Archive of Our Own

Hollow, lifeless brown eyes stared at the wall clock almost impatiently, the sound of his fingers tapping on the wooden nightstand echoing in the room.

‘What on Earth is Sumeragi doing?’

Kaede had been waiting for her for more than ten minutes. Well, not waiting , since he didn’t long for his company at all, but the girl had more or less became used to come to the nurse’s office every day at the same hour to check on him and try to ‘cheer him up’ after everything that happened with Yumeko Jabami and his terrible defeat that led him to turn into a house pet and his life plan to end up in Itsuki’s little hands. Not that he liked her company.

In fact, it annoyed him that she still had the nerve to show up in front of him and tell him to ‘get back on track’, as if she expected him to return to the power he used to have when he was in the student council — As if it hadn’t been her the one responsible for his current situation. It certainly got him out of his nerves.

But, even when he felt every inch of his body burn with the rancour and annoyance he felt towards her ex accomplice's choice to ‘stay by his side’ even when the option of ruining his life was still pending on her little hands, Kaede found himself quite startled when the clock kept ticking and there was no sign of Itsuki showing up to do her usual speech in an attempt to encourage him to not give up on this election thing and in life in general.

Not that he cared. He was, in fact, better off without that little gremlin that tormented him even when she wasn’t actually there around him.

Yeah, he definitely was.

His gaze lifted from the clock when the familiar sound of the old door creaking open flooded the silent room, making him turn his head towards it so fast he almost got dizzy. Maybe Itsuki had decided to come, after all, and maybe sh— 

‘‘ MAME!!! ’’

Crap, not this bitch.

Midari Ikishima had nicknamed him ‘ ‘Mame’’ when they first met in his first year, the day Midari joined the student council due to some masochist reason Kaede had prefered not to know. The nickname, as the eye-patched girl had explained to him on her second day in the student council, meant ‘bean’, which was a way to read the first kaji of his name. Kaede had found that utterly idiotic when she first told him, but a year had passed since then and he found himself no longer correcting her whenever she called him that . 

A loud sigh left his mouth when the raven girl stepped into the room, one hand on her hip and the other one on her heavy-looking bag. In her face, she held an excited smile that almost made him roll his eyes.

His relationship with Midari was… difficult. They were far away from friends, but neither that nor enemies were words that could define them. Even though Kaede seemed to hate her, and even though it looked like those feelings were returned by the girl, the truth was that they got along a little. Of course, Midari would never admit that she liked hanging out with a nerd like Kaede; and Kaede would never admit that he ‘tolerated’ talking to a crazy bitch like Midari. They were the definition of chaotic, and even if the boy would not hesitate if he was given the option to shoot the president of the Beautification Council, he knew she’d have his back at any time.

Maybe that was why she was standing there, looking at him somehow pitifully while clearly mocking his poor state in silence.

‘‘Ikishima’’ He greeted her, his tone as monotonous as he could make it ‘‘Out of everyone in this school, I must admit you’re the last person I expected to be here’’

The girl took a step forward and threw her bag carelessly at the floor, having Kaede flinch slightly when the sound of something metallic hitting the tiles echoed in the room. He looked at her as if he was asking what the actual fuck was that and Midari simply shrugged the unspoken question away as she sat on the edge of the bed without any permission given from the boy first.

‘‘Expecting Itsuki, weren’t ya?’’ She laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. Kaede’s eyes widened.

‘‘I wasn’t— She just— How do you know anyway?’’ He stammered, cursing himself for seeming so insecure with his answer. Of course he had expected Itsuki to be there, but it was out of routine, and not because he actually wanted her to be there or something like that. That would be incredibly dull, wouldn’t it?

‘‘How do I know what? That she spends like an hour here each evening just because the girl’s worried ‘bout ya?’’ Midari raised an eyebrow ‘‘Or how do I know that that chick’s literally everything your two brain cells can think about?’’

Kaede clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed ‘‘Everything in that sentence was extremely unnecessary’’ 

‘‘Whatever! Tell me, how have ya been?’’ Midari swayed her legs back and forth on the edge of the bed childishly, making the boy roll his eyes for real this time.

‘‘Just get to the point, Ikishima. What are you here for?’’

‘‘What? Can’t a girl visit his old colleague just because she worries for him?’’ Kaede raised an eyebrow, making it clear that he didn’t believe a single word of what she said ‘‘Fineeeee, ugh— Actually, that girl’s the reason why I’m here’’

‘‘Who? Sumergi?’’

‘‘The devil’s daughter herself, yeah!’’ Midari howled, shifting her body over the bed so she could stare at him. Kaede felt like he was being laughed at (oh, wait, he actually was) and huffed heavily.

‘‘What does Sumeragi have to do with you being here? I am not in the student council anymore, so it doesn’t make sense that you come to visit me. And you’ve never been close with her, so I don’t understand why you would--’’

‘‘It’s actually a rather long story’’ She cut him off, not wanting to hear another word from what seemed to be something that would turn into one of his long lectures, and Midari had had enough of those in the last year ‘‘To sum it up, I’m kinda worried ‘bout you and her, y’know?’’

‘‘I’m not following you’’

The eye-patched girl sighed exasperatedly, being fully aware of how oblivious the boy could be ‘‘Man, I don’t know how to put this. Err… Let’s just say, Runa, Yumemi and I have been observing you two for a while. For the past semester, actually.

‘‘I still don’t understand your point’’ Midari’s only eye narrowed in frustration.

‘‘Goddamit, you’re so fucking obtuse!’’ She yelled, throwing hands above her head ‘‘What I mean is that we’re all waiting for you to get together! And since this whole thing happened and she has your life plan now, Runa thought it would be a good idea to put our hopes on ya two again’’

‘‘Why would we get together?’’

‘‘Y’know, as a couple and—’’

Kaede frowned ‘‘No, I get what you mean. What I don’t understand is what led you, Yomozuki and Yumemite to think that Sumeragi and I could ‘get together’’’ He gestured with his hands, mimicking what the girl had just said. Midari’s face dropped in response.

‘‘... You can’t be fucking serious’’

‘‘Deadly serious’’ He glared, and the girl hid her face in her hands, throwing her back into the mattress, clearly irritated.

‘‘Dude, men are surely another specimen, I fucking swear—’’ A pause to calm herself down, and Midari was back on her feet ‘‘I’m going to explain it to you because holy fuck how oblivious can you be. Look, back in the student council days, when you were both there, it was already obvious that you two liked each other. Like, painfully obvious. No shit, we even made a bet! And even Yuriko was part of it! Yuriko fucking Nishinotouin, making a bet! For you two!’’

