Sato burst through the door with a triumphant grin, plastic bags to his sides "Mission accomplished!"

  Maki's eyes widened. "No way. You actually got it?"

  "Never doubt the power of family connections," Sato declared, setting the bags down with a gentle clink.

  Shiori leaned forward from her position by the low table, examining the labels. "Is that... premium sake?"

  "Only the best for my favorite people!" Sato started distributing small cups.

  Maki bounced in place, practically vibrating with excitement. "I can't believe we're doing this. We're such delinquents."

  "Says the girl who tried to convince the restaurant staff she was twenty," Taiki snorted.

  "Hey! That was different. This is... team bonding!"

  Sato carefully poured each cup with precision. "Consider it a cultural experience. My grandfather always says sake brings people together."

  "Pretty sure he didn't mean underage athletes at a hot spring resort," Shiori pointed out, but she accepted her cup anyway.

  "Well," Sato raised his cup with a grin.

  Taiki braced himself for the burn as he took his first sip. His eyes widened in surprise. Instead of the harsh alcohol taste he'd expected, a smooth, slightly sweet flavor rolled across his tongue. It tasted almost... floral?

  "Holy crap," Maki breathed, staring at her cup in wonder. "This is nothing like that awful stuff my cousin snuck at New Year's."

  "Right?" Sato beamed, clearly pleased with their reactions. "Premium sake is completely different. It's more like... drinking silk?"

  Shiori took another small sip. "I can't even taste the alcohol. It's just... clean? Is that weird to say?"

  "Dangerously drinkable," Taiki muttered.

  "That's because it's meant to be savored," Sato explained.

  Maki held her cup up to the light, examining the clear liquid.

  The thought hit Taiki like a bolt of inspiration.

  "Hey," he said, sitting up straighter. "What if we took this to the hot spring?"

  Maki's eyes lit up. "Oh my god, yes! Fancy drinks in fancy water!"

  "We could bring cards," Taiki continued. "Or just talk. It's not like we're going anywhere else tonight."

  Sato nodded. "That's actually a nice idea."

  "Plus, the water will help dilute the alcohol effects," Shiori added.

  "Look at Taiki, coming up with the good ideas for once," Maki teased.

  "I have good ideas sometimes," Taiki protested. "Like that time I—"

  "Suggested we practice at 4 AM?" Maki interrupted with a laugh.

  "That was your idea!"

  "Details, details." Maki waved her hand. "This one's definitely better. Hot springs, good drinks, good company..."

  The warm water felt amazing. Taiki slipped into the hot spring.

  "This," Maki declared, settling into the water with a sigh, "was definitely your best idea yet."

  They passed the next hour trading stories and sips of sake. Taiki found himself laughing more freely than usual, especially when Sato demonstrated his infamous "victory dance" from their last volleyball match.

  "Okay, okay," Maki announced. "We need to play truth or dare."

  Taiki's stomach dropped.

  "That's..." Shiori started, but Maki was already bouncing with excitement.

  "Come on! When else are we going to have private hot springs and fancy sake? It's practically mandatory!"

  "I'm in!" Sato raised his cup and splashing water everywhere.

  Taiki wanted to object. He really, really wanted to object.

  "Fine," he heard himself say, immediately wondering if the hot spring had somehow boiled his common sense away.

  "Shiori?" Maki turned her pleading eyes to her friend.

  "I... guess one game wouldn't hurt."

  "Yes!" Maki clapped her hands together. "Okay, I'll go first. Taiki! Truth or dare?"

  Truth meant potentially revealing something embarrassing, while dare... well, with Maki involved, that could be even worse.

  "Truth," he said finally, thinking it was the safer route.

  Maki's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Perfect. Tell us about your first crush."

  "Pass," Taiki said immediately.

  "You can't pass!" Maki protested, splashing water in his direction. "That's not how the game works!"

  "Fine." Taiki sank lower in the water, wishing he could disappear completely. "It was in middle school. She was the class representative. That's all you get."

  "That's not a story," Sato complained. "We need details! What happened?"

  "Nothing happened," Taiki muttered. "She was nice, smart, and completely out of my league. End of story."

  "Did you ever tell her?" Maki pressed.

  "One question per turn," Taiki countered. "My turn now. Sato, truth or dare?"

  "Dare!" Sato didn't even hesitate. "Give me your worst!"

  "I dare you to..." Taiki paused, "Do your best impression of Coach during one of his motivation speeches."

  Sato leapt up immediately and struck a dramatic pose. "Listen up, you volleyball disasters! I've seen better receives from a wall! My grandmother could spike harder than that, and she's been dead for ten years!"

  Maki doubled over laughing, nearly dropping her cup in the water. Even Shiori couldn't contain her giggles as Sato continued his performance.

  He dropped back into the water with a dramatic splash. "And that's why you'll never amount to anything in volleyball!" He finished with Coach's signature finger point before joining the laughs.

