Chapter 23: The Confession Club – Mina's Turn Under the Stars
It all started with a joke.
"A Confession Club," Yuzu had said, twirling her pencil during lunch. "Every night, one girl gets a turn with Yuu under the stars. Just talking. Confessing."
"Confessing what?" Rika scoffed, already suspicious.
"Whatever's on her heart." Yuzu winked. "Or on her body~"
Aya almost choked on her juice.
But strangely… no one objected.
And that's how The Confession Club was born.
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Night One — Mina's Turn
The others stayed back, secretly watching from the dorm windows.
But tonight?
The rooftop belonged to Mina.
She wore a long hoodie over her pajamas, bare legs peeking out beneath the hem. She walked barefoot across the cool rooftop tiles, hair slightly messy, lips softly glossed.
Yuu waited near the edge, under the stars.
"Hope you don't mind I claimed night one," she said with a grin. "I like going first. Especially when the prize is cute."
He smiled nervously. "You're not nervous at all, huh?"
Mina sat beside him, her shoulder brushing his.
"I'm always nervous," she said, eyes on the sky. "I just flirt to cover it."
That surprised him.
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The Truth Beneath the Sparkle
"I'm not as confident as I pretend to be, you know," Mina said quietly, hugging her knees. "Everyone sees me as the tease. The funny one. The one who can handle anything."
She looked at him now. Eyes vulnerable. Serious.
"But I'm scared. Every day. That if I stop joking, no one will stay."
Yuu's heart tugged.
He'd never seen Mina this way.
She wasn't just sparkle and smirks.
She was hiding behind them.
"I laugh loud so people don't hear me cry at night," she admitted. "I dress bold so they don't see how insecure I feel inside. I flirt because… I'm scared no one will ever choose me seriously."
She turned her face to him.
"I know I'm not as intense as Rika. Not as smart as Aya. Not as sweet as Kozue. Not as mysterious as Misaki."
She paused.
"But I'm me."
---
Under the Stars
Yuu reached for her hand. She flinched—but didn't pull away.
"I like you, Mina," he said. "The real you. Not the front. Not the flirt. The you who's brave enough to admit she's scared."
Mina's eyes widened. Slowly, her walls cracked.
Then she laughed—softly, sweetly. "You're really good at this, you know."
"At what?"
"Making a girl feel seen."
A breeze passed. The stars above shimmered.
Mina shifted. Moved closer. Her head now resting gently on his shoulder.
"Do you think you could ever… choose me?" she whispered.
He didn't answer. Not because he didn't know.
But because his heart was full—and tangled.
So he held her hand tighter instead.
And Mina?
She smiled.
Because in that moment…
It was enough.
---
From the Shadows
Behind the rooftop door, four girls listened in silence.
Kozue's fingers clutched her sleeve.
Rika stared blankly at the stars.
Aya bit her lip, hard.
Misaki turned without a word.
Mina had made her move.
But it wouldn't stop here.
Tomorrow, another night.
Another confession.
And the game?
Was just getting deeper.
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