The wooden door of the student council office creaked faintly as Jousuke Daikuhara pushed it open.
The room smelled faintly of ink and paper, a quiet hum of fluorescent lights filling the otherwise still atmosphere. He hesitated at the threshold, sensing a peculiar weight in the air—like he was about to be cross-examined.
Behind the polished table, Kaede Miyazaki sat upright, her brown hair falling in tidy strands across her shoulder, her expression sharper than usual. A stack of documents sat in front of her, her pen tapping rhythmically against the table as if counting down to an explosion.
"Daikuhara-kun." she said, her voice carrying a deliberate sternness. "Do you know why you're here?"
Jousuke blinked. "Uhm... not really?"
She sighed and held up a page. "The school funds." Her eyes narrowed, flicking between the page and him. "They don't match with Esashi-kun's calculations. Care to explain why?"
"Eh? School funds?" Jousuke scratched his cheek. "Why would I—wait, Kenshin is the treasurer, right? Shouldn't he be—"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Miyazaki suddenly slammed the paper on the desk, her voice louder than she intended. Her cheeks, however, betrayed her—flushed with nervous tension rather than righteous fury.
Jousuke raised both hands defensively. "W-wait, wait! I really don't know anything about the funds!"
Miyazaki's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she stared at him intently, as if searching his eyes for dishonesty. Then, slowly—like a balloon losing air—her shoulders slumped.
"...I'm just joking," she muttered, looking down at the desk. Her stern facade cracked completely, revealing the shy vulnerability beneath. "S-sorry if I scared you."
Jousuke blinked in confusion. "Eh? Joking? That's... a scary joke."
Her fingers fidgeted with the pen, spinning it clumsily before setting it down. "I just... needed an excuse to talk to you here. Without anyone else." Her voice grew quieter, almost drowned by the humming lights.
Realization sank in. Jousuke let out a nervous chuckle. "You could've just said so."
Miyazaki shook her head quickly, strands of her hair swaying. "That's... that's too embarrassing."
A silence fell between them, not heavy, but thick with unspoken thoughts. Miyazaki motioned to the empty chair beside her.
"...Sit here," she said softly.
Jousuke hesitated for a beat before obeying, pulling the chair closer to her side. He sat down, the closeness making him more aware of the faint scent of her shampoo and the warmth radiating from her presence.
She fiddled with the corner of the document in front of her, then, gathering courage, spoke.
"Do you remember... New Year's Eve?"
Jousuke's gaze softened. "Of course I do."
Her cheeks turned red instantly, and she quickly looked away. "I-I mean, the fireworks, the café... and what I did..."
The image replayed vividly in both their minds: the sudden kiss, her bold confession cutting through the cold night air, and the dazzling fireworks behind them.
Miyazaki pressed her lips together nervously. "...I confessed that night. But you never gave me an answer."
Jousuke's chest tightened. He looked down at his hands. "...You're right."
Her fingers gripped the edge of the desk. "So... do you have one now?"
The question hung in the air like a fragile thread. Jousuke exhaled slowly.
"...I still don't know."
Miyazaki's head snapped toward him, eyes wide with hurt. But before she could speak, he continued.
"It's not that I don't like you. I just..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "...If I gave you an answer right now, I might end up hurting someone else. And I don't want that."
Her lips parted slightly, caught between relief and disappointment. "Someone else... you mean... Boutsuki-san and Sakurai-san?"
Jousuke's silence was answer enough.
Miyazaki looked down, clutching her skirt tightly. "...So you know. You knew all along."
He gave a faint nod. "...Yeah."
Her heart pounded violently. She had braced herself for rejection, but the fact that he noticed the other girls' feelings yet never said anything... it caught her off guard.
"...That's cruel, you know." she whispered, her voice trembling. "Keeping quiet, pretending not to notice... while the three of us..."
"I didn't know what to do." Jousuke admitted, his voice heavy. "I thought if I ignored it, things would stay simple. But it didn't."
Her chest ached, but at the same time, she felt oddly relieved. He wasn't oblivious—he was just scared, like her.
Slowly, she leaned closer, resting her head gently against his shoulder. The warmth of his uniform seeped through her skin.
"...Even if you don't have an answer yet." she murmured, her voice small but firm, "I don't regret telling you how I feel."
Jousuke sat still, the weight of her head against him both comforting and suffocating in its sweetness.
Silence lingered once more, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock. Finally, Miyazaki lifted her head slightly, her face inches away from his. Her eyes, shimmering with both nervousness and determination, met his.
"Jousuke..." she whispered. "Can I... call you by your first name?"
The question caught him off guard. "My first name?"
She nodded, cheeks flushed. "I want... to call you Jousuke. Not Daikuhara-kun."
His lips curved into the faintest of smiles. For the first time since stepping into the room, he looked directly into her eyes.
"Of course." he said gently. "...Kaede."
Her breath caught. Hearing her name spoken so naturally from his lips—it was like the air around her vanished, leaving only him and that single moment.