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You’re not sure how anything like this could happen. At least to you of all people.
This whole situation started a couple days ago. Listening to the familiar voice of everyone’s ‘favorite neighbor’ in Morioh on the radio, Kai Harada, you had heard him doing a segment he had added back in December; he answered people’s letters and messages for advice on just about anything. It was a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day so he was doing mostly love letters and confessions from listeners, and you had actually sent a letter in yourself. Anonymously, of course, under a name you thought of on the spot. It was mostly at the suggestion of Yukako and Aya, who you had met through your friends in town.
“Why not give it a try?” The longer haired young woman had asked you. “It might help with this 'issue’ you have going on.”
“It wouldn’t hurt, and if things went sour, you could just forget about it all; We just want the best for you _____-san,” the older woman added, a comforting hand on your shoulder.
What were they talking about? Oh, nothing much… just your ridiculously huge crush on the town’s golden boy is all.
You had met the so-called 'Morioh Gang’ when you had come to the town with your family and you ended up at the local high school. You had actually met Koichi first since you had classes with him, but soon enough met Yukako and, oddly enough, you two got along. Well, after you assured her for the 100th time you weren’t interested in the grey-haired boy. Soon enough, you had met the others in their group. A rough-looking but funny and friendly young man who cared for others more than himself who you came to know as Okuyasu Nijimura, a manga artist who only seemed to show little if any friendliness towards Koichi, Rohan Kishibe (who seemed personally offended you had no idea what Pink Dark Boy was and shoved the first volume in your hands the next time you saw him), and the talk of many students who’s name was whispered on their lips, especially from the females of the school: Josuke Higashikata.
Was it his big heart? That beautiful smile with a voice to match? That retro-chic hair he prides himself in? The fact he seemed to tower over you by what seemed like at least half a foot? Or maybe it was that pair of beautiful baby blues he looked at you with as he listened so intently to whatever you had decided to talk about? You’re not sure what it was that drew you to the popular boy, but when it happened, it happened hard. Everyone, most of them at least, were such nice people, and Josuke was no exception. As the school years went by, you grew close to a lot of them and before you knew it, you were a part of them too.
Unfortunately for you, your heart figured befriending the pompadoured Prince fan just wasn’t enough and before you knew it, you were in full on schoolgirl-crush mode. Even after graduating, the feelings didn’t cease. It didn’t help that everyone ended up at the same university either.
So now here you were, cheered on by Yukako and the woman she had introduced you too later on, waiting to see if Mr. Harada would read your on-air confession. Admittedly though, you had a feeling it might, especially considering the special guest he had called on for the corner to help with love issues.
“Thank you for joining us tonight, Miss Tsuji; You’ve been great help in answering some of our lovesick viewers,” the host thanked the woman, who gave a hum in reply.
“Of course, Harada-san; anything to help people’s dreams come true. I am the godmother of Morioh, after all~” she responded, a sigh leaving her lips after. “What’s more beautiful than finding someone who makes you feel so happy and carefree? That’s the main reason why I created my salon in the first place: to help others make their dreams come true; Finding that special someone is something I think everyone strives for and I simply wish to help them do so.”
“Well said, Tsuji-san. Now, this next letter you had said caught your eye out of our pile here. Why is that?”
“Ah, I’m not so sure myself. I suppose it called out for me.” You could hear that coy tone in her voice; you don’t know how many times you had heard that tone in person, it generally meant she knew exactly what she was doing, which could only mean one thing… The sound of an envelope being opened could be heard, Kai clearing his throat.
“ ’Harada-san, I hope that you can help my feelings call out to the person they’re meant for. There’s a guy I’ve known for a few years now and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. He’s kind and sensitive and the most loyal and reliable person you could meet. I don’t want to say names but let’s just call him 'my prince charming’ for now. Over time, however, these feelings have changed and I’m…I’m so scared. I’ve talked to my friends about this and they encourage me, which I appreciate, but I’ve never been in a relationship before. I cherish the friendship I have with my prince like it was a treasure, and I’m terrified that I’ll change what we have. At the same time though, my friends are right and I need to do something or I’ll regret everything and hate myself for not even trying’.”
