Starry night

It was 19:40, and by following the plan of the trip, the students should be visiting the Kyoto garden tonight! As they walked, Alphonse was awestruck by the beauty of the Kyoto Gardens, "Woah!" The boy gasped in admiration, jumping excitedly as he pumped into Alex, almost making the latter fall on the floor, "This place is cool!"

"You bet it is..." Added Alex, playfully glaring at Alphonse before getting back to walking, "We're talking about the most famous garden in Kyoto." Then he excitedly started pointing out the famous landmarks, features, and historical significance of the garden.

Maria, on the other hand, was more focused on the interactions between Julien and Sara, noticing that Sara seemed to be following Julien everywhere, "She's not leaving his side ha?" Muttered Maria, rolling her eyes after seeing the way Sara wrapped her hands around Julien.

"Of course, she wouldn't" Alex added, turning his head to Maria as he spoke, "She wants to stay by his side forever that's obvious!" He commented, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. As he said those words, something felt amiss to the three of them as if a certain reaction was supposed to happen, yet it was oddly absent, "Um..." muttered Alex, adjusting his glasses, an awkward giggle gracing his lips, "Isn't this the part where Lily should be stammering while kicking me or something?"

After his words, the three of them stopped walking and turned to each other, their faces finally lightened in understanding, "Oh..." Gasped Maria, her left fist over her right palm as she spoke, "She's not here..."

"Good idea, I'll go do that", She pulls out her phone and starts calling Lina, Maria then quickly turns around and starts to scan the area, looking for her friend's whereabouts.

As for Julien, he was sitting on the grass with Sara, their eyes focused on the night sky above them. Even though it was night, the moon did its best to bless them with a soft ray of light, and the lanterns of the garden accentuated the beauty of their surroundings to a decent level. Not to mention the lovely fireflies that roamed all around the lake and the plants, whether they were big strong trees or small fragile flowers.

Yet, Sara glanced over at Julien, as if his existence was more worthy of her attention than the paradise they were in. Noticing the way he was intently staring at the stars, She smiled turning to look at the sky, "So you're a night guy?" She asked, leaning back on her hands as she spoke.

Julien turns to her, "Yes. The cool weather and the stars make me feel at ease," he says while slowly returning his gaze to the sky, "The lights of the city are too much for my eyes, so I prefer to spend my time admiring the night sky."

Just then, Anna arrived, a cheerful smile on her face, "Hello!" She said before switching to a teasing side, a hand over her mouth as she smirked, "Oh my... Am I interrupting something?" That was when Julien stood up and made Sara turn to him, a hint of disappointment in her voice, "W...Wait!" She added, her eyes almost saying stay with me longer, "W...Where are you going? Should I... Should I come with... With you?" She suggested, her hands holding her long skirt as she locked eye contact with him.

"It's okay. Stay with your friend," he answered, gently patting her head, making her head skip a sudden beat, "I'll just wander around a little, don't bother yourself." As he spoke those words, Sara nodded, trying to hide her disappointment with a smile, "S-Sure," She muttered, averting her gaze from him as he started moving away, giving both of them a small wave.

"You know..." Anna spoke up, sitting next to Sara as she retrieved her phone, "I can't read that dude at all, Sara..."

"What do you mean?" Asked Sara, her head resting over her knees. Anna looked at her disappointed friend for a while, the gleam of the screen making her confused expression easy to read, then explained, "It's obvious that you're trying to hit a certain nail by the way you're acting around him, but he's still not making a move."

"He may be too stupid in this kind of stuff since it's said that he never dated before," Continued Anna as she turned off her phone, raising her head to the sky, "Or he might be avoiding the topic, which means that you're into an unrequited love..."

"I wouldn't mind it..." interrupted Sara, slowly leaning her whole body on the ticklish grass, "I know Julien well enough to say that he's not hurting me on purpose," surprisingly, Sara paused her words with a radiance laugh, showing her snow-white teeth, then she continued, her hands resting over her belly, "So what if it's unrequited? It's still love, and I still want to appreciate and cherish my own feelings..."

Anna couldn't help but look in astonishment at her friend. However, it didn't take her that long to smile at those words as well, leaning on the grass beside her friend, "Yeah... I guess you're right."

