Love Live! Finding Our Happily Ever After (Shizuku Osaka x Male Reader)

Act 11 - Critique & Cross

One Year Later...

"Here's to another successful performance!"

As the drama club celebrated the success of our latest play, my mind kept wandering back to how this was the last time I'd be performing on stage with Shizuku and everyone else here at Nijigasaki before graduation. I tried to keep up a happy facade in front of everybody, but I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed at this ending. Since I came to Nijigasaki, I've finally been able to step out and find my own place in things.

"Hey uh, I'm gonna head off a bit early." I said, giving them a soft smile

"You sure?" The president said

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit tired so I'm gonna head home." I said

"Alright, if you say so." The president said

I went through the backstage exit, and began to head through the halls of the school. I figured I may as well pull out my headphones and listen to some music as I walk, but by the time I fully got them out and connected to my phone, I could tell somebody was heading my way. I turned and saw that it was Shizuku, who had a concerned look on her face.

"Hey, I figured you were going to celebrate with the others for a while longer." I said

Shizuku walked up beside me, and took a hold of my hand as she said "I was going to, but it seems like something is bothering you."

"Huh? I'm fine, don't worry about it." I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"Y/n, we've been dating for more than a year now, I can tell when there is something troubling you." Shizuku said "And if there's something wrong, I want to be there for you."

I felt my shoulders go slack and my smile slightly faded as I said "It's no big deal, it's just kinda starting to set in that there's just a couple of weeks left before I graduate, and that this was the last time I would perform onstage alongside you for a while, or possibly at all."

"Huh? Why is it possibly the last time at all?" Shizuku asked. Crap, I didn't mean to mention that yet.

"Because, I thought I'd try to reflect a bit before I graduated, but because of it, I ended up realizing something." I said "I realized that over the past year I've kind of ended up stagnating, because after I finally got my freedom, in the end I never fully devoted myself to figuring out who I am. So I was thinking that maybe for a while, I should head off to study somewhere else, and spend some time figuring out who I am before I can come back and be beside you."

I ended up realizing that for eighteen years of my life, I've always done things based on other's expectations of me. But while I thought it was something that was fine after getting away from the crushing weight of my mother's expectations, in the end I kept doing things based on what others expected me to do. I never fully let myself choose my path based on what I wanted to do. I gained freedom from my mother, but not from the people-pleasing attitude she instilled in me.

"So after graduation, you're planning to leave? For how long?" Shizuku asked

"I dunno, maybe a couple months, maybe a year or something." I said "I just... want to find who I am before I ever think about where our future together can go." I didn't want to talk about this yet, I worried that if I did, when it was time for me to leave, I wouldn't have the willpower to do it. And while I'd love to stay with Shizuku, I need to figure out who I am, so that I can stand beside her and dream with her of our future together.

As I felt myself starting to waver, not wanting to leave Shizuku, I felt her squeeze my hand as she gave me a reassuring smile as she said "It's fine Y/n, I understand that you just want to make sure you know what you want outside of our relationship. Just promise to call me, alright?"

I could feel a small smile starting to form on my face as I heard Shizuku's words of support. I swear, this girl is someone I sometimes feel like I could throw everything aside for her, but I know in the long run that wouldn't be good for either of us. I squeezed her hand back and said "Of course, I want to be able to still tell you that I love you as much as you deserve."

"Then feel free to do whatever you need to do to find yourself. Just know that the two of us will never truly be apart." Shizuku said

I learned forward to give Shizuku a kiss, so thankful I've managed to find love in Shizuku. While a year ago I stopped myself from leaving so that I could be happy alongside her and be free, in the end, I need to leave for now to find who I want to be so that I'll know that in the end we will be able to be happy, together.

-------------------------------------------------

A/n: Cross in theatre is a term for an actor moving from one part of a stage to another