‘‘Wait, you betted on Sumeragi and I dating?’’

‘‘Let me finish! Jesus Christ’’ Kaede huffed ‘‘As I was saying, we noticed that you two were like, in love with each other. And it was bearable back then, so we decided to…’’ Midari gestured with her arms, creating a shaky movement over her head ‘‘...let you two figure out for yourselves and let ‘God’ determine your fate’’ Another pause ‘‘But it’s gotten so fucking worse since you gambled with Yumeko, and as much as Runa and I hate you, we couldn’t let whatever-you-two-have-going-on die’’

‘‘Ikishima, I do not like Sumeragi’’

‘‘Yup, figured you would say that. You’re too stern to admit your feelings for that chick’’

The boy frowned and sat up on the bed so he could stare at her better ‘‘No, I mean it. I am not, as you put it, in love with Sumeragi. My relationship with her does not concern you nor anyone on the student council, even if it’s not romantic itself. So, please, if you could just leave me be—’’

Midari stood up suddenly, making the words he was spitting slowly fade and linger in the air as she pulled out her gun from the purse. He had assumed it was that crap that made the metallic sound when it hit the floor, but it felt sort of different when it was pointed at him.

Not that he was scared or anything. As his life was not his anymore, he found himself calm against the thought of death. It was just that he despised Midari Ikishima, her stupid bets and her damn ridiculous gun.

‘‘Buddy, your girlfriend’s going to come over in like, five min —I got Runa distracting her—, and I don’t want her to see me pointing a gun at you. So I’m gonna go, but believe me: I am not going to lay off until you fucking propose to that woman’’

‘‘I deeply loathe you, Ikishima’’

‘‘Love ya too, Mame ! Bye~’’

And just like that, Midari Ikishima left the nurse’s office, with nothing more than her gun and the record of the boy being left with a mix of anger and genuine confusion sitting on the nursery bed while he waited for the first year girl to get there.

**

The second time Ikishima approached him after that afternoon in the nurse’s office that he had decided not to think much about —without succeeding, obviously— was when he had already gotten discharged from it. 

That day, he had been studying in the academy’s café in a period he knew Itsuki had classes. Since she had his life plan now, they had been spending a lot of time together, so he used what he called his ‘free time’ to do school-related work and stuff Itsuki never seemed to worry about. Kaede rolled his eyes at the thought. ‘Such a dim-witted girl’ .

The boy shook his head when he found himself thinking about her ‘accomplice’s —He didn’t know what to call her anymore, so he stuck to what she had referred to him as the day she had withdrawn from the election— bad’s habits again. It wasn’t the time to think about her. ‘Focus, Kaede’, he scolded himself.

However, a familiar, dog-like bark emerging from the canteen’s door told him that he should discard the ‘focusing’ thing.

There was a yell from a surprised student, then the sound of plates crashing against the floor, and finally an energetic ‘‘Oop! Sorry for that!’’ coming from the girl that he knew had come to the cafeteria with the only purpose of bugging him with the same topic that he hadn’t been able to get out of his head over and over again.

‘‘Manyuda! What’cha doin’ over there, studying?’’ Midari mocked, walking towards him in big, rapid strides ‘‘Y’know that won’t get you anywhere in here, right?’’

Kaede sighed. She was right— Grades meant nothing in Hyakkakou. But after losing everything he had, they were the only thing that was left to mean at least something to him. Well, that, and Itsuki Sumeragi, but only for purely professional reasons. She had control over his life after all, right?

Sure.

‘‘Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone?’’ The boy answered dryly, though he closed his notebook and put his things aside, making it clear for the girl that he was done doing whatever useless thing he was doing to listen to her. Midari grinned and took a seat beside him, oblivious to the group of students that were yelling at her from the other side of the café.

‘‘Since when do you think I listen to anything you tell me? Huh?’’ There was a silence between the two ‘‘Yeah, that’s what I thought!’’

There was a huff from the boy before he turned his head back to the table that was now empty, having already put his things in his back ‘‘What do you want?’’

‘‘I told ya I wouldn’t give up, didn’t I?’’ Midari smirked as she put her feet over the chair, sitting in a rather uncomfortable and childish position. Kaede sighed.

‘‘No offence or anything, Ikishima, but you’re an awful matchmaker’’

‘‘If that’s so, how come I got Sayaka and the President together?’’ She bragged, stretching her arms above her head. The boy lifted a brow —Midari lost count on how many times he had done that every time they spoke, it being a gesture that he had become used to make whenever she told a lie—, causing his ‘nemesis’ to groan ‘‘Fine, it wasn’t specifically me, but I was part of it!’’

‘‘You weren’t’’

‘‘I take care of the lilies around the building where Sayaka confessed her love to her, that’s definitely som—’’

Kaede moved his head to look at her abruptly, almost spilling his coffee ‘‘Igarashi did what ?’’ 

‘‘It’s a long story and I’m not here for that’’ The third-year girl crossed her arms over the table and moved her chair in to sit closer to him and not having to shout to maintain a conversation with the boy ‘‘So, how’s Itsuki doing?’’

‘‘Ikishima, we’re not having this conversation again’’

‘‘Well, technically, you can’t tell me what to do, since you’re a house pet now’’ She drew an amused smile as Kaede rolled his eyes. There was nothing that pleased her more than getting him out of his nerves ‘‘Now answer’’

He grumbled, clearly irritated ‘‘She’s doing fine, I guess’’ Kaede shrugged ‘‘She has seemed to be happier ever since she withdrew from the election, the day we gambled against Jabami and two new students in that thing Terano Totobami organized’’

‘‘Oh yeah, Runa told me about that’’ Midari pointed out, and the boy nodded in response. Both of them knew well that Runa, thanks to being part of the Neutrality Committee, was aware of all the gossip and stuff going around the academy, so it was no surprise that she told Midari about the gamble ‘‘She helped you there, didn’t she?’’

‘‘Correct’’

‘‘Man, I gotta call Runa later’’ She bit back a smirk and got her phone out of her bag, only to leave it on the table afterwards. There was a silence between them as Midari looked at him as if she was expecting Kaede to go on about what happened in the gamble Terano organized, but he didn’t.

‘‘Ikishima, can I ask you something about this whole thing you’re trying to do with Sumeragi and me?’’

‘‘Yeah, what’s it?’’

The boy sighed before making the sentence in his mind and trying not to screw up as he spoke ‘‘Why are you asking me and not her? If you want us to be together so bad, which by the way is still none of your concern, why are you telling me and not Sumeragi?’’

