Only You.
I kept cuddling Akane until the sharp, metallic shriek of the warning bell signaling the end of the lunch interval tore through the quiet air of the rooftop, violent and sudden.
Akane immediately jolted as the sudden noise startled her out of her deep sleep, but she didn't jump away; her immediate, unconscious instinct was to curl inward.
She shrank against my legs, with her hands flying up to grip the fabric of my trousers, and her head pressing even more firmly into my lap, as if she were trying to hide from the noise inside my shadow.
Slowly, as the echo of the bell faded away, she relaxed her grip and let out a small, confused groan, her brow furrowing.
Then, she fluttered her eyes open.
Her golden irises were cloudy, heavy with the fog of a deep sleep.
She blinked several times, looking up at me upside-down. It took her brain a few seconds to process where she was and what position she was in.
"*yawn* How long was I asleep?" she asked, her voice incredibly thick and raspy, a low, attractive rumble.
"The entire lunch break," I answered, a soft smile on my face. "I didn't want to wake you."
She stretched, arching her back slightly like a cat waking up in a sunbeam, before sitting up. Then, Akane rubbed the back of her neck, blinking against the bright sunlight.
She turned to look at me, her eyes dropping to my hand, which was now resting empty on my knee.
"Did you... did you pet my head the entire time I was asleep?" she asked, her voice carrying a mix of disbelief and something incredibly soft.
"Yes," I admitted freely. "And you were adorable, I must admit," I added, smiling.
Akane blushed and moved her gaze away for an instant.
"W-Why didn't you wake me up? Your legs must be totally asleep, dumbhead," she pointed out, though she wasn't making any move to stand up.
"Because you deserved to rest," I replied simply, looking directly into her eyes. "And because I liked it."
Akane stared at me, and for a long moment, the fierce, unapproachable girl vanished entirely.
Her golden eyes grew strangely bright, shiny with an unshed emotion she quickly tried to blink away, then looked down at the concrete, her hair falling forward to hide the sudden, violent flush of pink that spread across her cheeks.
She pushed herself up off the ground, standing tall and brushing the invisible dust from her dark skirt, and then reached her hand out toward me.
"You're a stupid ghost boy, you know that?" she muttered, though her tone lacked any real bite. It was laced with a thick, undeniable affection. "You're pretty lucky that I like you."
"I know," I replied, grabbing her hand. "Too lucky, I guess."
Akane pulled me to my feet with surprising strength, and the moment I was standing, she didn't let go. Her fingers seamlessly intertwined with mine once again, before she gave me a quick kiss on the lips, clearly catching me off guard.
"This is my payment for the petting service," She said, in a sarcastic tone.
"Heh... I liked this," I said, before chuckling a little.
Then, we walked back down the concrete stairwell together, descending from the bright sunlight into the artificially lit corridors of the main building.
We walked hand in hand, the physical connection serving as a shield against the inevitable stares we received the moment we re-entered the school's populated areas.
When we reached the sliding door of Class 3-C, she stopped.
She let go of my hand, but she didn't step away.
Akane moved into my personal space, reaching up with both hands, and, just as she had that morning, gently adjusted the collar of my white uniform shirt, smoothing out wrinkles that didn't exist.
"I'll meet you at the front gates after the final bell, don't make me wait too long, or there will be bad consequences," she instructed, her eyes locking onto mine.
"Okay, boss," I replied.
"Don't talk to anyone you don't have to." She added.
"Okay, boss,"
"And don't eat anything weird from the vending machines. You'll ruin your appetite for dinner, and..." she leaned closer to my ear, "...I want you in full energies tonight~" She whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.
"I-I don't have anything to eat, Akane. You packed my lunch, remember?" I teased softly.
Then, she smiled with an almost shy, entirely beautiful smile that made my chest tighten with a beautiful warm sensation.
"Good," she said, her hands lingering on my chest for a second before she stepped back. "See you later, Shin."
Then, Akane turned and walked away, disappearing down the corridor toward her own classroom.
I walked into Class 3-C and took my seat at the back of the room.
Daiki turned around in his chair, his eyes burning with intense curiosity, clearly dying to ask me a million questions about where I had been and what I was doing, but I just offered him a brief, polite nod, opened my textbook, and looked at the blackboard. He sighed in defeat and turned back around.
The rest of the school day passed in the blink of an eye.
The afternoon lessons were just as boring as the morning ones, at least for me.
Takaneda-sensei spoke about the festival again and shared some details about the event.
Daiki and I were responsible for our class, and we had to collaborate with the student council and other classes.
I didn't want to socialize with other people, but I guess that it was the only option I had.
The only thing I didn't want was to work with Kurone, because it would clearly put me in a difficult position, especially after today. My only hope was to pray.
The teachers droned on in their monotone voices, the chalk scratched loudly against the board, and the clock on the wall seemed to move at a glacial pace.
But for the very first time in my entire high school career, I wasn't staring at the clock, agonizingly counting down the seconds so I could run out the door, track down Kurone, and beg her to let me carry her bags or buy her a drink.
I was counting down the seconds because I wanted to run out the door and see Akane. I was waiting for the day to end so my real life could begin.
After an eternity, the bell's final, shrill ring echoed through the school, signaling the end of the day.
