When Yui Yuigahama said that, Yukino Yukinoshita first glanced toward the crowd and then smiled faintly. "If you really don't want to lose to the other girls, you'll have to put in 1000% effort cheering for Kotomi. Otherwise, that cheer squad over there will outshine you just by sheer enthusiasm."
She pointed discreetly toward a group not far away.
"Huh? Since when did a cheer squad show up—and they've even got light-up signs for Kotomi?!" Yui gasped in disbelief. She hadn't noticed at all. During the performance, her entire focus had been on Kotomi, and while she'd heard all the cheers, she hadn't realized there was an actual organized cheer squad.
A quick look confirmed it—their uniforms were unmistakable.
"Wait a second… isn't that the Sobu High cheerleading club? Weren't they supposed to be working with Class 1-C at the maid café? Why are they all here?" Yui muttered in half-jealous disbelief.
"Hehe, yeah, it's a bit weird," Kotomi said with a sheepish laugh, scratching her cheek. "I'm not even a member of the club, but I guess they like me? Maybe it's because I'm just... well, good with people?"
She tried to sound casual, offering what seemed like a harmless explanation.
The real reason the entire cheerleading club came to support her, however, was not because of her so-called good personality.
The truth? Every single one of the 26 members of the cheer squad had confessed to her. Some had even written love letters; a few had gone so far as to say they wanted to "date her with marriage in mind."
Kotomi had turned them all down, of course—but that didn't make it any less terrifying to imagine Yui or Megumi finding out about it.
Especially after what happened the last time she tasted the "Yandere wrath" of a jealous girl with a metaphorical kitchen knife in hand. Just remembering that incident still gave her chills.
So, to survive, Kotomi had come up with 50 different excuses, 67 topic diversion strategies, and three contingency escape routes in case she ever faced another "knife scene."
As she was inwardly congratulating herself for thinking up such a perfect excuse, Yukino suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"More accurately," Yukino said coolly, "it's not just that you're 'good with people.' You're very popular. I heard the 26 cheerleaders all confessed to you and sent you love letters."
"Wha—?! How do you know that?!" Kotomi nearly bit her tongue.
If anyone else had said it, she might've brushed it off—but Yukino knowing? That was another story entirely. Yukino almost never gossiped. She spent breaks reading silently at her desk and rarely talked to anyone besides Yui or Kotomi. How could she have possibly found out?
Yukino seemed to read Kotomi's expression perfectly and gave a soft, knowing smile. "Just because I read during breaks doesn't mean I'm deaf. One time, when you and Megumi went to the restroom, I stayed in the classroom. A few classmates nearby started talking about how you were confessed to by all 26 cheerleaders. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop—their voices were just... hard to ignore."
Thank goodness Megumi was with me that time, Kotomi thought with a silent sigh of relief. If she'd stayed behind in the classroom, I'd probably already be dead.
It was pure luck that she had avoided another potential "knife-ending" that day.
Still, she couldn't help but groan inwardly. The confessions from those 26 cheerleaders had all happened in private, when no one else was around, so she hadn't expected the rumors to spread. But apparently, word traveled fast—and exaggerated even faster.
Now she understood why her reputation had somehow evolved from "two-timing" to "hundred-timing."
The number must've multiplied in the retelling—26 confessions turned into 260.
The thought alone made Kotomi bristle with irritation.
"Ugh! If you're going to spread rumors, at least get the number right! It's not 260 beautiful girls—it's only 26!"
If there really were 260 beautiful girls confessing to her, Kotomi Izumi thought wryly, then even if she had to dodge kitchen knives every day, she might still find it worth the trouble.
That said, when Yui Yuigahama learned about the 26 cheerleaders' confessions, it was as if someone had knocked over a jar of vinegar inside her heart—the silly bun instantly transformed into the jealous bun.
Kotomi, being fairly perceptive when it came to reading girls' expressions, immediately caught on. Just one glance was enough for her to see that Yui was jealous.
Her lips curved into a teasing smile. Reaching out, she gently pinched Yui's cheek, wondering to herself—if she took a bite right now, would she really taste vinegar?
