Love Live! The Thrill of Possibility (Setsuna Yuki x Male Reader)

Chapter 15 - Ups & Downs

Setsuna's Perspective

Two Years Later...

I walked through the college campus with a spring in my step as I headed to me and Y/n's typical meeting spot after our lectures. I was hoping to telling him the good news, that after the last competition I entered for my manga, they had asked if I wanted to have my series serialized, and while I had to decline since between that and my studies I worried I wouldn't be able to do either effectively, they offered to keep me in mind for a couple years down the line.

I could feel my heart pounding with excitement, but as I got to our usual location, I found that like usual for the past month or so, Y/n wasn't there. I guess I should've been expecting it since he's not been around much lately, but I had still hoped I could tell him in person. The reason Y/n says he's been busy is because his part-time job is particularly short staffed, and really needs his help, but when I dropped by there on my home one day to say hi, he wasn't there. I love Y/n, and I know I should trust him, but him keeping what he's been up to secret has left my imagination running wild on a couple occasions, and the fact I don't know anything is bugging me.

We spent time together almost every day until this, and so missing him, I pulled out my phone and sent him a text that said "Hey, could I stay over at your place tonight? I've been missing you lately."

I continued to walk towards the campus gates when I got his response, a short message

that simply said "Sorry, but work is busy again tonight. Maybe this weekend?"

I sighed and responded with "Alright" and gave up for the time being. I left the campus, planning to drop by a convenience store on the way home to pick up the latest issue of Shonen Giga, since I've been waiting for these new chapters for a while now, only to spot Y/n walking down the road. I would've figured that he was just heading to work, but he's heading the complete opposite direction from where he worked the last time he mentioned it.

"Where is he going?" I asked myself before I started to follow behind him from a distance trying to find out. Truth be told, seeing that he'd been lying to me about something left this sinking feeling in my chest, and I didn't want to know what exactly I'd find out, but I still need to know. After all, he's never lied like this before now, but now he is...

As I got there, whatever I was starting to imagine, I definitely wasn't expecting to find him walking onto a construction site, raising his hand in greeting to someone there, I approached to get a closer look through a fence as I heard one of them say "So you're really quitting, huh? Are you gonna still be going over to Club Siren after this?"

"That's the plan, if I don't then Marufuji is gonna give me an earful. She's pretty serious when it comes to being on time" I heard Y/n say. As he said that, my mind drowned out outside noise as it started to race. Who is Marufuji? The possibilities rushed through my head, and I tried to convince myself that it was going to be nothing, but the possibilities that came from the more unfortunate ones scared me, and made me feel like I was gonna cry. But after a minute, I took a deep breath, and decided to follow him when he heads to Club Siren later, to find out the truth for myself.

Y/n's Perspective

Four Hours Later...

As I left the construction site I had been working at, I had to rush to get to my destination, having spent more time than I probably should have giving my final farewells to the coworkers I had been getting along with so well. I would stick around, but it's been leaving me exhausted lately, and I really don't have any reason to stick around anymore, so rather than keep pushing myself so much, I thought it better to pull back some.

As I got to Club Siren, I gave a nod to a girl my age behind the bar, before I headed back to change clothes and clean up. I've been working as a bartender part time here, and I don't think customers want to be stuck with a bartender who reeks of sweat after all.

After I finished changing I went to work like normal, but as I stepped out I ended up bumping into a girl who's a regular and has been eyeing me up more than I'm comfortable with. With an apologetic smile I held out a hand as I said "Sorry about that, you okay?"

She gave me a smile as she took my hand and as I helped her up she said "I'm fine. Wish we had a bit more of a pleasant encounter than this though."

I shrugged and said "Murphy's law works in mysterious ways, it's at least something interesting, right?."

She giggled in response in a way I knew quickly was just to get on my good side, but over her shoulder, I saw somebody familiar, and my shoulders perked up as I hadn't been expecting her. The girl was going to try and hit on me or something when I put my hand on the girl's shoulder to make her realize I wanted to walk past her, muttering "Excuse me" and walked towards the familiar person as I said "Setsuna? What are you doing here?"

"I was trying to figure out where you've been going." Setsuna answered, glancing towards the girl I had been talking to a moment before, who seemed annoyed at being interrupted.

I sighed and said "Right, I bet you have some questions considering the last you heard I was working at a supermarket."

"That's right, we've been so distant lately, when I see you I find you're exhausted, and then I find out that you'd been lying about why" Setsuna said, a mix of fear and frustration in her tone.

I turned towards Marufuji behind the counter and gestured towards Setsuna, and after she gave a nod, I walked outside with Setsuna.

"So why are you working here? And that construction site too?" Setsuna pried, searching for an answer I wish I could have given her sooner.

I took a deep breath and said "I was trying to keep it a secret, but I've been working at both of these places to get some extra cash. The truth is that I've been saving towards something, but if I didn't put some more work in it'd take a while longer before I got it" Granted I still don't have it yet, but I was going to pick it up this weekend when I was free.

"What? What could you be working towards that you had to keep a secret from me?" Setsuna asked

Truth be told, I'm a little unprepared to answer this, and I can feel a knot in my gut about what if this goes wrong, but I took a deep breath and prepared myself. I don't want to worry her more than I have to, and I shouldn't do it now.

"An engagement ring." I answered as I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes "I still don't have the ring, but I'll say it anyway. Nana Nakagawa, ever since you entered my life, I've felt it change for the better. You're somebody so important to me and I want to make sure you understand just how much I treasure you with all my heart. So will you marry me?"

Setsuna took a deep breath, and I saw her concerned expression melt away into a bright smile as I suddenly hugged me, and a moment later I felt her lips against mine. "Of course I will! I love you too Y/n."

I wrapped my arms around Setsuna's waist and held her close as I felt a goofy smirk start to form on my face. "I'm so glad to hear that, and I'm so sorry I kept this a secret from you for so long. I promise I'm an open book from now on."

I held Setsuna close for a moment, treasuring the girl in front of me before I stepped back inside and asked my boss to take the evening off. She agreed and it wasn't too long until Setsuna and I were out engagement ring shopping, and by the end of the night, as Setsuna and I headed back to my place, she wore a platinum ring with a blazing red ruby on it on her ring finger.

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A/n: Y'know, coming back to this after six months without publishing anything outside of an update, I'm kinda surprised how much my muscle memory is kicking in when it comes to formatting things before publishing. I just hope my writing skills haven't atrophied too much in my time away.