It's fine, it's cool.

As the one and only princess of the Kamisato clan, the reputation one is expected to uphold in such a rank is high. It wasn't a position meant for just anyone, and the person in that exact position would have known that better than anyone else.

The eyes of Inazuma's people were great, especially towards faces well known to the general public like lady Ayaka. To most she was the personified representation of the Kamisato clan, and for good reason. A true lady laced with grace, talent, and compassion for those around her was favorable to many. After all, traditional ideals such as those were favored for many nobles.

...and Ayaka had always been the kind of person to aspire to excel in her position. Her skills and public character were definitely not things that were just naturally instilled in her, as much as others may have been inclined to believe so. It was all a result of that aspiration, countless hours put into mastering all facets of her character. To someone like her, anything she does must be finalized in its best form, no matter how many retakes it may require. nobody gets to see the scrapped versions of herself she chooses not to reveal to the world— atleast nobody but you.

Another noble lady from a clan held in close regards to the kamisatos, you and ayaka were set in friendship early on. You were the person to see her throughout everything, even before and after the passing of her parents. there was no reason to act in front of you, and that was one of the things she loved about connecting with you. you couldn't say you didn't echo the same sentiment, finding the same sense of solidarity in your relationship.

But was relationship even a proper word for you two? The word relationship being used to describe your bond with ayaka felt like a slippery slope. That implies romantic connection, something that could mean a lot in terms of two highly regarded people; especially if they were both ladies.

No matter how much you could have wished for it to be different, it was something that was against the traditional norms you both were expected to abide with. That was what put the metaphorical wall between you two, as of now.

It was practically verbatim that you had a connection that surpassed that of just two lady friends, but it wasn't one ayaka was fully acceptant of. From her understanding, she knew what she felt for you; it just didn't feel right. As far as she was aware, falling in love with another woman wasn't really on her life's course. In the next few years, she was supposed to be excelling and finding a husband! There was nothing that said it was okay for her to love you, and that was the exact problem.

As far as ayaka was concerned, those words shared about spending your lives together weren't ones that would be as fondly embraced by the general public as they were by you two. It was something she felt she had to accept by keeping her connection with you at an arms length, no matter how much she wanted to reciprocate.

And she did just that. A few years had passed at this point, and ayaka had found herself in a courtship with a respected and well known man. She chose him over you, and you couldn't deny the hurt you still felt, even after all of this time. You, however, still held out for her. yes, you were a little overly hopeful to do so, but those feelings were still there. There was the potential for you two to atleast have some time together to rekindle what once was, right?

Tonight presented an opportunity to do so. A major annual festival was currently ongoing, and your respective clans were expected to be in attendance for the festivities. You couldn't help but feel giddy just at the prospect of seeing ayaka once more, even if just as a lady of your clan. you couldn't help but wonder if she still held onto those promises from all of those years ago as you noticed her standing off to the side. She clearly noticed you, too.