CH. 123 - Stray Clouds

On a warm summer morning, Shiori walks with her head held high and a soft smile on her face as the breeze blows through her hair, swaying her bangs side to side over her face. She approaches the school's front entrance as she stops for a moment. Many students are gathering around the poster boards by the main entrance, looking for their names on the graduation list. A few sigh with relief as some cheer and throw their bags into the air, celebrating early. She stares at the tall building in front of her and the classmates and students around her for a moment before breathing in deep with happiness filling her soul. 

‘Okay. Last day of highschool. How hard can it be?’ She thinks to herself as she begins to take a step forward but is startled by a voice behind her.

“Hey Shiori! There you are! I’ve been looking for you!” Hikigaya says with a big smile as Shiori almost trips because of his sudden call out. She turns to him with a surprised and confused look.

“Hiki? I thought you were gonna sleep in and have your mom take you later?” She asks as Hikigaya steps next to her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Yeah, I was until someone left rather loudly this morning, waking me up. So I decided to chase after you. Do you realize how fast you walk? And didn’t you hear me calling your name?” He asks with a smirk as Shiori sweats a bit with an embarrassed look.

“N-no.. I guess I was just deep in thought..” she says with an embarrassed giggle. Hikigaya smiles a bit before lifting her chin up and kissing her softly. She blushes nervously as Hikigaya pulls back, looking at her with gentle eyes.

“Nervous?” he asks.

“Y-yeah… a little.” She admits.

“Don’t be.” He says softly before turning around with a droop. “At least you know you passed. I on the other hand…” He says with a sweat. Shiori giggles while taking his hand in hers.

“Don’t worry, love. Whatever happens, we’ll handle it together.” She says with a blush as Hikigaya blushes and smiles back. They eventually head to the board where the others are all waiting.

“Oh dude! Isn’t this so exciting?! Last day of school, then we’re free!” Haru cheers as Hisana and Alice nod excitedly. 

“I’m surprised you actually showed up, Hikigaya.” Lucy teases as Hikigaya glares at her.

“Yeah, I bet you are, especially after your ‘oh so kind’ text this morning.” Hikigaya says sarcastically.

“Only the kindest for you.” She says with a smug look while pulling out her phone and showing her text to the others.

“Hey, don’t bother coming to school. You totally failed, in fact, you’re getting sent back to elementary school for how bad you failed.” It reads.

“Okay, okay, no more teasing! Let’s get to the board and see what actually happened.” Sugawara says as the group relents. They walk together to the board, making their way through the crowd, until they can finally read the board. Hikigaya scans the papers until he finds his name. He takes a deep breath in before reading ‘Passed’ by his name. He sighs in relief as a soft smile forms on his face. 

“See?? I knew you made it!” Haru shouts while jumping on Hikigaya and wrapping his arm around his neck. Hikigaya looks a bit annoyed by his loud voice but doesn’t fight it as Touma walks up and hugs them both tightly, lifting them off the ground.

“Never had a doubt.” He says with a big smile. Shiori watches them and sighs in relief as Kitaro and Lucy step next to her.

“Relieved your boyfriend actually made it, huh?” Kitaro asks smugly.

“So much for no doubts.” Lucy says, smirking. Shiori smiles awkwardly at them.

“Maybe a little..” She admits as they giggle. As they do, Hisana cheers happily.

“Yay! We did it! Come on, guys! Let’s get inside before all the good seats are taken!” Hisana says excitedly before rushing in, taking Kitaro and Sugawara’s hands with her. The rest of the group begins to follow when suddenly, a pair of big strong hands place themselves on Shiori and Hikigaya’s shoulders. They stop with shocked looks as Mr. Goda leans down a bit to them.

“Well, if it isn’t my prized pupils.” He says with a loud voice and a smile.

“H-hi Mr. Goda. What brings you here..?” Shiori asks with a concerned look, shakily turning to him. Goda looks at her surprised.

“I’m here to see my students off, of course! I am a teacher after all.” He says.

“Right, right…” Hikigaya says, looking away nervously. Goda smirks mischievously.

“Say, why don’t we run our course one more time, for old time's sake?” He asks. They both stiffen up at his words as Goda starts laughing loudly. “Ha ha ha! I’m joking! You two need to laugh more. It’s good for the muscles.” He says with a smile as they chuckle awkwardly.

