Kakeru is a typical high school sophomore who is totally obsessed with the super popular Vtuber, Muna Hoshinova. But one day, he accidentally discovers that the new transfer student, Hazuki, is actually Muna in real life! Hazuki begs him to keep it a secret from everyone at school, making him her only confidant.
But keeping that secret is way too hard! His classmates Yuzuha and Akari keep pestering him because they know he's a Muna fan, and his childhood friend Sakura is getting suspicious of h
A Secret Kiss Behind the Stars - A rooftop where the stars gather
Twilight.
The bustle of the culture festival still echoed faintly in the distance. Preparations for the after-party, maybe. Someone shouting into a microphone — fragments of their voice carried on the wind.
Aikawa Kakeru sat slumped against the concrete behind the school building.
His back pressed to the cold wall, arms wrapped around his knees. In front of him, a trash bin. Overflowing with the careless debris of the festival.
In his hands, he held a dirt-stained Muna Hoshinova fan.
The smiling face of the avatar — moon and star motifs — was crumpled and warped. Someone had tossed it aside when he'd screamed on stage.
Kakeru just clutched it tight.
"That... was the right thing to do."
His voice was hoarse.
His throat hurt. From shouting on stage.
*(It was the right thing.)*
He repeated it in his head.
*(I protected Haduki's secret.)*
In exchange, he'd lost everything. His classmates' trust. His relationships with Yuzuha and Akari. The bond with Sakura — the one that had stretched all the way back to childhood. All of it, shattered to pieces.
Even so.
*(If Haduki can smile...)*
Then it was worth it. He tried to believe that.
But.
A heat welled up behind his eyes.
His vision blurred, wavering.
Something warm slid down his cheek.
*(...Why?)*
He'd chosen this himself. He had no regrets. He shouldn't have any.
The tears wouldn't stop.
Soundlessly, shoulders trembling, he wept. Face buried in his knees so no one would see. The fan in his hands grew wetter with every tear.
How long had he been like that?
—*Clack. Clack.*
Footsteps approached.
Kakeru didn't lift his head.
*(Doesn't matter who it is.)*
They'd just whisper behind his back again, or look at him with pity.
But.
The footsteps stopped right beside him.
And then, he felt someone sit down next to him.
"...Kakeru."
Kakeru's shoulders jolted.
He raised his head.
Sitting beside him was Sakura.
Her cherry-blossom bob was disheveled, strands sticking up here and there. Her slightly upturned, dark-brown eyes were swollen red from crying. Tears were still spilling from them.
"I can't believe you'd go that far..."
Sakura's voice trembled, hoarse.
"You really are serious about her."
Kakeru couldn't say a word.
*(Sakura...)*
Why was she here? Why was she crying?
"I... was a coward."
Sakura hugged her knees tightly.
"Akari-san's USB drive. I found it the night before the festival."
Something jolted deep in Kakeru's chest.
"It had Haduki-san's voice data on it... and I knew right away — if I had this, I could corner her at the impersonation contest."
Sakura's fingers clenched the hem of her skirt.
"Because I was so frustrated. You kept looking at Haduki-san. Kept sneaking around with her behind my back. I couldn't stand it."
She bit her lip.
"So I thought about giving that data to Akari-san. That way, Haduki-san's secret would be exposed, and both of you would be finished. *Zamaa*, I thought."
*(...She knew.)*
Sakura had figured out Haduki's identity.
But no. That wasn't it. Sakura was here now. Crying. Blaming herself.
"But... I couldn't do it."
Sakura lifted her head. Her tear-streaked face stared straight at Kakeru.
"I erased everything on the USB drive. Replaced it with random voice samples I grabbed online... and gave it to Akari-san."
Kakeru's breath stopped.
*(Sakura... protected her?)*
"When I saw how desperate you were... I realized Haduki-san must be that important to you. And I just... couldn't."
Sakura's voice broke into sobs.
"I wanted you to like me... so I protected my rival's secret. ...Cowardly, right? The worst, right?"
She said it with a face that was half crying, half laughing.
"So... I'm giving up on you."
Something squeezed tight in the center of Kakeru's chest.
*Giving up.*
The weight of those words stabbed into him, heavy and sharp.
*(Sakura... you're...)*
Not a coward.
She'd killed her own feelings. For him.
"...Sakura."
Calling her name was all he could manage.
"Thank you."
At that, Sakura's tears spilled over again.
—Just then.
"Aikawa-cchi!!"
A shout, and someone came sprinting around the corner of the school building.
Her chestnut ponytail flying wildly, Yuzuha ran at full speed. Behind her, Akari followed at a brisk pace.
Yuzuha reached Kakeru and collapsed to the ground right there. Her big, cat-like round eyes were drenched — impossibly drenched — in tears.
"I'm sorry! I didn't think at all!"
Yuzuha covered her face with both hands and started crying.
"Not as a Muna fan — I didn't think about Haduki-san at all! Trying to make her sing in front of everyone like that... I had no idea how Haduki-san felt!"
Kakeru stared at Yuzuha, stunned.
"When Aikawa-cchi screamed on stage... I finally realized — that's not the face I wanted to make him show... I'm such an idiot..."
Behind Yuzuha, Akari came to a stop.
Normally so composed, so rarely showing emotion — now she hung her head. Her semi-long, blue-tinged black hair swayed, hiding her face.
"...I'm sorry."
Akari bowed deeply.
"This is all... my fault. Bringing out the voice analysis software — it's entirely my responsibility."
Her narrow, sharp eyes slowly lifted. They glistened, just slightly.