Another silence. The raven girl’s only eye wandered around the room, avoiding landing eyes on his ex former colleague. It looked like she didn’t know what to answer, and Kaede internally hummed in satisfaction as he took a sip of the coffee can that stood on the wooden table.

Eventually, Midari clicked her tongue, unsure about what she was going to say, but looked back at him after a few seconds.

‘‘Because I already know she has a crush on you. Like, for sure’’ She shrugged ‘‘I’m more sure about her case than yours’’

Kaede had to try his best to not spit his drink.

‘‘What?’’ He turned to her so fast he almost fell off the chair, ignoring how his heart had skipped a beat and the way his face had slightly heated up. 

‘‘Please, Mame. My girl really visited you every day when you were in the nursery even after you used and looked down on her, and you still think she doesn’t feel anything for you?’’ The boy looked away ‘‘Dude, she even sacrificed her votes in order for you to have faith in yourself again’’ 

‘‘She did it because me winning meant her winning too since we’re accomplices’’ Kaede explained, lifting up his gaze to look at her ‘‘Don’t get it wrong’’

Midari’s eye widened as she covered her mouth with her hand, face expressing a mixture of surprise and amusement. It was too late for the man when he realized that he should have stayed quiet about it.

‘‘I can’t believe I’m about to tear up about a straight couple’’ She shrieked before his colleague rolled his eyes yet again.

‘‘I don’t know why you’re so enthusiastic about this. You should focus on your own ‘romantic’ affairs’’ 

Midari loudly laughed and shifted on her chair, pulling her knees to her chest ‘‘Man, you know Yumeko despises me! I can’t do anything ab—’’

‘‘Actually,’’ Kaede pushed up his glasses, ignoring her upset gesture when he interrupted her ‘‘I was talking about Nishinotouin’’

He had to bite back a smirk when he looked over at her and she wasn’t smiling anymore, enjoying the way she had frozen and looked away, making an expression that Kaede was unable to read, but it was clearly not one of delight and that was enough for him. At least he wasn’t the one being laughed at now.

‘‘Yuriko— I don’t— We—’’ The eye-patched girl stuttered, which caused Kaede to laugh. It wasn’t like her to get nervous over things like that, so he noted that down for the next occasion (because Midari was definitely not going to leave him alone even after that) ‘‘Ya know what? It doesn’t matter. We’ll talk about this another day. Itsuki must be about to get back anyways’’

‘‘Look at you. You bother me with all that romantic stuff but you can’t take it when I mention her’’ He chuckled as he took his books out of his bag, getting back to work again ‘‘I thought you were tougher than that’’

‘‘Shut the fuck up’’ Midari groaned as she stood up and kicked her chair lightly ‘‘See ya’ around’’

‘‘Sure’’

He laughed under his breath again when his colleague walked away, clearly annoyed. Kaede considered that a clear win, but still— For some reason, he couldn’t get what she said a few minutes ago out of his head.

Not that he cared. But Itsuki couldn’t be into him like that, right? It just didn’t make sense.

‘‘But what if she did? What would I do then?’’ He asked himself as he buried his face between his hands, becoming aware of how hot his cheeks were. ‘‘No — Dating is stupid and I don’t have time for it. Not even if it’s with Sumeragi’’ , but yet again, imagining being in a relationship with her made the beating of his heart somewhat erratic for some reason he chose to ignore. He didn’t like Itsuki. How could he like her? She, along with Yumeko Jabami, was the reason he had lost.

But it was true that he couldn’t find in herself to despise her, and it frustrated him how much he wanted to hate her while being unable to. It was infuriating.

‘‘No, shut up’’ Kaede told the voice in his head, clenching his fist and lifting his head up ‘‘You’re being miserable, focus before she returns from her classes’’

However, he couldn’t get to finish his homework in the whole time it took for Itsuki to come back. 

‘‘I fucking hate you, Midari Ikishima’’

** 

He hadn’t spoken much to Itsuki in the week after that conversation with Midari— Only when it was necessary, since she was still his ‘‘‘owner’’’ (referring to her as that made him want to gag, and he was sure she hated it too, but it was the most adequate term for her as long as she had his life plan), but looking at her only reminded her of the girl’s words.

‘Because I already know she has a crush on you. Like, for sure. I’m more sure about her case than yours’

It was embarrassment. It had to be. Romantic feelings ruin relationships, and Kaede still appreciated the fact that Itsuki didn’t want to screw his life up even after everything he did to her. Not everyone would act the same towards someone who degraded you like that.

However, he had told himself not to worry about that, because Itsuki being in love with him was something that was hardly possible. Itsuki Sumeragi was ambitious, and smart, and absurdly pretty —Not that he thought she was, he was just being objective here—, and she could have anyone she wanted. So, why would she want him? Among everyone in the school?

Yes, he acknowledged being somewhat attractive, but he didn’t think of himself as extremely handsome. Itsuki, on the other hand, could have easily been one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen— If not the most beautiful one herself—, so why would she fall for him? The thought of it alone was simply ridiculous. 

‘‘ Mame ? Are ya still there?’’ Midari had called him this time as she was busy with something about the Beautification Council that she had declined to tell him when he asked. He had answered with disdain since he was on his way home and he had nothing better to do than listen to true crime podcasts on his phone— And, honestly, talking to the masochist girl was somewhat close to listening to those.

He disliked both things, but still, he found himself being reluctant to hang up on the girl, knowing fully well that if he did so he’d go back to the thoughts that were distracting him from anything lately. Kaede sighed silently.

‘‘Ikishima, do you think Sumeragi is pretty?’’

There was a silence, and then, something that sounded like a squeal on the other side of the line ‘‘What? Why? Do YOU think she is?’’

‘‘Just answer, for God’s sake’’ He huffed ‘‘No, actually, don’t, it’s a stupid ques—’’

‘‘Yeah, I do’’ Midari answered, cutting him off from taking it back ‘‘I mean, all women are pretty, actually’’ Another huff ‘‘What do you expect me to say, man? I’m gay. What was that question about, by the way?’’

‘‘It’s nothing’’

‘‘C’mon, tell me. Do you think she’s pretty or not?’’ The boy overheard a cry that definitely wasn’t Midari’s on the other side of the call and he raised an eyebrow to question her before remembering that there was no point doing that since she couldn’t hear him. He was starting to doubt the fact that she was gone for ‘business’ as she told him.

