Ultimate War (Kaguya x Shirogane Fanfic)

Chapter II

Kaguya made sure to shut the door tight after she got inside the student council room. All was going according to plan. It was strangely easy for her to persuade Fujiwara to return the book to its so-called owners.

Now it was time for her to shine.

She calmly rested her right hand on her left cheek. Otherwise, she worried she might never find the courage to speak those forbidden words. She took a deep breath, turned to face President.

He was comparing two separate papers, his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes contorted his face with focus. Kaguya imagined a crumbled piece of paper with eyes and a mouth, then shook her head to push the peculiar thought away.

There were more urgent matters in hand.

She stared at Shirogane Miyuki's triangular face, trying to ease courage from it.

Then she said it.

"I like you"

Silence followed, just like in Kaguya's fantasies. She waited for him to show her any sort of reaction. The minutes succeeded, during which she only obtained a slight nod from him.

Then...

"What? What did just say?", he was blushing from head to toe, and at that moment, Kaguya fought so hard to keep up with her own plan. Despite her calming gesture, she struggled not to spit everything out in his face. How she really felt, how he made her heart nearly go out of her chest, how he was the most absolute best person in this school, how she hated her own pride for keeping her away from happiness, the list was endless.

But no, she thought. She was too proud to say all that.

It's also really embarrassing, a tiny voice in her head complained.

"You heard me, President", she whispered. Then, a little louder, a little more confident.

"It's how the heroine would probably say it, the one in that shoujo manga Fujiwara-san took away."

Shirogane Miyuki looked disappointed. However, Kaguya could tell it wasn't how he truly felt. Was it her imagination, or was that also relief taking over his features?

Why? Why are you relieved, President? Are you glad that I didn't confess to you? Do you hate my confession that much? Do you hate me?

If Hayasaka was here, she would definitely tell her she was overthinking the whole thing. Alas, right now, Hayasaka wasn't here.

"I see", Miyuki says. "As expected, you nailed the role. You nearly fooled me."

His lips curved in a smirk as he said the words Kaguya dreaded. "Tell me, Shinomiya, were you really acting?"

What?, Kaguya could hear her inner self screaming inside her own head. This wasn't supposed to happen this wasn't supposed to happen this wasn't supposed to happen

How could she answer this question? If she denied it, she would be the one to lose this war. If she claimed she was only acting, the part of her who wished for happiness would be devastated. They would all go back to square one. Just like every time.

Did she even have a choice? It was her pride or an non-anticipated future, strange to what she had always imagined.

She knew of only one truth. Humans tend to be terrified of the Great Unknown, and for that, they do their best to avoid it.

"Yes, I was indeed acting", she finally said, unable to hide the regret in her voice.

If the president saw through her, he pretended not to notice. He smiled at her. A sad smile.

"You did well"

The quiet descended on them like a curtain at the end of a tragic play, leaving the audience with damp cheeks and broken hearts.

As for Kaguya, she had never heard a silence quite this loud.