Kiyotaka nervously paced his room, back straight and hands neatly clasped behind him, as he waited. His heartbeat wouldn't seem to settle down. He was too busy thinking about tomorrow— about how wonderful it would be, yes, but also about the number of things that could go wrong.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his anticipated visitors finally rang his intercom's doorbell. He tried to seem casual as he ran to it and allowed them inside.

"Everything went okay on your end?" Chihiro asked as soon as he was safely inside. Asahina threw herself onto the bed, while Kirigiri and Sakura stood beside it and waited. Kiyotaka nodded.

"I have the present secured. ...Hina-chan, Oogami-chan. You remember my asking you for help with presentation, yes? Any ideas?"

"We've totally got you covered," Asahina declared with confidence. "The little box we have is so cute! And we thought of a sweet way for you to hand it over, too— it should be a callback to when you handed him that note. You remember that, right?"

Kiyotaka smiled. Of course he remembered that. He sometimes forgot that so many of his friends had been watching from the sidelines. Kiyotaka had handed off the note rather casually back then, acting as if he simply needed Mondo to hold it while he looked at the flowers. Mondo was sure to bring him another bouquet tomorrow, or maybe a card, and so he could easily replicate that memory.

"That's a great idea!" Mondo, surely, would notice and appreciate such a detail. "...This is... really happening, isn't it?"

It wasn't a school day, thankfully, and so they had the entire day to celebrate and arrange their plans. Mondo had asked him to meet him in the school's western parking lot at ten. Mondo, too, had planned something. He'd been sneaking around with the boys for a while.

"And we have everything prepared on our end, do we not?" Kirigiri asked. The others— everyone besides Kiyotaka— giggled and nodded. Kiyotaka didn't bother trying to ask them what secret they'd planned. They'd done this last time and things had gone exceedingly well (with the exception of two guys and their kazoos), so he saw no point in demanding to know their plot or telling them not to interfere.

The girls (and and Chihiro) were about to leave and let Kiyotaka get some sleep, but Asahina caught him sighing nervously and elbowed Sakura.

"You two go on ahead," she whispered to Kirigiri and Chihiro. "We'll stay behind and get him hyped up, okay?"

Kirigiri nodded, not putting up a fight on that front. Asahina was more suited to pep talks than anybody else. Chihiro, too, nodded, but seemed a little hesitant. He said nothing as he left and quietly closed the door behind him and the detective.

"...What's up, Taka-kun?"

Kiyotaka jumped as he looked up. He hadn't been paying much attention and had assumed that all four of his visitors had left at once. He shrugged, the movement awkward and stiff.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Pfft— that's a lie. You suck at lying."

Asahina threw herself onto his mattress once again, and this time Kiyotaka joined her there, lying down flat on his back with his hands folded over his stomach— the way people typically laid on the sofa in their therapist's offices in movies. He didn't say anything about the discussion they'd had the last time they'd been together on his bed like this. Sakura, knowing her own weight, simply leaned against the footboard. Her massive figure cast a shadow over both of her friends, blotting out all of the overhead light.

"I am not a good liar," Kiyotaka confirmed to himself. "I guess it's supposed to be a good thing. Quite inconvenient, though."

"What are you so worried about, huh? Everything's gonna go great!"

"In theory, yes, but... I mean, aren't I giving him a great deal of responsibility along with a gift?"

"It is a responsibility, to be sure," Sakura agreed, "but one that he will be happy to have. The work is balanced out by the love, comfort, and companionship he will receive."

Kiyotaka smiled. As much as he loved Mondo, he had to admit that he was a very broken man. Psychologically speaking. That was more or less how he'd convinced the headmaster to let him have a pet in the first place. And Kiyotaka loved him, but that alone wasn't enough to magically cure his illness (which had been a difficult thing to accept— that he would sometimes need to be alone). Mondo needed all of the help that he could get.

There was a long silence as another issue, the real issue, swam to the forefront of his thoughts. He was almost afraid to admit to what he was thinking, but he knew that Asahina was relentless and wouldn't leave until he spit it out.

For a few days now, there had been a weight on his heart. One that made him wonder if he should go through with his plans at all.

