Midori, although always brought up to be a calm, cool, collected girl, has harboured secret... doubtsabout her relationship. More specifically, the lack of romance in her relationship.

(She blames Aina and the rest. They're always squealing about relationships and reading things from gossip magazines out loud, causing her to feel like those things are the norm and that her current relationship was, well, abnormal.)

Midori and Hayabusa acted pretty much the same as they did before they were officially a couple. They spent breaks together here and there, he walked her home from time to time, she visits his place and stays there for dinner occasionally (his father was happy when he found out they were dating), and they still texted each other every other day or so.

"When two people are together, the romantic boyfriend will call his girlfriend cute names! It'll be a pet name for each other, how sweet!" Aina exclaimed in class.

Hayabusa doesn't call her anything special. He continues calling her 'Midori Miho', and occasionally 'Midori'.

One day, during lunch, when they were in the cafeteria together, Midori asked him why does he call her that. (The other delinquents all know that they are dating and gives them 'personal space' when their beloved senpai decides to spend breaks with his girlfriend).

"When we met, you told me you were the Midori Miho of the shrine. Figured I should just call you the way you introduced yourself. Somewhere along the line it just stuck, I suppose." He looked up from his chopsticks. "What's with the sudden question?"

She sheepishly twiddled with her chopsticks. "Aina was talking about how couples call each other cute things… so I was just… thinking… hahaha…"

Hayabusa scoffed, using his chopsticks to pick up some noodles. "… it's not like you even call me by my name…" he mumbled before taking a mouthful.

"What did you say, senpai?" she asked, looking up from her food obliviously.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Eat your food before it gets cold, Midori Miho."

And thus, for the rest of the year, they would continue calling each other 'Midori Miho' and 'Hayabusa-senpai'.

"Couples will always do lovely dovely things together," Aina sighed another day, jabbing at her magazine. "Like forehead kisses, holding hands, hugs… you name it!"

Midori was sent thinking about her relationship again. Sure, they hold hands… and most of the time, it's initiated by Hayabusa-senpai, and it's always because the weather was cold and that he didn't want to feel cold.

(Excuses. But the girl didn't know that, of course. She was every bit clueless.)

She decided that she can't always sit around and wait for her boyfriend to take action. Thus, she set off to take some initiative.

Following that, she decided to put her plan in action when she saw Hayabusa in front of her during break. He was at the vending machines with two of his 'fans', his back facing her. She went up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Senpai!" she greeted.

She felt him stiffen in shock. His lackeys started whistling, faces flushed in excitement. Hayabusa turned around once she released her grip on him and frowned.

He placed a hand on her forehead and peered in her face. "Are you sick?"

Before she could say anything, he sighed. "Must have been working too hard at the shrine again."

Midori sighed internally, deciding that it was the last time she was going to try to be romantic again.

Hayabusa carried on. "After school, wait for me. I'll walk you home."

"Senpai!" his lackeys cried. "You're so caring!"

And on top of that, while walking her home, he insisted on holding her hand, lest she "faint or something", as he put it eloquently.

In a sense, her plan doesn't a total failure. As the year went on, they learnt how to be more affectionate with each other; slowly, and subtly. They found a middle ground they're both happy with, so it was all fine and dandy with them.

"The boyfriend will have to declare his love for his girlfriend," Aina said seriously to Yagi and Tanaka some day in class. "It's basic romantic protocol!"

The moment Midori heard that she felt her shoulders slump in defeat. Hayabusa-senpai didn't even tell her that he liked her – it was more of a case of him informing her that they were an item.

So during their break, when they were on the rooftop, she asked, "Senpai, do you like me?"

He choked on the juice he was drinking. "What the hell - Yeah, sure, of course not. I do not like you at all, that's why we're dating."

He sighed heavily when he saw her shoulders slump. "You idiot, of course I do. Why on earth would I be dating you if I didn't?"

She beamed at him, her eyes making half-moons as she did so. "Well then, senpai, I like you too!"

He averted his gaze from her, hiding the flush that appeared on his face when he heard her so straightforwardly declare that she liked him. "… of course you do. Anyway, what brought this on this time? Is this about that Aina girl's magazine again?"

She meekly nodded.

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you all obsessed with her, I don't even know. Not a day goes by without me hearing the Year Two boys talking about her."

She protested. "But senpai-"

He leaned over and kissed her, effectively shutting her up. She never did manage to finish saying what she wanted to.

And thus, along their following year together, Midori decided that Aina's gossip magazines were not exactly applicable to her relationship - and she was glad that is was so.

Midori came to the realization that reason why she started liking Hayabusa-senpai in the first place was because of who he is, and she decided she didn't actually care or not if he wasn't as romantic as the boyfriends Aina described to the rest of the class. Since they were good friends before they started officially dating, their dynamics were still understandably more or less the same - a sudden 180 degree change in both of them would be just scary. They just... clicked together, as cheesy and absolutely unoriginal as it sounded.

Of course, their relationship isn't perfect – Midori is not one for expressing all her vexations, and Hayabusa gets frustrated at her for bottling her feelings; Hayabusa is always quick to jump into things and rash, and she worries about his school conduct and if he will get hurt; they do have an occasional disagreement here and there simply because of school and stress and miscommunication. But she was always one for peace and rationally talking things out (being Sakamoto's classmate taught her that), he was able to show his kind intentions behind his harsh words (after Sakamoto showed him how to do that), and things always worked out eventually.

And they were fine with that.

In a blink of an eye, a year passed, and soon Hayabusa's graduating ceremony loomed ahead.

