Raising his arm, Haruto lightly wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertip. Glancing at it, he found a faint, glossy trace of lipstick.
He didn't have to think too hard about where it came from—it was clearly left behind during his intimacy with Koharu at the astronomy club earlier.
"Thanks."
"No need. I have something to do, so I'll excuse myself."
Rio's gaze lingered on the mark on Haruto's face, her emotions a complicated tangle. She still remembered Haruto once telling her that his girlfriend wasn't attending Toyosaki.So then... whose lipstick was this?
She could have fabricated some plausible excuse for him—maybe he had clumsily applied lipstick for the first time, resulting in the messy smudge—but they were no longer children.Even Rio knew that would be an act of self-deception far too naïve.
After letting her gaze rest on him for just a moment, she turned away, walking toward the laboratory.
Left standing there, Haruto watched her retreating figure fade into the distance. Then, idly, he ran the tip of his tongue across his fingertip, tasting the remnants of the lipstick.
Cherry flavor.
"Hey, Miyamizu-kun, are you free after school?"
Later that afternoon, Haruto listlessly flipped through his textbooks, the pages fluttering under his half-hearted movements. His mind wandered as he stared out the window at the blue sky, thinking about what else he had left to do.
The publishing deal had been settled; all that remained was to look forward to the release date.
Resting his head on a single arm slouched across the desk, he wondered if he should start writing something new.
It was at that moment a voice brought him back to reality. He lifted his head lazily and glanced at the girl standing by his desk.
"I could be free... or not. Depends. What's up?"
It was Itsuki Nakano.
Haruto vaguely recalled that the last time he helped the Nakano family with tutoring, Itsuki had seemed particularly unhappy with him. He couldn't imagine why she was suddenly approaching him now.
His ambiguous answer made Itsuki frown deeply.
"If you're free, I'd like to talk with you. Alone."
She didn't wait for a reply. Without another word, Itsuki turned and walked briskly back to her seat, leaving Haruto watching her retreat with mild confusion.
Feeling the subtle stares of others falling on him, Haruto simply closed his eyes again, resting on his arm.
Class ended. School was over for the day.
"Sorry, I've got something to do today. I won't be heading home with you guys."
Itsuki, having packed her bag, said this quickly to her sisters before striding straight toward Haruto's desk. Before anyone could even ask what was going on, they could only watch in stunned silence as she stopped by Haruto's side.
After exchanging a few quiet words, the two of them left the classroom together.
"Wait, did I just see Itsuki leave with Miyamizu-kun?" The ever-energetic Yotsuba stared blankly at their backs before swiftly turning to Miku, Nino, and Ichika, who sat nearby, each of them frozen in place.
"You didn't see wrong," Miku said after a moment of stunned silence.
"But... why? Why would Itsuki leave with Miyamizu-kun?!"
Everyone seemed to share the same question, exchanging looks but finding no answers. Nino's gaze fell on Ichika, who was quietly lost in thought.
"Itsuki wouldn't do anything reckless," Miku finally said. "Besides... we don't know the situation yet. Should we follow them?"
"They haven't gone far yet," Yotsuba added urgently. "If we hurry, we can catch up!"
But Ichika silently packed her bag and walked out of the classroom without a word.
"I have other things to do. As for Itsuki... I'll stay out of it," Ichika said as her figure disappeared through the door.
Left behind, the three sisters looked at each other for a moment, but none made a move to follow.Eventually, they also packed up their bags and left.
Strolling across the campus, Haruto walked side-by-side with Itsuki. Yet he couldn't help noticing how her gaze never once turned toward him, as if she wasn't concerned with his presence at all.
It was absurd to think she might harbor any feelings for him. Though he didn't know the quintuplets very well individually, he understood their strong bond deeply. He couldn't imagine Itsuki trying to take advantage of Ichika's moment of heartbreak.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"There's a restaurant just outside the school. Let's go sit there for a bit."
Without elaborating further, Itsuki led the way. Haruto followed without complaint, and soon they arrived at a small diner—nothing fancy, just a simple place frequented by students.
There weren't many customers, mostly Toyosaki students in uniforms. Choosing a relatively quiet corner, they sat down. As soon as she settled into her seat, Itsuki opened the menu, flipping through it without so much as a glance in Haruto's direction.
