Chapter 3 — Sweet Coffee

The scent of a bonfire.

Bits of stray embers. Distant murmurs of a hundred voices. Laughter and sadness alike. One last night, and one last festival to celebrate it all.

For Fuutarou, it felt strange to remember a time he disregarded a pleasure so simple. Superfluous, mandatory labor to be wasted on gathering and stacking a pile of logs, all to just watch it burn. Did things like that always seem so unpleasant, now that he looked back on it? Or rather, was he just being too hard on that past self of his?

Though, as these days had since come and gone, he could not help but indulge in the memories he made now. Memories of the night before, all happening in one continuous motion. How closely all those of his year gathered by the bonfire. Loud cheers and laughter of all those that came together as friends. Overflowing courage that sprung from his classmates, pouring their hearts out to ask for that one dance for someone special.

As much as he savored that night, Fuutarou wondered, had he really done the best that he could? After all of that, it was still difficult to confront those five sisters during the bonfire. Nothing more than their ordinary greetings, banters, and bickering, before eventually distancing themselves for the remainder of the night. It seemed like a better idea to let those five share the last of the festival together. Meddling had gotten him too far into this mess from the beginning, he could do well to learn some restraint for at least one night. Either way, Takeda and Maeda were more than enough company.

But, that was all a memory now. The normality of his everyday life had since resumed as Fuutarou now laid his back on the tatami floors of their tiny apartment. In these recent hours, Uesugi Fuutarou had become well-acquainted with the linings of their square ceiling. Everything down to the tiniest of blemishes, as this small ceiling had served as the distant, blurred backdrop of the phone held over his eyes.

Two buttons that he never knew to be so nerve-wracking. 'Call' and 'Mail'—both fixed to the name of one contact.

Nakano, Ichika.

"You've been like this ever since you got home last night, Big Brother."

Drooped above his brow was the large, plume-like fringe of Raiha's hair. His little sister stood over him with a puzzled squint. "What has gotten into you?"

"It's nothing, Raiha. I'm just a little tired."

"It doesn't sound like nothing!" Raiha knelt beside his place on the floor. "I know you, big brother. You're always stuck doing the same thing; it's obvious when something has happened. Come on! Tell me, tell me!"

"Tch." Fuutarou clicked his teeth. "I told you, Raiha, it's nothing. Leave me alone."

"You..." She sniffled.

Fuutarou held his breath. That slight rise to her voice—he knew all too well what trouble that tone of hers invited.

"You... aren't going to talk to your sister...? You really don't trust me?"

He rolled over on his place on the floor, for all the good it will do him. In this this tiny, one-room apartment shared between his father, his sister, and himself, it was not as if he could just shut himself away in his own room.

"Just leave him be, Raiha," their father, Uesugi Isanari, said.

"But I think he's hiding something! It's not fair!"

Fuutarou breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Da—"

"Of course he's hiding something!" Isanari slapped his newspaper onto their cramped, wooden floor table. "He's a third-year high school boy who's just had his last big event before graduation. No way is it just 'nothing'. I was his age at some point too, you know."

"Eh? You think so too?" Raiha said. "Like what?"

"What else does a boy like him have to worry about?" Isanari laughed loudly. "Girl trouble, of course! The question is, did he get rejected?"

"Dad!"

"Is that true, Big Brother?!"

"No, it's not!"

"Did you ask out one of the quintuplets? Which one, which one?!"

"You're a man now, Fuutarou." Isanari said between spoonfuls of rice. "Be more honest with your feelings. No shame in it."

"Did you finally get your first kiss?!"

"Lay off of me!" Fuutarou sat upright, slamming his arm onto the table. "As if I have nothing better to do than waste my time worrying about stuff like that. Maybe other highschoolers make that the center of their life's problems, but I'm not so naive. Last night was just a huge waste of time. I knew I was better off coming back home and studying."

Their tiny room fell quiet.