"Aikawa-san... I made you show a face like that. I'm truly sorry."
Akari's voice trembled.
Kakeru had never seen her reveal this much emotion before.
"...It's okay."
Kakeru somehow forced the words out.
"I know neither of you did it on purpose. So it's okay."
"But...!"
"I should've talked to you both more properly too. It's not just your fault."
At that, Yuzuha burst into loud sobs. Akari, still looking down, trembled.
—And then.
"Aikawa! There you are!!"
This time, multiple sets of footsteps approached.
He looked up to see several boys from his class running toward him together.
"Dude, you're insane!!"
The boy in the lead clapped Kakeru on the shoulder.
"The guts to jump in like that — seriously, that was so cool!"
"We've been saying 'Aikawa, good job' behind your back this whole time!"
Kakeru's mouth fell open.
*(Huh...?)*
"I mean, there's no way we could've done that."
"Going that far in front of the whole school — that's way too manly."
"The Muna impersonation contest was getting this heavy vibe, right? If Haduki-san had been forced to sing like that... it probably would've been pretty bad."
The boys all praised Kakeru at once.
"You guys... didn't you start hating me?"
"Why would we?!"
"Maybe you couldn't read the room a little, but what you did was the *right thing*. How do I put it... an act of courage?"
"Yeah, yeah. While we were prepping for the after-party, we were all talking about you."
Kakeru was speechless.
*(Everyone... was thinking about me.)*
He'd been so sure the whole school hated him.
Stared at with cold eyes, whispered about behind his back, left alone.
But he'd been wrong.
There were people who'd had his back.
Kakeru looked down.
Tears threatened to spill again.
*(...No.)*
He tried to stop them. But it was impossible now.
Different tears from before — they came pouring out.
"............"
Kakeru cried out loud.
He'd thought he was alone.
Thought he'd lost everything.
But.
So many people had been watching over him.
*Warm.*
Deep in his chest, a gentle heat spread — and that warmth overflowed as tears.
"W-Whoa, Aikawa-cchi's crying!"
"Oh my..."
"Idiot... what are *you* crying for..."
Sakura laughed through her tears.
Yuzuha, Akari, the boys — everyone wore faces caught between tears and laughter.
The sunset bathed them all equally in its light.
—*Clank.*
Suddenly, a metallic sound rang out from above.
Everyone looked up.
The rooftop door had opened.
The one who'd opened it — was Haduki.
She stood there, clutching a ring of keys. Her glossy black hair, long enough to reach her waist, swayed softly in the breeze. Behind her fake glasses, her large violet eyes gazed straight at Kakeru.
"...Kakeru-kun."
Haduki descended the stairs from the rooftop.
Her footsteps drew closer — *clack, clack*.
"How did you get the key...?"
"You told me before, remember? 'It's hidden behind the shelf in the utility room.'"
Haduki smiled, just a little sadly.
"Sakura-san contacted me. She said you were crying alone."
Kakeru looked at Sakura.
Sakura's face flushed red as she looked down.
"For my sake... I'm sorry."
Haduki crouched down in front of Kakeru.
She gazed softly at his face, a mess of tears. Her violet eyes were glistening too.
"For my sake, you got this battered and broken... thank you."
She reached out gently and wiped Kakeru's tears with her fingers.
"Kakeru-kun... you're my one and only true hero."
Saying that, Haduki showed him a smile — warm as the sun.
—In that instant.
Something burst deep inside Kakeru's chest.
*(Ah... I—)*
I wanted to protect this smile.
For that, I could throw everything away.
And now, that smile was directed at him.
That alone was enough. He needed nothing else.
"...Haduki."
Kakeru cried again.
But this time, the tears were happy.
"Whoooa! What is this?! A youth drama?!"
"I knew you two were like that!"
"Aikawa, you're seriously amazing! You've got a girlfriend this cute?!"
"N-No! She's not my girlfriend or anything...!"
Kakeru denied it in a panic, but no one was listening anymore.
Everyone was smiling — whistling, teasing.
"Well... but seriously, I'm glad. Aikawa, Haduki-san — congratulations."
One of the boys said it quietly.
Kakeru couldn't say anything more. He just looked down.
His face was burning. Even his ears were bright red.
Beside him, Haduki laughed softly, embarrassed.
The sunset wrapped around the two of them.
The town of Minase was dyed orange.
The noise of the culture festival had almost completely faded.
Instead, he could hear the wind rustling the trees in the schoolyard.
It was a warm wind.
—At that same moment.
Outside the festival grounds, within the woods.
Through the gaps in the trees, an emotionless lens peered at the rooftop.
*Click. Click. Click.*
The sound of the shutter rang out mechanically.
A man in a suit aimed a camera with a telephoto lens. Mid-thirties, perhaps. Expressionless, his unreadable eyes captured the two of them through the viewfinder.
*Click.*
The moment Haduki smiled at Kakeru — captured in a single photograph.
The man picked up a radio.
"Veilguard. Target confirmed."
A voice laced with static came back through the radio.
*"Continue."*
"Route confidentiality compromised. Subject is presumed to have definitive knowledge of the insider's identity. Recommend immediate escalation to Level 3."
A moment of silence from the other end.
*"...Permission granted. But leave no trace. Handle it quietly."*
"Understood."
The man switched off the radio.
Then, he raised the camera once more.
*Click.*
Kakeru and Haduki, laughing innocently together.
Their figures were burned into the cold, mechanical lens.
The man's mouth twisted slightly.
It was a smile.
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