The end-of-day chime echoed softly through the entire school building. Another day at Kasumigaoka High School came to a close. From the hallway, the footsteps of students rushing to club activities and their laughter could be heard like waves. In the staff room, Nishikata opened his desk drawer and took out a small key. The key to the rooftop. The slightly cool sensation of brass fit neatly in his palm. The events of yesterday morning kept swirling around in his head. In the empty classroom, while drinking that canned coffee, the words Houjou had said to him. —Your clumsiness isn't a flaw, Sensei. And the words he had sworn to himself. (This time, I won't run away.) He noticed that his palm was gradually becoming damp with sweat. Nishikata let out a small breath and stared at his own hand. "Pathetic." A bitter smile escaped him. Twenty-seven years old, and just going to the rooftop was enough to make him like this. But deep in his heart, he felt strangely calm. At last, he could put an end to it. The thing he'd been running from for ten years. Nishikata gripped the key tightly and stood up. At that moment, his gaze happened to fall on the corner of his desk. A single sticky note from Sanada was still stuck there. *'Sensei, please come behind the gym after school.'* Round, slightly childish handwriting. He had noticed it yesterday morning, but with the morning chaos and his conversation with Houjou, it had completely slipped his mind. "Behind the gym..." What could it be? Something about class, maybe. Or perhaps about sports festival preparations or something. Without giving it much thought, Nishikata put the key in his pocket and decided to head to the gym first. He left the staff room and walked down the hallway. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows cast several orange rectangles onto the linoleum floor. The distant sound of the brass band club practicing could be heard faintly. When he stepped outside the school building, a lukewarm breeze brushed against his cheek. The end of June. A precious break in the rainy season. The sky was still blue, but the western edge was just beginning to shift into a faint pink. The gym was about fifty meters away from the school building. As Nishikata walked along the edge of the schoolyard, he suddenly looked up at the sky. (I wonder if Takagi-san will come.) When he had stopped her in the hallway that morning, she had only said, "I understand." But her voice had been much thinner than yesterday, like a taut string. On the rooftop, he had to say it properly. The words he couldn't say at the harbor ten years ago. The words he couldn't say at the harbor yesterday. The large gym building drew closer. Ivy clung thickly to its walls. Nishikata followed the building around to the back. It was a spot hidden from view of the school building. There was just one vending machine there, a little-known spot where faculty members came to take a breather. When he turned the corner, the setting sun burst into his vision all at once. He instinctively squinted against the brightness. And there, standing in that light, was Sanada. Her usual ponytail swayed in the wind, her chestnut hair sparkling. But something was different. She, who was always so full of energy and constantly moving, stood perfectly still, as if rooted to the ground, facing Nishikata. "Sanada?" As he got closer and could clearly see her face, Nishikata stopped in his tracks. Sanada's large brown eyes were red and bloodshot. She was desperately holding back tears that threatened to overflow at any moment. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and there wasn't a trace of her usual smile that showed her double tooth. "...What's wrong? Did something happen?" At Nishikata's voice, Sanada took a deep, deep breath. Her shoulders rose and fell heavily. Then, she looked straight into Nishikata's eyes. "[serious]Sensei." Just one word. And with that, the atmosphere changed. "[serious]I feel like if I don't say this properly, I'll regret it." Her voice was trembling. But she didn't look away. "[serious]I like you, Sensei." All sound vanished from the world. The brass band practice, the sound of the wind, the voices of students in the distance—everything. Nishikata forgot to breathe. The moment he heard Sanada's confession, something burst inside his head. He'd been called dense, thick-headed, and all sorts of things, but in this moment alone, he understood clearly. This was something he couldn't just brush off. Sanada's eyes were wavering. Nishikata slowly approached her. Sanada's shoulders flinched for just an instant. Nishikata stood in front of her. He looked her properly in the eyes. "...Sanada." His own voice was surprisingly calm. "I have someone I like." The words came out naturally. "[serious]I like Takagi-san." Ah, so that's it. He could say it so easily. The words he hadn't been able to tell anyone for ten years now slipped out of his mouth. So naturally, he could hardly believe it himself. A single tear spilled from Sanada's eye. But she immediately bit her lip and lifted her chin defiantly. "...I knew." Her voice was thick and nasal. "[crying]I knew it, okay! The way you look at Takagi-san is so gentle, I couldn't help but know!" Nishikata could only stare at her face, unable to say anything. "[crying]But... even so, I wanted to say it. Because these are my feelings." Sanada rubbed her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. "[crying]Rather than ending it without saying anything, I wanted to say it properly and be properly rejected." Even with her face a mess from tears, she smiled. That smile was as bright as the sun, and yet, it was the kind of smile that made his chest ache painfully. "...Sanada, you really are." Nishikata searched for words. "...Amazing." That was all he could manage. Sanada, tears still streaming down her face, made a half-sulky