  "That was disturbingly accurate," Taiki said, wiping water from his face. "I'm pretty sure I had flashbacks to last week's practice."

  "My turn!" Sato announced. His gaze landed on Shiori. "Truth or dare?"

  Shiori hesitated, fingers tracing the edge of her cup. "Truth."

  "Hmm..." Sato tapped his chin. "What's the most embarrassing thing you've done during a basketball game?"

  "Oh!" Shiori's face lit up. "That's easy. Last year, I was so focused on watching the ball that I ran straight into the referee. Knocked us both over and got tangled in his striped shirt. The whole gym went silent for like ten seconds before everyone started laughing."

  "Wait, that was you?" Maki gasped. "I heard about that! Didn't someone post a video?"

  "Please never look for it," Shiori groaned. "I still get tagged in memes about it."

  "The great Shiori Fujisawa, taken down by a referee's shirt," Taiki couldn't help himself. "Truly humbling."

  Shiori splashed water in his direction. "Like you're one to talk, Mr. Backwards-Set."

  "Hey! We agreed never to mention that again!"

  "All's fair in truth or dare," Maki declared sagely, "Speaking of which, Shiori, it's your turn to ask someone."

  Shiori's eyes darted between her friends before settling on Maki. "Truth or dare?"

  "Dare!" Maki sat up straighter. "Give me something good!"

  Shiori swirled the remaining sake in her cup, watching Sato carefully top off everyone's drinks.

  "Come on, Shii!" Maki bounced impatiently in the water. "Give me something challenging!"

  "I'm thinking," she said, accepting her refilled cup from Sato.

  Sato finished his careful pouring and settled back into the water with a satisfied sigh. "Make it good," he advised.

  That gave Shiori an idea. She straightened up, a mischievous smile spreading on her face. "Okay, I've got it."

  "I dare you..." Shiori paused dramatically, "to demonstrate your infamous basketball 'skills' right now. Show us that move that made Coach spill his coffee."

  Maki's eager expression froze. "Wait, what? Here? In the hot spring?"

  "Unless you're chicken," Taiki couldn't resist adding.

  "Fine!" Maki stood up. "But if I slip and die, I'm haunting all of you."

  She steadied herself on the slick stones, taking an exaggerated defensive stance that made her look more like a drunken flamingo than a basketball player. "Picture this: Coach is standing there with his clipboard, completely unsuspecting..."

  Maki mimed dribbling an invisible ball. As she attempted her signature spin move, her foot slipped slightly on the smooth stone.

  "Careful!" Sato reached out to steady her, but Maki waved him off.

  "I got this! So then the ball bounces weird, and I try to catch it like this—" She demonstrated with elaborate arm movements. "But instead, my foot goes up like THIS—"

  Maki's dramatic kick sent a wave of water arcing through the air, splashing directly into Taiki's face mid-sip. He sputtered, sake and spring water mixing as he wiped his eyes.

  "See?" Maki dropped back into the water with a triumphant splash. "Perfect recreation. Though Coach's expression was way funnier than Taiki's."

  "I think you got more water in my face than Coach got coffee on his clipboard," Taiki grumbled.

  "My turn!" Maki announced, scanning their small circle with predatory intensity. "And I choose... Taiki!"

  Of course she did.

  "Truth or dare?" Her grin widened impossibly further.

  "Truth," he said automatically. After watching Maki's basketball reenactment, he wasn't taking any bets with dares.

  "Perfect." Maki leaned forward. "Tell us what you really think about Shiori."

  Taiki choked on his sip of sake. Next to him, he felt Shiori go completely still.

  "That's... that's not a proper question," he protested.

  "Totally is!" Maki insisted. "You have to answer honestly. Those are the rules."

  Sato nodded sagely, clearly enjoying Taiki's discomfort. "The rules are sacred, man."

  "I think..." he started, then stopped, his throat tight.

  "Yes?" Maki prompted, vibrating with anticipation.

  "I think..." he tried again. "I think Shiori is... incredible."

  "Taiki..." Shiori's voice was barely above a whisper.

  "My turn!" he announced quickly, desperate to change the subject. "Sato, truth or dare?"

  "Truth," Sato declared.

  Perfect. Taiki's embarrassment transformed into calculated mischief as he seized his chance for revenge. Time for revenge.

  "What's the real reason you keep watching Maki during basketball practice?"

  Sato's confident smile vanished.

  "I... that's..." Sato splashed around awkwardly. "It's important to support other sports! Team unity and all that..."

  "Funny," Taiki pressed, enjoying this rare moment. "Because Jin says you miss about half your serves whenever she's practicing layups."

  "I do not!" Sato protested, then immediately backtracked. "I mean, I don't watch specifically when she's doing layups. That would be... I mean... how would I even know when she's doing layups?"

  Maki had gone suspiciously quiet.