“Right, well, we should probably head inside. You know, the ceremony and everything.” Shiori says, pointing ahead.

“Exactly.” Hikigaya agrees as they try to walk away.

“Not so fast.” Goda says as his grip on their shoulders tightens a bit, stopping them. He leans down a bit with a mischievous smile. “Speaking of the ceremony… why don’t you two come with me?” He says ominously as they get scared looks. The rest of the group looks back at them as Goda begins to pull them away despite their struggling and pleas.

“What was that about?” Suiyoubi asks.

“They looked scared..” Alice says.

“Oh, you know Mr. Goda. Could be anything.” Lucy says. Touma nods agreeing with her as Lucy turns around. “I’m sure we’ll find them inside. Not like he could keep them from the ceremony. Let’s go find the others.” She says as she starts walking into the auditorium with the others.

Not long later, as the group sits with the rest of their class as well as the many graduating students around them, they start to get concerned. The loud chatter of the many students and their families fill the auditorium as Lucy looks around with a sweat, trying to spot Shiori and Hikigaya.

“Where are they? It’s been like an hour now, the ceremony is about to start!” Lucy says. Touma looks concerned too as he sits next to her.

“You think they got lost?” He asks. Hisana worries as she tries to stand up.

“Oh no! We better go find them!” She says, but before she can do anything, Kitaro grabs her arm gently and keeps her sitting.

“If you leave now, you’ll definitely miss it.” He says.

“It’ll be alright. Let’s just focus on the ceremony for now.” Ryuji says, comforting Hisana as she nods in response.

On the stage, multiple staff and teachers talk, probably discussing the ceremony and making sure everything is ready. Among them is Ms. Samuel, Mr. Goda and Announcer Shuhei with other vaguely recognizable staff next to them. After a moment, the staff all take their places, standing along the stage, as Shuhei steps to the microphone at the podium before clearing his throat.

“Ahem. Attention everyone, we are about to begin so please take your seats and hush up.” He says with a smile as the crowd begins to settle. “First off, I’d like to personally thank you all for coming, especially the families. It is a big day for us all and it brings me much joy to know we’re all supporting these young adults as they step into a new phase of their life. Now, please welcome Principal Ai to the stage to say a few words about our wonderful graduating class!” He says enthusiastically, the crowd claps gently as Ai steps onto the stage and to the microphone.

“Hello everyone. I’m so glad to see so many of my students’ faces on this day. It brings me so much pleasure seeing how far all of you have come. There is no school in the Districts that I’d rather lead than this one right here and that’s thanks to each and every one of you. You all should be very proud of yourselves, as I am in you.” She says warmly as the students get filled with pride and love from their principal, smiling and giggling happily to themselves. She smiles before speaking once more.

“I’m sure you know I’ve come prepared with a whole speech for you… but then again, you’ve all heard me lecture you plenty over the past four years so instead, I’m going to have a couple students, peers of yours, step forward and talk for me. My proudest example of just how much a person can change when given the proper support. From known school bullies and troublemakers to grade A students and even better friends, please welcome Hikigaya Oshiro and Shiori Inabi.” Principal Ai says, raising her hand to the side as they both anxiously step out onto the stage and towards the podium. The group and their parents look shocked and worried.

“Oh my cos!” Hamasaki says softly.

“What’re they doing up there?..” Asami says with a sweat.

“Will they be alright?..” Suiyoubi asks softly as Lucy sweats with a concerned look. She then smirks and shrugs, still looking a bit concerned.

“Eh. Who knows?” She says.

Principal Ai steps to the side as Shiori and Hikigaya awkwardly stand in front of the mic for a moment, sweating nervously and uncertain of what to do or say.

“Uh… hi-” Hikigaya says before accidentally hitting the mic with his hand, reaching for it. The mic shakes a bit as he laughs awkwardly. “Haha… I think I’ll just.. Leave it there..” he says awkwardly. Touma shakes his head as Haru face palms. Shiori stands there shocked and confused as Hikigaya does his best to come up with something.

“Yeah, so, we weren’t given much time to prepare. Well, actually, we were just told about this, this morning. So uh, yeah we’re a little unprepared for a speech but we’ll try our best!” He says with a big smile, trying to cheer up the crowd. 

“Hey, I’ve seen you pull off more with less!” Daiki shouts with a supportive smile on his face as the crowd laughs a bit, trying to alleviate the pressure. Hikigaya chuckles a bit and points to him.

