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Chapter 31

The First of Many Gifts

Earlier that day, Miku had asked Ichika to stay with her after Fuutarou announced they wouldn't be having a study session today. She wanted to talk to her in private and said that it was important.

Ichika already had a good idea of what it was, but she was eager to hear what her sister had to say.

After Fuutarou dismissed them both her and Miku stayed while the rest left the room to do whatever they wished. Nino decided to join her friends, Yotsuba announced she was going to go down to the tennis courts, and Itsuki said that she was going to the library to do some studying. Yusuke had to go to the faculty office for an interview with their homeroom teacher while Fuutarou told them that he was going to take a walk around the school.

That left her and Ichika alone.

"So, Miku. What did you want to talk about?"

Taking a moment to study herself Miku told Ichika about her conversation with Fuutarou and what he thought about Yusuke. Afterwards she asked Ichika what she thought about him.

"I agree with everything Fuutarou-kun said," she replied.

"You do?" Miku was surprised.

"I've had a sneaky feeling that Yusuke-kun had a crush on you from the start," Ichika grinned, "When we first met him I noticed that he looked at you differently than he did with us. I didn't think much about it back then but looking back on it now it was pretty obvious. He just couldn't show it because he had to please his dad."

"Yeah," Miku recalled that first meeting.

"So..." Ichika's eyes bored into hers, "Yusuke's made his feelings clear. Have you figured out your own?"

It only took Miku a moment to answer.

"I have," she confessed.

"Then you know what you need to do, right?"

"I do."

"So what's holding you back?"

Miku sighed as she revealed the one thing that was bothering her.

"I'm having a difficult time deciding if I should tell him my feelings or wait until later, especially since Finals are about to start."

"Ah, I see," Ichika understood, "You're worried that if you and Yusuke start dating right now it might become a distraction.

Miku made a slight shrug while Ichika smiled.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Miku."

She blinked, "What makes you say that?"

"It would only become a problem if you allow it to," Ichika explained, "but the two of you have gotten close enough now that you know each other's strengths, weaknesses, and routines. I think you'll be able to do just fine if you started dating right now, but I can understand why you might want to wait a little. However...

Miku watched as her sister's gaze turned dark.

"This is one thing I'm concerned about," her voice turned serious, "You know that Yusuke-kun wants to become an astronaut, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, if he succeeds he'll be going into space. While that will be very exciting it will also be very risky. I may not know much about outer space and all that, but I do know that it can be very dangerous. I know that the space programs prioritize safety above all else, but the risk is still there. Something could go horribly wrong and Yusuke-kun may lose his life. Are you aware of that?"

"I am," Miku said almost right away

"You are?" Ichika was surprised.

"I did a little research," Miku's lips lifted a little, "I'm well aware how dangerous it can be. I know Yusuke would be putting his life at risk, but I wouldn't ask him to give up his dream for me. That would just be selfish. That's not to say I'm not the least bit scared, but I would much rather take the risk and stand by his side than force him to give it all up for me."

Ichika stared at her, stunned to her sister talk like this. Then she smiled again.

"You've grown, Miku," she proudly said, "You never would've said anything like that last year."

She grinned, almost bashfully, "I guess I really have grown in the past few weeks."

"Well, if you're already aware then be sure to tell Yusuke-kun himself. Because I imagine he'll be bringing it up too, especially if you decide to have kids together."

Miku blushed at the words "kids", but she understood why it was important.

Ichika then reached over and took her hands.

"It's entirely up to you if you want to confess your feelings now or later," she said, "All we want is for you to be happy. My only real advice is: Don't wait for too long, because something could happen and you could lose your chance altogether. I made that mistake with Fuutarou-kun. I would hate to see the same thing happen to you."

"I know," Miku sighed, then came over and hugged Ichika, "Thank you for always supporting me. I'm sorry for doubting you after what happened in Kyoto."

"Hey, don't worry about it. That wasn't your fault."

"Regardless, thank you for all you've done since the day Mama died," Miku looked at her and smiled, "I know you'll find your own happiness one day, just as I have found mine."

