The rain intensified, a ceaseless drumbeat against the windows. It was reaching a point where going home seemed a genuine logistical concern.
Sakurai himself didn't mind the wet. Catching a cold was a trivial concern for him. It was bad enough being a Superpower User with debilitating hay fever; adding a common cold to the list of vulnerabilities would be pure humiliation.
"Miyuki, what's your plan for getting back?"
"Raincoat and umbrella." Shirogane glanced outside, his expression grim. "Though I might have to skip my shift at the convenience store." If this kept up, getting home after dark would be impossible. Spending the night at work was… not an appealing option.
"Hmm? You're both still here?" Kaguya Shinomiya re-entered, a flicker of irritation in her eyes. It seemed her hastily conceived [Hayasaka Ai & Sakurai Saki Date Diversion Operation] was a washout. The plan's objective was simple: have Hayasaka monopolize Sakurai's pre-exam time with romance, thereby dulling his academic edge. A ruthless tactic she'd only resort to because his earlier provocation had genuinely gotten under her skin.
Hmph. Fine. I'll just let you drown in your girlfriend's affection. Let's see how much studying you get done then.
"Hey, everyone! Want to play a game?" Fujiwara Chika held up a deck of UNO cards, her smile bright but brittle, like a little match girl in a downpour. Please, someone, play with me.
No one took the bait.
So, Chika-chan struck her match. "Saki-kun Come play? Please?"
How devious! Resorting to the ultimate weapon: acting cute.
Defeated, Sakurai Saki sat down beside her. "Alright."
"Yay!" She began shuffling with forced cheer. Playing UNO with just two people lacked the chaotic fun of a group, but Sakurai rarely refused her.
"It's practically a flood out there, and you're playing cards?" Kaguya couldn't fathom it. First, why would Chika want to play now? Second, why would Sakurai indulge her? Their dynamic was inexplicably close.
"We'll head out soon too," Sakurai said, pulling out his phone to message Miku—today's tutoring was canceled. Teaching at school was easier, but the weather had rendered it impossible.
"Let's start!"
The rules were simple: match color or number. Chika led with a red 6.
"Saki-kun~" she said, a playful lilt in her voice. "If I win… I'll tell you a secret!" She'd heard the whispers today: Hayasaka Ai and Sakurai Saki are dating. She needed confirmation, but asking directly was too terrifying.
"Sure. But I'm not planning to lose." Sakurai Saki was, at his core, fiercely competitive. Surrender wasn't in his vocabulary.
Ten minutes later, Chika's cheerful facade cracked. "Why won't you let me win?!" she cried, frustration bubbling over. Would it kill you to lose just once, you insensitive blockhead!
"If you want to tell me a secret, you can just say it." He didn't understand why winning this trivial game mattered so much to her. Did people really hate losing that much? It's a miracle a girl would even like someone like me, he thought self-deprecatingly.
But that was the point. After 99 consecutive wins, the thought of that first loss became anathema.
"Someone said…" Chika's voice dropped to a timid whisper, all pretense gone. "…that you're dating Hayasaka-san."
If it was true… what was she supposed to do? She'd liked him for almost a year. She couldn't imagine ever feeling this way about anyone else. She didn't want to give up, but if he'd chosen someone else… then she had to step back. That was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
Sakurai Saki set his cards down slowly. He'd known this conversation was inevitable, but its sudden arrival still felt like an ambush.
Choosing one meant being clear with the other. Even if he were to be a villain, he refused to be an ambiguous one.
"…Word travels fast," he said, neither confirming nor denying.
"So… it's true?" The cards slipped from Chika's fingers, scattering across the floor like her composure.
"You could say that." He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew this would hurt her, but ambiguity was a crueler poison.
For a moment, there was only the sound of the raging storm outside.
Then, from beside him, he heard it—a soft, choked sound that cut through the rain's noise sharper than any thunder.
He heard crying.
Chika's quiet sobs intertwined with the relentless drumming of the rain.
"She confessed first. On the last day before Golden Week." Sakurai Saki finally turned to look at her.
Silence, thick and heavy, filled the space between them, broken only by her crying and the storm.