“Haha, let’s hope you’re right!” He says as the crowd laughs again.

“You guys got this!” Chikao shouts.

“Yeah, no sweat!” Airi shouts too. The crowd of students then erupts in applause, doing their best to help Shiori and Hikigaya feel more comfortable. As Hikigaya smiles and waves at them, everything seems to slow down and the noise around her begins to fuzzy. Shiori’s anxiety can’t help but cause her to panic under the sudden task of speaking in front of the entire school.

‘What am I doing? I’m freezing up as Hikigaya is trying his best. But… what do I do?..’ She thinks as her grip on her arm tightens. She shakes a little as her heart races. She then hears a faint whistle through the applause and voices. She slowly looks to her right only to see Samuel standing behind her a bit next to the other staff. Samuel looks at her with a soft smile on her face, scar and all. She subtly motions for Shiori to try her best and supports her. Shiori looks back as her eyes widen a little, a spark of courage igniting in her soul as she nods a bit. She then looks forward at the crowd before taking a deep breath in.

“Thank you, guys. We’ll do our best! So, first off, congratulations to all of you- and us! Uh, you know, good job for-”

“Listen, everyone!” Shiori suddenly grabs the mic from Hikigaya and shouts to the crowd. They all look at her, surprised, as she freezes up a bit again, suddenly realizing her position. She nervously smiles a bit before continuing to speak. “Sorry, that was.. A little sudden. Listen, there are some things I need to say to you all.” She speaks softly into the microphone. “When I came to this school on my first day, just like all of you, I expected things to play out the exact same as they had every year prior.”

She thinks back to the way she used to be and visions how things could have played out differently.

“Every day I would come to school alone, study alone, eat alone. I even liked it that way, because I thought that everyone around me was cruel or selfish and only cared about themselves. I figured the less people who saw me meant the less trouble I’d cause. I assumed that everyone thought the same way I did.”

She pictures herself walking through the halls of Iris High by herself as the other students and even her now friends pass her by without giving her a second glance. Her head hanging lower and lower until she stops.

“But then… on my first day of school, someone showed me that it wasn’t true.”

The darkness surrounding her begins to fade away as a bright floral light begins surrounding her. She looks up to see Chizuru, just like she was on the first day of school, offering her hand of friendship to her.

“She showed me that people really do care. That people… aren’t as bad as you might think.” She smiles warmly as her eyes shine. The group’s eyes glisten, knowing what she’s talking about. “On my first day of school, before the first bell had even rung, my entire worldview was shattered into a million pieces by someone who cared deeply about everyone around her. That’s why… I’m happy I’ve gone through everything I have.” She says with a big smile.

“I’m happy with the way things ended up despite all the pain and loss we’ve endured along the way.” She thinks about the many things that have happened over the course of the past few years, meeting Sugawara, Holden Manor, her first Christmas party and new years spent with a friend. Her losing her home but finding a new one. Her first beach day, her first club, her first sports festival, her first play, her first dance, her first kiss. Green Fur Ranch, The Cultural Festival, the summer getaway. All of these thoughts and memories comes pouring out of her as she continues her speech to her friends.

 “I love these memories I’ve made with my friends, my teachers, my classmates. The memories I made will be cherished in my soul forever and I hope you all feel the same!” She smiles at her friends as everyone begins to tear up a bit at her words. She then raises her fist into the air, smiling proudly. “So let’s cheer for everyone who couldn’t be here with us today and for the bright future we have ahead of us!” She shouts as Hikigaya watches her with admiration before raising his fist too, cheering loudly as the entire student body does the same, cheering loudly with joy, excitement, anxiety, fear and love filling their souls. Shiori looks at the crowd before her with a warm, proud expression as she feels the overwhelming emotions flooding her soul. A soft hand is placed on her shoulder as she looks back to see Ai behind her.

“I’m so proud of you.” She says softly as Shiori smiles at her one more time, the cheers of her classmates calling out around them.

The ceremony then continues as normal and soon comes to an end as many have done before this. The students begin leaving the auditorium with family and friends. All the students spread out as families come together with laughter and hugs, pride and love filling the air. Ryuji approaches his mom who hugs him tightly then his dad pulls him in to do the same. Natsu, Fuyu and Aki pull in Haru as Sugawara smiles with a sad look when Aki looks at him and extends her hand his way.

