The wind was crisp, the sky painted a soft pink-orange. The December chill had wrapped Momiji High in layers of white mist, but the rooftop—shielded from the teachers' patrols—was their secret haven.
Nine pairs of shoes lined the edge of the rooftop benches, bags dumped in a messy heap near the wall. Rina was drinking strawberry milk, legs swinging off the bench. Mizuki sat beside her, book in hand, but barely reading. Minato leaned against the railing, scarf pulled up to his nose. Souta, sprawled lazily on the floor, tossed sunflower seed shells into the air. Hikaru rested silently with his eyes closed, a quiet contemplative expression on his face. Renji was stretching like a pro athlete. Haruki sat beside Sakura, their shoulders occasionally brushing, and Yume stood at the edge, eyes lost in the sunset.
"So..." Rina broke the silence, "Final exams next week. And then we're technically free."
Minato sighed dramatically. "Free... or unemployed?"
Everyone laughed.
"Speak for yourself," said Souta. "I've got at least two universities chasing me for sports scholarships."
Renji smirked. "Pfft. I beat your record in the 100m dash. Where's my scholarship?"
"You beat it by 0.03 seconds, Renji," Souta replied. "Barely counts."
"Still a win."
"I'm gonna beat you again before graduation. Mark my words."
Haruki chuckled softly. "You two never stop competing."
"It keeps things exciting," said Yume, turning around. Her cheeks were pink from the cold. "Besides, it wouldn't be our group without random drama."
"Speaking of drama," Mizuki closed her book and looked up, "...what's everyone planning after graduation?"
A hush fell.
Sakura looked down. Yume tilted her head. Rina's straw made a long slurp.
"I guess I'll go first," said Renji. "I'm aiming for a university with a good sports and business program. Maybe... build a gym chain one day. Train kids. Or open a dojo with a smoothie bar."
"Only if I get free smoothies," said Rina.
Renji gave a mock bow. "You shall receive mango banana, free of charge."
Souta laughed. "I'd join that dojo."
Rina nudged Mizuki. "What about you?"
Mizuki adjusted her glasses. "I already got early admission to Tokyo U's law program."
Everyone blinked.
"WHAT?!" yelled Minato, Rina, and Yume together.
"You WHAT?" Renji stared in disbelief.
Mizuki blinked innocently. "I sent my application six months ago."
"...Why didn't you tell us?" Sakura asked.
Mizuki gave a tiny smile. "You never asked."
Rina fell over. "That's such a Mizuki thing to say."
Yume smiled. "Still, we're proud of you."
Minato nodded. "Damn proud."
Mizuki's expression softened. "Thanks. I'm scared, but... I'm excited, too."
Yume leaned forward. "I think I'll go for literature or creative writing. Maybe become a novelist."
Souta raised a brow. "You mean write a romance manga based on us?"
Yume grinned. "Only if I rename you Sunflower Senpai."
Minato said. "That's disturbingly accurate."
The group smiled quietly, the weight of that moment settling softly over them like the December snow.
Hikaru, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "I might take the national exam early and pursue research. Neuroscience or cognitive psychology. Or maybe..." He hesitated. "Maybe I'll go overseas for a few years."
Rina tilted her head. "Won't you miss us?"
Hikaru looked around at them—their laughter, their warmth, their chaos—and for the first time in a long while, he smiled.
"I will. That's why I want to make a plan before I go."
"What kind of plan?" asked Minato.
Hikaru looked to Renji, Souta, and Haruki. "A plan where we all meet once a year. A reunion. No matter what."
"Even if we have work or college?" Yume asked.
"Even then," Hikaru said.
Souta grinned. "I like that."
"We can take turns choosing the location," said Mizuki. "First year: Tokyo. Second year: Kyoto. Third year:... Okinawa?"
"Fourth year: Renji's smoothie dojo," Minato added.
"Fifth year: Mr. Sakamoto's wedding," Rina declared.
Renji choked. "Wait, Sakamoto-sensei's getting married?"
As if summoned by chaos, the door to the rooftop flung open.
Mr. Sakamoto stood, panting, wearing a ridiculous purple scarf and holding a tray of canned hot cocoa. "WHO SAID MY NAME?!"
Everyone screamed.
"Seriously, does he have super-hearing?" Rina whispered.
Mr. Sakamoto marched up, dramatically placing the tray down. "I come bearing the beverage of champions! Final exam prep begins with hydration!"
"No offense, sir," Souta said, "but cocoa isn't hydration."
"Nonsense! This is the fuel of youth!" He dramatically sipped one. "And yes, I'm still single. But I'm emotionally ready now. Tell your aunts."
Everyone laughed.
The sun dipped lower.
They sat together, sipping hot cocoa, watching the sky bleed into twilight.
Renji raised his can. "To friendship, idiots, and the chaos that brought us together."
They clinked their cans together with a cheer.
No matter how far they'd go.
No matter what future awaited them.
They'd always be nine. Always be weird. Always be together.
Even if life scattered them like dandelion seeds into the world—
They would always find their way back.
---
Spring had come, not with the promise of new beginnings, but with the weight of partings.
At Momiji High, the campus was awash with the soft blush of cherry blossoms, carpeting the school grounds in delicate pink. A gentle breeze stirred the petals as students gathered for their final day—laughing, crying, saying goodbye.
Class 3-B, 3-C, and 3-D students had gathered together, for once, not as separate homerooms but as friends united by memories.
