Resolve

“That was close…!”

If you asked me what was so close, I wouldn’t quite know how to answer, but it just was close, okay?

How many times did I want to pull Aisa in her yukata into a tight hug…? Probably the day I exercised the most self-control in my entire life…

Even after a night’s sleep, I still wasn’t calm.

Because of that, I couldn’t focus on anything all day and ended up just rolling around on my bed.

It was already getting dark outside.

“After going that far… she’s gotta think something of me, right?”

I was too scared to even check my phone.

I’d spent the whole day in a daze.

I had no idea what Manami or Akito might say after finding out about yesterday.

No, I knew exactly why I didn’t want them to know, but Manami probably already did, and it wasn’t hard to imagine she’d sent me some kind of message about it.

“The rooftop, man…? On the night of the fireworks festival!”

It was the perfect, unbeatable situation—nothing could’ve topped it.

“If I was gonna do it, I should’ve just gone for it with that momentum…”

I couldn’t imagine a situation like that ever coming up again, not in a million years.

“Still, though…”

On the other hand, it sounds like an excuse, but I genuinely thought confessing right then and there wasn’t the right move.

It’d definitely get awkward.

I don’t know why, but confessing on pure impulse—I just couldn’t see a future where we’d make it work together.

“Or rather… I didn’t feel like we could even keep a conversation going without Manami’s help…”

It’s pathetic, but I’m pretty sure Aisa felt the same way.

Aisa seemed to have warmed up to me a lot over the break, but once school starts, I’m almost certain that cold expression of hers will be back.

Even knowing now that her coldness is just in her face, I’d still hesitate to talk to her at school.

“Ugh…”

My stomach’s already hurting just thinking about it.

But spending the summer together made me realize something.

“She wasn’t actually disgusted by me or anything.”

I still don’t fully get why she makes that face, but this summer made it clear she doesn’t hate me or get mad at me.

And now that summer break is almost over.

“The fireworks festival was supposed to be my last chance, wasn’t it…?”

With no more tutoring sessions with Manami for the rest of the break, I had no plans to see Aisa until school started.

But… it’s not like I’m completely out of time.

“Guess I’ll give it a shot…”

With trembling hands, I sent Aisa a message.

(Hey, the stars are pretty tonight. Wanna step out for a bit?)

Looking back, I could’ve come up with something a bit more… well, something, but still, I think I deserve some credit for mustering up the resolve to send it.

I was honestly surprised by how these feelings had grown too big to hold back, despite all my worries about whether we could talk without Manami or if things would get awkward later.

Aisa that day was just that captivating, and I didn’t want anyone else to have her.

Once school starts, I’ll inevitably feel the gap between us again. Even knowing she’s not the type to care about that, I wanted to do something about it, right here, right now.

(Sure! I’m in! Gimme a sec to get ready.)

Thankfully, Aisa’s reply came quickly.

“Phew, thank goodness.”

If she’d left me hanging for a while, I wouldn’t have known how to cope.

(Need some time to prep, so give me like 30 minutes.)

(Got it. I’ll come pick you up then.)

(Yay!)

Yeah, that makes sense.

She’d need time to get ready, right?

“Guess I’ll use that time to mentally prepare myself…”

◇

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Aisa showed up looking perfectly put together—hair, clothes, everything—despite me calling her out so suddenly at this hour.

“Nah, sorry for the last-minute invite.”

“It’s fine.”

While waiting, I checked my phone.

Manami’s messages were… well, something.

(Message deleted)

(Good luck!)

I could guess she’d written a ton about yesterday before deleting it, so I just sent a quick thanks back.

Today, I’m on my own without Manami’s help.

“So, where we going?”

“Uh…”

Man, I really didn’t think this through…

I’d invited her out because the stars were pretty and I saw something about a meteor shower on TV, but I hadn’t planned anything beyond that.

There’s no way we’d find a convenient spot like the school rooftop from yesterday.

Seeing my hesitation, Aisa didn’t seem annoyed at all—instead, she just giggled for some reason.

“Hehe, well, let’s just walk around for now.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Aisa took the lead, and we started walking.

For a while, we walked in silence down a path lit by streetlights.

It was still muggy, but the night breeze felt nice. You could even hear the first autumn insects chirping.

“Thanks, by the way.”

Aisa suddenly broke the silence.

“That came outta nowhere.”

She didn’t respond to my comment, just smiled and continued.

“This summer break… it was fun.”

“Yeah…?”

I’m glad she felt that way.

“What about you, Kouki?”

“It was fun. Really.”

“Good.”

It felt like we were both savoring our words, reflecting on memories as we walked.

It was awkward in a way, but also… kind of nice, in its own way.

“It’d be great if we could hang out next year, too. Manami’d be thrilled.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Though next year might be tough with exams and all.”