Sugawara looks hesitant when suddenly Riley pushes him forward, letting Aki grab him tightly and pull him in. Sugawara looks at Riley behind him as she smiles softly and nods to him. He smiles back before nuzzling into this family hug. Touma’s sister teases him as his parents chuckle behind them. Yamato does the same to Lucy who punches him in return. They are all enjoying the achievement of their students, basking in the warm light radiating off this crowd of graduates. Down the hall, Daiki talks with Airi as Kuzan walks beside them. 

“I was thinking about putting together a road trip before we all get settled down and become full fledged adults, haha!” Daiki says with a laugh as Airi nods.

“Yeah, we definitely should. It’d be good to see some of the other Districts, broaden our horizons. I might even find a new place to call home.” Airi says with a warm smile. As they talk, Kuzan gets distracted by a passing, handsome teacher, stopping and turning his head to stare. “What do you think, Kuzan? Maybe we should invite the others?” Airi asks, looking at him.

“Yeah, yeah, you do that. I think I got some business with Mr. Thomas though so I’ll see you guys later.” Kuzan says walking away as they get disappointed looks.

“You know, it’s still weird even if you graduated.” Daiki says.

“Hey, worth a shot, no?” Kuzan says with a cocky smile and a shrug before following after Mr. Thomas. Walking down the hall to their families, Kitaro and Hisana hold hands as she smiles warmly, pulling his arm close as he blushes in embarrassment but is still quite happy. Kitaro's mom cheers for them as the others sweat. As Alice talks with Suiyoubi and Mormo and a few others, a younger student taps her on the shoulder. Alice turns and looks at the girl who comically reveals herself wearing a mask and a cape similar to the ones Alice wore back then. Alice turns around happily with a big smile as the girl starts gushing out over Alice, saying she inspired her to be a hero too. Suiyoubi giggles as she watches them nerd out.

Shiori looks around with a warm smile on her face as she sees the many smiles of her friends faces and the warmth in the air when suddenly a boy approaches her with an embarrassed look. 

“H-hey, Shiori?” He gets her attention as she stops and looks at him, confused.

“Hi.” she says back. The boy looks nervous and fidgets a little.

“Hey, so, I just wanted to say that your speech really spoke to me. It was really incredible. You’re really incredible, honestly.. I was wondering if maybe… D-do you want to go out with me?” He asks, mustering up the courage at the last moment as Shiori looks shocked.

“Uh, well no, I-”

“Okay, that’s enough of that. Why don’t we leave the pretty lady alone, she’s taken.” Suddenly, Tsuki appears and starts pushing the disappointed guy along as Tsuki looks back and smiles at Shiori.

“Tsuki? What are you doing here?” She asks, surprised. Tsuki pats his hands together before putting them on his hips, looking at her.

“What? I had to come see my hero off. After all, we don’t graduate until next year, so it’ll be awhile. But you’ll wait for us, right? You guys won’t leave us behind?” He asks softly with a smile as Shiori smiles at him before playfully punching him on the arm.

“Nah! How could we forget about a cool guy like you?” She says with a playful smile as Tsuki nods.

“Yeah, how could we?” Hikigaya says with an annoyed look as Milo giggles, attached to him by a tight hug.

“Obvi! You could never forget my cute little face!” She says happily before she looks at Shiori with a soft smile. “Right, shortie?” She asks. Shiori sighs a bit but smiles back.

“Right.” She says softly.

“S-speaking of heroes…” They hear from behind them as Shiori turns around to see Amy standing behind them with a slightly shy look.

“Amy? You’re here too?” She asks. Amy nods a bit before getting a pouty look and looking away definitely.

“Well, I had a cousin who was graduating too, so I just happened to be here.” She says. Shiori sweatdrops a bit.

“Right.” She says with a raised eyebrow. Amy’s look softens before she hesitantly approaches Shiori, unsure of how to convey what she wants. Shiori notices her struggle and offers her hand to Amy, surprising her.

“Here.” Shiori says with a gentle smile. Amy stares at her hand for a moment before reaching out her own hand and grabbing Shiori’s in a shake, but then she suddenly pulls Shiori in for a hug.

“Thank you for helping me achieve my dream..” She whispers warmly as Shiori softly embraces the hug. After a moment, Amy lets go and steps back.

