"Ahh shit… Just perfect," I muttered, my stomach dropping as the world seemed to slow around me.

  "Annnnnddddd tthhhheee winnnnerrrr isssss..."

  Every second stretched longer than it should have.

  "And the winner is Yuki!!!" the teacher shouted.

  Voices bled together from the crowd.

  "OMG, Shirori got beat!"

  "How did the aspiring actress lose to someone who's just pretty?"

  The crowd's buzz echoed through the room, clapping coming in waves.

  "Y-y-yuki won?!" The others and I exclaimed in unison.

  My eyes darted everywhere backstage, but there was no sign of Yuki.

  "She's still not here?" Nao muttered.

  "Yeah, why is she taking so long?" I replied, fear creeping into my voice.

  Then it hit me.

  If Yuki wasn't here, and Arisa wasn't either, then they were alone.

  "Crap, this is bad, they're alone, and that bastard is still out there."

  "No, no, no, I need to go, guys!" I took a step back, my chest tightening.

  "Souta."

  A voice called out to me, accompanied by a gentle tap on my shoulder.

  "Huh?"

  I turned around quickly, only to see Shirori smiling at me, pointing over my shoulder to the other side of the stage.

  "Go tell her congrats," she urged, giving me a gentle push forward.

  "Tell who but Yuki-?!" I asked, but got no response, just another nudge.

  "Where are they-"

  I stopped mid-sentence as I stepped onto the main stage.

  The teacher was there.

  And Yuki.

  "Y-y-yuki," I stammered.

  Her eyes widened slightly as they met mine, her porcelain skin flushing ever so slightly as she broke our gaze.

  "Hey…" she said, turning toward the front.

  "Where have you been?" I asked, but before she could reply, our enthusiastic teacher interrupted.

  "And so, with that, please allow a few more days as the remaining cast has been chosen as well. On the second-to-last day of your trip, please come back here to watch the full performance of Sleeping Beauty!"

  "YEAHH!!!!!" Everyone cheered.

  Except for me and Yuki.

  We can't forget the other girls; I think Shirori wanted to jump off a cliff upon hearing that Yuki won. But I'm sure she can handle the loss. I hope.

  After wrapping that up and finding out that Shinji was going to be an extra in our upcoming play, it was back to the awkward tension in the back.

  I walked into the backstage area after the whole play was announced, and at first, it was just me, Shirori, Nao, and Reina.

  Then came the girl with red hair.

  I could see she wanted to say something to me, but my focus snapped forward as everyone began to leave the room.

  "Hey, S-Souta," Yuki called out.

  And thanks to Arisa taking both Nao and Reina, the room that was once filled with people was now silent, making Yuki's voice sound even louder.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I could feel shivers roll up my spine as the words left her mouth.

  "Yuki, I-"

  I tried to speak, but her gaze caused me to stutter like a guy on his first date.

  "Listen, Souta," she said softly.

  As she took a seat on the plastic chair, she patted the one next to me.

  Oh my god, she actually hasn't hit me with a hadoken.

  Not wanting to upset her any further, I did as I was told.

  Taking a seat next to her wasn't the worst thing so far, except for how close the chairs were to each other.

  I could literally feel her body heat against my arm, as our shoulders lightly brushed against each other.

  For a moment, we sat in silence.

  I swear, though, it wasn't only for a few seconds; it felt like years, my heart pounding out of my chest as I fully expected it to burst out and splatter all over the wall.

  But of course, the awkward silence had to be broken, and it was Yuki who broke it.

  She finally lifted her gaze and stayed quiet for a moment longer.

  "I… I was angry," she finally said.

  Then, quieter:

  "I'm sorry."

  "Sorry?" I repeated in confusion.

  Her eyes refused to meet mine as her cheeks were getting redder and redder.

  Wait, wait, wait. Yuki actually said sorry!?

  Like, sure, I was expecting a 'just forget about it' kind of vibe from her. But an actual sorry?

  Hey, I'm improving in the world.

  "N-No, I'm sorry, Yuki; it was my fault, and I totally deserved that," I replied, my mind going back to the incident between us.

  "N-No!" she said, raising her voice.

  Oh god.

  "It was my fault. I realised that you were just trying your best to keep us safe and let us enjoy this trip without having to worry about this jackass stalking us."

  My eyes widened for just a second before I looked down.

  "Still, though, my intentions were there. Even now, I still haven't found the guy… I'm sorry, Yuki," I replied.

  My gaze shifted back to Yuki, and hers finally met mine.

  She kept looking everywhere before locking eyes with me again.

