Volume 7 Afterword

Hello, everyone. Looks like we're at the end of another volume.

It took 210 chapters, but they finally did the deed.

All the people who asked me when they were going to do that, are you satisfied now?

I wrote that whole arc with that scene in mind as the ending, so I hope everyone enjoyed it.

All right, small talk done.

The next volume is going to be the last volume for the main series.

It's going to include the previously mentioned arcs: graduation, wedding, and epilogue.

I plan on taking a short break after the end of this volume, and then I'll return with daily uploads for the last volume. (I'll update this chapter/comment with the day I'll be back soon. Of course, it'll be on Discord first) I'll probably be back on 7/6.

For patreon users, the billing cycle will be paused this month. So basically, I'll upload the rest of the chapters free of cost to my current patrons. After I finish uploading the main series on Patreon, I plan on shutting down my Patreon account for a while, since I want a fresh start and a very needed break from writing.

Over the course of this series, I feel like sometimes I haven't been able to consistently reach the quality of chapters that I want, since I've been limited on time. Therefore, my plan is to release chapters whenever they reach perfection.

That means that I can't have a schedule that's set in stone like I usually have been doing.

I also want to be able to write stories for a while without the stress of having to deliver chapters on time, so I'm going to forego Patreon for a while.

A huge thanks to everyone that has supported me by the way.

After I finish this series, I'm planning to take a long break. It won't be extraordinarily long. I think it might be two or three weeks?

I'm just gonna recharge my batteries, relax, and read some romcoms.

That's my research method for writing by the way.

Well, that's mostly all I want to say.

Oh yeah, here's a little gift for you guys.

Remember that short story that I posted in Afterword 2? Well, neither do I.

If you don't remember, I posted a little snippet of a story that was basically the blueprint for this story. Minus the supernatural element, of course.

Well, I fixed up some of the grammar and structural issues, so it should be readable now.

Last time, I only showed you guys and gals two chapters of the story.

However, I'll leave you all with a gift today.

I'll post the entire finished story right here for you all to read.

Disclaimer: This is one of my first works, so the plot/writing might not be up to standard. If some parts of the story are weird or not enjoyable, I apologize in advance. This was something I wrote in my free time without much afterthought.

There's a prologue, 12 chapters, an epilogue, and an afterword.

If you all wanted to see the earliest version of TGNAB! before I scrapped the plot and dropped the supernatural element, then please read the following story. If you don't feel like reading it, then I'll see you when I come back from break.

Cheers to the end,

okvertigo

P.S. Join my discord because I'm going to be posting some sneak peaks for future chapters in the #sneak-peak text channel. https://discord.gg/ReZFWxjNS2

—

Iridescent Colors

Prologue

Reality. The world we live in.

Dreams. The world we wish to live in.

Some people believe that the world of dreams is an unobtainable entity, but that could not be farther from the truth. If reality was a giant tree, then the dream world would be a branch of that tree. They're essentially two sides of the same coin.

Dreams allow the person to see what the world could be or what the world could've been. They also allow us to reach into the deep recesses of our mind to pull out past memories that were long forgotten.

Dreams can be a way for a person to face reality, but what happens when the lines between dreams and reality become blurred? Does the reality become the dream or does the dream become the reality?

The answer is not simply in black or white. It's simply a mixture of incomprehensible ideas that are incapable of reaching the correct answer.

Although, some people did find out that there is something absolute when it comes to dreams.

That being, the only absolute is that there are no absolutes.

Chapter 1

Dreams and Reality

One night, I had a dream that began a string of consecutive dreams that would continue every time I fell asleep. The dreams themselves were not anything special, rather it was the person inside the dreams.

There was a particular girl that kept reappearing in those very dreams. I had spent a lot of time with her in the dream world as a result of me entering that dream world every time I fell asleep. The dream girl's height was about a head shorter than me which had me looking down towards her very often.

The dreams didn't last long enough for me to remember small details, although there were many scenes that did stick with me. It's been a while since that dream and I am still incapable of recalling her name or face at all.

The dream girl's facial features had been entirely obscured due to my lack of memory. The name has also been lost in the recesses of my mind. I can try to remember it as hard as I can, but nothing comes out of it.

She came to my grandma's house in the dreams very often and we hung out everyday. There was not a day that was dull or boring because of her intervention. In these dreams, she truly was the center of my world.

That girl was able to give me the satisfaction and enjoyment that I lacked in real life. She... was truly precious to me. I would've died for her a hundred times over.

Unfortunately, that resolve never came to be tested.

The last thing I remembered was me wrapping my arms around her as a blinding white light overtook my vision. I tried my best to protect her from the white light, but everything was in vain.

After this event, she was gone and I never saw her in a dream ever again. I wish I could've been able to say goodbye to her at least. Leaving without a goodbye, how harsh. Jokes aside, this event impacted me more than I thought it would.

Shortly after, I was struggling to function as a normal human being. When did I become so fragile? I had a lot of faith in my mental fortitude, but I guess that faith was misplaced. The hole inside me after losing someone so precious was tearing me apart.

Lines between reality and dreams had me in the crossfire.

Certains parts of the dream stayed vividly imprinted into my mind. The dream felt so surreal to me and in the end, I couldn't shake the feeling of realism that the dream girl had.

Could I find her in this reality?

Even if I did, what would I even say to her?

My mind is just a complete mess right now.

"..."

"Hey Haruto... you okay dude?"

I looked past my right shoulder and saw my best friend staring at me with concern in his eyes.

Eiji Tanaka, my best friend and childhood friend of ten years and more to come. I've been through hell with him and we've managed to stay together all this time. He stands at a massively tall six foot two inches with a chiseled jawline to match his stoic attitude. Eiji isn't muscular nor does sports, but his popularity has not deteriorated at all. I guess good looks are enough for most girls as is.

I've been dozing off during class and conversations a lot recently. I promise I'm not doing it on purpose, I'm just tired.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a bit tired. Let's hurry up and go to lunch," I replied quickly.

"Haruto, please make sure you're getting enough sleep. I promised your mom I would look out for you."

"Yeah yeah, I understand."

Due to some circumstances, I'm living with my little sister away from our parents. It's been made much easier due to me having such a studious little sister, but it's still not as easy as I thought it would be. Nonetheless, I take care of the physical labor while my sister takes care of the cooking and laundry. Our dynamic is that of a married couple, but I swear I don't love my sister like that.

Continuing from earlier, to put it simply my mom has an illness so our father wanted to focus all of his time on her. He sent us away to an apartment complex and we receive money from him each month for rent, food and necessities. I wouldn't say this is the most logical or efficient way of handling the root problem. However, my dad is very scared of losing my mom so I can understand what led him to make these decisions. Our father wants us to focus on our schoolwork and leave him to tend to our mom, so we don't get distracted from our first and foremost priorities.

Back to reality, Eiji and I had just made it to our lunch table after buying some snacks from a vending machine. We don't usually eat in the cafeteria, but I guess Eiji wanted me to have a change of pace today to help me with my sleepiness. At school, I just usually eat the bare minimum necessary to keep me going. I'm not the biggest fan of spending large amounts of money for exotic tasting food.

The cafeteria is theoretically a good place to eat food in. The atmosphere and environment are geared towards eating and conversing with friends. It seems like a good deal, right? To most people the answer is yes, but to me the answer is completely different. My personality is entirely a lone wolf based one and that is a big reason as to why I don't have many friends. I'm not the type of person to actively search for people to connect with. Working by myself is several times more efficient than working with others. Eiji became my friend after he accepted my personality and found ways to work around it. For example, he supports me on the sidelines on any decisions I make without a word of hesitation. Looking back on it, he really is a good guy.

At school, Eiji is extremely popular for his good looks and high academic prowess. Many girls flock to him naturally hoping for a chance to date him. The only person who knows the real side of him is me. At home, Eiji is your typical otaku nerd who has no romantic interest in 3D girls. He's managed to fool everyone at school using his honor student facade while reverting to his normal otaku personality at home. If people were to find out, the whole school would be shaken to its very core.

Nonetheless, lunch proceeded as normally as any other day. Eiji and I conversed for a bit as we ate our snacks. It was just trivial everyday stuff that had no significance, but it was still refreshing for the both of us. That was proof of how deep our bonds were. We both got up and threw away our trash and started to head towards our classroom because class was going to start soon.

Out of nowhere, a girl's voice rang out and startled the both of us while we were walking.

"Eiji, wait up!"

A young girl came up behind us and looked at Eiji pleadingly.

"What's up, Suzuha?"

This was Suzuha Amamiya of Class 1-B. We were all in the same grade, but she was in a different class than our Class 1-A. A popular, outgoing girl was the impression I had of her. Suzuha always had her trademarked ponytail and her sweater tied around her waist. She was a bit on the shorter side, standing at five foot four inches. However in contrast to her short stature, Suzuha's personality was very large. By large, I mean she was loud and persistent. As a fellow human, she is very hard to handle which results in me trying to avoid her at all costs. In the end, all my efforts were in vain because she still managed to get my contact information somehow.

"I need help with lifting some boxes for the student council, can you please help me?"

There was no doubt that this was only an excuse to try and talk to Eiji.

"Ah sure, sorry Haruto. I need to go help her out," Eiji said.

"It's fine, I understand," I replied.

"See you in class."

The two of them walked off towards the student council room soon after. I knew Eiji liked helping other people out, so I was already aware of his answer. This didn't bother me though because I know I can't keep a monopoly on a single person. In hindsight, this might've been a blessing in disguise. I can go to the roof and clear my mind before class starts.

The stairs to the roof weren't guarded nor were they very long. It took me approximately 30 seconds to go from the first floor of the school to the entrance of the roof which was above the third floor. I slowly opened the door to the roof to find an image that would be carved into my mind for a long time. The scene that was reflected in my eyes was of an angel crying in distress.

Chapter 2

Chance Encounter

There was a lone girl sitting down next to the entrance to the roof. She didn't look bad for a person that's been crying, but to say she looks good was also a stretch. Usually she was the unparalleled beauty at the top of the school hierarchy, Haruka Hoshino. Right now though, she looked like nothing more than a frail girl. I've personally never talked to her because of our different classes since she was in Class 1-B. It's not like I had a chance either way, there's no way she could like a guy like me who was at the bottom of the school hierarchy or in other words a ghost.

Despite that, there was weirdly an air to her that felt familiar...

What was this sense of nostalgia and familiarity?

It's almost like I already know her personally somehow...

That can't be it, I'm just not thinking rationally.

Personally, I didn't want to get involved with her problems. Dealing with other people's problems has always been the biggest time waster in history. It's not like I didn't care, I just wanted to focus on myself before I could reach a point to help others. I went to slowly close the door, but then...

"Who's there?"

Shit, I've been caught. The door was closing fine until it started to creak due to how old it was. There's only two options here, confront her head on or run away. Running away would've been the easiest option, but it would've done nothing to better her mood and I would've felt guilty over it later. It was then I realized that from the second I opened the door, my fate was sealed. Knowing that, I decided to take option one and confront her head on.

"Hey there, I came up here to clear my mind and I found you by accident. I apologize if I startled you," I quickly spat out.

"No it's fine, I should've known that there was a chance people could come up here. It's entirely my fault," Haruka said while trying to muster up a smile.

"It looks like you were crying, are you okay?"

I really didn't feel like pointing out the obvious, but she was in an obviously dire situation and it felt like she was going to crumble if I didn't help.

"I can tell you but please don't tell anyone, alright?"

"My lips are sealed," I replied.

