The lights of the gym slowly came back on.
And then the applause exploded.
Loud.
Full.
Vibrating through the high walls of the Taiyukan like a wave that refused to stop.
Parents stood up with teary eyes. Teachers tried to maintain their usual composure. Former club members applauded on their feet while exchanging stunned looks.
But for Aoi…
The sound felt far away.
As if she were hearing everything from underwater.
As if the entire world had drifted a few centimeters too far from her reach.
The fifteen members of the drama club lined up across the stage.
Fifteen bodies.
Fifteen uneven breaths.
Takeo stood in the center.
Shinohara on the left.
Aoi on the right.
Then all of them bowed together in a deep ojigi.
As Aoi lowered her head, strands of damp hair slipped across her face. A single drop slid slowly down her temple before falling soundlessly onto the wooden stage floor.
She recognized that exact spot.
That was where she had scrubbed the floor the day before.
Carefully.
Thoroughly.
Thinking it had to be perfect for today.
And now there was another mark there.
A tear.
Again.
The curtain closed.
And the world rushed back all at once.
Running footsteps.
Doors opening.
Excited voices.
Parents entering backstage with their phones raised.
The lingering smell of the heated stage lights still floated in the air.
Aoi stood still for several seconds, trying to understand the heaviness inside her chest.
Then Yukiko slowly approached her.
She didn't smile immediately.
She didn't hug her daughter either.
She simply stood in front of her, quietly studying her face.
Like someone who had waited years to see that expression again.
Then she softly asked:
— What did you feel today, Aoi?
Aoi blinked slowly.
Yukiko kept looking at her with trembling eyes.
— You delivered his answer… didn't you?
Aoi's chest tightened instantly.
She couldn't answer out loud.
She only lowered her head slightly in silence.
Yukiko finally smiled faintly.
But it wasn't simple pride.
It was relief.
A deep, painful kind of relief.
As if she had finally been able to hear her daughter again after all those years.
Further away, Souma watched everything without Aoi noticing.
His fingers tightened around his sleeve while his heart pounded too fast.
"It has to be now…"
He took a deep breath.
"Takeo-senpai… I hope you were right."
The magic of the performance faded quickly.
The costumes disappeared.
The club jackets returned.
Because theater doesn't end with applause.
It ends with sweat.
Aoi grabbed one of the metal carts and started folding the audience chairs.
Clack.
Clack.
The dry metallic sound echoed throughout the nearly empty gymnasium.
The freezing metal slowly numbed her fingers. Her arms ached. Her legs still felt weak from the tension of the performance.
But she kept going.
Every folded chair seemed to whisper:
"It was real."
On the other side of the gym, Takeo and Kaito carried away the stage panels.
The school rooftop vanished piece by piece.
The railings.
The benches.
The lighting equipment.
Everything returning to nothing more than wood and paint.
Shinohara scrubbed the stage floor with a damp cloth while speaking normally:
— Make sure everything's clean. The basketball team practices here on Monday.
Her tone sounded casual.
But her eyes were still red.
Little by little, every trace of the play disappeared.
No sign of farewells.
No sign of tears.
No sign that Mizuki had ever existed there.
Aoi watched silently.
And something strange stirred inside her chest.
"It feels like…"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the cloth.
"…I let something out."
The gym now felt enormous.
Cold.
Far too quiet.
Takeo clapped his hands once at the center of the stage.
— Alright, everyone. Circle up.
The fifteen members sat down together on the wooden floor.
In front of them, Yumi remained standing.
Dressed in black.
Serious as always.
The group immediately fell silent.
Then she spoke.
— The lights were delayed by two seconds during Scene Four.
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared interrupt her.
But then Yumi continued:
— But… Mizuki.
She looked directly at Aoi.
— You made everyone forget it was just a play.
Aoi blinked in surprise.
— W-what do you mean…?
Yumi crossed her arms.
— Your body overflowed.
— O-overflowed…?
Shinohara let out a nervous little laugh.
— At that moment… I honestly thought you froze for real.
Yumi nodded.
— I thought both of you froze.
She glanced toward Shinohara too.
— And then you surprised me like that.
A brief pause followed.
Her gaze softened slightly.
— Honestly… I left this club in very good hands.
Shinohara immediately looked toward Aoi.
— We think so too.
Aoi's cheeks turned faintly red as she lowered her eyes toward the floor.
Then Shinohara took a deep breath.
And silent tears began falling from her face again.
— Thank you for this year…
Her voice trembled.
— I wanted to keep a memory like this forever.
Takeo gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
— Hard to believe we'll be leaving this place next year already…
He laughed quietly, nostalgically.
— I'm gonna miss all of this. The teachers… even that bus stop with the leaking roof.
A few people laughed softly.
Yumi quietly observed the three seniors.
Then she spoke.
— Kaito, Takeo, Mai… I'm genuinely impressed with you.
Takeo blinked several times before asking:
— Senpai… is it true you got into Toho Gakuen College?