In the middle of a beautiful garden, there stood a Japanese-styled building. Lina was on the balcony of the building, staring up at the sky. She appeared to be a little down, lost in her thoughts, her hair dancing with the gentle lightly cold breeze of the night. Suddenly, she heard a phone ringing and some footsteps. Turning her head, she found Maria standing behind her, her phone held close to her ear as she scanned Lina's expression with knowing eyes.

"Alex, I finally found her. I'm hanging up now!" Said Maria before hanging up the phone, sighing lightly as her ruby eyes intertwined with Lina's silver gaze. She approached Lina, who decided to turn back and look at the sky, "Jeez, what's gotten into you?" Asked Maria, concern etched on her voice, her hands leaning on the handrail of the balcony, "Staying here all on your own and missing the fun, that is so unlike you."

"I just wanted to look at the sky as clearly as possible," replied Lina without turning to her friend, her voice, softer than usual, hinted to a certain unspoken emotions.

Even though Maria knew that Lina was bottling her feelings a little, she didn't hesitate to change the subject, "So, do you like the sight?" She asked, smiling softly as she beheld the beauty of the starry sky before them. Then she pointed to the milky way that was the center of attention of all the onlookers, "Juju said that that's called a milky way!" She added, finally making Lina's face gain the awaited honest smile.

"It really is pretty!" Exclaimed Lina, her face lighting up as she kept looking at the sky, "So that's what Julien loves the most ha? I wonder why..." she said, her voice filled with wonder.

Maria stood straight, her expression turning slightly down, "For me, Juju and the night sky... Both of them have the same kind of charm..." She said, crossing her hands as her smile got back to her face right away, "At first, as kids, we're afraid of the night. We think that the absence of light would mean the absence of comfort and fun."

"However..." She added, supporting her back with the red frame of the balcony, her gaze still focused on the limitless stars, "The more we grow older and delve deeper into the meaning of nature, we realize that the night holds its own magic," Maria continued, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone. "It's not just the absence of light; it's a canvas where dreams are painted, where secrets are whispered, and where the soul finds solace."

"Same goes with Juju..." Maria sighed, and Lina simply didn't do a thing. She simply kept her eyes on the sky, yet she was all ears for her friend, "If you only meet his smile less face, you'll end up running away from him. However, the moment you take a glimpse of his treatment, you'll simply keep craving it forever..."

Silence dominated the show when Maria finished her piece of mind and Lina simply didn't dare to utter a word, a little spaced-out as usual, "Lily, are you okay?" Asked Maria, interrupting the silence, nudging her friend with an elbow touch.

Lina turned to her friend with a determined look on her face, astonishing Maria as their eyes locked for a moment. It felt like Lina gained the spark of those stars since she kept gazing at them for that long, her lips curved into a small yet a genuinely unexpected smile, which Made Maria realize how much of a beauty Lina actually was. If she put a little effort in her figure, she'd steal anyone's eyes, just like Sara.

Lina looked back to the sky, switching to a lovely spirit as she tucked a strand of her free hair behind her ear, "You know..." She started, her mind taking the pen of a seasoned poet, her words conveying all her worries, "I just like starry nights. I love the stars too much, too fondly to be fearful of the night! So, even if pitch-black darkness is his heart, I'll sit still, and wait for those dots to shine bright! Because the darkest nights are always followed by the brightest stars! And, that's why his heart is my favorite starry night!"

After Lina finishes speaking her poem, there is a moment of silence between the two friends as they both reflect on her words. Maria looks at Lina with newfound respect and admiration, while Lina seems lost in her thoughts, still staring up at the sky. The only sound is the gentle rustling of the leaves in the wind and the distant chirping of crickets. The silence is contemplative and peaceful as if the words Lina spoke have created a deeper understanding between the two friends. Maria raises her hand and pulls Lina closer to her, hugging her, "So you're telling me that his heart is your fav or something?", She says, her eyes widening in excitement since Lina appears to finally admit her feelings towards him.

Lina, realizing what she had said, blushes right away, "I... I... Was I speaking out loud?", She stammers.

"Yup!", Grins Maria before replying", You can speak poetry? That's really cool of you!"

"Th-Thank you!", Smiles Lina shyly. Maria lets go of her friend and then keeps gazing into her silver eyes, a look of determination and gratitude she's wearing, "Then do us a favor... And wait for those dots to shine bright!"

