Surrender to Fate Pt. 3

I stared out at the festival below—its lights flickering like distant stars, laughter and music floating up like echoes from another world. It felt far away now, like it belonged to a different life. One that wasn't mine.

All the while, the girls kept their eyes on me, silently waiting. It was a bit nerve-wracking, having them look at me like that after I'd spilled my heart—but... whatever. There was still something I needed to say.

"I… C-can you guys do me a favor?" I asked, my hands trembling slightly.

"A… favor?" Lana tilted her head.

"Of course, Aikami,” Alice said gently. "What is it?"

"There's one more thing I want to tell you. But... I don't think I can say it out loud. Not without messing it up. So… could you just… read my mind instead?"

They exchanged a glance.

I knew it was selfish. They had shared their hearts with me, and here I was—hiding behind silence. But I wasn't built for this kind of thing. I'd stutter. I'd trip over the words. And the meaning would get lost along the way.

Chloe gave a subtle nod. "Okay, Aikami. We'll read your mind."

"Phew... Thanks."

I let go of Chloe and Alice's hands and stepped forward, just a little. The cliff edge was behind me, and the night sky stretched wide above. I turned to face them, taking in each of their faces one last time under the moonlight.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Then their eyes lit up.

Alice's shimmered like finely cut emeralds. Lana's gleamed like a star born in the heart of a galaxy. Chloe's glowed soft and steady, like the reflection on a still lake.

I felt their presence brush against my mind. But this time… I didn't mind it.

I thought about what they said. About my story. My thread. My fate.

What am I supposed to be?

Where am I supposed to go?

The questions had haunted me before—late at night, when everything went still. Am I some mistake? A broken thing in a world that revolves around order and pattern? Something that slipped through the cracks?

And maybe… maybe I am. I don't have a fate. I don't know if I ever will.

But when I looked at them—at Chloe, nervous but sincere… at Lana, still watching the sky with a small, content smile… and at Alice, guarded yet quietly vulnerable—something settled in my chest.

Maybe it didn't matter.

Maybe I didn't need to have a fate written out for me.

Because at this moment, I'm satisfied already. Surrounded by their laughter, the beautiful moonlight, and a kind of peace I'd never felt before. Even in a world where I wasn't meant to belong, they'd chosen me anyway. That's all that matters to me.

And for all I care… this is it.

This... is my fate.

"…I'm glad," I finally said. "Even if I wasn't supposed to meet you… even if none of this was ever meant to happen… I'm glad it did."

I turned to face them, one by one.

"Because right now… being with the three of you is the only thing that's ever made me feel like I actually exist. That's why I..."

I don't want this to end either. Waking up and seeing you three... It's the only thing I've ever truly looked forward to. The only time in my life I've felt excited to start the day. But I know I can't be selfish. I know that eventually, you might have to leave. Or… I'll have to.

And that thought terrifies me. Even so… if this was all some kind of mistake from the beginning, then I'm thankful for it.

Every second.

Every misstep.

Every awkward moment.

In return for having to deal with all of that, I felt something I'd never felt before.

"If the world was supposed to forget about me, then I'll just be that glad you three didn't. Because for once... I finally feel like I exist."

There was no sound at first. No gasp, no reply—just the soft hum of the wind brushing through the trees.

Slowly, the glow in their eyes began to dim.

And then... there it was.

That same thread that always appeared whenever... whenever my chest would get tight and butterflies would fill my stomach, just from thinking about them—their smiles, their warmth, and the way they look at me like I'm... something more.

I'm starting to think... this might really be my fate after all.

Chloe was the first to speak, her lips quivering even as she tried to smile. "You're… really unfair, Aikami."

She looked up with a kind of tenderness that made my chest tighten.

Lana let out a quiet snort, though her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Seriously. You're lucky you're cute when you're being this dramatic. I'm gonna remember that forever, you know? That whole thing. It's burned into my soul now."

Alice, ever composed, was the last to speak. She stood without a word, stepping up close, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared at me—not with her usual smug confidence, but something gentler.

"We heard you. All of it. And… I'm glad too." She reached out, placing her hand lightly over my heart. "You may not know your fate, Aikami, but we do now. It brought us to you. We should make the most of it while we can, hmm?"

"...Yeah," I smiled. "Let's do that."

A quiet settled over us, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

It was the kind of silence that follows a storm—not empty, but full. Full of everything unsaid, everything shared, and everything that didn't need to be spoken out loud.

The heaviness in my chest, the one I didn't even realize I'd been carrying for so long, slowly began to lift. Piece by piece, breath by breath.

For once… I wasn't weighed down by loneliness, fear, or that hollow ache I'd grown used to.

I was surrounded by their warmth.

I'd never had something like this before. A night like this. A feeling like this. Maybe I didn't have a thread of fate, but right now… I didn't need one. With the three of them beside me, I wasn't lost anymore.

I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Then, just as I was starting to relax, I caught the flicker of a smirk curling on Alice's lips. She stood up and began taking light skips over to me.

"So, Aikami…" she purred, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Is there something more that you wish to say to us?"

Chloe let go of me to face her just as I did.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.

Her eyes sparkled, that teasing lilt never leaving her voice. "Oh, I don't know. You've already confessed your heart and soul tonight. But perhaps there's just a little more lingering on the tip of your tongue?"

"L-like what?"

She leaned in closer, mockingly cupping her ear. "Maybe something about... what you want from us?"

"Uh…" I looked between the three of them, confused. "You mean like, right now? I want us to sit here?"

Lana giggled into her palm. Chloe tilted her head, clearly curious but just as lost as I was.

Alice let out an exaggerated sigh, as if utterly disappointed. "Oh dear. So close, and yet… so adorably dense."

"W-what the...? I'm not dense. You're just not making any sense!"

"I think I'm making perfect sense. You're the one dodging the obvious."

"I'm not dodging anything!"

"Then say it," she challenged, eyes narrowing with amusement. "Say what it is you want from us, Aikami."

I opened my mouth and immediately closed it again.

Because actually... I think I know exactly what she's talking about. I just didn't know how to say it. Not because I didn't feel it, but because it was too big. I wasn't sure if I could wrap words around something like that.

So instead, I stood there and looked at them.

Chloe, still clinging to me so softly like I was something she didn't want to let go. Lana, practically bouncing with energy, her grin daring me to speak up. And Alice… watching, ever composed, but with a knowing glint behind her eyes that told me she'd wait as long as it took.

I bit down on my lip, feeling the words scratch at the back of my throat.

And then, finally—quietly, awkwardly, but sincerely—I said it.

"I... want you to stay."