"Well..." Raiha said after a while. "I thought you've been having a lot more fun lately, Big Brother, so I thought something might have happened. Spending so much time with your friends at the festival... confessing to the girl you like..." Raiha giggled innocently. "You're right. It does sound a little too normal for you, Big Brother."

Fuutarou looked away. Normal? That was right. For as long as he had known, Fuutarou had valued his own status-quo. Days and days spent with his nose tucked between the pages of books and paper. Conditioned for that and nothing more.

Isanari pressed his knuckles to his cheek, looking to him with an unconvinced smirk. "Is that so?" He said. "Well, that's that, then." He lifted himself to his feet, then grabbed the coat hanging beside him. "Come on, Raiha. We had some shopping planned."

"Oh." Fuutarou began to stand up. "Let me go grab my coat, too."

"You can stay here, Fuutarou," said Isanari. "You said it yourself—you got some studying to catch up on, right? Best get to it. It'll just be you and me, Raiha. Now go put on your shoes."

"Okay!" Raiha walked to the front door. "See ya later, Big Brother!"

"I can still come, It's not like I—"

The door clicked behind amidst his rambling, leaving him alone in their apartment.

"Damn it..." Fuutarou mumbled to himself, tiredly laying back on the floor. He let out a long, frustrated sigh. "What's the matter with me? Did I really have to lie to them like that? I mean, it's not like they should be poking their nose into my business anyway..."

Again, Fuutarou held the tiny phone screen above his eyes.

Foolish, naive nonsense. The more those words from the past stuck itself onto his mind, the less and less convincing it sounded.

Right now, there was only one thing that he wanted.

"Hello?"

Fuutarou laid quietly on the floor.

Was he an idiot?

Was he a complete IDIOT? How could he have sat through the entire dim drone of a ringing phone-call and not realize he had nothing to open up with? As a matter of fact, he hardly bothered to call anyone if not for a good reason. Nine total contacts populated his phone—Raiha, his father, the Nakano sisters, and Takeda and Maeda—but looking to the small summary of his recent activity, it may as well be just Raiha and his dad.

Although, calling someone for the sake of wanting to chat? He hardly was at that level with Maeda and Takeda, much less with the one he had poured his heart to the night before. What else was there to do to fill this awkward silence? Stifled sounds escaped his breath, as if years of diligent study and education somehow failed to form even the simplest words.

He heard a quiet laugh from the speaker.

"Finally called, didn't you, Fuutarou-kun? Are you doing well?"

"Ichika!" Fuutarou finally sputtered. "You... you answered."

"Of course I did. You called, didn't you? Really know how to keep a girl waiting."

"You... could have called me too, you know. You have my number."

"I was thinking about it, though, I was a bit busy this morning. Some things about work, and, well..." He heard a teasing giggle from behind the phone. "I did enjoy thinking of you laying on your back, working up the courage to finally call me."

Fuutarou held his breath.

"I take it your silence means I was pretty spot-on? Was I really?"

"No, I was just—" He sighed. "That's not important, Ichika. How about I just start over? I am doing... just fine. How about yourself?"

"Wow, hearing you try to make small talk is almost kind of weird. You feeling okay or are you—kidding! I'm kidding; just can't help myself. I can tell you were about to say something just now. But... I'm glad to hear from you, Fuutarou-kun. Wish we all could have spent more time together after the festival."

"Yeah... " Fuutarou looked down. "Sorry to have left all of a sudden. I thought you and your sisters might have wanted to spend some time with—"

"Oi, Fuu-kun!" A further voice snuck in on their conversation. "He can hear me, right?"

"Ni—Nino? Why are you—"

"Oh, forgot to mention: you're on speaker."

"You couldn't have mentioned that beforehand?!" Fuutarou shouted. "Who else is there?"

"Hello, Fuutarou—"

"GOOD MORNING, UESUGI-SAN!"

"Itsuki here. Yotsuba, you don't have to yell across like that."

