Bokuben 3/5 Route FanFic- Sleeping Princess of the Literature Forest [X]

Chapter 8 : Time For The Next Stage

Right after they graduated from Ichinose Academy, they all rushed to the airport to send Uruka off. "Take care Uruka-chan. Come visit us once in a while when you have the time" said Fumino. "We'll miss you a lot, let's all see each other again the next time" said Rizu. "Here Uruka-chan take this lucky Dohachan, it will bring you good luck wherever you go", said Asumi. "Do your best and pursue your dreams!" said Mafuyu. "It was a fun time with you Uruka. I hope to see you again soon" said Yuiga as they bid her farewell.

"It will be a bit sad now that she won't be here with us for the next three years. But I am glad that she will finally be able to reach her dreams" said Fumino. "Why are you talking like it is all over Fumino? We did graduate from high school and we'll now be on our respective Universities, but that doesn't mean we won't be able to see each other again, right?" said Rizu. "That's right, I checked your Universities because I was just curious and then I saw this ..." said Asumi as she showed a picture to all of them.

"Really, is this real?" asked Yuiga as he was shocked by what he just saw. "Your chosen Universities all happened to be near each other due to historical reasons. That's why you'll be seeing each other's faces almost every day as usual" explained Mafuyu. "But what about you Kirisu-sensei?" asked Fumino. "You don't have to worry about me. Those Universities happen to be on my route to my apartment. Besides all alumni are free to come back and visit Ichinose Academy any time." said Mafuyu. They all smiled and had a group hug and said to each other.

"It was a great journey with you guys. Thank you for everything up until now. You've made the past year a very memorable one to me. All of us and Uruka-chan too ... let's all promise to strengthen this bond that brings us all together and promise ourselves to be there for each other all the time. Until we all see each other again after this summer break, let's us all live our lives to the fullest ..."

They all then parted ways and went to different directions. But just as Fumino was about to leave, Yuiga called her and said "Fumino, I...I've been thinking about this for quite a while now and I wanted to tell it to you after we graduated." said Yuiga as he held Fumino's hands. "Fumino, will you go out with me?" asked Yuiga who was feeling so nervous that Fumino felt his hands shaking.

She gently held his hands and leaned on him and said "Yes...Nariyuki-kun". Yuiga saw the brilliance of Fumino's smile like it was as bright as the midday sun. He then hugged her and said "Thank you Fumino. Let me walk you home."

As they walked along the streets, their hands were too close as if they were almost touching each other. They were both getting embarrassed and were thinking "What do I do, I really want to hold hands with him/her. Just a little more...just a little more and I'll ..."

They moved their hands closer to each other and the moment their hands touched, their hearts raced too fast that they were almost able to hear each other's heartbeat. "My heart's beating too fast! I bet Fumino can hear them! What do I do, this is so embarrassing" Yuiga thought to himself. "I want to hold his hands ... but I'm getting really embarrassed. Do something Fumino" she said to herself.

Minutes later they continued to get really embarrassed. "You're a man Yuiga, you can do this. All you need to do is to hold her hands and walk her home." said Yuiga as he made his resolve to hold Fumino's hands. "Just a little more ... My hands are getting closer ... I can do this". But just as he was about to hold Fumino's hands, they were already at the gates of the Furuhashi Residence. "Too close... I was too close" he said to himself.

"Thanks for walking me home today. See you tomorrow Nariyuki-kun" said Fumino as she thought to herself "That was really close. Sorry Nariyuki-kun I was too embarrassed to move. If only I..."