Chapter 409: The Girl Who Controls the Weather

Kaguya had never been this happy before.

Once, she believed that dating Shirogane was an impossible dream.

Because dating only came after a relationship was established. And she, who insisted that he be the one to confess, knew that relationship might never come.

No matter what tactics she used, Shirogane never confessed. As time passed, she began to feel anxious.

Spurred on by Hayasaka and Rinji, she decided to treat this Hoshin Festival as her last chance.

If he wouldn't confess, she would.

That was her resolve.

But just thinking about the possibility of rejection made her retreat.

Even on the final day of the festival, she was still clinging to hope, waiting for Shirogane to make the first move.

'If he confesses, it'll work. It has to.'

And then, as if answering her wish, Shirogane invited her out.

They walked together under the envious stares of fellow students.

They strolled through the Hoshin Festival, trying almost every booth and activity like a real date.

Kaguya forgot all about her objective. She was simply happy to be by his side.

By the time they finished touring the school, it was already 4 p.m.

Eventually, they returned to the student council office.

"Shinomiya."

"Yes, President?"

Kaguya smiled as she replied.

The day's happiness had washed away all her worries. She didn't even notice the serious look on Shirogane's face.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you."

"Eh?"

She covered her mouth.

'He wants to tell me something? Don't tell me… a confession!?'

She was overjoyed—so much she almost laughed aloud.

Her good manners kept her smiling gracefully.

"If there's something you want to say, go ahead. I'll listen carefully," she said with a smile.

Inside, though:

'Oh, honestly! You made me wait this long just to confess? But I'll forgive you. It's not too late yet.'

"I'm glad you're willing to listen."

Shirogane nodded, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out his backpack, and pulled out a folded paper. He handed it to her.

"Hm?"

Kaguya took the paper, puzzled.

It was an acceptance letter written in English.

Then Shirogane spoke.

"I took Stanford University's entrance exam on a whim. Didn't think I'd pass, but I did. I'll probably be heading to the U.S. after the first semester of our third year."

"Eh…"

"Shinomiya," he said seriously, "this will probably be my last year in the student council… and my last time attending the Hoshin Festival."

"…"

The smile on Kaguya's face finally faded.

After a brief silence, she smiled again—but if you looked closely, it was forced.

"Well, getting into such a prestigious university is something to be proud of. Congratulations, President… I have something to take care of. I'll be going now."

"Shinomiya—"

Before Shirogane could finish, she turned around so he wouldn't see her face and walked out of the room.

---

After seeing Kei off, Rinji let out a small breath of relief and returned to the school building.

It wasn't that being with Kei was exhausting—just that now, there were things only he could do.

"According to the president's plan, he needs to bring Shinomiya to the rooftop. At that time, no one should be up there. Even one person—or even a dog—could ruin the mood. The best strategy is to block access to the rooftop starting from the bonfire event."

Normally, since the school hadn't hosted a bonfire in years, no students would think to go to the rooftop then. But of course, there were exceptions.

For example: Fujiwara Chika, Fujiwara Chika, and… Fujiwara Chika.

She was the one unpredictable variable in Shuchiin. The only one Rinji truly had to account for.

Anyway, first step: inspect the rooftop. For zero errors, this was a must.

Step by step, he climbed the stairs, reached the top, and opened the rooftop door.

The rooftop was spacious. From there, he could see the field where students were preparing the bonfire. They were already stacking wood—it'd be done soon.

Splash.

"Hm?"

Hearing a sound at his feet, Rinji looked down and found he had stepped into a large puddle.

The water was crystal clear, reflecting fluffy white clouds in a blue sky.

"…It's a sunny day. Where did this water come from?"

Curious, Rinji crouched down to touch it.

The moment his fingers grazed the surface, something strange happened.

The puddle suddenly began to churn—and then started to gather.

The water coalesced into fish-shaped forms the size of goldfish. Just as Rinji stared in surprise, the little fish formed from the puddle suddenly began to float up toward the sky.

It looked just like fish swimming upward from the bottom of the ocean.

"…What the hell is going on?"

Caught off guard, Rinji widened his eyes and scanned his surroundings cautiously.

Then he saw a girl.

She had long black hair tied into twin tails hanging over her chest. She wore a sleeveless top and had her fingers interlaced in a prayer-like gesture with her eyes closed.

Those fish-shaped droplets were floating around her, rising into the sky.

Sunlight shone down on her face as she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw when she opened them was Rinji, standing before her with a wary expression.

"…You saw that?"

"That thing just now… was that your doing?"

Rinji frowned, studying her face. Something about her looked familiar.

"Wait, you're… Amano?"

"Eh… Ah! I remember now. You're that boy who came with Kei to McDonald's that time?"

"So it really was you… No, now's not the time for that."

Rinji quickly composed himself.

"What was that just now? Some kind of magic trick? Or something else? And who exactly are you? What's your purpose in doing this?"

"No need to be so tense."

Seeing the unfriendly look in his eyes, the girl named Amano took a couple steps back with a sheepish smile.

"I didn't mean any harm. It's just that Kei said she hoped today would be sunny."

"…Are you saying… you can control the weather?"