The call came on one of those Wednesday mornings which were nothing special.

Rika Saionji was drawing the background half-done when her editor’s name popped up on her phone.

Without hesitation, she answered.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Miss Saionji."

There was some extra cheerfulness in the editor’s voice.

"I’ll go straight to the point."

Involuntarily, she straightened her posture.

"Yes?"

"The editorial meeting is over."

"..."

We’ve decided to serialize your new manga."

Silence.

Total silence.

"...Miss Saionji?"

"..."

"Are you still there?"

The smallest voice could be heard then.

"...Really?"

The editor laughed.

"Really."

"We’ll start our serializing this autumn."

"We’ll send you the contract this afternoon."

"Congratulations."

The call ended.

And Rika Saionji sat absolutely motionless on her chair.

After a while...

She suddenly jumped up.

"I GOT SERIALIZED!"

Her neighbors started knocking on the walls of the flat.

"Sorry!"

she apologized loudly and burst into a laugh.

Tears started coming down her eyes.

Publication wasn’t a great deal anymore.

That was her lifelong dream coming true.

---

The first person she needed to tell wasn’t the editor.

Neither her professor.

Nor her family.

Rika grabbed her phone.

Rika: Kuro! Emergency! Meet me at the café!

---

When Kuro arrived twenty minutes later, Rika was hopping on her chair with happiness.

"You look happy."

"I am!"

"What’s the matter?"

Instead of replying, she slid a folder on the table.

There was a signed agreement of the serialization in it.

Kuro read it carefully.

Then looked back at her.

"...You did it."

Rika quickly nodded.

"I really did it."

A smile of happiness lit up Kuro’s face.

"Congrats, Rika."

She started to cry.

"You’re smiling much more than I do."

"I told you before."

"I believed you’d get it."

She glanced at the contract.

"...Thank you."

"For reading every awful draft."

"They weren’t awful."

"Version Two was awful."

"It was."

"Thank you for recognizing it."

Both of them burst into laughter.

---

Celebrating the event, Rika made a strange suggestion.

"The summer festival takes place this weekend."

Kuro nodded.

"It does."

"...Will you come with me?"

He smiled.

"I’ll be glad to do so."

---

Saturday came under the blue sky.

And by evening, the streets were decorated with colored lanterns.

Food stands were everywhere.

Children were running after each other carrying glowing toys.

The smell of grilled food filled the hot summer air.

When Kuro arrived at the meeting point, he barely recognized Rika.

She was wearing a light blue yukata adorned with white morning glories.

Her loose hair was neatly braided with ribbons.

She looked a little bit nervous.

"...Hi."

Kuro smiled.

"You look beautiful."

Rika blinked.

Her face instantly turned bright red.

"T-Thank you."

Gently looking aside, trying to hide a smile.

---

The evening passed well.

Rika was forcing him to visit all the food stands.

Takoyaki.

Grilled squid.

Chocolate bananas.

Shaved ice.

Once she challenged him to a shooting game.

And five minutes later...

Kuro somehow managed to win the grand prize.

It was a giant stuffed fox as big as Rika herself.

She was staring at it.

"...How?"

"I was lucky."

"That’s illegal."

He laughed.

"You can have it."

Hugging the plushie happily.

"I will call him Editor."

"I feel sorry for your editor."

---

With night falling on the festival, people gradually started gathering at the riverside.

Fireworks were going to start soon.

Finding a quiet spot under a large tree away from the crowd.

They were silent for a while...

Warm wind was carrying sounds of merrymaking from the festival behind their backs.

Rika looked up at the dark sky.

"...Kuro."

"Hm?"

"I was thinking of something."

Kuro turned to her.

She was tightly hugging the stuffed fox.

"When we met at the café again..."

"I thought it was only coincidence."

She smiled.

"But every week..."

"You were reading my stories."

"You were staying with me until I understood everything."

"You were celebrating every victory with me."

Rika’s voice was becoming softer.

"You never once made me feel like my dream was impossible."

The first firework flew up.

Colors filled the sky.

Rika took a deep breath.

"I think..."

"No."

"I know."

Looking right in his eyes.

"I’ve loved you..."

"...since high school."

All the world disappeared.

There were only them under the fireworks.

"I was trying to make myself believe that it was only admiration."

"Or gratitude."

"But every time I drew a good character..."

"It turned out to be you."

"Every time something nice happened..."

"You were the first person I wanted to tell."