‘‘I’m going to hang up if you keep going like that’’

‘‘You know you won’t’’ Even if he couldn’t see her, Kaede could tell she was grinning ‘‘Ya love me too much’’

‘‘I can’t stand you’’ He sighed ‘‘Yes, I do find Sumeragi pretty. But only objectively, don’t get the, uh... The wrong idea’’

‘‘How can you find someone pretty ‘objectively’?’’

‘‘I mean, her features are traditionally attractive. For example, she has big eyes, and her skin is smooth, and her smile is so bright it kind of shines —metaphorically, of course—, and her hair is soft, and—’’ Kaede stopped himself, realizing he was getting ahead of himself ‘‘It doesn’t matter. You get my point’’

‘‘...Damn, you’re more into her than I thought’’ Midari mocked ‘‘Why did you ask anyway?’’

‘‘I’m not into her. Also, not telling you’’

‘‘You know I’ll keep annoying you with this topic until you tell me, right? I literally won’t let you sleep, and you know how good I’m at torturing people’’

The boy sighed. There was no point in hiding this ‘intrusive thought’ from Midari, right? She was an ex-colleague of his, by the way. Who was she going to tell? Runa and Yumemite, at most. Maybe Yuriko, but it’s not like she was likely to get involved in this ‘plan’ of theirs anyway.

‘‘I was just thinking’’ Kaede stopped walking to lean on a random streetlight, keeping his eyes on the blue, cloudless sky. He sighed out loud when he thought about how it resembled Itsuki’s eyes ‘‘I don’t get why she would, uh, how did you say it again? Be into me’’ He shifted his position awkwardly, low-key fearing the girl’s answer.

‘‘Why? Because she’s pretty?’’

Kaede felt his face heating up again. This was getting ridiculous.

‘‘I mean— Yes, but— Just stop talking about this, it’s stupid’’

‘‘No wait, seriously, you think you aren’t good enough for her?’’

‘‘I don’t lik—’’

‘‘I know. I meant hypothetically’’

The boy huffed and meditated his answer a little. What was the worst that could happen if he answered honestly? That didn’t change anything about him being sure about not feeling how Midari said he felt. He was just answering a question.

‘‘Yes’’

There was a silence between them, one so long it made Kaede check whether she had hung up or not. 

‘‘Kaede Manyuda, that has to be the sappiest shit I’ve ever heard you say’’

The boy closed his eyes in slow realization. She was right. Since when did he start thinking stupid, soft things like that? It wasn’t like him.

He had always prided himself on the fact that he was stoic, and cynical, and kind of a misanthropist— Kaede had always thought of himself as someone who didn’t let his heart (if he had any) rule over his mind like he had been taught. Take the high road , and all that kind of stuff that had nothing to do with what he had just said.

But once again, a familiar heated ache struck between his ribs when Midari mentioned that thing about being sappy, like it did every time Itsuki won a gamble in which she had forced him to be the dealer and beamed at him, as if she was asking him if he was proud of her and he simply nodded, smiling slightly. 

Kaede groaned. How foolish. 

‘‘I'm not being sappy . It's just a hypothetical question, you said it yourself’’

‘‘Yeah, but— Man, that's such a non-Kaede Manyuda thing to say. Love has sure made you weak, huh? I thought you were all about looking down on people, taking the 'high road' and thinking you're better than anyone’’ In the other side of the call, Midari swayed over her chair and looked at the ceiling, letting out a soft laugh that was, too, unlike of her ‘‘And here you are, telling me, your long last enemy, that you're not good enough for Itsuki Sumeragi’’

‘‘Quit it, I only meant physically’’

‘‘Now, that was rude!’’ The eye-patched girl snickered ‘‘That’s no way to talk about yo shawty, man’’

‘‘What the hell does shawty mean?’’

‘‘It doesn’t matt—’’ Another cry by Midari’s side interrupted her, making her sigh ‘‘Will you shut up? I’m trying to have a conversation’’

‘‘Who is that?’’

‘‘Oh, just Yumemi’s girlfriend, Saori. She won’t stop bitching about how ‘spooky’ this room is, and I—’’

Kaede froze ‘‘Wait, Yumemite’s assistant is there?’’

‘‘Along with Runa and Yumemi herself, yes. Why?’’

‘‘That’s it, I’m hanging up’’

‘‘Aw, man, why? We were having a good time’’ Midari complained, letting out a burnout sigh.

‘‘You could have told me you were with other people before forcing me to say such embarrassing things, you know?’’ The girl laughed a little too hard ‘‘Shut up, I’m being serious’’

‘‘Mmh ‘kay, I get it. I have some free time tomorrow after I finish feeding myself the poor souls of virgin, pure students; mind if I pass by and we can continue having this lovely discussion?’’

‘‘I’d rather not, thank you’’

‘‘You know as well as I do that I’m going to do it anyway’’ 

The boy rolled his eyes and pushed up his glasses, starting to walk again as he realized that he had stopped a while ago ‘‘See you around then’’

And so he hung up.

Kaede looked around as if he was trying to remember the route to his house, and fortunately, he hadn’t lost track while he was talking to Midari as he had thought. He calculated that if he kept walking and took the subway like he always did when he was in a hurry and/or not in the mood to walk for too long, he’d be home in about half an hour. Sigh. He shouldn’t have hung up on the eye-patched girl.

As he stepped into the subway station he put his phone away to look for the one that led to his district since he didn’t have the patience to allow himself to get lost in the city, not that day.

The sky seemed to unfold to a fair bit of cadmium tones when he looked across the window. Gazing away from the glass, it seemed that the subway carriage would have been empty if it wasn’t for him. The sight got him somehow melancholic.

He got his phone out again just to put on his earphones and opened Spotify, clicking on a song that unfortunately reminded him of Itsuki. Another sigh.

Lives for the memory, a woman who's just in his head

And she sleeps in his bed

While he plays pretend

So pretend.

A final sigh. 

Fuck.

**

Midari had spoken to him a few times after that call, mostly in the school hallways while none of them were busy and, of course, when Itsuki was away. In all those times, her bugging had turned into something that Kaede couldn’t believe he identified as… Not concern, but something like ‘will to help’, which wouldn’t be a lot coming from a normal person, but this was Midari Ikishima we were talking about.

Not that he appreciated what Midari was trying to do— It was useless after all, he acknowledged that. It was just that he needed something to distract himself from the overwhelming thoughts that had been bothering him lately, all of them related to things the eye-patched woman had said to him, and though it was easier to blame all of his existential problems on Midari’s existence, he needed something to distract himself from whatever that was going on with him.

It was ironic how he had chosen Midari from that, given the fact that it was her fault that he was thinking… Or rather, being like that.