The two sisters stood and hugged each other.

"I think I'm going to go down to the tennis courts and watch Yotsuba practice," Ichika told her, "Wanna come along?"

"No," Miku shook her head, "I'm gonna stay here and think for a bit."

Ichika understood and headed for the door, then paused and looked at Miku again.

"I hope it all works out," she smiled fondly.

"So do I," Miku waved.

After Ichika left she stood there looking out the window for a while.

Should she do it now or later?

After thinking for several minutes she made her decision.

Yusuke was just reaching the end of his interview when he felt his phone vibrate.

Are you available right now? came the text from Miku.

I'm just about done, he replied back, What's up?

Can you come up to the rooftop? I want to talk to you.

He felt his heart skip a beat.

She wanted to meet him up on the roof?

That could only mean one thing, but he didn't want to get too far ahead of himself.

Five minutes later he left the faculty office and made his way straight to the rooftop as quickly as he could. Most of the students were either outside or in their club rooms by now, so nobody really saw as he hurried along.

He found Miku standing in the very spot he always came to whenever he came up here. She heard him coming and turned.

There was a nice breeze today and his breath when the wind picked up her hair. He watched as she pulled her brown strands away from her face, her eyes never leaving him. She really looked beautiful.

"Hey," she gave him that dazzling smile he liked so much.

"Hey," he came over to her, "It's rather strange that you invited me up here."

"Why's that?"

He approached the spot where he clenched his hand around the chain link fence. From here he had a perfect view of the courtyard.

"I used to come here a lot every time I got into an argument with my dad. It was my place of solitude," he gestured down below, "I would sometimes see you, Fuutarou, and your sisters hanging out down there. Whenever I came up here I was always very angry, taking my frustration out on this fence. Sometimes I was so upset I would start crying and forget about returning to class. Sometimes I would skip class altogether just to spite my dad and not caring about what happened afterwards."

He paused for a while before looking at her with a smile.

"Remember when I said that everything changed when you walked in my classroom? That I always felt different whenever I saw you? Well, there was a lot more to it than that. Whether it was here, there, or just glancing at that picture of you, I always felt better every time I saw you. I felt more calm. At peace. All of a sudden things didn't seem so bad. I wasn't as angry or depressed as I was when Mom died. Because of that, I didn't come here as much as I used to. I guess... in a way... you saved my life, Miku. I'm grateful for that."

Miku smiled at him. He could see that it gave her great joy to see how much of a positive impact she had made in someone's life without ever realizing it.

"Ah, sorry," he apologized, "You wanted to talk to me and I just started rambling."

"It's okay," she said, "I'm glad you told me. Because... truth be told, I feel the exact same way. About you."

He stared at her as she looked towards the distance.

"Before we even came to this school I always kept to myself because of how shy and timid I was. I didn't have any friends. While I didn't like the school we went to before I never made any attempts to make friends here either. I was the only one of my sisters who didn't have friends. It wasn't because I was incapable. I just wasn't interested, didn't see the need. I've thought that having my sisters with me was good enough, but now that we're about to graduate I realize that we can't always be together. We'll be going our separate ways. Nino and I had discussed living in an apartment together, but now I've become an entirely new person. I'm more secure with myself now, and it's all because of you."

She looked at him and smiled, making him blush a little.

"Fuutarou was able to convince me to come out of my shell and be more open about myself, but even then I still wasn't interested in making friends. Then you spoke to me for the first time at the bookstore and everything changed. Discovering how you and I shared the same interests, the same passions, not once did I think there was someone who was a lot like me. Someone who had a secret passion they couldn't openly admit because it was too embarrassing or looked down upon. There's me with my obsession with Sengoku Warlords, and then there's you with your passion towards gaming even though you're a descendant of the Takeda Clan, a family with a great history behind it. You became the first real friend that I ever had, Yusuke."

He smiled in return, proud to have been the first.

