The festival noise felt distant—blurred, muted—like it was happening behind a glass wall. All I could focus on was the girl standing in front of me, fingers twisting together, cheeks flushed with one part nerves and one part courage.
"T-Takahashi-kun…" Fujimura-san's voice wavered. "I—I've liked you for a while now. Please… go out with me."
For a second, everything inside me stalled.
The play.The kiss scene.Tachibana-san looking at me afterward, like she was trying to read something in my face.My chest was still a tangled mess from all of that.
And now this.
"Oh… Fujimura-san…" I managed, though my thoughts were spinning too fast to grab onto.
She looked up at me with hopeful eyes, and all I could think was that she deserved an answer that wasn't half-distracted or confused. But the truth was simple:
My heart wasn't here.
"I'm sorry," I said finally. "I really appreciate your feelings. But… I like someone else."
Her shoulders dipped, just for a second. Then she smiled—small, steady, almost like she'd been expecting this.
"I figured," she said quietly. "I've seen the way you look at Tachibana-san."
My breath caught.…Was it really that obvious?
"I—" I started, but she shook her head gently.
"It's fine. I knew I didn't stand a chance. But I still wanted to say it once, properly."
I frowned. "If you knew, then why tell me at all?"
She hesitated, shifting her weight, voice softening.
"Because… I didn't like you at first. You were just another guy. But then you changed. You worked harder. You tried more. You kept getting back up." Her eyes lowered for a moment. "I admired that. And before I knew it… I started liking you."
She let out a tiny, embarrassed laugh.
"I guess I hoped maybe you hadn't realized your feelings yet."
For a moment, I didn't know what to say. Being admired—noticed—in this way still felt foreign, like she was talking about someone else entirely.
Somewhere behind us, someone shifted—the faintest sound, almost swallowed by the festival music. Neither of us noticed.
A lone figure stood partly hidden behind a booth curtain. White hair caught the lantern light, trembling shoulders saying the rest. The tear sliding down his cheek vanished into the noise before anyone could see.
He disappeared into the crowd without a sound.
Fujimura-san exhaled, a quiet sigh.
"Thanks for listening, Takahashi-kun."One last bittersweet smile.Then she was gone.
I let out a long breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. The festival carried on—laughter, music, cheers—but inside, everything felt strangely still.
Then—
"Takahashi-kun."
I stiffened.
Tachibana-san walked toward me, Snow White dress still trailing behind her, expression unreadable. Seeing her now, right after everything, made my heartbeat trip over itself.
She stopped in front of me, arms crossing.
"We need to talk."
My throat tightened. "About what?"
She paused—just long enough to make my stomach twist.
"The play," she said softly. "And… everything else."
My pulse hammered.
But I met her eyes and nodded.
"Alright," I said. "Let's talk."