Well, at least that’s what he liked to tell himself.

‘‘Ikishima’’ 

The girl, who was scrolling through the bookshelves of the library on the section next to him, popped her head from the other side of the piece of furniture, having to stand on tiptoes to look at him in the eye. Kaede lifted an eyebrow, wondering why she had to do that instead of just walking to him, but ended up saying nothing.

‘‘Sup?’’ Midari answered, placing her elbows above the empty part of the wooden shelf to rest her chin on her palms. ‘She acts like she’s five’ , the boy thought.

‘‘You said that back in the student council days, it was obvious that I liked Sumeragi and vice versa, right?’’ The girl nodded, not seemingly catching up on what he was trying to ask ‘‘What made you think that?’’

‘‘Uhm… I don’t know, man. You were always together, y’know?’’ The girl started tapping on a random book she had grabbed beforehand— Something about medieval tortures, but the title was too small for Kaede to read properly. ‘‘Like, you even smiled at each other during meetings. And Sayaka told me something about her spending most of her time in your office while you did work. But you’re too much of a coward to make a move on her, so we didn’t think anything was happening’’ She shrugged before freezing and lifting her gaze from the book to him ‘‘... Unless…?’’

‘‘Nothing happened’’

‘‘Yeah, I don’t know why I asked anyway’’ Midari groaned ‘‘As I was saying, you spent an awful lot of time together. And it was like, almost irritating because it was like you two were keeping secrets and stuff. Always whispering to each other about things, the shared looks, etc… Yuriko even though you were planning on taking down the Stuco… Y’know, from the inside’’ She chuckled, leaving the book back in its place.

‘‘That’s ridiculous’’ Kaede said as he held back a knowing smirk.

‘‘Yeah, if you say so… Also, she was low-key jealous of Yumemi’’

The boy raised his head so fast his glasses almost fell and he had to relocate them in their usual place as soon as he realized how harsh his reaction had been, right after closing his widened eyes and huffing under his breath, recovering from the sudden state of shock.

‘‘Pardon?’’

‘‘Yeah, I’ve always thought she was’’ Midari waved it off as she grabbed another book —This one was about occultism and dark arts— and started flipping pages as if it was nothing ‘‘I mean, I sort of get her, y’know? You and Yumemi are both second graders and you got along pretty well. Remember that time you organized this whole gamble for her? Y’know, the one that made you lost everything you have’’

‘‘That had nothing to do with— But— It was only a gamble, and Sumeragi wasn’t even in the council back then’’

‘‘I guess? But it had always been like that. Like, it just seemed like you two were a really good duo. You worked well together. And I mean, you wouldn’t really function as a couple, since she’s gay and a misandrist, but I can see why your girl was jealous’’

Kaede sighed and pulled up his glasses again, wondering how many times he had done that in the last two minutes ‘‘But what made you think she was?’’

‘‘Buddy, you sure are asking a lot of questions. Are ya sure you’re not questioning me so much because you like her?’’ She mocked, glaring over the book to look at him.

‘‘I shouldn’t have asked—’’

‘‘Nah, I was just messing with you’’ Kaede rolled his eyes ‘‘It’s in the eyes, chico. They never lie’’

‘‘You’ve watched Scarface ?’’

Midari turned around to raise an eyebrow ‘‘The fuck is Scarface ? Anyway, as I was saying; You know how Itsuki is always very expressive and stuff, right? Like you always know what she’s feeling and that’’ The boy nodded ‘‘Well, you just had to look at her every time you and Yumemi spoke. She didn’t look angry, honestly, just really, uh… Annoyed? Yeah, that’s it’’

‘‘I don’t— Why would she— Nevermind’’ He sighed. There was a silence and when he looked up Midari had returned to her initial position, reading the book ‘‘By the way, I wanted to show you something’’

‘‘Oh, we progressing, ain’t we?’’ She smirked, closing the item.

‘‘Shut up, it’s nothing important’’

‘‘But it’s related to her, isn’t it?’’

Kaede swallowed thickly ‘‘I suppose so’’

‘‘Mmh ’kay, go ahead. What is it?’’

The boy sighed as he took his phone out of his pocket and started to explain while he opened whatever he was trying to show Midari ‘‘Well, remember how you called me last week? On my way back home, I put some music on’’ Midari nodded, staring at him slightly confused ‘‘So I clicked on this one song, uh— and I remembered something’’

‘‘It reminded you of your girlfriend?’’

‘‘Yes— No— Stop calling her like that, bloody hell ’’ He muttered ‘‘It did, but it made me recall this thing I made months ago, when we were still in the Student Council’’ Kaede turned the phone’s screen so the girl could see what he was trying to show her.

‘‘No shit’’ Midari looked up after squinting for a bit ‘‘You made her… A playlist?’’

‘‘...Yes’’

‘‘Manyuda, I’d never thought I would ever say this, but I love you so fucking much’’ Midari leaned forward to take his phone away and hide behind the bookshelf as she checked the playlist. The boy would have tried to get his phone back if it wasn’t because he knew that was useless against the president of the Beautification Council.

‘‘I don’t know why I showed you in firs—’’

‘‘Shut up, I’m trynna read’’ Kaede sighed and dragged himself towards Midari’s side, on the other side of the shelf ‘‘ Aight , let’s see. First of all, how come you have such bad taste in music? Damn’’

‘‘I don’t like these songs, they just reminded… Remind me of her. As a friend’’

‘‘Why’s that?’’

‘‘Because they are upbeat, and indie pop , and overall music that suits her personality’’ The boy explained, crossing his arms over his chest.

‘‘What about the sad ones?’’

‘‘Ah, those are because of the lyrics’’

The girl stayed in silence for a few seconds as she scrolled through the playlist ‘‘Man, you’re such a fucking simp’’

‘‘I’m not a simp’’

‘‘You are!’’ Midari laughed loudly, causing a few people in the library to look badly at her ‘‘ Savior Complex ? Seriously— Oh, the Mitski one, Yuriko made me listen to this a while ago’’ She pointed out ‘‘There are like, six songs by Taylor Swift here, boy… Oh, hold up’’

‘‘What?’’