  "The rules are sacred," Taiki quoted back at him sweetly. "You have to answer honestly."

  Sato blew frustrated bubbles. When he finally emerged, his voice was barely audible. "Fine. Maybe I think she's cute when she gets excited about making a shot. Happy now?"

  The silence that followed was deafening. Taiki caught Shiori hiding a smile behind her cup while Maki stared at Sato with wide eyes.

  Taiki couldn't help himself. Watching both Maki and Sato squirm was too delicious an opportunity to pass up.

  "So, Maki," he drawled, "what was that you were saying earlier about getting all the juicy details? Something about how 'that's not how the game works' and 'you can't pass'?"

  Maki splashed water in his direction,.

  "Shut up, Taiki," she muttered, sinking lower.

  "Karma's a bit of a bitch, isn't it?"

  "I hate you," Maki declared.

  "Hate is a strong word," Taiki said cheerfully, "Almost as strong as thinking someone is 'cute when they get excited about making a shot.'"

  Both Maki and Sato groaned simultaneously, causing Shiori to burst into barely contained giggles beside him.

  "My turn," Shiori announced. "Maki, truth or dare?"

  Maki jerked her head up. "Truth," she said quickly.

  "Interesting." Shiori swirled her sake cup delicately. "Since we're all being so honest tonight... what do you think about people who find you cute when you get excited about making shots?"

  Taiki nearly choked on his drink. He hadn't expected Shiori to be so direct.

  Maki's face turned an impressive shade of red. "That's... I mean... you can't just..."

  "The rules are sacred," Sato muttered into his cup.

  "Fine!" Maki splashed the water in frustration. "Maybe I think it's kind of sweet that someone actually pays attention to stuff like that. Even when I mess up. Which is, you know, most of the time."

  "And maybe," Maki continued, "I sometimes miss easy passes when certain people are practicing their serves too."

  The confession dropped like a bomb.

  Taiki cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "What if..." he started, "What if we just went full honest? Right now?"

  Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at him.

  "I mean, we're all friends here, right?" Taiki continued, "What's the worst that could happen?"

  "Who are you and what have you done with Taiki?" Maki asked, peering at him suspiciously. "The real Taiki would never suggest emotional honesty."

  "Maybe the sake broke him," Sato offered.

  "I'm serious," Taiki insisted. "We're all just... sitting here, pretending we don't know what's going on. Like we haven't been watching each other dance around stuff for weeks."

  Shiori shifted beside him. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

  "That we stop pretending." Taiki's heart hammered against his ribs. "No more secret training sessions, no more avoiding each other, no more pretending we don't notice things."

  "That's..." Maki started, then glanced at Sato. "Actually kind of terrifying."

  "Exactly," Taiki agreed. "But maybe that's why we should do it."

  He gestured at their surroundings. "Look at where we are right now. We're literally in the middle of nowhere, in a private hot spring that probably costs more than my entire life savings, drinking fancy sake that Sato somehow magically produced—"

  "Family connections," Sato interjected.

  "—drinking fancy family connections sake," Taiki corrected, "and we're all just... sitting here. Pretending. Like we're not all thinking about stuff we want to say."

  "He's got a point," Shiori said softly. "When are we ever going to get another moment like this?"

  "Exactly!" Taiki's confidence grew with each word. "We're not at school, there's no one else around, and we've got..." He squinted at the sake bottle. "Actually, how much more of that do we have?"

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  "Enough," Sato confirmed. "Definitely enough."

  "So what's stopping us?" Taiki pressed.

  Maki snorted into her cup. "You make it sound like we're planning a crime."

  "Emotional crimes, maybe," Taiki muttered. "Against our own dignity."

  "That's weirdly poetic for someone who claims to hate literature class," Shiori teased.

  Sato slid deeper into the hot spring. "Since we're being honest..." he started, "You looked really cute in your dress yesterday, Maki. At dinner."

  Maki's eyes widened slightly.

  "I mean," Sato continued, words tumbling out faster, "not that you don't always look cute. But something about seeing you all dressed up, and the way you got excited about trying every dessert on the menu..." He trailed off, realizing he was rambling.

  Taiki watched as Maki's face swap between hundred different shades of red. She ducked her head, but not before Taiki caught the small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

  "You mean when I spilled sauce on the tablecloth trying to reach across for more mochi?" Maki asked.

  "Even then," Sato admitted, meeting her eyes briefly before looking away. "Maybe especially then. It was... endearing."

  "Oh," Maki said softly, "That's... um... thanks?"

  Shiori cleared her throat, drawing attention away from Maki and Sato's moment. "Since we're sharing..." She swirled her cup thoughtfully. "Sato, I've always admired how you look out for everyone. Like how you noticed Taiki's potential as a setter before anyone else, or how you're always the first to cheer Maki on during basketball games. You see the best in people."

  Sato rubbed the back of his neck. The guy never experienced such straigh forward praise. "I just... you know. Pay attention."

