Chapter 16: Let Me Knock Once More

“DUEL! DUEL! DUEL!”

The roar of the audience surged like a tidal wave crashing against the stage.

Yukari and I locked eyes for a fraction of a second. She gave me a microscopic nod—a signal. I understood. There was no retreating now.

“Fine then, Prince of Darkness,” I declared, my voice projecting even as my mind scrambled for a script that didn't exist. “Prepare yourself. I won't be cast aside so easily this time!”

I had no idea where those words came from. Yukari leveled her blade.

“Then... let us settle this!”

Our wooden swords collided.

Clack.Clack.Clack.

The sound of wood meeting wood was far too visceral for mere improvisation. Come on, just take the fall already... we’re supposed to be joking, right? I flashed her a desperate look, but she feigned ignorance, pressing the attack.

Backstage, Otoya was clutching his head in his hands. “How did it turn into this? This isn't in the script! None of it!”

Touma, meanwhile, looked like he was biting back a stray laugh.

The battle reached its crescendo. I swung my sword with the dramatic flair of a low-budget late-night anime. One stylized slash, and Yukari’s sword went flying. She dropped to one knee, defeated.

“It seems the mysterious prince has vanquished the Shadow!” she cried out.

The audience erupted. I exhaled, the tension leaving my shoulders. Done. But the applause didn't come. Instead, the chanting grew louder, more frantic.

“Awaken the Princess!” “Go on! This is your moment!”

My heart hammered against my ribs. That scene. The one scene I had spent my entire life trying to avoid. I glanced toward the wings. Otoya was frantically shaking his head, but Touma simply gave me a thumbs-up. Why aren't you stopping this...?

Then—the voice.

“So, you’ve finally come.”

I froze. I turned slowly. Kurumi had risen from the prop bed. Her white gown cascaded around her like moonlight touching the forest floor. Her hair was loose, and her eyes—

They weren't the eyes of a fairy-tale princess. They were the eyes of someone who had been waiting for far, far too long.

“You finally came for me, Prince,” she murmured.

A hush fell over the hall. The whispers started. This didn't feel like a play anymore.

“I am not here to wait for a past that has already vanished,” she continued, her voice gaining strength. “I am waiting for what I believe in.”

The air in my lungs felt thin. Those weren't stage lines. That was a confession.

“The wait was worth it,” she said, her voice beginning to tremble. “Because the right person makes every second feel like destiny.”

I looked down at the sword in my hand. “Every love story has its greatness,” I replied instinctively, the words bubbling up from a place I usually kept drowned. “And the story of waiting is great because of its patience.”

I flinched. That wasn't an improvisation. That was my own internal monologue leaking out.

“My grandmother once said,” I continued softly, “that something truly precious is something worth waiting for.”

Kurumi offered a fragile smile, tears pooling in her eyes. “And if you choose to wait for the right moment,” she said, “true love will find its own way home.”

Silence. The stage lights felt unbearably hot.

“This time...” her voice broke, “let me be the one to knock on the door of your heart once more.”

The door. The one I had bolted and barricaded. Not because I didn't want to be loved—but because I was terrified of being dismantled again.

“I know you're lonely,” she pressed on. “After everything that happened to you back then... even if you never speak of it.”

“Stop pretending you know me!” I snapped.

The auditorium went dead silent.

“You don't know a thing about what I’ve been through!”

“Kengo?” her voice was barely a whisper.

“For years, I’ve tried to feel what love is!” I shouted, the dam finally breaking. “I tried again and again! And all I ever got was pain!” My voice shook with a raw, jagged edge. “I kept trying... but the result was always the same!”

The lights were blinding now.

“Kurumi, stop trying to understand others. You don't even know what real suffering looks like.”

She went still. But she didn't retreat.

“Waiting for someone you love is never easy,” she said slowly. “Especially when that person has no idea you’re even waiting for them.”

It felt like a physical weight pressing on my chest.

“If you truly love someone,” she continued, “you learn to wait. Maybe not today... but someday.”

“Waiting and forgetting are both painful,” I answered hollowly. “But not knowing which path to take... that is the true torture.”

And then—she hugged me.

Right there, in the center of the stage. In front of everyone. Without a shred of hesitation.

“I will wait for you as long as it takes,” she sobbed into my chest. “I will love you every second, for all of time.”

Her hands gripped my prince’s tunic, bunching the fabric.

“Kengo-kun... I love you.”

A tear escaped my eye before I could stop it.

“The right person might arrive late,” she whispered, “after you’ve suffered enough to finally deserve them. Kengo-kun... even though it’s been so long, my love is still whole. I believe love knows the way back. You’re the only one I’ve been waiting for. After all this, my heart only knows one name... yours.”

Her voice shattered into a million pieces. “There is nothing more beautiful than waiting for the one I love.”

I closed my eyes, the darkness behind my lids a relief. “Kurumi... I’m tired.”

She held me tighter. “Tired of waiting in uncertainty.”

“Not everything we wait for actually comes,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I want to know... am I even worth waiting for?”

She shook her head against me, weeping. “You don't know how long the road was just to keep waiting for you. I didn't expect you to come immediately... I just needed you to come at the right time. Love isn't about who gets there first... it’s about who stays the longest.”

She pulled back just enough to look at me, her voice a desperate plea. “Every night, I hoped you’d come back to the way you were... cheerful... full of smiles. Kengo... let go of the weight. You aren't alone anymore.”

And for the first time—I hugged her back. Truly.

I stroked her hair. I let everything I had been suppressing crumble into dust. The tears I had never allowed myself to shed finally fell. The audience sat in stunned silence; some were audibly sobbing.

I didn't know the last time I had felt like this. Not as a counselor. Not as a guy pretending to be strong. Just... as myself.

Kurumi slowly lifted her face. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her gaze was unwavering. I leaned down.

And I kissed her.

Soft. Lingering. Silent.

Then—the auditorium exploded.

Applause. Cheers. Cries. The lights felt warm, almost healing. For the first time in my life, I felt the door truly swing open.

But in the middle of that embrace, a cold thought struck me.

If the door has opened—what is waiting on the other side? Is this the beginning of happiness—or the start of a much greater trial?

Kurumi was still holding my arm. I looked at her, and for the first time, I didn't know if I was ready for what came next.

The stage lights slowly dimmed. The applause continued to echo. And amidst the roar, a single sentence whispered in my heart.

If I step forward this time... there will be no turning back.