Fuutarou furrowed his brow. "I should have guessed."

"Sorry, sorry!" Ichika laughed. "It's a little later in the morning, but we're all just having breakfast. Nino and Miku couldn't agree on what to have so they're both cooking."

"Well, a little warning would have been nice."

"Why? Got some stuff you're too embarrassed to say in front of everyone? Hmm?"

"Not at the table, please," Itsuki's voice came in. "I don't want to have my mealtime ruined by having to hear Uesugi-kun's voice."

Fuutarou's eyes twitched. "Why you little..."

"Oi, Fuu-kun!" Nino interrupted. "Why'd you barely come see us at the bonfire? You aren't too chicken to be around us, are you?"

"That's—"

"I saw Uesugi-san sneaking glances at us." Yotsuba interjected. "Why didn't you come hang out with us more? We wanted to see you!"

"Really? That's kind of creepy..." Itsuki said.

"Hey," Fuutarou said, "can I at least get one word in—"

"Nino. Are you done with the whisk? I need it for my eggs."

"Not yet, Miku. There's a spare in that drawer over there. Just use that. Yotsuba, can you help—"

"LEAVE IT TO ME!"

"By the way, Itsuki, have you seen that new bra I bought anywhere? I think it got mixed up with your laundry."

"Ichika! Isn't Uesugi-kun still on the line?! He could be eavesdropping."

"Oh whoops, you're right. My ba—"

"Yotsuba, you're moving too many things around. It's so noisy."

"I ALMOST GOT I—"

Fuutarou closed the call.

Honestly, what else was he expecting? Calling one of them might as well be calling all of them, especially on a day off. Hoping to speak privately was already asking for too much. He still did not know how the conversation would have gone in the first place.

If it was anything at all, hearing all the clamor and commotion was strangely relieving. The comfort of the status-quo. Those five sisters and himself. His students and their teacher.

Fuutarou wondered, was there even a need for all of this? His mind had not yet peacefully settled after everything. Everything seemed to changing too fast, and never had Fuutarou gone so long with so many questions unanswered. So many uncertainties. What it means to love someone.

Was he even mature enough for any of this?

The buzz of his phone rattling against the table snapped him back.

"Sorry about that, Fuutarou-kun," Ichika said. "Things got a bit too hectic back there."

"Well, it doesn't surprise me. Aren't you just about to start breakfast with your sisters? I'd hate to have to spoil Itsuki's insatiable appetite."

"Don't think she can hear that if that's what you were trying to do." Ichika laughed. "I went back to my room to call you back. You wanted to talk about something?"

"You really didn't have to get up and leave. Wouldn't want to make things awkward for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Fuutarou tugged his collar. "They know you left to come speak with me, right? Privately, I mean. Wouldn't it be... you know, awkward for us to talk like this?"

"Then what do you think would make it better? Waiting a week or two for them to get over it? A month? A year? Should I make sure I'm not around my sisters if we want to talk?"

"I don't mean it like that, Ichika."

"You're too nice, Fuutarou-kun. What makes you think things would be awkward? Because right now, I think it's only you that feels that way."

Fuutarou was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure how to put it, but I was sort of... surprised to hear the five of you having such a normal morning. Getting along like you usually do, and all. I don't know. I think it's weird that I find it surprising, does that make sense? Like..."

"You think just because you picked one of us means there'd be some tension, is that it?"

"I... no, I didn't..." Fuutarou's voice slowly lowered.

"Too blunt?"

"No, just a little embarrassed. Makes me sound a little too full of myself when you word it like that." Fuutarou chuckled. "But... you are right."

"You seriously get hung up over just about anything, don't you? And here I remembered you singing such high praise over those sisters of mine. You should already know— Nino doesn't hide anything, Miku is hardly that fragile, Yotsuba will always be your ally, and Itsuki is one of your closest friends, whether you like it or not. So come on, stop being so uptight."

