Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

Saturday. In Japan, it was Doyōbi the day of earth.

Although they had agreed to meet at eight, Miura had barely slept the night before. She leapt out of bed at four in the morning, her eyes wide open with anticipation.

She put on a face mask, styled her hair, picked out clothes, and then spent a painstaking amount of time on makeup. She even snapped photos of her outfit and sent them to her best friends' group chat.

Ono replied almost instantly:

[...Yumiko, isn't this outfit a bit too formal?]

Kamizawa chimed in not long after with her trademark sarcasm:

[Are you going shopping or getting married to Yukinoshita???]

Whatever! Whatever!

It was the first real date of her life. Was it really so wrong to take it seriously?

Still… she had to admit, maybe it was a little over the top.

Scratching her head, Miura changed into something a bit more casual.

Finally, after confirming in the mirror that she was dazzling and absolutely flawless, she boarded the train to the place where she and Yukinoshita had agreed to meet.

Passengers on the train and even the people who passed by her on the street couldn't help but steal a glance at her, some even stopping to strike up a conversation. Miura had long been used to attracting attention, but today she held her head especially high, strutting like a proud swan on its way to battle.

Today, she was determined to take Yukinoshita's breath away.

And yet, when she arrived at the meeting place, the one who was stunned at first glance… was Miura herself.

The girl with black hair stood just outside the entrance of the shopping mall, calmly looking at her phone waiting, it seemed, for someone.

Her outfit was nothing fancy. A simple white long-sleeved blouse under a sleeveless beige knit vest, paired with a short gray pleated skirt that stopped just above the knee. It was your typical preppy look.

She didn't even seem to be wearing much makeup. Up close, Miura could see the flawless, poreless smoothness of her fair skin.

She was simply standing there. Yet there was light.

It was as if a soft and hazy glow surrounded her, wrapping her in a gentle halo that made her stand out in the crowd, so effortlessly beautiful.

She stood amidst the bustling crowd, and yet, it felt as though she were alone in a luminous, solitary sea of stars.

Miura was reminded of the day Yukinoshita had transferred into Class 2-F. The moment their eyes met across the classroom, she had felt the same thing.

Even though she knew all about this girl's past… she still couldn't help falling for her all over again.

"Miura?"

The girl standing in that luminous, isolated sea of stars looked up, a flicker of confusion in her voice as she greeted Miura and started walking toward her.

In that instant, Miura had the illusion that the world around her transformed into a deep, flowing ocean and that beam of light had pierced her shadowy depths to enter her world.

"What are you staring off into?"

Yukinoshita waved a hand in front of Miura's face, then looked a little awkwardly down at her outfit.

"Is it weird, what I'm wearing?"

She was used to wearing a school uniform at school, and loungewear at home. Outfits for going out casual wear were something she had very little experience with.

After all, she had never really had friends to go shopping with since she was a child.

"Not weird at all! You're stunning. Seriously, you look amazing!"

Miura gave her a big thumbs-up, full of sincerity.

The clothes might have been ordinary, but the way Yukinoshita wore them instantly elevated the look. She exuded an effortless elegance, like someone who'd just stepped out of a magazine spread.

Miura even found herself thinking, with a confidence that surpassed her own:

If Yukinoshita ever became a model for some clothing brand, that store would sell out in minutes.

"Are we going to the aquarium first?" she asked, pulling out a map she'd marked up the night before.

"Let's get some milk tea first, then head to the aquarium. After that we'll have lunch here, and we can go shopping in the afternoon. How does that sound?"

Yukinoshita leaned in to examine the map and schedule she'd laid out.

"You really went all out with this plan."

As she leaned in closer, a faint, clean scent wrapped around Miura, making her freeze up, limbs stiff as a board.

"Haha… well, I am a meticulous and dependable person, after all…"

"You sure didn't seem like one before."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Yukinoshita!"

"Mmhmm~"

With milk teas in hand, the two of them stepped into the city's aquarium.

Miura had never really understood why aquariums were considered the ideal date spot for girls who were into each other.

But as she and Yukinoshita walked side by side through the glass tunnel beneath the sea, surrounded by dim shifting lights and the wavering reflections of water, she started to get it.

There was a certain unspoken intimacy like being safely wrapped in the gentleness of the night.

The usual nervousness and awkwardness softened, melted by the atmosphere.

Beside her, Yukinoshita suddenly looked up, letting out a quiet breath of wonder. Miura followed her gaze and saw a sleek, powerful shadow gliding above their heads.

"A shark!"

It was a fearsome creature, yet behind the safety of the glass, it was nothing but a display of strength and grace.

Miura's eyes shifted from the shark to the fish swimming swiftly past them, before settling by chance on Yukinoshita's face.

She was watching intently, her expression filled with genuine fascination. One hand gently rested on the glass as she leaned in slightly, peering into the depths.

She looked… amazed. Even a little enchanted.

Miura suddenly asked, "Yukinoshita..."

"Hm?"

"Have you really never been to an aquarium before?"

"Don't think I'm some kind of shut-in..." she muttered under her breath. "I've just… never been with friends before."

Not just aquariums libraries, shopping trips, buying milk tea together. She had never done any of it with friends.

Because Yukinoshita had never had friends.

She turned her head slightly, awkward and uncertain.

"… But now, we're friends, right?"

"Of course we are!"

Miura replied without hesitation, firm and loud.

But in her heart, she added grumpily: Friends, huh. You're still trying to pretend it's just friendship. Hmph.

I've long known you're secretly in love with me!

After they walked through the tunnel, they arrived at the wide open area where the animal shows took place. In the center was a large pool, and several pale white sea creatures leapt gracefully through the air, catching small balls tossed by their trainers.

Miura rushed over excitedly.

"Dolphins! Look, it's dolphins!"

"Wow, they're so smart and beautiful. Yukinoshita, how do they learn to do such amazing tricks?"

Yukinoshita replied dryly, "They get beaten if they don't behave."

"What?! That's horrible! That would make them so sad!"

"Dolphins don't feel sad."

"…You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Because those aren't dolphins. They're beluga whales."

Miura: "…"