Another morning came and went.

At six-thirty, his alarm clock started ringing.

Kuro stretched out, switched it off, and stared at the ceiling.

For the first time in weeks, he didn’t have any nightmares.

He dreamed about the library of their school.

Yui was sleeping surrounded by mountains of medical books.

Akari was trying to put a dictionary on her head.

Why?

Nobody knew.

Rika was drawing everybody into a manga.

Mina was giggling.

Aoi was correcting everybody’s mistakes.

Ordinary life.

Kuro smiled.

Probably because of that...

Waking up was unexpectedly peaceful.

---

Having got ready, Kuro checked his phone.

No new e-mails.

No notifications from the university.

Only a message from Akari.

Akari: Don’t forget we’re meeting after school!

He just answered with thumbs up icon and switched off his phone.

Whoever knows what will happen...

Kuro definitely wouldn’t waste his morning time checking it.

---

Classes passed unexpectedly fast.

Math.

Literature.

History.

Minami’s psychology lesson.

She behaved as if nothing happened.

She didn’t mention anything about university exams.

Neither to Kuro nor anybody else.

When the last bell of the morning rang before lunch break, she simply closed her notebook.

"Class dismissed."

That’s all.

However, when Kuro approached her table, she whispered without even looking up,

"Whatever will happen today..."

"Remember our conversation."

Kuro stopped.

"...I remember."

She nodded once.

That was enough.

---

The sky was beautiful and cloudless.

Gentle wind brought the scent of the approaching spring into the classroom through opened windows.

Graduation was only a few weeks away.

This thought didn’t scare Kuro anymore.

It just seemed...real.

---

After classes, the girls met as usual under their tree.

Akari came first, bringing way too much food.

"I may have panic-bought."

Rika peeked inside of the bag which was stuffed with food.

"...How many chips did you buy?"

"I was not counting."

"You bought twelve."

"Details."

Yui giggled.

"If we do not eat everything, then Kuro will be blamed for that."

"Why me?"

"Because you are responsible."

"For snacks?"

"For everything."

Everybody laughed.

---

A few minutes later, Mina joined them with a box of cookies.

"I’ve made cookies."

Akari’s eyes were sparkling.

"You really are an angel."

"They are only cookies."

"There is no such thing as just cookies."

---

For some time...

They were just talking about different things.

Rika was complaining about deadlines.

Yui was telling something about her latest rotation in the hospital.

Mina told a funny story about a child who told her that two plus two is equal to twenty-two.

"It was really sure."

"But it was also wrong."

Akari nodded.

"Sureness is good."

"Yes, addition is good."

Everyone laughed again.

Kuro felt how relaxed he became.

For the first time in days, he smiled sincerely.

---

However...

His phone began vibrating.

Once.

Short and familiar sound.

Without thinking, he reached for his phone.

Screen lit up.

1 New Email.

His heartbeat stopped.

For a moment...

Everything around him faded.

He was looking at the address line.

Admissions Office.

Nobody was talking.

Yui noticed it first.

"...Kuro?"

Slowly...

Everybody turned towards him.

Akari looked at the screen.

"...It’s..."

Kuro nodded.

"I guess..."

"It’s here."

---

Silence fell in the courtyard.

Even the wind stopped its movement.

Rika slowly closed her sketchbook.

Mina put the box of cookies next to her quietly.

Aoi adjusted her glasses, but her hands were trembling slightly.

Yui was looking at Kuro.

Silently.

Waiting.

Akari swallowed.

"Open it."

Kuro looked at the screen.

His finger was hovering above the notification.

It didn’t move.

---

"I..."

He tried to laugh.

"Doesn’t my hand want to do it?"

Akari came closer.

"That’s normal."

"It is?"

"I thought my heart was going to explode with anticipation of the acceptance letter."

Yui nodded.

"I couldn’t breathe until I saw my medical exam results."

Mina giggled.

"I was looking at my email about scholarship for almost ten minutes."

Rika raised her hand.

"I’ve accidentally closed mine three times."

Aoi said quietly,

"I’ve counted the probability of my success six times."

Akari looked at her.

"...Did it help?"

"No."

---

Kuro looked around at the circle.

The faces of his friends were filled with the same feelings.

Hope.

Tension.

Worry.

They weren’t interested in the university decision more than he.

However, somehow...

They shared his burden.

As he shared theirs.

Yui stepped one step closer to him.

"You don’t have to open it alone."

All others nodded one by one.

In silence.

Kuro looked at the screen of the phone again.