Still, Kotomi wasn't too worried about Yui's jealousy. She figured that someone as kind and thoughtful as Yui wouldn't suddenly pull out a metaphorical knife like Megumi might.
"Don't waste time," Yukino Yukinoshita interjected calmly. "Even though we got an extension, if you don't hurry, it'll slip away before you know it."
Kotomi and Yui both snapped back to reality. Kotomi quickly released Yui's cheek, while Yui's face flushed pink with embarrassment.
Clearing her throat, Kotomi said, "Let's take a bow first. Then you two can head backstage to wait for me—or find seats in the audience, if there are any left."
"We'll wait backstage," Yukino replied evenly.
Kotomi couldn't help but miss that rare smile she had shown earlier and was already thinking about how to make her smile more often in the future.
"Kotomi, good luck!" Yui said earnestly, clenching her tiny fists and puffing up her cheeks in determination.
The three girls faced the audience together and bowed deeply. After that, Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita stepped down from the stage, heading backstage to wait for Kotomi.
A quick glance from the stage confirmed what they suspected—the auditorium was packed, not a single seat empty.
"Eh? Why is Kotomi still standing on stage? Isn't the performance over already?" Megumi Kato was the first to notice something unusual. After the bow, Yukino and Yui had exited, but Kotomi remained.
"As the lead performer of the finale, she probably wants to say a few words before closing things out," Shizuka Hiratsuka said with a knowing smile. She hadn't stopped smiling once throughout the entire musical ensemble.
Behind that smile, however, lingered a faint sadness.
The reason Kotomi Izumi agreed to participate in the cultural festival at all was because Shizuka Hiratsuka had personally asked her to.
The standards for stage performances at Sobu High's cultural festival weren't particularly high. Anyone could participate as long as they signed up, and doing so even granted a small bonus to their class grade. As for the performance itself, even if a student went up on stage and told a completely unfunny joke, it wouldn't matter—they wouldn't lose points for it.
If the performance went well, they'd earn a little more credit and maybe even a small prize.
Given Kotomi Izumi's grades, she didn't need to care about such trivial grade boosts. Even if she went on stage and half-heartedly sang a song or cracked a joke, it would've been fine.
But Shizuka Hiratsuka never expected that Kotomi, along with Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama, wouldn't just take it seriously—they'd devote themselves to it completely. Every day, they practiced with relentless focus, and today, they had delivered a musical ensemble that left the entire school stunned.
What surprised Shizuka most was that both songs had been written and composed by Kotomi herself.
When she realized that, Shizuka found her heart shaken. Because both songs revolved around the theme of love.
A wry smile touched her lips.
So Kotomi really does have someone she likes...
She wanted to bless her—to sincerely wish her happiness with that special person. But instead, what welled up inside her was a sharp, bittersweet ache, something she couldn't quite name.
If Kotomi truly had fallen in love, then Shizuka knew she couldn't offer her wholehearted blessings.
Because deep down, she wanted herself to be the one who could make Kotomi happy.
Realizing how twisted that thought was, Shizuka mocked herself bitterly.
"Shizuka Hiratsuka, have you lost your mind? Even if Kotomi agreed to pretend to be your girlfriend just to meet your parents, it's only temporary. Once that's over, all you have to do is find the right time to tell them, 'We broke up.' That's it. End of story."
"Don't forget your promise to that little white-haired angel from all those years ago. You accepted her proposal—you even kept the token she gave you. Even if that little angel has forgotten all about it with age, you can't let it go until you've found her and confirmed it yourself."
"You think you can be the one to make Kotomi happy? Don't make me laugh. You're just projecting your memories. You saw Kotomi's white hair and soft eyes and started confusing her with that angel. But look at her closely—her personality, her presence—they're completely different. How could they possibly be the same person?"
"You're selfish, Shizuka. The reason you're jealous right now isn't because you love her—it's because you can't stand the thought of Kotomi belonging to someone else before you find your white-haired angel."
"Ask yourself this—if one day you really did find that angel, and Kotomi had remained single all this time because of you... who would you choose? The Kotomi you've known for years, or that nameless little girl from your past?"
