Author's note: Fresh from a visit to Uji and Nara, our couple visit haunts new and old alike. I hope you enjoy! See the end for a (rare) additional note.

The modern grandeur of Kyoto station greeted us once again. The sun beat down on us as Yukino and I stepped outside into the plaza in front of the station. Our teachers had released us for the afternoon to roam around the local area. And for someone like me, the priority was…

"Yodobashi?" Yukino looked upon me with a hint of surprise.

"It's been a while since I've been there. I want to remind myself of…recent technological advancements."

"Fair enough excuse, I guess." Yukino smiled.

Soon, we were at the foot of the imposing Yodobashi Camera building near Kyoto station. Floor upon floor of the latest electronics, appliances, and even anime and manga abounded. As we entered, the first floor carried many versions of the store's namesake – cameras. We had already visited BIC Camera not so long ago, ahead of our trip to the mountains, so we moved on past this section with haste.

We arrived at the household appliances section after a short while. An imposing line of rice cookers lined one aisle. Suddenly, Yukino dashed forth, her eyes lighting up.

"What is it?"

"Ohh, this…" My girlfriend was staring in awe at a small rice cooker distinguished by a certain panda mascot picture on it.

"A…Pan-san rice cooker? I did not know such a thing existed. My world has been expanded dramatically today."

"Ah, a rare find." One of the great joys of being in a relationship ended up being the opportunity to see Yukino in such a happy mood, to discover her varied interests and, dare I say, obsessions.

"Do you have space for it in your luggage?"

Yukino was a little crestfallen. "Probably not…"

"Maybe you can order online."

"Hahah, sure. Let's move on, then."

We moved on through the expanse of the store. Row after row of the latest TVs turned to game consoles, which gave way to BDs taken from the rear-view windows of trains [1]. Perhaps I spent too much time looking at these, as Yukino noticed.

"Always the railfan, aren't you? Hehe."

"Guilty as charged."

"Well, in any case, I can't afford those. Which is probably for the best."

Unsurprisingly, Yukino's attention was more attracted to the various copies of Pan-san movies available. She perused the selection with a discerning eye.

"Surely you have all of them…" I ventured. Yukino giggled in response.

"Not yet. But someday."

Thankfully, I knew that Yukino was not a high maintenance person. Nonetheless, if need be, I would probably buy at least a few Pan-san movies for her.

We continued our jaunt through the store. What did it say about us, I wonder, that we were spending so much time exploring a department store with locations far closer to home while in the historic capital of our country? Then again, the locations of cultural importance were already primarily on the itinerary.

Case in point: our next destination on the school trip was Ginkaku-ji, the Golden Temple. But before then, we had some more free time before our evening curfew. Leaving the store with surprisingly empty hands, we decided to stroll about a bit more as the evening began to set in. As we returned to the station, I looked up the imposing escalators and spotted a café with cute pink elements. My girlfriend must have been following my gaze because, before I knew it, she was tugging at my sleeve and gesturing towards this very establishment.

The clientele was a mix of locals and a few students from our school. Iroha and the others were known to frequent such cafés, and I half-expected her to be sitting there in the café giving me side-eye. Thankfully, they weren't here at the moment.

"What are you in the mood for?" I looked at Yukino.

"Hmm…perhaps this." She pointed at a delicious-looking tiramisu on the menu.

"Sure, let's share it."

We ordered the cake, and it soon arrived. Taking a bite, I noticed its richness. Such delicious desserts could help us forget our worries about exams and relationships alike.

"Mmm, what a wonderful tiramisu."

"Do you eat desserts often, Yukino?"

"Ah…"

"Sorry, not in that sense, just like…I am curious is all!"

"No, no, I understand. I suppose I enjoy them on occasion. When I was younger, my family would not go out for desserts often – they thought they were too unhealthy for me. But now that I can decide things for myself, I believe that I can enjoy them in moderation."

I nodded. "What a thoughtful response."

"How about you?" Yukino grinned.

"Usually it's Komachi who forces my hand in these matters. I will admit that I've developed a taste for tiramisu through her. And also those fancy green tea ice cream treats."