She looked hesitant to continue, but she pressed on nonetheless.

"Recently, everyone has been dumping their work onto me and expecting me to do it at an unreasonable pace. I just can't keep up with everyone's expectations of me. What's worse is that even though I'm swamped with my current work, I can't even say no to new requests because they look so desperate and in need of help. I just don't know what to do anymore..." Haruka rambled.

This looks like a pretty common case to me. It seemed that lazy students and teachers decided to make light of the fact that Haruka was an admirable honor student who couldn't say no to others in order to manipulate her into doing all of these tasks. Honestly, these people disgust me. The second they mess up on something, they pawn it off to another person and act like it's not their problem anymore.

"Listen, I'm going to give you my honest opinion. You can take it however you want because I'm just a nobody trying to help out a somebody. To prevent this situation from happening again, you need to learn how to be selfish every once in a while. Oftenly, the word 'selfish' has negative connotations whenever it is spoken. The truth behind the matter is that humans need a certain level of selfishness or they will crumble and falter. Moderation is the key here. You need to be able to take care of yourself first before helping others. This advice may sound like me being a pretentious jerk, but what I really am is a realist. We don't live in an idealistic world, so don't act like it," I stated.

I have to admit, my words did come out a bit harsher than I intended. If my words at least reached her, then it wouldn't have mattered how hurtful my words were if it at least gave her hope.

I looked over to see her now unclouded hazel brown eyes staring back at me. It looks like she stopped crying a while ago and regained her composure during my speech. At this very moment, I could now understand why everyone at my school calls her "the goddess." She has a model worthy body with a tight waist that accentuated all of her curves. Her charm was nothing to scoff at either. She had a very innocent, but mature feeling to her. I always see her bringing a bento to school, so I can only assume that she would be a very good housewife too. If people found out that an unpopular guy like me was consoling the angel of our school, then there would be hell to raise in the aftermath.

A quick glance at my watch revealed that class was about to start. I hurriedly made it to the door and gave her some parting words.

"Don't try to take on the responsibilities of the world by yourself. Find a friend to be your pillar of support and bear the burden with you. Classes are starting soon, so I'll see you later."

"Excuse me, who really are you?" Haruka asked with an air of uncertainty.

"A nobody," I quickly replied.

I left the roof and started to descend the staircase. Looks like my conscience will still be intact after today. I can't wait to tell Eiji about how this incident unfolded. Hopefully, this situation won't affect the calm and tranquil school life that I have. At the same time, I'm not sure why but I have a gut feeling things are going to get a lot more hectic now than it was before.

Chapter 3

Friends?

"In the end, I gave her some advice and left right after. That covers just about everything that happened to me today..."

Classes finished for the day without a hitch. I waited for Eiji in the classroom as he was cleaning his desk up.

"Looks like you've had an eventful afternoon. So when's the wedding day? Make sure to invite your best buddy!" Eiji said teasingly.

"Stop getting ahead of yourself, I barely know her and I'm pretty sure she would have no interest in a guy like me," I remarked.

"You'd be surprised to know that you're worth more than you think. Please stop undervaluing yourself," he retorted.

"Yeah yeah I understand let's go."

The two of us started to walk out of the classroom and into the hallway until we heard loud stomping noises behind us.

"I found you!"

It was the sound of a girl who was out of breath. She was somehow familiar... oh right this girl looks completely different now that she's composed. It looks like a big burden has been lifted off of her shoulders since her face was noticeably more bright and relaxed.

"I'm the girl from earlier, Haruka Hoshino of Class 1-B. What's your name?" she asked me.

"I'm Haruto Hasegawa of Class 1-A," I nonchalantly said.

"Can we talk?" she whispered to me.

A quick glance at Eiji was enough for him to understand what was going on.

"I'll catch you later Haruto," Eiji said.

"Same to you Eiji."

That idiot winked at me before he left. By chance, I was the only person who was able to catch it.

"Let's go to the nearby park," Haruka said.

"Gotcha."

The both of us walked out of school together. I would've been elated since this was my first time walking home with a girl, but the amount of death stares I was getting from the other boys immediately destroyed any happy feelings I had.

We didn't say a single word to each other while walking to the park. I could only assume it was extremely embarrassing for her to pull a stunt like this and ask a boy to walk home with her, so I made sure she didn't feel unnecessarily uncomfortable by bringing up any sensitive topics. The park itself wasn't that far from the school. A five minute walk was all it took to get there.

We both subconsciously sat down next to each other on the swings and started rocking back and forth. It continued like that for a bit until Haruka mustered up her resolve to talk.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said earlier. Those words really resonated with me and I understood what you wanted to say. I confronted all of my friends and teachers and told them I couldn't meet their expectations and they apologized for making me do so much. The burden I've been carrying has been completely removed thanks to you. If there's anything you want, I'll do my best to give it to you!" Haruka exclaimed.

"I wasn't really looking for a reward when I was helping you out. I just wanted to help out someone in need," I said while scratching my cheek.

"No I insist, please let me reward you with something!" Haruka pleaded.

"I don't really have anything of value that I want."

"You don't have to be so stubborn about it," Haruka pouted.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really much of a materialistic guy," I chuckled.

Right after I said that, Haruka's eyes flashed with a beam of inspiration.

"How about I make you lunch, I can bring you a bento tomorrow!" Haruka excitedly said.

I didn't really want her to feel like she owes me a debt, so I just went with the flow. Although, having lunch personally made by a beautiful girl is sure to make the food taste even better.

"Yeah that sounds great, I'm looking forward to it."

Haruka looked elated when she heard my reply. It's the first time I've seen her smile, but I can guarantee that she would not lose to the moon or the stars in a contest of radiance. I felt my face heating up immensely and I could somehow guess my face was a bright shade of pink.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow," I said while quickly recovering.

"Mhm! I'm looking forward to seeing your reaction tomorrow," Haruka grinned.

We both split ways soon after and started to walk home in opposite directions.

Haruka's personality was oddly reminiscent of someone I once knew...

***

Home. An apartment complex near the school that is surprisingly cheap for what it offers. A two bathroom, two bedroom apartment with a full-sized kitchen sounds like it would fetch a pretty penny. Surprisingly enough, the price was consistent with all of the other apartments here. The landlord must have a poor sense of economy to have a place like this be low price. Either way, I'm not going to meddle. I'll happily live here in this luxurious place. This apartment was my one place of solitude. At least, that should've been the case.

"I've been waiting for a long time, you dumb brother!"

My little sister, Akane, was waiting for me in front of the doorway. Normally, she would be in the kitchen making food or be doing homework around this time. However, she was standing at the door today waiting for me most likely due to me not telling her my whereabouts.

"I'm sorry, I had some business with a classmate so I had to talk with them real quick."

"I smell a girl's scent on you..." Akane sniffed me as I walked into the house.

"Yeah uh, she wanted to thank me for something I did," I half lied.

I didn't really think I did that much so I don't believe that me helping her was the actual truth.

"So basically, you left your little sister at home by herself so you could play around with a girl?" Akane glared at me.

I froze on the spot at the sight of her facial expression. My little sister was usually cute and adorable, but she becomes very menacing when I do something to annoy her.

"I'm sorry!" I apologized as I prostrated in front of her.

"It's fine...though I do wonder if she's your girlfriend?" Akane questioned.

"Definitely not, she wouldn't like someone like me."

"You'd be surprised... well it's fine for now. Go take a shower and get ready for dinner," Akane commanded.

"Yes ma'am!"

And so, the beginning of my platonic relationship with Haruka has started.

***

That night, I had a dream.

I didn't think that I would ever be able to see that girl again, but yet I did.

As always, she was more beautiful than anything in this world. It was almost as if she was a goddess coming down from the heavens to bless me. However this time, there was something clearly different than the last time.

The girl looked a little bit sad when she looked at me. There was clearly sorrow in her deep enchanting eyes that truly laid her soul bare.

There was so much I wanted to ask her, but her eyes kept me pinned down and silent. It felt as if nothing could be said when the person in front of you is clearly hurting and in pain.

I could've stared at her enchanting face for an eternity, but father time wouldn't be so kind as to let me.

The world around me started to shake and distort. It felt as if the world was about to crash and disappear. Then, I spotted a familiar white light in the distance. The white light that ended my previous stay in this world was now quickly approaching me and making its return clear. I managed to muster out three words before it could reach me and pull me back to reality.

"What's your name?"

The girl silently shook her head and replied with an odd phrase.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

And then... my vision was consumed by pure white.

At that time, I had no clue as to what that statement truly meant.

Chapter 4

Discovery

Morning came and with that brought upon a rush of memories from the night before.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I woke up in a cold sweat after what occurred during that dream.

Happiness and sorrow were battling for control of my heart due to the fact that I got to see her one more time even though it might've been the last time.

Further research may be able to reveal the truth that I'm unable to see.

This would have to be done later though because I slept in later than usual which ended up making me wake up late.

I quickly changed into my school uniform, slipped on my shoes and bolted out the door before my sister could yell at me for waking up late.

Seeing as the walk to school was only 10 minutes long and I was almost there, I started to slow down and take a leisurely pace.

It can be nice to view the scenery and clear your head sometimes.

I soon reached the school and as I was putting my shoes away and putting on my school shoes, I found that there was something awaiting me in my locker.

A small slip of paper that had a message that brought me right to the point

Come to the rooftop at lunch! -Haruka

'What a mischievous girl,' I thought as I walked towards my first class of the day.

***

"Hey Hasegawa, can you get a certain history book in the library for me?" Instructor Akito asked me.

"Yeah, I'll go do it right now."

"Thanks," he replied.

History is not my strongest subject and neither are the other core classes.

I'd like to think I'm decent at memorizing events and people alike, but the history class I'm in currently is proving me wrong.

Maintaining my B average in that class is proving incredibly difficult at this point.

Currently, I'm in history class and the teacher just asked me to pick up a book from the library to help him further his research on a certain topic.

After going to the library and flipping through the contents of the book, I found out many things that I did not know about history.

The topic of the book was focused on a goddess having possibly come down to Earth in the past. As a continuation, it is said some of their descendants have gained their divine powers as a result of divinity being mixed into the bloodline. Different people had different divine powers. It was said some people had super strength and others had super speed. These were some outlandish tales that did not follow the rules of this world.

Some researchers believe that this was just folklore made up to entertain people, but the idea was very much possible.

There were too many supernatural events that happened in the past for all of them just to be fake. At very least, one of them had to be real. After thinking about the possibilities, my mind connected the supernatural tale to my current predicament.

Could there be a connection to that dream girl and the goddess' divine powers?

The world of dreams has no concept of space and time so I wonder how that girl managed to get there.

Is she possibly just a figment of my imagination or is she a real person?

If we think about the latter option, it is very plausible that the dream girl is one of the goddess' descendants.

If that is true, that begs the question: what does she want with me?

I'm just a teenager that goes to high school and goes back home. Besides the lack of motivation, I'd say I'm very normal.

So, what does she want with me?

***

My first couple classes finished for the morning.

To be honest, my head wasn't entirely focused on any of the subjects. I've been too wrapped up in thinking about that goddess' descendant theory. A breather is most likely needed for me to refresh my brain.

As I was thinking that, a familiar girl entered into the doorframe of the classroom.

"Is Haruto Hasegawa here?"

There was only one girl that I've talked to at this school, so it should be obvious who it was.

"I'm right here."

Haruka's eyes lit up as soon as she spotted me.

"Let's go, shall we?" she said.

