A miracle!

After what he'd later call the "cryfest of the century", both Otoya and Haruka finally sat down (on the closest couch they could find) and had the adult conversation they owed each other. It was still difficult to even make eye contact, but they knew this was the only way.

"I'm sorry for turning you down so harshly, back then," She said, looking down at her hands. To be completely honest, she thought she'd be broken without repair if she opened up to him again, but the result had been much more different. Not only were they okay, they were finally patching up what they'd teared.

"Don't be, I… I shouldn't have jumped at you like that."

Those were the first steps they took to make amends. Simple apologies filled with meaning, coated with regret and longing. After all the effort they'd made to stay out of each other's ways, they'd finally realized that that wouldn't help. It was true, perhaps to someone else that'd be optimal, but they had been more than lovers. Otoya had been one of the most supportive friends she'd had before Starish was even an idea, and she'd been that for him too. They'd both lost more than cuddles and kisses, they'd missed someone to confide in, someone to laugh with on a regular basis.

In the spirit of making up for lost time, the red haired boy said something that had been plaguing his mind for over a month by then. "I'm sorry I broke our promise."

On the other hand, Haruka was at a loss of words. She really had no idea what he was referring to. They'd promised so many things to each other… so many things that could never be accomplished… knowing which one he talked about was like finding a needle in a haystack. Still, seeing her confusion, Otoya spoke again.

"Don't you remember what you asked me one month ago?" Perhaps a little less cryptic would be more enlightening. "You made me promise that… even if we broke up; we'd still be there for each other, that I'd still be your friend…"

This time, it was her turn to feel terrible. How could she have forgotten such a thing? Had he been following her around and trying to live up to what she'd asked? Oh, she couldn't have made it more difficult for him if she tried.

"Don't apologize for it; I avoided you so much… I can't believe I forgot." She couldn't even look at his face now, how pathetic.

Wallowing in self-pity, she failed to notice the tenderness in his expression, the fact that he moved closer to her, that he couldn't take his eyes off her. It wasn't until his fingers intertwined with hers that she finally realized he was there. "Will you let me make it up to you now?" He asked softly, as if ignoring she'd spoken in the first place.

"I… Otoya-kun, we can't-"

"I know. I'm not asking you to be my lover; I'm asking you if you'll let me be your friend again."

It'd be a lie to say that it didn't hurt her to hear the word lover being replaced by friend, it did sting, but this was more than she could've ever hoped for. Just like what she'd told him when he'd promised her they'd still be together no matter what, she needed him in her life. Perhaps not as a lover, but she needed his support, his friendship.

"Yes." She replied, overwhelmed with emotions as her eyes filled with tears. Her relief was palpable, but the tears made Otoya so worried that he couldn't help himself from apologizing again. Oh, he knew how to make her smile again. It was difficult not to feel wonderful seeing him care that much, she was beaming.

Much to their own obliviousness, they were leaning closer towards each other, lost in their own eyes, crawling deeper into a world they'd been missing. But before they were near enough for much of anything, a strange noise startled them.

It sounded as if the marble statue in the corner of the room had moved; although that was clearly impossible. Even so, their mutual hypnosis had been cut off and now they were left solely with an attempt at keeping friendly company. They were still holding hands, looking at each other with soft smiles, but the sexual tension had dissipated.

Once again, as Otoya opened his mouth to keep talking, the noise repeated itself. The strange situation caused Haruka to turn around and place herself slightly behind the other, yearning for protection. There couldn't possibly be a ghost there, could it?

"What was that?" The pink haired girl asked, terrified.

It wasn't until he heard her voice that he realized how scared she was, but now that he knew, he couldn't sit still. So he stood up despite her protests and started to make his way closer to the apparently haunted statue. He hadn't even taken two steps when said object started cracking, lines covering its every corner until it finally crushed down into pieces. The image was so bizarre that the couple was completely frozen as they watched the whole situation unfold.

Close after, a light appeared out of the ashes followed by… a very familiar theme song… could it had been…?

Maniacal laughter reverberated in the room as the lights dimmed enough for them to see…

"Mister Ittoki! Miss Nanami!" It was a familiar voice, indeed.