"H-Hey!", Screams Lina in surprise, looking at her friend with that red face.

I'm not kidding though!", Continues Maria while gently touching Lina with her elbow, "I don't know why but I've got this feeling that it's YOU... You'll be the one to help Romeo the most."

Lina stays silent for a while, putting her head down as she feels the weight of what she just heard, "I'll... I'll do my best", She adds, her cheeks slightly turning pink, "I... I love him..."

"I know", Smiles Maria while closing her eyes and patting Lina.

"Here you are..." Startling both Lina and Maria by his sudden appearance, Julien chimed in out of nowhere and as casually as ever, prompting the other two to flinch and stop hugging each other in surprise, "Finding you was such a drag, to say the least." Continued Julien, sighing lightly as he got closer to the other two, brushing the back of his head.

"Talk about perfect timing!" Said Maria as she smirked, a hint of mischief in her eyes as she turned to look at Lina, only to find her red from nose to toe. Sensing her embarrassment escalating to the moon, Maria didn't hesitate to keep teasing Lina even more, "I wonder what would've happened if you came a moment earlier," she added, making Lina eyes widen even more as she remembered the words she shared before Julien's appearance.

Too embarrassed to spell a word, Lina started lightly punching Maria's arm, screaming internally as her eyes kept watering a little. While Maria kept giggling lightly, she couldn't help but feel the light shaking of Lina's hands whenever her fist fell on her, "Okay, okay, that didn't happen though..." Added Maria, playfully pushing Lina which made her hands become out of reach.

Suddenly, Romeo appears, "Here you are.", He says the moment his eyes fall on Lina, "If I didn't meet Alex a while ago, I don't think that I would be able to locate you."

"Talk about timing!" she exclaims after turning to him, trying to hide the surprise and embarrassment in her voice. Then there's Maria, leaning in to whisper in Lina's ear, "I wonder what would've happened if he came a minute earlier?", she says with a mischievous grin on her face. And that's when Lina blushes and starts pushing her friend, "Stop teasing me already!" She replies, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Okay," chuckled Maria as she slowly walked toward the stairs, making Lina's eyes follow her movements, "I'm heading back now! Juju, Lily, enjoy your time, okay?" Then she shared a playful wink with Lina, making the poor girl flinch a second time, unable to control her blush.

"You're not joining us?" Asked Julien, slowly turning his head to Maria, "It's about to start though." He added while pointing to the sky, appearing to be referring to quite an event.

Maria smiled apologetically, "I'll make it quick and catch up to the others!" she said, already turning to leave. As soon as she took the first stairs, she was halted by Lina sudden call, "You're leaving us alone?" Exclaimed Lina, looking at Maria in shock and her voice filled with disbelief, her hand instinctively reaching for her chest.

"Of course!" Maria's tone was quite melodic as she added another wink. And with that, she disappeared into the night, which made Lina turn and slowly stand next to Julien, her head still held low, her lips curved in embarrassment as she tried to maintain her cool. Lina and Julien's silence emerged as they stared up at the night sky. Lina started to feel a sense of awkwardness building up, as she wanted to have a good time with Julien and not feel uncomfortable. As for him, noticing her discomfort, he stepped a little closer to Lina, "I'll be pointing at 8 stars, so pay a little attention, okay?" He said, taking Lina's interest the moment he raised his hand toward the sky.

Surprised by his sudden movement, Lina replied as she turned her head to him for a moment, "O... Okay!" Then she turned back to the starry sky, focusing her eyes on the stars he would be pointing at.

Julien then began to point out the stars, "I'll be connecting them as well," he said, his hand moving slowly so Lina would easily follow his movements. As he reached the last star he wanted to spot, he lowered his hand, leaning back on the handrail as he turned his head to her, "So, what shape did you get?" He asked, looking at the way Lina was gazing at the stars above with an agape mouth.

"It's... A cross?" Said Lina, trying to make out the pattern and unsure of herself as she squinted her eyes, her head drawn closely higher, "One of its sides is a little low though!"

"That's correct," Replied Julien, patting her head once before drawing back his hand, "But it's not a cross. That's a Constellation."

"Constellation you say?" Exclaimed Lina, her eyes widening with surprise, her mind still shaping the constellation.

