"Good morning," Sayuri said as she got up.
Jun, who had been awake for a few hours already, kissed her and pulled out a chair so they could have breakfast together:
"You woke up early, Jun?"
"I couldn't sleep well."
"What happened?" she asked, worried.
"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep... probably anxiety for Saturday's show."
Sayuri kissed his cheek:
"You shouldn't be nervous. You're always perfect on stage," she said affectionately.
Taking a bite of the uneven pancake, he said he would leave work earlier that day because he needed to take care of something, but told her not to worry:
"Nothing important, just a check on the motorcycle engine."
"Okay... I'll get ready now."
He watched her, and when he noticed she was struggling to tie her shoes, he walked over and crouched down to help her:
"Thank you, love..."
Jun took her hand and kissed it:
"I'll get some ointment when I get back."
Later, as he left the university office, Jun put on his helmet smiling, relieved, and looked up, taking a deep breath.
"It worked..."
"Such a nice smell," Sayuri said as she entered the apartment.
"You arrived right on time."
Jun placed a plate on the table, a well-prepared pasta dish, and a glass of wine.
"Wow... why all this?"
Jun hugged her and said it wasn't anything special, he just wanted to do something nice for her that night. After dinner, they sat down to watch a movie, and Sayuri's phone vibrated. A message made her eyes widen.
"Payment completed successfully."
"What!!??"
Jun, worried, immediately asked what had happened:
"Someone just paid my college tuition."
"How is that possible?"
Jun took her phone and read it, trying to stay calm.
"Wow..."
Still in disbelief, Sayuri read the message again and again.
"Jun... I must be dreaming... I've been paying all year..."
"That's good, love. Now you can relax and focus only on your studies, right?"
"Maybe... no, it can't have been my father, right?"
"I don't know, love. But whoever paid it... really cares about you," Jun said, pulling her into a hug.
Saturday arrived, and everyone was already at the venue, a small bar a bit far from the city center. The line was huge, and the excitement of the crowd made the place vibrate.
While organizing the instruments on stage with the girls' help, Sayuri mentioned to Yume that someone had fully paid her tuition.
"Wow, friend, that's amazing! Could it be your father?"
"I doubt it..."
Kenji, overhearing, leaned toward Jun and whispered:
"It was you, right?"
Jun swallowed hard and grabbed the microphone:
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He walked away to the other side of the stage, and Kenji smiled, shaking his head:
"It was him..."
Soon, Sayuri was regaining her energy. She seemed calmer, the calluses on her hands had started to heal, and her portfolio was finally finished:
"Yume, it turned out perfect. You're really good at this."
"Haha, I know," Yume said proudly.
"Hey girls, come here," Kenji called.
"What is it?"
"So... remember that email from that TK representative?"
"Not this again," Jun groaned.
"Quiet, let me talk."
Jun shrugged and stayed silent.
"So... before replying, I did some research..."
"You did?" Yume interrupted.
"Yes. And it's real."
Jun sat back on the sofa, hand over his mouth, focused:
"And... they're coming here in two weeks to meet us."
"YOU'RE KIDDING!!" Jun shouted, standing up.
They laughed at his reaction, and Kenji didn't miss the chance to tease him:
"Now you're excited, huh..."
"This is huge," Jun replied. "TK is... wow... huge."
"We need champagne," Kenji said, grabbing his car keys.
Yume stood up:
"I'll go with you."
"We'll be right back."
Jun looked at Sayuri, who hugged him tightly. She knew how important this was for him, and she could clearly see it in his eyes:
"Wow, love... I can't believe it," she murmured into his ear.
"You deserve it, Jun," she said, placing both hands on his face. "I'm so proud of you."
"We need to celebrate," he said, kissing her. "How about we go camping?"
"Camping?" she repeated.
"Yeah, just you, me, and Mike."
Her eyes sparkled like moonlight. She was so happy to see him achieving his dreams that she didn't hesitate:
"Yes, love. Let's go."