“Heh, well I better get going. I think my brother needs me.” She says, trying to act cool.

“I thought you said it was your cousin?” Milo asks, tilting her head to the side. Amy blushes in embarrassment before rushing off.

“Okay bye!” she shouts as they laugh a bit at her silliness.

Samuel stands in a hall watching her former students laugh and cheer with a melancholic look on her face. She takes a deep breath in as Ashley steps next to her.

“You did a great job, babe.” She says while patting Samuel on the head, who smiles proudly. She looks at her happily before looking back at the graduates softly.

“I hope so… I’m gonna miss them… I just hope they learned something they won’t ever forget.” Samuel says softly as Ashley blushes a little before smiling warmly at her.

Shiori laughs with her friends before looking over and seeing Principal Ai talking to a few other parents in the distance before walking away. Shiori thinks for a moment before running after her.

“I’ll be right back, guys!” She says as Hikigaya tries to stop her but decides not to. He looks down with an anxious look while rubbing the back of his neck.

“I hope I get the chance to ask her…” he says softly to himself. Shiori catches up to Principal Ai and stops her.

“Principal Ai?” She calls out. Ai turns and looks at Shiori surprised.

“How can I help you?” She says.

“I was… wondering something.” Shiori says softly. “About our punishment, Hikigaya and I. Did you.. know the whole time? What would happen between us?” She asks curiously as Ai stares at her with a soft look for a moment before looking up and speaking softly.

“You can never really know.” She says, Shiori’s look dropping a bit as if disappointed. “Love is a foolish and particular thing. Take a gamble that love exists and do your best to make that love grow. It is rare to find people who are willing to express their love so honestly." Ai says with a gentle wisdom in her voice, looking at her. Shiori stares at her with bright eyes, feeling her words as she turns and looks back at her friends as they laugh so honestly, expressing their true feelings to each other. Shiori smiles a little as she turns back to Ai, looking down a little with shining eyes.

“But finding two people who look at each other the way you two did when you first met? That’s even rarer.” Ai says with a warm smile as they think back to that first orientation day and the way they looked at each other. Despite both of their reservations about each other, there was a sparkle in their eyes as they walked away. Shiori’s face lights up as she looks at Ai before smiling a big smile. 

“Thank you, Principal Ai!” she says as Ai nods proudly, lovingly. 

“Come on, Shiori! Time to go!” Riku shouts. Shiori hears her brother whining before shyly rubbing her bangs together.

“Guess my family’s getting ready to leave. I better get going.” Shiori says softly. Ai nods again one last time as Shiori waves, turning and rushing off, making her way back to her family. Ai watches the troubled little girl rush off as she fades to the honest, loving woman she is today. Ai smiles with glistening eyes as she looks down gently before turning and walking away.

“Time to go?” Shiori asks as she joins her family.

“Oh no, Riku is just getting impatient. You take all the time need, sweetie.” Hamasaki says with a sweat and a smile as Takanou covers Riku’s mouth tightly, him struggling beneath his grasp. 

“Yeah, we’ll just meet you guys at home later. Go on now.” Asami says with a smile while pushing her son towards her a bit. Hikigaya stumbles a little as he glares at his mom who sticks her tongue out at him. Shiori blushes a smile at him as he looks at her.

“Should we gather the others?” She asks. He looks at her for a moment before answering.

“No…” he says before taking her hand nervously with a blush on his face. “We need to talk, privately.” He says softly as she nods, surprised. They make their way to a slightly more private area by a few trees on some grass within the school. They stop and stand for a moment as Shiori turns to face him with her hands behind her back.

“Okayyy, what do we need to talk about?” She asks, confused and a little anxious. Hikigaya looks at her for a moment before taking a deep breath and reaching into his pocket. He gets down on one knee and pulls out a small box. Instantly, Shiori realizes what’s happening and starts panicking. He opens it to reveal a beautiful ring as he looks to the side nervously.

“Shiori… will you… will you marry me?” He asks timidly as Shiori’s face turns red with a flood of emotions.

“I.. It- It’s just like how I described in my diary…” she says with a flustered stutter as Hikigaya smiles a little.