As I walked with her down the hallway, news began to spread and everyone started to question my relationship with her. The males were especially expressive during this time.

"Why did she choose him?"

"He is so lucky..."

"I'll kill him!"

Those were some of the whispers that I managed to catch onto.

Several moments later, we managed to reach the roof without any serious trouble.

"Let's sit down over here and lean against the fence," Haruka pointed.

"Gotcha, I can't wait to see what you made for me."

"I didn't know what type of foods you liked, so I just put in a little of everything," Haruka said as she pulled the boxed lunch out.

The bento was filled with a bunch of different food groups. The meat was bulgogi, the vegetables were asparagus, and there were palate cleansers and condiments on the side. Anyone could easily tell that a lot of hard work and effort was put into this meal. As for me, I usually bought cheap sandwiches from the convenience store down the street from my house for lunch so this was very well needed and appreciated.

"Let's see, I'll start off with the bulgogi," I said as I put the meat into my mouth using chopsticks.

Haruka looked anxious the whole time while waiting for my response. Does she really think I would tell her that the food she personally made for me was bad even if it was? Luckily for me though, the food was unsurprisingly tasty and refreshing to have.

"It's delicious," I exclaimed.

"Oh thank goodness, I woke up early and worked really hard on that," Haruka replied.

"I could tell, thank you very much."

We talked about mediocre things as we ate the lunch made by Haruka.

"I could start making these everyday for you if you like them so much," Haruka joked.

"As much as I love them, I couldn't burden you with such a task..." I declined.

"Don't worry, you've helped me more than you could ever know. Therefore, I want to pay you back for that."

"I didn't help for a reward..."

Haruka pouted and started to scold me.

"This is the part where you graciously accept a girl's offer to make you food everyday."

"I feel like that would be too much of a hassle physically and financially on you though..."

"It's fine! My family is well off and cooking for two is as easy as cooking for one," Haruka smiled.

"Well, alrighty then. I hope to be eating your meals everyday. Please take care of me!" I responded.

"Take care of me as well," Haruka beamed.

After we reached a mutual agreement, I managed to get Haruka's contact info so I could contact her anytime I wanted to.

As the days passed, so did our encounters and meetings with each other. For the past week, Haruka had made me lunch everyday without fail. I feel bad for using her kindness like this, but the food is really good. Today however, the conversation steered somewhere a little different...

"Hey, Haruto?"

"What's up?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Uh, yeah I have a younger sister two years younger than me," I replied.

"You have to introduce me to her! I bet she's cute isn't she?!" Haruka grinned.

"I'm not sure..."

"Pretty please?" Haruka begged.

Wow, that pleading face is cute and quite dangerous at the same time. Matter of fact, it's too dangerous. There's no way I can say no now...

"Um... sure?"

And that's how I ended up inviting Haruka to my house on a Saturday to meet my younger sister.

Chapter 5

Food, Gaming, and Betting

10 A.M. Saturday morning.

Early morning, I leisurely woke up and got out of bed slowly until I realized what my day consisted of.

Haruka was coming over at noon and my whole room was unnecessarily messy. The apartment was clean as a whole excluding my bedroom. Akane was to thank for that. I woke up later than usual this morning, so Akane noticed and took the burden of the cleaning off of me.

"What a good sister, I feel obligated to buy some cake later on to reward her," I mused.

"If you have time to joke around, get to cleaning your room please," Akane glared.

Akane was standing in the door frame giving me the stare of death as I was mumbling to myself. I honestly have no idea how she managed to open my bedroom door without me noticing her. There's no time to think about that though, I need to start cleaning or Akane will really end up killing me.

"I'm about to start cleaning, but I want to reward you later with some cake for helping me out today," I stated.

"It's really no problem, I'm just very curious as to what type of girlfriend you have," Akane smirked.

"It's honestly not like that," I retorted.

"Uh huh, sure whatever you say," Akane teased.

"Haaaaah," I sighed.

It felt like today was going to be a very long day.

***

"Is this his house? I think this should be the right address?" I murmured.

I, Haruka Hoshino, have managed to persuade my friend Haruto to give me permission to meet his sister and visit his home.

This may not sound like a lot or it may sound like something trivial, but I really am excited for this to happen. This is the first time I've ever visited the home of an opposite gender other than direct family.

Haruto is a bit of a special person for me. I know enough of his character to know that he's a kindhearted and soft person. He acts like he doesn't care, but in reality he is the person that cares the most. I guess that's the main reason why I fell in love with him.

Everyone else put me on a pedestal as some superhuman who was able to do anything and everything, but Haruto was the only one who saw me for what I really was. A girl.

That's why even though our meeting on the rooftop was accidental, my love for him is real. The situation could've happened to anyone else, but I am willing to bet that they would've helped me out with some ulterior motives. I can easily tell when people have ulterior motives, especially guys because it shows in their eyes.

However, Haruto was different from everyone else. The motives in his eyes were entirely pure and his gaze only revealed how compassionate he was. Then, he gave me advice on how to deal with my problems effectively. Before I could thank or reward him for his help, he ran off without even giving me his name. Once again, I offered him lunch as a reward and he swiftly declined me after asking. It was only after I reassured him that it would not be a hassle that he accepted.

After eating several lunches with him and talking everyday, I could understand my initial intuition of him was 100% true. He is not a perfect guy by any means, but he's perfect for me.

"Haaah, I really hope I can get along with his sister well..." I sighed.

***

A loud bell like sound started to go off at the front of my apartment. Of course, that was my doorbell that was ringing.

"Coming!" I yelled.

Luckily, I barely managed to finish cleaning my room in time before Haruka arrived here. From now on, I need to set multiple alarms to make sure I don't wake up late anymore.

I rushed towards the door and opened it to reveal a literal angel standing outside. Haruka was wearing a pink cardigan with black leggings that suited her slender frame perfectly. There was a fragrant perfume that reinforced her image as a member of the top caste at school. She wore a heart shaped necklace that perfectly reflected her personality. The only word that could accurately describe her was "cute."

Wait, why does that necklace feel so nostalgic? It could just be me, I'll push this thought out of my mind for now.

My cheeks started to burn up and turn red at the sight of such a beautiful girl.

"Hey Haruto! I almost got lost, but I made it here on time," Haruka laughed.

"That's great, please come inside," I said as I played off my bashfulness.

"Wow, your apartment is so clean and nice!" Haruka said cheerfully.

"I just cleaned it up before you got here," I half lied.

I mean I didn't clean the whole apartment, but I cleaned a part of it so that counts, I guess.

"That's fine, although this apartment is really big so I'm wondering how you managed to clean everything so fast in such a short amount of time," Haruka questioned.

"That would be because of me," Akane called from the hallway.

A red-haired 13-year-old girl came toward us and bowed down as she introduced herself.

"My name is Akane Hosegawa and I am 13 years old and Haruto's little sister," Akane respectfully said.

"Oh, I'm Haruka Hoshino and I'm Haruto's classmate from school," Haruka replied.

"So you're the girlfriend..." Akane mumbled.

"Um it's not like that, right Haruka?" I said nervously.

As I waited for Haruka's response, nothing came from her. I turned around and looked at a dazed Haruka. Her cheeks were dyed a deep crimson that was redder than mine.

"Ah, that's all I needed to know," Akane grinned.

"Wh-wh-what are you saying, Akane?!" I yelled.

"Nothing at all, go hit the shower so me and Haruka can have a little girl chat," Akane slyly said.

"Ugh fine fine," I said as I left the room and headed towards the bathroom.

***

How did this happen?

I'm currently working on lunch in the kitchen with Akane while Haruto is in the shower.

Isn't this moving a little too fast?

"Say Haruka, what do you like about Haruto?" Akane asked me.

"What's this all of sudden?" I shyly asked.

"I was just curious since you seem so fond of him," Akane replied.

"Well, I like how he can just be himself without anyone telling him what to do and how he doesn't mince his words when he talks to people. He's the type of person who wears what he's thinking on his face," I proudly stated.

"Did he help you at school?"

"Yeah, he gave me advice and was very blunt about it. That advice helped pull me out of my misery and bring me back to life," I said.

"You seem decently well at cooking, who did you learn it from?" Akane asked.

"My mother taught me when I was little," I replied.

"Hey Haruka?"

"What's up?" I asked.

"Do you like Haruto?"

"Wh-wh-what?!" I stuttered.

"Well do you like him or not?"

"Um, of course I do or I wouldn't be over here right now. We're only classmates though so our relationship isn't anything special," I said.

"Hmm, you'll do well," Akane smiled.

"Do well at what?" I shyly said.

"Don't mind me, I was just talking to myself," Akane replied.

The door to the shower abruptly opened and ended our conversation as the host of the party came to rejoin the event.

"Hey, what're you guys talking about?" Haruto asked.

"Nothing!" I yelled.

"Just everyday stuff, let's get to eating!" Akane said.

Today's lunch was a simple rice and chicken dish with pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables were made by Akane in advance so it could ferment and soak in the flavor better. The chicken was thoroughly grilled and the rice was just steamed, so the meal felt very fresh. The dish may have been simple, but the flavor was anything but that. It felt like a flavor bomb inside of your mouth.

"Wow, this food is great. Good job everyone," Haruto praised us as he ate.

Hearing his praise instantly brightened my mood. I was incredibly anxious to hear his response since I've never cooked for another person before. This was an eye opening experience to say the least for me.

"Haruka did most of the food work, I just did a bit of cutting and cleaning," Akane pointed out.

"Wow, thank you so much Haruka!" Haruto beamed.

"Nn-no problem!" I bashfully said.

The food is cleanly finished and not a speck of food remains on any of the plates. Haruto then offers to wash the plates since we cooked. I really like that compassionate part of him the most. I hope the rest of today is just like this cozy mood.

***

Let's see what we have planned for the rest of today...

I just finished washing and drying the plates after we ate. I'm not too sure where to continue on from here though. The original reason for Haruka's visit was for her to meet my sister, but that objective has already been accomplished after their long chat while I was in the shower. I guess the only thing left to do is to ask Haruka what she wants to do.

"Hey Haruka, is there anything specific you want to do?" I asked.

"Hmm, I'm not too sure but I'm fine with anything. Oh wait! Is that the new ZBox console that came out recently?" Haruka beamed.

"Yeah it is, I managed to buy it at a discount with a couple games. Are you a gamer yourself?"

"Yep! I haven't told anyone outside of my family that I'm an avid gamer," Haruka laughed.

"I have the new cart racing game, would you like to play?" I asked.

"Sounds good, I've been wanting to play that new version!" Haruka said.

"Akane, what about you?"

"I'm going to visit my friend's house for a little bit. I'll be back later," Akane replied.

"Alright, text me when you're about to come home," I said.

"Gotcha," Akane lazily replied.

Akane quickly left the house leaving Haruka and I alone together in my room.

I haven't been in a room with a girl of the opposite gender for a long time, not to mention someone as pretty as her. I'm starting to get a bit nervous being in such close proximity with her.

Oh, she's looking for a place to sit on my bed. I've gotta move the blanket and pillow to the other side.

"Excuse me, let me make a place for you to sit," I said.

"Oh alright," Haruka replied.

As I moved the blanket, the back of my hand grazed her arm by accident. As soon as my hand came into contact with her, I felt a jolt in my brain. It was like a static shock or a brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast. For some reason, a memory of that dream girl flashes quickly in my mind. Why am I thinking of her right now? Could it be? Could that dream girl actually be Haruka?

I was dazed and confused after that train of thoughts connected. I felt a shaking on my shoulder as I was stunned in silence.

