Someone actually confessed to Akira before I did!? That's not fair at all! And hello—can't they see we're always together? Isn't that basically a declaration already!?
What if Akira accepts? Would it be like one of those TV dramas where he gets stolen away? No way… Aunt Shizuka and Mom would never allow that… right?
While Shouko's mind spiraled into full drama mode, Akira quickly recovered from his moment of surprise. His first thought was: Did she set this up as a joke? But one glance at Shouko's stunned face told him that couldn't be it.
"Th-th-this…" Shouko stammered, unable to string a full sentence together. Her brain had officially overheated.
"Shouko, calm down. I don't think it's what we're imagining," Akira said, trying to ground her before she completely short-circuited.
She blinked and nodded slowly, setting her school bag down and leaning closer to see as he opened the envelope.
Akira carefully peeled it open. Inside was a soft pink sheet of paper—yep, it was definitely a love letter.
"Hurry up and open it, Akira!" Shouko could already see the paper inside. Her curiosity was about to explode.
"Yeah, hurry up!" another voice chimed in—snappy and unexpected.
"Wah!" Shouko jumped in surprise, while Akira, who'd already noticed someone nearby, remained unfazed.
Shouko turned to the voice, only relaxing when she saw it was someone familiar.
"Class Rep…? You scared me! What are you doing here?" she asked, puzzled.
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry." The class representative smiled apologetically from the aisle beside Shouko. "I'm on cleaning duty today. When I came back and saw you two crouched here like sneaky little raccoons, I couldn't help getting curious."
She covered her mouth with mock drama. "And to think—Miyamura-kun got a love letter? Actually, it'd be weirder if he didn't!"
"I-it's not a love letter!" Shouko puffed up with embarrassment. She hadn't even seen what was written yet!
Akira calmly took her bag and said, "We'll clean later. Let's go, Shouko."
"Wait, don't go! I wanna know too!" the Class Rep tried to stop them, but they didn't even glance back.
———
"Akira, open it already!" As soon as they stepped outside the school gate, Shouko clung to his sleeve like a puppy begging for snacks.
Akira nodded and let go of her hand. He pulled the paper out of the envelope and skimmed through it quickly.
Then, glancing over at her, he said simply, "It's a love letter."
"Nani!?" Shouko froze like a statue. Her eyes lost all light.
Akira chuckled to himself and added, "But it's anonymous. Looks like a prank."
"…Really?" Shouko's voice came back online as she stared at him suspiciously. She couldn't wait—she grabbed the letter from his hands.
Akira just reached over and gently patted her head. "I'd never lie to you."
The letter was full of over-the-top admiration, declarations of inspiration, and how he unknowingly gave the sender motivation. But not a single name or clue about who it was from.
Shouko read it two, three times to be sure. After confirming there really was no name, she finally let out a breath of relief and muttered with a laugh, "I knew it was a prank the moment I saw it."
"Oh really?" Akira gave her a teasing look and took the letter back, slipping it into the envelope again.
"Y-yeah!" she insisted with a guilty nod.
He humored her. "Of course, of course. Shouko-chan's the smartest. You saw through it immediately."
He tucked the envelope into her school bag like it was nothing worth fussing over.
———
"I'm home, Aunt Shizuka!" Shouko called as they entered the house.
"There are snacks in the fridge," Shizuka's voice drifted from the living room.
After changing into slippers, they peeked into the living room—only to see her frozen in some… extremely awkward pose on the tatami.
"Auntie… what are you doing?" Shouko asked, tilting her head.
"She's doing yoga," Akira answered before Shizuka could. He'd long stopped trying to understand her yoga goals.
5:26 PM
"Mom, did you see a pink envelope I left on the coffee table?" Akira asked, frowning as he searched around the room. He'd pulled the letter from Shouko's bag and meant to leave it there earlier.
"Nope. Why? What happened?"
"…It's nothing." Akira searched around the living and dining room again.
"What are you looking for?" Shizuka asked curiously.
"Just forget it. Not important." Akira waved her off.
He had a strong feeling… Shouko must've secretly taken it back. Otherwise, how could it just vanish?
(Sort of like when you call your phone with your phone to find your phone.)
———
The next day, no one but Shouko and the Class Rep knew about the "confession." Since neither were the gossipy type, the class remained blissfully unaware.
That is… until the next surprise.
Later that afternoon, during break right before the last period, Akira reached into his desk—and found a new envelope.
This one was a striking magenta.
Unlike yesterday, there hadn't been a chance for someone to slip it in. He hadn't left his seat at all—except for one short bathroom break. And Shouko had been sitting right there the whole time.
Very suspicious.
"All right, everyone! Back to your seats. Class is starting," said Teacher Minagawa as she stepped inside, interrupting his thoughts.
"What's wrong, Akira?" Shouko returned to her seat from Miu's side and noticed him frowning down at something in his hand.
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POWER STONE!!!
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