Melancholy

Light, soothing music accompanied Kuronuma Sawako as she ran, her inner monologue dwelling on Kazehaya Shouta.

She even passed Kurumizawa Ume, a female villain whom everyone had hated early in the series for doing all sorts of awful things to get together with Kazehaya...

Sawako didn't even notice.

Ume was undoubtedly the main reason Kuronuma Sawako had made up her mind to confess to Kazehaya Shouta right then... Though she'd been cunning and underhanded early on, once she admitted defeat, she had withdrawn cleanly...

You could say she'd been halfway redeemed!

She knew Kuronuma Sawako was going to confess to Kazehaya Shouta. Her expression was downcast, but... she didn't cause trouble like she used to!

Honestly, the way this scene was handled... made the fans feel really good.

For one thing, they felt Ume was actually a rather tragic character, and the author didn't need to portray her as irredeemably evil. Sure, she was a bit fake, but who wasn't? And besides... the tension was already running high. If another fan showed up to stir things up, everyone's blood pressure would shoot through the roof!

"Go, go, go!"

"I haven't been this excited watching an anime in ages! Those eight months of waiting were worth it, just for this moment!"

"Teacher Zhao Qinyin, don't pull the same awful tricks as Teacher Shui Xin. Just let the heroine win, fair and square!"

"Girls, I'm so excited, what do I do? I feel like I'm the one about to confess. I'm way too invested!"

"Damn it, this school hallway is way too long! Why hasn't Kuronuma Sawako finished running yet? Hurry up!"

"Always timid, shy, and afraid to find out what he thinks of me..."

"What am I hesitating for?"

"His back, his blushing profile, his worried expression, his angry expression...