He took out a handkerchief, gently dabbing at her tears. "Why are you crying so much? If you keep going, I'll start crying too." His voice was a soft murmur against the downpour.
Chika didn't answer. She tried to stifle her tears, but they were a tide she couldn't hold back.
After a few agonizing seconds, a hoarse whisper escaped her. "C-Can't it… be me?"
"Of course it could have been. Why would you even ask? I like you. If you had confessed to me, I would have said yes." His words were gentle, an admission that felt like both a balm and a blade.
"Then…" She wiped furiously at her eyes. "Why… wasn't it me?"
"Because she spoke first. And I didn't want to trample on the feelings she'd offered."
A long, trembling silence stretched out.
"I like you, Sakurai-kun." Her voice grew fainter, a fragile thread of sound. "I've liked you… for a very long time."
Sakurai Saki was quiet for a moment. Then, he replied, "I like you too, Fujiwara-kun. I've liked you for a very long time."
He shook his head, as if correcting himself. "No. I still like you now. I probably… will still like you five years from now."
Fujiwara Chika turned to look at him, a watery, tremulous smile breaking through her tears. "So… we like each other, right now. That's… that's good." She murmured it as if trying to convince herself. "I never knew you felt that way too…"
"Eh…" She swiped at her cheeks with her uniform sleeve. "Why am I crying when this is such a happy thing? How strange."
Was having your feelings reciprocated supposed to feel this heartbreaking? It made no sense. Shouldn't she be smiling?
"I like you, Sakurai-kun." Her voice firmed, though her eyes were swimming. She offered him a smile that was pure, painful effort—all her usual brightness extinguished. "This is my confession. Just like Hayasaka-san's. It's a girl's heartfelt feelings, Sakurai-kun."
She looked at him, a plea in her red-rimmed eyes. "Please… give me an answer. Okay?"
Sakurai Saki was paralyzed. If the truth caused this much pain, then maybe being a scumbag was the kinder path!
"Chika… I like you too…"
The words left his lips, and almost on impulse, he leaned in and kissed her. Chika, caught in her daze, didn't resist. The taste of salt from her tears mixed with a fleeting, devastating sense of happiness. She slowly closed her eyes.
If only I'd spoken sooner.
Why didn't I?
The regret was an ocean, and she was drowning. Her tears fell hotter, gathering and dripping onto the scattered UNO cards at their feet.
Minutes later, they parted. Chika's fingers lightly touched her lips, tracing the ghost of the sensation.
"Saki-kun… I really don't want to give up…"
Sakurai Saki stood up, stretching slightly, a complicated smile on his face. "But I already have a girlfriend, Chika."
The truth was, he didn't want to let go either.
"I can wait."
He walked toward the French windows, the storm still raging beyond the glass. He glanced back at her. "Wait for what?"
"Wait for you to break up with her. Wait for you to fall in love with me. If one year isn't enough, I'll wait three. If three isn't enough…" Her voice held a stubborn, heartbreaking resolve. "I'll wait a lifetime."
Sakurai Saki offered no reply. He reached the window.
"Chika. I have a secret to tell you, too."
She watched him, confused.
He leaned against the rain-lashed glass, clasped his hands together in a gesture almost like prayer, and slowly closed his eyes.
"Now… the sky is going to clear up~"
As his voice faded, a miracle tore through the gloom.
A hole was ripped in the steel-gray clouds. A shaft of warm, golden sunlight speared through, flooding the Student Council room and illuminating Sakurai Saki like a figure in a painting.
Under Fujiwara Chika's utterly stunned gaze, he offered an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long… but I'm actually a Superpower User."
Fujiwara Chika blinked once. Twice. Then her eyes rolled back, and she swayed, collapsing in a dead faint onto the sofa.
"Chika!" Sakurai cried out in alarm, rushing to her side and gathering her into his arms.
A few minutes later, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open to find his worried face above her.
"Saki-kun~" she mumbled, dazed. "I had a nightmare… I dreamed you were a Superpower User…"
As she finished speaking, her vision cleared, taking in the sun-drenched, suddenly serene room.
"…Ah." Her voice was flat with disbelief. "So it wasn't a dream."
Somehow, compared to the soul-crushing romantic rejection she'd just endured, this revelation felt even more impossible to process.
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