"It is," he nodded, "It's called Cygnus. It symbolizes friendship. Mostly, people see it as a huge bird," Julien kept explaining to her as he gestured toward the sky, and the mood between them finally got back to its usual warmth and easiness.

Lina looked at the pattern of stars again and started imagining, her embarrassment,  finally washed away, "Actually, it is! With a long neck as well! That's pretty!" She said, a hint of awe in her voice, giggling softly at her new discovery.

"So, tell me, Lina..." he said after turning to her, confusing the girl with his sudden words, "Are you mad at me or something?" He asked, as Lina slowly turned to him, their eyes locked, "Did I harm you somehow, to make you avoid me this much?"

"What?" Replied Lina, startled by his question, "Where did this come from?" She asked, her hands raised as her touch almost reached him, only to withdraw back and rest on her sides.

"You've been avoiding me lately," Explained Julien, "And you always push me to have as much time as possible with Sara, it actually starts to feel awkward around you sometimes. So, I thought, maybe I did upset you in a way."

"It's not like I don't enjoy my time with Sara..." Continued Julien, looking back at the sky, while Lina kept looking at him, her ears enjoying his deep voice while her eyes were pleasured with his frame, "But... I believe that she doesn't see me as a friend, and I don't want to hurt her, to be frank..."

And just by hearing those words, Lina's heart sank while her thoughts got into action, "Is it actually bothering him?" She thought to herself, her hand reaching her chest once more,  I'm such an idiot! He was spending his whole time with her not because he wanted to, but because he was kind of forced! Then, does this mean, that he really doesn't..."

"I thought... I thought that you and Sara... You know..." She muttered, her voice barely audible as she finally averted her gaze from his frame.

"A couple?" Added Julien while looking up at Lina, shrugging his shoulders as he continued, "I thought I made it clear when I slept over last time. We're not dating, and I don't have a thing for her."

"I'm an idiot!" Putting both of her elbows on the handrail, Lina cupped her head between her hands, her cheeks blossoming in red as her brows furrowed, "I'm sorry..." she said, looking down at the grassed ground, "I really didn't mean to..."

However, Julien's action halted her words. He put his hand over her head, lifting it gently so she could behold the sky topping them. And, even though her eyes sparkled with admiration to what she was witnessing, Julien still didn't hesitate to speak his mind, "You don't miss this scene do you?" He asked, his gaze fixated on the sky as he spoke, while Lina's mouth gaped with awe.

Under the open night sky, the scene was set! With the whole group covering the whole garden. They all looked up in awe as shooting stars struck across the sky, leaving behind a trail of sparkling light. Some of them pointed excitedly at the shooting stars, while others made wishes under their breath. Some were holding hands, others were sitting on the grass, and some were simply standing. The atmosphere was filled with a sense of wonder and amazement as everyone watched the celestial display in silence.

The stars were shining brightly, illuminating the faces of the people, and casting a soft glow on their expressions of amazement. Everyone seemed to be lost in the beauty of the shooting stars, and their eyes were fixed on the sky as if they didn't want to miss a single shooting star. The silence was only broken by the occasional exclamations of "wow" and "look at that!" as another shooting star crossed the sky.

As mentioned before, the whole group seemed to be interested in that scene, except Lina, looking at Julien while he was staring up at the stars. Even though her vision was half blocked by his arm, since his hand was still resting on her head, Lina didn't hesitate to take in his profile and the way the light of the stars made his features stand out as he seemed completely absorbed in the beauty of the stars and the shooting stars.

Her heart bumped with admiration and awe. She watched him, she couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over her. She was happy just being there with him, watching the stars and enjoying his silent company. She felt like she could stay here forever, and that thought brought a small smile to her lips. She was content just being there with him, and she knew that this moment would be forever etched in her memory, framed as one of the best nights she ever lived. And, that was when her thoughts wrote quite the words, "Shooting stars seem like the sparkling signs of the warmth generated when these tiny shivers create a blip in the cool night sky." She thought to herself, stepping closer to Julien, her cheerful face finally turned to the sky.

"Now, no matter how snugly I'm dressing, when I'm out in the cold, a shiver kept creeping on me. It came unexpectedly and left but less than a second later, letting me become much warmer than before. To be fully honest, that wasn't the main reason why my heart skipped all those beats. The real reason was that... It was my first time... Seeing Julien looking up at something, and actually admiring it. I bet it was my imagination, but it felt like, his soul started sparkling a little, because of those shooting stars overflowing over this dark sky!"

