In Aki Rosenthal's Shadow: Feria's Secret Confession
A slightly strange school where Hololive talents attend. The popular Aki Rosenthal is everyone's idol, always having fun. But right next to her is always her best friend, Feria. Feria adores Aki. But that 'adoration' isn't just friendship. Deep down, she's secretly in love with her.
One day, a popular boy at school confesses his feelings to Aki. Watching that, Feria feels her heart shatter. 'I have to support her... as her best friend.' She thinks that, but inside she's a mess. Jealousy, sadnes
In Aki Rosenthal's Shadow: Feria's Secret Confession - The Devil of Sorami Heights and the Broken Smile
The afternoon light streaming through the classroom window was as gentle as it had been yesterday. The bustle of the hallway, frantic with preparations for the school festival, was just another ordinary after-school scene.
But the smartphone in Feria's hand alone tore coldly through that everyday reality.
*After school. Sorami Lookout. We need to talk. It's important.*
A message from Mizuki.
Feria sat frozen at her desk, unable to look away from the screen. Her flaxen braids trembled faintly.
The shrine. That night, the moment she'd placed the letter in the underground shrine — Mizuki had seen her. And then he'd read its contents and threatened her. His eyes in that moment — calculating, cold, looking down on everything — Feria could never forget them.
" Feria? What's wrong? You look so serious."
From the neighboring desk, Aki peered over at her with concern. Her large blue eyes gazed directly at Feria.
" ...No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some club stuff."
Feria lifted the corners of her mouth and narrowed her eyes. The back of her throat stung.
" Oh, okay! Hey, how late does club go today? Want to walk back to the dorm together?"
" Sorry, I think it's going to run late today, so go on ahead."
" Oh, I see. Should I wait for you at the club room, then?"
" It's fine, really. It'll probably go really late. You should get some rest first."
Aki smiled, a little lonely, but then waved cheerfully with an "Okay!" and left the classroom.
Watching her retreating back, Feria felt her fingertips growing cold.
(*I'm sorry, Aki.*)
(*But there are things I absolutely never want you to know.*)
Sorami Lookout was an observation plaza on the west side of the campus. At an elevation of 120 meters, the sunsets viewed from here were famous for the superstition that "couples who watch it together will last forever."
But right now, the only thing loud in Feria's ears was the sound of her own heart.
A fifteen-minute walk from the school. As she climbed the slope, the October wind toyed with the hem of her sailor uniform skirt. Cold air clung to her thighs.
When she reached Sorami Lookout, a figure stood silhouetted against the sunset.
Mizuki.
He was in his soccer club jersey. His short, neatly trimmed dark brown hair was dyed red by the setting sun. The dog tags hanging from his neck glinted sharply.
" You came."
Feria felt a clammy sweat seeping into her palms.
" ...What did you want to talk about?"
Without answering, Mizuki pulled something from his pocket.
A folded piece of paper.
Stationery.
She recognized it. Those characters, written with her own fountain pen.
The pit of her stomach clenched tight.
" Nice letter. The poetic expressions especially. *'Your smile is everything in my world'* — that one really hits hard."
" Stop...!"
Feria reached out without thinking. Just as her fingertips were about to brush the edge of the stationery, Mizuki raised his hand lightly, dodging her. With their height difference, she couldn't reach it even jumping. Only the hollow sound of her toes scraping the asphalt echoed.
" 'Stop' isn't the right word, is it? You wrote this."
" Give it back!"
" No."
Mizuki's mouth twisted slightly.
He unfolded the stationery and began to read it aloud, slowly.
" *'To Aki. I will surely never be able to tell you these feelings. Because I am your best friend. As your best friend, I should wish for your happiness. But—'*"
" Stop! Please, stop!"
Feria's voice cracked. The edges of her vision blurred and warped.
" *'But, I'm sorry. I love you. Not as a best friend, but as something more—'* Ah, the tear stains are smudged here. You must have been crying pretty hard when you wrote this."
Feria felt her knees trembling. The strength drained from around her kneecaps.
Finishing his recitation, Mizuki folded the stationery carefully. Then he put it back in his pocket.