Yumi smiled faintly.
— Yeah. I wanted to go there from the very beginning.
Instantly, the entire group reacted.
— UOOOH?!
— Seriously?!
— That university?!
— Is she actually a genius?!
The teacher then approached while adjusting her glasses.
— Furukawa Yumi… it's been a while.
For the first time, Yumi genuinely smiled.
— Sensei… I miss your "gentle" standards.
The teacher sighed.
— Just as expected from our… what was it they call you again? The "theater monster."
Kaito immediately pointed at Yumi.
— You got that nickname after making the film club shoot forty-seven takes, remember?!
Yumi laughed softly.
— They asked for perfection.
She rested her cheek against her hand.
— And back then, I truly believed it was perfect…
Her gaze drifted for a moment.
— But now I can see how much still needed improvement.
The group fell silent.
Takeo smiled crookedly.
— I thought you were gonna be way harsher on us today, senpai.
Yumi pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket.
— Actually, I wrote down fourteen mistakes.
Everyone froze.
— B-but…
She looked back at Aoi.
— The focus ended up becoming this girl instead.
A short pause.
— Mizuki. What's your name?
Aoi immediately straightened her posture.
— Sakamoto Aoi. Nice to meet you.
Yumi slowly nodded.
— Second year, right?
— Yes.
— Then you should start thinking about Toho Gakuen too.
Aoi's eyes widened.
— W-what…?
Yumi then pointed toward Takeo, Shinohara Mai, and Kaito.
— But before that…
A small smile appeared on her lips.
— I need these three to come first.
The three of them froze completely.
— S-senpai?!
Shinohara's eyes widened.
— B-but getting into that university is impossible for me…
— Same here… — Kaito muttered.
Yumi answered without hesitation.
— You all did well today.
She looked directly at them.
— And I recognize that.
Takeo couldn't respond.
Shinohara started tearing up again.
— D-don't joke about something like that… senpai…
Kaito took a deep breath and smiled.
— Then let's make the most of the time we still have here.
Yumi pulled out her phone.
— Here. My LINE.
Takeo nearly dropped his own phone.
— Y-you're serious?!
— I need to stay in contact with you all.
She smiled slightly.
— Promising kouhais are troublesome.
And in that moment…
Aoi realized time was moving far faster than she had imagined.
The sky had already turned completely dark.
A deep navy blue.
The December cold stung their hands.
The group walked together toward the school's front gate.
And almost without noticing…
Everyone stopped at the same time.
Silently, they turned toward the school building.
Then they bowed one final time.
— Otsukaresama deshita.
Something trembled inside Aoi's chest.
Takeo stayed beside her a few seconds longer.
His breath turned white in the freezing air.
Then he quietly said:
— The game your father made…
Aoi looked at him.
— He would've been proud of today's final scene.
For a brief instant, the world seemed to shake.
But this time…
She didn't break apart.
Aoi smiled faintly.
— Thank you, Takeo.
She tightened her grip on her backpack strap.
— For not giving up on me.
Takeo smiled back.
Calm.
Gentle.
— See you later, Aoi.
— See you later.
Aoi remained there for a few more seconds, staring quietly at the school building.
Then suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
— Hey… Aoi.
She flinched slightly.
— A-ah… Souma?
Souma stood there alone.
Nervous.
Restless eyes.
Aoi frowned slightly.
— Souma…
He lowered his gaze a little.
— I'm sorry. I should've explained things better that day.
Aoi took a slow breath.
— You don't need to apologize for that.
She looked away.
— Just… see you later, Souma.
She began turning away.
But then—
Souma grabbed her arm.
— Wait, Aoi!
Her eyes widened.
— S-Souma… you don't nee—
— I did everything wrong!
His voice came out louder than he intended.
Aoi froze.
The cold wind passed silently between them.
Souma still held her arm with trembling fingers.
— Everything wrong…?
— What are you talking about?
His lips trembled.
— I-I need to tell you something…
He lowered his eyes.
— I've been trying to say this for a long time…
Aoi let out a small nervous laugh.
— Ah… I remember a conversation starting like this before.
Souma took a deep breath.
Then quietly asked:
— Can we go somewhere quieter?
Aoi looked away for a second.
— Why…?
She gripped her sleeve tightly.
— Souma… you said you didn't return my feelings. I don't want to keep reopening this wound.
Souma closed his eyes for a few seconds.
— I never wanted to hurt you.
He finally raised his face.
His eyes looked frightened.
But honest.
— I just needed to tell you the truth.
The silence between them seemed to freeze the air itself.
Then Souma took one last deep breath.
And looking directly into her eyes, he said:
— I remember you… from a year ago.
Aoi blinked in confusion.
Souma continued.
— Actually… I came to this city because of Hiroshi Sakamoto's family. It was all my fault.
Aoi's world stopped.
She froze completely.
Eyes wide open.
Her breathing failed for an instant.
— …Souma…
Her voice barely came out as a whisper.
— What… are you talking about?