"When you gave me that book after buying it it really made me curious about you. Then later on, after we had our fallout with Yotsuba, you cheered me up by introducing your own friends. They knew nothing about me, yet they welcomed me into their arms as though they knew all along," she smiled happily, "Meeting Yura and Ririko made me realize what I was missing in my life, and it's thanks to them I was able to find my true passion. Something I really wanted to do."

"What's that?" he asked.

When she told him he was surprised but he also grinned. That would certainly make Yura and Ririko very happy.

"Before then I had no idea what I was going to do with my life after we graduated," Miku went on, "But now I do. You've done so many things for me these past few weeks, Yusuke. You've shown me that I don't have to change myself completely just to be noticed by someone. I could just be myself and be proud of it. Most of all, you've given me the courage to want more in life than just becoming another average person. Thanks to you I now know what I want in life... and it's given me the courage to say this to you."

She raised her head to look deep into his eyes and Yusuke's breath caught.

She was looking at him in a way she hadn't before.

Her eyes weren't filled with friendliness.

They were filled with love.

Love for him.

Then she said those those three fatal words.

"I love you, Yusuke Takeda."

His heart overflowed with joy. Since confessing his own feelings to her he had been hoping that she would return them one day. He had also been prepared to move on if she chose not to, but now she had said those words there was no going back.

"I fell in love with you the moment you came to my rescue," he saw her cheeks warm, "That day, when that fight broke out and I was lying there on the ground, I had never been so scared in my life. When that girl attacked me I honestly thought I was going to die. Even though Nino and her friends came to help I was so scared that I was practically traumatized, especially when someone stepped on my ankle. I felt myself falling into darkness, but then I heard your voice. All my fears went away as the instant you called my name. I remembered looking up at you and seeing how scared you were as I was lying there, how angry you got when that girl tried to insult me, and how concerned you were when you looked over my injury. And then you simply carried me to the nurse's office and didn't care if anyone was watching. All you cared about was my well being."

Yusuke's lips lifted as he remembered. Everything had changed between them that day. Despite that girl's attempts to drive a wedge between them all she'd done was bring them closer instead. If he ever saw her again he ought to thank her.

"I was embarrassed, but also very touched. No one had ever treated me with such care and tenderness before. Not my sisters or even Fuutarou. The last time I felt that... was when Mama was still alive."

When she mentioned her mother her eyes turned sad and she looked out beyond the fence.

"I haven't really thought about her since the day she died," she said, "I guess it was because I didn't want to become depressed. Grandpa has always told me that I resemble her the most. Looking back, I think that was the reason why I placed myself inside a shell. I didn't want to think about the past and all the hard times we went through as children. In a way I was like Fuutarou but not as extreme."

She looked back at him and smiled again.

"When you told us about your mother and how it destroyed your family, my heart went out to you. When I saw for myself how strained your relationship was with your Dad, especially when you moved in with us, I became drawn to you. And when you told us about your dream and the difficulties you faced, my admiration of you grew. It also reminded me of what was really important in life. I told you before that I wanted to impress Fuutarou by becoming his ideal girlfriend instead of just being myself. Yotsuba had nearly thrown her whole life away just to be with him, and I almost made the same mistake. Our mother gave her life so that we could have a future. The kind of future she never had. I nearly threw away mine for a selfish desire, but it's a good thing that the whole incident with Fuutarou and Yotsuba happened, otherwise I wouldn't be standing her now, telling you how much I love you."

Placing her hands together she made a little bow.

"Thank you for confessing your feelings to me. It made me so happy that you love me for who I am and how sincere your feelings were. You're one of the most popular guys in school. You could've chosen any girl you wished, and you only looked at me. A shy timid girl nobody else looked at but you."

Raising her head she looked back into his eyes.

"I want to stand by your side, I want to support you in any way I can, and I want to help you get through any difficulties you may face in future. Even if our relationship doesn't last forever I promise to love you every single day that we are."

From there she went silent and waited for his reply.

Heart brimming with happiness Yusuke took a deep breath and stepped closer. He took one of her hands in his and looked into her eyes with all the love he had.

