Chapter 10 – The Almost Confession

The Misora High Cultural Festival buzzed like a beehive, laughter and music spilling from every corner of the campus. Bright banners fluttered in the crisp autumn breeze, and the scent of sweet crepes and grilled yakisoba hung in the air.

Haru stood behind the European-style tea booth, frantically arranging teacups for the fifth time that hour. “Why did I agree to this…” she muttered under her breath.

“You mean why did you agree to work with me?” Aya’s smooth voice slid into her thoughts.

Haru glanced up—and instantly forgot how to breathe. Aya stood beside her in a perfectly fitted white dress shirt and black vest, hair pulled into a loose ponytail. It was the official café uniform, but on Aya, it looked… illegal.

“Wh-Where did you even get that?” Haru stammered.

Aya smirked. “Part of the theme. You didn’t read the memo?”

“I—I was busy!” Haru squeaked, tugging self-consciously at her own frilly apron. Compared to Aya’s effortlessly cool vibe, she looked like a lost waitress from a high school play.

Aya leaned in just enough to make Haru’s pulse spike. “Relax, newbie. You look cute.”

Haru almost dropped a teacup. Cute. She called me cute. Abort mission.

---

The day blurred into a whirlwind of orders and laughter. Haru poured tea while Aya charmed every customer within a five-mile radius, her easy grin making students swoon and parents beam.

Somehow, they fell into a rhythm—Aya sliding plates across the counter, Haru scribbling orders, both exchanging inside jokes between waves of customers.

For a moment, Haru forgot her nerves. Forgot the whispers. Forgot everything except how good it felt to laugh with Aya like this.

Until the accident happened.

---

Haru was balancing a plate of scones when a student bumped into her. The plate wobbled, a dollop of whipped cream landing squarely on her cheek.

“Oh no!” Haru yelped, fumbling for a napkin—only for Aya to beat her to it.

“Hold still,” Aya murmured, voice low and calm as she reached out.

Her fingers brushed Haru’s skin, warm and gentle, wiping away the cream with agonizing slowness. Haru froze, every nerve on fire. The world narrowed to that single point of contact—the press of Aya’s thumb, the faint citrus scent of her perfume.

When Aya finally pulled back, her lips curled into a lazy smirk. “There. All clean.”

Haru couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Her heart was a riot in her chest.

And of course, that was when the peanut gallery struck.

“Whoa! Senseis look like a couple!” someone hollered from the doorway.

Haru snapped her head toward the students, cheeks flaming. “W-Wha—?! No! We’re not—!”

Aya didn’t even blink. Just smirked, like the comment was nothing. Or maybe like it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Why isn’t she denying it?! Haru thought frantically, shoving the plate onto the counter before her trembling hands betrayed her.

---

Nightfall – The Fireworks Begin

By the time the last customer left and the booth closed, Haru felt like she’d aged ten years. Aya stretched, tossing her apron onto a chair.

“Good work today, newbie,” she said, flashing that devastating grin.

Haru muttered something vaguely coherent and followed her outside. The campus had transformed into a glowing wonderland—lanterns strung between trees, food stalls humming with laughter. Above it all, the first fireworks bloomed in the night sky, petals of crimson and gold.

Aya led her to a quiet spot behind the gym, away from the crowds. They stood side by side, the cool air tinged with the smell of summer fading into autumn.

For a long moment, neither spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward. It was… heavy. Full of something Haru couldn’t name.

Aya tilted her head back, eyes reflecting the fireworks like shards of starlight. “Pretty, huh?”

Haru nodded, but she wasn’t looking at the sky.

Her mouth was dry. Her pulse a storm. Words crowded behind her teeth, desperate and terrifying all at once.

I like you.

I think about you all the time.

Please tell me you feel it too.

Her lips parted—

And nothing came out.

Coward.

Aya turned to her then, a soft smile curving her lips. “You’re trouble, newbie.”

The words were barely louder than the whisper of the breeze, but they sank into Haru’s bones, lighting up every nerve in her body.

Before Haru could even process it, Aya was walking back toward the festival lights, hands tucked in her pockets like she hadn’t just wrecked Haru’s entire existence.

Haru stood frozen, heart pounding like it wanted to escape her chest.

What… what does she mean by that?

---

Long after the fireworks faded, Aya’s words still burned in her ears—soft, teasing, and maybe… just maybe… something more.

“You’re trouble, newbie.”