expression. "[sarcastic]What kind of thing is that to say to a crying girl!" "Ah, no..." "[laughing]Geez, you really are so dense, Sensei. Clumsy, and weird in the weirdest ways." Sanada let out a small laugh. The traces of her tears sparkled in the evening sun. "But... that's exactly why I fell for you." After saying that, she spun around to face the direction of the rooftop. "[serious]Hurry up and go. Takagi-sensei is waiting." She gave his back a light push. Nishikata felt he wouldn't be able to forget the warmth of that small palm for a long time. "...Thank you." Saying just that, Nishikata broke into a run toward the rooftop. He thought he heard Sanada say something behind him, but he couldn't make it out. He just looked straight ahead and ran. He dashed into the school building and bounded up the stairs three at a time. His heart was pounding loudly. He desperately fought the urge to stumble as his legs threatened to tangle. At last, he reached the rooftop door. He inserted the key. The click of the lock echoed unnaturally loud. He pushed open the heavy iron door with both hands. —What burst into view was a sky blazing orange. The western sky was dyed in red, orange, and gold, as if someone had splashed a giant canvas with paint. The Seto Inland Sea reflected that light, glittering as though scattered with countless stars. And against that backdrop, standing before the railing, was her. Her waist-length black hair swayed gently in the wind. Tied low into a single bunch, her hair caught the evening sun, creating a golden outline. Takagi-san slowly turned around. Nishikata caught his breath. Her large eyes were red and slightly swollen. She had probably been crying last night too. "...Thank you for coming." Her voice was thin and trembling. But it also sounded somehow relieved. "[gentle]You're the one who called me here, you know." Saying that, she twisted the corner of her mouth just a little. As if she were that girl from long ago, the master of teasing. Nishikata smiled slightly. "...Yeah." A quiet silence fell between them. The wind slowly replaced the air on the rooftop. From far away, only the shouts of the baseball team and the dry crack of metal bats hitting balls could be heard. "Takagi-san." Nishikata took one step forward. "I came to say what I couldn't say ten years ago." Takagi-san's shoulders trembled faintly. The sound of his own heartbeat was so loud, Nishikata felt like he was going crazy. But his legs weren't shaking. "I've always liked you." The words vibrated through the air. "[serious]I still like you now." Takagi-san didn't move, as if time had stopped. Her eyes widened. Her lips began to tremble. "...Me too." The next moment, tears burst from her large eyes as if a dam had broken. "[crying]Me too, all this time... ever since middle school, I've always liked you." Her voice was drenched and ragged with tears. "[crying]All that teasing... it was all because I liked you." Takagi-san covered her face with both hands and sobbed like a child. "[crying]Sitting in the seat next to you, I was happy to see your bedhead. When I put weird eraser shavings on your desk, seeing your angry face was fun... but it was all because I loved you so much, I just wanted your attention." Her words were broken and fragmented, almost hard to make out. But each and every word carried the weight of ten years and struck Nishikata's heart. "...The day before you moved away, too." Nishikata spoke with a hoarse voice. "At the harbor, I meant to tell you. But... I was scared and couldn't." "[crying]I knew." Takagi-san lifted her tear-streaked face. "[crying]You had this look like you wanted to say something. But you couldn't, and you said 'Take care' with this really weird expression... so I've been waiting all this time." Ten years. She had been waiting for him all this time. For those words, "Take care," from back then. For the single word that should have followed. A warmth spread deep in Nishikata's chest. "...I'm sorry it took so long." "[crying]No... I heard it now... so it's okay." Wiping her tears, Takagi-san tried to smile. But the tears wouldn't stop, and her face was a crumpled, strange mess. Seeing that face, Nishikata couldn't help but laugh. "What are you laughing at?" "No... that face... it's a good memory." "[crying]That's awful..." The two of them stood side by side in the evening sun. Their hands were close enough to almost touch. A gentle silence, and the occasional sound of Takagi-san sniffling. The warm atmosphere that hadn't been there on that evening ten years ago was definitely here now. Nishikata suddenly looked out at the sea. The setting sun was half-hidden by the horizon, dyeing the water's surface a deep crimson. They had watched the same sunset back then, too. But the sunset he saw today felt much gentler than the one from that time. "...I wonder if Sanada-san and Houjou-san will be okay." Takagi-san murmured quietly. A small, sharp pain ran through Nishikata's chest. "...I hurt someone again, didn't I?" His own denseness was pathetic. Takagi-san gently shook her head. "...But you didn't run away. Not this time." Nishikata couldn't say anything. He just stared at the sunset. --- At the same time. The art preparation room was bathed in dim orange light. Houjou sat on a stool by the window, facing her sketchbook. The smell of oil paints and turpentine hung thickly in the air around her. Her long flaxen hair swayed in the faint breeze from the window. Her deep blue eyes were fixed on the sketchbook without a single cloud of distraction. There, a nearly completed portrait of Nishikata. His profile, smiling a little awkwardly at the podium. "...Yeah." Houjou gave a small nod. Not a bad result. Just as she thought that and lifted her head— The scenery outside the window caught her eye. Houjou froze. From this window, the back of the gym was clearly visible. That spot with the vending mach