Even Though I Loved You First

Weekend

I’m really nervous~ If anything, there’s no going back now… Just, calm yourself down, Riku! You got this! Be confident!

As I sat on a bench inside the commercial district, I tried to calm myself multiple times as I felt my heart pounding wildly due to the nervousness that I felt not only for the date, but for the confession…

At the end, I took Noah’s advice and wore something more casual yet formal. I wasn’t exactly used to this kind of clothing but if anything, it made me feel a little bit more confident in myself.

“G-good morning.” Just as I finally managed to calm down, I heard a feminine and soft voice in front of me. Lifting my face, I greeted my partner for the day, Sachi Sadataka, with a smile.

“Morning, Sachi. Slept well?” I said, trying to keep my composure.

“S-somewhat. Did I… make you wait?” She asked as I got up.

“Not really, I arrived a little less than ten minutes ago. I thought it was a must that I arrived first, you see.” I said as I scratched my cheek.

Sachi’s eyes widened a little and after some seconds with the same shocked expression, her face became redder and as she turned away she meekly said,

“I-I see… That’s… good to know…” (Sachi)

I was pretty calm by now… But how am I supposed to stay like this when she’s just so cute?!

“Uhm… S-shall we go?” (Riku)

If Sachi’s destructive smile left me weak already, it was way worse when I could hear the whispers of people passing by. Things like:’What an adorable couple!’ or ‘They look so good together!’ didn’t really help at all.

Me and Sachi… a good match?! It can’t be true! It’s way too good to be true! As we walked side by side we reviewed our schedule for today.

“So the movie starts at around twelve, right?” I asked.

“It’s only around ten right now, so we still have time… What should we do in the meantime?” (Sachi)

Apparently, the title for the movie that we are going to watch today is called ‘Breaking Point’, which in all honesty, seems like a really good title for a movie to me.

Maybe it’s because anime has dulled my expectations on titles. If anything, from the title alone it seemed like a really interesting watch. I was sort of looking forward to it.

“I’ve been wanting to watch this movie ever since it got announced… I remembered reading the book back in middle school and I was simply enamored with the characters!” Sachi excitedly said.

“Is that so? From what I’ve heard it’s romance, right?” I asked.

“Hm? Not really.” Sachi said.

“Huh? ‘Not really’?” (Riku)

“I mean, the book has romance, but it isn’t centered around it. Well, it would be better if you saw the movie rather than me telling you!” Sachi once again, said excitedly.

“Looks like you’re really excited.” I said, barely holding back my chuckle. Sachi grew stiff and even though she turned away, I could see her ears becoming a cute shade of red.

↜※↝

“So much to choose from!” Sachi said as she scanned the menu of the cafe we stopped by.

There was about an hour and twenty-five minutes until the movie started so to pass the time we entered an empty cafe that really felt relaxing.

“Riku! What should we choose?!” (Sachi)

“Hey now, relax. Do you drink tea, Sachi?” (Riku)

“Hm? I do. I’m not really a fan of soda so I tend to have tea as my comfort drink.” (Sachi)

“What does ‘comfort drink’ even mean?” I said with a chuckle.

After a little over ten minutes, the two of us decided on our orders and as we waited, we talked about our week so far and what not.

“I’m glad that the week is over! Those exams left me in the dust…” (Riku)

“I know what you mean, the last exams for the year are supposed to be the hardest ones.” Sachi giggled.

“I have to say… This year flew by really fast… Our first year as highschool students ended already, huh? Shame…” A half-hearted chuckle left my lips.

“So much happened this year that I’m afraid nothing surprises me anymore.” She giggles…

What Sachi said was true.

Just a little after we entered high school, everything regarding Kei and his unrequited love towards Shizuka was the main focus of some of our classmates. Even for us, who learned a new side of Kei thanks to that.

Then when Shizuka’s mysterious boyfriend was introduced and more so when Kei decided to befriend him and let him join our circle. Who would’ve thought that a few months later Kei would be dating an upperclassman…

And finally, some of the most recent changes… Those being the changes in our surroundings for both Sachi and me alongside the addition of a classmate of ours, Ichirou Segawa, to our friend group.

It has been almost a full year since our high school life started, and yet, we’ve been caught up in so many things that we could hardly believe barely a year has passed.

“You’re right. Can I ask you something?” I said as I took a sip of the orange juice I ordered.

“Hm? Sure.” She sipped on her tea.

“Are you having fun now, Sachi?” (Riku)

↜※↝

“Good thing we had the tickets.” I said as I saw the absurdly long queue to buy the tickets for the movie.

“Shall we go then, Riku?” As she started walking over to the screening room, I went right behind her.

After giving the tickets to an employee, we entered the screening room after I was able to give the movie poster another glance.

Hm… I’ve already looked at it multiple times now… But it never fails to amaze me the way they use the colors and the symbolism on the objects used…

“Riku’s inner artist seems to be unleashing…” Sachi pouted.

“Eh? How did you know?” (Riku)

“I wonder~ Come on, let’s sit down.” (Sachi)

Avoiding my question, Sachi motioned me to sit down next to her. The movie wasn’t to start for another eight minutes, so we continued talking in a lower voice than normal. Sachi’s sweet whispers as she talks to me where… enchanting, in a way. It was definitely a sweet experience and combined with her beauty, I felt as if I’ve used up all my life’s worth of luck.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the movie started. So naturally, we both grew quiet and turned to the screen.

The movie itself was just as Sachi told me, the first element of romance I noticed was already by half of the movie, and it was a subtle one.

The movie itself delved into topics like maturity and the effects that immature people could have on their friend groups. Yes, it wasn’t a pure mushy-type of romance. It was a romantic drama, one that started with a rejection and evolved into something more.

The characters felt so real, their ambitions and their motivations, they didn’t feel as if they were written by someone, as if they… were only fictional characters anymore.

The charm this movie had was not only in the visuals and symbolism, but in the dialogue, character interaction and especially… the soundtrack.

The soundtrack for this movie was beyond gorgeous, I felt like I was about to cry due to how immersed I felt. As I thought about this, I turned to where Sachi was sitting.

She, who’s profile was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, had her eyes glued to the screen as small tears started welling up around her eyes.

Just like me, she was also enthralled by the movie. No… if anything, she should be the one who receives the most impact. From what I’ve heard, the movie was adapted from a novel.

So naturally, seeing a novel you’ve read getting turned  into such a cinematic masterpiece would definitely be something moving…

Her beautiful jet-black hair, which was styled in a ‘crown’ and her beautiful obsidian eyes that had a look of longing in them as she felt sucked into the world of the movie…

Everything about her profile was so dazzling… so… beautiful.

I… really love her…

I’m deeply in love with Sachi Sadataka.

This was something that this date made me realize, from her mannerism to her way of speaking, I felt enthralled by each and every aspect of Sachi… to me… she shone the brightest.

But that’s not all, how she sulks when something small doesn’t go her way. How she pouts when we… when I tease her… How gentle and caring her voice sounds to the point where I could see myself falling asleep to it…

I loved everything about Sachi. I wanted to accept everything about her and I also wanted her to accept everything about me… I never believed in things such as fate or destiny…

But Sachi and I, meeting and getting this close? Well, that’s the only thing that I wholeheartedly believe was supposed to happen.

Maybe Sachi has a book with a similar tone than this movie… I should ask her… Yeah, let’s do that.

I thought to myself, as I turned my gaze right back to the screen.