The week after the beach trip passed quickly.
Classes resumed.
Assignments piled up again.
But something new appeared on campus posters everywhere.
"Annual Institute Fest — 3 Days of Events, Music, and Competitions."
Students were excited.
Ren was the most excited.
He burst into the café one afternoon holding a flyer.
"Festival!"
Nanami looked up from her notebook.
"You sound like a child."
Ren ignored her and placed the flyer on the table.
"Three days."
"Food stalls."
"Music."
"Games."
Yuuto nodded approvingly.
"Sounds good."
Rina was already planning photos.
"Festival lighting will be amazing."
Akira quietly sipped his drink.
Meanwhile Aiko smiled slightly.
"Looks fun."
Mizuko watched everyone for a moment.
Then her eyes briefly moved toward Akira.
He was listening quietly while Ren kept talking.
A small thought appeared in her mind.
And it didn't go away.
Two days before the institute festival.
The campus garden was quiet in the afternoon.
Soft wind moved through the trees while students walked between classes.
Aiko was sitting alone on a bench, scrolling through her phone.
"Aiko."
She looked up.
Mizuko was standing there.
"Oh, hey."
"Can we talk for a bit?"
Aiko nodded.
"Sure."
Mizuko sat beside her.
For a moment she seemed hesitant.
Then she suddenly asked—
"Aiko… are you in love with Akira?"
Aiko froze.
"…What?"
Mizuko shrugged lightly.
"You two spend a lot of time together."
"You talk every day."
"So I was wondering."
Aiko quickly shook her head.
"No."
"It's nothing like that."
Mizuko looked relieved.
"Perfect."
Aiko blinked.
"…Perfect?"
"I thought you two were dating."
"No," Aiko replied quickly.
"Nothing like that."
Mizuko smiled softly.
"Good."
Then she looked down at her hands.
"I actually wanted to tell you something."
Aiko felt a strange uneasiness in her chest.
"What is it?"
Mizuko took a small breath.
"After the festival ends…"
She paused.
"…I'm going to confess to Akira."
For a moment, Aiko felt like the air around her had disappeared.
"…You're going to… confess?"
Mizuko nodded slowly.
"Yes."
A soft smile appeared on her face.
"He's actually my childhood crush."
Mizuko's Flashback
For a moment, Mizuko's eyes drifted far away.
Back to a memory.
A much younger version of them.
A small neighborhood street.
Children running around in the evening light.
Young Akira was sitting on the ground trying to fix a broken toy car.
Young Mizuko watched him from a few steps away.
"You're still trying to fix that?" she asked.
Akira didn't look up.
"I can fix it."
"You said that an hour ago."
"It just needs patience."
After a few minutes—
The toy car rolled forward again.
Mizuko's eyes lit up.
"You actually fixed it!"
Akira simply shrugged.
"It wasn't that hard."
But to her—
He looked amazing.
Another Memory
A school classroom.
Rain falling outside the window.
Young Mizuko sat quietly at her desk looking sad.
Akira walked over.
"You forgot your umbrella?"
She nodded.
"…Yeah."
Akira placed his umbrella on her desk.
"You can take this."
"What about you?"
"I live nearby."
"But you'll get wet."
He shrugged.
"I don't mind."
Mizuko stared at him.
Her heart beating strangely fast.
That was the first time she felt something different.
Something warm.
Present
Mizuko smiled faintly.
"I've liked him since we were kids."
Aiko listened silently.
Mizuko continued softly.
"When his family moved away…"
"I thought I'd never see him again."
Her voice grew quieter.
"But I kept thinking about him."
Another small flash of memory crossed her mind.
Young Mizuko standing at the neighborhood gate.
Watching a moving truck drive away.
Akira sitting in the back seat of the car.
He waved once before disappearing down the street.
Mizuko's Search
"I tried looking for him later," Mizuko continued.
"Social media."
"Old school contacts."
"Anything."
Aiko blinked.
"You searched for him?"
Mizuko nodded.
"For years."
Eventually she smiled.
"And then I found out he joined this institute."