"You girls..." Fuutarou shook his head, smiling. "Yeah, you're right. Guess I've been worrying over nothing."

"We're all waiting to see you again."

There was a short pause.

"Especially me, Fuutarou-kun." Ichika whispered.

Like the chill of a cold wind down his spine. Fuutarou bit his lip, but it was not enough to mask the short excitement in his breath, or the wordless silence that came after.

"You really make it easy to picture your face." Ichika laughed.

"You sound like you're having a little too much fun with this."

"You could say that. Though, I do mean it. I can tell the rest of them were a little disappointed you couldn't spend more time with them during the festival. Yotsuba and Nino were even saying stuff like 'since when did Uesugi get so popular with those in his class? Aren't we enough for him?'. Might want to watch out for them tomorrow."

Tomorrow. For some reason, the day seemed too far away in Fuutarou's mind. The following morning would signal the start to another school week, a return to the normality of a high school student's life.

Of course, something as large of an event like the Sunrise Festival would be all the talk in the upcoming days. Though he had ignored it all up until now, it was no small assumption to say that newfound romances were ripe for gossip with events like this. Word gets around far too quickly, and it would not be long before other nosy students found their way on his back.

Nakano Ichika and Uesugi Fuutarou. The most charismatic and popular of the Nakano quintuplets—especially among the boys of their grade—somehow ended up with the quiet, study-obsessed loner of their year. Oh, that was right. Maeda did say that he had a small crush on Ichika as well. That could make for an awkward conversation.

Tomorrow would be that day. Tomorrow would be the day he would see them all again, to brush the awkward rumors aside, to answer to all the annoying questions.

Tomorrow would be the day he could see Ichika again.

"Fuutarou? You still there?"

"Hey, Ichika."

"Huh?"

"You don't have any plans, do you? Let's go meet up somewhere. Today."

Questioning himself was not something Fuutarou thought he would have gotten used to by now. Think one thing, say another. He had more than enough time to think things thoroughly, yet, here he was. Four train stops away and 250 yen in transportation fare. In the busy streets of the city's downtown district, where the sounds of thousands of different footsteps pattered against the square. Where leisure and leeway were all there was to a fulfilling afternoon. He idly stood, taking occasional glances to the nearby stores. It was well past the point of questioning himself, but a small part of him could not help but scratch his head whenever he looked to their meeting place.

To begin with, he did not even like coffee all that much.

"Sorry I'm late," Ichika said. "Did you wait long?"

"What is considered 'long'?" asked Fuutarou. "If you mean from the time we agreed to meet, I got here a little earlier than 1:00. It's almost 2:00 now."

"Well, you did ask me to come out all of a sudden, Fuutarou. " Ichika pouted. "It's not like I can just walk out wearing my loungewear and no makeup. You should feel lucky I took all that time just for you."

"It really takes that long? Sounds like a real hassle."

"Really? That's the first thing you say to me after wanting to see me so badly? The least you can do is compliment how cute I look." Ichika sighed. "Though, I should expect that from the guy who hardly pays attention to people's faces."

"You say it like it's always been easy to pay attention to five identical faces..." Fuutarou scratched the back of his head. "But uhm..."

There was a bit of truth to Ichika's last statement. He was hardly one to pay close attention to the appearance of others. Fashion trends, outfit coordination, changes in hairstyle, or anything else of the like. If it were not for that inviting tone of hers, Fuutarou would not have had the confidence to take a more discreet look. Ichika wore an off-shoulder yellow knit sweater that tilted to one side, exposing one of the thin black straps of her tank-top. She wore a thin black buckle-belt tightened over white skinny jeans, and black heeled-boots. Above her nose was the thick black ridge of her glasses—an accessory she had claimed would make her look a lot more intelligent, but they both knew it was fake.

