Chapter Text
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
“The weather forecast.”
Miyuki Shirogane was in a bind.
That in of itself was nothing new. His mind racing at a million miles an hour, searching for an excuse, an escape, that was per usual as well.
Not having an excuse though– no escape, no means to plausibly deny his love—
That was new.
The plan was simple: He saw the rain, he had an umbrella, but he hid that fact in order to get Kaguya to initiate the “shared umbrella.” He saw an opportunity, and adjusted accordingly.
But who knew that this simple rainy day would leave him drowning?
(Kaguya did. Unbeknownst to Miyuki, who initiated his plan but a mere hour ago, she had confirmed the weather report, reinforced it with prayer, used an awl to pierce the tire of her family car, and checked the bike rack.)
̶T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶p̶a̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶b̶s̶e̶s̶s̶i̶v̶e̶
Shirogane was shaking from the coldness of the rain. Oh wait, no. He was still under the school building. The shaking was from the terror.
Kaguya sighed, putting a hand to her chin. Shirogane didn’t even have to look to know that she was holding back a smirk. “I guess I’ll get soaked walking home in the rain.”
She would.
If it was true that Kaguya didn’t have an umbrella, then she would walk home soaking wet. And since she had a delicate constitution, she would most likely get a cold.
If that were true.
But if it isn’t… should I call her out on her bluff? If it is one?
Shirogane looked down. No. It would be too suspicious. She’s obviously pushing me, and any form of denial would make my failed lie more obvious than it already is.
Trapped. Well and truly trapped. His eyes were on the floor, and he couldn’t move.
But there was movement from the corner of his vision. It was Kaguya, who took a step forward.
“Well, I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow, preside—”
She suddenly stopped, and Shirogane wondered why. But he was glad, nonetheless. This meant that Kaguya wouldn’t get sick from the rain.
Then he noticed something strange.
It felt like his arms were in different positions, even though he swore they were hanging listlessly at his sides milliseconds ago.
And then his brain caught up to the information his eyes were sending him.
Because his right hand was currently holding Kaguya’s wrist, preventing her from going any farther. And in his left hand…
Was his umbrella.
And suddenly, the cold of the rain no longer affected him, because his face was now on fire.
What—?
How did I—?
When did I even—?
He didn’t want to believe, but it was plain to see: Shirogane didn’t want any harm to come to Kaguya to such a degree, that he did these acts unconsciously.
Oh hey, that rhymed.
He was also trying to focus on anything but his current situation right now because his mind was on the verge of factory resetting.
“O-oh my, president,” Kaguya exclaimed condescendingly –or at least, it kinda sounded condescending, her voice was kind of shaky– “d-do you not want me to go out alone t-that much?”
Shirogane took his eyes off the ground and looked at her face. Her cheeks were tinged a bit red.
Why is she blushing? Didn’t she plan this?
Kaguya raised her free hand from her side, shakily pointing at Shirogane’s umbrella. “A-and it appears I’ve caught you in a lie as well. D-do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Shirogane didn’t. Or at least, he couldn’t think of anything to say. His mind was racing, but the track was blank. There were no words in his mind. His eyes kept flashing between the hand that was holding Kaguya, the hand that was holding his umbrella, and Kaguya’s face, and back again.
Kaguya’s beautiful face.
Her alluring crimson eyes, those perfect lips, that adorable blush—
FOCUS.
What did she ask again? He was to busy being distracted by her beautiful everything— DAMMIT.
“I… I–”
I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. How do I get out of this? How can I escape? Is escape even possible?
Why are you trying to avoid this?
Because she has to be the one to confess.
Just admit that you’ve lost already.
No! If I just think a little more, then—
Dude. Stop overthinking. In fact, just stop thinking. That’s what’s kept you from happiness for this long, anyway.
But if I let it slip, then I can never be equal—
Ah ah ah, what did I say about the thinking?
“——————————”
“Shinomiya!”
“HmMm–?!”
Since his mind was blank, he searched for the words in his heart instead.
“You can’t go out there!” Shirogane took a deep, shuddering breath, and he gulped. “I know you have a poor constitution. You have to take school days off because you get sick from the changing of the seasons!”
“Guh. Uh—”
Shirogane pressed the button on his umbrella, and it unfolded. He held it above her head. “So. Yeah. c’mon.”
It was weird. Shirogane’s heart was pounding at the speed of sound, and his face felt like a campfire. He clearly fell for Kaguya’s trap, so why were her cheeks as red as her eyes?
Kaguya looked down to the side for a moment, biting her lip. With a deep breath, she looked back at Shirogane— his hand that was holding her wrist, his umbrella which was over her head, and his eyes— his sincere blue eyes.
