Cupa sat alone on her balcony silently, feeling the breeze through her dark brown hair. She wanted a moment of peace, even though her mind would never be. She was partly responsible for Osana's murder, and part of the reason Amai had been thrown out of school. She was friends with both of them, but Ayano was the real reason for the bad things that had happened to them, as Cupa suffered from Hanahaki disease. She didn't want to die, and Ayano didn't want her to die. She just hoped she could get closer to Taro before anyone else developed crushes on him and Ayano killed them. She remained silent until she heard the sound of her phone beside her. She looked at the message on it with a small smile.
Ayano: Do you want to go to the pier today?
Cupa smiled a little as she typed her a reply. She stood up and went into her room to get ready. She was looking forward to spending the day with Ayano, maybe get her mind off the current events in her life.

Ayano and Cupa walked on to the pier together. Students of Akademi filled the pier, as this was a favourite place for them to hang out at the weekend. Ayano looked around, and saw Taeko stood nearby. She smirked and grabbed Cupa over to her.
"Hey Taeko!" Ayano said loudly as she pulled her cousin to her. Taeko looked over at them and smiled. She was alone today on the pier.
"Hey Ayano. Hey Cupa. Nice to see you here." She smiled at the pair as they reached her. She ran a hand through her dark hair as Cupa blushed a little.
"Yeah. It's nice to see you Taeko. See you both later." Ayano said, quickly sprinting away and leaving Taeko and Cupa alone together. Ayano knew what she was doing. She was leaving Cupa and Taeko alone so they would develop a bond together in the hope that would mean Cupa's love confession would be more likely to be accepted. They looked at each other, smiling.
"Would you like to spend some time together here, Cupa?" Taeko asked. The brunette nodded her head, trying not to blush bright red. She was even more excited about this day now she was spending it with her crush. Taeko smiled and took hold of her hand gently, leading her towards one of the rides.

They both sat at the end of the pier several hours later looking out across the water. They had spent the entire day together on the pier, and had become a lot closer. Their shoes sat beside them as their feet dangled over the edge of the pier.
"I hear you haven't been too well, Cupa. How are you feeling?" Taeko asked as she looked at the smaller girl beside her. Cupa looked up, a little surprised. She had told people she wasn't feeling 100% when she coughed up the petals but never showed them to anyone else. They didn't need to know.
"Oh, I'm fine. Thank you." She laughed a little. Taeko also laughed for a moment. "How have you been?" The dark haired girl sighed a little. She shook her head softly as she looked out over the water.
"Not so good since Osana's death." Taeko sighed softly. She had been Osana's best friend, and now the ginger tsundere had died. "She died just after eating a bento she'd made. She made me one, and it had made me sick. I wish she hadn't eaten it." A tear ran down Taeko's cheek. Cupa brushed it away, feeling so terrible. She was part of the reason Osana had died, and she couldn't tell Taeko that. Taeko would hate her forever, and that would be what killed her. She didn't want to die. She reached over, rubbing Taeko's back comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Taeko, you couldn't do anything." She told her comfortingly. She wanted to make her feel better, but she didn't quite know how. Taeko leaned on her a little as she mourned her childhood friend. Sure, Osana was so mean to her, but she really did care. Osana was the first person to support her when she came out as gender fluid. She'd been the one to take Taeko shopping for pretty clothes to wear. Now she was gone.
"Maybe. Thank you for being such a good friend to me, Cupa." Taeko sighed softly as she sat back up. She gently took hold of Cupa's hand, making the smaller girl blush. Taeko didn't notice, however. She was too focused on watching the waves. Cupa also looked out at the waves with a small smile.

Cupa and Taeko walked along the beach that evening as the sun began to set over the coastline. Their feet was in the seawater, and they occasionally splashed each other. For that moment, their problems seemed to disappear in the waves. Taeko kicked up some of the water, with the splash going higher than Cupa's head. The small girl was soaked by the water. She laughed and kicked some water back at Taeko. They laughed and splashed water at each other until they got bored. Cupa ran at Taeko, jumping on the taller girl's back. Taeko laughed and began to run, splashing water up at Cupa from behind. They both laughed as they continued to play in the ocean. Neither girl knew Ayano had been watching from the distance. The dark haired girl had a smile on her face, seeing her cousin bond with her crush. Maybe now she wouldn't have to say goodbye.