As time slowly passed, the sun gradually set, and dusk began to appear. The orange sunlight bathed the earth, creating a beautiful and warm scene. The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled upon every flower, every blade of grass, and every tree on the campus, dyeing everything with a warm orange-yellow hue.
At this moment, Yuta and Rikka were on the school's rooftop. One was pushed up by Nibutani, and the other was pulled over by Fang Wuwei. Neither of them had any ability to resist... or rather, they didn't want to resist.
The reason for arranging them here was simple, and there was only one: the Suspension Bridge Effect.
By putting them alone in a somewhat thrilling place, they wouldn't need clumsy confessions for their hearts to naturally draw closer... This was specially designed for two hesitant children!
On the school's rooftop, there was a small path for people to stand on. The railing of the path had very large gaps, making it extremely unsafe. However, according to Nibutani and Fang Wuwei's introduction, this was a date spot... bah, there was still work to be done here. They needed to hang School Festival banners in the school, so they asked them to help up there. It's just that... the banners would have to wait a bit longer.
Rikka, being a bit scared up there, was gripping the railing tightly, refusing to let go. Although a little afraid, she still lowered her head and kept looking down... for no other reason than if she didn't look down, the only thing she could see was...
Ugh, Yuta...
On the other side, Yuta, who had completely seen his inner self under Fang Wuwei's super-bursting direct punch, also didn't dare to look at Rikka at this moment. He kept looking at the sky. The orange-red sunset was so beautiful, not to mention how it shone on Rikka, making her look...
No, no!
Yuta shook his head. His gaze inexplicably shifted to Rikka again. This was involuntary; he didn't quite dare to look at Rikka right now...
And Rikka, though she said she was constantly glancing at the ground, was actually still subtly shifting her eyes a few times, peeking at Yuta. When she found Yuta looking at her, her face immediately turned red, and she looked away again.
Neither of them dared to look at the other, yet they didn't want to leave. So they prepared to sit there awkwardly, one looking at the sunset in the sky, the other looking at the orange-yellow earth below.
"Damn it... what exactly are you doing?"
Fang Wuwei couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled a miniature microphone from his pocket and spoke into it. This microphone was connected to a black-tech Bluetooth earphone on the other end, which was tucked into Yuta's ear on the side Rikka couldn't see.
In this era, Bluetooth technology was not yet widespread, and mainstream earphones were wired. Fang Wuwei suddenly pulling out such a thing almost scared Yuta half to death at the time...
Facing Yuta's excuses, Fang Wuwei's reply was—
If you don't want to feel awkward because of this, then you damn well get Rikka. That's the best reward for me.
Yuta was deeply moved, and so, the verdandi came to be...
"Rikka is a shy child. Do you really expect her to make the first move?! Yuta, you're a man, go for it!! It's better to confess directly right now than to just sit there like a dummy!"
Bastard! How could I be so impatient!!
Listening to Fang Wuwei's continuous complaints from the earphone, Yuta decided to take off the earphone and rely on himself. Looking at Rikka beside him, who looked incredibly beautiful in the sunset, he took a deep breath for a moment...
"To be honest... I'm a little happy right now..."
Yuta's opening made Rikka speechless. Happy... happy about what?
"Rikka... you've been very strange lately. I thought it was because I knew about your father and your family matters, and you wanted to draw a clear line with me, that you started to dislike me."
How could that be? How could I dislike Yuta?!
Rikka wanted to deny it loudly, but she didn't dare. Yuta was very unusual right now; she didn't dare to look at him.
"But I'm very happy. I'm very happy that it's not like that. I... I wasn't disliked by you, and I'm also very happy that I can know these things, that I can understand you and get to know you better.
I originally thought that you kept mentioning that invisible boundary line just because the name sounded cool..."
But now, I know the real reason, and I am even more willing to accept you.
These were the words Yuta didn't dare to say aloud.
This was neither pity nor sympathy; he was simply willing.
"Rikka, look... the sunset. Because we're so used to it, we haven't noticed that the sky turning so red is truly a magnificent sight..."
Just like you, I've always been by your side, yet I couldn't see your cuteness.
Rikka didn't hear it, but she could feel the emotion Yuta buried deep within his gentle words...
Her heart also began to pound, restless, yet joyful, and fearful, making her uneasy. She wanted to walk around, jump, she even wanted to shout out loud, to release her power.
"Rikka."
Hearing Yuta's call, Rikka turned her head, her face flushed crimson. She was nervously biting her lower lip, which made her look even more alluring. Yuta, realizing his feelings, swallowed hard.
Although he wasn't ready yet, he couldn't hesitate any longer!
"Rikka... I..."
In such a setting, even Yuta was very nervous. Looking at Rikka's increasingly joyful and shy eyes and face, he stammered, trying to utter those four words.
Yes! Yes! Just like that!!
Below, due to the black-tech Bluetooth earphone, even Nibutani heard their conversation clearly. She and Fang Wuwei were both excitedly staring at the two children. Goodness, they hadn't known before, but that kid Yuta had this trick up his sleeve! Yes, just like that! Confess! Go for it!!!
But when Rikka heard such words, she probably already knew what Yuta was going to say next. Her heart was twisting, and she suddenly felt a bit afraid to hear those words...
She wasn't mentally prepared yet.
"Wait... wait a minute... I... Yuta..."
Interrupting Yuta's spell, Rikka caressed her small heart, breathing heavily. Feeling a tightness in her chest, she decided to get up and walk around. Yuta didn't stop her; he also needed to calm down and mentally prepare himself.
However, Rikka's walk was problematic. She stood up but started to walk onto the outer tiles, holding onto the railing with one hand, slowly taking steps, which gave Fang Wuwei an ominous premonition...
The next moment... Rikka slipped, and her hand was immediately pulled away from the railing by her body. Rikka, having lost her grip, slid down the roof...
This startled Yuta greatly. He immediately grabbed the railing and leaned out halfway, trying to pull Rikka back.
But it was no use. Rikka was sliding too fast. Just as Yuta leaned out, Rikka was already hanging halfway in the air. The tiles were simply too slippery.
Yuta was no longer in the mood to confess. He reached out to grab Rikka, but Rikka was gripping the tiles with both hands. Not to mention grabbing Yuta's outstretched hand, just holding onto the tiles made her fingers ache, and she couldn't free her hands at all.
Seeing Rikka hanging halfway in the air, Nibutani below also grew anxious, but she quickly realized that if she went down to the next floor, she could catch Rikka.
She shouted the news to Yuta, telling him to go to the third floor and hug Rikka from the balcony, then immediately rushed into the teaching building, fearing Yuta wouldn't make it in time.
Meanwhile, Fang Wuwei, as Rikka slipped, instantly erupted with a burst of crimson energy around him. He almost summoned Susanoo, but it was only for a split second. Everyone's attention was focused above, and no one noticed him. Even if they did, under the twilight, the crimson color wasn't noticeable at all. As for safety... at that distance, he was absolutely confident he could get there in the instant Rikka actually fell to ensure her safety and well-being.
He had overreacted, so Fang Wuwei waited quietly downstairs, just to be a backup.