  "That's exactly what I mean," Shiori continued. "You make it seem so natural, caring about others like that."

  Maki jumped in. "Well, if we're doing compliments..." She turned to Shiori with a grin. "I love how you're actually kind of a dork sometimes, Shii. Like how you still get nervous before games even though you're literally the best player in the prefecture."

  Taiki watched the scene unfold. Maki had practically launched herself across the hot spring to hug Shiori, nearly sending both of them drowning.

  Sato chuckled, going for another round of refills.

  This was it, Taiki realized. The perfect moment he'd been waiting for, when everything felt real and honest and possible. Maki was now dramatically recounting all of Shiori's "adorably clumsy moments," while Shiori tried unsuccessfully to splash her into silence.

  "Speaking of honesty..." Sato turned to face Taiki directly. "You've come so far as a setter, man. As a player. Not just the technical stuff, but the way you read the court now. Remember when you thought volleyball was just hitting balls around? Now you're planning plays three steps ahead. That's pretty incredible."

  Before taiki could even try and deflect the compliment, Maki chimed in.

  "He's right, you know. You went from total disaster to actually decent. And you never gave up, even when Jin was yelling instructions at you for hours. That's... that's kind of amazing, Taiki. Plus, you're the only one who actually listens to my sports-related meltdowns without trying to fix everything."

  Taiki stared into his sake cup. But then Shiori shifted beside him.

  "They're both right," Shiori said softly. "But what I admire most is how you never pretend to be something you're not. You're honest about your struggles, your fears... it makes people want to be honest too."

  Taiki rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm... thanks?" he managed.

  The silence that followed felt akward. Taiki thought they were back to square one, and that this little moment was over. Until Maki slapped the surface of the water.

  "You know what? No. We're not doing this awkward dancing around thing anymore," she declared, turning to face Sato directly. Her eyes were surpisingly determined. "Sato, I like you. Like, really like you. Not just because you're stupidly athletic or because you somehow make our mandatory sports torture seem fun. But because you notice things. Like how you always save me food at lunch even though I never ask. Or how you pretend not to see when I completely mess up during practice but cheer extra loud when I get something right."

  Maki took a shaky breath. "And maybe I deliberately mess up some of my passes when you're around because it's the only time I don't actually mind looking stupid. Because you never make me feel stupid, even when I definitely am being stupid. Like right now. I'm being stupid right now, aren't I? I should stop talking. Why isn't anyone stopping me from talking?"

  Taiki watched as Sato's eyes widened more each sentence. The usually composed volleyball player seemed completely broken.

  "I..." Sato started, then cleared his throat. "You mess up passes on purpose?"

  Of all the things to focus on. Taiki resisted the urge to facepalm.

  Maki groaned and sank deeper. Bubbles rose to the surface as she was mostly yelling underwater.

  "That's what you're focusing on?" Shiori asked, echoing Taiki's thoughts. "Really, Sato?"

  "No! I mean..." Sato ran a hand through his damp hair. "I like you too, Maki. Even when you're not messing up passes."

  Maki choked on the hot spring water, coughing and spluttering.

  "You... what?" she managed between coughs.

  "I mean..." He looked like he wanted to sink beneath the water and never resurface. "That wasn't how I planned to say it."

  "You planned to say it?" Maki's voice hit a pitch Taiki had never heard before.

  "Well, not exactly planned..." Sato fumbled again. "More like... thought about. A lot."

  Maki was about to protest, then seemed to process the rest of his words. "Wait, you think about me?"

  "Obviously," Sato muttered into his cup.

  Maki just sat there.

  "But... but you're you!" she finally blurted out. "And I'm... I mean, I literally tripped over a basketball yesterday!"

  "I know," Sato said with a smile. "It was adorable."

  Maki made a strangled sound and dunked her entire head underwater.

  Taiki watched as she resurfaced a few seconds later.

  "You can't just say things like that," she protested weakly.

  "Why not?" Sato challenged, "Plus, you started it."

  "I did not start it," Maki protested. "I just... stated facts. For honesty purposes."

  "Right," Sato drawled, looking more like himself now. "And those facts just happened to include how you feel about me?"

  "This is horrible," Maki announced to no one in particular. "I'm blaming the sake. And Taiki. This is definitely Taiki's fault for suggesting emotional honesty."

  Shiori laughed softly beside him. "You can't blame Taiki for your feelings, Maki."

  "Watch me," Maki grumbled, "I need more sake"

  "I need more sake too," Taiki muttered, holding out his cup.

  He watched as Maki's finger swung directly at Shiori. The grin on her face was absolutely terrifying.

  "Your turn, Shii," Maki announced, her voice carrying that dangerous edge. "Since we're all being honest and everything."

  Shiori's eyes widened. "Maki..." There was a warning in her tone.

