The festival noise fades into a distant hum, but my heart pounds loud enough to drown it all out. The moment I’ve been waiting for—dreading, hoping, doubting—stands right in front of me. Sawako’s eyes, filled with a nervous kind of determination, lock onto mine.

She’s shaking. Not from fear, but from something bigger. Something overwhelming.

Then, all at once, she bursts—like she’s held back a flood for too long, and now it’s spilling over, raw and unstoppable.

“I love you, Kazehaya-kun! I love how you always smile like the world is kind! I love how you talk to everyone so easily, like no one’s a stranger! I love how you believed in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself! I love the way you laugh, the way you call my name, the way you run ahead and then turn back—like you never want to leave anyone behind! I love how being near you makes me feel warm, like I belong! I love you—I love you so much I can’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t want to hold it in anymore!”

Her voice is trembling. Her hands clench into fists at her sides, and her face is red, but she doesn’t look away. She’s looking straight at me, completely open, completely honest.

I can’t move. I can’t speak.

Because this—this is everything.

All this time, I thought I was the one reaching for her, the one leading her forward, the one waiting for her to catch up. But now, standing here, hearing her say all of this… I realize I had it completely wrong.

She’s been watching me. Seeing me. Understanding me in ways I never even noticed.

She noticed the little things—the way I laugh, the way I turn back when I run ahead, the way I talk to people. She saw me. Not just the friendly, outgoing Kazehaya everyone knows, but me. And she loves me for it.

The lump in my throat is unbearable. My chest feels tight, too full, like my heart might burst. I want to say something—anything—but the words won’t come.

I’ve never felt like this before. Not once in my life.