"I... I..."
Midori's mind went blank. Hearing Kiyoshi Matsumoto's love confession was no different from being thrown into outer space without a space suit and oxygen tank.
She could not breathe.
She was suffocating.
She might die soon, but all she could see in front of her was the magnificence of the universe, contained within Kiyoshi's pair of eyes.
"What... Did you just say?" Midori mumbled dumbly.
Kiyoshi let himself fall on the futon and cradled Midori close.
"I love you, Midori Takigawa," he said. "I am willing to be shackled to you for eternity, if you would have me."
Love.
He said, he loved her.
"So marry me, Midori Takigawa. Because I am hopelessly in love with you."
Gently, Kiyoshi pressed their bodies against each other, their lips melting together in a row of passionate kisses.