"Are you okay, Haruto?" Haruka asked me.

There's no point in thinking about this right now when I have Haruka in my room. I just need to organize my thoughts later.

"I'm fine, it was just a dizzy spell. Let's start playing the game, shall we?" I asked.

"Firstly, let's make a bet. Whoever wins gets to ask the other person a favor to do anything they want," Haruka exclaimed.

"I'm fine with that, but are you sure you can win? I'm pretty decent at this game," I stated.

"I think I can at least hold my own in this game," Haruka said.

"Alright, let the battle commence then!" I exclaimed.

***

0-3, I lost to her in a clean sweep. She won three times against me and I didn't win a single time. I didn't think Haruka was this good when she said she could hold her own. I need to rethink my thoughts and strategies when I face her again. At the very least, she's happy about it.

"Haaaah, a complete wipeout and loss," I sighed.

"As according to our bet, I can ask any favor from you," Haruka smiled.

"I understand."

I resigned myself to accept whatever she would ask of me. Although, what was she planning to do to me? Hopefully, it's not anything too embarrassing. I believe she's the type of girl to not make others suffer for her own entertainment so I should be safe from that. Haruka is at the very peak of popularity and is rich in comparison to me who is a mostly broke bottom of high school caste student. What could she want from me?

"I..."

Haruka started her sentence, but hesitated to continue. After a moment of silence, she continued her sentence.

"I want you to go on a date with me tomorrow!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Huh?"

Chapter 6

Date

Kategori mall is home to many different franchises and shops. It's a staple in this crowded city of ours. Everyone goes here for anything ranging from daily necessities to having fun with friends. For me currently, it would be the latter.

I've shown up in grey slacks and a black hoodie to the rendezvous point that Haruka specified. It was an honest surprise to learn that she wanted to go on a date with me, nonetheless wasting a valuable favor for it. I would've gone anyways if she had just asked me. It's currently 11:45 A.M. which is fifteen minutes before the specified time to arrive.

"I wonder if I look okay?" I murmured to myself.

"Haruto!"

A feminine voice rang out from behind me. I turned around to see a girl I knew very well in a breathtaking outfit. Haruka was wearing a light blue denim jean jacket over a peach colored shirt with a pink skirt. A baby blue colored beret also adorned her head to further emphasize the overabundance of cuteness she had. The trademarked heart necklace she wore around her neck was swinging around her neck as she jogged over to meet me. I'm still not sure why I feel such an affinity with that necklace though. All in all, her casual clothing had a dangerous effect on my teenage male mind.

"Haruka, you look... very cute today," I managed to sputter out.

"Thank you! Uh...um... you look very handsome today too, Haruto," Haruka bashfully replied.

"Have you been waiting?" she continued.

"No, I just arrived a couple seconds ago," I lied.

"Oh alright, I'm super relieved now. I thought I was boring you to death," Haruka sighed.

"It's fine, shall we get going?" I replied.

"Yeah, I'm in the mood to see some cute animals so let's go to the pet store first!" Haruka said as she dragged my arm towards the left side of the mall.

***

"Awwww," Haruka squealed as she began eyeing the puppies in cages with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"You really love animals, don't you?" I joked.

"I do! All things cute are good in my book," Haruka beamed.

"Well, we could spend all day here or we could go to any other stores you like."

"Oh, you're right! I need to get some new clothes. I need a boy's opinion on it anyways," Haruka replied.

Shortly after leaving the pet store, the two of us walked towards a department store for women. Everything there consisted of basic necessities for women such as makeup, undergarments, accessories, and many other things.

Walking through the underwear section was extremely hard for me. I had to keep my eyes focused on the ground as I walked forward using my peripheral vision to guide me. Haruka reassured me that I didn't look suspicious at all, but I was still self-conscious.

I am currently outside of a dressing room waiting for Haruka to finish putting on her new outfit that she was contemplating buying. The floor is my sole savior at this moment due to the several women looking in my direction.

"I'm ready! Haruto, what do you think?" Haruka asked as she stepped out of the dressing booth.

The pink and white floral dress was breathtaking to say the very least. Haruka's cuteness was boosted by at least 25 percent.

"It looks... beautiful," I stuttered.

"Guess I'm buying this outfit then!" Haruka beamed.

"You definitely should, it suits you very well," I replied.

"I'm going to try a couple more outfits, you better be ready!" Haruka proclaimed.

"Sure, go right ahead."

I grinned as I was saw her face light up with excitement.

Honestly, I wish that days like these become more commonplace.

***

"Wow, that was a massive haul of clothes," Haruka sighed as she raised both of her arms up and yawned.

"It was worth it though. You managed to buy many cute sets of clothes," I half-joked.

"Yeah I guess so. I'm extremely hungry and tired now though," Haruka complained.

"Would you like to go to that popular Italian restaurant on the far right side of the mall?" I asked.

"That sounds perfect! I'm always in the mood for some good Italian food," Haruka grinned.

The both of us headed towards the Italian restaurant at a breakneck speed because we were afraid that we would not be able to reserve a table in time. Luckily, we were able to get a table without any trouble since the restaurant was having a slow day.

I ordered some shrimp alfredo pasta while Haruka ordered a dish of ravioli. The food ended up being pretty delicious, but I wasn't too sure if the price justified the taste. Haruka spent the whole time savoring her dish, so I finished before her even though her dish was smaller than mine. I managed to get away with paying the bill for both of our meals even though Haruka was initially against it. However, it took a while of convincing to let me pay for both meals. To say the least, it was not an easy task.

I walked Haruka towards the train station and we waited for the next train to arrive together.

"I had a fun time today, Haruto," Haruka gently smiled at me as she reminisced on today's events.

"I had a lot of fun too. I didn't know just going to the mall was this fun," I replied in kind.

"We should come here again sometime," Haruka shyly said.

"Definitely, just keep me on the uptake."

I thought my response was perfect, however she started looking distracted.

Suddenly, she looked towards the moon and had a sorrowful and distant look in her eyes.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

"What?" I asked.

What did she just say...

Why did she say that phrase right now out of all times?

Is she the dream girl?

There's so many questions I want to ask her right now.

The mysteries would go unsolved for now because unluckily for me, the station became alive once again after the train reached the station and started undocking people.

"Nothing, have a good night Haruto!" Haruka exclaimed as she boarded the train.

In the blink of an eye, she disappeared along with the darkness of the night.

Chapter 7

Steps to the Truth

"What is going on?"

This setting was vastly different from last time. Instead of my grandma's home I distinctly remembered, I was in a pure white room. The only thing that could be seen for miles was the color white.

It seems that once I got to bed and fell asleep that I was pulled into this dreamscape once again.

A table with two chairs facing opposite of each other were placed in front of me. With guesses as to where I am or the purpose of me coming here, I sat down in one of the chairs awaiting any instructions or hint that may be given to me.

After a moment, particles started to materialize and a girl was formed from those particles. She was sitting in the chair opposite of me. It wasn't just any girl, it was the dream girl.

"It's been a while," I said.

The girl quietly nodded without giving any clue as to what she was thinking on her face.

"So, why am I here? Who are you?" I questioned.

"Let's just say my name is Akurah," she said.

Her name is Akurah...

"I brought you here because I want you to remember," Akurah said.

"Remember what?"

"I want you to remember me," Akurah exclaimed.

"I do remember you, you're the girl that I played with at my grandma's house in my dream!" I retorted.

"You don't remember me fully, I won't reveal everything to you until you at least remember me," Akurah sighed.

This felt a bit tedious to me. What does she want me to remember so bad? Although if it was something important, I'd be annoyed too if someone forgot it.

"That's fair," I shrugged. "So, why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to check up on you and your wellbeing for the moment," she curtly replied. "Is there anything troubling currently?"

"Seeing how you won't answer any of my questions right now..."

"My friend was acting a bit suspicious last night," I continued.

"How so?" Akurah nervously said.

Why was she getting nervous?

"She was acting weirder than usual and starting staring at the moon uttering some odd phrase," I stated.

"Oh... she might've felt bad for something she did," Akurah said as her eyes darted in different directions.

"I feel like I did something wrong unknowingly when she suddenly left me," I sighed.

"No! I'm pretty sure there was something she had to deal with that was unrelated to you!" Akurah passionately yelled.

"Um, why are you so heated?" I questioned.

"No reason!" she stammered.

"Uh huh, are you okay?" I replied.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine! Oops, looks like it's time to go! Have a good night!" Akurah stumbled.

I guess my problems might've related to her somehow for her to get this heated.

"Alright, it was nice meeting you again. I hope we can meet again in the future," I said.

"Don't worry, we'll meet sooner than you think," Akurah smiled.

As usual, the white light enveloped me once again robbing away the last bits of my consciousness.

***

"A double date?" I asked in shock.

The next morning at school became a big surprise for me after Eiji revealed the plan he had set up for us.

"Yeah, Suzuha and I will go on a double date with you and Haruka to help you guys get closer to each other," Eiji explained.

"Wait, you guys are dating?" I asked.

Eiji leaned towards me and whispered into my ears.

"Yeah we started dating a while ago, it turns out she's a massive otaku too. We never run out of topics to talk about," he chuckled.

Surprisingly, Eiji finally found the one, I never would've thought someone would've liked his otaku side too. I guess there's always someone out there for you no matter how quirky you are. That leaves me to question how I'm still single yet a massive otaku manages to find a girlfriend.

"You have no choice, I already asked Haruka for her input on it and she agreed," Suzuha told me.

"Do I not have any say in my own plans for the day?!" I sighed.

I whipped out my phone and texted Haruka to confirm if she was really okay with going with me. Haruka quickly replied and gave me the confirmation that she was going after school.

It took me too long to notice that I have some really troublesome friends.

***

The time is 4 P.M. and the location is Bubble Tea Co. in the eastern part of town.

All four of us are assembled here ready for our "double date" even though Haruka and I aren't dating.

It's just a simple gathering at a bubble tea place afterschool, but Eiji and Suzuka have been blowing this event out of proportion for a while.

"Can I get the brown sugar milk tea with boba?" I asked the cashier.

"Certainly sir, your total will be $4.87," the cashier replied.

After receiving my drink, I met up with the others and we compared our drinks with each other.

Haruka got thai tea, Eiji got honeydew tea, and Suzuha got taro milk tea. Obviously, all of them came with boba. We all sat down at a round table with Haruka opposite of me and Eiji and Suzuha opposite of each other.

"Let's get started, what's going on with the two of you?" Suzuha inquired as she glanced between Haruka and I.

I looked towards Haruka, but as usual smoke was practically coming out of her head after someone asked about the relationship between the two of us.

"Haruka and I are just good friends who spend a lot of time together," I nonchalantly replied.

Oddly enough after that statement, Haruka started pouting for reasons unknown.

"Hmm... new game plan. Eiji, you go handle Haruto. I'll handle Haruka myself," Suzuha said.

"Aye aye captain!" Eiji exclaimed.

Two groups were set up where Eiji and I would go outside to have a chat while Haruka and Suzuha would stay inside to have their own girl chat.

"Hey dude, why are you being dense?" Eiji sighed as we sat on a bench outside.

"Dense?" I questioned.

"Dude... have you not seen the way she's been acting towards you? It's plain as day that she feels a certain way about you. Do you need me to spell out that feeling for you?" Eiji asked.

"Uh..."

There's no way. The most beautiful girl in the school actually likes me? Eiji would never lie to hurt me, but this is so unreal. What did I even do to make her fall in love with me?