  "Nope! No backing out now." Maki's grin grew wider. "Either you do it, or I will. And trust me, my version will be way more embarrassing. Remember that time you walked into the vending machine because—"

  "Okay!" Shiori splashed water at Maki, cutting her off. "Just... give me a second."

  Taiki eyes switched between the girls completely confused.

  "I mean it," Maki pressed. "We're all being brave tonight. No more pretending, remember? That was the whole point."

  Shiori took a deep breath, her fingers fidgeting with her cup. "If you say one word about the vending machine incident..."

  "Wouldn't dream of it," Maki promised. "But if you don't start talking in the next ten seconds, I'm telling everyone about that time in the cafeteria when you saw—"

  "Fine!" Shiori burst out.

  "Taiki," she started, "You probably think I'm always confident and put-together, but lately I've been a complete mess. Walking into doors, dropping things, losing my focus during practice..."

  Taiki nodded, remembering all the strange incidents over the past few weeks. He'd attributed it to stress or fatigue, but now...

  "And it's because..." Shiori's voice wavered. "It's because of you."

  Taiki's brain stopped. He must have misheard. The sake must be stronger than he thought.

  "Every time you're around, I can't think straight," Shiori continued, words tumbling out faster now. "When you get excited about making a good play, or when you're focused on analyzing the court, or even just when you're sitting on our couch complaining about practice... I keep noticing these little things about you. And then I forget how to walk properly."

  Maki made a small squealing sound that she quickly disguised as a cough.

  "I like you, Taiki," Shiori said softly, finally meeting his eyes. "Not because you're getting better at volleyball, or because you're my roommate, but because you're you."

  Taiki sat there, completely frozen. His mind raced to process what he'd just heard, but all he could focus on was the way Shiori's eyes reflected the lantern light, and how his heart seemed to have forgotten its basic function.

  "Oh god, please say something," Shiori whispered, panic creeping into her voice. "Even if it's just to tell me I've made everything weird."

  "I think we broke him," Maki whispered.

  "Shut up, Maki," Sato muttered, elbowing her.

  Taiki's fingers tightened around his cup. Shiori liked him? Shiori - the basketball star, the girl who could literally have anyone at school - liked… him? The same Shiori who'd been patiently helping him with volleyball, who always saved him the spiciest curry, who...

  Oh.

  "You're not making anything weird," he finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I never thought... I mean, you're you and I'm..."

  "If you say 'just Taiki,' I'm going to dump this entire bottle of sake over your head," Maki threatened.

  "I mean..." Taiki ran a hand through his hair. "I always thought you deserved someone who could match your dedication to sports, not someone who just learned how to set a ball properly last week."

  Shiori's eyes softened. "Taiki, you idiot," she said. "Did you ever think that maybe I like that you're not obsessed with sports? That it's refreshing to have someone who sees me as more than just a basketball player?"

  "Oh," Taiki said again. "Well.. when you put it that way..."

  Maki let out an exasperated groan. "This is painful to watch. Shiori literally just confessed her feelings, and you're sitting there analyzing it."

  "I like you too," he blurted out.

  Maki raised her arms to the sky. "Thank god! Finally! Do you have any idea how many times I've had to listen to Shiori panic about this? 'Oh no, Taiki smiled at me and I dropped my water bottle!' 'Help, Maki, he's wearing a different shirt today and I walked into a door!'"

  Shiori's face burned bright red. "Maki!"

  "No, I'm not done," Maki declared, pointing an accusatory finger at her friend. "Three weeks ago, you had a complete meltdown because Taiki said your were super nice. You literally called me at midnight to freak out about it."

  "That's... That's not exactly how it happened."

  "Oh really?" Maki's eyes gleamed. "Should I tell them about the time you spent twenty minutes trying to decide if wearing your hair up or down would make you look more approachable during morning practice?"

  "I hate you so much right now," Shiori muttered.

  "No you don't," Maki sang. "You love me because I've been listening to your Taiki-related crises for weeks without losing my mind. Though it was a close call sometimes."

  Taiki's brain finally kicked back into gear, and with it came a panic tsunami.

  "Wait," he called out. "What about basketball? Your reputation? The school—" He ran a hand through his hair again. "People already gossip about us being roommates. If they found out we're... that we..." He couldn't even say it.

  "And the fan clubs!" His voice rose an octave. "You have three fan clubs, Shiori. Three! They'll murder me in my sleep!"

  Shiori opened her mouth to respond, but Taiki was on a roll.

  "Maybe we need schedules," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Yeah, schedules. I can take different routes to class. Or leave earlier. Or later? No, earlier would be better because most students aren't—"

  "Taiki—" Shiori tried to interrupt.

  "And the gym! We share practice times. That's going to be a problem. Maybe I can convince Coach to let me practice at different hours. Or I could switch to morning practice permanently. Though Maki might kill me if we need to go earlier—"

  "Oh my god," Maki groaned.

  "Taiki," Shiori said firmly. "Stop planning escape routes."