“But… what does this mean?”
For today? For his feelings? For their relationship?
Shirogane wanted to clarify. But he didn’t, because–
“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
He was averting his eyes, and he didn’t know why. The cat was pretty much out of the bag.
Did the words really need to come out of his mouth?
“It is,” Kaguya agreed. “And I thought I would be satisfied with that.”
She lifted her hand, formed a fist, and placed it on her heart.
“I thought these obvious actions alone would be sufficient admittance.”
Her fist was now shaking. “However. I realize now…”
Her head was tilted downward, but her gaze shifted upward, to his eyes. It was adorable.
“…that I want to hear you say it.”
And those words made his heart beat even faster.
If at this moment, he was told that Kaguya Shinomiya’s heart was currently matching his rhythm, he wouldn’t believe you.
But it would be true.
Shirogane took a deep, deep breath. He held it for a while, eyes closed as if in meditation. When he exhaled, he opened them, and any semblance of hesitance disappeared.
“Shinomiya.”
Red met blue. Usually, they would clash, but now— they seemed to meet with no ounce of conflict.
You could swear, that –just for a moment– they became one.
“I like you.”
And she let out a gasp. Why? It was exactly what she expected, wanted, craved— so she shouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.
Legs shaking, breath shuddering, she released her hand which clasped the fabric of her chest.
And with her hand still shaking, she pointed at the president. And then her finger inched closer, closer to his face—
—and it touched his cheek.
“Ha ha,” she stammered out, grinning, her face a blushing mess. “I win.”
Shirogane glanced at the index finger, at her touch on his body, before looking back into her delighted eyes.
It was over. He lost.
“Yeah. Well played.”
And Shirogane felt he couldn’t be happier.
He was grinning from ear to ear, matching her smile. They couldn’t put into words what they were feeling right now– no analogy, simile, or metaphor would give those feelings justice.
Love is indescribable like that.
And for nearly a minute, they stayed like that, giggling and breathlessly chuckling before coming to mutually mirthful silence.
And in that silence, that brief instance before the two walked into the rain under the same canopy, Kaguya opened her mouth and mumbled out:
“Um, I won’t walk out into the rain without you, so… you can let go of my wrist now.”
“Oh–! Right, sorry.”
And so he did, and they walked together. And whenever their shoulders touched, a scintillating shock echoed throughout their bodies.
The rain had already stopped, but Shirogane didn’t put the umbrella down. He wondered if he should. He should ask. He should say anything, really.
But should I, though?
Well, it really wasn’t a question of “should” anymore. More like “could”. Because Shirogane was pretty sure he used all his “courage points” for his confession back at the school.
He glanced at Kaguya, still walking beside him. She hadn’t said a word since they left, and her head was tilted away from him.
Shirogane craned his neck downward, trying to get a look at her expression. As if feeling his presence, Kaguya turned and
-their faces were too close-
“Ah-!”
“Oh-”
“Sorry, I–”
“It’s okay.”
“But-”
“It’s fine, I promise!”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
They turned away from each other once more. Seconds seemed to stretch into hours as Shirogane thought of something to say.
Looking up at the canopy of the umbrella he was holding, he inhaled and exhaled through his nose.
“Romantically.”
“Hm?”
Shirogane looked back at Kaguya. “When I said ‘I like you’ back there, I meant it in a romantic sense.”
She looked up at him, eyebrows raised and cheeks red.
And then she started giggling.
“Wha-? Why are you laughing?”
“Apologies, I just–” she put a hand to her mouth, but she couldn’t stop the mirth from escaping her lips.
“I just wanted to make sure you understood!”
“No one could have construed that situation any differently.”
“Hmph.”
(That was a lie. She had actually been wondering if Shirogane meant that statement in a romantic sense, or if he just saw her as a very dear friend. She has very low self esteem.)
“Honestly…”
“How cute.”
Shirogane feared those words ever since this war began.
He expected those words to hold a sense of condescension, superiority, and haughtiness.
Reality had never before defied expectation this much.
Results For Today’s Battle: Kaguya Shinomiya Wins
Omake
Chika Fujiwara stood at the entrance of the school, watching the president and her best friend walk into the rain together.
She dropped the spare umbrella she got from the classroom, and it sorta fell diagonally before being carried by a gust of wind, shifting fully upside down to act like a bowl used to catch toilet water from leaky ceilings.
That shit didn’t matter though.
“Wait.”
Fujiwara blinked multiple times, trying to see if her eyes were working correctly.
They were.
“What.”
Which is why that last word was more a statement than a question.