"I'm glad you feel the same way about me. It also makes me happy that you want to be by my side," he squeezed her fingers before saying, "I want to ask you out right now, but there's one thing I need to tell you before I do. You know that I want to become an astronaut and go into space, and if I succeed it would mean-"

She surprised when she placed a finger on his lips.

"I know."

He blinked as she lowered her finger.

"You do?"

She nodded, "I spoke with Ichika earlier about whether or I should confess my feelings to you today and she mentioned that very thing. I know that going into space can be very dangerous, and that there's the possibility of something going horribly wrong, but I wouldn't ask you to give up your dream for my sake."

He was surprised again.

"You wouldn't?"

She shook her head and smiled, "You said that I was the reason why you were able to stand up to your dad and pursue your dream of becoming an astronaut. It wouldn't be fair if I suddenly asked you to give it up now just because I was afraid. If there's one thing I've learned these past few weeks it's that there's a risk in everything we do. Sometimes that means putting our lives on the line in order to achieve something. You're very brave to pursue a dream like that, knowing the great risks that come with it. That's the biggest reason why I love you, Yusuke. You're the bravest man I've ever met. I'm more than willing to take that risk with you."

He stared at her for a long while. When had she gotten so brave?

"Are you sure?" he asked, "I mean, I can't imagine how sad you would be if something were to happen to me."

Then she did something completely unexpected. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Of course I would be sad," she said, "but I would take pride in knowing that you died doing what you set out to do and that you weren't afraid of pursuing it despite the risks. And I wouldn't be alone. I would have my sisters, Fuutarou, and even your own family there to support me."

"And..." he swallowed, "if we had kids?"

He saw her blush a little and she drew her hand away. Obviously it was way too soon to be talking about such things, but he needed to ask because it was important. It took Miku a short time to answer.

"If... If we were to have kids and the worst were to happen..." she then smiled, "It would be my job to remind them every day who their father was, what he gave his life for, and that he was a hero. That's how I'll always think of you, Yusuke. You'll always be my hero. The hero I fell in love with."

He smiled fondly at her. He loved this girl now more than ever before.

"And the fact that I'm a descendant of the Takeda Clan has nothing to do with it?" he joked.

She grinned and said, "Well, to be honest, I like that part of you too, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. You could've come from an infamous and deadly ninja clan and I could've cared less."

He burst out laughing, "Fair enough."

"I love you for who you are, Yusuke Takeda," her eyes shined, "Nothing will ever change that."

His heart began to pound as he placed a hand under her chin. Miku blushed again but she didn't pull away.

"You really are something special, Miku Nakano," he ran his thumb along her smooth skin, "I knew it from the first moment I saw you. I can search all over Japan and even the entire world and I would never find another girl like you. I'm glad you were the one I fell in love with. It also makes me happy to see how brave you've become and that you're willing to accept whatever outcome there is. I truly do appreciate it."

There was only one thing left to do now. He took a deep breath and asked the question.

"Will you go out with me, Miku? Will you be my girlfriend?"

Her eyes sparkled and she simply replied, "Yes."

Feeling immense joy Yusuke smiled with happiness before bending his head. She lifted her own and they shared their very first kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend. Time seemed to stop as their hearts sang with their newfound love for each other. After a while they pulled apart, both of them blushing but very happy.

"Believe it or not, that's my first kiss," said Yusuke.

"Is it?" she gave a little laugh, "Well, it's sadly not my first."

"I know, Fuutarou told me that you had kissed him before," he then grinned, "He even told me what you did to him during the festival."

She now blushed furiously, "He did? He told you all that?"

"Yep," Yusuke chuckled, "I have to admit, I never imagined you having that side to you."

"Well..." Miku was all embarrassed now, "That was me acting irrational."

"Everyone becomes irrational when it comes to those in love," he then flashed his eyebrows, "I'm actually now curious to see just how far you would go with me."

She gaped at him for a moment, then grinned rather boldly.

"Careful," she warned, "You might get more than you bargained for."

"Eh," he shrugged, "As long as it's with you I can take it."

She laughed and leaned up to kiss him again before stepping back.

"There's something I want to give you," she said.