“Such strong wording, they must have been struggling with this for a long time,” the woman commented, Harada being the one to make a noise of agreement this time.
“ 'That’s why I’ve written in’,” he continued to read. “Ah, they have their confession here… ’I haven’t known you as long as I’m sure other people in this town have, but you make me so happy. You shine like a sun in my life and you’ve made every day I can see you and your dazzling smile or beautiful blue eyes one I hold dear. I know there are others after your heart, but I can’t help myself. If I don’t say it now, I may never say a thing, so here are my affections over the airwaves . With Love, Stargazer’.They also have a request attached but we’ll leave that a surprise. Ah…such heavy emotion.”
“What a peculiar psuedonym,” Aya pondered. “Would you like my personal advice or would you like to give them a word, Harada-san?”
“Please, after you.”
“Thank you. Now to this star-crossed lover, no matter who you are, I only have this. I know affairs of the heart can be frightening, especially if you’ve never experienced it at quite this level, but it’s something that must be done lest you live with regrets the rest of your life. Whether you say it yourself or ask for a friend’s assistance, if you truly want to see if your prince will ride with you into that happily ever after, you need to take that next step.” There was a pause as she collected her thoughts. “Cinderella made it to the ball and kept hope in her heart that her own prince would come for her, even when the clock struck twelve and her gowns turned back to rags; although she had the help of her fairy godmother, she took those steps up in her glass slippers herself when she was given the opportunity to go to the ball. I can only imagine how much courage it took for you to declare your love for this prince for all of Morioh to hear and for that I’m proud of you. Consider our reading your glass slippers and golden carriage; Much like the fairy godmother comes to Cinderella in her time of need, I hope that we’re able to make some magic for you by reading your message and playing your song.”
“Beautifully said, Tsuji-san. And now, the request.”
You swore your heart was in your throat, or at least part of it was. You wanted to thank Aya and curse her out at the same time. She knew exactly what she was doing and it made you so anxious. Hopefully the name you picked gave enough away without being too conspicuous. You liked seeing the night sky and all so why not go with something like that? Simple enough, right? It felt like your heart was gonna burst out of your chest as the song of your choosing played. You could only hope your feelings got across loud and clear.
The radio show continued to go through other letters after, some people in similar situations (though braver by using their name and the name of the person they liked), some who went through breakups, even some who wanted to share their stories related to Valentine’s Day, White Day, and Christmas in an attempt to support others in their missions for love. Or possibly deter them/help them save face with some of the stories told.
It was near the end of the corner after Aya had said her goodbyes to Harada before the host had one last thing to read.
“In a peculiar turn of events, we had a last minute e-mail marked with urgency for the corner. I’ll end our little program with this. ’Harada-san, a letter you had read earlier caught my interest and, surprisingly, I think it might’ve been for me, or at least I hope so. No one’s ever done anything like this for me and I have to say I’m flattered. Stargazer, I think I might know who you are, or at least a good idea of who you could be. If it’s not too much, I’d like to meet you; we could go to the cafe in town! I’d ask you to meet me on Valentine’s but I’m pretty sure the place’ll be packed by then, so let’s make it tomorrow around noon.’ Whatever happens, one of you please keep me in the loop; the build up is tearing me apart! Could this be a love story in the making? Only time will tell. For Kai’s Corner, this has been your neighbor, Kai Harada. Now back to your favorite tunes…”
It was a good thing you were sitting on your bed because you probably would’ve lost your footing hearing that.
At this point, you were second guessing yourself.
Dressed in you casual nicest, you sat nervously at Deux Magots. It was a usual spot for you and the others to go aside from Tonio’s place, specializing in various coffee and tea drinks along with desserts. You just hoped that if things went awry, you wouldn’t be too embarassed in public. You didn’t dress up too much, a nice outfit but not overly done, and you had ordered a glass of a fruit-flavored tea to help soothe your nerves. The place seemed more packed than usual and a part of you wondered if it was because of the Kai’s Corner from last night, people coming to see if this story had a happy ending or, if this Stargazer person would be heartbroken. Good thing no one knows that person was you.