"Anyone can tell by just taking a look at her, the only person who hasn't found out yet was you..." Eiji explained.

If she actually feels this way about me, how do I respond to her feelings? How do I feel about her myself?

"Haruto, you have to realize your own feelings. I can clearly tell that you want a relationship that's different than the current one," Eiji said.

"I have no words..." I mumbled.

I wasn't lying when I said that. At that moment, my brain was too frazzled to form any coherent thoughts.

***

I, Suzuha Amamiya, have been dating Eiji Tanaka for almost a month now. In that month, I've grown to love him even more than when I was trying to get close to him. It turns out that we're both massive otakus in hiding. Destiny is a great thing, isn't it?

In that time I got to know him, I met someone named Haruto Hosegawa. At first, he seemed like a loner who liked to keep a distance from people and ran away from any troublesome prospects. After meeting him from time to time, that illusion of an outer shell broke away. In reality, he was a kind-hearted individual that would help anyone in need even if he didn't act like it. That's why I'm rooting for his happiness.

This girl in front of me, Haruka Hoshino, was so clearly in love with him that I was surprised Haruto hadn't noticed yet. That's why Eiji and I decided to form this plan to put everything into motion.

"So what do you like about Haruto?" I asked Haruka.

"Wh-wh-what?" Haruka responded flustered.

"I mean it's pretty obvious that you like him," I continued.

"Is it really that obvious?" Haruka pouted.

Yes, it really is that obvious.

"Well, the best part I like about him is his endless compassion. He acts uninterested, but won't hesitate to help a person in need. The cool, laid-back, and understanding attitude of his is also another attractive feature. All in all, I like everything about him."

Haruka was gushing so much that there was practically steam coming out from the top of her head.

"Ohoho," I grinned.

"Did I say too much?" Haruka asked, blushing.

"Nope, you said just enough."

Right on time as planned, Eiji came back with Haruto in hand.

"Hey we just finished up over here, are you girls done yet?" he asked.

"Yeah we're just about finished here, let's send these two on their way right now since we have some errands to attend to," I stated.

"Gotcha, well you guys heard that. Suzuha and I have to go run some errands so bye!" Eiji said as he grabbed my arm and made a dash outside.

We were both running in a hurry to get away from that place. The reason being is that we wanted to let those two little love birds have their alone time. It wouldn't be a lie to say that we wanted our own alone time as well though.

"Will they really be fine?" he asked me.

"Yep, definitely. I have faith in those two," I smiled.

"I believe in them as well," Eiji grinned.

Holding hands, we walked home together as the cover of darkness swallowed the skies.

Chapter 8

Bridge of Wonders

"..."

The room was dead silent when I walked in. All of the other customers have already left, leaving Haruka and I as the only patrons still here. Suzuha must've said something to Haruka along the lines of what Eiji said to me since Haruka was blushing and deep in thought. That's the only conclusion I can draw from them splitting each other up and talking to us privately.

"Those two can be a real handful when they work together," I mumbled. "Hey Haruka, you want to go for a walk outside?"

"Mhm, sure!" Haruka said quickly returning to her normal personality.

We walked out of the bubble tea place and headed towards a more remote part of the city. Not a single word was uttered during this walk due to the overwhelming pressure in the atmosphere. According to Eiji, Haruka likes me yet I've still haven't been able to recognize my own feelings. I have no doubt Suzuha said something similar to Haruka as well. The question still remains: how do I feel about her and what do I want our relationship to be?

We shortly reached a popular place named Onaga Bridge. The bridge was on the way to our houses so it was an inevitable point of interest we had to reach. It's very likely that Haruka knows, but this bridge is known for love confessions. I wonder if something will happen here...

"Haruto, are you okay? You've been lost in thought for a while now," Haruka asked with concern in her eyes.

I made her worry about a useless guy like me... she really is a great person. Haruka is popular, pretty, able to cook, athletic, and can do just about anything. My rapidly beating heart and uneasiness in my stomach must be the feelings Eiji was talking about. How did I not notice this before? It took me long enough to realize it though... I don't just admire Haruka, I love her.

"Looks like there's no going back for me, is there?" I chuckled to myself.

"Haruka..."

"What's the matter, Haruto?" Haruka tilted her head to the side as she asked me.

"I love you," I galliantly stated.

"..."

Haruka's face changed to one of shock once the realization of my message reached her.

"I-I..." she stuttered.

Was I off the mark? Was her supposed feelings towards me something other than love? Ah, I'm an idiot aren't I? There's no way such a beautiful girl like her would love me. My mind was slowly being consumed by the darkness encompassing my heart.

"Ah, so Eiji lied to me...I'm sorry for this troublesome confession. You must hate me after this," I sighed.

"No! It's actually the opposite! I really like you too. You're a great person who I like to be around. There's no other person I would rather be with. I love you Haruto!" Haruka rambled.

I've been saved. If there is a god up there, I would love to give you my thanks.

"Whew, you had me scared right there. I thought you were going to hate me for that," I said relieved.

"I would never hate you!" Haruka exclaimed.

"That's a relief. I don't know what I would do if you hated me," I said as I began to wrap my arms around her.

"I've been waiting for this to happen for so long, but you're too dense."

Haruka pouted as she nudged towards my chest. "This is a dream come true."

It must be the work of a higher being to allow me to hug a goddess like her. This hug was probably the best hug I've ever had.

"It's a dream for me too," I replied.

Wait, that necklace... Why am I getting this feeling that it's something I've seen in the past?

"Hey Haruka, about that necklace..." I began to say.

Out of nowhere, fragments of memories started flooding back to my head. That heart shaped necklace was worn by a girl I've known in the past...

The image of the dream girl came to my mind, she was wearing the same necklace that Haruka had. Come to think of it, Akurah had a similar personality to Haruka with her odd passionate outbursts and gentle nature. Coincidentally, the only time those outbursts came out was when I talked about Haruka. Could it be?

The real face of Akurah began to form. It wasn't the blank face that I was used to, but an actual girl's face. That girl was actually...

"Haruto!" Haruka yelled.

That was the last thing I heard before my consciousness gave out.

***

Where am I?

Ah, this is the roof of my room. The question still remains: how did I get here?

As soon as I regained my consciousness, the door opened to my room and a girl I knew very well walked in.

"Thank goodness, you're awake," Haruka said.

"Did you carry me here?" I asked.

"Yes, you passed out and I had to carry you all the way here. Akane is out buying medicine for you currently," Haruka replied.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden," I said.

"It's no problem really, you weren't that heavy and I was just worried about you."

Haruka pulled up a chair and sat down next to my bed. "I'm surprised you fainted though, you didn't seem sick at all earlier."

Earlier, what did happen to me? Why did I suddenly faint?

"Yeah, I was fine earlier until..."

The necklace, the dream girl, the memories. I'm almost positive all of those dots connecting caused my brain to overload. Then that means...

"Haruka?"

"Yes, Haruto?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

Chapter 9

Revelations

"What do you mean, Haruto?" Haruka asked.

"I've met you in the past before, haven't I?"

"..."

That silence confirmed the theory that I was formulating in my head. Everything has finally been connected, now it's time for me to lay out everything I know.

"You visited my grandma's house and met me when we were younger, correct?" I pressured her.

Haruka silently nodded and looked at me with expecting eyes.

"Finally, you're Akurah aren't you?" I finished off.

"Looks like you've finally figured it all out," Haruka smiled. "What gave it away?"

"There were many clues that you gave me, but the biggest one that gave it away was the name Akurah. You sounded hesitant to give me it and sounded nervous as well. When I noticed that, I tried rearranging the letters assuming that Akurah was an anagram. To my surprise, reversing the name resulted in your real name. Akurah is simply Haruka backwards," I explained.

"Good job on solving most of this mystery, now let me explain the parts that you don't know," Haruka said.

This sounded like it was going to be a long story, so I positioned myself in an upright posture on the bed to focus on her explanation.

"We met at your grandmother's house after she introduced me to you during one of the summers that you visited. The two of us quickly became best friends and played together everyday. We were quite inseparable and I thought everyday was going to continue like that forever..."

"Sadly, our days together were short and numbered. Your grandma collapsed one day and never woke up. The doctors said it was a heart failure and she was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. You ended up blaming yourself for the incident for not recognizing the signs of your grandma's worsening condition. Following that, you unconsciously suppressed your memories of that summer to help cope with your sadness. The memories of you and I were also suppressed due to them being near the time of your grandma's death. At the funeral, you didn't even recognize me when I called out to you," Haruka sadly said.

After a brief pause in taking, Haruka continued her explanation.

"After the funeral, you moved back to your home resulting in an abrupt end to our summer vacation together. I never managed to get your contact information, so we lost touch. I felt like I had lost a piece of myself when you moved back home which resulted in me crying very often after that. Everyday I prayed day and night for a reunion between us. Fast forward a couple years, I moved into the city in hopes of finding you someday. In the past, your grandmother told me about the city life and the general area of where you lived which greatly helped me in finding you. One day as fate would have it, you found me crying about my problems on a rooftop. It took all of my willpower not to say anything in fear of making you think I was a creep," Haruka laughed.

"Just like a knight in shining armor, you came to save me. That was when I realized that I couldn't live my life without you. After so many years of being separated, we finally managed to reunite. Isn't fate a fickle thing?"

With that, Haruka finished her long explanation of that events that led to her being acquainted with me.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. I feel kinda bad for not knowing earlier," I sheepishly said.

"It's fine, I didn't want to force you. Just so you know, your grandma's death was not your fault. She would be mad if she found out that you were blaming yourself for her death," Haruka insisted.

"Thanks, this means a lot. I have a feeling grandma would say the same thing," I chuckled.

"You don't hate me? After I lied to you?" Haruka questioned sadly.

Is there any reason for me to hate her? Everything was out of good will and real concern for my well-being. Sometimes, it felt like she cared about me more than I even cared about myself. How could I hate someone like that?

"I could never hate you. You were trying to help me remember you and overcome my past trauma at the same time. If anything I need to praise you more for your efforts and give you a reward. Acting on your ambitions eventually brought us together again, didn't it?"

"Haruto... I'm so happy!" she replied with elation. "I'm so relieved that you don't hate me."

"Thanks for all you've done, Haruka."

I went over to hug and reassure her that everything was fine and then suddenly remembered a crucial topic that was forgotten.

"How did you manage to pull me into a dream world?" I asked.

"Oh, that. Let me explain with a story first. This story is about the goddess of the moon, Selena. The moon goddess decided to live on Earth amongst the humans for thousands of years as a way of escaping from her duties as a deity. After having lived for thousands of years on Earth and losing many human friends in the process, Selena thought she had experienced everything there was to life. She was ready to leave this world and return back to the realm of gods, until a lone man stopped her. The man had seen her always staring towards the sky with a lonely look. He wanted nothing else, but to comfort her and tell her everything was fine. Everyday little by little, he would tell her a joke or an amusing story to try and brighten her day more. On the day she was supposed to return to the realm of gods, the man confessed his eternal love to her. The goddess had lived for thousands of years, but had not received any love confessions due to her status as a goddess. Men were too afraid to ask a goddess out, so they resigned to spectating from the sidelines. However, this single man was different from all the others. She didn't know whether this man was smart or an idiot, until she looked into his eyes. After many years of living, she could easily discern what emotions humans were hiding through their eyes. The thing that surprised her the most was that the only emotions the man had in his eyes were of love and admiration. Shocked by such a pure soul, she agreed to have a trial period and date him for a week. That single week turned into a month, then a year, then a decade, and eventually the goddess came to love life on Earth once again."

