Ch.10 Confession on Rooftop

K sat at his desk, eyes glued to the folded letter he had discovered that morning in his shoe locker. His posture was stiff, brows knit, fingers tapping nervously against the desk. Anyone could tell something weighed on him.

Aurora leaned closer to Amber, whispering, "Hey… don’t you think he looks… troubled today?"

Amber glanced toward him, then shrugged. "If we’re talking about him, that’s just his default face."

"Maybe I’m just overthinking…" Aurora muttered.

After fidgeting in silence for a while, K finally stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He looked more annoyed than ever as he strode toward Aurora and Amber.

"Hey," K called.

Aurora blinked. "What? Do you need something?"

"Here. Read this." He thrust the letter into her hands. His tone was sharp, but his ears were faintly red. "After reading it, meet me on the rooftop."

"Huh? Wait, why—?" Before she could finish, K had already stormed out of the classroom.

Aurora stared after him, confused. "What is he trying to do?"

Amber tilted her head. "Are you sure you didn’t do something to him again?"

"Why would I—" Aurora began defensively, then froze as memories of times she had annoyed him flashed before her. She paled.
"…Don’t tell me he’s fed up and now he’s… challenging me?!"

Aurora clutched her head in panic. "What should I do!?"

Amber patted her shoulder with a grin. "Relax, I’m with you! Let’s just read the letter first."

Aurora flipped it over and froze. A tiny heart-shaped sticker sealed the flap.

"…Don’t tell me…" both girls thought at once, eyes widening.

Aurora laughed nervously. "Pfft, h-he probably just ran out of normal stickers and slapped this one on by mistake!"

"Yeah, I can imagine that," Amber agreed, though her voice lacked conviction.

Together, they peeled it open. Two bold lines stared back at them:
"I like you. Meet me on the rooftop."

The classroom seemed to go silent.

Amber slowly rested her hand on Aurora’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up. "Good luck." She stood and left.

"Eh?!" Aurora froze, face burning.
"Hehehe…" she laughed weakly, then smacked her desk. "Why meeee?!"

Minutes later, the two walked down the hallway together, Aurora clutching the letter like it was cursed.

"So," Amber asked casually, "yes or no?"

"Of course not! Why would anyone want to go out with him?!" Aurora burst out.

"True," Amber said, nodding along.

"Then tell me how to reject him!" Aurora demanded.

Amber sighed. "Just be straight about it. Don’t overthink."

"Put yourself in my shoes, then!" Aurora snapped.

Amber tried. She imagined receiving a love letter from K. The mental image spiraled into countless scenarios where she was getting scolded, nagged, and bossed around by him. She shivered. "…Okay, maybe that is tough."

When they finally reached the rooftop, Aurora steeled herself. Amber hung back at the door while Aurora stepped forward.

K stood there, arms crossed. "Why did it take you so long? The letter wasn’t that long."

"I-I was shocked reading it," Aurora muttered.

"Right? I was shocked too when I found it," K said matter-of-factly.

"…Wait. You found it?" Aurora blinked.

"Anyway," K cut her off, "what do you think?"

Aurora’s heart pounded. "Well… um… hehe… y-you see…" She stammered like a cornered animal.

K stepped closer, frowning. "Why are you red? You sick?" He raised his hand as if to check her forehead.

Startled, Aurora smacked his hand away. "What are you doing?!"

"I’m just checking. Well anyway, give me the answer."

Aurora stammered, cornered. With a sigh, she froze.

K frowned. "You’re weird. Fine, if you can’t answer then—hey, you! The one eavesdropping. What do you think?"

Amber yelped as K’s glare pinned her. "M-me?!"

"Yes. You read the letter too, right? Give me your answer."

"Wha—?! You can’t do that!" Amber protested, stomping away. "If you really love her, you should wait for her response!"

"LOVE her?!" K’s eyes widened. "Why would I love this walking disaster who only knows how to cause me trouble?!"

Aurora’s jaw dropped. "W-walking disaster?! Excuse you! And for your information, I couldn’t fall for a childish, rude boy like you!"

"Yeah, me too," Amber said without thinking.

