"Sheesh, finally done! Ughh, I'm so tired." 

"Great work Ms. Student Council President."

"Don't call me that!" 

Itami laughed as he teased Haruka; who was pouting as they walk home from school together.

He then crossed his arms, a smile on his face. "Then, please give us more budget for our music club."

"No way, you guys almost always spend too much on maintenance or something even though the stuff you have still looked brand new so now, its a no-no." 

"Just a little! I think there's something wrong with the amplifiers, and also Renji's drum is-"

"No."

The quick rejection by Haruka made Itami hopeless as his smile gradually disappears.

"Damn it."

It was already a little past seven when they left.

There were no signs of people at the time which is to be expected as school officially ended 2 hours ago and they were the only people left.

Both of them were currently walking home from school after finishing student council tasks which was given by one of the teachers and Haruka, being the student council president and the only officer present at the time, was assigned to move some of the old books from the library to the storage room.

Though its an easy task to manage, it was time consuming for one person considering the amount of books needed to be moved so Itami decided to help his childhood friend out but still, it took a while even for the two of them.

"But I'm surprised you decided to help out and stay put for a while." Haruka said as she smiled warmly to Itami's direction.

"Thank you, Ikkun." 

Itami's heart skipped a beat the moment he heard the nickname Haruka gave him. 

She was the only person to ever give him that nickname with his family only using Itami or Itami-kun so even though she's been calling him that ever since they became friends he, somehow, still cannot get used to it.

He then looked away, blushing.

"It's no big deal."

A faint smile then gently appeared on his face as he looked up to the cloudy night sky.

After some time, he made up his mind.

I need to confess.

They've been together for 10 years now. And in that time, Itami already knows that he has special feelings for Haruka. He already felt that since the day they met. 

Though confused at first, he kinds of grasped and understood his feelings overtime. The way he thinks about her everyday and how his heart skips a beat all the time, it's fairly obvious already.

He also, already know that by confessing, he's already putting their friendship on the line but even so, he wants to stay true to himself. 

Itami loves her and he wants something more than being them just being "childhood friends". 

That 10 years is more than enough to make him want Haruka to acknowledge him to be "her boyfriend" and not just "her childhood friend". He wanted to be part of her future, and he also wanted her to be part of his future. To become one.

He understands that he is being selfish; only pure ego coming out of it but:

If she hates me, so be it. If she avoids me, so be it. 

He is already prepared about what will happen but he is still hoping that maybe, just maybe, Haruka will accept his confession.

Confessing is never a waste anyway. Its a closure for our unheard feelings; for us to not leave any regrets afterwards.

After a while, Itami clenches his fists. Face tensed. He then looked over at Haruka, who is seemingly confused as she was talking to him for some time now and was receiving no reply.

"What's wrong, Ikkun?" 

"H-hey, Haruka. I wanted to tell you about somethi-"

"Ah! We're finally here."

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Haruka exclaimed in excitement.

He was so busy thinking about it that he did not realize that they were already in their neighborhood; in front of Haruka's family house to be exact.

Itami and Haruka, apart from being childhood friends, were also neighbors with their houses sitting just beside each other so it was only natural that they would go to and from school together.

"Wait for me here, I'm just gonna go grab something." 

"Okay, sure..." Haruka smiled and waved at Itami as she hurriedly walked inside. He then waved back.

Ahh, maybe I'll just tell her some other time.

'If I tell her now, it would probably be awkward between us' is what he is trying to say. He wants to fully prepare himself first and wait for the right moment before telling his feelings to her.

Itami then waited outside, looking at the stars until Haruka returned just after a few minutes.

When she came back, she was carrying a guitar case on her back.

As she opened the case, it revealed a brown acoustic guitar which she handed over to Itami, leaving him completely surprised.

"Here, for you." 

"Eh?! What's this for?"

"Well, I've noticed that you're still using that old guitar when we were still kids so I wondered if you want a new one since you've been using it for too long so..." Haruka explains as she blushes while playing with his hair. 

That took him aback.

"...A-Are you sure? That thing looks expensive though..."

"Yes."