"...I... am surprised that I've managed to keep this going for a full year," Kiyotaka confessed. Both girls were clearly confused by his statement. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I-I keep waiting for... for the part where I inevitably mess it all up. And I know that he has similar fears, and for very understandable reasons."

Asahina made a concerned noise and exchanged a worried glance with Sakura. She rolled onto her side to get a better look at him.

"What would make you think that you'd mess up? It's not like you haven't been working hard at your relationship, or like you don't love each other anymore. You'd never cheat on him or anything like that, would you?"

Kiyotaka unconsciously clenched a hand into a fist.

"No, but... I had never even had friends before coming here. Everyone was cruel to me, and no one wanted anything to do with me. Then I arrive at this school, and suddenly I have more than a dozen friends, and people willing to help me, and a boyfriend on top of that? It just... feels too good to be true sometimes, I guess."

He wasn't exaggerating when he used the word cruel. He'd been pushed down flights of stairs, shoved in lockers and trapped for hours, had pins put in his shoes and any manner of gross things put in his jackets— middle school, truly, had been hell on earth in many ways. He'd endure that kind of treatment, and then he'd go home and not say a word about it to his father, as the man already worked so hard and was losing his hair worrying about bills and debt collectors.

Only Mondo had ever heard about that particular trauma.

"Taka—"

"A-And that's not it!" The words stung his throat, but they were spilling out, now, and he couldn't stop if he tried. "There was a time— it seems like so long ago now, but there was a time when Mondo didn't like me at all and considered me an enemy. And nothing about me changed to make his opinion change. He just changed his mind. He could... he could always change it again, couldn't he? He could remember all of the things that he hated, all the things that are still there, and he—"

"Kiyotaka Ishimaru, that is enough!"

To Kiyotaka's surprise, it was Sakura who cut him off, her voice angry and her head lowered and her hands trembling.

"...Oogami-chan?"

"...Do you have any faith in us? Do you doubt our sincerity?"

Kiyotaka gulped and pulled himself up so that he was sitting, partially in an attempt to create some distance between himself and his giant of a friend.

"O-Of course I have faith in you!"

"Then why would you fear such a thing as abandonment? Do you not do us a disservice by questioning our loyalty to you, our friend?!"

"...It's just that you wouldn't be the first to pretend to like me." His voice was bitter as he recalled that experience. He'd been dumb enough to believe, in his last year of junior high, that a few of his classmates had wanted to be friends with him. It had turned out to be an elaborate ruse, and one orchestrated for the sole purpose of collecting more ammo to embarrass him with.

"Nonsense. We are not liars, and we have no intention of turning our backs on you. You should know this well." Kiyotaka lowered his head in shame. It was silly that he'd still fear their motives, as they'd done plenty for him without asking anything in return. "Oowada-kun, too. It has not been easy for him to expose his heart to you, and to us. That much has been abundantly clear. Why would he subject himself to such a painful process just to trick you? Or if he had no intention of being around for something long-term?"

"B-But it's not just him I'm worried about here. It's me. I can be really annoying, can't I? I'm—"

"The one he fell in love with despite all of that," Sakura finished, her tone insistent. "He chose you, and he did so when he was fully aware of every aspect of your personality, good and bad. Nothing stopped him then. Why would it stop him now?" Her harsh words hung in the air for a moment before she softened. "...Besides. He is not perfect either. Love, faith, devotion... the work is split equally between the two of you. There is nothing to fear unless you do not trust him or do not trust yourself. So which is it?"

Kiyotaka stared at his hands.

"...Me, I suppose. I trust him."

"Then you've gotta build up that confidence of yours," Asahina prodded. "Sometimes you're really good at that! But you hold yourself to such a high standard that if you mess up even a little, then..."

She didn't have to spell things out. Kiyotaka was aware of his own thought process. He chose to have faith in himself for the sake of fulfilling his grand dreams and realizing his ideals, but that didn't mean he was perfect. Far from it. His confidence wavered from time to time, and he spared little forgiveness for himself. He'd always thought that he didn't have room or time for it.