Casual street attire, so Fuutarou would think. Her clothes looked as if they were brand new, carefully picked out for such occasions. Now that the thought had entered his mind, perhaps what he wore was too simple. A gray cardigan over his white button-up shirt, a dark-brown belt over dark pants. Was this not what he always wore? As a matter of fact, it was hardly different at all from their school's uniform, and no doubt about it, Ichika had seen him like this many times.

And now that she teased him so closely, he wondered, what was that pleasant scent in her perfume that kept his attention fixated on her this entire time? What was it that gave her lips that subtle tint and shine that only looked better with the pout of her lips?

Damn it, just how long had he been looking?

"Well... I don't know a lot about fashion and stuff, but you..." Fuutarou covered the lower half of his face with his hand. "You look... really nice today, Ichika."

Ichika grinned widely to hide the reddish flush of her cheeks. "See? Not that hard, right? Now come on, let's go find us a seat."

She turned her face away for a moment. Receiving a compliment was not anything new for Ichika. Praise from colleagues, and admiration from her peers. Even at some point during these past few months, she and her sisters have come to experience at least some praise from Fuutarou, their mentor, tutor, and friend.

But today, Fuutarou was not their mentor. It was an impromptu date, and that coy look of his belonged to the one she loved. That alone was more than enough.

The two entered the coffee shop.

It was Fuutarou's first time inside of a place like this. Right away, he noticed how much movement happened in this small store. Back and forth shuffling of seats and footsteps as people came and went. The close and distant chatter of many simultaneous voices over the slow, calming tempo of jazz.

"I'm surprised you picked to meet up at a coffee shop," said Ichika. "You weren't really one for coffee, am I remembering that right?"

"The taste is too bitter" said Fuutarou plainly. "The drinks are weird and confusing. Everything is so overpriced. Not too sure why these places are so popular. You can't study at all in this environment."

"That grouchy loner side of you is showing Fuutarou. Come on, just try it. I'll even pay for you. What do you want?"

"You really don't have to. I don't even need anything, really."

"No, it would be my pleasure.I just got paid, and plus, it'll be weird if only I got something."

"I... don't know how comfortable I am about that, actually," said Fuutarou. "You paying for me, I mean. I don't like owing people anything, and I already owe you quite a bit, don't I?"

"Of course. Once you make it big, right?" She smiled impishly. "But, having you owe me some more doesn't sound too bad either."

"Honestly, your hiring fees are way too steep. You sure you're that good of an actress?"

"Hey! You really just said that!" Ichika pulled on his sleeve, looking to him with a petty scowl. "You said something pretty bold just now. I'll have you know, I take great pride in my job as an actress. You pay for the quality."

"Are actresses like Tamako-chan really popular nowadays, or something?"

"Tamako isn't my only role, you know!" Ichika blushed, remembering their time together at the cafe where Fuutarou worked. When it came to her job, Ichika liked to keep a little bit of privacy over certain roles, and nothing embarrassed her more than the fact Fuutarou had only seen her with that persona. From that little twitch that barely made a smirk on Fuutarou's lips— if Ichika did not now any better, she would almost think Fuutarou was the one doing the teasing. "I've played a lot more roles since then, like—"

A harsh cough interrupted their bantering.

"Is the lovely couple ready to order now?" The worker at the register greeted them with a forced smile.

Fuutarou turned away, shamefully hiding the redness of his face, though all he could see was the thinning patience of the line formed behind them.

"Just find us a seat, Fuutarou." Ichika chuckled. "Nothing too bitter, right?"

After a short while, Fuutarou found himself tucked inside the seat of a window-side table. True, there was some irritable loudness that came with a buys place like this, but enough time would make the noise eventually fade into the background. It was no library, but there was some comfort in the atmosphere, especially when his time was accompanied. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. Warmth of the inside air, mixed with the wakeful scent of coffee beans.

"Tired?" Ichika finally joined him, placing two drinks at the table.

"I can still pay for my own. I was the one who asked you to come out, after all. How much do I owe you?" He reached for the paper receipt, but Ichika quickly swiped it from the table.

