"Haruki... I like you."

Ryuko's words hung in the quiet air, and with them came a sudden weightlessness not from the ride, but from her chest. She felt strangely calm, like something tightly wound inside her had finally been released.

Outside, the Ferris wheel passed its peak, slowly descending.

In this small space, the atmosphere shifted quiet, charged.

Haruki looked out at the glowing cityscape, then back at Ryuko seated across from him. Her eyes were locked on his, clear and unflinching. She wasn't joking. She meant every word.

…What just happened?

He'd only come out to watch a game how did things get here?

She'd invited him to the amusement park, suggested the Ferris wheel, and now… was this all part of her plan?

But this wasn't the time to be stunned. She was waiting for an answer.

Haruki opened his mouth, closed it again. His mind raced.

Accept?

Refuse?

"...Ryuko," he finally said, his voice low. "Why me?"

That was the question he couldn't shake.

He wasn't a celebrity. Sure, he was moderately well-known as Mizushiro, but it wasn't like he had movie-star looks. And Ryuko pretty, talented, admired on campus could easily be with someone far more... polished.

She could do better. Objectively.

Ryuko, no longer flustered, replied steadily.

"I don't know when it started, exactly," she said. "But maybe... it was after our first meeting. You gave me a second chance to audition for Meiko's role in Anohana. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten that part. Or grown as much as I have since."

She smiled slightly.

"I guess I started liking you back then. Just a little."

Haruki tried to interject. "That sounds more like gratitude, not—"

"I know the difference," she said firmly. "At first, I did try to get closer to you for practical reasons. I thought maybe if I built a connection, you'd help me land more roles. But..."

Her voice softened.

"Spending time with you, I realized you're not like other people in this industry. You don't use your position to get anything from anyone. You just... help, when you think someone deserves it. That's rare."

Haruki frowned. "Wouldn't it have been easier to go through Kazuya? He has more pull than I do when it comes to casting."

"True," Ryuko admitted. "But someone like Kazuya would never help without a price. You? You didn't even expect a thank-you."

She took a breath.

"I didn't have money. I didn't want to sell myself like some people I knew. You were the only person I felt I could approach... even if it started for the wrong reasons."

She met his gaze.

"But then, I couldn't ask anymore. Because the more I got to know you, the more I liked you. And if I asked, I was afraid... you'd think less of me."

Haruki remained silent.

Ryuko pushed on.

"I know it would've been easier to stay quiet. Let you think I'm just this cheerful, hardworking girl. But I wanted you to know who I really am. Because if I want you to like me, I want you to like the real me."

She leaned forward.

"So... Haruki. What do you think of me? Have you ever—"

She hesitated, then added more quietly, "Would you consider... being with me?"

Haruki looked at her.

His heart beat a little faster. He wasn't made of stone. She was beautiful. Kind. Talented. Her words were sincere, maybe more than anyone else's had ever been.

But…

That feeling she described the warmth, the stirring affection it hadn't fully bloomed in him. Not yet.

And if he said yes now, out of pressure or guilt, that wouldn't be fair. Not to her, not to himself.

"...I'm sorry, Ryuko," he said, voice low. "I can't."

He didn't meet her eyes right away. His chest tightened. He knew what he might be losing by saying this.

A friend.

Someone who made the long days of production feel a little less tiring.

Someone who sent him memes during late night script meetings and dropped off energy drinks without a word.

He knew this could change everything.

"...I see."

Ryuko's voice was quiet.

Her eyes didn't tear up. But her expression faltered, just slightly.

The Ferris wheel continued its descent.

The silence between them was no longer filled with possibility just the weight of what had been said.

(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)