"Wow, well i'm beat" the first words that came out of taiki's mouth after he came home.
On his bed, he suddenly recalled miku and rio talking, he felt guilt, but anger at the same time, angry that miku warmed up to rio so easily, that too on the first day
While on the bed, he recalled about how he met miku back in their middle school, she had always been quiet, the type of girl who blended into the background, always staying by herself. At Hitomia Middle School, she was the one who sat alone during lunch, reading a book or gazing out the window, lost in her thoughts. Most students barely noticed her, and the ones who did only saw her as the quiet, mysterious girl who never spoke up.
But Taiki Kyota noticed her.
It wasn't anything grand or dramatic. In fact, it happened slowly, over time. At first, Taiki just saw her as the girl who kept to herself. But soon, something about her began to capture his attention. It was the way she smiled when she thought no one was looking, or the way she'd hum a quiet tune to herself as she walked down the hall, or her dark brown hair maybe her Tiger skin coloured eye, cuteness, her slim figure, her smartness or her never failing helpful attitude o,nly made Taiki notice her
. Something about her was different from the others.
Months passed. Classes came and went. The cultural festival was approaching, and Taiki found himself thinking about Miku more and more. He couldn't help it. There was just something about her, something that made his heart race whenever he thought of her.
It wasn't long before Taiki's best friend, Nakamura, noticed too.
"Yo, Taiki!" Nakamura called out one day, nudging him as they walked down the hall. "I see you've got your eyes on Miss Miku over here. What's going on with that?"
Taiki's face immediately turned bright red. "Dude! Quit it!" he replied, feeling his heart start to race.
Nakamura just laughed. "Come on, man. Everyone can see it. You're always looking at her. Just ask her out already. You never know, you two could actually have a lot in common."
Those words hit Taiki harder than he expected. His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, everything felt so clear. Maybe Nakamura was right. Maybe it was time to take a step forward.
That night, after school, Taiki found himself pacing outside the school gate. He had no idea how he was going to do it. He was nervous. Too nervous. But if he didn't try now, he might never get the chance again.
With every step, his confidence wavered. He almost turned back, but then he saw her—Miku, standing by the gates, as she always did, just staring at the ground. She was lost in her thoughts, unaware of him approaching.
"Hey, um... Miku?" Taiki said, his voice soft but shaky.
Miku looked up at him, her cold eyes narrowing for a moment. "Nani?" she replied, her tone distant, as if unsure of why he was speaking to her.
Taiki swallowed hard, his palms sweating. "Um… can you go out with me?" he blurted out.
Miku blinked, her face going pale, her heart skipping a beat. Shock flickered in her eyes, and for a split second, Taiki thought he had messed up—badly. He hadn't expected her to respond that way.
"I mean…" He paused, his thoughts jumbled. "Would you go with me to the firewood dance after the cultural festival?"
Miku blinked again, her face flushing a bright shade of red. Her heart began to race, loud enough that she was sure Taiki could hear it. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she just stared at him, confused and shy all at once.
The seconds felt like hours. But then, she looked up at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah... le... let's do it," she finally said.
Taiki's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?!" he exclaimed. Before Miku could say anything else, Taiki jumped up in excitement and threw his arms around her in a tight hug.
Miku's eyes went wide in surprise, her face redder than ever. She didn't know how to react. Before she could even process what had just happened, Taiki had already pulled away, grinning like a fool.
"Thanks, Miku! I'll see you there!" he said, then turned around and dashed off, barely holding back his excitement.
Miku stood there, stunned. Her heart still pounded, the warmth of his hug lingering in her chest. She couldn't help but smile, the edges of her lips curling up as she touched her hand to her face, still warm from the surprise.
Meanwhile, outside, Taiki had already sat down on the ground, leaning back against the school wall. He looked up at the sky, his heart still racing. "Wow," he whispered to himself. "I really do love her."