"Boss?!" They asked in a confused unison. At that point, this type of entrance should've been expected, but it was baffling nonetheless.

"Miss Nanami, come to my office." Saotome completely ignored their question as he immediately retorted to continue back with business as usual. Well, business as usual for Shining Saotome. The fact of the matter was that even though he was asking her to go to his office, he said it in his usual ridiculously exaggerated tone which… didn't really feel threatening.

Still, Otoya instantly came to the conclusion that his father's request had something to do with them so he didn't hesitate to step up.

"Wait! She didn't do anything, we weren't… It's all on me; she's not at fault here!" His words leaked desperation much like his voice vibrated with nervousness. He knew how easy it was for Shining to do whatever he pleased and he didn't want him to hurt her any further.

"This is between me and Miss Nanami. Mister Ittoki, it does not involve you." The other replied, enunciating every word as if he were talking to someone that couldn't understand anything. Then, he turned towards Haruka again, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. "I'll expect you in five minutes!" He really didn't need to mix up English and Japanese with every sentence he spoke, but he really liked saying things like "five minutes" in English…

Right as Shining Saotome was out of ears reach, Otoya started speaking as if he'd been holding up for the last century or so. "Haruka, I… I forgot to tell you something…" At his confession, she nodded her head for him to continue. "You remember how Shining offered me to go solo, right?" Another nod. "Well, I… I said no."

As much as she wanted him to stay with the rest of Starish, it was hard to figure out whether she was meant to be happy or upset by this turn of events. How long had it taken him to decide? They hadn't really spoken of it ever since they parted, but now she couldn't help but wonder. Yet, perhaps it wasn't her place to ask for any more. Instead she nodded again and, looking right into his eyes, said: "Okay."

"Okay?" He replied, pushing her to elaborate.

"Yes, I… I couldn't possibly leave Starish, but… this was your choice, there were no wrong answers." Then, she realized something that'd been bugging her ever since he'd told her of the offer. "Unless… you didn't make that choice for yourself... If you made it just so you wouldn't lose me as a composer, then… I can't approve, though I'd understand."

She waited for him to confirm or deny her suspicions, hoped he'd repeat once again how much he loved his friends, but… that wasn't the response she got. Rather than a give a reply, Otoya avoided her eyes and said: "Shining's waiting, you better go."

And just like that, not brave enough to venture any further, Haruka turned around and walked out of the room. She really didn't know if she'd be more affected by him choosing her again or him choosing Starish.

On her way to the office, it dawned on her that she'd been so distracted by Otoya's admission that she'd completely forgotten to worry about her boss. Had the redhead's suspicion been correct? If so, Shining would definitely reprimand her. But then again, she wasn't afraid anymore. She knew her worth as a composer, even if her employer had done his best to undermine her for the month she'd dated his son.

No worries or speculation could've prepared her for what Saotome really had in mind. He was already smiling like he'd won the lottery before she even got a chance to close the door and sit down. Yet, right as her butt touched the chair, he burst into laughter.

"I have a new work arrangement for you, Miss Nanami!" He exclaimed, as if he'd found the cure for cancer.

"A new work arrangement?"

"Yes, you see: there's a reason why I've been assigning you with Quartet Night for the past month," He said, grinning from ear to ear. "I've been testing you, and you've passed with flying colors!"

'Confused' wasn't nearly enough to describe the level of loss she was at. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand."

Hearing her, he clapped his hands. "I've been analyzing the conflict within Starish over the last two months and –thanks to my advisors- I've come to realize that the problem wasn't Mister Ittoki, it was you!" Before she could even process what the man was saying, he spoke again. "You're an excellent composer, and it would be stupid to let you go. This is the best option I have for you: from now on you'll be solely Quartet Night's."

She was speechless, pale as a sheet, but even then she tried to defend herself. "I'm a problem?" She asked, but then quickly added. "What will happen with Starish?"

"Ah, yes. I'm heavily informed about the hormonal trysts going around my dormitories, Miss Nanami." He started, leaning down as his ridiculous tone of voice somehow got deeper. "Starish will have to work with a different composer for the time being." He said, as if stating obviousness. "You'll be moving to the new Quartet Night dormitories next week."