The rooftop buzzed with excitement—soft chatter, whispered confessions, fluttering hearts waiting to bloom.

Every eye looked upward, chasing the first glimmer of light.

And then I saw her.

Standing alone near the railing, gazing up at the sky as if she belonged among the stars she waited for.

A soft breeze played with her hair, and for a moment the world seemed to pause just to admire her.

Then I noticed Miyamura.

He wasn’t looking at the stars at all.

He was looking at her—with eyes filled with a tenderness he didn’t try to hide.

“You should go talk to her,” I muttered. “If you’re going to stalk her like that.”

“I—I wasn’t stalking,” he stammered, ears turning red.

“You notice too many small things…” he grumbled.

Then, with a teasing grin:

“Does that mean you really care about me?”

“No. Not at all. I just admire your stupidity.”

I replied immediately.

“Geez… here I thought I had you,” he sighed dramatically.

But he stood up anyway.

Gathered his courage.

And actually walked toward her.

---

He stood beside her at the railing, both of them illuminated by the soft glow of evening light.

“The stars are beautiful,” he said quietly.

“Wouldn’t it be amazing to live up there… among them?”

Aira’s voice was calm, but there was something fragile beneath it.

“Yes… it would be lovely,” she murmured.

“But also lonely.”

Her words carried a weight. A quiet ache neither of us understood yet.

Still, she kept looking at the sky as the stars finally began to bloom.

I watched from the corner as the two of them stood under the glowing heavens—two silhouettes carved in silver light.

“But you’re right,” she continued softly.

“They really are beautiful.”

Miyamura looked mesmerized.

Her eyes reflected the starlight like shallow, shimmering pools.

“Yes…” he whispered.

“But they look more beautiful when I see them through your eyes.”

“Oh, you give me too much praise.”

“It’s true,” he smiled gently and his voice was soft, pure and filled with love.

“If you don’t believe me, look at yourself through my eyes.

You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Her cheeks tinted pink at the edges.

And at that moment—

I felt something strange twist quietly in my chest.

---

“Looks like Aika is ready,” I said, trying to distract myself.

“To confess.”

“Yes,” he replied softly. “She is.”

He paused. Then turned to Aira again.

“How would you want someone to confess to you?”

The question caught us both off guard.

Even I felt something deep inside me freeze, waiting for her answer.

A faint smile touched her lips.

“Well… it doesn’t matter how he does it,” she said gently.

“As long as it’s from the person I want to hear it from…

Her cheeks flushed.

But the part that stunned me—

She glanced at me while saying it. It was like she was telling me that instead of answering him.

A glance.

Quick. Subtle.

But unmistakable.

Miyamura seemed to noticed it too.

Pain flickered in his eyes for a brief second before he forced a smile.

He asked quietly but almost in desperation,

“Then… would you go to the fireworks festival with me?”

Aira looked at him.

Kind. Gentle.

But honest.

“No,” she said softly.

“Thank you for asking… but I’m going with someone else.”

His smile faltered.

Just a little.

Enough to reveal the crack beneath.

“I see… I suppose that someone else is the one you want to hear the confession from?”

Aira looked away, the faintest ghost of a smile on her lips.

“Maybe.”

He nodded slowly, swallowing the hurt.

Trying to look strong even as it stung.

“Well… if you find yourself alone that night,” he said quietly,

“come find me.

I’ll be alone too.

Waiting for you.”

His voice carried the a strange weight that held the air.

Aira opened her mouth to reply—

But then—

A voice echoed across the rooftop.

“I, Giyu Uhuru… promise to always love you.

Will you please be my girlfriend?”

Time froze.

Everyone turned.

And there he was—

Giyu.

But the girl standing before him was not Aika.

It was Orihime from Class 2-B.

“Yes,” Orihime whispered, trembling.

“I will.”

The rooftop exploded with cheers and applause.

Students clapped, whistled, cried out in excitement.

But not everyone was celebrating.

Aika stood frozen where she was.

Her hands shook.

Her breath trembled.

Her eyes filled with tears that refused to fall.

This was supposed to be her moment.

Her confession.

Her night.

But now…

her love story died before it even began.

She didn't even get to tell him or hear his answer.

Aika turned and ran — down the stairs, disappearing into the darkness below.

Aira called her name, rushing after her with a few others.

But maybe…

this was the kind of wound only silence could understand.

---

As cheers continued, I sat there quietly, watching the joy on one side and the heartbreak on the other.

This was love.

Here, under the same sky—

Love bloomed like the brightest star…

and in the same breath, it shattered someone’s world.

One heart filled with happiness.

One heart breaking in silence.

The cruel symmetry of love that people only realize after they have already lost.

---