Rin Kamoshida POV
4:00 PM – Farewell at the Train Station
The platform was almost empty. Just the two of us.
And a cat.
A very judgmental, sleepy cat napping on a bench like it was the emperor of Japan and we were just peasants in the way.
The sky above looked like a peach slowly dissolving into water.
Pinks. Oranges. A hint of purple.
Honestly, the sky was doing way too much.
This wasn't a shoujo manga. I wasn't about to confess my feelings with sparkling flower petals swirling around me like I'd practiced in front of my mirror—because I totally hadn't. I swear.
Mizuki-kun stood next to me, a half-step away.
That small distance felt like an entire train ride.
The bunny keychain swayed on my bag.
It caught the light.
Tiny sparkles. Carrot stars. A reminder of the moment he won it for me.
(He looked so serious trying to get it, I thought he was trying to defuse a bomb.)
My heart squeezed a little.
"I had fun," I said, forcing my voice to come out soft. Not too soft. Just... enough.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Classic Mizuki-kun behavior. Awkward-boy-in-the-wild. Flustered. Trying to act cool while his soul quietly explodes inside.
"Me too… I mean, yeah. A lot."
He looked at his shoes.
I looked at him.
We both looked away.
This was the worst. And also the best. And I hated how much I liked it.
I stared at the tracks.
They looked so straight. So sure of where they were going.
Unlike me. Who was currently spiraling into emotional chaos with a smile on my face.
Do it, my brain said.
Say something. Something real. You can do it. You survived the game. You can survive this.
I turned.
Took a step closer.
He didn't move. But he looked at me.
Wide-eyed. Almost scared. Like I was about to slap him or propose to him. Possibly both.
"…You're kind, Mizuki-kun. I-I li.. like youu" I said. My heart jumped to my throat and sat there like a nervous frog.
Good job, Rin. That was... safe. Nice. Softball level confession. Not terrifying at all.
The train pulled in with a roar and a gust of wind that made my skirt flap like a surrender flag.
I stepped inside quickly before my courage exploded into tiny bunny-shaped pieces.
The doors closed behind me.
I stood by the window.
He hadn't moved.
He was still staring at the spot I'd just been standing.
Like if he blinked, he'd miss something important.
I pressed my fingers to the glass, then quickly pulled them back.
No. Too dramatic. That's like… anime heroine levels of melodrama.
Instead, I smiled. Just a little.
As the train pulled away, I saw him raise a hand. Hesitantly. Like a glitchy NPC in a dating sim finally executing the "wave goodbye" animation.
And then—
My heart did that thing again.
The flutter. The warm ache. The feeling that today had been the beginning of something.
Something sparkly. Something embarrassing. Something... kind of magical.
Also:
I really hope he didn't hear me call Pyon-sama "my queen" out loud back at the arcade.
I'll die if he did.
As soon as I got home, I muttered a "Tadaima…" so fast it probably sounded like I was summoning a ghost, yanked off my shoes like they were cursed, and sprinted to my room.
Not walked. Not strolled.
Sprinted.
Like the house was on fire and only my anime pillow collection could survive.
I slammed the door shut behind me, collapsed face-first onto my bed, and screamed into my pillow.
A muffled scream.
A very maidenly, emotionally repressed scream.
"Uuuuuughhhhhh…!"
It was dark. Not the scary kind of dark, but the nice kind—the one that feels like being wrapped in a soft blanket. My room smelled like vanilla from the candle I wasn't supposed to light, and outside the window, the stars blinked shyly through the city lights.
I curled up on my bed, hugging my bunny plush—Pyon-sama's big sister, obviously—and I couldn't stop smiling.
Today… was my first date.
And it was with Mizuki-kun.
My cheeks felt warm all over again.
I've never gone on a date before. Never even talked that much with a boy outside of "Excuse me" or "This is your eraser, you dropped it." Boys were always loud. Or weird. Or just… not interested.
And honestly, I was okay with that. I always spent my holidays by myself, reading poetry books or sitting by the window. Sometimes my mom would scold me.
"Go outside and get some sunlight, Rin-chan! You'll start photosynthesizing at this rate!"
So I'd wander around parks or bookstores just to keep her from worrying. But even then, I always went alone.
But today… today was different.
Today, I wasn't alone.
Today, I walked with Mizuki-kun.
We played games. Ate together. Watched petals fall by the river.
Even now, I could still feel the soft warmth of his hand brushing mine.
Ah…!
I buried my face into my pillow. My heart fluttered like crazy just thinking about it.
"I can't believe I blushed so much…"
Mizuki-kun is strange.
At school, he always looks bored or half-asleep, but when you talk to him—really talk—he listens. He sees you. Like you're not just background noise in a noisy classroom.
He's polite. He's quiet. And… I think he's always trying not to bother anyone.
But even his sarcasm—it used to scare me a little, like maybe he was mocking something—but now… I kind of like it?
It's not mean. It's just him being honest in his own weird, silly way.
He's not trying to impress. Or lie. Or pretend.
And when he said he liked that I "write from the heart"—it didn't feel like a compliment just to be nice.
It felt real.
And that's what scares me.
Because I don't really know when I started to like him.
I never stopped to ask why.
I just know that before I realized it, I felt warm when he was nearby. My words came easier around him, even if they stumbled out like nervous baby birds.
And now…
I think I really like him.
Even if he doesn't like me back. Even if this doesn't last. Even if it's all just a dream I'll one day have to wake up from…
I'm happy.
Thank you, Mizuki-kun.
Thank you for spending your day with me. Thank you for looking at me the way no one else does.
And if it's not too greedy…
Can I have just one more day like this? Please. Even just one more.
Good night, Mizuki-kun.
[Affection -90%]