Once again, Haruka took a small break to catch her breath and continued with the story.

"That relationship with the man resulted in two healthy children. Those children would grow up to be spectacular people who would do many things to progress the era forwards. The day the man died of old age, the goddess also willingly died alongside him to respond to his eternal love confession. The moon goddess that fell in love with a mortal man just so happens to be my ancestor. Due to my bloodline, I inherited some of the moon goddess' divine power. I can manipulate and enter dreams. I didn't know I had this power until one day after praying for our reunion, I had awakened it out of nowhere. I asked my mother about this power and she explained everything to me. It seems that my will for us to reunite had unlocked my dormant powers," Haruka explained.

"So then, how was I not able to recognize you in the dream then?" I questioned.

"I believe it was a mixture of your forced amnesia and my dream powers concealing my identity that led you to be unable to recognize me," Haruka stated.

"That makes a lot of sense."

"Now after knowing my ancestry line and learning about the lies I used to deceive you, could you still say you love me?" Haruka asked with a sad look in her eyes.

She did lie to me about her identity, but that doesn't change the fact that she had good intentions and that she was trying to help me.

"There's no need to blame yourself. Although you lied to me about your identity, you were doing it with good intentions. You really tried your best to help me. I could never hate you. Haruka... I love you," I resolutely stated.

"Haruto!" Haruka yelled as she pounced on me and gave me a bearhug.

"Are you sure you're not mad that I forgot about you?" I asked.

"It's fine! You fell in love with me out of normal circumstances, so I know the love you have for me is genuine."

After saying that, Haruka gave a big smile that I have never seen before. This smile was different to the other smiles that she has shown. It was a smile full of love and admiration.

"I guess our circumstances are pretty similar to that story you just told me. I, the mere mortal, have managed to ask out and date an actual goddess."

"Oh, you..." Haruka blushed as she leaned in deeper for another hug.

Later on, I would find out that the phrase that Haruka used, "the moon is beautiful, isn't it?" was meant as a love confession.

Chapter 10

New Beginnings

"You managed to ask her out?" Eiji looked at me in awe.

We were in the classroom directly facing each other and discussing the events of what happened last night. Of course, I didn't tell him about Haruka's divine powers because I deemed it unnecessary.

"I did muster up the courage to ask her out, but why do you seem so surprised?" I asked.

"I had full faith in your abilities... but there was always the possibility of you chickening out," Eiji replied jokingly.

"What a best friend you are..." I sighed.

The door to the classroom opened and Suzuha entered the classroom quietly looking for us. As soon as she spotted the two of us, Suzuha strolled over to our little corner that we were in.

"Hey guys, whatcha talking about?" She asked.

"Nothing. Class is starting soon, don't you have to get back soon?" I retorted.

"Aww, don't be that mean! Eiji, what's going on over here?" Suzuha pouted.

"Haruto managed to get a girlfriend," Eiji said.

It was a pretty pointless question to ask who the girl was, but she did it anyway to mess with me.

"Mm, who is the girl?" Suzuha inquired with a devilish grin on her face.

"It's Haruka of course," Eiji responded.

"Wow Haruto! I can't believe you managed to date the most beautiful girl in school," Suzuha teased.

"Yeah yeah, thanks for your guys' help back there at that bubble tea place," I said.

"So how is it so far? Are you happier now?" Suzuha asked

"Yeah, I can definitely say I am. Although, the death glares from the guys around school are a major problem."

"Is that making you regret your decision?" Eiji questioned.

"Hell no, I'll take the burden of all those glares if it means I can stay by Haruka's side," I valiantly stated.

"I had a feeling that was going to be your answer," Eiji laughed.

The bell signalling the start of homeroom started to ring to alert all the students. I looked at the clock on the wall and confirmed that the clock was synced up to the time: 8:00 A.M.

"It seems that time is up for me. I'll catch you guys later!" Suzuha yelled as she ran out of the classroom.

"Haaaah, she's a handful. Good luck with her," I sighed.

"Haha thanks," Eiji said. "Good luck with Haruka as well."

"Yep, I'll try my best!" I said as I made a mental note to remind myself to buy Eiji and Suzuha a gift later.

***

The school rooftop was the place where everything began, and therefore was the place of my current destination.

Lunch break had just started and as soon the bell rang, I hurried to the stairs leading up to the roof. I had an appointment with a certain someone up there.

I opened the door to the roof and saw a beautiful girl sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket next to her.

"Sorry I'm a little late. There were a lot of people in the hallways trying to get to the cafeteria," I said.

"It's fine, you tried your best. I just arrived here myself," Haruka replied.

I knew she was lying to make me feel better, but I felt like I would make the situation worse if I called her out on it.

As the saying goes, let sleeping dogs lie.

"Wow, the food you made looks amazing!"

"I made everything you liked today," Haruka blushed.

She really went all out for me. I'm so incredibly happy.

"Thank you so much Haruka," I smiled.

"It's no problem since today is going to be a special day," she replied.

"Wait, why is today a special day?" I asked.

"Did you forget? It's because you're going to visit my mother today," Haruka stated.

"Huh?"

***

Apparently, I was supposed to meet Haruka's mom today but I ended up forgetting.

Putting aside my incompetence, I'm really anxious to see what her mom will think of me. I hope everything goes well, so I can stay with Haruka.

Haruka's house isn't that too far off from school. It's roughly a seven minute walk or a three minute bike ride. Obviously, I'm not planning on riding a bike today since we're walking together to her house.

We reached her front porch and knocked on the door to her house. The door promptly opened and introduced a woman that looked like a slightly older Haruka.

"Hello, my name is Moroha Hoshino. I am Haruka's mother. I assume you are Haruto?" the older woman asked me.

"Ah yes, please pardon me. My name is Haruto Hosegawa and I'm a classmate of your daughter's," I said.

"Oh, please come in! My daughter has told me everything about you. She won't stop gushing every night about the antics that the two of you are up to," Moroha laughed.

"Mom!" Haruka yelled while blushing profusely.

"I'm sorry, it's a mom's duty to embarrass her daughter," Moroha gently smiled.

The both of us were quickly ushered into the living room.

"Here's some tea as refreshments. Let's sit down and have a chat," Moroha said.

"Did Haruka tell you about our family?" She asked.

"Yes, she told me everything about your ancestor and your bloodline," I replied.

"I see, Haruka do you know what this means?" Moroha questioned.

"Yes mother. Although, I haven't asked him yet..."

What was Haruka hiding from me? Hopefully, it's not anything too bad.

"Haven't asked me what?" I replied.

"I'm sorry, Haruto. I wasn't able to work up the nerve to ask in fear of what you would say," she said nervously.

I smiled at how cute Haruka looked when she was fidgeting around.

"It's okay. I'll always give thought to whatever thing you ask me. Also if you make a cute frowny face, there's no way I can say no."

"Haruto..." Haruka said my name in awe.

"What a mischievous daughter you are... fufu," Moroha chuckled. "Our family has a tradition where men who wish to be with the daughters of this family must be ready to be wed to them."

Wed? As in a wedding?

Is Moroha asking me to be ready to marry Haruka?

We're only high schoolers though...

"If you're worrying about an instant wedding, don't be. You can take your time and be engaged until you both grow old enough to actually marry," Moroha explained.

That makes it a lot easier for me to swallow.

To date Haruka, I must be engaged with her until the day where both of us turn 18. Soon after we reach the age of adult, we will get married.

It's honestly not a bad proposition, since Haruka is such a good person and a cute girl.

I wonder if my teenage mind is even qualified for thoughts about marriage.

Will I even be able to make Haruka happy?

Am I just making a rash decision due to the blood rushing to my head?

Marriage is a promise of eternal love... if that's the truth, then I can definitely abide by that. I can guarantee that my love for Haruka is second to none.

Even if things get rough between us, I will not give up on our relationship. Even if it's just me being selfish, I want her to be mine and only mine.

I'll muster up my resolve and make a declaration. There will be no regrets today.

"Gladly, I will marry Haruka."

"Haruto..." Haruka bashfully smiled. "I want to marry you too!"

Did I pass the test? I looked toward Moroha for confirmation.

"Well that settles it. I just wanted to check your resolve. I knew my daughter had picked a fine man, so I left her to her own devices. Good luck to you two in life," Moroha congratulated us.

"Thank you so much... Mother," I replied.

"Fufu, aren't you a cheeky one," Moroha smiled.

In the future, I would always be proud to remember the answer that I gave in this difficult situation.

Chapter 11

Wrapping Up

As a matter of course, we had to notify all of our family and friends about the engagement.

Haruka's mom already consented to the marriage, so that only left my side of the family and some of our friends.

First off, was my little sister Akane.

Haruka and I reached my apartment and opened the door. Akane was slouching on the couch lazily watching television.

"Hey Akane, we need to talk," I stated.

"What's up?" Akane tilted her head questioningly.

"We went to talk to Haruka's mother and received her consent to date under one condition."

"What was the condition?" she asked.

"The condition is that we have to be engaged until we're old enough to marry," I replied.

"..."

Radio silence from Akane was making me feel especially uneasy about this.

"I'm very sorry about this, I didn't think my mom would be this aggressive about it," Haruka apologized.

Akane slowly rose from the couch and walked towards Haruka. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be an all out brawl between them. Something unexpected happened while I was thinking about that though.

"Please take care of my brother!" Akane said as she lowered her head.

"Wh-?" Haruka reeled back from surprise.

"My brother is a useless person, although he can be helpful sometimes when he wants to. You're the only person who can keep him in check, please watch over him," Akane expressed.

"I'll do my best!" Haruka exclaimed after regaining her composure.

Well that ended better than I thought. Akane was surprisingly happy about Haruka being brought into the family. That part about me being useless hurt a little bit though.

To be honest, I should've seen this from a mile away. Akane and Haruka has always had an amicable relationship between them. I honestly don't know what I was worrying about.

Now onto the next group of people, Eiji and Suzuha.

Since school was long over, I had no idea where they were. Luckily, I had Eiji's contact information in my phone. I gave him a quick call and told him to bring him and his girlfriend to my apartment as fast as possible.

Nearly half an hour later, two people showed up at my doorstep.

I promptly welcomed them in and sat them on the couch. Haruka wanted to take the lead this time, so I brought out refreshments.

"What's going on?" Eiji inquired.

"Haruka will explain the situation to you so just sit tight," I said.

"To make things short; my family has a tradition where if you want to date a girl of the Hoshino family line, you have to be ready for marriage," Haruka explained. "After listening to that condition, Haruto agreed to it without hesitation. Since we're not of age yet, we will be engaged until the both of us turn 18."

Eiji and Suzuha had a confused look on their faces for a brief moment, but it quickly changed to happiness a second later.

"Way to go bud, I didn't think you had the balls to do this!" Eiji laughed.

"Haruka, props to you. You're the boldest person I know," Suzuha teased.

"Wawawa," Haruka started to stutter as her cheeks reddened.

"So you guys are fine with it?" I asked.

"Of course, I've only ever wanted you to be happy," Eiji grinned.

"This isn't that uncommon for families to want to keep marriage in mind," Suzuha shrugged.

"Thank goodness... Haruto you have some nice friends," Haruka sighed happily.

"They're your friends as well."

I wish Haruka would recognize them as her own friends and not just mine quicker. This issue can be pushed to the side for now, there are bigger issues at hand.

Now it's time to deal with the biggest hurdle...