Maybe things were different now. He had been achieving the same level of success and been much happier doing it. Maybe it was time, after all, to let loose.

"...I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"Duh!"

Asahina's response might have seemed inappropriate to other people, but Kiyotaka appreciated her sincerity. He smiled for the first time in a little while.

"You're right," he finally capitulated. "I ought to settle down."

"Still, you should probably talk to him about it. He might be able to make you feel better," Asahina suggested, and that was fair. Mondo deserved to know about his boyfriend's fears, if only so that he could vanquish them.

Asahina demanded a hug before she agreed to leave, and Kiyotaka had expected that much, so he didn't protest. He'd quickly gotten used to it. He thanked both of his friends for their advice and their patience, and then they left him in his dorm. He needed to get plenty of rest.

"Oh! Fujisaki-chan! You're still here?"

Asahina nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned to find the little programmer still waiting by Kiyotaka's dorm room door. Chihiro gulped and stared at the floor tiles.

"I-I didn't mean to scare you, I... just wanted to talk to Oogami-chan. If that's okay."

Asahina exchanged a glance with her friend, then looked at Chihiro, then looked back up at her friend. She didn't need to be told that this was a conversation not meant for her ears. She smiled.

"Guess I'll leave you guys to it, then. Bye, Sakura! Later, Fujisaki-chan! I'll see you both at the party tomorrow, okay?"

"Be careful not to say the word party too loud," Chihiro reminded her, but she only giggled as she departed. Hopefully she wouldn't blab about it to too many people, lest the headmaster get involved.

"We are most fortunate that the anniversary happened to land on a Sunday," Sakura mused aloud once Asahina was out of sight. Chihiro nodded a quick agreement before wringing his hands together. "Oh, my apologies— you wished to discuss something. Speak your mind."

"See, um..." Chihiro had been planning this conversation for days now, but he had somehow avoided thinking of a proper way to phrase his question— his request, rather. "You see, Mondo has been training me for a while now. I've gotten a lot stronger thanks to him."

"That is good to hear. I often worry for your safety, considering your size and build." Sakura was never one to mince words when it came to her opinions of other people's muscle tone. Chihiro laughed nervously.

"I-It is good. I couldn't have done it without him, and I don't want to lose my progress, but, see... Mondo and I live far away from each other. My family moved out into the countryside by the mountains when I was in middle school. At the academy, we're always together because we all live in the same building, but once we graduate... Getting his help would be a major inconvenience to him, and he has things like getting into trade school and finding a job to worry about."

"And so, while you do wish to continue becoming stronger, you do not wish to trouble our friend Oowada-kun."

"Th-That's exactly it. So I was wondering if..." Chihiro found that he couldn't look Sakura in the face and ask this particular question. "...If you might be willing to help me after we graduate. I can't do it by myself, and I've accepted that, but... Even so, I want to get stronger!"

Sakura didn't answer right away. Chihiro feared that she found the request humorous, or perhaps insulting, and risked a glance upward. He found a proud smile resting on the gentle giant's face.

"That is... most admirable, and I would be honored to assist you. You are welcome to visit my family's dojo any time, and I would very much like to teach you some form of self-defense." She paused to stroke her chin. "I must warn you, though— I am not a lenient teacher. If you truly wish to succeed in my training regiment... would you, perhaps, be interested in joining Aoi and I on our morning and evening runs? It would be best to begin building your stamina up before graduation."

Chihiro gave a fierce nod.

"O-Okay, I can do that. I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Good. It is a promise, then."

Sakura extended a hand. Chihiro gave his friend a very firm handshake. Sakura sometimes didn't seem to know her own strength, so her grip was crushing, but Chihiro managed to grin through it and bear the pain anyway. They parted ways soon after.

Chihiro stood still for a moment, reflecting on what had just occurred and imagining what those morning and evening runs would be like. Sakura and Asahina were both athletes, so they were sure to be no walk in the park, but Chihiro had a feeling that he would be fine.

He smiled to himself as he began to slowly make his way to his own dorm room.

He had a good feeling— no, he was certain— that at this rate, he would be able to tell the others his secret before graduation.