She turned and picked up a little flat box he hadn't noticed before.

"This is a little thank you gift from me," she handed it to him.

Opening it he looked down to see... a pair of blue headphones. The very ones Miku once wore around her neck.

He looked back up to her with a raised eyebrow and she smiled bashfully.

"I got those over a week ago, but not once did I ever put them on," she then touched the red headphones he had given her affectionately, "It seems that I've gotten really attached to these headphones you gave when I lost my own. In fact, I was wondering if I could keep them. Just for a bit longer. In exchange, you can have my headphones for as long as you like."

Yusuke chuckled, "Of course. You can keep them for as long as you like. They were my gift to you after all."

She smiled in delight before pointing to the box.

"Why don't you put those on? I want to see how it looks on you."

Looking at the headphones he happily slipped them on around his neck.

"Very nice," Miku nodded in approval, "I think blue looks much better on you than red."

Suddenly they were both laughing like fools and were soon kissing again. Neither of them would've cared if someone came onto the roof and caught them right now.

Soon afterwards they went back downstairs.

At Yusuke's suggestion they walked down the hall holding hands.

For Miku it was a little embarrassing, but she was much happier than she had ever been before. She looked at her new boyfriend with both pride and joy and hoped that it would last for a very long time.

A few students saw them as they passed and they instantly began whispering.

Miku's blush deepened but she didn't let go of Yusuke's hand. Some might think that she had acted too soon in accepting Yusuke's feelings, but she had no regrets. She saw for herself how sincere his feelings were and that he waited a long time to finally reveal them. She simply didn't see the need to make him wait any longer. She was happy with her decision today and she knew both her sisters and Fuutarou would be proud of her for it.

"So, Miku..."

She looked over at him as he grinned.

"What would you like to do for our first date?"

She blinked, "You want to go on a date already?"

"Yeah, why not? We haven't had a real date yet."

"What do you mean? We went to that arcade place and then we went to the movies."

"Yeah, but those were group dates with my friends. I'm talking about a date that's just for the two of us."

Miku blushed again. She had forgotten what a real date was.

"How soon should we have it?" she asked.

"How about today?" he grin widened, "After school?"

"After school?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, "Do you really want to waste time to go home and change when we can just go the moment school's out?"

She almost laughed at his bluntness.

"Don't you need to ask permission from my Stepdad first?"

"Actually... I already have his permission."

She stopped and stared at him, "You do? Since when?"

"Since the day I moved in with you guys," Yusuke laughed as he gestured to her headphones, "It seemed that he figured out that I had given those to you. On the way to your apartment he asked me about them and why I did it. There was no point in trying to fool him so I simply told the whole truth. He then thanked me for looking out for you and gave me permission to ask you out."

Miku didn't believe a word of it.

"You're pulling my leg."

Yusuke laughed again, "If you don't believe call him up and ask him the first chance you get. He'll tell you."

"I'll do that."

Just then they heard someone clear their throat and they turned to see the head nurse Moto-sensei standing there. She looked down at the linked hands and smiled.

"About time," she said, "I was beginning to wonder if you two were ever going to get around to it."

Both of them laughed nervously and said, "Thank you."

"I hate to do this but I'm afraid I'm going to have to put a damper on your newfound happiness," the head nurse looked at Yusuke, "Your dad wants to speak with you. He waiting at his office."

There was no way Yusuke could refuse.

He had a suspicion that the teacher's interview earlier was made so that his dad could find out what his true intentions were. He knew he would be facing him at some point, he just hadn't expected it so soon.

Five minutes after Moto-sensei informed them Yusuke stood in front of the principal's office once again.

He always hated coming here, for it was always one of two things. Him not being the number student or his dad informing him about a potential bride.

This time, however, it would be different. Since he was about to graduate his dad will undoubtedly want to talk about his future, followed by one last attempt to dissuade him from becoming an astronaut. A pointless dream, as his dad had called. This was now his chance to show him that he would not be deterred from pursuing his dream. He was going to make it clear that he would follow his own path in life and would accept the consequences of going against his dad's wishes.

