"By making a choice means that you must've also given up on something."

Yamaken glanced at the paper laid in front of him. He had seen problems of this kind before, back in a Summer workshop. They weren't particularly difficult but neither were they easy. The best way he could describe them as was "annoying."

He scanned the question a few times before he started scribbling out his work. The only sound between him and Shizuku was the quiet scratching of his pencil. He began to sweat. 'I can't be the only one who finds this awkward…'

The blonde was making dedicated efforts not to look up. He knew that if he did, he would be looking straight into Shizuku's serious gaze and he wasn't sure if he could handle it at this time. After sitting in an uncomfortable squatting position and then being caught of all things, Yamaken was past the point of embarrassment and had gone straight into mortification.

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Anger suddenly returned a second time but he fought to quell it. He was too exhausted from the ordeal and figured the sooner he finished the question in front of him, the better.

He erased his work hastily, realizing he had miscalculated somewhere and began again. Swiping at the sweat on his forehead, it took everything in his power not to scream in frustration. 'Just solve it!'

"Yamaken-kun, do you need to use a calculator?"

His head popped up unintentionally at the voice and he found his face mere centimeters from the infuriating girl in front of him. Her eyes were unreadable but before Yamaken had a chance to analyze her blank look he sprung back onto his palms in shock.

"H-hey!" Yamaken yelled. He wasn't sure what he meant to say. His face felt warm and all over again he felt a deep embarrassment at his predicament. 'I could have had lunch with a pretty girl today...'

Shizuku's eyes were wide in surprise at his outburst. "Are you okay?" She asked, crawling slightly forward with a hand outstretched. She hoped the gesture would be comforting but Yamaken only inched back further.

"No, I'm not okay!"

This time it was Shizuku's turn to be shocked. She sat back on her haunches and considered the boy in front of her. He was swallowing hard and looking anywhere else but at her. He rubbed at his blonde locks continuously, turning them into an unruly mess. Every ragged breath he took was filled with something she couldn't place.

All at once, Shizuku began to feel the guilt she felt on that night in the alley. She remembered clearly what Yamaken had said to her and once again she could see the pain she caused him.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Yamaken-kun…" Shizuku was unsure of what else to say, rubbing at her shoulder in hidden shame.

"If you're so sorry, why do you keep doing this! Calling me? Asking for help with math? As if what I said before had gone straight through you!" Yamaguchi Kenji scoffed, his voice harsh.

"I remember what you told me…"

"Well then-!"

"But I can't accept it," Mizutani said with a tone of finality. Yamaken found he could not respond; his mouth hung open for a moment before he shut it tight in a grimace.

"What do you mean… you can't accept it?" His anger had dissipated as quickly as it had arrived. Yamaken felt suddenly both tired and hopeful. He fought to subdue the eager side of him that felt hope at Shizuku's response knowing that it was foolish. To him, Shizuku viewed him only as…

"I can't accept it because…" It was Mizutani's turn to feel bashful. She turned her gaze back to her crumpled worksheets, unconsciously folding and unfolding the edges. Her cheeks were a bright pink as she finished her sentence, "I want to be with you, Yamaken-kun."

"Be- be with me?" Yamaken was struck silent. Still leaning back on his palms, he attempted to sit up, finding he was struggling to breathe. 'What does she possibly mean by that?'

She continued on in haste, realizing how that must have sounded, "Ah, I mean, as in…"

Yamaken finished for her, "as in friends," the blonde looked down for a moment and then grinned; a sad and accepting smile. He almost wanted to laugh at the cruelty of it, finding himself in the exact same situation as he was in the alleyway by the library. This time, however, he did not feel the need to cry.

"Oh, Mizutani-san… you are a selfish girl, aren't you?" Yamaken swiped at his hair, momentarily wondering where he left his glasses. He didn't regard the girl's reaction in front of him. He settled in this blank state of mind. Hearing her words was the final arrow needed to strike him down.

"Selfish?" Shizuku's voice rose an octave, "Yamaken-kun. If anyone is selfish, it is you."

"Wha- what?" The blonde student was broken out of his calm reverie. He sat up, looking for the first time at Shizuku across from him. Her eyes were lowered in anger. "Mizutani-"

"Listen, all I keep hearing from you is that you do not want to be friends with me. But not once have you thought about how that makes me feel!" Shizuku paused, her voice lowering, "I told you before, in the library…" She gulped at the memory, her throat felt dry.

She looked up at Yamaken who was listening in silence, his face a pale crimson.

"I meant what I said then. And I mean what I say now. I want to be able to be here with you like this, talking over books..." Mizutani began to blush, "Even if it isn't as… more than friends… is it not enough for you?"

The pair fell into a deep silence. Shizuku looked towards the ground, rubbing at her glowing cheeks. Once again, Yamaken was stunned speechless by the things Mizutani was saying to him. He never once imagined that this was how she honestly felt. Even now, as the words tumbled out from her very own mouth, he had trouble believing them as truth.

Without speaking a word, the blonde boy reached out for the forgotten pencil. Finishing the math problem quickly and without hesitation, he turned the paper back to face Mizutani. She looked up at the sound of rustling paper, looking intently at the answer before her.

Yamaken and Shizuku locked eyes for a moment and he offered an uncertain smile.

She smiled back easily, "Thank you, Yamaken-kun."

…

AN: It has been so long since I've updated and for that I am sorry! With a series like this, there's not a lot to look to especially when it doesn't update frequently. I know it's been very long and this is a very short chapter but I felt bad leaving it untouched for so long. I feel like my writing has changed in that time...(not necessarily for the good haha.)

Please enjoy and review and all that! Thank you