The classroom emptied in an absolute instant, a chaotic stampede of students desperate for freedom. I packed my bag methodically, not rushing, and walked out of the building.
As I pushed through the heavy glass doors and stepped out into the crisp evening air, I saw her.
Akane was already there, leaning casually against the brick wall near the main gates, with a carton of iced latte in one hand, and her bag slung over her shoulder. She looked up as I approached, her golden eyes immediately finding me in the crowd.
"Ready to go, ghost boy?" she asked, pushing off the wall.
"I'm ready," I replied, stepping up beside her.
Then we walked away from the school, hand in hand, not caring about the students around us.
We didn't speak. The silence between us was perfect, a shared frequency that only we understood.
As we walked, the sun began to set over the city.
The sky ignited into a spectacular, violent explosion of deep orange, burning red, and bruised violet. The colors bled across the horizon, casting long, dramatic shadows across the pavement.
I looked up at the sky.
For seven years, the sunset had been a trigger.
The colors of twilight had always reminded me of that afternoon in the park, the orange light filtering through the trees, the sandbox, the pinky promise that had dictated and ruined my life.
The sunset had always been the color of that promise, a daily reminder of my own pathetic devotion.
But looking at it now, with Akane's rough, warm hand holding mine, the colors looked entirely different.
It wasn't the color of a chain anymore. It was the color of fire, the same color of my past burning.
"Hey, Shin," Akane's voice broke through my thoughts.
"Mmh?" I turned my head to look at her.
"About tonight..." she started, a faint smirk playing on her lips, her eyes dancing with a playful challenge. "...toast and eggs. But if I accidentally set the kitchen on fire, you aren't allowed to kick me out."
I laughed, a bright, clear sound that rang out in the evening air.
"I promise," I said, squeezing her hand. "Even if we have to eat burnt toast in the dark."
She squeezed my hand back, leaning her shoulder against mine as we turned the corner onto my street and kept walking toward my house.
Toward our home.
"Sooo... there's something I wanted to ask you, Shin," Akane said, scratching the back of her head and looking down.
We stopped for a second.
"Yes? What is it, Akane?" I asked, curious.
Akane couldn't look me in the eyes as she kept staring at the ground, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.
"Akane?" I called her, caressing her cheek. "Are you okay?" I asked.
Then, she finally managed to look me in my eyes.
"Uhm... about what we did... I mean... in bed..." she muttered, clearly nervous, her voice uncharacteristically small. "Was it... Good?" She said, squeezing my hand a little bit harder.
I stared at her for a few instants, since her question clearly caught me off guard. I didn't expect her to ask such a question at that moment. What perfect timing.
I chuckled.
"Well... too much. It was the most beautiful thing I've experienced in 10 years, and it felt too good. I couldn't get enough of you." I said, trying to reassure her.
She nodded, but her expression didn't relax. Her jaw was tight, and her eyes were searching mine for something I couldn't identify.
"Why are you asking?" I said, gently. "You look... sad."
Akane's lower lip trembled for just a fraction of a second.
"Because..." she started, her voice cracking. "Because you were... too good, Shin. You knew exactly what to do. You moved like... like you had done it before."
My heart clenched.
"I thought..." she continued, her golden eyes shimmering with a vulnerability I had never seen before. "I thought I was your first, too. I wanted to be your first. In this, at least."
She looked down again, her hair falling over her face.
"I waited seven years for you. I gave you my first kiss. I gave you... everything I had. And I thought... I thought you were giving me the same."
The air left my lungs.
"Akane..."
"I'm not angry," she said quickly, cutting me off. "I'm just... sad. I wanted that moment to be special for both of us. I wanted to be the only one, and when you were so good, my crazy mind thought... maybe I wasn't. "
In that moment, I grabbed her hands and felt how cold they were.
"Listen to me, Akane," I said, forcing her to look at me. "You were my first. I have never done that with anyone before you, not with Kurone, and not with anyone else, I swear."
Her eyes widened.
"Then how... how did you know what to do?" She asked, with that glimpse of sadness in her voice.
I blushed. Hard.
"I... I didn't," I admitted. "I just... followed what felt right. I watched your face, listened to your breath... and I just wanted to make you feel good, Akane. That's all I was thinking about."
Akane stared at me; her lips parted.
"You mean... You were just... paying attention to me?" She asked.
"Yes. That's all." I replied, trying to be as reassuring as possible.
For a long moment, she didn't speak. Then, her eyes filled with tears. But this time, they weren't tears of sadness.
"You idiot," she whispered, her voice breaking. She threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in my shoulder. "You absolute, complete idiot."
I held her very tightly.
"I'm sorry I made you doubt," I said into her hair. "But I swear that you're my first, Akane. Only you."
She pulled back just enough to look at me. Her cheeks were wet, but she was smiling.
"If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you," she said.
"Deal," I replied.
After my reply, Akane laughed. A wet, broken, beautiful laugh.
Then, she kissed me. And this time, there was no doubt in her touch.
"Sorry, ghost boy. I guess that even a girl like me has her stupid insecurities," She said, before dragging me away again.
"Trust me, you're not the only one," I said, smiling.
And then, we kept walking.