  Taiki's mouth snapped shut mid-ramble, eyes meeting Shiori's.

  "I don't care about fan clubs or gossip," Shiori said. "And I definitely don't want you taking different routes to class or avoiding practice."

  "But—"

  "No buts," she cut him off. "I've spent weeks watching you work harder than anyone else, never giving up even when things seemed impossible. And now you want to run away because of what other people might think?"

  Taiki slumped against the edge. "I just don't want to cause problems for you."

  "The only problem," Shiori said, "is that you keep assuming you know what's best for me without actually asking what I want."

  Maki nodded sagely. "She's got you there."

  "Nobody asked you," Taiki muttered

  "Actually," Sato chimed in, "she's been asking me for advice about this for weeks too. Though most of her suggestions involved locking you two in a supply closet until you talked things out."

  "That was Plan C," Maki admitted shamelessly. "Plan A was this hot spring trip. Plan B involved stealing all your curry until you confronted Shiori about it."

  "You wouldn't," Taiki gasped, genuinely horrified at the thought.

  "Try me," Maki grinned, then yelped as Sato splashed water in her face.

  Sato raised his sake cup with a grin. "Well, would you look at that? Two different apartment roommates getting together on the same night. That's pretty classy if you ask me."

  Taiki nearly choked on his drink. "Getting together? Who said anything about—"

  "Oh, shut up," Maki splashed water in his direction. "You literally just confessed to each other. In a hot spring. Under the stars. That's like, peak romance right there."

  "It's not—" Taiki started, but Shiori's hand finding his under the water made him completely forget what he was going to say.

  "A toast then," Sato declared, his sake cup held high. "To roommates who finally got their act together."

  "To curry-induced confessions," Maki added.

  "To emotional honesty," Shiori said softly.

  "To whatever this is," Taiki finally managed.

  "Whatever this is?" Maki repeated. "That's the best you can do?"

  "Give him a break," Sato laughed. "He's still processing."

  They clinked their cups together, sealing their confessions.

  Taiki watched amazed, as Maki and Shiori swayed back and forth, locked in what had to be their fifth emotional embrace in the last hour. The sake bottles sat mostly empty between him and Sato, who was fighting back laughter.

  "Shiiiii," Maki sniffled, her face buried in Shiori's shoulder. "You're my best friend. Like, my actual best friend."

  "No, you're my best friend," Shiori insisted, patting Maki's head with slightly uncoordinated movements. "You helped me with everything. With Taiki, and basketball, and—" She pulled back suddenly, holding Maki at arm's length with a serious expression. "Remember when you kicked that ball into Coach's coffee?"

  This sent both girls into a fit of giggles before they collapsed into another hug.

  "How long has this been going on?" Taiki whispered to Sato.

  "About forty-five minutes," Sato replied, checking his phone. "They went from 'I can't believe you like Taiki' to 'you're my soul sister' in record time."

  "You're so pretty," Maki declared, now playing with Shiori's hair. "Like a basketball angel."

  "Stop," Shiori laughed, swatting at Maki's hands. "You're the pretty one. And so good at... at sports now!" Her expression suddenly turned fierce. "Remember when everyone said you couldn't play? Well, look at you now!"

  "Oh no," Maki's eyes welled up again. "You believed in me!"

  "Of course I did!"

  They fell into another tearful embrace.

  "Should we... do something?" Taiki asked uncertainly.

  Sato shook his head, pouring them each another small cup. "Nah, let them have their moment"

  Taiki turned to Sato, keeping his voice low. "So... you and Maki, huh?"

  "Yeah, I mean... she's kind of amazing, right?" He glanced over at Maki, who was now enthusiastically describing to Shiori how she'd memorized all of Sato's volleyball plays. "She shows up at 4 AM to practice. Who does that?"

  "I do. But mostly someone equally as crazy as you," Taiki said, remembering all the times he'd seen Sato doing extra drills before dawn.

  "Exactly!" Sato's eyes lit up. "And have you seen her during basketball practice lately? She's not just running around randomly anymore. She's actually reading plays, anticipating movements..." He trailed off, realizing he was getting loud.

  Taiki couldn't help but smile at his friend's obvious enthusiasm. "You've been watching her practice a lot, haven't you?"

  "Says the guy who couldn't take his eyes off Shiori during our matches," Sato countered.

  "That's different," Taiki protested, though they both knew it wasn't. "I just... wanted to see if she was watching the sets."

  "Right, the sets," Sato nodded sagely.

  Before Taiki could fire back a witty response, a blur of motion crashed into Sato. Maki had launched herself at him, tears still streaming down her face.

  "You!" she accused, jabbing a finger into his chest. "With your stupid morning exercises! Do you know how many times I've woken up to hear you counting push-ups at five in the morning?"

  Sato tried to steady himself, looking both amused and confused. "Wait, you can hear that?"