"Nope." She grinned, crumpling the receipt in her hands. "Today is my treat, and you don't owe me a thing. Consider it a gift from this third-rate actress of yours."

"You know I was just joking about that. I've seen enough of your performances to know that you're a great actress."

She gave a complacent smile. "What is this? Flattery? How sweet of you to be a fan of mine."

"Well, I had to see for myself what kept you blowing off so many study sessions. For all the times you canceled out on us, I would be more surprised if you weren't a good actress."

"Jeez..." Ichika pouted. "You really don't know how to give a normal compliment, do you? A lot of people would love to be dating a beautiful actress. Hmph. I retract my kind generosity." She slid the two drinks closer to her end of the table.

"Go ahead. That means I can actually pay you back for mine."

"No, they're both mine now. You can go and order one for yourself."

"Seriously? You're going to finish two drinks? Who are you, Itsuki?" Fuutarou paused a moment, taking a good, long look at her face. "Wait a minute... did you two—"

"No!" Ichika said. "I am Ichika! How on earth can you mistake us at this point?"

They glared at each other from opposite sides of the table, but neither of them could keep it up. Before long, all they could do was laugh. Laugh over the pettiness of their little exchanges. Laugh for all the pleasure and joy the other's company brought. Just like how it always had been between the two of them. Fuutarou would sometimes forget it, but time spent with Ichika so easygoing, so that they were dating, he wondered, just how different would those times be?

In a similar way, Ichika hoped that this Fuutarou would stay the same. The way Fuutarou was right now, and that boy she had stumbled upon in the past. Though Fuutarou has changed so much since then, it does not change the fact that the one she fell in love with was the awkward, ill-tempered tutor in her grade. If they could keep their moments just like this, Ichika would not want anything else from him.

"Come on, just take a drink already," said Ichika. "It'll melt if we just leave it. I want to know what you think."

"Well... then, thank you." Fuutarou reached for a drink. Two plastic cups with a clear dome-shaped lid, with a swirl of syrup-drizzled cream on top. "Err... which one is mine? Are they the same?"

"Hmm...no they aren't. Let me see." Ichika slowly leaned across the table. With one hand, she carefully tucked the fringe of her hair behind her ear, then slowly placed her lips on his straw. "Mhm..." Ichika thought a moment, tracing the lingering taste on her lips with a slow lick of her tongue. "Yup. That one is yours."

Fuutarou held back a snappy remark, offering her no satisfaction as he took a nonchalant sip . It was sweet. Cold. A steady slush of blended ice, sugar, and coffee that tasted a lot more like a spoonful of ice cream than coffee.

But, all that he would really think about was the warm tip of the plastic straw clasped now in his lips, and the subtle peachy taste and smooth texture of Ichika's lip gloss that he now shared a bit of.

"No reaction?" Ichika rested her chin on her palm. "Thought that would for sure get you a little excited."

"Which is why I didn't. Can't always be giving you the satisfaction."

Ichika laughed. "You know, it's really fun being with you, Fuutarou."

"I'm having fun too, Ichika." He smiled. "It's... really weird getting used to it. Dating, I mean."

She shook her head. "No, I mean it's always been fun with you, Fuutarou. I'm happy we're dating, but even if all we could have been was just friends, the only thing that would have made me sad was if we couldn't hang out like this anymore."

"Yeah..." Fuutarou looked out to the window. "We'll be graduating soon, huh?"

Ichika nodded. "Funny that we started dating now of all times. When everything seems to be coming to an end."

"Do you think things will be alright like this? You're going to be a lot busier now that you're getting more popular as an actress. As for me..."

"You being all the way in Tokyo?"

"You already knew?"

"I had a hunch." Ichika took a sip of her frappe coffee. "What? Like we were supposed to think our study-freak of a tutor, who got top 3 in the National Mock Exam, would not get accepted into the best university in Japan? It doesn't surprise me at all. Have you told the others yet?"

