Farewell to Past Regrets Pt. 4

For half a minute, she stayed in silence. High in the sky, nearly shrouded by clouds, the moon shined brightly, casting beautiful rays of light that reflected off of Taiyori's eyes. We kept our hands still, my fingers wrapped hers. Each second that I kept my gaze on her, I felt my heart beating faster.

I wonder if she even believes anything that came out of my mouth just then. She has every right to doubt me, but I know that my words were genuine. I just hope that she does too.

Finally, she let out a deep breath. "Tsuki... Can I trust you?"

"Yes," I replied diligently. "Even if you don't right now, I'll try over and over again to gain it."

"Will you end up hurting me like everyone else?"

"I will make sure that never happens. Ever."

"Prove it then."

I paused for a moment. "Eh? H-how am I supposed to...?"

She then let go of my hand to show me the most adorable smile. Her eyes glowed magnificently, striking at me and causing me to freeze.

"The oldest way to test people's trust!" she exclaimed.

Full of refreshing enthusiasm, Taiyori bolted over to the edge of the pond, standing only a step forward from the water.

"Ever done a trust fall before?" she asked.

"A... trust fall...?" I said. "I don't think so."

"So I'm gonna turn around and purposefully fall, and I have to trust that you'll catch me before I hit the ground."

"That sounds too easy. What's the twist?"

"Hehe... You'll see."

She turned around to face the water. For a moment, I could've sworn I saw her tilt her head with a devious smirk on her face.

"Ready?" Taiyori asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Be sure to catch me, okay?"

"Sure."

With that, her body began to list, but it wasn't falling towards me. She was tilting towards the water!

"Wha—hey! Taiyori!" I shouted as I bolted after her.

Right as she was about to fall into the water, I wrapped my arms around her stomach and pulled her back. However, I couldn't keep my balance, so we fell to the grass.

"Are you insane?!" I chided. "That water is probably freezing cold right now! You could've gotten... h-hurt..."

Taiyori pushed herself up, holding herself directly above. Her hands drove into my shoulders as she held herself up, but it didn't hurt. If anything, my violent heartbeat was the most painful sensation.

"T-Taiyori...?" I mumbled.

"Ayaka," she said as she planted a finger on my lips. "That's my name. That's who I am... A selfish girl who has everything in the world, and yet... I still want one last thing. But you... You already have an idea of what it is, don't you?"

I could only manage a subtle gulp as her head inched closer to mine. 'One last thing.' She couldn't possibly mean...

"Say it," she whispered.

"...S-say what exactly...?"

"The name of the girl you see right in front of you. I want to hear you say it."

While she stayed like that, her soft eyes pierced deep into mine, shining even brighter than the night that drenched us in the moonlight. Her hair was left to dangle, flowing gently along with the cold wind. The only thing I could do was stare at her while she looked at me with an uncontrollable smile and a bright red blush.

After pulling myself together as best I could, I spoke. "Ayaka—...?!"

I was given no time to fully get it out of my mouth. Gently yet so swiftly, she threw herself down, but not without pushing her lips against mine.

The world around us faded into obscurity, and all I saw was her. My mind felt like it was melting, and my heart was about to burst out of my chest. I tried to move, but my body was completely paralyzed.

For a single second, her eyes opened to look at me. They were no longer the saddened eyes that I saw so long ago. It was the one time that I couldn't read her expression... but I have a pretty good idea of what it is.

Soon, the pressure was alleviated. She let go, her warm breaths grazing past my face. Her forehead pressed onto mine as we lay in stiff silence.

"Were you being serious...?" she mumbled.

"...What?"

Ayaka suddenly perked up, eyes wide and sparkling as a massive grin stretched from ear to ear.

"When you said you liked me... Were you serious about that?!" she exclaimed. "Like... super, super serious? You... You like me? Me? W-when did that happen?! I... I'm the one who's supposed to like you!"

"...Ayaka..."

"What, what? Oh... I'm being super weird right now, huh?" She spoke rapidly, almost incoherently. "S-sorry. I just... I j-just...! Can't believe it! No, wait... I knew you liked me. I mean, I didn't know! But I did! You know that feeling you get when you think something is real, but you don't actually know, but it's like... super obvious? Ah! I-I didn't mean to say that you were being obvious! I...!"

Ayaka reached for her chest, clawing at her kimono as if to hold her heart from bursting out. Her breaths were heavy and rapid, yet she still kept her enchanting smile. She then grabbed onto my collar. I suppose she was trying to pull me back up, but she instead dragged herself down. In the end... I don't think it mattered.

While our faces were just a hair away from each other, she said, "I like you! Hah... Haha! I can finally say it!"

As she repeated those three words, all I could do was blankly stare back at her, dumbfounded like an idiot.

"You have no idea... how hard it was for me to keep it in! Oh my gosh... I feel like I'm hyperventilating, but I don't care! I like you so, so, so~ much!"

After a few more quick breaths and a visible gulp, she fixed her gaze deep into my eyes.

"...One more," she whispered. "Can I have... one more kiss...?"

I'm surprised she can even think straight after all of that. Maybe she can't. One thing's for sure, I certainly can't, but I'm not so ignorant that I'd let this chance go.

"You were never one to ask for my permission... Ayaka," I struggled so hard to say.

Her smile stretched even wider, and once again, she lowered herself upon me.

"You're right," she scoffed. "Why the hell am I asking? After all... I'm a selfish girl, aren't I? And I always... Always... get what I want."

With that, she dropped back down for another. Instead of a subtle kiss like before, she sank her lips deeper, and all I could do was take it head on.

This time, I held onto the back of her head and embraced her. The cold air around us seemingly dispersed, replaced by an inexplicable heat.

Finally, she let go, but she wouldn't look at me. The chilling air returned. With every breath we let out, a small cloud of vapor rose from the gap between us.

"Since you called me by my name... then I get to do the same, right?" she giggled. "Hehe~ Ran... I like you!"

At that moment, a deafening shriek echoed across the sky, garnering our attention. From the festival grounds, a blinding bolt shot its way up until it reached the crescent moon. There, it exploded, filling the sky with its breathtaking lights.