  "The walls are paper thin!" Maki wailed, now gripping his shoulders. "One-two-three-four," she mimicked in a terrible impression of his voice. "Every. Single. Morning!"

  "I thought you were a heavy sleeper," Sato defended.

  "I was! Until you moved in with your... your..." she gestured wildly, nearly smacking Taiki in the process, "your athletic enthusiasm!"

  Shiori had followed behind Maki, barely containing her laughter. "She's been wanting to tell you that for months."

  "You know what else?" Maki continued, somehow working herself up even more. "Sometimes you do jumping jacks! Who does jumping jacks at dawn?"

  "I think that's enough sake for tonight," Taiki muttered, reaching for Maki's cup, but she swatted his hand away without even looking.

  "No more early morning workouts," Maki demanded, poking Sato's chest again.

  Taiki barely had time to process Maki's workout rebellion when Shiori dropped down in front of him, her eyes intense and slightly unfocused.

  "You," she started, pointing at him just as dramatically as Maki had done with Sato. "You're so... frustrating!"

  "She's right!" Maki called out, still hanging onto Sato.

  "Wait, what did I—" Taiki began.

  "You make curry for dinner and it's perfect," Shiori's voice cracked with emotion. "Who makes perfect curry? And you fold your laundry! Who actually folds their laundry?"

  "Normal people?" Taiki offered.

  "Exactly!" Shiori exclaimed, suddenly beaming. "You're so normal! It's wonderful!"

  "Preach!" Maki pumped her fist in agreement.

  Just as quickly, Shiori's expression crumpled. "But then you avoided me for weeks! Weeks!" She smacked his arm lightly. "Do you know how many walls I walked into?"

  "Seven!" Maki supplied helpfully. "I counted!"

  "Seven walls!" Shiori repeated, now laughing through tears. "And then—" she grabbed Taiki's shoulders, her mood shifting again, "—you got better at volleyball! Like, actually better! Did you see his sets?" She turned to address Maki.

  "They were amazing!" Maki nodded enthusiastically. "So sneaky!"

  "So sneaky," Shiori echoed, turning back to Taiki with a proud smile that quickly transformed into a scowl. "But you still think you're not good enough! Why do you think that? You're..." she gestured wildly, searching for words, "you're Taiki!"

  "The best Taiki!" Maki chimed in.

  "The only Taiki!" Shiori declared, before bursting into tears again. "And you're my roommate!"

  Taiki shot a desperate look at Sato, who just shrugged helplessly, still trapped in Maki's grip.

  Maki suddenly jerked upright from Sato's shoulder, her eyes wide with revelation. "Wait, wait, wait!" She pointed accusingly at Shiori. "He's not your roommate anymore!"

  Shiori blinked in confusion. "What?"

  "He's your boyfriend now!" Maki declared, swaying slightly as she tried to maintain her posture. "You can't just keep calling him your roommate. That's, like, emotional backtracking or something."

  "Oh," Shiori's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "You're right!" She turned to Taiki with horror. "I'm sorry! You're my boyfriend!"

  Taiki spat half of his sake sip. He coughed and sputtered, his face burning from both the alcohol and Shiori's sudden declaration.

  "I'm your what now?" he wheezed.

  "Boyfriend!" Shiori repeated with absolute conviction. "Unless... you don't want to be?"

  "No! I mean, yes! I mean—"

  "He's malfunctioning," Maki observed. "Quick, someone reboot him!"

  "That's not how people work," Sato chuckled, steadying Maki as she made exaggerated powering-down noises at Taiki.

  "I just... wasn't expecting..." Taiki gestured vaguely between himself and Shiori, still trying to find the right words. "We haven't even... I mean, we only just..."

  "Oh my god," Maki groaned, flopping backward dramatically. "We literally just had this whole confession scene! Were you not paying attention?"

  "I was!" Taiki protested. "But there's a difference between liking someone and suddenly being their... their..."

  "Boyfriend," Shiori supplied. "Unless I'm moving too fast? I didn't mean to assume—"

  "No!" Taiki said quickly. "No, you're not. I just... wasn't prepared to hear it out loud yet." He ran a hand through his hair. "But I... I'd like that. Being your boyfriend, I mean."

  Feeling a surge of confidence from his own admission, Taiki turned to Sato with a smirk. "What about you? Ready to make it official as Maki's boyfriend?"

  Sato suddenly straightened up.

  "I, uh..." Sato's voice cracked slightly.

  "Yeah, Sato," Maki said poking his cheek. "What about it? Want to do morning exercises together as an official couple?"

  "That's not fair," Sato protested. "You can't use my workout routine against me right now."

  "Not answering the question, Satoooo," Taiki teased.

  "I... that is..." Sato's hand twitched toward his hair, mirroring Taiki's nervous habit. "Of course I want—"

  "What was that?" Maki cupped her hand around her ear. "Couldn't quite hear you over all that stammering."

