99 Chapter Ten: And So The Festival Begins

At the end of the final day before the festival, Mayu, Itsuki, Michi and Kanako stood at the gate of the school. "Tomorrow's the big day," Michi said. "I hope people like our stall," Mayu said. "It'll be fine! Everyone will love it!" Itsuki added enthusiastically. "We've done what we can," Kanako said. Together, the four of them nodded in agreement and went to leave.

"Huh?" Mayu let out. As the group had begun walking, she noticed that they were one short. "Itsuki-chan? Aren't you going home too?" "Nope. I gotta stay and help out the track team. We still have some stuff left to take care of, so I'll probably be spending the night. I'm pretty excited about it!" Itsuki explained. Standing in front of her, Mayu looked visibly worried. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. "Don't look so worried Mayu-chan!" Itsuki said, grabbing Mayu's face to make her smile. "I promise it'll be okay." "...If you say so," Mayu said, though she hardly sounded convinced.

With their conversation concluded, the three girls went their separate ways, with Kanako going one direction and Mayu and Michi going another. Once they were out of sight, Itsuki turned around. "Alright! Time to get back to work!"

She marched back up to the school building with plenty of energy, just like always. To her, it always felt like she'd never run out. "Mayu-chan really worries too much," Itsuki thought. "I mean, I appreciate it, but it kinda feels like she doesn't believe in me or something either." Of course, Itsuki knew why she was so worried. "It's not like the same thing will happen twice. This isn't last year."

But, as Itsuki entered the building and began to make her way through the halls, she suddenly felt like she was losing her balance. "W-Whoa!" she let out, moving to catch herself on the wall next to her. "That was weird. I just got so dizzy all of a sudden…" For a moment, her mind went back to the past, but she quickly shook her head. "No way! This time is different! I can do this!" she told herself.

As she went to stand upright again, a girl turned the corner and stopped. "Huh? Itsuki, what're ya still doin' here?" "Y'know, it's still kinda weird that you just call me by my first name like that. Not even Mayu-chan does that," Itsuki said with a bitter smile. Now standing in front of her was Jasmine. As for how she called Itsuki, she had told the girl that because she couldn't come up with a good nickname, she was just going to call her by her first name. Itsuki had given the okay, but she admittedly still had mixed feelings about it when not even the girl she grew up with did that.

"Anyways, I still got some club stuff to take care of, so it looks like I'll be spending the night," Itsuki said. "Huh…" Jasmine let out, her gaze staring into Itsuki. "I-Is something wrong Jasmine-chan?" Itsuki asked. "Mmm, well, I was just thinkin' ya look a little tired is all," Jasmine said. "Oh… I'm actually full of energy though! See, look!" Itsuki said as she started jumping up and down. "...Right," Jasmine said in a doubtful tone. "Just make sure you actually sleep tonight. Wouldn't want to start drifting off while working." "Yep!" Itsuki nodded.

"Oh, by the way, why are you still here?" she asked. "Just makin' sure we have everything for tomorrow," Jasmine explained simply. "I'm so excited. A breakfast salon is gonna be so fun!" Itsuki squealed. "I'm just happy people actually wanted to do it," Jasmine said. Surprising everyone, it had been the gal's idea to do a breakfast salon. No one had expected Jasmine to really contribute because of how they thought she was, but after hearing her idea, the whole class had gotten into it.

"Well, I hope everybody who tries it loves it! I gotta go now, so I'll see ya tomorrow!" Itsuki said, but before she could run off, Jasmine stopped her. "Itsuki. Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too much? The other day, Mayu-chi said-" "Mayu-chan is just a worrywart," itsuki said quickly, cutting Jasmine off. "See you later." As she walked away, Jasmine stared before letting out a sigh. "Who knew she could be so stubborn?"

*****

The next day, Kanako got up extra early. The cultural festival was set to open to the public at 9 a.m., but students had to be there at least an hour before to double-check all of their supplies and set-up. This way, if anything was wrong, there was still enough time to fix it. For Kanako, she had to worry about this twice over due to her being in two groups. Considering Rina was in charge, she was sure she didn't have to worry about the Cooking Club, but her class was a different story. Just yesterday before they wrapped up, a girl had managed to rip the sleeve of her maid uniform. "I really hope that's the worst of it," Kanako thought as she got ready.