His finger moved closer to the email notification.

And stopped.

He breathed deeply.

And again.

The admissions email was waiting beneath his fingers.

Just as his future.

Kuro shut his eyes.

One breath.

Another breath.

Everything outside disappeared.

He could hear the wind blowing in the trees overhead.

Students leaving the university.

And his own heart beating in his chest.

It beat louder than anything else.

Slowly...

He opened his eyes.

"...Alright."

His voice was nothing but a whisper.

"I’m ready."

No one pushed him.

No one asked for his phone.

They simply stood beside him.

Just like always.

---

He pressed his thumb on the screen.

The email opened.

For just one second...

All there was on the screen was the logo of the university.

Then everything loaded.

Every pair of eyes stayed glued to his phone.

Kuro looked at the first sentence.

He paused.

Read it again.

And again.

His expression never changed.

Akari couldn’t stand it anymore.

"Kuro..."

"What does it say?"

He didn’t respond.

Rika leaned forward.

"Kuro?"

Silence.

Finally...

He lifted his gaze.

His lips quivered.

"I..."

His voice broke.

"I got in."

Silence.

Complete silence.

No one moved.

None of them seemed to be able to process the words.

Then Akari yelled.

"HE GOT IN!"

Her voice reverberated through the courtyard.

Several other students glanced over.

She didn’t care. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

She raised her hands in victory.

"I KNEW IT!"

---

Before Kuro could say a word, Mina grabbed him into a warm embrace.

"I’m so happy for you."

Her voice wavered in happiness.

"You worked so hard."

Kuro grinned through his tears.

"...Thank you."

When Mina let go, Rika quickly took her place.

She lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Idiot."

"You had us worried sick."

"I know."

"We’re going to have food tonight."

"...That’s your first thought?"

"It absolutely is."

---

Yui came over more slowly.

In contrast to others...

She didn’t say anything right away.

She only looked at him.

Smiled.

It was the same smile she wore on the day she passed her medical examination.

"You get it now."

Kuro cocked his head.

"Get what?"

She laughed quietly.

"That feeling."

"When years of uncertainty..."

"...finally disappear."

He nodded.

"Yes."

She extended her hand towards him.

"Congratulations."

Rather than shake it...

Kuro pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Thank you."

She smiled into his shoulder.

"You deserve this."

"No."

He looked at the whole group.

"We deserved this."

---

Aoi fixed her glasses.

Even though her expression remained calm...

A small smile appeared.

"My prediction proved true."

Akari laughed.

"You definitely cried in the inside."

"I experienced a marked rise in my emotional level."

Rika looked at her.

"So..."

"You cried."

"...Yes."

The group burst out laughing.

Even Aoi smiled widely.

---

Kuro looked back at the email.

This time...

He read every word carefully.

Dear Mr. Kuro Kurogane,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Department of Psychology...

The sentences below became hard to read.

Not because they were difficult to understand.

Tears blurring the screen was the problem.

He quickly wiped them away.

Akari noticed it instantly.

"You’re crying."

"I’m not."

"You definitely are."

"...Maybe a little."

Yui giggled.

"Just a little?"

He gave up trying.

"...Okay."

"A lot."

---

For a while, no one talked about the university.

Instead...

They congratulated the man standing in front of them.

The boy who used to believe he had no direction.

The boy who was more of a listener than a speaker.

The boy who always believed in everybody before he believed in himself.

Today...

He finally took the first step to believe in himself.

---

As the celebration calmed down, Kuro looked at his friends.

"I want to thank all of you."

Akari quickly cut him off.

"No speeches."

Rika nodded.

"We’re going to cry again."

Mina smiled warmly.

"We know."

Yui crossed her arms.

"If you really want to thank us..."

"Become an amazing psychologist."

Aoi added,

"And keep learning."

Kuro looked at each of them.

One by one.

Then nodded.

"I will."

It wasn’t a promise made out of joy.

It was a promise made out of lessons they learned together.

All their failures.

Their conversations.

All their quiet moments.

---

Suddenly, Kuro’s phone vibrated.

New message.

Minami Sensei

There were only two sentences in the message.

Congratulations, Kuro.

"Now go become the person I always knew you could be."

Kuro smiled.

He carefully put his phone away.

The acceptance email changed his future.

But it didn’t change who he wanted to become.

That journey...

Has only just begun.

Laughter filled the air of the school’s courtyard as six friends walked home together.

Not towards the end of their story.

But towards the people who awaited to meet them.

One step.

One conversation.

One person at a time.