I took out my phone and started to dial my father. After three rings, he picked up.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey Dad, I was wondering if I could visit to talk about something important?"

"Of course son, make sure to bring Akane too," he replied.

"Got it, can I introduce you to a friend of ours?"

"Yep, I'm sure mom would like to meet them too," he said.

"Alright, I'll visit sometime in the afternoon tomorrow," I replied.

"Safe travels," Dad ended the call with a familiar remark that he often made.

I turned to Haruka and told her the game plan.

"Let's go meet my parents tomorrow."

***

"The train station is bustling as always..." I muttered to myself.

I was sitting on a bench with Akane at the train station an hour early before the specified arrival time. This train station was pretty brand new, so all of the structures looked very modern. I spent quite a while just gazing at the structures and admiring them.

It was 11:15 A.M. and the time that Haruka and I agreed on was noon.

I have a feeling Haruka would be mad if she caught me showing up this early. She would think that it's her fault for being late.

"Hopefully, Haruka doesn't find out I came this early..." I said.

"Hopefully, Haruka doesn't find out what?" someone said behind me.

I slowly turned my head around to see Haruka with a scary yet concerned expression on her face.

"Eeeek!" I yelled.

"Haruto... you're here a bit early aren't you?" Haruka said with an overwhelming pressure.

"Don't worry, I'll prepare a proper funeral for you," Akane said jokingly.

So, what do I do now? Let's just go head in with the first thing in my head.

"I mean... you're here too aren't you?" I replied reflexively.

"I guess you're right..." Haruka sighed.

Situation defused!

"Let's have a little snack before we get on the train," I said.

"Donuts! Let's do donuts!" Akane exclaimed.

"I agree! Let's do it!" Haruka agreed.

I have a feeling that these two will get along just fine.

***

We've finally reached my parents' house. It's a traditional suburban house that everyone has seen. The front of the house is plain besides the beautiful flower garden that is tended to by my mom.

The train ride went by without a hitch resulting in us arriving here earlier than expected.

"I'm a bit nervous..." Haruka said.

"It's okay, they're good people," I reassured her.

I knocked on the door three times and waited in silence.

What would they think of Haruka?

An uneasiness was building in me and was slowly rising to the point where it was spilling over the brim.

Suddenly, a warm sensation permeated my hand.

"Ah..."

Haruka was holding my hand.

"Are you okay? You seem really nervous," Haruka asked me with concern in her eyes.

What was I worrying about? Haruka is a great girl, I think they'll love her. Even if they don't, I'll stand by her side and defend her.

"Thank you," I replied, gripping her hand back.

As the door began to open, we both let go of our hands. The embarrassment was too much for the both of us.

"You're a bit early, welcome home Haruto and Akane!" Dad shouted.

"We're finally home," Akane said tiredly.

"Thanks Dad, this is my friend and classmate Haruka."

"Hello, my name is Haruka Hoshino and I am a classmate of your son's," Haruka bowed.

"Ah, how polite. My name is Shuichi Hosegawa. Thank you for taking care of my son," Dad said. "Now let's go inside and talk, your mom is waiting."

All of us moved into the living room and found my mom lazing on the sofa watching television. Like mother, like daughter huh?

"Oh you guys are here! You're quite a bit early, I would've made food earlier if I had known you guys were coming this early," Mom said.

"Happy to be back mom, are you feeling better?"

"I almost feel like I'm back to 100 percent! Now who is this girl you brought with you?" She asked.

"This is my friend Haruka from school," I stated.

"Hello, my name is Haruka Hoshino and I am a classmate of your son's," Haruka stated.

"Ara, how nice. My name is Kanoe Hosegawa, I apologise for all the trouble my son has caused you," Mom said.

"It's no problem, he's done nothing but help me instead," Haruka smiled.

We all promptly sat down and got ready for the conservation.

"So what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to?" Dad said.

"I have something very important to tell the family..." I started off.

With everyone's attention directed towards me, I began walking on the border between life and death.

"I am in love with Haruka and currently dating her, but there is one condition given by her mom for this relationship..."

I set up the stage for a perfect dramatic reveal. This feels like a drama show where everyone's reactions are overexaggerated. Either way, I need to focus or I will fail at the delivery.

"...and that condition is to have marriage in mind for the future. That is why I have agreed to get engaged to her. I have come here for Mom and Dad's blessing for this relationship and marriage," I stated.

Just like the rest, the both of them looked dazed and confused.

"I'm sorry for this sudden engagement, my mom was very keen on this happening..." Haruka said as she bowed her head.

After recovering from her confusement, mom walked towards Haruka and gave her a big hug.

"It's fine, we understand. I was very surprised to hear that Haruto got himself a girlfriend, but I was more surprised to hear he got engaged. Nonetheless, I can tell the two of you are very happy together. That's all I need to know," Mom smiled gently.

"I agree, the only thing that matters is if the two of you are happy or not. In this case, there's no doubt the both of you are very happy. Make sure to make each other happy," Dad said.

"Thank you so much!" Haruka and I yelled in unison.

That was the best possible scenario that I could've hoped for. I'm lucky to have nice and understanding parents.

"Now, let's order some pizza and have a party!" Dad exclaimed.

It looks like today would be a joyous occasion to celebrate.

***

What is happening?!

After eating pizza for dinner, I fell asleep on the couch.

Then when I wake up, I'm sleeping in a futon in the guest room. That's not even the worst part.

Next to me laid another futon with Haruka snuggled inside of it.

I asked her what happened and she explained that my dad carried me here and set up two futons next to each other so that we could sleep together. She tried to refuse saying that it was indecent to let two high schoolers of opposite genders sleep together, but my parents brushed it off by saying that soon to be married couples need to start doing more things together to create a stronger bond.

It's safe to say, I'm going to have a very long and detailed discussion with my parents tomorrow on their etiquette for guests...

Going back to current time, I have a very cute girl as my wife-to-be next to me. My teenage hormones are out of control right now. I don't know if I can hold back without doing anything tonight.

"Haruto, are you awake?" Haruka asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's up?"

"I just want you to know that I am very happy. I would always dream of being whisked off my feet and eventually getting married to you." Haruka had a serene and peaceful smile on her face as she stared into my soul.

"Sorry for taking so long to realize my feelings," I apologized.

"There's no reason to apologize. Just knowing that you love me is good enough for me," Haruka said.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" I asked.

"Hmm, there is one thing..."

Hopefully, it's something I can actually do that's realistic.

"Please hold hands with me until I fall asleep," she said while blushing.

Score! This is going to be one for the memories! Time to reply accordingly.

"Understood, I'll keep on holding hands with you even after you fall asleep though."

"Fufu, you're adorable Haruto," Haruka replied.

I grasped her hand and wrapped my finger around her's. The warmness from her hand was overwhelmingly spreading through my body. This must be the raw feeling of love and happiness.

"Hey, Haruka?"

"What's wrong?" She replied nervously.

"I love you."

I stated such an embarrassing phrase and leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. She didn't refuse it and we were locked in a passionate kiss under the moonlight.

"Fuah, that's no fair Haruto," Haruka pouted. "I love you too."

After that momentary pause, she returned to continue the passionate kiss.

Dreams really do come true.

Chapter 12

Wedding

Sakura petals were in full bloom and were slowly descending to the ground.

The weather was very harmonious today as if foreshadowing the joyous event that was about to happen.

As if influenced by the weather, the mood was also lively and ecstatic, further amplifying the happy atmosphere.

There was no such person here that didn't feel happy or excited to be a part of this major event in life.

What was that event, you say?

That event was...

"Eiji!"

That familiar voice forcefully pulled me out of my own mind.

"Hey Suzuha, I just got here. I brought my wedding gift for them," I said.

"I brought a gift too of course. I'm just really excited to see this happen. They've been planning this wedding for a long time. I just want to see them happy," Suzuha said.

"That reminds me, they got together two years ago didn't they?" I asked.

"Yeah, they've been through a lot together. I have no doubt they'll stay together for the rest of their lives," she said.

"Let's go place our gifts at the gift table," I said.

Both of us placed down our gifts onto the table in the reception hall.

"The only thing left to do now is to give them our support and prayers," Suzuha stated.

"Ah, that's right. We're all adults now, I forget about that sometimes," I replied.

"Since we're both adults, when am I going to get a wedding ring?" Suzuha teased.

"Sometime soon possibly," I teased back.

Just like always, we continued our banter as a show of our close relationship.

***

As a child, I knew from the bottom of my heart that I wouldn't become the best mother.

That became reality when I ended up having to raise my daughter alone.

My husband died soon after her birth due to an incurable illness.

The problems I ended up having weren't related to money, but instead related to my inexperience in raising a child. I had simply no idea what to do when trying to raise a little child without a father figure.

She was a joyful little girl, but she would always have a far off look in her face sometimes. As a little kid, she would sometimes ask me where daddy was. I could only say that he was somewhere far away that we couldn't get to. Eventually, she learned the truth. She didn't blame me, but secluded herself inside her room for long periods of time.

I was very worried. I didn't know how to comfort her. I knew I was a failure at being a movie.

One day however, she went outside to buy some snacks from the local convenience store and met a boy.

That boy didn't care if she was a girl or not and just said, "Let's play!"

My daughter was very taken aback at first since a random stranger had called out to her. However, the genuine smile and outgoing personality of that boy cleared all suspicion of ulterior motives. She agreed to go play with him.

Day by day, she would stay in the house less and less. She would always go to that little boy's house and have a play date with him. I met the boy's grandma and became friends with her. Apparently, the boy was staying over for the summer.

I was ecstatic at seeing my daughter so happy everyday. I wished hard that this reality would be the same everyday, but that stayed a wish.

The boy's grandma collapsed one day of a heart attack and died before reaching the hospital.

He was devastated at being too powerless to do anything when his grandma was in such a bad shape.

The grief destroyed his mental state and resulted in him suppressing the memories of this summer.

My daughter was heartbroken to find out that he couldn't even remember her. The boy was brought home to his parents shortly after the funeral was held.

That faraway look returned to my daughter. This time however, her strength and vigor came back very quickly. She declared that she would better herself, so that one day he would remember her.

It was heartwarming to see how dedicated she was.

Around this time was when her latent moon goddess power started to awaken.

My powers awakened around this age as well, so my mother taught me how to control them.

I had to do the same and taught my daughter how to control her powers as well.

She thanked me profusely because she said that using these powers can help her find the boy quicker.

At the time, I was happy because she was so determined in doing something.

Fast forward several years, she came home from school one day with a bright smile. She told me that she had finally found him.

I believe she incidentally used her dream powers and had found him by accident while looking at which high school she wanted to go to.

I forgot to mention that the divine moon goddess powers have slight future sight powers.

The most likely conclusion is that she accidentally used her future sight powers unconsciously.

It's possible that her future sight accidentally influenced her intuition on choosing what high school to go to.

Whatever, all's well that ends well. The most important thing is that she's happy now.

The day she came home telling me that she had finally managed to start dating home became a joyous occasion.

Now three years later, I'm attending her wedding. Time really does fly, huh?

I wish her father could be here to see this. He was always a gentle man who adored his daughter. Hopefully, he's smiling at her from heaven.

Oh, it looks like the main event is about to start. Best of luck to the both of them!

***

It's finally the day.

I've been having butterflies in my stomach all morning because of this grand day.

The day Haruka and I finally become a family in the truest sense.

I'm currently standing at the center point of the venue. Next to me is the priest who has agreed to become our marriage officiant.

All of our family and friends are sitting here in the venue waiting for the main event to happen.

