"I-I like you! Please go out with me…!"
On the school rooftop, a familiar scene from youthful days was unfolding—a confession, that most thrilling event of adolescence.
Yet one minor aspect set this particular scene apart—"minor" because, given today's climate, it wasn't exactly rare: both the person shyly offering a love letter and the one receiving it were girls.
Kikukawa Kyo blinked, looking at the petite, adorable girl before her. The girl's feet shifted nervously, her hands clutching the love letter trembled slightly, nearly crumpling the delicate envelope.
Yet, despite her nervous actions, her bright eyes met Kyo's gaze directly, unwavering.
Just as her name suggested, Ayakane's eyes were a dazzling golden hue, shimmering gently like polished gold.
Fearful of rejection and embarrassment, yet filled with courage and determination…
How fascinating. Perhaps she'd make an interesting subject to observe.
Kyo recognized this girl. Ayakane was one grade below her. She was in the last-numbered class of the first-years, while Kyo belonged to the first-numbered class among second-years, their classrooms separated merely by a flight of stairs.
Kyo often caught glimpses of Ayakane between classes, during lunchtime, or even after school.
Yet, had they ever truly interacted? Perhaps not.
Oh, right—Ayakane had an older sister named Kohaku in Kyo's class, who, incidentally, didn't seem to like Kyo very much.
This is even more interesting! The older sister disliked her, yet here the younger sister was, confessing her feelings.
Kyo had already done some casual research on Kohaku since they shared a classroom. She wondered briefly if Ayakane might share any of her sister's traits.
After a quick consideration, Kyo immediately discarded that simplistic notion. She only had to think of herself and her own sister; their personalities were worlds apart. If anyone tried to interact with Kyo the way they did with her sister, they'd inevitably stumble into awkwardness.
In other words, there was no ready-made approach for this situation.
Oh well, let's just take it one step at a time.
All this thought passed through Kyo's mind in mere seconds after Ayakane's confession. Before Ayakane's anxiety deepened further, Kyo responded swiftly.
She reached out gently, carefully taking the letter—decorated with cute stickers girls liked to collect and neatly inscribed with Kyo's name in Ayakane's graceful handwriting. Clearly, this letter contained sincere feelings.
The moment Kyo's fingers touched the envelope, Ayakane's fingertips visibly trembled more violently.
Like teasing a shy mimosa plant. Kyo thought this to herself. Ayakane was clearly trying hard to appear calm, but sadly, her acting skills still had room to improve.
Did this reaction truly signify that Ayakane liked her very much? After all, her reaction was rather intense.
Kyo loved her parents and sister too, but whenever she expressed that love, she never hesitated to say it directly.
Yet, whenever people around Kyo tried to convey their emotions—whether Ayakane now or even her own sister, who sometimes became shy and hesitant whenever Kyo longed to hear her affection—they always behaved so awkwardly.
Thus, Kyo understood clearly: due to her nature, her perception of emotions differed fundamentally from others. This was precisely her problem: she didn't lack emotions, but rather lacked empathy towards others. Unable to understand their behaviors intuitively, she had to rely on observed patterns to interact normally.
This issue had another related complication: apart from familial affection, Kyo didn't know how to express other emotions. For instance, she couldn't grasp how people could pour their emotions into music through instruments—such an idea seemed completely nonsensical to her.
Right now, having received Ayakane's confession, Kyo felt as though she'd been handed an incredibly fragile puzzle box. To solve it correctly, she would have to proceed carefully, trying step by step.
But unfortunately, Kyo didn't believe that love was something suited to repeated trial and error. She didn't want anyone hurt because of her actions.
Thus, she decided to start with the safest step possible. After taking the love letter, she deliberately softened her voice, selecting from the many expressions she'd practiced, and chose the one most appropriate at this moment—a gentle look. Quietly, she asked Ayakane if it was okay for her to open the letter right now.
"P-please, go ahead!" Ayakane stammered even more heavily now. Her face flushed a deeper red. Kyo suspected she felt embarrassed, though Ayakane's inner thoughts ran differently:
Kikukawa-senpai is so gentle with people… Those soft, water-like eyes are so beautiful. Even the way she speaks softly, caring about my feelings, makes my heart pound…
The letter's contents were plain and sincere, reflecting nothing but a young girl's pure affection.
Kyo's eyes quickly scanned each word, memorizing them before attempting, first, to feel the supposed "love" within it instinctively. Unsurprisingly, Kyo felt absolutely nothing.
Thus, she shifted to her usual method: rationally breaking down every sentence, understanding each word individually, then piecing together the underlying meanings.
After eliminating unnecessary flourishes, she simplified the content repeatedly until finally concluding: the letter merely expressed affection towards her—nothing more, nothing less.
Now, how to handle what follows…
Before Ayakane's watchful gaze, Kyo carefully returned the letter into its envelope, gently holding it in her hand—a gesture designed to convey that she took it seriously. Hopefully, it would ease some of Ayakane's nerves.
It seemed effective. Seeing her carefully written love letter cherished by her crush, Ayakane couldn't help but display a small, uncontrollable smile.
However, Kyo's next words nearly made Ayakane's vision go black.
"Thank you for liking me..."
Is she handing me a 'nice person' rejection…?
Kyo immediately noticed Ayakane's reaction and understood the ambiguity in her words. Had her phrasing been too formal? Or perhaps she should directly respond without using polite excuses?
She quickly shifted tactics, delaying an immediate answer and instead conveying her own "feelings" first.
"This is actually the first confession I've ever received… truly…" Kyo deliberately appeared slightly overwhelmed. Though still maintaining eye contact, she lowered her head slightly, indicating vulnerability.
Then she softly laughed—a gentle, wind-chime-like sound—as though barely containing overwhelming joy and excitement. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head again and spoke with utmost sincerity:
"I'm really happy. Thank you, Ayakane-chan."
"You don't need to thank me..." Ayakane replied numbly.
Kikukawa-senpai…is she feeling shy because of my confession? Could it be…?
Meanwhile, Kyo deliberated inwardly, debating whether to delay her reply by stalling a bit to secure more thinking time. She was confident that delaying wouldn't cause Ayakane any real displeasure.
But…
Looking at Ayakane's face filled with hopeful expectation, Kyo couldn't ignore the intensity of her emotions. Though Kyo couldn't fully comprehend these feelings, she understood clearly that Ayakane's affection for her was genuine.
She wanted to know. She wanted to understand.
I'm sorry, Ayakane-chan. Even though this might end up hurting you in the end.
"I think…I might like you too—"
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