The days blurred into a rhythm of rehearsals, whispers, and unanswered questions.
Even the teachers noticed.
Ms. Kobayashi pulled Riko aside after class one afternoon. "Is Nakamura-san alright? She seems... different lately."
Riko's response was careful. "She's fine, sensei. Just personal matters."
The same question was asked to Hikari. To Kaito. Even to students who barely knew Yuki.
No one had answers.
Eventually, everyone gave up. The festival was too close. There was too much to prepare. Yuki's strangeness became just another background detail in the chaos of rehearsal.
---
The festival loomed closer. Three days. Two days. Tomorrow.
Today's rehearsal was their last full run-through. The music came together—Kenji's piano flowing into Hikari's violin, Riko's voice lifting Kaito's lyrics into something beautiful.
It was perfect.
After practice, as everyone packed up, Yuki approached them.
Not bouncing. Not grinning. Just... walking. Slowly. Deliberately.
Riko's heart clenched. Hikari went still. Kaito turned to face her.
Yuki stopped in front of Kaito. Her voice, when it came, was quiet—the quietest any of them had ever heard.
"Kaito... there's something I hid from you."
Silence.
"It's been making me feel really sad. For a long time." She swallowed. "I'd like to tell you. At the festival. When it's over."
Riko and Hikari exchanged a glance.
Is she... going to confess?
The thought crashed through both their minds. They hid their reactions—Riko's face smoothing into composure, Hikari's expression going blank.
But inside, both were spinning.
Kaito studied Yuki for a long moment. His voice, when it came, was calm. Gentle, even.
"Sure." A pause. "If it's the right time for you, I'll wait."
Yuki's eyes glistened. Just slightly. "Thank you."
She walked away, leaving three friends staring after her.
---
That night, Riko lay in bed staring at her ceiling.
She's going to confess. She has to be. Why else would she—
She stopped herself.
No. I don't know that. It could be anything.
But the fear remained.
---
Hikari stared at her own ceiling, the cracks familiar in the dark.
If Yuki likes him...
She didn't finish the thought. Couldn't.
---
Kaito sat at his desk, notebook open, pen idle.
Something she hid. Something that makes her sad.
He thought about Yuki's face. The way her eyes had glistened.
I'll wait. Whatever it is.
---
The day before the festival arrived.
Excitement crackled through the school. Decorations went up. Stages were built. Final rehearsals ran smooth.
Ms. Kobayashi found them after practice—Kaito, Riko, Hikari, Yuki, Kenji, all the participants.
"Good luck tomorrow," she said warmly. "All of you. Whatever happens, I'm proud of this class."
They nodded. Smiled. Thanked her.
But beneath the surface, four people carried different weights.
Tomorrow, everything might change.
(End of Chapter 84)