Himari Tachibana couldn't stop thinking about the letters.
Every word etched itself into her memory, like little petals pressed into the pages of her heart. At night, she'd lie on her bed with her headphones on, staring at the ceiling, wondering who H was. Every classmate, every glance in the hallway now seemed suspicious. But it wasn't a scary kind of mystery—it was the kind that made her chest flutter.
On Friday morning, the classroom buzzed as usual. Everyone was busy talking about the upcoming Hanamura Spring Festival, where couples would walk under the lantern-lit trees and confess under the sakura moon.
"Are you going to the festival, Himari?" asked Ayaka, her best friend since first year. She leaned over her desk, resting her chin in her hands with a teasing grin. "I bet H will be waiting under the sakura trees with a bouquet and a love song!"
Himari blushed. "Don't be silly. I don't even know who it is."
"Exactly! That's the most romantic part! What if he confesses under the fireworks?"
"Stop it…" Himari giggled, her heart doing a little somersault at the thought.
Just then, the door slid open, and in walked Ren Sakamoto, balancing two drinks and a half-eaten melon bread in his mouth. "Morning," he mumbled.
"Ren, you're gonna choke one day," Himari sighed, taking one of the drinks from him.
"Probably," he said with a grin, plopping into the seat behind hers. "But I'd die happy with melon bread."
Ayaka leaned closer and whispered, "He's so obvious, it hurts."
Himari blinked. "What?"
"Nothing~" Ayaka sang, spinning back to her seat.
---
After school, Himari returned to the sakura hill, her heart quietly hoping. She sat beneath the same tree, the breeze whispering through the blossoms like a lullaby. Her eyes scanned the roots, her breath catching.
Another letter.
But this time… there was something different.
The envelope was still sealed with a golden sakura sticker, but the handwriting was slightly messier, like someone had written it in a rush. She opened it carefully.
> "Dear Himari,
I'm sorry for watching from afar all this time. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I couldn't find the courage. You're so bright… like spring itself.
Would you come to the Spring Festival tomorrow night? I'll be under the lantern tree at 8PM. If you come, I'll tell you everything.
Yours,
H.*"
Her heart thudded wildly. It felt like the world had suddenly gone quiet around her.
Someone was finally stepping forward.
She read the letter over and over again, eyes tracing every word. Who was it? Was it someone from her class? From school? Someone who'd been near her all along?
Behind her, unnoticed, a figure stood under the low branches of a nearby tree.
The boy with silver hair and glasses.
He had waited for days just to see her reaction to this letter. The smile that bloomed on her face was everything he had dreamed of.
He turned away quietly, notebook clutched in his hand, and whispered to himself:
> "Tomorrow… I'll finally say her name out loud."