Confess, Satoshi-kun!

Opening the door to enter the drama club, Satoshi and I took a deep breath in preparation. Inside the drama club were Satou and Ayane practicing their lines on stage. They were the only ones in the clubroom. On one hand, this meant that Satoshi wouldn’t have to embarrass himself around everyone, but I doubted that was enough.

Could he get past Satou?

That’s what I wondered as I walked toward the stage with Satoshi. Satou and Ayane didn’t notice us for a while. I guess some people really could be that passionate about a play. Snarky comment aside, it wasn’t until they finished their lines that they even noticed us. Well, Satou at least, as Ayane had gone to a restroom located backstage.

“What the hell happened to your faces!?” Satou yelled.

“Huh? We were just playing around.”

Satoshi said that, although he couldn’t do so confidently, staring right at the floor as he said it. Given the facade he always tried to put on, this was a jarring sight, to say the least. Granted, it was understandable. All I had to do now was not say a word. The world was now open to Satoshi, a realization I came to when Satou made his response to him.

“Fine then. I’ll believe that.”

Satou sighed after that, having something else that he needed to get off his chest.

“So, what brings you here, Satoshi-kun?”

“I wanted to see Ayane-chan.”

Satou chuckled before relaxing his arms at his neck.

“God damn, her timing’s awful. You saw her leave for the shitter, right?”

“Yeah… yeah, I did,” Satoshi said looking down.

If only crickets could give some noise to the room right now. I couldn’t believe how empty it all sounded without them. Satoshi was too focused on what to say, looking down with his hands glued to his pockets. Meanwhile, I was too focused on trying not to say anything. I stood so blankly that only a t-pose could compare. As our silence festered, Satou began to tap his foot in impatience. That’s why, when his mouth opened, I feared that my plan would crumble.

That was until Ayane opened the door to the drama club, although the heaviness of the door meant she barely got in. Of course, this was the cutest thing in existence. I couldn’t relish it, though.

“Ayane-chan!”

Satoshi readied to make his move, with his shout making him loud and proud. That was until he hesitated. With his hand on his neck, he had to beat his chest a few times before he could get the words out.

“I… I love you dammit!”

Looking at Satoshi, I saw a man out of breath, holding onto his chest with his sweat dripping down every possible angle. He hadn’t finished a marathon, or anything of the sort, yet he looked so exhausted. It took more out of him to open up than I thought it would.

When I turned around to Ayane, I saw her widened eyes, but they didn’t last. When she closed them, she smiled. It wasn’t very big, though, and she had to bring it back repeatedly. That was until she looked down and took a deep breath, finally ready to give him her answer.

“I’m sorry.”

Satoshi didn’t move a muscle. He just stared at her. Not surprised, not angry, not sad, and certainly not happy.

Meanwhile, Ayane looked at the floor, fidgeting with her hands, afraid to see the look on Satoshi’s face. When she did, though, something came into her mind. While she initially jumped, startled at his unusual expression, she eventually turned it into a smile. This time, it was a smile that could stick, getting Satoshi to finally pay attention to her again.

“I’m glad you finally told me, though.”

Satou, Satoshi, and I all took a step back. While I stood with my jaw dropped, Satou started stretching his head while Satoshi asked the question in all of our minds.

“Wait, so you knew?”

Ayane kept smiling.

“Yes.”

Satoshi, now more confused than all of us, took a step forward, practically lunging as he used the might of his voice to continue questioning her.

“So why didn’t you tell me!?”

As Satoshi took a few deep breaths, Ayane put her hands on her chest.

“Because it was your decision whether or not you wanted to date me.”

“So all I needed to do was confess, and you would’ve accepted?”

“Yes.”

With a response given, Satoshi put his hand on his face. For a moment, I thought my plan backfired. Why wouldn’t it? Not only did he get rejected, but getting lectured on why he was couldn’t have been a more fatal blow. I thought that we’d be seeing another breakdown of his, but to my surprise, he let go of his hand and smiled.

Laughing, it wasn’t the kind I’d seen on the roof, but rather something else. With his cheeks feeling the burn and his eyes closed, I could tell that, for once, he was genuinely happy. He got the closure he needed to move on. Feeling the relief of this, tears began streaming down. As it became harder to control them, he sobbed, trying to wipe them away. No one needed to say a word. We all knew how important this moment was. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything, though. I mean, he cried because of me.

Satou didn’t care, though. He just walked up toward him and hugged him. Looking at Satou, I saw the smile on his face, a smile I felt too much guilt to have as I held onto my arm.

Eventually, though, Satoshi put his head back up, and Satou let go of him. Taking a deep breath, he puffed up his chest, prepared to give Ayane his take.

“Thank you.”

With a smile on his face, he no longer kept the same kind of happiness. With his eyes not quite shut, he was still on the verge of tears but still chose to speak anyway. Despite this, he might’ve pushed his limits too hard, as his body fell on his front side. The only problem was that falling from the stage would cause significant injury.

In need of saving, I rushed over to grab him, but I couldn’t quite support him on my own. That’s why it was Satou’s help that guaranteed his safety, as we pulled back on stage. Having successfully saved him too, we both noticed something when we looked back up. He was still unconscious. As such, we needed to improvise.