As she finished getting dressed, she heard a knock at her door. "Um, Kanako? You up?" "H-H-Haruna?!" Kanako exclaimed when she heard the voice. She was in the middle of tying on her bow, and the surprise was enough to cause her hands to slip and pull it too tight. "Gah!" she let out as the bow shot up to her neck, choking her. Taking a breath after pulling it down, she adjusted it before opening the door.

"G-Good morning," Kanako said uncertainly. "Morning. Were you okay in there? I heard you make a weird noise," Haruna said. "I was just avoiding death by ribbon…" Kanako said, though Haruna had no clue what she meant. "A-Anyways, why are you here?" "Since we don't have access to the stage or any free spaces, we can't really practice, so we were given the day off," Haruna explained. "I see… Ah! Look at the time! We need to go!" Kanako panicked, but Haruna bonked her on the head. "Chill out shortstack. It's not like they're taking attendance or something." "Muu… I thought you retired that name…" Kanako pouted.

After their conversation, the two girls made their way downstairs and Kanako had something quick to eat. "Good luck today," her mom called as the girls left. Once out the door, they began walking down the sidewalk when Kanako thought of a question. "Wait, should you really be getting the day off if the play is tomorrow?" Haruna shrugged. "I mean, we've been practicing like crazy, so it should be fine. Besides, everybody was so high-strung yesterday that this is probably for the best." "High-strung?" Kanako repeated. "Yeah, Chiyo was putting a stop to fights all day. Then, on top of the natural stress of performing, Akitsuki-san is practically killing us with her demands," Haruna said. "Akitsuki-san? She's involved?" Kanako asked. "Didn't I mention that? She actually the director, if you can believe it," Haruna said. "Akitsuki-san as a director? Y-Yeah, I can see how things might get bad if she's the one in charge…" Kanako said.

Last year, Akitsuki had been in Kanako's class. When it had come time for the cultural festival, it had very nearly been a disaster thanks to her antics. "G-Good luck," Kanako said quietly. "It's a little late for that," Haruna said with a small laugh. "Besides, we only have the one show anyways, so if we bomb, it's not like we have to do it again." "I-I guess so," Kanako said. Due to the amount of events planned for the stage, Haruna's class had only been given one slot, and it was for the second day. In a way, that was a good thing. If the class somehow really did mess up, they could just go straight to the end of the festival instead of having to be miserable through the rest of it.

As they continued on their way to school, a loud voice called out to them. "Haru-chiii! Kana-chaaan!" Within seconds of hearing their names, a girl was upon them. "Hey you two!" Chiyo said excitedly. "I see you're walking together." "Y-Yeah, so what?" Haruna said. Chiyo stared at her, then looked at Kanako. Figuring out Chiyo's silent question, Kanako just shook her head slowly. In response, Chiyo let out a sigh. "Figures." "Huh? What figures?" Haruna asked, but she didn't get an answer.

While Chiyo kept talking with Haruna, Kanako became lost in thought. "So she thought we might've become a couple…" Really, it seemed like a fair assumption. Haruna and Kanako had hardly gone to school together for quite some time now. Of course suddenly seeing them together might give Chiyo the wrong idea. "Although, why did she come to pick me up this morning anyways?" Kanako wondered. She had asked why Haruna was there, and she had gotten an answer, but it hadn't been quite what Kanako had meant. Rather than "Why are you here at my house right now?" she wanted an answer to the question, "Why are you here when you haven't been for weeks?"

The simple answer was because of practice for the play, and before that, Haruna had just been avoiding Kanako. And yet, Kanako couldn't help but be bothered by it, if only a little. "I'm happy she came for me this morning, but why couldn't she put in effort like this before?" If the mornings were too busy, there was always the walk home. If that didn't work, then lunch was an option too. Feeling handcuffed by Haruna's emotions, it felt like all Kanako could do was wait for her to initiate. "Then again, maybe I'm just being stubborn and selfish…"

It wasn't as if there was a literal barrier preventing Kanako from doing anything. If she really wanted to, she could just force the issue and make sure it was impossible for Haruna to escape her. However, it also felt like that would be a terrible idea. Sure, she may get what she wanted, but would Haruna be happy? Would either of them be happy in the long run if Kanako forced them into being in a relationship?

