{Shu Itsuki x Reader} Croissants With A Side of Feelings

Chapter 6

My chest hurt from all the running around, preparing things for the Tanabata. I sighed, shaking my head as Hibiki-senpai's blimp appeared in the sky and the crowd loudly cheered. At least I had prepared the paperwork in advance, though I'm sure Tenshouin would have paid any fines Wataru incurred.

Rubbing my chest, I moved to the wings of the stage to watch the performances. My work as a producer was mostly done—Anzu was taking the majority of the work onto herself, leaving me to supervise the units backstage. Not that that required much, this late in the year even the units consisting mainly of first-years knew the protocols.

There was nothing I could do except watch as Valkyrie rushed on stage to protect Ra*bits from fine.

Their performance was spectacular. The tech rehearsal early was nothing compared to now, with the staging and lighting fully complete. Mika's spins were perfectly timed with Shu's movements—the illusion that Mika was moving as Shu's puppet was near perfect. I could almost see the strings stretching from Shu's fingers, connecting to Mika's arms, the stage lights reflecting off the golden threads.

I could feel fine's shock. They joined the audience in watching in silent wonder as Shu and Mika sang and danced, Shu's art—no, Valkyrie's art—reaching them after so long.

The lyrics of the piece Shu had been composing during our last study session echoed through my head.

Now, the song of their triumphant return shall resonate once again. The tale of the returning sovereign shall be heard once more.

✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩ - - - ✩

My heart was still beating fast from the adrenaline of Valkyrie's performance as I dragged Kanata out of the fountain.

"Really, Senpai, you should know better!" I ranted, pulling him towards the stage. "You have a spray bottle for a reason!"

"Sorry, y/n-chan, i 'forgot' it," Kanata smiled at me, letting me pull him along. I shook my head, pulling him in front of me and pushing him up the steps for the stage.

"Just...don't ruin the earpiece with your wet skin."

"hehe," Kanata giggled, patting me on the head. "y/n-chan 'worries' too much."

I playfully slapped his hand away.

"Hurry up! Morisawa-senpai and the others are waiting for you!"

"i 'know'. shu is 'waiting' for you too. hurry and 'see' him, okay?" With another closed-eye smile, he skipped onto the stage.

I paused, looking as Kanata joined the rest of Ryuseitai on stage against fine. That's right...Shu had been lying by the fountain, recovering from the live. Mika was still backstage in case Valkyrie was called back for another performance—the Tanabata system ensured that all of the units would get a chance at first but once everyone had gone, it was randomised. It would be a while before Valkyrie would be called on stage again, but it was best to be prepared.

But it was best to not leave Shu alone by the fountain. He might doze off, or worse—pass out. I had been busy all day and hadn't been able to make sure Shu actually ate something at lunch instead of slaving over the finishing touches of the Valkyrie outfits.

Maybe I should get him something sugary to drink...Performing with low blood sugar wouldn't be the best idea Shu had ever had but then again, it wouldn't be the worst one either. My mind helpfully supplied images of the time that Shu had decided that the only way to get through all of the costumes he needed to sew and his homework was to drink 3 cups of coffee and eat a chocolate croissant and proceeded to go into some sort of caffeine-fueled haze. Which was fine while he was in it...but the crash had been awful.

Needless to say, Shu was banned from coffee now.

Still, I picked up a juice from the nearest vending machine as I hurried back to the fountain. If Kanata had said Shu was waiting for me, there was probably something important he needed to tell me. My chest twinged again as I jogged to the fountain. I was going to have to see the doctor about my meds—clearly, they weren't working properly anymore.

Shu was still lying by the fountain, in almost the same position he was in when I had forcibly dragged Kanata out of the fountain. I sat down by his head, placing the bottle of juice next to him.

"I didn't know if you had eaten much today, so I thought I'd pick one up," I explained, crossing my ankles and looking up at the stars. "If you don't want it, I'll just drink it."

"Thank you." Shu slowly swung himself into a sitting position, before taking a sip of the juice. "I had gotten so caught up in my preparations for tonight that lunch slipped my mind."

I hummed in acknowledgement.

"At least you ate dinner, even if it wasn't much."

"I- yes. Kagehira was quite insistent."

I nodded.

"He can be pretty stubborn at times, huh." I giggled softly and turned to look at Shu.

He was already looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked.

Shu shook his head, but his hand moved forward a bit before he withdrew it and laid it on his lap.

"I suppose Kanata told you that I was waiting for you, didn't he," Shu asked, turning his gaze to the sky. I did the same, looking at the faint constellations.

"Yep~. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

"I..." He paused and took a deep breath, seemingly bracing himself. I frowned, worried. I didn't want to speculate on what he was going to say but I was a little on edge.

"Y/n, I...have feelings...for you." His gaze didn't move from the stars above us but he shifted slightly closer to me as he spoke.

Wait, what.

"Pardon?" Surely I hadn't heard correctly. He wasn't going to say something like "feelings...of disgust" and play it off as a joke, right? Or worse, had the other Eccentrics put him up to this...had he somehow figured out that I liked him? I felt my heart rate start to rise as panic started.

Shu looked over at me, a light blush dusting his face.

"I like you, Y/n. I have tried to hint at it for quite some time but I...I am not the best at expressing it and I just ended up hurting you. I'm sorry..." He reached out a hand to caress my face. "Can you ever forgive me?"

My mouth opened slightly and I stared at him in shock. He...liked me? Shu, Shu Itsuki, former Emperor of Yumenosaki, my crush for the last year and a half, liked me back? I floundered, staring at him in silence, my heart beating in my ears.

Obviously, my silence was taken as something else—disgust, indifference—because Shu's soft smile dropped and he began to move his hand from my face. Quickly, I snatched it, pushing it back against my face. Shu looked at me in shock, trying to understand what I was doing.

"Shu...I like you too..." I started. "I've liked you for so long...I never thought that you would like me back." Tears began to well in my eyes and I tightened my grip on his hand.

"Y/n..." Shu gently wiped the tears from my eyes, both hands cupping my face. "Y/n...may I kiss you?"

I nodded frantically, closing my eyes and leaning in. My heart rate was so high, I could barely hear Shu's breathing and he was two centimetres from my face. We were so close, our lips almost touching...

And then, everything went black.