More importantly, he had Miku by his side.

It was all or nothing now, yet he was still a little scared. Miku seemed to sense this and she squeezed his hand. When he looked at her she lifted her lips.

"It's okay," she told him, "Just stay strong. He can't stop you anymore."

Feeling a new sense of confidence and he bobbed his head.

"Yeah," he patted her hand, "Thanks, Miku. I'm glad you're here with me."

Her eyes shined and she kissed his cheek.

"I'll be right here, waiting," she released his hand.

He bobbed his head again before turning to the door. Taking a deep breath he went inside.

His dad sat in his usual place, desk filled with paperwork. His eyes locked on his son the moment he entered the room.

Yusuke marched up to his usual place before him and placed his hands behind his back.

"You wanted to see me Dad?" he spoke first.

Subaru Takeda raised a brow. His son seemed different today. He stood tall and proud. Confident and... happy?

Yes, he did look rather happy and he wondered what caused it.

"I see you've gotten a haircut," he replied, "Have a seat, Yusuke."

"No, thank you. I prefer to remain standing."

He stared at him in surprise. Usually his son remained standing because he was told to. Now he was choosing to stand by his own admission. What surprised him even more was he was looking him straight in the eye rather than keeping his gaze pointed at the wall. There was no doubt about it. He .

"Very well," he placed down his pen and got more comfortable in his chair, "I wish to talk to you about your future."

"I suspected as much," Yusuke replied.

Subaru's eyes narrowed, "You know how I feel, what I wish for, and what I expect from you?"

"I do."

When Yusuke said nothing else his eyes narrowed even further.

"And yet you still wish to become an astronaut?"

"I do."

Subaru sighed in frustration.

"I can accept you going into the armed services to become a pilot," he said, "but I do not understand this obsession of yours of wanting to go into space."

"It's not an obsession, Dad. It's my dream."

He snorted once again at the very mention of that word, "A pointless dream."

"Only because you don't believe in it. Mom always said that you never had a sense of adventure."

He glared at him for bringing up his wife, but he made no retort.

"And what do you hope to accomplish by going into space? What can you possibly achieve by doing such a thing?"

It only a moment for Yusuke to answer.

"In the short term, nothing. But in the long term, I hope to bring humanity one step closer to reaching the stars."

He snorted, "That will not happen anytime soon."

Yusuke shrugged, "Perhaps not in our lifetime, but I'm confident we'll get there one day. I simply wish to contribute and be a part of it."

Subaru stared at his son for a while, trying to see if there was some way he could finally persuade him to give up this foolish dream, but once he saw the determined look in Yusuke's eyes he gave up.

"I see there's nothing I could do to make you change your mind," he admitted, "Very well."

He decided to move on to the next subject and opened a drawer.

"Now, about you future bride-"

"You don't need to bother with that anymore, Dad. I've already found someone."

His head snapped up, wondering if his son was playing some kind of childish trick. Then he noticed how happy Yusuke looked and realized... this was reason why he was son looked so different.

"You have?" he was having hard time believing it.

"She's outside," Yusuke gestured behind him, "waiting for me."

Subaru glanced at his office door. For a moment he considered going over to see who it was, but decided against it.

"Who is she?" he asked instead.

"Someone you've met before. One of the Nakano quints."

"The Nakano..." now he was stunned, "Which one?"

"Miku. The third one. The very one who was injured when that girl you tried set me up with assaulted her," Yusuke then grinned, "You actually did me a huge favor, Dad. I've had a crush on her since the day she first came to this school. If it wasn't for that incident she and I would never have grown closer and I wouldn't be standing here now with her as my girlfriend."

Subaru was speechless. For a while he didn't know what to say. Then he noticed the object hanging around Yusuke's neck.

"Those headphones, aren't those hers?"

"Yes," Yusuke touched them fondly, "She gave them to me in exchange for the ones I gave her after that incident. It's a token of our love."

He paused once again.

"You... really love this girl?"

"Yes, I really do."

His eyes then hardened, "Is she worthy to be the next Lady Takeda?"