" Quite the passionate love letter. I'll keep it a secret from Aki. In exchange—"
A beat.
" Don't interfere with me and Aki. Keep playing the good best friend, just like always. If you don't do anything, I'll forget about this letter too."
Feria tried to open her mouth. But the back of her throat spasmed, and only air escaped.
" Ah, and one more thing."
Mizuki added, as if just remembering.
" That stuff you were digging into about my middle school days — I've already crushed that, too."
" ...What?"
" Takashi-senpai. The alum who gave you those screenshots of the group chat. At the soccer club drinking party yesterday, he said this: 'That was just drunken nonsense.' And that the screenshots were just faked images."
Mizuki's mouth twisted further.
" Sorry, but I'm thorough. I strike first, before you can even move. That's just how I am."
Feria's knees buckled.
The sensation of her uniform skirt getting dirty with soil. The pain of pebbles digging into her kneecaps.
But none of that mattered.
" Uu... aah...!"
Tears overflowed. The back of her nasal cavity stung sharply, and hot liquid traced down her cheeks.
" Aaah... uu... ugh..."
She placed both hands on the ground. Her fingertips scraped against the asphalt. Her braids came undone, her flaxen hair falling into disarray. Tears fell onto the dirt, forming small stains.
Mizuki looked down at Feria like this.
" Glad you understand. Well then, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's school festival."
A crunch of footsteps.
Mizuki turned his back.
The sound of his departing footsteps grew distant.
Feria couldn't lift her face. She just stayed with her hands on the ground, crying until her voice gave out. From deep in her throat, animal-like sobs escaped.
The sunset slowly turned to night.
Alone at Sorami Lookout.
Feria cried until she couldn't see anything through her tears.
How much time had passed?
After the sky had gone completely dark, Feria finally stood up. Her uniform was dirty, her hair a mess, her eyes swollen bright red. Her eyelids were heavy, her field of vision narrow.
But the tears wouldn't come anymore.
She walked unsteadily back to the school. The lights of the girls' dormitory, "Luminous Hall," were visible from a distance.
She took off her shoes and walked down the hallway. The stares of students she passed pricked at her skin. But she didn't have the energy to care.
Up the stairs, to the front of Room 205.
She opened the door.
" Feria! You're so late!"
Aki greeted her with a beaming smile.
She was on her bed, spreading out some kind of printout.
" Hey, hey, listen! Tomorrow's finally the Hoshizaki Festival! The final shift schedule for our class's mock shop — I just got it from the executive committee — I made sure we're on the same shift!"
An innocent voice.
Sparkling eyes.
Feria tried to lift the corners of her mouth.
But the muscles in her face wouldn't budge.
" ...My stomach... hurts."
Her voice was hoarse.
" Huh? Are you okay? Should we go to the nurse's office?"
Aki stood up in a fluster. That gesture was so gentle that Feria felt something deep in her chest creak.
" I'm fine... I'll feel better if I sleep..."
Without even taking off her shoes, she crawled into the lower bunk of the bed. She pulled the blanket over her head.
Dark.
" Feria, are you really okay? You look really pale..."
Aki's worried voice came from above the blanket.
" ...I'm fine. Thank you."
She clenched her teeth. Her molars ground together.
Aki quietly turned off the room's light.
" Goodnight, Feria. Let's enjoy the school festival together tomorrow."
" ...Yeah."
The presence of Aki lying down on the top bunk. After a while, the sound of regular breathing in sleep reached her.
Inside the blanket, Feria stared up at the ceiling with her eyes open. In the darkness, she could see nothing.
Mizuki's cold voice echoed repeatedly in the depths of her ears.
— *Keep playing the good best friend.*
— *Don't interfere.*
— *If you don't do anything, I'll forget about it too.*
Tears began to overflow again.
She killed her voice, trembling. She clenched her teeth, stifling her sobs. Her jaw joint ached.
So as not to wake Aki.
She couldn't sleep a wink.
Outside the window, the sky gradually began to lighten.
The morning of the school festival was about to arrive.
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