"Not yet... I didn't know what was the best way to bring it up to you guys, but I felt like I had to tell you first. Thought I could use some advice."

For some time, Ichika only smiled at Fuutarou. Cheeks pressed further into her knuckles, the playful smile on her tilted face was enough for Fuutarou to recognize when he was being doted on. "What? Did I say something weird?"

"Not weird." Ichika chuckled. "I'm just remembering the day when we all were strangers. When it took us some time before we all got along. Who would have thought that Uesugi Fuutarou would be so worried about saying goodbyes?" She laughed again. "I think you just have a bad habit of over-thinking, Fuutarou. You're worried about how they would feel, right? You think they'd be sad and disappointed, but you sitting here, worrying about all of that, shows you would feel the same way too, if it were the other way around. If they'll feel sad, let them. That's what it means to have friends that care abot you."

Fuutarou leaned against in his chair. "Yeah... I suppose you're right."

"Though," Ichika continued, "there's bound to be a lot of cute girls in Tokyo, especially for a young, eager college boy who's still learning to hold himself back a bit. Just don't forget this one here, okay?" Ichika winked.

He sighed, but could not help but smile. "I could say the same for you too. An actress is bound to meet a lot of people, and other actors and actresses are bound to be good-looking people themselves. You already kissed someone on-set, didn't you?"

"I could always turn down roles that involve too much intimacy. It's a pretty common thing they talk about for partners and spouses of actors. Some people aren't too comfortable with the idea of seeing them romantically engaged, even if it's just acting, and that's pretty understandable."

"Hmm..." Fuutarou furrowed his brows. "I don't think that's it either. Turning down work when you're starting to get popular probably isn't a good idea, and I don't think it would make me feel better either way. Although, I haven't really thought about how it would make me feel. That kiss you had was with another actress, and technically, we weren't dating so I don't think it actually counts" He pondered quietly. "Hmm..."

"Oh? Would you prefer if I only kissed girls? Is that what you're into, Fuutarou?" Ichika pressed both of her knuckles to her cheeks, leaning closer with a teasing smirk. "Hmm? Hmmmmm?"

"Be serious, Ichika." He pushed her back with two fingers pressed above her brow. "A small part of me will always worry, but more than anything, as your tutor and as your... boy...friend" His voice quietened a bit, and he looked as if he suddenly became twice as cautious with every visible face around them, as if one would somehow become recognizable. "I want to see you shine. I want to see you doing what it is that you love, and I want to put all my trust in you, Ichika. So go on."

"Thanks, Fuutarou." She smiled warmly. "But if you really want to be sure, you could always try proposing to me on the spot. Who knows? I might say yes."

"Don't be ridiculous. Proposing? When we only just started dating?"

Ichika laughed. "All joking aside, I trust you too, Fuutarou. Even if you're all the way in Tokyo, I won't worry one bit. I'll always be thinking about you."

"Well for what it's worth..." Fuutarou scratched the back of his head. "I don't think you have much to worry about. I'm no charmer and I've practically used up all my luck with women in this past year, anyway."

Ichika laughed. "Nope, it's not that. I trust you completely, and you want to know why?"

"Why?"

She smirked through the thin plastic straw clasped in her lips. "Because I love you, Fuutarou."

No matter how many times she would see it, Ichika would never get tired of that look on Fuutarou's face.

Three simple words was all she would ever need.

Author's Note:

Back down here! Turns out I like keeping my little rambles at the bottom of the chapters compared to before. Though, I don't think I'll be doing that much rambling from this point on, other than the occasional 'thank yous' for all the positive feedback (that I still can't keep coming back to when I need a little boost of confidence, seriously thank you so much!)

Three chapters is a solid point to look back at the groundwork that's been laid out for 'Everything' so far, and overall, I'm feeling very good for all of the future work that will be continued here. My current pace appears to be a little over a month dedicated to each chapter, so sorry if that's a little slow.

Other than that, glad to have you aboard this far!