‘‘ Line Without A Hook , by Ricky Montgomery ?’’ Kaede nodded slowly, visibly confused ‘‘Bitch, have you ever looked at the lyrics?’’ He nodded again ‘‘Seriously mate, you’re surprisingly slow’’

‘‘Jabami said that too’’

‘‘Ayo, I said something Yumeko said? Sweet. That’s so goals’’ Midari smiled foolishly, pressing the phone against her chest before giving it back to him ‘‘But let’s be serious here, Mame. I know you think I’m doing this just because I love annoying you— Which I sort of do because you’re incredibly easy to annoy, man! You should ch—’’

Kaede sighed and used the gesture to put his phone back in his pocket as an excuse to look away ‘‘Just get to the point’’

‘‘Right. What I mean is that I don’t actually do this because I like bugging you. Well, partly yes, but it’s mostly because I worry about both of you. And at least I acknowledge Itsuki enough to know she’s an amazing person’’ She looked away ‘‘Unlike others’’

Knowing Midari, things had to be either really serious or personal for her to be this severe about a topic. That made the boy internally ache somehow.

‘‘I don’t… I know she’s amazing, Ikishima’’ Kaede took his glasses off for a few seconds to knead his eyelids in exhaustion.

‘‘Yeah, but that girl is literally in love with you. And you are too, even if you don’t have the balls to admit it’’ Midari shifted the weight of her body from one foot to another uncomfortably ‘‘I know you don’t think so, but I care about you. And I know that she does you good, just as you do her good as well. You can’t let that go, man’’

Even though his mind flooded with thoughts he wasn’t able to retain, his mouth kept shut. To think Midari Ikishima left him speechless made him want to gag, but there she was, standing with a few books that looked kind of macabre behind her back as she stepped away from the bookshelf.

‘‘Just think about it, buddy. It’ll be good for the both of you’’

**

He liked Itsuki Sumeragi.

He liked her so much it was physically unbearable. As he ran through the hallways of the school, his heart pounded so hard against his ribs that it seemed like it was going to burst, making him bleed on the inside as if he hadn’t been metaphorically doing that same thing ever since she met her. Itsuki Sumeragi. The woman he liked. No, the woman he loved . 

Fuck, too many thoughts.

He stopped running suddenly, hiding in the bathroom stalls to take a breath and revive the scene that hadn’t stopped playing in his head ever since the last ten minutes. The moment in which he had realized what was that was bothering him ever since Midari had spoken to him about the topic. About love. 

<< ‘‘Wait for me here, please’’ Itsuki grinned brightly as she tugged the fabric from his blazer’s sleeve ‘‘I have something you might wanna see’’

And, just like that, she left half running in the largest strides her short legs allowed her to make, pulling from her skirt’s edges so the wind couldn’t lift it up. Kaede chuckled slightly as he looked down to his hands that were holding both his and the younger girl’s bags. ‘Such a dim-witted girl’, he repeated, his mind going back to that day in the cafeteria. He didn’t know how many times he had thought that exact same sentence in the past month, ever since Midari had started doing... Whatever she was doing. 

The boy sighed out loud, wondering how long would it have to be until the girl got back and could make him distract from all that stuff that had been disturbing him lately at least for a few minutes (kinda ironic, now that he thought about it). Fortunately for him, Itsuki didn’t take too long to get back — Only like five minutes or so, in which he stood in the hallway outside of her usual class. He deeply disliked being among other first-years, but Itsuki having his life plan meant spending a lot of time with her, and thus, being surrounded by the girls her age. Annoying, foolish girls. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw Itsuki running back to his side, feeling the stares of the people in the hallway slowly fade. Kaede didn’t thank her enough for the protection she granted him.

‘‘Hi,’’ He greeted the girl as he started to walk along with her like he usually did. It was always like that, him walking with Itsuki to the place where her ride picked her up and then going home by himself even if his house was in the other direction. He doubted that the girl knew it, and he wondered if she would say anything if she did.

‘‘Hey!’’ She smiled so dazzlingly that Kaede had to look away for a second ‘‘Has any of my friends picked on you while you were standing here, all on your own?’’

‘‘Surprisingly enough, not really’’ He lifted an eyebrow when Itsuki sighed in relief, but didn’t dare to say anything.

‘‘By the way, aren’t you intrigued by what I went to get?’’ 

‘‘Nah’’ He chuckled when the girl’s cheerful expression turned into a childish frown ‘‘Calm down. I was just kidding’’

‘‘Senpai, you’re such an idiot’’ Itsuki sighed dramatically but got back to her initial position immediately ‘‘Okay, I have something for you’’

The younger one stopped walking suddenly, dragging him to a safer part of the sidewalk ‘‘Enlighten me’’

‘‘Okay, huh’’ She took a deep breath, bandaged fingers fidgeting behind her back ‘‘Remember about that time when we were in your office and you told me about your childhood?’’

‘‘You annoyed me about the planes thing for a week — Yes, I do remember’’

Itsuki let out a nervous laugh and lifted her gaze from his eyes, looking everywhere but at him for a solid twelve seconds while she kept on stuttering and murmuring nonsense things. 

The boy frowned, wondering what could possibly make her look so anguished for a while before she kept talking.

‘‘Yeah, huh… I don’t think you recall it, but you showed me this pin you had when you were a child. You know, the type that you put in your collar... ’’ She made a pause, not really wanting to look up to see her accomplice’s expression ‘‘It was shaped like a plane. You gave it to me back then, stating that it didn’t matter because you weren’t interested in, and I quote, ‘that sort of childish stuff’ anymore’’

Kaede’s eyes had only widened progressively at every word that left his lips, not knowing how to feel about this.

His heart had also started beating faster than ever and his head had begun spinning, making it harder for him to hear what she was saying as she continued with her little speech. His face was burning too.

‘No. Not this, please—’

‘‘So, uh... ‘’ Itsuki kept on talking ‘‘I kept it. F-for no reason, really, I just thought that… Nevermind. The point is that as a result of all that has happened lately, I ought to give it back to you’’ After inhaling sharply, the girl reached out for his hand and put the pin in it.

‘Don't do this to me, please— Not now, Sumeragi—’

She was speaking too fast.  Everything was going too fast. The boy felt sick.

‘‘Itsuki —’’

‘‘Quiet’’ She cut him off, the tips of her fingers still tracing invisible lines over his palm. Itsuki hadn't seemed to realize that he had called her by her first name, forgetting formalisms, as she looked too occupied with her monologue ‘‘Keep it. As a reminder that you’re more worth than the ‘high road’ thingy’’ 

He parted his lips again, but before he could even utter a word, Itsuki spoke again.

‘‘And as a reminder, too, that you have me forever, meaning that you’ll never be alone’’

And that was it. 

It felt like a bomb that had been detonated, but when Kaede looked back into her eyes, he had realized that he’d fallen in love with her >>

Kaede had never known how it felt to want to kiss a person so bad it hurts before that day.