As you were sitting, a friendly voice called out to you. You turned to see who it was and oh god are you blushing? You’re pretty sure you’re blushing. This would be so much harder without everyone else here.
“What’s up, Jojo?” you responded with a wave, a hitch in your throat as he approached. “I figured you’d be sleeping in since it’s the weekend, or did your mom kick your ass out of bed?” A laugh left the other as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Y'know, just…felt like takin’ a walk here, that’s all!” There it was, that sweet voice you had grown accustomed to. Something about him seemed different, though you couldn’t put your finger on it. “Y'mind if I sit with ya? Unless you wanna be alone or somethin’-!”
“No, it’s fine, go ahead!” you assured him with a smile, watching as he took the seat in front of you. “So, what brings you here? I thought you and Oku were gonna work on that final boss in that game you guys were stuck on last week.”
“We still are! I just didn’t wanna wake him up. When I called him earlier, he picked up for about 4 minutes and then I heard the other end go quiet. Th’ next thing I know I get this loud snore in my ear,” he laughed at the recent memory. “I guess it’ll just be later, y'know?”
You couldn’t help laughing yourself. Seems legit considering how those two could be. Anyone help the person who was in the same room with a snoring Okuyasu and Josuke like you were when you all stayed over at Yukako’s place that one time to study. It was like being right next to two lumberjacks sawing at a tree.
“Yeah, it’s probably better to let the poor guy sleep; he’s been working pretty hard,” you commented before looking around. “The cafe’s pretty packed today, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty busy most’ve the time anyway but it looks super busy today” he commented, glancing around himself with a grin. “It’s not too long before Valentine’s 'n all so that might be why. So, got a date or somethin’ for then~?"
You rolled your eyes playfully at his teasing tone and the smirk that followed.
"Don’t talk to me about dates, Mr. Popular,” you poked back. “I’m sure you’re gonna be pretty damn busy the 14th. Just don’t take too many chocolates or you’ll have a lot of treats to pass out when White Day rolls around!”
“Not really,” he sighed through his nose before glancing over at his hand on the table. “I still got admirers n’ all but it’s nothin’ like high school. I’m actually kinda glad about that; bein’ the popular guy in school can take a lot out of ya…”
“Oh? I figured with all the new people that come into Uni every semester, you’d be swamped. I’m glad about it too though, you looked so tired some days and I know a giant group of people surrounding you probably didn’t help, cheery personality or not.”
“…Y-Yeah,” he muttered, going oddly silent. And did he just stutter a little? The atmosphere became different and the white noise of patrons talking around you and clanking cups and plates filled the air. You were both quiet for a few minutes until Josuke spoke up once more. “Hey ____-san, you still listen to Morioh-Cho Radio, right?”
“Of course, who doesn’t? It’s nearly everyone’s favorite station. Why do you ask?”
“I was just thinkin’ about that advice corner from last night. Y'know, the one that Aya-san went on about the Cinderella story after? I wonder how that’ll turn out. Must’ve took 'em a lot of guts to send in that letter…”
“Oh, the Stargazer one? Yeah, they must really be in a pickle,” you commented. “I mean, to be in love with someone who’s such an amazing friend to you must be scary. I would imagine they sent the letter in because they were too afraid to admit their feelings to the person’s face.” You looked down into your cup of tea, the reflection of the lunchtime sky moving gently on the surface as you thought through your words. “I know there’s been some stories of people confessing and they were still friends after but-”
“-they were still afraid they wouldn’t be friends anymore after,” he finished. You looked up at him, your mind racing at how hard he had just hit the metaphorical nail on the head. The air felt thicker around you, a true sense of nervousness sitting in. Since he was here now, you might as well bite the bullet and hope for the best.
“Hey, uh, Josuke, there’s something I need to tell you, and-”
“I like you.” His words pierced the air before you could even think about confessing.
Wait. W a i t.
W H A T!?
