The morning sun filtered through the curtains of the nurse's office. Kinomoto Sakura lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. Yesterday's events kept spinning around in her head. Syaoran-kun shouting on the rooftop. Eriol-kun's school-wide broadcast. Everything was jumbled together, and her head ached. "[whispers]...I have to go to school." She said goodbye to the nurse and left the office. The hallway was still quiet. She'd come early, so she wouldn't run into anyone. She opened her shoe locker and changed into her indoor shoes. (*Just like always. Just like always.*) She repeated it over and over in her mind. She climbed the stairs. Stood in front of the Class 2-1 classroom. One deep breath. She slid the door open with a clatter. The dozen or so people already in the classroom all turned to look at Sakura at once. "[whispers]Oh, it's Kinomoto-san." "[whispers]She collapsed on the rooftop yesterday, right?" "[whispers]I heard Eriol-kun confessed to her, and Syaoran-kun got in the way." "[whispers]What was that about a magic staff? Didn't she say something?" Whisper, whisper, whisper. The voices made the air in the classroom tremble. Sakura's feet froze. Her own seat seemed impossibly far away. "[scared]H-Hoe..." She tried to force a smile. But the muscles in her face wouldn't cooperate. She took one step forward. That's when her feet tangled. —*Clatter!* She bumped into a chair and caught herself on the floor with her hands. She hadn't fallen. But some of her bag's contents had spilled out. "......*pfft*" Someone laughed. Giggles rippled across the classroom here and there. Sakura turned red all the way to her ears. (*Why, why do I have to trip at a time like this?!*) Screaming internally, she hurried to gather her things. By the window. Syaoran sat with his elbow on his desk, glaring out the window. The moment Sakura nearly fell, his body twitched. But he stopped himself from standing up. He clenched his fist tight and bit his lip. (*—This is my fault.*) Syaoran's mind was filled with nothing but those words. Yesterday, Sakura collapsed because I yelled something weird. And yet, if I went out there now, what could I even do? It would just make the rumors worse. Syaoran couldn't lift his head. Sakura finally made it to her seat. Tomoyo, next to her, peered over with concern. "[gentle]Sakura-chan, you don't have to push yourself." "[scared]I-I'm fine. I'm fine, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura put on a smile. But her hands were still trembling. Just then, Eriol turned around from the seat in front of her. His elegantly curled indigo hair gleamed in the morning light. "[gentle]Good morning, Sakura-san. Yesterday was quite an ordeal, wasn't it? All because of me." His voice was so calm. As if yesterday's school-wide broadcast had been nothing at all. "[serious]Everyone, you're troubling Kinomoto-san. Perhaps that's enough gossip for now." Eriol addressed the whole class. The room fell silent in an instant. But—. "[whispers]Eriol-kun defended her!" "[whispers]So he really did confess? Are they already going out?" "[whispers]I wonder what Syaoran-kun thinks." Whisper, whisper, whisper. The voices came back, louder than before. Sakura looked at Eriol's face. He was smiling, a little troubled. But she couldn't tell at all what was going on behind those blue eyes. (*What does this person really want?*) Seeing Sakura's confusion, Eriol's brows lowered just slightly. "[gentle]I'm sorry. It seems I said something unnecessary." That kindness only made the tangled feeling in Sakura's chest grow bigger. (*I don't get it. I don't get Eriol-kun at all.*) The bell rang, and the teacher arrived. Sakura opened her textbook. The words wouldn't sink in at all. — First period ended. It was break time. Sakura stood up to go to the restroom. "[excited]Hey, hey, Kinomoto-san!" "[excited]Who's more your type, Syaoran-kun or Eriol-kun?" "[excited]Did you answer his confession yet? Which one are you going out with?" Sakura stopped in her tracks. Classmates gathered around her. "[scared]U-Um, well..." Her mouth wouldn't work properly. Her chest didn't pound—it ached, like it was being squeezed tight. "[excited]Tell us!" "[excited]I heard Syaoran-kun is actually super sweet!" "[excited]But Eriol-kun is your destined person, right?" Voices, voices, voices. All of them echoed inside her head. (*Stop it. Please, just stop—!*) Desperately holding back the urge to scream, Sakura— "[scared]I need the restroom...!" —dashed out into the hallway. She ran, and ran. Her slippers pattered against the floor. She burst into the girls' restroom and opened the door to the stall at the very back. She went inside and locked it. And then she slumped down right there. —*Drip.* A drop of water fell onto the floor. Sakura realized that tears were spilling from her own eyes. "[crying]...ngh, uu..." She cried, stifling her voice. Covering her mouth with her hand so no one would hear. (*What did I even do?*) (*Why did things turn out like this?*) The tears wouldn't stop. She didn't know how long she'd been there. —*Knock, knock.