Even when he had gotten out of the stalls and had continued running down the corridor, the sharp feeling in his jaw and the erratic beating of his heart had not stopped a bit ever since he had turned around and started running to the high school with his fist clenched around the pin and having evaded giving Itsuki an answer like the coward he was.

But in a moment of realization like that, he only had one thing in mind.

And he hated it.

There was a moment, right before opening the Beautification Council room’s door, in which it had hit Kaede him how much Itsuki Sumeragi meant to him.

Before they met, his only purpose in life was taking the high road , just like his father had told him to. He was hollow and vain— Until she walked into his life, with the high hopes and the ambition they shared. And she made him believe that there was something worth living for beside success and money, even though they yearned for the same thing.

And then, she was fired and became rancorous to him, only for her to ruin his life after he looked down on her. He shouldn’t have done that, Kaede saw it now.

But what if it was too late?

Itsuki Sumeragi had been the only person on Earth who saw beyond his drive, the only one that had been interested in him for something that wasn’t his power— And she had loved him. Itsuki had loved him indeed, but what if she didn’t anymore? It would have made sense, after everything Kaede put her through. The downgrading and the fact that he had practically used her— He wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t feel anything for him anymore.

Fuck it. He had gone too far to regret anything anyway.

‘‘Ya looking for Midari, boy?’’ A black-haired, tall woman greeted him from the couch that was in the middle of the room, where she was sitting next to a girl that looked strangely a lot like her, but with ginger hair. Kaede nodded ‘‘Great. She’s in that room on the right, behind that door’’ She pointed to said door with her index finger.

‘‘Thanks,’’ He spit out the words way too fast, cursing himself for being so shaky when he opened the door.

And there she laid Midari Ikishima, arms thrown into the desk’s surface as she played with her phone and swayed her legs under the table. The girl got up immediately, leaving her phone on the chair and walked towards him quickly ‘‘Man, if it isn’t Manyuda himself! Whatcha doing here, huh? This must be the first time you come talk to me on purpose’’  

‘‘Ikishima, you were right’’

‘‘Uhum, yeah, told ya! I’m always right, ain’t I?’’ There was a brief pause ‘‘Wait, right on what exactly?’’

‘‘On me being in love with Sumeragi’’

Midari’s eye widened so suddenly the boy thought it was going to explode out of sudden. A very loud squeal left her mouth before she grabbed him by his shoulders, starting to shake him furiously in excitement ‘‘BOY, I KNEW IT! HOW WAS IT, HUH? TELL ME, COME ON. HOW DID YOU REALIZE? DID YOU TELL HER? ARE YOU DATING ALREADY?’’

‘‘Calm down’’ Kaede pushed her away lightly, leaning his back on the room’s door ‘‘It’s a lot to explain and I— I don’t—’’ He groaned, cutting himself off and hating the way the beats coming from his chest made it difficult from him to speak coherently ‘‘I don’t know where to start—’’

‘‘Take a seat, c’mon’’ She signalled the chair behind the desk, but the boy shook his head.

‘‘No, it’ll be fast anyway’’ He took a deep breath before looking at her in the eyes ‘‘She just… She gave me this pin I gave her a while ago, and told me— Fuck, this is ridiculous’’ Kaede got the pin out of his pocket to show it to the girl ‘‘She said it was a reminder— Of me having her by my side forever’’

‘‘I’m going to cry’’ Midari howled, grabbing the pin to inspect it closely ‘‘No but literally, I am going to. Man, I gotta tell this to Runa and Yumemi— No, scratch that, I’ll do it later. What did you tell her?’’

‘‘You’re going to kill me’’

The girl looked at him, clearly confused ‘‘You told her that she was going to kill you? Boy, that’s so kinky’’

‘‘What? No, what the fuck— No, I said that you’re going to kill me for how I reacted’’

‘‘ Mame , please don’t tell me you ran away or something like that’’ There was a really long silence and Kaede had to look away to not feel like Midari was going to murder him at any moment ‘‘WHAT THE FUCK? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY RAN AWAY, MAN— YOU COULD HAVE KISSED HER OR SOMETHING, OR—’’

‘‘Calm the fuck down, for God’s sake’’ He raised his voice unintentionally, cursing himself right afterwards ‘‘I— I panicked, okay? It’s not my fault’’

‘‘I don’t why I expected better from an emotionally deprived straight man anyway’’ Midari rolled her eyes and gave the pin back to him ‘‘And what are you going to do? You’ll see her tomorrow anyway, and she can always force you to speak to her if you pretend to avoid this whole situation’’

‘‘I wasn’t planning to do so. That’s why I came here’’

‘‘Aw, you came because you like the advice I give you? That’s so sweet’’

‘‘No, it’s just that I don’t have anyone else to go to’’

‘‘Rude’’

Kaede huffed under his breath ‘‘Just help me out here, okay’’

‘‘Well, huh… I don’t know what to tell you, to be honest’’ The girl shrugged ‘‘I’m not the best one in counselling when it comes to love. However… I suppose you could talk this out with her, right? I mean, you trust each other, don’t you? And communication is key in every relationship, so just tell her that you love her. It’s not really that hard’’

‘‘And then what?’’

‘‘You could start dating, and then Yuriko would owe me seven thousand yens, which would be a win for the three of us’’ Midari drew a sly smile as the boy sighed. Dating, dating … That didn’t sound so bad now, did it?

‘‘And how exactly do you expect me to tell her? That I want to date her?’’ The eye-patched girl stood up suddenly as she had sat down on the desk while they were talking and put her hands over her mouth for a few seconds, repressing a cry.

‘‘WAIT, YOU WANT TO DATE HER? LIKE, ACTUALLY WANT TO DATE HER?’’

‘‘Shut up, I thought you were supposed to help m—’’

‘‘I am, I am!’’ Midari inhaled to calm down a bit and kept talking ‘‘So, as I was saying: What’s the worst that could happen? She likes you and you know it. Just let her know that you like her too’’

Kaede sighed again ‘‘But what if she doesn’t anymore?’’

‘‘Babe, she literally said that you had her forever. That's literally a love declaration’’

‘‘I can't take risks in this, Ikishima’’

‘‘Then I highly doubt that she’d hurt you on purpose, she’s too kind for that. And what does it matter anyway? You’d be doing it for yourself and your feelings. If she happens to return them, that’s great. If she doesn’t, then that’s great too, because at least you got to let it out’’

‘‘That’s… Surprisingly good advice coming from you’’ Midari grinned and crossed her arms over her chest, seemingly proud.