"Pathetic. This selfish jealousy of yours is disgusting."
After verbally berating herself in her thoughts, Shizuka let out a long, weary sigh. The bitterness in her heart didn't fade, but she did feel a small measure of relief.
At least now, in the midst of her self-scolding, she had finally forced herself to confront the questions she'd been avoiding.
What exactly was her feeling for Kotomi?
And if she ever truly found that white-haired angel from her memories—what would she do? Who would she choose?
She had faced the questions at last, but no answers came.
After a long silence, her thoughts dissolved into a soft sigh and a quiet murmur.
"If only Kotomi really were that white-haired angel I met at the summer fireworks festival..."
As those wistful words left her lips, a soft crackle echoed from the stage—the sound of a microphone being adjusted.
Shizuka instinctively looked up.
Under the bright stage lights, Kotomi Izumi stood radiant—so dazzling that Shizuka found it hard to breathe.
Her short, snow-white hair and gentle features shimmered softly beneath the light. Shizuka Hiratsuka thought that if she could only get closer to Kotomi Izumi—even if it meant burning up like a moth to a flame—it would still be worth it.
Kotomi adjusted the microphone stand to the right height. Normally, she preferred holding the mic when she sang, but this time, she'd be playing the guitar as well. She didn't exactly have a third hand.
Human beings have limits, after all.
"Thank you all for the applause and cheers you gave us just now," Kotomi began with a smile. "Your support made every bit of effort we put into rehearsing worth it!"
Her words weren't rehearsed, nor did she have a script. She was speaking naturally, buying herself a moment to adjust her breathing and mindset—the next song had a much higher vocal range, after all.
Why had she chosen such a challenging piece to serve as a farewell gift for Shizuka Hiratsuka before her departure from Sobu High?
Well, who said that a farewell song had to be slow and melancholic?
That kind of thinking lacked spirit.
It wasn't as if they were parting forever. Flying from Japan to the UK only took a dozen hours or so. If Kotomi ever wanted to, she could hop on a plane and visit the Royal Academy of Arts anytime.
And while she was there, she could admire the Academy itself—a place she didn't intend to apply to, but one she'd always wanted to see.
"Originally, I only prepared two songs—the ones we just performed for the ensemble. But earlier today, after learning something, I wrote a third song right before coming on stage. It was... impulsive, wasn't it?"
Her lighthearted tone echoed through the auditorium, sparking a wave of murmurs and curiosity from the audience.
"She wrote a third song today? That's insane!"
"Writing a song can't be that easy, right?"
"Of course not! Even professional composers can't just whip up a complete song in a few hours!"
"I'm more curious about what kind of song it'll be. Honestly, those last two made me cry. I wish I'd recorded them—I'd put them on repeat for sure."
"If she really did write this third one in just a few hours... then all of us music students might as well quit. We'd be completely outclassed."
"I just remembered—during the sports festival, she broke the school's long-distance record. The athletes couldn't believe it either."
While the crowd buzzed with speculation, Kotomi continued, her voice soft but resolute.
"Before stepping on stage, I used the special privilege given to the finale performer—to extend my time. Because if I don't sing this song now, I might never have the chance to sing it to her again. She'll soon be leaving Japan, and this cultural festival—this is both my first and my last."
Her tone deepened with emotion.
"I know she's feeling lost and uncertain right now. Just like how I felt when I learned she was leaving—sadness and confusion I couldn't control began to rise from deep within my heart."
Those tender words made Shizuka Hiratsuka's breath catch. Her eyes widened slightly as a thought crossed her mind—Could it be...? No, impossible.
She had kept her resignation a secret. She hadn't shown a hint of melancholy in front of Kotomi. There was no way Kotomi could have known.
But as if guided by something unseen, Kotomi's gaze met hers from across the distance. In that instant, it felt as though the entire auditorium vanished—leaving only the two of them, connected in silence.
And somewhere in that silence, Shizuka's vision began to blur with tears.
After a long pause, Kotomi smiled faintly and spoke into the microphone once more.
"This third song... is my gift to her. Its name is—'Ultramarine'."
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