"I see so many pictures of them on my LINE feed…"

"For all the stuff that Komachi has been up to recently, she's still my little sister. I just hope that she doesn't go down a path that will hurt her and those around her."

"I am sure she will grow out of it. She's only in her first year, after all. Remember how you were back then."

"Not present, to be honest. She has it easier. She'll probably be student council president soon enough."

"Those elections are coming up soon, aren't they? So will you vote for your sister?"

"How could I not? Might be useful to have a politician in the family. If you and Haruno were in high school at the same time, would you have voted for her?"

Yukino thought for a moment. "To feed her ambition? No. As a sister with a sense of duty? Perhaps."

"That seems reasonable."

We suddenly heard a commotion in the café. Looking towards the entrance, we saw Ebina and Miura chatting away. Mercifully, Yuigahama – their best friend, once upon a time – was not in tow.

"Oy! Hikitani-kun!" Ebina waved to us.

"Hey, Ebina, Miura. What's up?"

They sat down with us. The two of them were nice enough, even for non-chatty types like Yukino and I.

"Not much, just trying to enjoy some quiet time I suppose."

"Hahah, I hope we are not intruding."

"No, no, it's fine." Yukino nodded in accord.

"How has life been?" Ebina looked intently at us, although not quite in an intimidating way.

"We get along well. It's been refreshing, really."

"We're so happy for you two." Even the usually judgmental Miura seemed to agree. I supposed that any clearance of Yukino and Hayato being together was good news for her. And, after all, she probably had to watch out for the meddling Isshiki for the same reason.

"Thanks for your support. These days, you could say it's much needed."

"Oh, really?"

To my surprise, Yukino spoke up at this point. "Yes, it's been a bit of a bother, recently. Although we haven't talked about it much with others."

"About what?"

My girlfriend continued, a little trepidation in her voice. "Yuigahama, Isshiki, Komachi…they've been working to make things more difficult for us because Yuigahama…well…"

"Is persistent in her feelings for me, even though Yukino and I are dating." I surreptitiously interjected – maybe, even, a little surprised at my honesty.

"Oh my." Ebina looked at me with concern. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"I don't want to cause any rifts in other's friendships, though."

"…Yuigahama and I aren't all that close anymore."

Why Miura would even get involved was a little beyond me. Previously, she had been indifferent at best. I couldn't resist my curiosity.

"What happened?"

"I guess friends can be thrown together by circumstance. That's kind of how we were. But now that we're in different classes, and she seems to have her main friend group…what's the reason for us to stay together?"

"That's quite clear-headed of you."

"Thanks…hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Miura pouted while Ebina discreetly chuckled. "Anyways…I guess I understand what's going on with you and her."

Don't say it like something is happening when it's not!

"I take it you feel a similar way about Isshiki-san?"

"That stunt she pulled with Hayato…Tsk…" Miura idly pulled on her fashionably curled hair.

"Seems we all want to stay out of her way."

"It's only a few more months, I guess." Miura offered. This was true; a few months could feel like an eternity, and I wanted to enjoy my remaining high school time with Yukino. But even so, the fact that we had already been to Kyoto last year was putting time into perspective; it really was moving faster than ever.

"Ahah, don't remind me. That is exciting, but also scary, isn't it?"

"Yeah…I'm still not quite sure what I'll do once I graduate…"

"Are you still planning to go to college, Miura-san?" Yukino offered.

"Of…of course!" Miura scowled a little. "I mean, it's the only path I really see for myself. I want to do something useful with my life, and college seems to be the path for that. You two have probably been thinking more about it than I have. Seriously, so academic…"

"I…don't doubt that you will figure something out." Yukino smiled politely.

I hoped that she would not be purely swayed by Hayama's decisions about university. But then again, it was her life.

We continued talking this way for a while until it was time to leave.

To the right, the stairs led down to the railway platforms and out of the station. To the left lay a route to the roof, and a view over Kyoto that I was familiar with.

After bidding farewell to our classmates, I turned to Yukino. "Hey, we do still have a little time before we have to return to the hotel, right?"

"I suppose…why do you ask?"

