The morning classes passed in a blur.
Laughter and chatter echoed through the hallway as Amu walked hand in hand with Tadase. Even after all these years together, he still made her heart flutter.
"Amu-chan?" Tadase called softly.
Amu looked up at him, her heart skipping at the sight of his gentle smile. "What is it, Tadase-kun?"
Before he could answer, two familiar figures suddenly appeared in front of them — both wearing mischievous grins.
"Sorry, Tadase-kun!" Nadeshiko said sweetly.
"We need to borrow her," Rima added.
Before Amu could react, they each grabbed one of her hands and began dragging her down the hallway.
"H-Hey! Wait—!" Amu protested, stumbling after them.
Behind them, Tadase could only smile helplessly as they disappeared around the corner.
-
The three girls sat together on a bench atop the school rooftop. The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze drifted through the air. With their homemade lunches resting on their laps, they were just about to eat.
Nadeshiko took a bite of her sandwich, then looked at Amu knowingly.
"Spill, Amu-chan. You were very vague last night."
"Yeah," Rima added, chewing casually. "We've been waiting all morning."
Amu sighed, gripping her lunch box tightly.
"Okay... but you have to keep this between us. The last thing I want is to cause problems for Tadase-kun."
Both girls nodded seriously.
Taking a deep breath, Amu began explaining everything — from the moment she stepped into her room the night before... to the shocking encounter on her balcony... to seeing him again that morning.
"And now..." she admitted softly, staring down at her lunch, "I can't get him out of my mind. I'm scared Tadase-kun will notice something is wrong."
She looked up at them helplessly.
"What should I do?"
Nadeshiko calmly took another bite of her sandwich.
"There's nothing wrong with looking. Besides... he sounds like quite the lady-killer."
"I think he's more your type, Amu," Rima added bluntly. She closed her lunch box and stood up. "Tadase is a nice guy, but... he's not really your type."
Nadeshiko nodded in quiet agreement.
Amu said nothing.
Because deep down... she knew they were right.
She liked Tadase — she really did.
But was it love?
She had never once said I love you to him.
-
Lunch ended far too quickly for the girls' liking. There was still so much left to talk about.
The rest of the school day passed in a blur, and sometime in between, Amu received a text from her mother asking her to pick up Ami from kindergarten.
After school, Amu stood with Tadase near the front gates.
"Sorry, I can't walk home with you today," she said softly. "I have to pick up Ami."
Tadase smiled gently and leaned forward, kissing her cheek.
"That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, he waved and headed off.
Amu walked along the sidewalk toward Seiyo Kindergarten, lost deep in thought. She wasn't watching where she was going—
—and suddenly bumped into someone, falling backward onto the ground.
"Ouch..."
A familiar voice spoke above her.
"I know it's hard to get that image out of your mind, but you should really watch where you're going... Miss Pervert."
Amu's eyes widened instantly.
She stood up quickly, glaring at him.
"My name is Hinamori Amu — not Miss Pervert."
"Amu," Ikuto repeated slowly, his voice low and teasing.
Her face flushed bright red.
She cleared her throat quickly. "W-What are you doing here?"
"Picking up my daughter from kindergarten," he replied casually.
Amu gasped.
"You have a kid?!"
Ikuto chuckled and continued walking. Amu hurried after him, matching his pace.
"What's her name?"
"Dia."
Amu smiled softly. She had always loved that name — ever since she was little, she had dreamed of giving her daughter that very name someday.
"That's a beautiful name," she said.
"Papa!"
"Big sis!"
Amu and Ikuto both looked ahead.
Ami stood near the school gates, holding hands with a little girl the same height as her — Dia. Her orange hair was tied into twin tails, and a yellow diamond clip sparkled at the side of her head.
Dia released Ami's hand and ran toward Ikuto, jumping into his arms.
"Papa! I made a new friend today — actually, four new friends!" She pointed happily at Ami. "This is Ami! Can she come over for a playdate?"
"We'll need to meet her family first and make proper arrangements," Ikuto replied calmly.
"But Ami-chan said you're friends with her big sister," Dia said, turning to Amu with wide, sparkling eyes. "Pretty big sister, can Ami come over for a playdate?"
Amu's heart melted instantly.
Too cute...
How could someone as annoyingly handsome as Ikuto have such an adorable and polite daughter?
"I think it should be fine," Amu said gently, smiling. "But I'll need to talk to my mom first."
"Okay!" Dia beamed brightly.
Standing beside him, with Dia and Ami between them, Amu realized — walking away from Ikuto might not be so easy anymore.