Ch. 25 – “First Confessions… Kind Of”

The sun rose over the sea, soft gold spreading across the waves. It was the last morning of the beach trip, and Yuuto Kanda was still half-asleep, sitting on the veranda of the guest lodge. His hair stuck out in all directions, his skin pink from yesterday’s sunburn, and his brain was fried from supervising three disasters disguised as classmates.

Akari Shinozuka was already bouncing around the shore in a hoodie over her swimsuit, waving her arms. “Yuuuutooo! Come on, one last swim before breakfast!”

“Five more minutes,” he muttered, sipping from a paper cup of cold tea.

Rika Hanabira, meanwhile, sat beside him with her notebook open, pretending to review marine biology notes but clearly sketching seashells. She glanced at him, then quickly looked away. “You’ll regret it if you don’t at least dip your feet, Yuuto.”

He blinked. It was the third time she’d said his name that way — no honorifics, no distance. Just Yuuto.

It made his heart skip every single time.

Mizuki Onodera walked out next, her sundress fluttering in the wind, clutching a small envelope close to her chest. She had been holding onto it all morning, her fingers trembling each time she looked Yuuto’s way.

Inside was a letter she’d written the night before — her first attempt at saying what she couldn’t voice aloud. But every time she imagined handing it over, her stomach tied itself in knots.

---

Down on the beach, Akari had already begun shaping wet sand into a heart. “Hey Yuuto! We can write everyone’s names inside!”

“Not happening,” he groaned, walking toward her anyway.

“Scared of romance?” she teased.

“Scared of more work.”

She stuck her tongue out and pounced — literally — trying to drag him into helping. They tumbled onto the sand, laughing and wrestling over the shovel. But when Yuuto lost his balance, he tripped and fell forward.

For a split second, the world froze.

Akari’s bright eyes widened as their faces stopped just inches apart. Her laughter caught in her throat. The sound of waves and distant gulls filled the air as both went utterly still.

Yuuto’s brain screamed at him to move. His body didn’t listen.

Finally, Rika’s voice shattered the moment. “Hopeless morons!”

She turned sharply, pretending to be furious, but the tightness in her chest surprised even her. Watching them together — laughing so easily — made her feel something she didn’t understand, and definitely didn’t like.

---

Later, while the group packed their bags, Sensei Amamiya appeared with sunglasses and a suspicious grin. “Well, well. Looks like my favorite students are finally learning more than just formulas.”

Yuuto froze. “S-Sensei, what are you—”

“Romantic growth confirmed,” she said, marking something imaginary on a clipboard. “Keep up the progress, Kanda.”

Akari nearly choked laughing. “You’re grading him on love now?”

“Of course. It’s called field research,” the teacher replied, walking off to “supervise” another group with a wink.

---

When things quieted, Rika approached Yuuto near the dunes. The morning sun had softened to a gentle glow, the air filled with the sound of seagulls and distant chatter.

“Hey… about earlier,” she began, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “I might’ve overreacted.”

Yuuto scratched his neck. “You? Overreact? Never.”

“Don’t push it.” She smirked faintly, but her eyes softened. “Anyway, it’s not like I— you know. Forget it.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “Thanks, Rika. For keeping everyone together this trip.”

She blinked. “You’re thanking me?”

“Well, someone had to stop Akari from turning volleyballs into projectiles, and Mizuki from walking into the ocean while writing poetry.”

Rika let out a small laugh. “You’re such an idiot.”

She turned, stepping closer until her shoulder brushed his. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Thanks, idiot.” Then she walked away, cheeks burning.

Yuuto stood there in stunned silence, grinning without meaning to.

---

A little farther off, Mizuki sat beneath a parasol with her notebook open, the envelope still in her lap. She had tried all morning to hand it to him — during breakfast, during packing, even just now — but every time, her courage slipped away.

So instead, she uncapped her pen and began to write again.

Her handwriting flowed gently across the page, neat and rhythmic, almost like breathing.

Love is the question I never studied for, she wrote.

When she looked up, she saw Yuuto laughing with Akari as they carried bags toward the bus. Rika was walking beside them, scolding both for running on the sand, her voice sharp but smiling.

For a moment, Mizuki just watched them — the noise, the teasing, the warmth.

She smiled softly to herself, folded the paper, and tucked it into her book.

Maybe next time.

---

As the bus pulled away, Yuuto leaned against the window, watching the beach disappear behind them.

Three girls sat around him — Akari asleep on his shoulder, Rika scrolling through photos, Mizuki quietly gazing at the sea.

He realized, with a helpless sigh, that his life had officially turned into the world’s most exhausting romantic comedy.

But for once, he didn’t hate it.

Because even in the chaos, the jealousy, and the blushing messes — there was something real in the way they laughed together.

Something he didn’t want to lose.

And though none of them said it aloud, every one of them knew the same truth that morning:

Something had begun to change — slowly, awkwardly, but unmistakably.