“Oh… right.”

I had a feeling Aisa would handle it just fine, but I wasn’t so sure about myself keeping up after the summer.

“Maybe I’ll have you tutor me next time.”

“Wait, shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

How am I supposed to tutor someone who’s better at school than me…?

“Hehe.”

Aisa laughed softly and started leading the way again.

Maybe because we’d been holding hands so often lately, the distance between us now felt… off, somehow.

I’d called her out to close that distance, but here I was, psyching myself up to make it happen.

“It really was fun, wasn’t it?” she said, looking up at the starry sky.

“Yeah, the camping trip was a blast. Been a while since we did that.”

“Oh! I kinda wanna do it again. Maybe bouldering?”

“Yeah, there’s a place nearby we could try.”

“Really?!”

Aisa isn’t exactly athletic, but it’s not like she hates exercise either. If anything, getting dragged around by Manami to do all sorts of things makes her more active than most girls.

It’s just that when she’s with Manami, she tends to get overshadowed.

“Aisa’s actually pretty good at swimming, huh?”

“Ugh… the swimsuit was so embarrassing…”

Please don’t blush like that. It’s making me remember all sorts of things.

Maybe it’s because of Aisa’s reaction, but I ended up recalling something weird too.

“Not just the swimsuit—“

“No way! Forget that!”

“Right…”

Aisa, frantically waving her hands with her face bright red, was honestly adorable.

Was it that time I accidentally saw her changing? Or maybe that moment at the hot springs…

“Hehe. Playing with everyone at the barbecue, going out with Manami—I had a lot of fun.”

“You usually say you don’t want to go out, though.”

“Yeah… but I could go because Kouki was there.”

Even a simple comment like that makes my heart skip a beat.

We kept chatting about nothing in particular, walking down the familiar path we used to take as kids.

“Hey, Kouki.”

Aisa suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Hm?”

The spot where Aisa paused was the park we used to play at all the time.

“Do you remember the promise we made here?”

“Here? We made so many promises I can’t keep track.”

“Hehe… maybe you’re right.”

Honestly, we were together practically every day back then, talking about countless things.

But, well, coming here right after yesterday’s events, the answer seems pretty obvious.

“Did you remember?”

“I never forgot.”

—When we grow up, let’s get married and stay together forever.

“Next year, no, even longer—I was thinking how nice it’d be to keep spending time like this.”

Aisa’s face was lit up by the park’s streetlamp.

She was looking away, and it was so dark I could barely see her face clearly.

Even so, I could tell her cheeks were flushed as she carefully wove her words.

Aisa tilted her head up to gaze at the sky.

I followed her lead and looked up too.

It was a beautiful, starry night.

“Oh!”

“It fell, didn’t it?”

Meteor showers really aren’t something to scoff at, I thought.

“The shooting stars… do you remember how we watched them together, wishing our dreams would come true?”

“The one where Manami caught a cold afterward, right?”

“Yeah, and then we all ended up catching it.”

So nostalgic…

Back then, I thought just seeing a shooting star would make a wish come true, no need to chant it three times.

Even now, I kind of feel like seeing a shooting star brings good luck. Maybe it’s because of those fond memories.

And it seems Aisa felt something similar.

“Can you guess what I wished for just now?”

She asked, looking up at me with those big eyes.

“A hint?”

“…It’s about you, Kouki.”

With that, she turned away again, her face burning red.

“I don’t know for sure, but… I have a guess about what I’d want.”

“Tell me.”

“That our promise comes true… maybe?”

I could feel my own face heating up.

Aisa, still looking away, blushed even harder and gave a small nod in response.

“Yeah… so—“

“Hold on.”

“Huh?”

I felt like this was my moment to step up.

“I was thinking I want to be with you next year too… and I hope that promise can come true.”

Maybe it was the pent-up feelings from not holding hands, or the restraint I’d been holding onto since yesterday, but before I knew it, I was hugging Aisa.

“Yeah…”

“This summer, spending time together, I probably had more fun than you realize.”

“Hehe… really?”

Aisa’s smile, so close to me, made my heart race again.

“I think I’ve always loved you, Aisa.”

“…!”

It wasn’t because we grew distant or because I felt like Aisa was slipping away—I’d just given up on my own.

Looking back, there wasn’t a single day I didn’t think about her.

“Me too! I’ve always… loved you, Kouki.”

Part of me had hoped that was true.

Even that glare she used to give me—thinking about it now, it feels almost… endearing.

I was so scared back then.

Maybe because I loved her, the fear that her expression meant something bad made it seem even more terrifying.

“Aisa.”

“Yeah.”

“I love you.”

“…Yeah.”

Aisa pressed her face into my shoulder, answering softly.

“I’ve always… loved you too, Kouki.”

As if blessing us, another shooting star sparkled across the sky.