Yusuke scowled. He knew his dad would ask that, but it didn't make him any less upset.

"Honestly, that's up to her," he replied, "But whether she is or not is irrelevant. I love her for who she is, and I won't ask her to be any different."

"And you intend to marry her?" Subaru asked next.

"Well, it's a little too soon to be talking about that, but if all goes well between us in the upcoming years... then yes. I will marry her."

A long minute of silence passed between them. It seemed that his dad had nothing else he could use to threaten him with. Yusuke knew that he had won.

"I've made my decision, Dad," he declared, "I won't give in to your demands just because you think you know what's best for me. This is the path I've chosen. If you still wish to disown me then so be it. I'll just have to rebuild the Takeda family from scratch."

He waited for a reply but Subaru had lowered his head, signaling his defeat.

"If there's nothing more to say then I take my leave. I'm going on a date with my girlfriend after school is over."

He turned for the door.

"Yusuke..."

His hand was on the knob, but he stopped when he heard the sudden change in his dad's voice. His didn't sound upset. He actually sounded desperate. Scared.

"Don't you realize... the danger you'd be putting yourself in?"

His breath caught. Slowly he turned back around.

His dad had stood, but he hadn't moved from his spot. His hands were on the desk and he was leaning heavily against them. Yusuke couldn't see his face, but he could see his shoulders trembling.

"Losing your... losing your mother was too much for me," he heard him whisper, "I don't want to lose you too."

Yusuke stared at him in shock, and all at once his previous interpretations of him immediately vanished.

All this time he thought that his father had simply wanted to control his life. Now he saw that wasn't the case at all. His father had been afraid. Afraid for him. He was afraid of losing the only thing he had left in the world.

His son.

Yusuke felt tears come to his eyes but he kept them down. His dad truly cared after all.

"I'm happy to hear you say that, Dad," he said, "I do know the risks. Someone recently told me that there's a risk in everything we do. Sometimes that means putting our lives on the line in order to achieve something."

His dad finally looked at him.

"And you girlfriend? Does she understand the risks too?"

He nodded, "She does. In fact, she was the one who told me that."

He smiled when his dad blinked in surprise.

"She's the bravest girl I've ever known. I wouldn't want anyone else to be by my side," he took a deep breath before saying, "I love you Dad, and I'm proud to be your son. All I wish to do is to make you proud of me and to prove myself worthy of the family name."

With that Yusuke finally left the room.

Subaru stood there looking at the door after it closed before he sighed, feeling his own tears come.

"You already have... Son."

He sat back down, then looked at the bottom drawer to his right before reaching down and opening it. From inside he pulled out a picture of his beloved wife. After her death he had kept it locked in there, not wanting to be reminded of how she died. Now he was looking at her for the first time in eight years, realizing how much he missed her.

"Your son has grown up, Naomi," he sniffed, "I wish you could see him.

When Yusuke came out of the office he found Miku sitting quietly in a chair with her hands folded on her lap and gazing out toward the hall. He had to take a moment to admire her. He could tell that she was a little tense, but anyone who didn't know her would think she was the perfect picture of tranquil patience.

"Miku?"

She jumped as though startled, saw him, and came to her feet.

"Yusuke?" she immediately came to him, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

God, he loved this woman.

"I'm fine," he assured her, "Nothing happened."

"Thank goodness," she sighed with relief and hugged him, "I was expecting some kind of fight to break out while you were in there."

Rubbing ha hand through her hair he held her close. He knew some of the teachers were watching nearby, some smiling, others frowning, but he paid them no mind. Like he had said before, let them watch. All he cared about was the woman he now held in his arms. She had brought so much peace and warmth into his life he couldn't imagine what it would be without her.

"Did you tell your sisters that we're dating now?" he asked her.

"Yes," she looked up at him and beamed, "I texted Ichika while I was waiting for you. She says that they all want to congratulate us in person."

"Well, then," he took her hand again, "We better not keep them waiting."

He took one last look at his father's office before walking away, with Miku by his side. He no longer had anything to be afraid of. From here he was moving forward.