Silent Angel

Chapter 8

Saki's smile vanished. Her eyes widened; she began to tear up. Her cheeks slowly turned a rosy red colour.

Should I not have asked?

Tears began to roll down her face, but a small, gentle smile also formed.

"Mako-chan..."

"... I would love to be your date to the festival."

Tears continued to roll down her face, but she was showing a smile brighter than the sun. Meanwhile, I hadn't fully processed what she said.

She looked away, gently wiping her tears. "Mako-chan... I thought you'd never ask."

My heart began to race, but I smiled. The one thing I had been wishing for since the day I met her finally came true. Tears also began to form in my eyes.

Saki stood up slowly, and suddenly hugged me. She held me gently, but close to her. It felt warm, and safe; I could stay in her arms forever. I slowly hugged her back, tears now rolling down my face as well. Unlike that evening though, we were both happy.

The bell rang, and she let go. Saki's cheeks were still red, and she still had that beautiful smile on her. I picked up my bag, and Saki followed suit. I walked out of class, now feeling slightly dizzy that the girl of my dreams would be going on a date with me that weekend.

Time passed rapidly. The entire week, I spent my time counting down the days until the festival. When I wasn't counting down, I was talking to Saki about how excited I was. She seemed to return the feelings.

The day before, I went out and bought a new kimono, a dark blue and black one. Even the thought of wearing it was exciting to me.

And finally, the day came. We had agreed to meet at the festival site at 7pm, but I just couldn't wait. By 3pm, I was already out the door. Since it was so early, I thought about just walking there. However, I realised it would still be a while before the festival started, so I dropped the idea and went back home.

At around 6:40pm, I arrived at the entrance, wearing my kimono. It was a cold evening, but the sky was completely clear. Since I was quite early, I just waited for Saki while looking at the other people. The couples were all so beautiful.

Around 10 minutes later, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see an absolutely stunning sight.

Saki was wearing a bright red kimono, with a red rose in her hair to match. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she didn't have her space buns.

She looked just like an angel. Even looking at her made me blush.

"Hi, Mako-chan!" She looked at me with her perfect smile.

"Hey, Saki-chan." I took a deep breath. "You look... beautiful."

She blushed and looked away. "I normally don't like being called that... but you saying it... makes it nice." she said quietly.

I blushed more; her words made me feel... special.

"L-let's go in."

Saki looked back at me. She smiled gently and nodded, and we walked in together.

We spent the next hour and a half playing games and eating at the stalls. We had a competition to see who could eat takoyaki the fastest. Although I won, the takoyaki was so hot that I burned a bit of my mouth, but I didn't tell Saki. She was laughing the entire time.

Saki had her eye on a cotton candy stall for a long time. I decided to buy her the biggest one. She took it with a huge smile, like she was a little child, and she wouldn't stop thanking me for about five minutes.

At one point, we saw a game stall where whoever could shoot the most toys would win a teddy bear. I did well, but Saki won that by miles. Afterwards, she handed me the teddy bear as a way to show her gratitude for the cotton candy. I smiled and patted her head.

Time flew past, and before we knew it, it was almost time for the fireworks. We walked out of the festival and on to the beach together. Saki gently held my hand as we walked along the beach, and my heart began racing again.

"Mako-chan... thank you."

"What for?"

"For asking me to be your date. I've had a lot of fun this evening."

"I'm glad." I smiled softly, but a question stuck out in my mind.

"Saki-chan... why did you say yes?"

"Well... Mako-chan, I like you."

Saki...

Liked me?

"Ever since that evening... I always felt something new around you." She slowly sat down on an empty patch of sand. I did the same.

"I never knew what it was, but every time I'd see you, I would have butterflies in my stomach. Do you remember the day we first met?"

"How could I forget anything like that?"

Saki smiled, and continued.

"I told you that you were the first boy that was ever kind to me. And I'll never forget that. Mako-chan, you are still the only boy who was ever kind to me."

I blushed, and looked over to her. She was looking out to the ocean, a gentle smile on her face. She didn't notice me looking.

"Mako-chan... why did you ask me out?"

I didn't expect her to ask that. I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts.

"Saki-chan, I like you too. Before we even spoke for the first time, I saw you as the most beautiful girl in the school. But that isn't why I like you."

"Seriously..? Most people only like me for my looks..."

"I know. I liked you because you're such a kind soul. I could tell from the day we spoke on the roof. Ever since then, I'd been longing to talk to you more, to know you better. While I do think you're beautiful... your personality completely outshines it, and I wish people saw you for that more."

Saki looked over to me, with a blush on her face. Her eyes were looking directly into mine. She slowly closed her eyes, and her face moved towards me.

No way.

This was really happening.

I closed my eyes gently, and my face instinctively moved towards her.

I could feel her so close to me.

I kept moving closer.

I felt her soft lips gently touch mine.

The first firework exploded.

The air suddenly felt warm.

I slowly pulled away and opened my eyes.

I just kissed..

The girl of my dreams.

The fireworks were still going, but I completely ignored them. My heart was racing and I was blushing a lot.

Saki slowly opened her eyes, and a blush quickly formed on her face. She turned away and looked over at the fireworks instead.

I quickly looked over to the fireworks as well. Their colours flashed across the night sky, lighting up everything around them. Red, gold, blue, green.

But somehow, they all felt like nothing compared to the angel I was sitting next to.

Saki...

I love you.