In the corner of the courtyard, Sakura Ayazawa stood beneath the largest sakura tree, her hands folded quietly in front of her, her frame thinner than before. Her breathing was soft, almost inaudible over the rustle of leaves.
Beside her stood Haruki Kiryuu, glancing at her with quiet concern. He hadn't said anything yet, but she knew what was on his mind.
"You're worried," she said without looking at him.
"I always am," he admitted.
She smiled gently, the corners of her lips lifting with effort. "I made it this far. That's enough."
Haruki swallowed. "You made it through all three years, Sakura. You were stronger than anyone."
"Only because… you stood by me." She turned her head to meet his eyes. "You never gave up. On me."
He nodded, his voice low. "And I never will."
They stood there for a moment, letting silence speak for them. Hikaru watched them from a short distance, his gaze sharp but not cold. He understood better than most what it meant to face something you couldn't outwit, no matter how smart you were.
---
Not far off, Renji Kanzaki was already stirring the group into chaos.
"Come on, people! This is graduation! Smile! You'll miss my handsome face tomorrow!"
"You mean your loud mouth," Mizuki Sasaki mumbled, adjusting her hair as if preparing for battle.
"Mouth, face, personality—they're a package," Renji smirked, hands behind his head.
"Then maybe someone should return it to the manufacturer," Mizuki deadpanned.
Yume Amagiri giggled beside her. "To be fair, he's been surprisingly helpful this past year. A bit reckless, but dependable."
"You're just saying that because of the relay race," Mizuki teased.
Yume flushed slightly. "He did win it for us."
Renji grinned but said nothing more, especially when he caught Mizuki giving him an odd glance. They'd always had a strange chemistry—half bickering, half admiration, never spoken aloud.
Nearby, Minato Yoshi stood beside Rina Tamura, trying not to get knocked over by students running past with diplomas.
"Rina, is it just me, or is it getting more chaotic every second?"
"It's just you. Or your weak knees," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"I do not have weak knees!"
Rina laughed. "You're still the smartest guy in the room, so I guess I'll let it slide."
Minato flushed slightly. "It's not all about grades. I just don't want to embarrass you."
"You couldn't, even if you tried."
A little ways behind them, Souta Moriyama leaned against the railing, arms crossed, watching the sky. His laid-back attitude hadn't changed, but there was a quiet maturity behind his easygoing smile now.
"Three years of High School, and I couldn't make a single girlfriend", he thought to himself.
"You're not gonna cry, are you?" Hikaru asked, walking up beside him.
"Nah," Souta replied. "Not unless someone brings up cafeteria curry."
Hikaru smirked. "I'll miss beating you in Rocket League more."
"In your dreams."
They bumped fists quietly.
---
Ceremony Hall – Graduation Event
The auditorium was packed. Students sat in neat rows, teachers lined the walls, and the principal gave a heartfelt (and far too long) speech. The nine friends sat together—some listening, most zoning out.
Then came the moment—receiving diplomas.
Each name was called, and as the students stood one by one, their friends clapped loudly for them. Sakura stood with grace and poise. The room was hushed when she walked, as if the wind itself waited to applaud her. Haruki clapped the loudest, tears threatening to fall.
Mizuki walked with quiet pride. Yume walked with a bright smile, pausing to wave at the teachers. Renji pumped his fist in the air, of course. Minato tripped slightly. Rina helped him back up and winked.
Souta walked with his signature shrug and muttered, "Somehow made it."
Hikaru simply nodded as he received his, eyes sharp, posture perfect—as if this moment had already played out in his head hundreds of times.
---
After the Ceremony – Under the Sakura Tree
They gathered under the same tree where it all started. Mr. Sakamoto, their homeroom teacher, stood with tissues stuffed in his breast pocket and a loud sniffle.
"I hate you kids," he declared. "You made me emotional again!"
"We love you too, Mr. Sakamoto," Yume said with a smile.
Behind him, the new literature teacher—Ms. Takayama, a young and overly dramatic woman with wild hair and a love for Shakespeare—was already crying with a handkerchief.
"It was… beautiful! Like the ending of a play where the heroine finds peace!"
"Are you okay?" Minato asked her.
"She gets like this when someone says 'farewell,'" Mr. Sakamoto sighed.
"But she said it with sincerity!" Ms. Takayama wept dramatically, pointing at Sakura.
Sakura, for her part, bowed her head shyly. "I just said thank you…"
---
Final Conversation – The Promise
"Guys," Rina said, looking around the circle of nine. "Can we promise something?"
"Here it comes," Minato muttered.
"No jokes this time." Her tone softened. "Let's stay friends. After this. After school. No matter what."
Yume nodded. "Even if we're in different cities?"
"Especially then," said Mizuki.
"I'll create a group chat," Minato offered. "With backup groups. And subgroups."
"Just don't make us study again," Souta groaned.
"Let's meet every year," Sakura whispered. "No matter where we are."
They all looked at her—pale, smiling, fragile—but still stronger than anyone else.
Hikaru nodded slowly. "Yeah. We will."
And so, in the shade of the falling petals, the nine friends stood together for one last photo. Not of grades. Not of rankings. But of people who had laughed, cried, grown, and survived together.
They didn't know what the future held. Universities, jobs, hardships, love, loss—but they had each other.
And even as the school bell rang one final time, their bond was already something that couldn't be unlearned, unscored, or forgotten.
Because real friendship, like sakura blossoms, always returns—year after year.