Her name is Akane.
That day, as her group was presenting their project, I felt something I had never felt before—love at first sight. As she calmly explained the material they had prepared, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
I had never truly experienced love before, and I certainly hadn't liked someone this intensely. Why do I call it serious? Because, long before I fell for Akane, I had been interested in someone else. But I chose to suppress those feelings and see them as nothing more than a close friend—like a sibling.
But this time, it was different. Every time I saw Akane from a distance, my heart raced, my face flushed. It might sound silly, but this feeling was so overwhelming—it was as if I lost control just by looking at her.
*****
One day, I got assigned to a group project, and this time, Akane was in the same group as me.
It was a rare stroke of luck—just once did I get the chance to work with her.
As the group members began discussing the project, including Akane, I felt nervous just watching her. Still, I didn't stay completely silent. I spoke up now and then, completing the tasks assigned to each of us.
But there was one moment when I was really stuck.
"Ugh, how am I supposed to do this…" I muttered to myself, staring at the material I had to prepare for the presentation.
While the other group members passed the time playing games or chatting as they waited for their turn, I felt a bit too embarrassed to ask for help. But then, Akane noticed I was struggling and came over, sitting down next to me.
"Is there something difficult, Hikari? Which part is confusing you?" she asked gently, her voice soothing.
"Ahh-uhmm, yeah, I think so. I'm not sure where to put this material, or which image would work best for the presentation," I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, take a look at this. You can place it here, and then add a little more detail to this part... Oh, and for the image, you can use this one," she said, pointing at my laptop screen with a soft smile.
Akane is a kind-hearted girl, easy to get along with anyone. She's so kind that my heart couldn't help but be drawn to her.
Working on the project with her was such a pleasant experience, and thanks to her, I even started to connect with the other group members as well. That's when I began to think that maybe, I really could change.
*****
It was probably the first and last time we would ever be in the same group. Even so, though we were no longer in the same group, we still talked to each other—though not very often.
Sometimes, I found myself wondering:
Do I even deserve to love someone as good as her?
Could I ever get close to her?
And with a face like mine, far from handsome, do I even have the right to love her and dream of dating someone as beautiful as she is?
These questions haunted me, day and night. I decided to hold off on confessing my feelings, choosing instead to try to get closer to her first.
One day, when I was hanging out with the friends I usually did group projects with, they came over to my place. Even though we didn't have any work to do, we often took turns playing at each other's houses. Those are memories I still hold dear.
On that day, Rentarou, one of my closest friends, suggested we play Truth or Dare. The rules were simple—whoever lost and got picked had to either truthfully answer a question or take on a dare.
And who was the first to lose? Of course, it was me. Rentarou didn't waste any time asking the question, "So, who do you like?"
I felt cornered, with no choice but to be honest. After a moment of hesitation, I finally admitted, "Akane." My friends were surprised, but it seemed like they had already suspected it.
I wasn't too shocked by their reaction, since I'd often been caught looking at her from afar when I had nothing else to do. I know it's not the most polite behavior, and I'm sorry for that.
What started as just a fun game quickly turned into a conversation about my love life. Even though it was a bit embarrassing to talk about my crush in front of my friends, oddly enough, it felt really good.
My friends rallied around me, offering their support and encouragement. With their help, I began to feel a spark of confidence I hadn't known before—a small, but powerful belief that maybe, just maybe, I could find the courage to finally confess my feelings to her.