"And every time I was imagining my future..."

"You were somehow already there."

Nervously laughing.

"So..."

"I guess..."

"I’ve loved you for a very long time."

Silence followed.

Not awkward.

Full of feelings.

Kuro lowered his eyes for a minute and smiled.

"I was trying to understand my feelings."

Rika was silently waiting.

"I don’t think I fell in love suddenly."

He looked back at her.

"I fell in love little by little."

"When you refused to give up after your rejection."

"When you smiled after finishing another manuscript."

"When you were talking about your characters like they were real people."

"I was watching you chasing your dream."

And somewhere along the way...

"I realized I wanted to keep walking beside you."

Rika’s eyes filled with tears.

"So..."

He smiled.

"If you’ll have someone like me..."

"I’d like to be more than your first editor."

"I’d like to be your boyfriend."

Another firework exploded above.

Rika burst into laughter through happy tears.

"You idiot..."

"I’ve been waiting for you to say that."

Taking a small step forward.

Gently putting her arms around him.

"I’d love that."

Hugging back.

Neither noticed the applause of the crowd while grand finale was filling the sky with bright colors.

To everybody else...

They were just another couple watching the fireworks.

But for them...

It was a brand-new Chapter.

The one which they will never need to draw alone.

The fireworks died to a round of applause.

Smoke floated delicately through the night sky as thousands of people slowly made their way out of the festival grounds.

Children clutched their prizes in their hands proudly.

People walked arm in arm under a string of glowing lanterns.

For the very first time...

Kuro and Rika found themselves standing alone in uncertainty.

She lowered her gaze to the floor.

"...So."

"So?"

"We’re..."

She didn’t know how to continue.

Kuro smiled.

"...Dating."

Her face flushed a deep shade of red.

"Hearing you say it makes it so much more embarrassing."

"Aren’t you used to being embarrassed?"

"I choose my embarrassment."

"This embarrassment chose me."

Kuro chuckled softly.

---

They began to make their way to the train station.

Typically, Rika would be going off about some new manga she’d come up with.

But tonight...

She was rather silent.

For a couple of minutes, Kuro turned to look at her.

"Everything alright?"

She nodded quickly.

"Yes."

Silence.

"...No."

He waited.

"How so?"

"I don’t know how I should behave now."

"What do you mean?"

"We’ve known each other for years."

She twiddled with the sleeves of her yukata nervously.

"But now you’re my boyfriend."

"Isn’t there..."

She glanced at him shyly.

"...some rulebook?"

Kuro took a moment to think.

"I don’t think so."

"You mean it’s all just improv?"

"I think so."

She groaned loudly.

"That sounds terrible."

"It will be fine."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because..."

He smiled warmly.

"We’ve always been ourselves around each other."

"I don’t think that’s going to change."

Rika stared at him for a while.

Then she smiled.

"...You’re right."

"I almost forgot."

"We’re still us."

---

They made their way to a quiet bridge above the river.

In its surface floated the reflection of the festival’s lights.

She stopped moving and slowly reached for his hand.

Then quickly withdrew it.

"No."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Come on, Rika."

"You just confessed."

"This shouldn’t be that hard."

Kuro tried not to take note of her inner struggle.

Finally...

She gently intertwined her fingers with his.

It felt natural for their hands to be linked.

She gazed at the river, her cheeks tinted pink.

"...So this is how it feels."

Kuro squeezed her hand gently.

"How does it feel?"

She chuckled softly.

"Warm."

"And surprisingly normal."

"I’m glad."

"So am I."

They stood there in silence for a minute or two.

No need for declarations.

No need for dramatic music.

Just two university students beginning their relationship based on years of friendship, trust and dreams.

As they started walking once again, Rika laid her head on his shoulder.

"You know..."

"Hm?"

"My next manga..."

"I think it’s going to be a romance."

Kuro smiled knowingly.

"I wonder where you’re going to get your inspiration."

She smiled slyly.

"Oh, I already have enough."

He sighed.

"I suddenly feel like I’m going to be another of your protagonists."

She laughed with such joy that even a few festival goers smiled without knowing why.

Above them, the final sparks of the fireworks disappeared in the night.

In front of them lay a path no one of them has walked on before.

This time...

Not as classmates.

Not as friends.

But as two people that finally mustered the courage to tell each other what was quietly growing in their hearts ever since high school.

Their story moved to a new Chapter.

And both hoped...

That it would be the longest one yet.