* There was a quiet, hesitant knock on the door. "[gentle]Sakura-chan, it's me. May I come in?" Sakura lifted her head. "[scared]...Tomoyo-chan?" Her voice trembled. "[gentle]I've put my camera away." Sakura unlocked the door. Tomoyo slipped in through the gap. She wasn't holding anything. No video camera hung from her pocket or her shoulder. "[surprised]Y-You really don't have your camera." Tomoyo crouched down beside Sakura. Her waist-length black hair spread softly across the restroom floor. "[gentle]Yes. Today, I've come not as a videographer, but as Sakura-chan's best friend." At those words, something deep in Sakura's chest tightened. Sakura shed tears once more. "[crying]I don't know, Tomoyo-chan. Whether I like Syaoran-kun, or whether I like Eriol-kun, or even who I am—I don't know any of it. None of it." Tomoyo just listened in silence. Her violet eyes gazed gently at Sakura. "[crying]On the rooftop, all these strange images flooded into my head. That I might have been a magical girl. But I don't even know if that's real..." Once Sakura started talking, she couldn't stop. All the confusion from yesterday spilled out into words. Tomoyo listened silently to the very end. When Sakura finished and was sniffling, Tomoyo simply stayed by her side, watching over her. "[gentle]Sakura-chan." Tomoyo spoke quietly. "[gentle]Because I've been watching through my video camera all this time, there's something I can say." "[scared]...What?" "[gentle]Every time you look at Li-kun, Sakura-chan, your face looks like a camera lens snapping into focus." Sakura blinked. "[surprised]...Snapping into focus?" "[gentle]Yes. It's completely different from when you look at anyone else. My camera never lies, after all." Having said just that, Tomoyo smiled gently. "[gentle]May I stay here with you, just a little longer?" "[surprised]Y-Yeah." Without another word, Tomoyo softly leaned her shoulder against Sakura's. (*Tomoyo-chan... you're so warm.*) Sakura shed a few more tears. But these tears felt a little different from the ones before. — After the lunch break bell rang. Sakura returned to the classroom from the restroom. Her eyes were a little red. As she walked down the hallway, she noticed a figure leaning against the wall. It was Li Syaoran. His dark brown, unruly hair was a disheveled mess. He was biting his lip, and his amber eyes wavered, as if desperately holding something back. Syaoran looked at Sakura. Sakura looked at Syaoran, too. Syaoran started to open his mouth. "[embarrassed]...Did you eat?" His voice was hoarse. Just saying that much had taken everything he had. "[whispers]...Yeah." Sakura answered shortly. She still couldn't look at Syaoran's face properly. Silence. From further down the hallway, she could hear other students laughing. Syaoran opened his mouth again, trying to say one more thing. "[embarrassed]...Ngh." But the words wouldn't come. His habit of scratching his left ear surfaced, and his gaze wandered. Frustrated with himself, Syaoran clenched his fist tight. And then—. He slowly reached out his hand and placed it gently on Sakura's head with a soft *pat*. "[gentle]...It's okay." He said just that and immediately pulled his hand back. By the time Sakura looked up, Syaoran had already turned his back and was walking away. He rounded the corner of the hallway and disappeared from sight. Sakura touched her own head. The spot where Syaoran's hand had been just moments ago. —*Throb.* A sharp pain struck deep in her chest. (*...Syaoran-kun.*) Why? Even when Eriol-kun spoke to her so gently, it hadn't felt like this. Syaoran-kun just patted her head, and yet her chest felt so tight. Sakura noticed that her heartbeat had become terribly fast. — After school. There were hardly any students left in the classroom. Sakura was putting away her bag. Tomoyo had gone to the staff room for her day duty assignment. "[gentle]Sakura-san." Eriol stood in front of Sakura's desk. His indigo hair swayed in the breeze from the window. "[serious]What happened yesterday was truly my fault. I'm deeply sorry." Eriol bowed his head deeply. The gesture was perfect, and his voice was utterly sincere. "[scared]Ah, no, it wasn't Eriol-kun's..." "[gentle]No. The way I went about it cornered you. That is a fact. I'm sorry." Sakura didn't know how to respond. Eriol really did seem to be reflecting on it. But—. (*I still can't tell what this person is thinking.*) That smile—it was kind, yet somehow felt distant. It only made the tangled feeling in her chest grow larger. "[whispers]...Um, Eriol-kun, are you..." "[gentle]Yes?" "[scared]...Never mind." She was too scared to ask anything more. Eriol smiled, looking just a little sad. "[gentle]Well then, I'll be going now. ...Take care of yourself." He left the classroom. Sakura was left alone. (*Syaoran-kun is clumsy, but warm.*) (*Eriol-kun is kind, but cold.*) That sensation floated vaguely in her heart. — "[gentle]Sakura-chan, would you like to go up to the rooftop one more time?" Tomoyo returned and invited Sakura. The two of them went up to the rooftop. It was different from yesterday. Today, the rooftop was quiet. They leaned against the fence, side by side, and looked at the sky. The green of Tsukimori Hill was visible in the distance. The Nadare River sparkled in the evening sun. Tomoyo didn't touch the video camera on her shoulder even once. "[whispers]Tomoyo-chan, you're not filming today?" "[gentle]Today, I've come as Sakura-chan's best friend." At those words, Sakura remembered when she'd been crying in the restroom. Sakura slowly opened her mouth. "[whispers]You know... whether I like Syaoran-kun, or whether I like Eriol-kun, or even what kind of person I am in the first place—it's all gotten so jumbled up." Her voice trembled just a little. "[whispers]There are these strange images in my head. Me, as a magical girl in a different world, and Syaoran-kun protecting me. And Eriol-kun, watching from afar. I just can't get it out of my head." Sakura didn't cry. Maybe her tears had all dried up. Tomoyo was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. "[gentle]Having continued to film all this time, there's one thing I'm certain of." "[surprised]...What?" "[gentle]Sakura-chan, when you look at Li-kun, your face shines brighter than when you look at anyone else. Every time I see that face, I think to myself—ah, so this is what love looks like." Tomoyo looked at Sakura and smiled gently. "[gentle]I believe that is the true feeling of the Sakura-chan I love so much—the one right here, right now, with no cards or magic involved." Sakura's eyes widened. "[surprised]Tomoyo-chan..." "[gentle]Of course, you don't have to force yourself to decide. But I w