The rooftop went quiet. K’s expression twitched. "What the hell is wrong with you two…?" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Finally, he sighed. "Anyway, I should ask someone else about this."

"…Wait. Someone else?" Amber blinked. "Don’t tell me… this letter isn’t for Aurora?"

"Of course not." K looked at them like they’d grown two heads. "I found it in my shoe locker. I wanted advice, that’s all."

Both girls froze. Then slowly, the gears turned.

"…So all this time…" Aurora whispered.
"…We panicked for nothing," Amber finished.

"Exactly," K said. "I thought about throwing it away, but someone must’ve worked up the courage to write it. Even if I reject her, I should at least hear her out."

Aurora and Amber stared at him, shocked. Their expressions softened despite themselves.

"…He can actually think about other people," Aurora muttered.
"…That’s… kinda cute," Amber admitted.

"Anyway," K said, turning toward the exit, "I should go see what she has to say." He left, going back to the classroom.

Amber leaned closer to Aurora. "You think this is a prank?"

Aurora frowned. "Knowing his personality, probably. No one could actually love him."
"…Should we do something?" Amber whispered.
Aurora sighed. "We’ll wait and see."

The sunset cast long shadows across the rooftop. K stood near the railing, expression calm but thoughts restless.

From behind a row of forgotten cleaning supplies, Aurora and Amber crouched like spies.

Amber whispered, "You know we look like two burglars about to mop the place, right?"
"Quiet, she’s coming!" Aurora hissed, eyes glued to the door.

The rooftop door creaked open, and a girl stepped out. Her long pink hair glimmered faintly in the light, her pink eyes wide with nervousness—or maybe something else. She clutched her schoolbag so tightly her knuckles had gone pale.

Aurora whispered, "That’s her…"
Amber squinted. "…Why does she look like she’s about to be executed instead of confessing?"

The girl stopped a few feet from K, lowering her head. "…K Senpai. You… read my letter, right?"

K nodded. "Yeah. That’s why I’m here."

Her voice trembled. "I… I like you. Please… go out with me."

Aurora clenched her fists. "Okay, here comes the rejection—"

But K didn’t reject her. Instead, he studied her carefully. His sharp gaze lingered on her trembling shoulders, the way her smile looked forced, the way she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

"…You don’t look like someone who wants to confess," K said flatly.

The girl stiffened. "…Eh?"
"You look terrified," he continued, frowning. "Your hands are shaking so hard you’ll crush that bag if you keep holding it like that."

From their hiding spot, Aurora and Amber exchanged a glance.
"…Wait. He noticed it too," Amber whispered.
Aurora bit her lip. "So… it’s true. She’s not nervous—she’s scared."

Out on the rooftop, the pink-haired girl flinched under K’s words. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she forced a stiff smile. "…I-I'm just… nervous, K Senpai. That’s all."

K narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. After a pause, he sighed. "…Fine. If you say so." Then, to Aurora and Amber’s shock, he added:
"…Alright. I’ll accept your confession."

Aurora nearly fell into the mop bucket. "HUHHHHH?! HE STILL ACCEPTED?!"
Amber slapped her hand over her mouth. "He’s insane… he knows something’s wrong and still went along with it?!"

The girl blinked, clearly not expecting him to say yes. Her eyes widened—almost in fear, not relief. "…Y-you will…?"

K’s tone was blunt, not tender. "Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not doing this because I like you. Something about this stinks. You’re acting like you didn’t even want to confess." He glanced at her sharply. "So until I figure out what’s going on, I’ll play along."

Aurora nearly toppled out of hiding. "WHAT KIND OF REASON IS THAT?!"
Amber facepalmed. "That’s… so him."

The girl forced a smile, bowing slightly. "…T-thank you, Senpai." Even as she said it, her fingers dug into her bag straps like she was clinging to life itself.

K turned toward the exit without another word. "Let’s go. Standing here like idiots won’t change anything."

The girl followed quickly, footsteps unsteady.

From their hiding spot, Aurora and Amber stared in stunned silence.
Aurora groaned. "He basically told her, ‘I know you don’t like me, but I’ll date you anyway to investigate.’ Who even does that?!"
Amber smirked. "K does. And somehow, I think this is just the start of a bigger mess."