  Right, this is strange.

  I could see her inching closer and closer to me, and it wouldn't be noticeable if this were any other girl.

  But the fact that it was Yuki made it obvious.

  "S-Souta, I-" she started, "Just look forward for me," she said in a very cute voice, I may add.

  I hesitate for a split second, which Yuki instantly picked up.

  "Just… trust me," she said softly.

  "Umm, sure," I replied, but you best believe I was side-eyeing her as best as I could.

  And what I saw was something I would have never seen in any of my dreams.

  Yuki was leaning forward, her lips just barely parted.

  For one terrifying, stupid second, I thought she was actually going to kiss me.

  Wait, wait, wait, wait! Yuki is doing what!?

  My body vibrated, but I kept my composure.

  "Let's not mess this up, Souta," I murmured to myself.

  Her mouth came closer and closer until I could feel her breath against my chin.

  "HOLY IT'S HAPPENING! SUCK ON THAT, SHINJI AND SUBARU!!!"

  Then. The heat disappeared.

  And then.

  SLAP.

  Right across the same cheek.

  But this time it was gentle. And there was warmth to it.

  I lifted my hands to graze against my cheek, and then I felt it.

  "A bandage?"

  ...So it seemed like she had been thinking about me after all...

  "Yeah, it's the least I can do. " Just next time," she said, looking directly into my soul, "Don't lie to me… I don't like it when you take everything on by yourself."

  I froze for a moment as the situation caught up to me.

  "…Thanks, Yuki," I replied with a smile.

  It may not have been a kiss, but you know what?

  It was close enough.

  Maybe a little peck is too much of a dream…

  ***

  "Yahoo! We're back from our little outing!" Arisa shouted as the three of them stormed in.

  "Hey, Arisa, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," I replied with a smile.

  Of course, anything that's remotely close to a compliment would send this girl running a hundred miles with it. She quickly pushed Nao away before gliding in smoothly to grab my arm.

  "Ohhh~ Souta, to hear that I won't be your princess is… too painful for my heart! Please, will you run away with me?" She cried out.

  "Ummmmm..." My brain shut down as a soft sensation lingered.

  "HEY! Get off him, Arisa! This is not the time for that. We need to discuss this whole stalker thing!!" Yuki shouted as she pulled both of us away from each other.

  "Ohhh~ Yuki, getting jealous are we?" Arisa purred.

  "NO, OF COURSE NOT!"

  Bang.

  In what world does punching me in the stomach show Arisa that she's not jealous?

  After finally recovering from the random act of violence, we regrouped with Shirori, who... Well, she had recovered to an extent.

  She was still moping as she sat in the chair with us.

  "I can't believe I lost."

  "What am I going to tell my parents?"

  "They might kill me," she groaned, a dark cloud forming around her head.

  "Jeez, sis, maybe you need to go lie down," Yuki replied, noticing Shirori's dramatic state.

  "NO! I mustn't falter in such trials. I was fully prepared to lose, so now it's about how I bounce back!" she shouted, doing a complete one-eighty.

  Well, that was quick…

  "Anyway…" I started.

  "We've found out who this stalker is looking for…"

  I paused for a moment, letting the words hang in the air.

  Both Reina and Nao nodded, and Yuki's and Arisa's eyes widened in anticipation.

  "Who?!" Arisa asked, dying to know.

  "Well, this might be awkward and all," I said, scratching my head, my eyes landing on Yuki.

  "It's Yuki that he's after."

  "Huh?!" Both Yuki and Arisa cried out, a typical reaction for this situation.

  Yuki's eyes were wide as she froze on the spot.

  "Yuki.." Arisa muttered, her voice slightly shaking.

  I could tell she was caught off guard by the sudden announcement.

  "It seems you have a lover…" Arisa said lightly.

  Then her expression hardened.

  "I'd be jealous if he weren't such a creep."

  "A lover that has pictures of her getting changed and everything," I muttered.

  "Ew, gross. We need to call the police!"

  "Well, that was a quick switch."

  Yuki took in a deep breath, her fist clenched, her breathing slightly ragged.

  "Okay, so it's me that he's after. So how do we go about catching this pervert?" Yuki asked, surprisingly calm about the whole situation.

  I was expecting a dramatic, 'NANI!?' moment, you know?

  But I suppose this was the most sensible reaction.

  "Well, I do have a plan, but it's going to take some setting up..." Shirori muttered, finally snapping out of her trance.

  We turned to her as she fidgeted with her long hair, her eyes narrowing.

  "Right, this is how it's going to go down…."

  DeadEndYuto!