The Ceremony Begins
The graduation ceremony at Seiryuu High was filled with bittersweet emotions. Light streamed through the stained windows of the auditorium as students took turns stepping on stage to accept their diplomas. Applause echoed after each name, teachers smiled proudly, and even some students who were usually cold couldn't help but tear up.
Ren and Aoi sat side by side, like they had all year — but this time, their hearts raced for a different reason.
Ren's fingers tapped nervously on the paper of the speech he'd been asked to give. Aoi noticed and gently rested her hand over his. He looked at her, and for a second, they forgot where they were.
When Ren was called up, he took a deep breath and walked to the podium. His voice was quiet at first but strengthened with each word.
"In this school, we laughed, we failed, we grew... and somewhere along the way, some of us found something unexpected — something important. Maybe even someone important."
The teachers smiled. The students whispered. Aoi looked at him with sparkling eyes.
After he stepped down, Aoi suddenly rose from her seat. Everyone turned.
She walked toward the stage in confident strides, her ponytail swaying, her presence as striking as ever.
"I know this isn't part of the plan, but I want to say something," she began. "Some of you already suspected, some maybe had no clue… but Ren and I—"
She turned toward him in the audience, smiling warmly.
"We're dating."
A wave of gasps rushed through the auditorium. A few students stared with mouths open. Others smiled. Some of Ren's old classmates who had teased or underestimated him just sat frozen, faces a mix of confusion and envy.
Ren walked up and stood beside her.
"We wanted to wait until today," he said softly, "because this place is where it started. And we wanted to be honest — with you, and with ourselves."
The crowd erupted in applause, the kind that came from respect, surprise, and a hint of admiration. And just like that, they weren't hiding anymore.
Under the Bridge
The sky had turned a brilliant pink-orange by the time the ceremony ended. The sun was setting slowly behind the old neighborhood buildings. Ren and Aoi walked in silence, holding hands, their steps light but steady.
They reached the quiet bridge behind their school — the same one they passed so many times, but now it felt like something out of a dream.
The breeze gently played with Aoi's hair as Ren stopped.
"Hey, Aoi," he said, his voice quieter now, filled with nerves. "Give me your hand."
Aoi blinked. "This one?" she asked, offering her right hand with a teasing smile.
Ren nodded and pulled out a small ring box from his blazer pocket. With steady hands, he opened it and gently slid the couple ring onto the ring finger of her right hand.
Aoi's eyes widened. "W-wait, when did you buy this?" she whispered, her heart racing. Her mind spun with flashbacks — was it during their campus tour? Or that day at the café?
She looked at the ring, then at him, lips trembling. "Hey… I like you. But... sometimes, just saying it doesn't feel like enough, you know?" Her voice cracked slightly. "What should I do in those cases?"
Ren didn't answer with words.
Instead, he stepped forward, cupped her cheek gently, and kissed her.
It wasn't rushed or awkward. It was soft, deep, and full of the emotions they had both bottled up. The world paused — just for them.
A moment later, a distant bark broke the silence. A dog was being walked nearby, looking curiously toward the young couple under the bridge.
They pulled away, blushing.
As they began walking home together, Aoi looked down at the ring again.
"Next time… when you buy me a ring," she said quietly, "make sure it's on the left hand, okay?"
Ren blinked, stunned, before his face turned beet red.
"Y-yes!" he replied loudly, almost too fast. His whole body stiffened, like he just accepted a surprise marriage proposal.
Aoi laughed.
But she looked at him again, eyes soft.
That wasn't a joke.
And Ren knew it.