"So I came here."
Aiko's fingers slowly tightened around the bench.
Inside her chest, something hurt.
A quiet jealousy.
A strange feeling she hadn't expected.
Mizuko continued happily.
"I've been waiting for the right moment."
"And the festival feels perfect."
Aiko forced herself to smile.
Even though her chest felt tight.
"…That's great."
Mizuko looked relieved.
"You think so?"
Aiko nodded slowly.
"You should definitely tell him."
Even though the words felt heavy.
Inside her mind, another thought kept repeating.
She's liked him for years.
I've only known him for a few months.
And Akira probably doesn't see me that way.
Mizuko stood up with a bright smile.
"Thanks, Aiko."
"I feel more confident now."
Aiko nodded.
"Good luck."
But after Mizuko walked away—
The smile slowly disappeared from Aiko's face.
She looked down at her hands.
For the first time, she clearly understood something.
The idea of Akira being with someone else…
Hurt.
Much more than she expected.
But she stayed silent.
Because in her mind—
Mizuko deserved him more.
Aiko's Thoughts
Mizuko waved once before walking away toward the dorm buildings.
"Thanks, Aiko."
Her voice still sounded cheerful.
But Aiko remained sitting on the bench.
The campus garden suddenly felt much quieter.
Students walked past.
Leaves moved gently in the wind.
But Aiko barely noticed any of it.
Her mind kept repeating the same sentence.
"After the festival… I'm going to confess to Akira."
Aiko let out a slow breath.
"…Why does that bother me so much?"
She tried to laugh it off.
"She's liked him for years."
"And I've only known him for a few months."
So why did her chest feel so tight?
Walking Back to Campus
Classes ended a little later that day.
Students slowly walked across the campus paths.
Aiko walked with the group like usual.
Ren was loudly talking about the festival.
"I'm telling you, the food stalls are the best part."
Nanami rolled her eyes.
"You say that about everything."
Yuuto sighed.
"You only care about food."
Rina was already planning photos again.
Meanwhile Akira walked beside Aiko.
"Are you okay?"
His voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
She blinked.
"…Huh?"
"You've been quiet."
"Oh."
She forced a small smile.
"Just tired."
Akira looked at her for a moment.
"…Don't push yourself too much."
Aiko nodded.
"Yeah."
But inside her mind, another thought appeared.
After the festival… Mizuko will confess.
She glanced at Akira walking beside her.
He looked calm as always.
Completely unaware.
Her chest tightened again.
Evening Café
Later that evening the group gathered in their usual café.
Ren slammed the table dramatically.
"Festival countdown!"
Nanami sighed.
"You're more excited than the organizers."
Yuuto drank his coffee quietly.
Rina was reviewing photos from the beach trip.
Everyone was talking normally.
Laughing.
But Aiko barely followed the conversation.
Her eyes drifted toward Akira again.
He was listening to Ren argue with Nanami.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Does he know?
Would he accept her confession?
He probably would…
She quickly looked away.
"…Stop thinking about it."
But her thoughts refused to stop.
Late Night
That night Aiko returned to her dorm room.
Her roommate was already asleep.
The room was quiet.
Aiko sat by the window looking outside.
The campus lights glowed softly in the distance.
She opened her phone.
Her chat with Akira was still open from earlier.
She scrolled through old messages.
Anime recommendations.
Late-night jokes.
Assignment complaints.
Random conversations.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Then it slowly faded.
If Mizuko confesses…
Things will change.
Her chest hurt again.
Aiko hugged her knees slightly.
"…This is stupid."
"She's liked him for years."
"She searched for him."
"She deserves him."
And Akira…
He probably didn't think about Aiko that way.
He never said anything.
Never showed anything obvious.
Aiko took a deep breath.
"…Right."
She forced herself to say it out loud.
"If she confesses…"
"I'll support her."
Even though saying those words felt painful.
Her phone screen dimmed.
Outside the window, the night grew quieter.
But inside her chest—
Her feelings refused to settle.
And she still didn't fully understand why.