Even if they both felt the same way, Kanako was sure that pushing Haruna into a corner of sorts would be bad. Emotions are volatile things after all. One wrong move, and it could all go the exact opposite of what she wanted. Hence why instead of being even more aggressive, she just sat back and waited. Unfortunately, that came with its own set of frustrations and questions, such as why Haruna had decided to show up this morning.

"What is she trying to do?" Kanako wondered. A part of her hoped it was related to romantic interest, but considering recent events, it was hard for her to entirely believe in that possibility. There was the option of asking her too, but Kanako wasn't sure if she'd really get an honest answer. It seemed like no matter what she thought of, nothing really explained Haruna's actions. "Maybe I should just be happy that we've been able to talk normally to each other so far..."

Kanako wanted to think about it more, but before she knew it, they had arrived at the front gates. Set up above them was a big sign that said "Iwanai High Cultural Festival!" with a bunch of decorations surrounding the words. Beyond that were plenty of students busy setting up their booths and making final preparations.

"It's finally here!" Chiyo said, looking very excited. "Do you like the cultural festival Chiyo?" Kanako asked. "I love it! It's like, so much fun! … Although, I guess like, some years I enjoyed it in a different way," Chiyo said coyly. "D-Different way?" Kanako asked. "Well like, last year, there was this guy, and we found this room on the top floor and-" "Okay, that's enough of that," Haruna said, clamping her hand over the gal's mouth. "We don't need any of your guy stories this early in the morning." "Aw, but it's a good one. This guy actually blew-" "Stop! No more!" Haruna cried. "You really can be a maiden sometimes Haru-chi," Chiyo teased. Next to her, Kanako could only blush silently in embarrassment at imagining what sort of things Chiyo and this random boy did together.

After talking for a bit longer, the three girls split up. Haruna and Chiyo didn't have much to do, so they both decided to check on other people, with Chiyo going see if Jasmine's class needed any help, and Haruna going to check on her former club. As for Kanako, she began making her way to the Cooking Club room. The day would start there, then in the afternoon, she would help with her own class's maid cafe.

*****

When arriving at her club room after changing into the uniform for the Cooking Club booth (a plain black t-shirt and black shorts), Kanako found Rina rushing back and forth. "U-Um, good morning?" Kanako said. "Oh, Kana-chan! Stay right there!" Rina ordered. Quickly, she grabbed several bags of supplies and handed them to Kanako. "Can you take all of this to our booth?" "Y-Yeah, sure," Kanako said.

Out of all the clubs, the Cooking Club had to be the one with the biggest restrictions. Within their own club room, they had access to all kinds of equipment and ingredients. However, because all of the clubs were technically in competition with each other throughout the festival, it had been decided that the Cooking Club had to have a similar set-up to the other clubs or else they'd be at an unfair advantage. To make up for this decision, they had been given a spot on the entryway area of the school grounds, but no one (especially Rina), was particularly thrilled about it.

"We'd have an unfair advantage… Don't they realize we still have an advantage because we're the Cooking Club? We all cook!" the new club president huffed. "Having to drag everything out there is such a pain too." "Hopefully we'll sell a lot. That will at least kind of make up for it, right?" Kanako offered. "Maybe a little, but it doesn't give us back all this time we're wasting."

"If you're so worried about wasting time, then maybe you should stop talking and start moving," a harsh voice said. Looking behind her, Kanako saw Michi in the doorway. "H-Hi Mi-chan," she said as Rina glared at her. "I would respond to that, but I really don't have the time. Just make yourself useful and take stuff out." "If you want someone's help, you should try being a little nicer," Michi said sharply. "C-Come on Mi-chan, we don't have time for fighting," Kanako said, trying to diffuse the situation. Luckily, it seemed like Rina was in agreement, because she didn't say anything back.

Looking around, Kanako noticed that the other members were missing. "Where's everyone else?" she asked. "Itsuki-chan got her a while ago, but she had to go help with the track club. Mayu-chan is helping out her class right now, and Saki is doing the same," Rina explained. With everyone being involved in multiple things, it made sense for them to be so spread out. That was why they had decided on something simple and quick to make for a festival booth, and why the schedule had Kanako, Mayu, Rina in the first half, then Michi, Saki, and Rina again in the second half. Being the club president, she felt like she couldn't leave her booth, which her class had understood. As for Itsuki, she would show up whenever she had time.

After helping for about ten minutes, Michi left to go assist her class. Shortly after, Mayu returned, and she along with Kanako and Rina made their way to the booth they had been given. With a structurally-sound wooden set-up, the inside filled with a couple of metal sheets to fry yakisoba on, and all of their ingredients and equipment, the members of the Cooking Club went through a double-check.