You could only watch as his larger hand engulfed yours on the table, his gaze down at the table in front of you. You could see him bite his lip in thought, as if collecting the words he wanted to say in his head; it’s something you had noticed about him when he was thinking about things. This was like something you could only dream of, but it was actually happening. The taste of the tea on your tongue was sweet, the light of the sun was warm against the chilly air, and the feeling of your hand in his was oh-so real and soft. You could only see his mouth considering how proudly his hair stuck out from his head as it was ducked down. As much as you wanted to see his face, his words were the most important thing in this moment.
“______, I-” he paused, not quite sure of the exact words to say. “I know we’ve known each other for a while now and- Shit, that’s not it…” He let out a harsh sigh from his lips, as if releasing a held breath, before looking up towards you, eyes intense and focused as his cheeks bloomed into a light shade of pink. “I like ya. A lot. I have for a long time and I’ve honestly been too afraid t'say anything 'cause you’re such a great friend and I don’t wanna be that poor sap that got a crush on their friend just t'get their heart broken and have their friendship be all weird after. When I heard that letter last night, the way that person wrote it reminded me of you and…and…” Josuke’s focused gaze softened, glancing down at your conjoined hands for a moment before looking back up at you, those pretty blue eyes staring through your soul as much as ever. “…and I was hopin’ that it was you, since you like stars n’ all that stuff…and you were talkin’ about me…”
You had never seen this boy so nervous before. Well, the only time that could come close is when that fountain turtle crawled up on his leg without him knowing until he looked down and he didn’t want to jump up and accidentally hurt the little thing. But other than that, this was the most unsure yet most sincere you had seen him, and that was saying a lot considering he was the most sincere person you knew.
“Josuke, I-” you could feel your heart in your throat. His face looked like how you felt, scared, eyes telling you he was so sure you would tell him you didn’t feel the same. “It…was me,” you finally managed to get out, the lights in his eyes coming back as your other hand came up to cover his. “You’re the best friend I could ask for and I love every moment I get to spend with you; even if I had an awful day, you always managed to make it feel better. I’ve felt like this for a long time, but I didn’t say anything 'cause you’re always surrounded by others who love you and you’re so popular. I was so sure you deserved better than me-”
“Are you kidding, babe?!” He exclaimed, clearly shocked at your words, and possibly how easily that term of endearment slipped past his lips. “You’re the best damn thing to happen to me! I don’t want better 'cause I got the best. I’ve got you.”
Oh geez, you knew Josuke was a love kind of guy but you didn’t know just how much love this one man had in his body. If you weren’t blushing before, you definitely were now, and it showed through how pleased he looked at your reaction.
“So, you think you wanna give this a chance? U-Unless ya need some time to think or somethin’, I’m sure this is a lot for ya to take in!” The most popular guy in all of Morioh was a blushing mess in front of you, and all because of you. Admittedly, it made you feel a little proud.
“I wouldn’t have sent that letter in if I wasn’t sure and ready, you dummy,” you replied, a relieved smile coming to your face. “I’ve wanted this for years.” You could see him release any tension he had building up immediately, a happy expression now on his face.
“God, you don’t know how happy y'just made me. I promise I won’t make ya regret it!” You swore his eyes were literally sparkling. It’s so adorable you think you might die.
The rest of your time at the cafe was mostly talking and having some sweets while you were there, which Josuke insisted you guys share and that he feed you a bite or two. Needless to say he got a head start on that promise of his in the best way possible.
"…and that’s all for updates in Morioh. Before we end this edition of Kai’s Corner and wrap up our weeks of love specials leadng up to Valentine’s Day, we have an e-mail here that I’m sure some of you will be glad to hear. 'Harada-san, this is Stargazer from the other week. I should thank you and Aya-san from the salon as I have some good news. The last letter of that same night was indeed the young man I had my eyes on and, in a twist of fate, he had the same problem as I had. Neither of us wanted to mess up the friendship we had, but as it turns out, that friendship was the very thing that helped bring us together. I can happily say now that we’re currently dating and, although it’s only been a little bit, we’re very happy.’ Ah, what a nice conclusion to that story. We here at Morioh-Cho Radio congratulate you both on your newfound relationship, and may you stay together for years to come. This has been your neighbor, Kai Harada; now back to our regular music broadcast…”.