The air felt lighter today.
For the first time in a long while—
Souta Amagiri wasn't thinking about failure.
He was smiling.
"…You're smiling."
Itsuki Kuonji crossed her arms, staring at him.
"…Am I not allowed to?"
"…You look weird."
"…Rude."
"…I'm just being honest."
Souta sighed.
"…I passed the audition."
"…I KNOW."
Itsuki raised her voice slightly.
"…You've said that three times already."
"…I'm just making sure it's real."
"…It is real."
A small pause.
"…Thanks to you."
Itsuki blinked.
"…I didn't do much."
"…You did more than enough."
Silence.
Then—
Souta looked at her properly.
"…I want to thank you."
"…You already did."
"…Not like this."
"…Huh?"
"…Come out with me."
Itsuki froze.
"…Come out…?"
"…Dinner."
"…Dinner…?"
"…Yeah."
Her heart skipped.
"…Like… a celebration?"
"…If you want to call it that."
"…I see…"
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"…When?"
"…Sunday."
"…Sunday…"
A pause.
"…Okay."
The answer came out softer than she expected.
"…Okay," Souta repeated.
And just like that—
Something changed.
The next few days felt different.
Everything—
A little brighter.
Hina noticed immediately.
"…You're smiling too much."
"…Am I?"
"…Yes."
"…That's normal."
"…No, it's not."
Hina leaned closer.
"…It's because of him, right?"
"…It's not like that."
"…Sure."
Itsuki looked away.
"…It's just dinner."
"…Just dinner."
Hina repeated slowly.
"…With a handsome guy."
"…STOP SAYING IT LIKE THAT."
"…Then how should I say it?"
"…Normally."
"…Fine."
Hina smirked.
"…You're going on a date."
"…IT'S NOT A DATE!"
But her face—
Said otherwise.
Sunday came faster than expected.
Itsuki stood in front of her mirror.
"…This is bad…"
Clothes were scattered everywhere.
"…I have nothing to wear…"
She sat down, frustrated.
"…How is this possible…"
Then—
Her phone buzzed.
Hina: "Need help?"
"…YES."
An hour later—
"…Turn around."
Itsuki slowly turned.
Hina's eyes widened.
"…Wow."
"…What?"
"…You look amazing."
Itsuki looked down.
A soft, elegant outfit.
Simple.
But beautiful.
"…Are you sure?"
"…Very sure."
Hina smiled.
"…He's going to fall for you."
Itsuki froze.
"…Don't say things like that…"
"…Why not?"
"…Because…"
She couldn't finish.
Because part of her—
Wanted that to be true.
Evening.
The restaurant glowed warmly under the city lights.
Itsuki stood outside.
Heart racing.
"…Why am I this nervous…"
Then—
"You're early."
She turned.
Souta.
Dressed neatly.
Calm as always.
"…You're late."
"…I'm on time."
"…Barely."
A small pause.
Then—
"…You look nice."
Itsuki froze.
"…T-thank you…"
"…It suits you."
Her heart skipped again.
"…Let's go."
"…Yeah…"
Inside—
Soft music.
Warm lights.
Quiet atmosphere.
They sat across from each other.
"…This place is expensive…"
"…Don't worry about it."
"…I AM worrying about it."
"…You helped me."
"…Still…"
"…Relax."
She sighed.
"…Fine."
The night went on.
Food.
Conversation.
Small laughs.
"…You're different from what I expected," Souta said.
"…What did you expect?"
"…Someone louder."
"…HEY—"
"…But this is better."
Itsuki blinked.
"…Better?"
"…Yeah."
Silence.
A comfortable one.
For once—
No awkwardness.
No confusion.
Just—
Peace.
"…Souta."
"…Hmm?"
"…I'm glad I met you."
He looked at her.
"…Me too."
Her heart—
Felt full.
Too full.
"…This feels like…"
She stopped herself.
"…Like what?"
"…Nothing."
But deep inside—
She knew.
This wasn't just "attraction."
Or at least—
She didn't want it to be.
Outside—
The night air was cool.
"…Thank you for today," Itsuki said.
"…No."
"…Huh?"
"…Thank you."
She smiled.
"…Good night."
"…Good night."
They turned—
Walking in opposite directions.
But both—
Thinking about the same thing.
That night—
Itsuki lay on her bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
"…This isn't just attraction…"
Her hand moved to her chest.
"…Right?"
Her heart answered—
But she didn't understand it yet.
✨ Sometimes… the most beautiful moments…
💭 are the ones that hide the biggest truths.