"Noodles?"

"Yes."

"A lot of them?"

"Plenty."

"What about vegetables?"

"T-This honestly might be too much."

"Is the meat on ice?"

"Yes. It's a good thing it's still cool outside too."

"I-It's definitely not warm enough for a t-shirt and shorts though..."

"You'll warm up once you get moving! Now, let's make this booth a success!"

Once the check was finished, all that was left to do was wait. In the end, while they had wanted to stand out from anybody else doing yakisoba, they had decided on just simple flavor variations. Being offered was a set with a person's choice of meat, veggies or both, and they could get it either traditional or spicy. At first, Rina had worried that it wouldn't be enough, but she had later found out that only two other groups were doing yakisoba. Deciding to put her confidence in both her own cooking skills and the other members, she had decided they had enough.

"I hope we get plenty of customers," Mayu said. "We should. After all, there's no way you could miss us," Rina said. Using the front doors as a point to draw a straight line from, there were booths lined up on either side, forming a sort of corridor. In the middle left was the Cooking Club, and the two other groups doing yakisoba were both inside, so they didn't have to worry about direct competition. Although, when they had learned they were outside, the Cooking Club members had complained, but it seemed like spring was trying to come a bit earlier in Hokkaido. There were still small patches of snow on the ground, but it had been warming up enough so that people could stand outside without freezing.

Not long after most students finished getting ready, the gates officially opened to the public, and customers began to stream in. Parents, full families, and even students from another nearby school all came to check out Iwanai High's cultural festival. Plenty of them stopped at all of the individual booths, checking out the food that was being offered, the games that were available, or the products being presented and sold.

Just like all of the other groups at the front, the Cooking Club quickly became busy. "I need more onions!" Rina shouted from the grill. "C-Coming!" Kanako said, moving as fast as she could. Within this group of three, Mayu acted as a rover of sorts, switching between helping Rina cook and helping Kanako prep. "We got busy fast," Mayu said as she got more noodles ready. "I-I know! The front gate spot really is a rush!" Kanako cried.

The front was an ideal spot for many clubs… on paper, at least. The biggest advantage of course was having first access to every customer, meaning a huge boost in profits. The downside was, well… seeing every customer. Because a club is in the front, that means a lot of people will come check them out, which can lead to being overwhelmed by customers. That can then cause people waiting in line to lose their patience and end up going somewhere else. Not being able to service every customer right at the start wasn't necessarily detrimental, but if it kept happening repeatedly, that booth would earn a poor reputation for the duration of the festival, and no amount of good positioning would be able to save their financial bottom line.

That was why Mayu, Rina and Kanako were working their hardest. They knew if they could just get through the initial rush, then three people would be more than enough to manage for the rest of the day. Of course, it also helped that out of everyone in the club, Rina was the fastest chef. She had nominated herself to stay on the grill the whole time, and she was proving she could do it. An hour in, she was still going strong.

"Rina's pretty amazing, isn't she?" Kanako said aloud as she prepped some chicken. "Yes. She's always been really fast, hasn't she?" Mayu said. "You're doing good up there too Mayu-chan," Kanako said. "Am I?" Mayu asked. "If I'm being honest, I'm already starting to feel tired. Tossing all of those noodles is pretty hard work." "Want to switch?" Kanako suggest. "After a few more orders," Mayu said. Once those were done, the worst of the rush seemed like it would be over, so it would be the perfect time to switch.

Taking over the second grill a short time later, Kanako steadily took the orders. "Mayu-chan, I need more spices!" Kanako called. "Okay!" Mayu called back. Quickly, the girl grabbed what was requested and set it on the counter next to Kanako. "Here you go!" "Thanks!" Just as fast as it had appeared, Kanako grabbed it and poured some into the order she was making. With a few more tosses, the dish was complete. "One spicy yakisoba!" Kanako announced, and the man waiting took the food and left.

"Mayu-chan was right. It's only been a few orders, but I'm already wondering how long I can do this," Kanako thought. Although, even if she was worried about her fatigue, she was still having fun. She had already felt herself getting into a rhythm, and it was the first time she had ever done something like this. All in all, the festival was already shaping up to be a great memory. "And I guess Rina-chan was right too. I really am starting to get hot," she thought as she wiped sweat off her forehead.

