A/N: Originally written for a LiveJournal request. On a side note, though not really related to this fic at all, happy birthday Keito!

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There was a loud bang and the fans erupted into screams once more as confetti rained down on them. Yuto flashed a wide smile, taking in all the cheering people with one sweeping glance. Seeing the sea of faces, he could not help but wonder if she was there, somewhere amongst the large audience. When they were much younger, she had once told him that he was the brightest when he gave it his all on stage, like a bright star illuminating the night sky. He had put in his best efforts again today, trying to light up the dark stage with his presence.

It did not matter who was there with him.

He vowed to himself to outshine them to make her look at him.

After all, a star was meant to be looked at, right?

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Keito was never the one to fight with others. He would usually just let others have their way, even if they were not things he fully approved of. But what did it matter anyway? It was their choice after all, not his. Most of the time, they did not pose much of a lasting consequence to him either. Once again, it would probably have been absurd to think that Keito would pick a fight with anyone. But when he found out that Yuto, one who he considered as a close friend, had his sights set on her too, a feeling akin to anger stirred within him.

Jealousy, was it what it was called? Whatever it was, he just had a strong urge to not lose. He had always thought that he would never fight over girls with his friends, but it seemed like his expectations and reality did not quite match up. It had been easy for him to say that he would choose friendship over love, but when the time came, it was almost instinctive to pick the latter. Even if the opponent was a close friend, he would tell them to bring it on.

He would not lose.

He could not lose. 

He would show them.

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The clock struck twelve and Keito pressed the “send” button. He had spent a while composing a message wishing her a “happy birthday” and asking her if she could meet up with him later in the day. For a few minutes, he was agonizing over its tone, leading him to erase and rewrite everything quite a few times till he was satisfied.

After a few minutes, a reply came in thanking him and giving an OK to the meet-up. With a feeling of content in his heart after reading the message, Keito put down his phone on his bedside table. A small gift box was sitting next to it. He smiled inwardly as he laid his head on his pillow, getting ready to drift off to sleep soon.

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He stared at his watch impatiently. He was already a little late