‘‘Told ya! See how you should have listened to me since the beginning?’’

The boy rolled his eyes ‘‘Whatever. I’m heading out’’

‘‘Keep me updated on how it goes, will ya?’’ Kaede nodded as he opened the door ‘‘Love you! Good luck!’’

**

The next day, as the boy walked down the hallway after class, he swore he could heart the erratic beat of his heart echoing way louder than his footsteps against the wooden floor. 

Kaede’s state (both physically and emotionally) had remained like that since their conversation the day before, unable to focus on anything and with the only thought of what he’d say to the girl he had recently he had feelings for when he saw her.

The boy had planned to tell her as soon as they met, but for some reason, their paths hadn’t crossed in the whole day. Kaede knew that she was in school, since he overheard her friends talking about Itsuki when he was looking for her, but for some reason, they never got to meet.

And so his retained feelings had been piling up inside his chest all day, begging for him to let them out to the point where he almost felt like he was going to throw up out of nervousness. Trembling legs had begun running through the school as soon as the classes ended just like they did the day before, only that the goal was very different. He was not looking for help this time— This time, he was looking for an answer.

When he finally found Itsuki, she was in the school’s garden, laying with her back on the bench and her bag over her thighs, knees swaying on the edge without touching the ground. Even if her head was turned to its side, resting on her ear, she still looked breathtaking. As she always does, Kaede thought, but her usual allure was nothing compared to her face on that occasion.

Long gone was the vivid, shining smile that characterized her, and in its place, he observed that the corners of her mouth were turned downwards. In her eyes, that were glued to the mildly grey sky —It looked like it was going to rain, Kaede noted, so he ought to be quick—, flickered a hint of sadness; as if she was not really, melancholic, gone.

Heartsick , just like him.

And there was no one to blame but himself for that.

Shaky, large hands dropped the school bag on the concrete before stepping into the garden, the cold atmosphere hitting him as soon as he left the roofed area and he walked slowly, following the pace of his unsteady breathing on every step he took until he was barely three feet away from the bench.

After inhaling so sharply it hurt his lungs, Kaede made his way towards the girl, crouching in front of her in silence. Even though Itsuki’s eyes had closed, she sat up as soon as she noticed someone approaching her, said blue eyes bursting open in shock when she recognized the figure of the man she knew so well.

‘‘Ma— Manyuda-Senpai?’’ The girl stuttered, placing the school bag on the grass as she smoothened down the creases of her skirt, not breaking eye contact at any moment. Her eyes still had that gloomy spark, but it was an even sadder sight now that she had spoken up. Her tone was raspy and low, as if she had been crying. 

‘‘I’m sorry’’ Kaede sputtered, hands reaching out to grab hers. Itsuki held back a gasp, earphones falling to her lap, letting muffled and almost inaudible music fill the silence between the two of them as she waited for him to continue ‘‘Itsuki, I— I shouldn’t have run away’’

‘‘Senpai, it’s n—’’

‘‘No, let me finish’’ The boy exhaled ‘‘I shouldn’t have run away, but I did, and you want to know why? Because I was scared of admitting the truth I have been denying ever since we met’’ His hands gripped harder against the girl’s, as if she was going to evaporate if he let her go ‘‘And I have been denying it because I used to think that if I didn’t take the high road , I’d have no worth in this life’’ Kaede paused, as if he was getting ready for what he was about to say.

‘‘And falling in love with you, Itsuki Sumeragi, wasn’t a part of the high road ’’

The girl’s eyes widened, repressing a surprised pant ‘‘But… You...’’

‘‘I apologize for taking too long to realize. And I apologize, too, for looking down on you when, in reality, you’re by far better than I am’’ He smiled, looking away so he didn’t have to see the way small tears had begun to fall down Itsuki’s skin ‘‘Because if you had fallen for someone you intended to be your pawn , you would have put them before your ambitions. That was my mistake’’ 

‘‘Kaede…’’

‘‘But I swear I won’t ever make that mistake again. I was… I am in love with you, and if you find it in you to forgive me even though I don’t deserve it, I swear that I’ll put you before money, drive, and whatever that’s supposed to matter in life. You are more important than it’’ The boy led one hand to his own collar, stroking the fabric slowly ‘‘You’ve made me realize that’’

‘‘You’re... You’re wearing the pin’’ Itsuki gasped, allowing a few more tears to fall down her cheeks. The taller one nodded, holding her hands with both of his again ‘‘Kaede, listen— It doesn’t… It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, I— I love you, too’’

The boy looked into her eyes for the first time since he had begun speaking, and felt something stir down his chest ‘‘Can I kiss you?’’

For a solid five seconds, Itsuki froze, mouth slightly agape, and he was sure that she’d say no or that she’d run away like he did the day before. But then, slowly and without looking directly at him, she nodded.

‘‘Yes’’

Kaede’s hands left hers to reach out for her face, cupping her cheeks gently and allowing himself to stare at her like that. She still looked beautiful, but now she looked much less sorrowful. Instead, the gloom in her eyes had disappeared when the tears fell down, and they were now shining like they usually did. Even if she was crying, Itsuki was happy, and he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic for that. 

After everything he had put her through, it was his place to make her happy again after all.

And then, their lips met. Not in a rough way, but in a way that made Kaede feel welcomed, as if he was at home . 

Because Itsuki was home to him, and there was nothing more to it.

When the kiss ended —It had lasted no more than a few seconds, since neither of them wanted to get too ahead of themselves—, Kaede took the liberty to stand up and sit next to her, since he had been kneeling in front of the bench ever since he got there and his knees had started to hurt.

As soon as he did, he felt the girl rest her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes again. Almost instinctively, his hands made their way to Itsuki’s waist, wrapping her into a tight hug. The younger one smiled against his blazer.

‘‘Does this mean we’re… Dating now?’’ She asked, smile fading slowly as she waited for his answer.

‘‘It— It depends, do you want to be my… Significant other?’’ Was the boy’s response, tone unusually shy. Itsuki let out a little laugh.

‘‘You can just say ‘girlfriend’, you know’’

Kaede rolled his eyes ‘‘Do you want to, yes or no?’’ The smaller girl giggled again.

‘‘Yes, Kaede, I do want to be your significant other ’’

The boy sighed in a tone that sounded close to relief and rested his chin against Itsuki’s head, enjoying how warm she was—A soft spot he was thankful for between the autumn cold that flooded the garden— as he tangled his fingers between her blond hair and smiled in the way fools only smiled when they were in love.

He took note to thank Midari later.