The guitar was a Martin 000JR-10E StreetMaster Acoustic guitar made from dark mahogany; with shades of black tainting all over the its body as design.

Looking at it, it looks as if it was worn and was played for years but in reality, it was still brand new and in good condition too despite some small minor scratches at the bottom. It is probably expensive too.

"That looks like the real deal..."

Which is obviously I can't afford. He said in his mind as he broke out in cold sweat.

Back then, Itami received a classical guitar; one that was a hand-me-down by his father.

It was an already old and grimy guitar used maybe even during his father's younger years with the colors fading and its body full of marks and scratches.

The only thing keeping it still playable is due to the bridge which is still intact, and the constant changing of strings whenever it rusts. 

But for some reason however, it still sounds beautiful. So considering their financial situation, he had kept it as is.

'But I'm surprised she noticed something like that deeply' is what Itami was thinking. For some reason, he felt so happy about it.

"And besides," Haruka then looked at the guitar intently, a gentle smile forming on her face. "This was my father's and ever since he passed away, no one has been able to take care of it."

"Haruka.."

"I... I wanted you to keep it so that you won't have to keep playing that old guitar, at the same time, I also wanted you to take care of it not just for me, but also for my father."

There were tears that can be seen forming in her eyes; despite her dark-blue hair covering half of her face as she spoke. One could really tell how sincere it is. Itami could only watch. 

She then wipes her tears with her slender arms.

"I know I'm probably asking you too much but... please take it, Ikkun." She bowed to him, both hands offering the guitar. 

"Eh?! L-Lift your head Haru!" Itami screamed with a panic.

He also unconsciously screamed out the nickname he gave to Haruka that only he was the one calling which made him embarrassed as he consoled her.

Itami didn't know this and he has never seen this side of her before also. She was usually a composed and independent girl with a calm and reliable attitude considering she was the student council president so seeing her like that makes his heart ache.

Because of that: "O-Okay, I understand." Itami said as he take gently took both the guitar and guitar case from her hands.

Haruka then looked up to his direction, face flushed.

"Really?"

"Yes, but I don't know if I can take care of it like uncle does though..." He wasn't being modest, he totally meant it. Looking at the guitar, it was probably taken care and kept so well.

"Yay! Thank you, Ikkun." Haruka beamed brightly which, in turn, made Itami smile.

Glad it cheered her up.

He wasn't sure if it's okay for her to give him that responsibility but seeing how she trusts him that much, he doesn't have any reason to say no. 

After a while, Itami was now holding the guitar as he walked Haruka to the front of their house.

"Anyway, thank you, Haruka. I don't know how to repay you but I promise I'll take care of it."

He reverted back to calling her as simply 'Haruka' as he can't handle the embarrassment.

"Ah you don't have to! I'm already happy that you accepted my request. Anyway, thank you too, Ikkun. It's already late so take care on your way home." Haruka smiled warmly, her tears now had dried and returned to her usual self.

"Yeah, I will but hey, our houses are just besides each other!"

"Hee-hee, I know." The two of them both laugh. 

"Who knows, maybe this is the last time we can go home together."

Haruka mumbles to herself as she watches Itami turn his back but for some reason, he heard a bit of it making him turn back to her.

"Huh? Last time? Why?" 

"Oh, I-It's nothing!" she quickly responded. "Anyways see you tomorrow!"  

"Wait, Haruka!"

Just as she tries to close the door fast, Itami calls out to her from the front gate, stopping her from shutting it fully.

"What is it?"

"I have something to say to you. Can we meet tomorrow after class and talk while walking home together?"

It was a rather unusual request, considering it's always their daily routine together.

Due to student council work however, Itami was always the one waiting for her. That made her a bit guilty about it but he will always says that he is fine with it so that made Haruka somewhat rest assured.

Haruka tilted her head, as if confused.

"Uh yeah, sure. I mean, we do that everyday?" 

"Great! I'll be waiting then." He smiled much bigger than before, making Haruka's heart skip a beat.

And with that, he dashes home as if he was in a hurry but still manages to wave a hand. 

"What a weird Ikkun."

She sighed before she finally closed the door and entering the house.

It wasn't that long before the next day comes.