“I may have taken the liberty of finding that part on my own… I just wanted to make your dream come true." He says softly with an embarrassed smile as Shiori stares at the ring. “I understand if it’s too soon or too much right now.” He says softly before Shiori takes a step back as tears begin to form in her eyes. She then covers her face and looks down, crying. Hikigaya is shocked as he tries to comfort her. “H-hey! It’s okay! You don’t have to answer right now, I just wanted you to know that-”

“It’s not that…” She says, muffled behind her hands. Hikigaya stops and listens as Shiori lowers her hands a little, blushing intensely as she looks to the side softly. “I just… I never thought… I was so alone until I met you and then I… and we’re here next to a tree and it’s… it’s a dream come true… but I didn’t get you a ring too!” She says before dropping her hands to her sides as she cries dramatically. Hikigaya looks relieved as he steps towards her, gently holding her arms to comfort her.

“Hun, it’s okay. How would you have known? We’ll figure that out later.” He says gently. Shiori lifts her head and looks at him, sniffling a little.

“Nooo, I’ve gotta get you something too!” She whines playfully before she looks up past Hikigaya, noticing the sky. She stares at the clouds scattered across the blue sky as she smiles.

In her soul, she stands there looking up at the sky as the light begins to fall upon her, pushing the clouds apart and clearing the dark sky letting in the light. Shiori basks in its warmth, feeling it on her skin. She opens her eyes, both of them shining brightly, the same shining silver color as she stares at the two clouds left over. A couple of pink clouds floating in the blue sky above her pale desert. 

“Just some clouds, sticking together through it all.” She says softly as she smiles warmly in the real world. She then steps past Hikigaya as he watches her surprised. She lifts her hands up to the sky with a big smile on her face. “Then I guess I’ll have to give you the sky!” She says as she turns around smiling at him. “The Fullsky is yours to have, cloud and all! Because Stray Clouds are never alone!” She says as his eyes light up. In that moment, hearing her words, a memory is sparked in his mind. One that goes way back to a time in elementary school.

A young Hikigaya walks down the hall by himself with a lonely look on his face. He kicks a rock along until he looks up and notices a girl sitting by herself on a swing set. He stares at her for a moment before he smiles and approaches her. He notices some scratches and bruises on her skin before sitting down on the swing next to her.

“You’re sitting here all alone again?” He asks.

“Yep.” This young, very familiar girl says back without looking at him.

“Why?” He asks.

“Because nobody wants to sit with me.” She responds. They pause for a moment before Hikigaya speaks again.

“You sure do stare at the sky a lot.” He says, looking at the sky with her.

“Yep.” She responds blankly again. He sweats a little as he looks at her.

“...Why?” He asks awkwardly. She smiles before looking at him.

“Because I really like the clouds.” She says, finally showing a little emotion.

“Are clouds really that interesting?” He asks. She shakes her head softly.

“They’re not interesting but they are happy.” She says back.

“How do you know?” He asks again. She looks to the sky again with a smile on her face.

“Because they have each other.” She says softly. He looks up too with an intrigued look as she looks at him again with a warm smile. “I love the clouds because I’ve never seen one all by itself. They’re always together and never alone.” She says with bright eyes that leave him blushing. He finally remembers her eyes, her beautiful, mismatch colored eyes as they shined so brightly to him that day. He blushes before getting a big smile on his face.

“We should be friends!” He says happily as she looks at him surprised. “Just like those clouds, I’ll never leave you alone!” He says confidently as her eyes shine a bit. “What say you, cloud girl?” He asks, teasing her a little. She pauses for a moment before nodding with a smile.

“Okay.” She says softly as they sit on the swings for a moment. “Guess we’re just a couple of stray clouds, huh?” She asks playfully. 

Back at graduation day, under the bright blue sky where clouds are scattered throughout, in this highschool these years later, Hikigaya’s eyes widen as he speaks softly.

“It’s you…” He says as Shiori smiles at him. He rushes up to her and pulls her in for a tight hug. “It was always you… my cloud girl…” He says as tears form in his eyes. Shiori’s eyes widen at his words, flooding her with the same realization he just had in that moment. Her body softens as if this overpowering weight has been lifted off her shoulders, barely standing in his embrace. She stares off for a moment before slowly lifting her arms around him. She holds him before tightening her grip, embracing him as if never wanting to let go again.

“You… never left me…” she says as her grip tightens on him, tears forming in her eyes too.

“And I never will.” He says as they hug each other tightly, wanting to feel each other, needing it now more than ever. After a bit, he slides the ring onto her finger as she smiles at it, tears still in her eyes and a blush on her face. He places his hand on her cheek as he lifts her face before kissing her. They pull back and stare into each other's eyes before pressing their foreheads together.

