WARNING: Mild cursing and many innuendos (again).

In the following days, details are arranged, promises given, hopes raised. Eventually, the hour is upon you. The music festival is due to start any minute now. And you're dying. Scatter-brained, you apply a little more highlighter. You've never been quite as good with hair and makeup as you are with clothes (and who would be, as the Ultimate Seamstress?) but all of your classmates are a little too busy with their own preparations to help you. As a result, you can't say you look absolutely perfect— your blush is blended a tad unevenly, and there's that one annoying strand of hair— but you certainly don't feel gross. That's a good thing. Speaking of your hair, you would be pulling it out if you hadn't just taken all that time to do it. And then the doorbell rings. You jump, startled, and rush to the door before hesitating. Don't wanna seem too desperate. The room suddenly feels much warmer than a comfortable temperature. One... two... You open the door.

Somehow, despite wearing the exact same outfit you'd seen him in a few days prior, Kazuichi looks different. You can't quite pin down what it is. Is it his posture?

"Wow... You look great. I mean, you always do, but you know what I mean," he compliments quietly.

"Anyone can be attractive with some confidence and grace," you respond, and then add, "but an eye for detail sure helps."

"Awesome! You worked the colors into my outfit, huh?"

"Of course. We need to look nice when we're pressed up against each other. They won't know where one of us ends and the other begins."

He gives you fingerguns, and then effortlessly decodes your words. "Right, we'll look super bomb in any pictures Mahiru might take!" Most people know not to take your innuendos at face value, because you rarely mean it in that way. But some of your classmates condone it more than others. Some even appreciate it. You, Teruteru, and Kazuichi occasionally use it as your main way of communicating with each other.

He offers his arm to you and you take it. As you get closer to the courtyard, the air gets louder. Music starts to pound. Your heart beats to the speedy rhythm. You start to pull him along, and soon the two of you have broken into a jogging pace. He looks around at all the food stands, especially the sweets. Seeing the childlike wonder in his eyes, you buy him some chocolates.

"Don't eat it all, Kazuichi, and take it slow! We're probably gonna feel like dancing at some point or another, and I don't want you getting sick on either of our outfits," you warn, glaring.

"ICK. Okay, I'll be careful," he nods incessantly before popping a few pieces into his mouth. "Mmmmm... Thank you! It's really yummy!"

"You're very welcome!" you give him a thumbs-up. Soon, your attention is caught by some warm pop music. "Ooh, that must be Sayaka!" You run off toward the stage.

"Hey, Hey, Hey!! Wait up!" he calls out after you.

"Catch me if you can!" you turn around and blow a raspberry. He gasps, pretending to be offended, and makes chase after twisting his bag of candy shut.

You only stop once you get close enough to the stage to hear all of the words. You start moving a little bit, swaying your arms and mumble-singing. Looking back at your partner, you notice that he knows all the words and is jamming out. When you catch him and raise a curious eyebrow, he merely shrugs, not embarrassed in the slightest. You dance with a little more energy, ready to match his level of enthusiasm. Soon enough, you're both whooping, and laughing, and singing at the top of your lungs. You get a few odd looks in the process, but, for the first time in a long time, it doesn't matter to either of you.

"Hey there, everybody! I hope you're all having a blast!" Sayaka calls out into the crowd. Cheers erupt forth. "Now, at this time, I wanna invite up a couple of really great fans up on stage. Kazuichi, [Y/N], get up here and show this crowd how to party!" The spotlight hits the two of you.

You flash Kazuichi a panicked look, one that he shares with you. But after taking a deep breath, he makes his way to the stage, and, feeling a bit more courageous, you follow. Sayaka starts up the next song, singing her heart out like the pop princess she is. Dancing freely, you make the best back-up dancers, and all of your friends in the crowd go crazy. Once the song ends, Sayaka takes a bow and introduces Ibuki as the next act. The two of you scurry offstage, giggling until you can't breathe.