Wow marriage, huh?

I can't believe it's been three years since I've gotten engaged to Haruka. Time flies fast when you're in love, doesn't it?

If this is going to be how it is for the rest of my life, then I'm all for it.

Calming ceremonial music started to play which resulted in my train of thought being cut short.

The doors to the room started to slowly open revealing the bride being escorted by her mother. Usually it would be the father, but her dad wasn't among the living anymore. I was a bit downtrodden to learn that after Moroha told me.

Alright, right now is not the time to focus on past events. The thing I have to focus on is the wedding at hand.

"Haruka..."

She looks beautiful to say the very least. I can't believe I get to marry such a girl.

She slowly reaches the stairs and parts with her mother.

I grasped her hand and led her up the small steps.

"Haruto, you look quite handsome fufufu," Haruka said.

"Same to you, you look entrancing Haruka."

Both of us were in our own world at that point.

"Ahem," the priest said.

"My bad, please continue," I whispered to him.

The priest started the long ceremonial speech about being together for the rest of our lives. Of course, we had already agreed on that the moment we started dating.

"Groom, do you take this woman as your wife?" the priest said.

"I do."

"Bride, do you take this man as your husband?" the priest continued.

"I do."

"Then, I pronounce you both husband and wife. You may now kiss."

I leaned towards Haruka and locked my lips with her's.

We shared a long and passionate kiss that felt like we were connected forever.

I could hear the cheers of the crowd in the background while I was kissing Haruka.

Moving forward, I whisked Haruka off her feet and put her into a princess carry position.

With nothing other than my emotions to guide me, I ran towards the sunset with Haruka in tow.

At that moment I thought, this would be a memory to cherish.

I can safely say that today was the happiest day of my life.

Epilogue

A man in a business suit that was quickly approaching his thirties was walking towards his house after a long day of work.

He had spent the majority of the day working on code for his software giant of a company. The man gave it his all to make sure he would come home on time and luckily his efforts did prove to be worth his time.

Near the end of his shift, the manager on duty allowed him to go home early to see his family. He gratefully accepted and ran home as fast as he could.

Not soon after reaching the front of his house, he saw a little girl playing in the front yard waiting for him. After noticing his daughter, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"I'm home!"

"Papa!"

A little girl was running towards her father that was coming home from work.

"Papa, let's play!"

The little girl jumped into her father's chest with an impressive amount of force.

"Hey, slow down there sweetie. Papa's back might break if you keep jumping onto me like that," the father joked.

The older man was obviously tired from work, nonetheless he agreed to indulge his daughter for a bit.

"Let me greet mommy first and then we'll play, okay?"

"Okay daddy!"

The man patted his daughter on the head and the both of them returned inside the house.

Entering the house, it seemed like a very normal home that belonged to a family of three. There were children's toys on the ground and an atmosphere that suggested that it was a beautiful home that had a loving atmosphere.

Besides that, there were many quirks around the house as well. Odd paintings aligned the walls which belonged to the man after he discovered his love for art. Cute stuffed animals were situated all over the place due to the woman's love for anything cute. All in all, it was a beautiful home belonging to a very normal family of three.

"Hey honey, I'm home!"

The woman that was sitting on the living room couch looked like a girl in her late teens. Some people thought she was still in college due to her beauty and youthfulness. In contrast to her youthful appearance, she had a very motherly aura around her that was oozing compassion. This woman was the hard working man's wife.

"Welcome home, dear," the woman gently replied.

"I'm glad I made it home early on time for our anniversary dinner."

Today was the 10th year of this couple's wedding anniversary. It was a very important day for that single reason.

"I'm glad too, it's been a wonderful 10 years hasn't it?" the woman smiled.

The mood in the room became rosy and intoxicating which perfectly matched the words that were about to be spoken.

"I love you, Haruka."

In response to the man's love confession, the woman replied instantly without hesitation.

"And I love you, Haruto."

***

It's been 10 years since Haruka and I got married.

I'm currently 28 years old as well as Haruka.

We have an adorable five year old daughter named Lilith. She is the most adorable kid ever, I only want to spoil her every time I see her.

After college, we moved to a house in the suburbs. It's not the most lavish house available, but it's a place that we can proudly call home.

Haruka stays as home as a housewife and I work as a software engineer in a big tech company. The pay is great, but the work is also strenuous. I may be tired to death every time I go home from work, but a smile from my daughter always cheers me up instantly.

Back to reality, today is the 10th anniversary of our wedding. I've prepared a perfect present for Haruka.

After getting undressed from my work clothes, I changed into more comfortable clothes. We agreed on a nice, laid-back family dinner as our anniversary dinner.

I walked into the living room and saw Haruka reading a story book to Lilith.

Slowly, I crept behind them and slid next to Lilith.

"Papa look! Mommy is reading me a story about a princess and her knight falling in love!" Lilith said as she tugged on my shirt sleeve.

"Ah, I see. Are you enjoying it?" I said with a toothy grin.

"Yup!"

Seeing my daughter excited about something has really awakened the fatherly side inside of me. The only thing I want to do is give her a giant bear hug.

"Hey darling, Suzuha gave me a call and said that Satoru's fifth birthday was approaching soon and asked if Lilith wanted to come," Haruka said.

To summarize everything, Suzuha and Eiji got married and had a son named Satoru who was around the same age as Lilith. They play together very often, so they're basically childhood friends. If Lilith gets married, the only person I could trust to make her happy is probably Satoru. He's a very smart and compassionate kid due to being raised by two loving parents. Hopefully, Suzuha and Eiji's otaku quirks don't negatively impact him. I hope he grows up to be a normal kid. Although, that might be asking for too much due to his parents' quirks.

"Let's see, what do you think Lilith?" I asked.

"Of course, I can't wait to hang out with Satoru again!" She cheerfully replied.

"There's our answer, tell Suzuha that Lilith would be happy to come."

"Of course, but we should get to eating dinner first," Haruka replied.

"Alright, let's go to the dinner table. Up you go Lilith," I said as I picked up Lilith and put her into my shoulder.

"Weeeeee! I'm flying!" Lilith yelled.

"Alright, settle down. It's time to eat," Haruka smiled.

We all sat down and got ready to eat the food on the table.

"Thank you for the meal," I said as I began to dig in.

After a couple bites, a startling realization came to me.

"This dinner has exactly all the same foods in that first bento that you gave to me all those years back..." I said.

"Geez, it took you awhile to figure it out," Haruka grinned mischievously.

"I'm sorry, but thank you for remembering," I replied.

We continued to eat the delicious food to the point where all three of us were completely stuffed. Now, this is the perfect time to enact my plan.

"Haruka..." I started to say.

"What's wrong?" She replied.

"I have something for you, please open it."

After saying that, I handed her a small black box.

Haruka opened it to reveal a pair of heart-shaped earrings that were not too different looking from her heart-shaped necklace though. That's to be expected since I bought them for Haruka to be able to match her necklace and earrings.

"These earrings look great, Haruto. Thank you so much," Haruka said while beaming immensely.

A success! My several days of planning have finally come to bear fruit!

"I have a present for you as well, Haruto."

"I wonder what it is?" I asked.

"These two words that I'm about to tell you are going to make you very happy," Haruka grinned.

"I'm ready," I said, steeling myself.

"..."

After a momentary pause, Haruka revealed her ultimate present to me.

"I'm pregnant."

Pregnant? As in having another kid? Woohoo!

Words could not describe how happy I am feeling. This moment would have to be in my top 10 happiest moments of all time!

"This is the best present ever!" I exclaimed.

"Fufufu, I knew you would be excited," she replied ecstatically.

Haruka knew me even better than I knew myself sometimes. She most likely knew that I was hoping for another child, so that Lilith would have someone to play with. She's the best wife ever, isn't she?

"Lilith, you're going to get a younger sibling. In other words, you're an older sister now!" I explained.

"I'll play with them as much as they want!" Lilith cutely said.

"I don't mind another daughter, but I would love having a son to mess around with," I chuckled.

"Don't get too rowdy..." Haruka sighed.

"I love the both of you so much!" I exclaimed as I roped the two of them in for a bear hug.

The future may be uncertain, but my love for my family will be unwavering.

I will push forward and live my life how I want to.

There are sure to be many obstacles in the way, but nonetheless I will not relent.

Weirdly enough, this event vaguely reminds me of a scientific theory I heard of as a little kid.

As a kid, I heard of a theory that there were no absolutes in this world. I believed that wholeheartedly throughout my whole youth.

However, there was a fateful day where I met a certain girl on the roof of a high school. On that day, I did manage to find a single absolute that contradicted the theory of no absolutes.

After getting married and having a child, my new way of thinking was only supported more.

You might ask, what is this one absolute in the world?

I'll tell you.

It simply is...

Love.

Love is the one true absolute in this world.

Afterword

Let's start out with some formalities. I hope you all are doing well. I for sure have been doing splendidly this past year. 2020 was definitely a hard year for everyone, but I pray the next year will be a better one.

This story is the first story I've given my all to write and finish. There's nothing more satisfying than finishing a long project. Of course, the story writing process wasn't without its own struggles.

Inspiration and motivation can be the biggest motivators while also being the hardest obstacles to overcome. In my experience, I've only ever tried to write whenever I felt motivated. I knew that if I wrote while being unmotivated, the result would end up being a half-baked story. There were long periods where I didn't feel like writing at all, which meant long breaks in-between each chapter. But, that's perfectly okay. A three week break or a three month break is perfectly okay as a refresher. As a point of reference, unmotivated writing will result in sloppily created scenarios and characters.

Another thing that I tried my best with is the level of detail. I wanted the reader to have an understanding of the scene unfolding, but I didn't want to leave them with an overwhelming amount of scene description. That's why I tried my best to describe the scenes in the fewest amount of words possible to keep the focus on the plot. In the end, my vision was achieved. A clear and cut romance story unfolding between two people who very clearly love each other. Nothing more, nothing less. That's why I didn't go all out in describing the scenes or technical details. I believe a story should be told in the least amount of words as possible.

Now back to the actual plot of the story, what did everyone think? Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Throw me some constructive criticism please. I would be overjoyed to hear feedback and learn how to better myself as a writer. Now to clarify some facts about the story...

The story itself was always intended to be only one volume. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to making an after story if enough people request for it. I have pretty much no idea where to go from here. I'm torn between continuing this series through some type of means or creating a completely new series. Let's just leave it up to reader reaction for now.

Anyways, it took me a couple months to complete this story. I had several times where I could just pump out chapters repeatedly and times where I would struggle to write half of a chapter. It really is a battle of mind and soul.

When creating the main cast of characters, I felt the need to keep it small and centralized. I didn't want a story with an overabundance of characters. I wanted a story with only a handful of meaningful characters that help progress the plot. Similar to other stories, I wanted friends on the sidelines to help push the main character and heroine together. I had the most fun creating Eiji and Suzuha out of all the characters. There could possibly be a story written later on about Eiji and Suzuha's relationship, but who knows? A story about Lilith growing up and having fun with Satoru could also be another option. There's just so many possibilities.

On that note, I would like to bid farewell for now. I hope nothing but the best for your future endeavors. Hopefully, I won't be out of the writing scene for too long. I have many more stories to tell. As a last piece of advice, don't ever give up. Life may get hard, almost to the point where you feel like giving up is the only option, but I promise you that it will get better. The only place to go from rock bottom is up and I know that very well. Everyone, please be safe and I hope you will continue to support me in the future!

Cheers,

okvertigo