical.

I didn't answer. I didn't have the guts to. Who was this someone? Who was she going to the movies with? I kept thinking it was one of those guys from school Fuuka kept talking about. I could feel the jealousy rearing its ugly head from the pit of my stomach. It almost made me punch the fence. This was probably what Aki felt like all the time.

She let go of me suddenly, walking back a few paces. Her expression was unreadable. "Let's go." Koromaru dragged us home.

September 16

I was annoyed out of my mind. She got home pretty late on average, but I was already in the kitchen getting things ready. I'd decided to make the big feast tonight to clear my head about this guy and this movie and whoever the hell else she was hanging out with, but she wasn't home. She was probably out with him right now. .

The moment she walked past me, I stopped her. "You'd better not go anywhere, all right? Just be patient and wait about an hour. Tell the other guys that too."

"What's going on?" She tilted her head a bit like a bird, an inquisitive smile resting on her face.

"I'm making dinner tonight. It's the big one."

"Oh really..." Her eyes sparkled as you stuck her head around the corner. "What are you making?"

I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "It's a secret. Just sit down and look forward to it."

I called Fuuka into the kitchen and we got to work. Minako watched from the door, her lips curved into that infamous half-moon grin.

"I've already gotten everything ready beforehand like I taught you to do last time." We got to work. Fuuka was a mess. I had to keep looking at her to make sure she wasn't ruining anything while I watching the fire and the food.

"I'll help too." Minako called at us. Fuuka had ruined the eggs I wanted her to separate. It was looking grim.

"Nah, stay put. It's way too crowded over here. Sides, we're trying to keep it a secret." I was grinning. I only grinned when I was around her. She had that effect people. It was definitely working on me.

Fuuka apologized to her quickly while I kicked her out. Back to work. Fuuka kept making mistakes but she didn't destroy anything. Everyone else came down for a look at some point except Ken. Aki was being a pain, but Minako, the leader that she was, completely diffused the situation without even trying.

"So whose hungry?!" She clapped her hands a few times, grabbing everyone's attention to set the table. It took a little more than 2 hours, but it was worth it. Almost enough to make a grown man cry. By the time everything was set, there were 14 dishes on the table and an extra small one for the dog, who was already in a chair.

Fuuka and Aki grabbed Mitsuru and Ken, and everyone was gathered. The onlookers stared with exuberance. Aki didn't say a word. He was too busy jamming food into his mouth. Even Ken ate some. 2 hours for a pack of kids to have a nice meal. I had no regrets.

There was leftovers, probably enough for breakfast tomorrow, but that wasn't a big deal. Everyone helped clean up before going back to their rooms, chirping away about the quality of the food. Minako sat by herself in the lounge, sipping on a cup of tea. "Looks like everyone enjoyed it." I said quietly, moving over to sit next to her.

"It was a lot of fun." She said quietly. Her eyes were closed, a small satisfied smile played at her lips. She leaned her head onto my arm, the top of her head almost hitting my shoulder. "Let's do it again some time."

I almost had another coughing fit. I laughed to cover it up. After all that hard work, all she could do was tell me to do it again. This moment was more than worth it though. Seeing those idiots smile was also a pretty good reward. "If the opportunity comes up."

She was something else. Only she could have thought of making dinner like this. Dinner for them. "If you hadn't brought up the idea I probably would've never done something like this." She made everything seem so easy. "It was so simple... I thought, and all I had to do was do it..."

"Senpai...Do you-" She never finished her question, and to this day I don't know what she wanted to ask me. She was interrupted by my incessant coughing. I couldn't stop for a few seconds, the cold was choking me.

She turned toward me to hold my hand quickly. "Are you okay? Should I get you something?"

"I'm okay. Remember this conversation. I wanna finish it later. Today really tired me out. I'm gonna go to bed. You should head off to bed too."

She let go immediately, as if my hand had stung her. "Good night, Aragaki-senpai."

I looked at her for a minute, really soaking in the details. She was wearing a scarf, and she was watching me with a small smile, but it didn't look like she really saw me. It didn't seem like she was quite meeting my eyes. She was hiding something, but I didn't ask her what. I'll never have the chance now. "...Night."

A/N: Forgive me for the chapters being out of order. I'm not completely sure what happened and I had a hard time founding my original copy for the chapters. I have since fixed everything up to chapter 9. Thank you for your patience.