"Oh my God, that was amazing!" you cry out.

"It was! Let's NEVER do that again!" he continues to laugh, practically falling over.

"I thought you liked being looked at intimately, Kazuichi," you cackle mischievously. He pushes your face away, and you flick him in retaliation.

Ibuki's crowd is... niche, to say the least. The two of you decide to split, since Kazuichi isn't feeling the idea of soul-crushing screams. Instead, you make your way to where Hiyoko is performing a beautiful dance. She waves her fans daintily, swirling and gliding around like a swan. Sonia and Gundham are watching not far from you. You worry that he'll start to get all sulky. You don't want him to feel like crap. That's literally the opposite of what you want! But he casts one glance at them and then turns back, only the slightest bit perturbed. You find that you're starting to lean into each other. Even though Hiyoko has nearly your entire attention, a small portion of it is directed to your hand, which seeks out his. Your fingers finally intertwine, and goosebumps run all through your body.

Shaking, he murmurs, "We need to talk about this."

"Uh-huh. Yep," you agree, practically before he finishes his sentence. The two of you find a bench far from the festivities.

"Look," he explains, "this scares the crap out of me. Like, you don't understand how many times I've had to hold in the urge to scream."

"I know. I really know," you nod, "because there are so many things that could go wrong. And this isn't simple..."

"Liking Sonia is so simple. But when I saw her just now... with him... I barely felt anything. Like, practically nothing! My nightmare is coming to life right before my eyes. And I'm hardly even upset about it! Like, what the hell? On the other hand, even the thought of losing you—" his voice cracks and he trails off.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Shark Boy," you assure him, playing with a lock of his hot pink hair.

"But what if everything goes as wrong as humanly possible? What then, [Y/N]?"

"Then... we'll go back to being the coolest friends ever."

"You won't avoid me? Cause like... humans betray each other, y'know? I know I'm pretty cowardly... even Ibuki's music freaks me out. But trust is the scariest shit ever."

"It's a leap of faith, I know."

"I want to be with you. You make me so genuinely happy to be alive. When I'm with you, nobody else's opinion matters, and nobody else has made me feel that way. I just can't stand the thought of either of us hurting each other."

"We will," you bite your lip. "Every couple winds up hurting each other eventually. That's the case even with platonic relationships. Here's a promise, though. I'll keep coming around. If you hurt me, I'll tell you and we can move past it. I think I've had feelings for you for a really long time... And I'm willing to put my emotions on the line. Now this is your choice. I'll respect it either way. And we'll still be close, okay?"

The two of you sit in silence for a while. Your eyelids even start to close, and you get close to nodding off. But eventually, he pulls out a small box.

"I have a present for you, as thanks for the outfit. Here." He slips a necklace around you. You look at it. It's a bronze clockwork heart. There's a tiny little crank in the corner of it. He turns it, and all the gears turn, making a nearly imperceptible clanking sound. You get a fluttery feeling in your soul.

"I really like you, [Y/N.] Like, I really, really like you!" he grins, starting to chuckle a little, "and I think we have to give this a try. You wanna... y'know, date?"

"Yes. I would love that, Kazuichi Souda."

The two of you sit together for a while, blissful and at peace. And then he shivers.

"It's kinda cold out, huh? Wanna go back inside?"

"Oh, you'd love to go in, wouldn't you? And mess with your equipment? Or maybe watch something interesting?

"Jesus Fucking Christ, [Y/N]! Every single time! But yes, I'll let you pick a movie, okay?"

"Hey, you know what you signed yourself up for!" you laugh weightlessly.

"I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way," he beams. He grasps your chin and guides you toward him. You close your eyes, and your lips meet his. Slowly, your hand makes its way to his head... and you snatch his beanie, breaking away and taking off toward the dorms.

"Hey! Stooooooooopppppp!" he cries, running toward you with wild hair and an incredulous grin. And in that instant, you're sure. This is the start of something fantastic