"I finally understand why you love stars and astronomy so much, Julien!" Spoke up Lina, her voice filled with happiness. Julien lowered his gaze to her for mere seconds, only to look again at the shooting stars the moment Lina spoke again, "It's because, somehow, they make you feel warm and normal inside, right?" And she ended her words with a warm giggle, while Julien simply nodded.

"Yeah... I guess you're right..."

"I bet Alex and Maria already told you, what I love the most in this world, is gazing at such a sky", Says Romeo, as he gazes up at the stars.

Lina turns to him, her eyes shining with excitement, "Yeah! I... I LIKE THEM TOO!!", she exclaims, her voice filled with enthusiasm. And then, she thinks to herself, "We're not doing anything special, we're not even sharing a descent conversation right now. But, only standing next to him, is actually enough to make me smile. It's just like what mom said last time, love is way too complicated! And I was avoiding this feeling? I must have been out of my mind!"

"Let's take a wish now shall we." Says Romeo after turning to Lina, holding out his hand towards her. She takes his hand, her heart skipping a beat, as she closes her eyes and makes her wish.

As the shooting stars continued to streak across the sky, the other students and teachers gather as well, all of them making wishes of their own. Romeo closes his eyes and makes his wish, "I wish that... One day, mother would get back to normal, and be proud of me..."

As the last shooting star disappears into the night sky, Alex, Maria, Sara, Lina, Nadine, Alphonse, and Adam look at each other. And, unexpectedly, they all share the same wish, even though they didn't decide on it together, "I wish to see you smile," they say in unison, their voices filled with hope and love.

As the group began to pack up and head back, Julien couldn't help but sound a little disappointed that the night had come to an end. He turned to Lina, "Already? I wanted to stay here a little longer." He said

Lina, who was also feeling the same way, replied with a smile, "Yeah! Time sure runs fast when you're living the moment."

As they began to make their way back to the group, Lina started to feel the chill in the air. She shivered, her hands over her arms as she said, "Man, I didn't feel the cold earlier! Maybe because I was so focused on the view. It's actually freezing."

Julien, noticing her discomfort, asked "You're okay? You can't handle cold weather very well?"

"Yeah!" She nodded, her teeth clapping as they walked down the stairs to catch up to the others, "But it's okay, I can bear it for 10 minutes!" She replied, trying to act brave.

"No need to play hero..." Without hesitation, Julien took off his jacket and draped it over Lina's shoulders. Lina was caught off guard and stood there for a moment, admiring Julien's gesture. She couldn't help but think that he was quite romantic. But before she could say anything, Julien gave her a gentle push, "Move it already," he teased, his face devoid of any expression.

Lina, startled, stumbled a bit and playfully protested, "Hey! I was going to fall down you freak. Apologize!" She said, her hands now holding his jacket.

"Yeah... I don't think so..." Julien replied. As for Lina, she couldn't help but notice his scent tinged on his jacket. She felt like he was hugging her and her face began to turn red. Noticing the change in her demeanor, Julien chimed in once more, "Why did your face turn red all of a sudden?"

"N...None of your business..." She protested, trying to play it cool as she turned her head away from his gaze, "S...Shut up!"

While they finally caught up to their friends, Alex took out his phone and snapped a photo of Lina wearing Julien's jacket the moment his eyes fell on them "This picture looks amazing," he said as he showed it to Maria, which made her nod in agreement, "And since Juju's jacket is oversized on you, you turned out pretty cute, Lily!"

Lina, even though she was feeling embarrassed, replied, "You know something, I'm not bothering myself with your photography thing anymore!"

"We're sharing this one," Add Julien, who had been quiet up until this point.

And without a doubt, Anna and Sara saw the way Julien gave the jacket to Lina, " Holy moly," Exclaimed Anna while turning to Sara, "Sara, you've got a rival you know... Sara?"

Sara watched from a distance as Lina and Julien out together, with Lina wearing the jacket he had given to her earlier. A feeling of jealousy rose in her chest as she saw Lina laughing and talking, clearly enjoying the boy's company. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt, as she had been flirting with Julien on the bus ride and for the whole day as well. That was why She didn't respond to her friend. She just kept walking toward the hotel on her own, jealousy eating her up for sure.