Due to the spectacular performance Sakamoto and Atsushi gave last year, the teachers decided that their class – currently known as class 2-2 – were great at handling matters relating to graduation. Hence, the teachers requested for the class to make the refreshments that are to be provided for the graduating students.

"Katagi-chan," Fujita said once they received the task. "Could you be in charge of baking dessert? We're getting everyone to contribute someway, and your cooking is one of the best in class! We're really counting on you! I'll be catering drinks, and Kana will be –"

"I'm sorry," Midori interjected, keeping her eyes firmly on her desk and avoiding Fujita's eyes. "I cannot."

"If it's about the materials or work-space you don't have to worry! The materials will be provided and you can bake in school-"

"I," Midori said levelly, still not meeting her eyes. "… refuse. I refuse to contribute to the graduating ceremony. I apologize."

"Ah-" Fujita was stunned.

"Oi!" Ken-Ken said, frowning. "Don't be selfish! There's a lot of things to do - Atsushi is single handedly going to be making the refreshment table, did you know that? - so it's only fair that everyone does something! Besides, isn't your boyfriend Hayabusa-senpai? Don't you want to give him graduating ceremony-"

"Maybe," she stood up with a bang, slamming her hands against her table. "Maybe I don't want to see Shou graduate!"

Her cheeks flushed with shame at her outburst. The class was looking at her in shock.

"If only Sakamoto-kun was here," Kana whispered, breaking the silence. "This wouldn't happen with him around."

Some of the girls started crying in memory of Sakamoto, wailing about how they wish they could go to America as well. Midori bit her lip and ran out of the class, running into the first empty classroom she saw.

Of course, as luck would have it, the class she ran into had to be a Home Economics class. She went to the back of the class, leaning against the cabinet and sighed.

She was being selfish, she knew that. Of course she wanted Hayabusa-senpai to graduate – he had it all for him. His results were good, and he was offered a scholarship to a University near his house. His father was so happy about it, and so was he, for he was interested in the courses offered there.

She too was happy for him. But a small part of him was reluctant to see him go; after all, they met in this school, and he was her senpai – and they shared so many memories together.

She sighed, ready to walk out of the class and find someplace else to be alone when she noticed a slip of paper fall from the cabinet. She picked it up, only to realize it was a past year worksheet, and that it belonged to Sakamoto.

At the top of the worksheet, written in perfect cursive were the words, "Cooking brings joy."

She felt as if she was struck by lightning. She clutched the paper in her shaking hands. Of course – cooking was done to bring happiness to those eating it. And more than anything, she wanted to see Hayabusa, her senpai, her boyfriend, to be happy while eating desserts during his graduation ceremony.

Desserts that she made.

Afterwards, she went straight back to class, bowed in apology, and accepted the task of baking desserts for the ceremony.

And just like that, the day of the graduation ceremony. The ceremony went without a hitch – no Fukase to screw things up, no delinquent to hit the non-graduating speaker, no forcing of a reluctant Year Three to graduate.

As cliche as it sounds, it went perfectly.

Midori met up with Hayabusa at the front yard just in front of the school building. All around them were people milling about taking photos, signing yearbooks, exchanging of contact details, and giving each other general farewells.

She shuffled awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.

"Why do you look like you're about to burst into tears?" Hayabusa gruffly asked.

"No, I-"

"Here," he said, thrusting a hand at her.

His hand was curled and holding onto something. She placed an outstretched palm under his hand, cocking her head to a side questioningly. Then he dropped a button into her outstretched hand. She looked at it, and then at his jacket – only to find the second button missing.

Her eyes widened. 'Is this-?'

In Japan, it was customary for a graduating male student to give the second button of his school jacket to a female he liked (or for a female kouhai to ask for the second button of a male senpai they liked), and their school was no stranger to this practice.

She heard someone yell from behind. "Yo, Katagi-san! A lot of girls were asking Hayabusa-senpai for his second button, but he rejected all of them for you-!"

(Ken-Ken and Mario dragged Atsushi away while covering his mouth, dragging him away from the two and back to their hiding spot where a few others were hiding there to spy on their beloved senpai.)

"You know what it means, right?" Hayabusa said, placing one hand in his pocket and averting his gaze from hers. "Look after it, you hear?"

"Yes… thank you, senpai!" she smiled at him, her eyes making half-moons as she did so. "I love you, Shou-kun."

He looked back at her with her smiling eyes, pink cheeks, and earnest confession, his eyes softening. He was never one for expressing his feelings with words. Instead, he gently held the side of her face in his hand, pulling her closer to him as he leaned in and kissed her.

(Those spying on them squealed.)

When they broke apart, Midori was looking at him with eyes glistening with tears.

He sighed, ruffling her hair. "Stupid. It's not like I'm never seeing you ever again. I'll still be in the same house; you'll still be in your shrine. We'll still be texting. I'll still be visiting the shrine; and my father and brothers will still be nagging at me to bring you home for dinner."

"But you won't be my senpai anymore."

He smirked, flicking her forehead. "Is that your concern, you moronic girl? Anyway, you're graduating next year too. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up becoming your senpai again after that."

She laughed. "So this is not the end, Hayabusa-senpai?"

"No." He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of the head. (They were unusually affectionate that day – he blamed it on the fact it was graduation day.) "This is only another chapter of our lives, Midori Miho."

'Life is either a great adventure, or nothing. That is what I've learnt in the one year of being Sakamoto's classmate, and in the another year of being Hayabusa Shou's girlfriend. Hello - my name is Katagi Midori. I attend Gakubun Prefectural High School, and I will be in class 3-2 next year. Right now, I am happy with my life – attending classes in the day, performing shrine maiden duties in the noon, doing work in the evening, and spending time with my senpai in between. And I will not change anything.'

The End