Always Here for You (Erika, Girls und Panzer)

Things Aren't as They Appear...

Authors Note: The image used above is not mine and is the property of おきつぐ on Pixiv.

"I can't believe it..." Michael muttered through teary eyes as he stumbled through a corridor, thinking back to Erika's words...

"The truth is... I-I l-love you..."

"I-I w-waited t-too long..." Michael stuttered to himself.

After hearing Erika's confession to Karl, he felt himself go numb as he began to run as fast as he could back the way he'd come, stopping once he broke down into tears.

Due to this, he had no idea of Karl's response to the now very distraught Erika...

---Erika POV---

"I-I c-c-can't b-believe it..." Erika stuttered as she walk slowly through a corridor with tears in her eyes, slowly approaching an intersection...

---No One POV---

Michael halted for a short time, leaning on a wall just near the intersection before him,"H-How w-will I t-tell Maho?..." He pondered aloud to himself as he stepped into the intersection, stopping momentarily to wipe his eyes.

While doing so, Michael heard sniffling to his left, he quickly wiped his face as best he could and turned to see who it was...

"E-Erika?!"

"M-Michael?!"

Both Michael and Erika were shocked to be standing face to face, confused expressions covering both of their faces.

"W-What's w-wrong E-Erika?" Michael stuttered out, seeing that she'd been crying and had a saddened look about her, hanging her head low.

"N-Nothing!" Erika quickly replied. feeling her emotion build up again as she remembered what she had just gone through.

"A-Are you sure?" Michael pressed, regaining some courage due to his genuine concern for her.

"I..." Erika started, looking Michael directly in the eye as her lip began to quiver violently.

"I... I'm... I-I'm fine..." Erika managed to mutter before she burst into tears, losing her balance and falling towards Michael.

"Woah!" Michael yelled as he lurched forward and caught her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"It's alright~" he whispered tenderly in her ear as she sniffled and cried into his chest feeling some of his tears still falling down his face...

After a minute or so of this, Erika pulled back slightly and looked Michael in the eye once again. She noticed his caring expression, but also his tear covered face and reddened eyes.

(Erika in head) "Why has he been crying?!"

The pair then stared into each other eyes for a short time before the bell signifying the beginning of the next period rang.

This snapped Erika, who was entranced by Michael's gaze, back to reality causing her to stutter wildly "I... uh... I n-need to g-go d-do something!"

"O-Okay..." Michael responded as he watched Erika almost run down a corridor in front of him.

"I just hope she's okay..."

---Timeskip---

After watching Erika depart, Michael had thought about pursuing her and asking her what was wrong, however he thought that it would be better for both of them to be apart for the time being. After all, Michael hadn't forgotten what he had witnessed, and although he had stopped crying about it, he still felt a sharp pain in his heart.