The orders kept coming, and soon enough, another hour had passed. "I can't believe we've already been going for two hours," Kanako commented. At this point, the crowd had slowed by quite a bit, allowing the girls to relax a little. The customers were mostly coming by bunches now, with two here and three there. "I'm just glad we made it through the rush," Rina said with relief. "As long as we don't have any issues tomorrow, I think we'll have done pretty well." "Now I feel like you just jinxed us…" Kanako muttered.

As they were talking, a boy came up to place an order. "Hey, can I get a traditional yakisoba with chicken?" "Ah! Coming right… up…" Kanako said, but as she saw who was standing before her, her voice trailed off and her body froze. "Hey, Kana-chan?! Come on, start the order!" Rina yelled. "R-Right," Kanako said, snapping out of her shock. But, while she began cooking, a singular question ran through her mind. "Why is Akio-kun here?"

Sure enough, Akio Miyashita had come to Kanako's booth. Standing around average height, he had looks to match, with somewhat messy brown hair and hazel eyes that looked a bit sharp. Currently, he was wearing the winter uniform of Iwanai Municipal High School, which for the boys consisted of a white dress shirt, light grey dress pants, and a navy blue blazer. Completing the uniform was a green tie (same color as the girls's bows) indicating he was a second year.

While he was certainly free to go to any booth he wanted, Kanako had been completely taken aback to see him. She knew that he knew she was in the Cooking Club. Was it intentional then? Did he show up to mess with her again? The two hadn't exchanged a word since Akio revealed his "joke" to Kanako, and the girl had certainly not forgiven him, so why was he here?

Kanako could hardly focus, and because of that, the food in front of her started to burn. "Ah, geez! Kana-chan, move! I'll do it!" Rina said, forcing her way in and trying to fix her mistake. "Ah…" she let out. Then, only moments after, Itsuki finally showed up. "Sorry I'm late!" she called. "You're not late. I told you you can show up whenever," Rina said quickly. "Actually, this is perfect. Itsuki-chan, take over for Kana-chan. Kana-chan, go take a break." "But-" "But-"

Hearing two buts made Rina stop for a second. "I get Kana-chan trying to protest here, but… Mayu-chan?" Staring at the glasses-clad girl, the club president waited for an explanation. "Ah, well…" Briefly, she looked at Itsuki, but she was already starting prep work. "...No, it's nothing." "If you say so," Rina said. "Anyways, we don't really need four people in here, so for now, just relax Kana-chan." "Alright…" Kanako said reluctantly.

Honestly, being kicked out of the booth was the last thing she wanted right now. "If I can't hide in here, then Akio-kun will probably come talk to me…" That was something she wanted to avoid. "I can't even stand being around him anymore… not after what he did." Being led on, being made to believe that the boy she had been in love with felt the same way, only for him to turn around and treat it like some big joke, was beyond cruel. Forget being in love with him. For Kanako, that had destroyed any chance of any sort of relationship with him ever again. If it hadn't been for the absolute shock of him appearing at her booth, she was sure she would've told him to go away.

Slipping out from the back, Kanako went to leave, but her worst fear was realized. "Hey Kana-chan," a boy's voice called. "What a coincidence." "Yeah right," Kanako spat, shooting him a fierce glare. "Didn't I tell you to never talk to me again?" "Did you? Maybe it slipped my mind," Akio said, giving a smug smile. For some reason, he seemed to be acting rather arrogant.

"...What do you want Akio-kun?" Kanako asked, trying to wrap up this unpleasant conversation quickly. "Nothing really. I just saw you in the booth and thought I'd try the yakisoba," he explained, holding up the carton in his hand. "It's really good, although I'm a little sad you didn't make it. I always liked your cooking." "You could've had it all the time for the rest of your life at one point," Kanako said. "Yeah, I guess that's true," Akio said, giving another smile.

"...So is that it?" Kanako asked, getting annoyed. "Well, one more thing," Akio said after slurping up some noodles. "How're things going between you and Haruna-chan?" Hearing Haruna's name come out of the boy's mouth, Kanako's already balled fist tightened further. She felt her teeth grit together, and it took all she had to not start screaming at him.

