Mina quietly led a dazed Sana back into the dorm once the older girl's tears finally subsided again. She sat Sana down on the sofa and draped a blanket over her shoulders. The younger girl climbed under the blanket as well, trying to use her hands to warm up Sana's frozen fingers. As Mina peered into Sana's tear-stained face, she smiled wryly and noted that Sana looked quite sullen for someone who had just received a love confession.

At this point though, Mina didn't even care about Sana accepting her feelings. She just wanted to stop Sana from being sad. Mina was surprised by Sana's lack of self-confidence, at her inability to believe that Mina could have fallen in love with her. But if anyone could understand the feeling of not being good enough to receive another person's love, it was Mina.

"Do you know why I love you?" Mina asked Sana softly.

Sana sniffled, her eyes downcast. She avoided Mina's gaze and shook her head no.

"It's because you have the most beautiful heart out of anyone I've ever met. You're so kind and considerate and affectionate, Sattang. You look out for me, you take care of me, and you accept me for all my flaws, too.

Before I thought about confessing to you, I used to think 'there's no way Sana could fall in love with someone like me'. You were always too perfect in my eyes. Too different from me. You're energetic where I'm calm. You're romantic where I'm practical. But when you asked me how I could love with 'someone like you', it made me happy to know that you thought the same way as me."

Sana finally raised her head and looked at Mina. Her sorrowful eyes softened a bit as she gazed at Mina upon hearing the younger girl pointing out their similarities. With Sana's attention trained on her at last, Mina confessed again clearly. "Minatozaki Sana, aieru yo. I love you as more than just a friend."

Tears started to form in Sana's eyes as the older girl allowed herself to indulge in the briefest smile at Mina's words. But a moment later Sana's face crumbled with confliction. Sana opened to speak but hesitated, biting down on her lower lip. She tried to speak a second time, and her voice and her courage failed her again.

Mina shook her head and squeezed Sana's hands reassuringly. "If you don't love me back, it doesn't change anything between us, Sattang. I still love you as a friend and I'll never leave you. It honestly makes me happy to know that I'm in your heart, too. That's enough for me."

Mina was behaving more strongly than she ever thought she could be. Perhaps because Sana had already hinted at not being able to confess her feelings to Mina while on the balcony, but Mina felt bold right now. Sana, who always protected her and cared for her, was finally in need of someone else's care for a change, and Mina was more than happy to oblige.

"Mittang," Sana murmured. "I--" Her voice was thick with emotion. She struggled to get any more words out, so Mina placed a single finger on Sana's lips to let her know that it was OK not to talk.

"You don't have to say anything," Mina said gently. She placed a light kiss to Sana's forehead, wondering to herself if this was the first time she had ever given Sana a kiss like this. "It was selfish of me, but I just wanted you to know how I feel about you. It's OK for you not to answer me."

"It's not OK!" Sana burst out angrily. The sudden reaction startled Mina and she let go of Sana's hand.

"Sana--"

The older girl looked at her with a determined expression. "It's not OK for me to say nothing, because... because, I love you too!" Sana admitted. She shook her head gently, her eyes already wavering from the confession. "...But I'm scared. I don't want to lose you if this doesn't work out." 

Mina's heart swelled in her chest and she bit back a teary laugh because Sana's fears were her fears too. Their hearts were closer than Mina ever thought possible

"Then be scared with me, Sana, because I'm scared of the exact same thing." She placed her fingertips against Sana's cheeks, frowning slightly when Sana flinched at the touch. "You don't have to be scared by yourself."

"It's not that easy though," Sana mumbled. She got up from the sofa and went over to the sliding glass door. The stars were visible from where she stood, and Sana turned up to look at them, basking in their glow in an attempt to calm herself down. "If I let myself love you and you hurt me..." she whispered, her back turned to Mina. "If anything happened and I was the one who hurt YOU..." Sana's voice cracked and she paused. "I don't want to hurt you, Mittang. I couldn't bear it if I ever hurt you."

"Are you so scared of hurting me that you won't give us a chance?" Mina asked. She quietly crossed the living room so that she stood behind the older girl. Sana stared at Mina through the reflection in the glass, unable to turn herself around to face the pe