“I love you, Shiori.” He whispers.

“I love you, Hikigaya.” She says back as they hold each other, never letting go. They eventually make it back to the spot they always meet at with the others. As she walks, Shiori can’t stop staring at the ring on her finger as her warm look glows. As soon as they get close enough, Lucy notices the ring and immediately starts elbowing Ryuji enthusiastically. He nods in approval.

“And look at their faces!” Lucy says happily.

“It looks like they finally figured it out.” He says warmly as Lucy stares at them for a moment. Her look drops a little as she looks down.

“I wish Chizuru was here to see this.. I miss her so much..” She says softly with a sad look despite her smile. Ryuji takes her hand gently and pulls her closer to him.

“Me too…” He says quietly as they both smile. 

“Took you guys long enough! I almost left you guys behind!” Haru says with a laugh as he approaches them before stopping when he notices the ring. “EH??” He voices loudly when Alice notices too and rushes over, shoving Haru to the ground out of the way.

“NO WAY!! Where’s my ring!?” She shouts at Hikigaya who sweats as he steps back defensively. Shiori giggles before lifting her ring and showing it off to her, wiggling her fingers.

“You’ll have to earn it too.” She says as Alice smiles and salutes them.

“Challenge accepted!” She says happily. Hisana and Sugawara stare at her ring with awe on their faces and sparkling eyes.

“It’s so pretty!” Hisana says.

“I’m so jealous!” Sugawara says too.

“Okay, okay, we are all very impressed by the new ring but let’s move along.” Lucy teases as she pushes them along. “I’m starving, let’s get something to eat.” Lucy says.

“Oh, I know! Let’s throw a big celebration party at Suga’s place!” Haru says, shooting up to his feet.

“Yeah! That would be awesome!” Sugawara says excitedly.

“Sounds cool to me.” Kitaro says casually.

“As long as we get food too.” Touma says with a smile.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Lucy says with a smirk, punching his arm softly. Tsuki and Milo then approach the group.

“Could we join?” Tsuki asks.

“I could bake us a cake!” Milo shouts happily.

“Yes, that sounds delightful. I would also like to enter Sugawara’s home.” Riley adds, appearing out of nowhere, shocking Haru.

“You make it sound so weird. And where did you come from??” He shouts with a sweat. Amy, Ichika and Hina then approach the group.

“Would we be too many?..” Amy asks shyly.

“No way! The more the better!” Hisana says happily, taking their hands in hers.

“In that case, count us in!” Daiki says as Airi and Kuzan stand behind him, joining the group. The entire group gathers by the front entrance as they cheer together.

“Yeah! Time for the party of our lives!” Alice cheers.

“It’s gonna be so much fun!” Suiyoubi adds.

“I hope y’all get up to some shenanigans again. If what miss darkshine told me is true, I’d like to be present. I could really amp up the vibe.” Mormo says as he sits on her head.

“You’re probably gonna ruin it like always…” Tsuki says as Mormo crosses his arms with an offended look.

“I’m not always a huge sack of shit you know.” He responds as Hikigaya and Ryuji teeter their hands with a side smile.

“Eh.” They say together as Mormo shouts at them angrily.

“Yeah, well, what do you know?!!” He shouts back.

"At least he's aware.." Kitaro whispers as Sugawara giggles.

The group laughs and cheers as they begin to make their way out of the school. They exit through the front gate like they always have but just when she’s about to cross the gate line in the ground leaving the school for the last time, Shiori stops. She stands there for a moment as she stares at the ground, almost hesitating to leave. Hikigaya looks back at her surprised. 

“Everything okay, Shiori?” He asks. The rest of the group stops too, noticing her, as she smiles and turns around, looking at the school one last time. The wind blows through her hair, swaying her bangs ever so slightly as she pauses before taking a deep breath in.

“Thank you for everything!!”

She shouts, letting out all of her emotions in one moment with tears in her eyes, a smile on her face and blush on her cheeks. She shouts to the school and everyone in it, letting them know just how she feels about her time here. The others smile warmly as Shiori then raises her hand to the sky and waves, the others smiling doing the same with smiles across their faces and joy in their souls, joined by every single one of their friends they’ve made along the way.

“Goodbye!” they shout, together.