  "You're enjoying this way too much," Sato muttered.

  "Payback for all those early morning jumping jacks," Maki replied cheerfully, poking his chest again. "Now come on, Mr. Morning Exercise. Use those vocal cords I hear counting reps through the wall every day."

  Sato let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. Yes. I would very much like to be your boyfriend. Even with the early morning complaints and the dramatic sake declarations and—"

  He didn't get to finish his list because Maki launched herself at him again.

  "We got boyfriends on the same day!" Maki squealed, releasing Sato only to lunge for Shiori. The two girls collided in yet another tearful embrace, nearly knocking Taiki over in the process.

  "The same day!" Shiori echoed, bouncing up and down with Maki in the water. "And they're volleyball players!"

  "And they're roommates!" Maki added, then paused, frowning. "Wait, no, we're their roommates. This is getting confusing."

  "Who cares?" Shiori laughed, squeezing Maki tighter. "We did it! Operation Get The Boys worked!"

  "That was not the operation name," Maki protested through happy tears. "It was Operation Make These Idiots Realize Their Feelings."

  "That's worse," Taiki muttered to Sato, who nodded in agreement.

  "Shut up, it was perfect," Maki shot back without breaking her hug with Shiori. "And it worked, didn't it?"

  Taiki's brain finally caught up with the conversation, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Wait a minute," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at Shiori. "If I remember correctly from earlier, you've been panicking about this for what... a month now?"

  Shiori's eyes widened in horror. "Taiki, don't you dare—"

  "Running into walls, dropping things, fleeing to Maki's room in your pajamas..." Taiki counted off on his fingers. "So technically, your whole operation couldn't have worked because you already had feelings way before that."

  "He's got a point," Sato chimed in helpfully.

  "Whose side are you on?" Maki demanded.

  "The side of historical accuracy"

  Maki swayed dangerously, pointing an unsteady finger at Shiori. "Listen, I tried everything to get her to spill about you, Taiki. Everything!"

  Shiori covered her face with her hands.

  "I asked during practice," Maki continued, counting on her fingers and nearly losing her balance. "I asked during lunch. I even tried that thing where you surprise someone while they're drinking water!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Nothing worked! She just kept getting all red and running away!"

  "I did not run away," Shiori protested.

  "You literally sprinted out of the cafeteria last week," Maki countered. "In the middle of a conversation!"

  "That was... I had basketball practice!"

  "Practice wasn't for three hours!"

  Taiki and Sato exchanged knowing looks before bumping their fists together. The tables had finally turned.

  "And here we thought we were being obvious," Sato said with a grin.

  "Speak for yourself," Taiki replied,"I was being strategically distant."

  "Is that what you're calling it?" Shiori muttered.

  Taiki shrugged, "At least I didn't spend an entire month dropping things."

  The smug expression lasted approximately two seconds before Maki's eyes narrowed dangerously.

  "Oh, that's rich coming from you," she snorted, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You literally watched her do all that weird stuff, and didn't think anything was weird about it?"

  "I thought she was just... tired from basketball practice," Taiki defended weakly.

  "Tired?" Maki's voice rose an octave. "Even the stupidest person on earth would have caught those hints!" Maki threw her hands up again. "But no, Mr. 'She's Just Being Nice' over here thought it was totally normal for the school's basketball star to suddenly develop a severe case of wall-collision syndrome whenever he showed up!"

  Sato tried and failed to suppress his laughter. "She's got you there."

  "The densest guy in the universe," Maki declared, crossing her arms. "I bet if Shiori had literally worn a shirt that said 'I like Taiki' you would have assumed she meant some other Taiki."

  Taiki slumped in defeat, and watched in fascination as Maki and Shiori's conversation devolved into increasingly incoherent gushing about their respective boyfriends.

  "And he does this thing," Maki slurred, gesturing wildly at Sato, "where he counts push-ups in his sleep! It's so cute!"

  "I do not," Sato protested weakly, but Maki just patted his cheek.

  "Shhhh, yes you do. Three nights ago: 'one... two... zzz...'" She dissolved into giggles.

  Their enthusiastic gestures became increasingly uncoordinated until finally, Shiori slumped against Maki's shoulder.

  "M'tired," Shiori mumbled.

  "Same," Maki agreed, her head drooping.

  Taiki and Sato exchanged glances.

  "Well," Taiki sighed, "I guess that's our cue."

  "At least they're happy drunks," Sato offered. Maki mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "one-two-three" before slumping further into Shiori.

  "You take Maki, I'll get Shiori?" Taiki suggested, already moving to support her.

  After several failed attempts, they managed to half-carry, half-drag them back to their futons.

  With careful maneuvering, they managed to deposit both girls onto their respective futons. Maki immediately curled into a ball, while Shiori sprawled out like a starfish, taking up nearly two futons' worth of space.

  "Well, that's gonna be one hell of a headache tomorrow"