"How can you ask that?" she said angrily. "After all the pain you've caused both of us, you have the nerve to ask how things are going between me and Haruna?" Turning, Kanako made sure to put all of her anger into her eyes as she glared at Akio. "It's none of your business, you two-faced liar. And I don't want to hear you say Haruna's name ever again. She doesn't need her pretty name to be dirtied up by that pathetic mouth of yours."

"Wow, you've got quite the sharp tongue now," Akio said, seemingly unfazed. "Then again, when you get angry, you've always been able to cut right into someone's heart." "I'd say it's pretty fair, considering the damage you did to mine," Kanako shot back. "...Yeah, I suppose it is," Akio said, a vague expression on his face. For a moment, Kanako wondered what it meant, but she sent the thought away. "It doesn't matter. Whatever he's thinking is his own problem, not mine," she thought with annoyance. Admittedly, a part of her did feel guilty for being so harsh, but she just couldn't seem to stop the rush of emotion. It had already been hard enough to hold back, but as soon as he had brought up Haruna, Kanako just couldn't stop herself.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for the food," Akio said as he began walking away. "You're not welcome. And don't come back," Kanako said after him. Once he was out of sight, the strength in her legs left her. Collapsing to her knees, she let out a long sigh. "Haaah… That was awful…" she said to no one. "I really wish… Haruna was here right now."

In that moment, Kanako wanted nothing more than for the girl she loved to be by her side. Perhaps to some, seeing the boy they use to like would unnerve them and maybe even make them question their feelings. However, it had the exact opposite effect on Kanako. If anything, seeing Akio again just reaffirmed her feelings for Haruna.

For so, so long, Kanako had been in love with Akio. She had been so in love that to her, marriage was a forgone conclusion. She had believe that they'd be together no matter what, and that the big moments like a confession or proposal were all just formalities. Oddly though, that confidence still hadn't made it any easier to confess.

When she had finally worked up the courage, one other party had appeared, and her name was Haruna. Worse yet, Akio had decided to get Haruna and Kanako to pretend to date each other instead for a year, then he'd choose between them. Back then, Kanako had been in the middle of a years-long fight with Haruna, and Kanako had seriously wondered if she'd be okay having to deal with her more often than she already was at the time. However, thanks to her belief in her love of Akio, she had agreed to his deal, ultimately viewing it as just another formality.

How greatly she underestimated the challenge she had taken on. What proceeded to unfold was a weeks-long beratement upon her. Haruna's words constantly kept hurting her, and several times Kanako had tried to quit their deal, wondering if maybe she'd be better off giving up on her feelings if it meant putting up with such terrible tratment. And yet, somehow, she was never able to to actually give up. Whatever the problem was, Haruna and Kanako somehow kept managing to patch things up and continue on. Through that, they began to make progress in their friendship that had been stalled for years.

After sorting out the past, things really began to change. There was the camping trip, where Kanako got lost in the woods and Haruna came to rescue her. There was Kanako's birthday, during which she had had a great time with Haruna, and had even gotten a kiss on the cheek from her. Then, there was Haruna's confession… the expression she had shown Kanako that day would forever stay in her mind.

And then, before she knew it, Kanako had fallen in love.

Truthfully, she still felt a bit bad that it had taken Haruna getting injured for her to realize it, but once she had, she knew there was no ignoring it. She had fallen, absolutely, completely in love with the girl she had grown up with.

There was the school trip, which Kanako had hoped to use to her her advantage and give her answer to Haruna, but she ended up being preoccupied with jealousy. Then there was that fateful Christmas night, where Haruna had denied her chance to say yes. Because of that, Kanako had nearly lost her confidence, but in an odd twist of fate, the girl she had been jealous of turned out to be one of her biggest supporters and helped her get back on her feet.

Since then, it had been hard, but if that hardship had reminded Kanako of anything, it was that her love for Haruna was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. No matter the trial, no matter the problem, Kanako was sure that one day, she would be able to tell Haruna her feelings. This certainty, while similar to the one she once held for Akio, was different than that. Instead of believing a relationship was inevitable, it was more like she believed her love would carry her forward. "Although, that does sound kind of cheesy," she admitted to herself.

Despite that, there was one thing that she was now more sure of than ever. "It can't be 'one day,'" she told herself. "I love her. I love her more than anything. So, I have to tell her. With Chiyo's plan, and a bit of luck, I'll tell Haruna exactly how I feel."

With her confidence now filled to the brim, she got up from the ground and went back into the booth.

End of Chapter Ten.