"It would be nice to briefly take a look, wouldn't you agree?"

Yukino blushed. "Yes…how romantic."

I took her hand and led her up the series of escalators and stairs, past the department store, all the way to the rooftop patio.

The city was framed by the red and orange skies of sunset, as clouds lazily drifted past the horizon. It was a peaceful and tranquil view – one we had not seen since our trip to the mountains.

"Come, let us take a seat and enjoy the sunset."

We found a suitable bench. Before long, my partner rested her head on my shoulder, her face with a deep expression of contentment. If only we could remain in this moment forever…or at least for a long time.

Out of the corner of my eye, I scarcely saw a pink-haired girl, and silently cursed the powers that be for this potential threat to our otherwise wonderful moment.

Please don't come near, please Yuigahama, if only just this once…

Mercifully, she seemed to be keeping a distance, letting us enjoy our moment. The sun dipped ever closer to the Kyoto mountains. The last vestiges of light illuminated the peaks of the eastern hills. I knew had to cherish this moment – we wouldn't be young forever, after all.

I looked up and saw that Yuigahama was not looking at us, at least. Come to think of it, it would have been rather weird if she'd just kept looking at us the whole time. At least she had a modicum of self-respect, I suppose.

A pleasing darkness spread over the valley, shadows lengthening as the lights of the city came to life. So many of life's important moments in the past few months seemed to happen at night – confessions, conversations with Hiratsuka-sensei, and so much more. For all the good of the Service Club, it was a mere catalyst for the most important relationships in my life.

Eventually, it was time to get up and leave. I dreaded the moment, not only because I loved the company of Yukino so much but also because of who was, at last, coming up behind us.

"Yuigahama? What's up?" I asked tentatively – it was important to be the one to start the conversation.

"Ah…eh…well…it's great to see you, and great to see you…together." Her lips quivered.

"Ah…thanks." I briefly averted my eyes to see if the usual suspects were putting her up to this. For the moment, however, I couldn't see them. I wondered whether her next words came of her own accord.

"Listen…um…so I know I've been a bother. Really."

I didn't speak, for fear of interrupting the moment. Yukino nodded ever so slightly. Was it right to think of this as "encouraging" her?

"And…I've made a decision."

Would she leave our friend group? Banish herself?

"Yes?" Yukino asked tentatively.

"I have thought a lot about myself and have been aware of…how my wishes have hurt you. I wanted something unreasonable."

Go on…

"And…I admit that I have been swayed by some of my friends…to keep persisting."

I silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"And so…Hikki, Yukino, I've decided that I want to keep your relationship how it is, and not interfere anymore. You don't have to be friends with me if you don't want to. I would understand if you felt that way."

I took a deep breath.

"Yuigahama. Can you promise that you will leave Yukino and I be in our relationship?"

"…Yes. I will do my best."

I could see the pain in Yuigahama's eyes, that she tried to – ever so gently – hide. Perhaps, if someone else were dating Yukino, I might know how Yuigahama felt.

"I don't ask that you be my friend again. I don't know if I can restore my trust with you. I just want you to know that I will try my best, even if I feel that it is hard."

"Thank you."

The three of us looked at each other for a moment as a weight lifted off our backs. If this truce could hold, then all of the mental walls that we were prepared to raise against Yuigahama, could, just maybe, be lowered.

The night had descended upon us during this momentous event. The three of us chatted idly for a bit; before long, it really was time to leave. Yuigahama insisted on departing first to give us some time. The city lights twinkled below us. I took one last look with Yukino at my side before we walked down the stairs.

Along the way, I caught a certain short, blonde girl out of the corner of my eye, a quizzical look on her face. But what could she do now?

And why, indeed, had Yuigahama made such an about-face after months of pining?

Postscript: Although Yui is interested in our protagonist, I'd like to believe that would eventually become realistic after a few months of unsuccessful pining. After all, it wouldn't be that interesting if she were just static in all of this and, seeing how it was addressed in Shin, I tried to set up something more satisfying that stays true to the spirit of the series. As for whether her friends will stop pushing her towards Hachiman – that remains to be seen.

References:

[1] Observation from personal experience.