"Waiter!"
After scanning the menu, she quickly rattled off her order—mostly familiar comfort foods like curry and meat dishes.
Only after placing her own order did she seem to realize Haruto's existence again, belatedly lifting her gaze to him.
"Ah... sorry. I forgot to ask. What would you like?"
She pushed the menu toward him. Haruto glanced down—the prices were just as modest as the restaurant itself: perfect for students with shallow pockets.
"Lemon water, please," he said.
"Nothing else? It's on me today."
Itsuki looked at him, a bit surprised.
"No, just the lemon water is fine."
Haruto, lacking much of an appetite, declined politely. The waiter, seeing there was nothing more, closed the menu and left to prepare their order.
Now alone at the table, Haruto and Itsuki found themselves surrounded by the low hum of students chatting nearby.
Without beating around the bush, Haruto leaned forward slightly, meeting her eyes.
"So... can you tell me what you wanted to talk about now?"
Their food hadn't even arrived yet, but Itsuki, clearly torn between her anticipation for the meal and the conversation at hand, focused her gaze on him seriously.
She stared at Haruto for a long moment, silent as if choosing her words carefully.
"Is it related to Ichika ?" Haruto asked.
"Hmm... It's somewhat related to my sister. It's not entirely about Ichika, but I am a bit concerned. I was wondering why your relationship with her suddenly turned so cold. Lately, she's been distracted and causing a lot of trouble at home," Itsuki explained, following up directly after Haruto's question.
He had already suspected this meeting was connected to Ichika. After all, there wasn't much that tied him to Itsuki, and the only topic they could realistically share was her.
"So why didn't you just ask Ichika directly? Was it because we don't have a particularly close relationship, and even if you asked, it wouldn't feel awkward? So you came to me instead?" Haruto asked.
"No... that's not it," Itsuki shook her head quickly. "Even if I asked Ichika, I probably wouldn't get a clear answer. I thought maybe by asking you, I could figure something out."
"So you're basically admitting this has to do with me?"
At his words, Itsuki fell silent, letting her lack of response serve as confirmation. Haruto didn't seem particularly bothered. He quietly watched the waiter place lemon water in front of them, thanked him, then turned his gaze back to Itsuki.
"Whether it really has to do with me, I'm not sure," Haruto said calmly. "But if I had to guess, maybe it's because I told her recently that... I have a girlfriend now."
"A girlfriend?"
Itsuki repeated the words slowly, her eyes wide as she stared at him. The confusion and surprise swirling inside her were almost visible. She furrowed her brows, bit her lip lightly, and looked completely lost.
When had this happened? Who was it? When did Ichika find out? And why had Haruto told her?
"Since she's not a student at our school, we don't really interact much. That's why nobody at school really knows about it," he added, lifting his glass and taking a sip through the straw. His explanation was brief, and notably, he skipped over the part about why he had told Ichika specifically—something that naturally made Itsuki even more curious.
She wanted to ask, but given her position, it felt inappropriate. The questions piled up in her chest, but none of them made it past her lips.
"I see," Itsuki finally said, deciding there was no point pressing further. She had gotten the main answer she came for.
"So," Haruto asked, "any other questions you need answered?"
"Not exactly questions..." she hesitated, her voice lowering. "There's something... kind of troublesome that I wanted to ask you for help with."
Originally, she thought it would be an easy request. But after hearing Haruto's unexpected revelation, her plan now felt awkward. Still, she couldn't think of anyone better. After a moment of silent struggle, she pushed forward.
"I... um... I was wondering... if you could tutor me... a little?"
She barely managed to get the words out, looking at him like a nervous kitten.
"Tutoring?" Haruto blinked, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected that at all. His expression grew complicated as he leaned back, thinking it over. Itsuki sat quietly, anxiously waiting for his reply.
"Why me? There are plenty of classmates who have better grades than I do..." he pointed out.
"Well, us sisters mostly stick together. We don't have close ties with many people in the class. It feels awkward asking someone I don't really know," Itsuki explained. "Besides, you already helped us once before. And... you have a girlfriend, right?"
Haruto paused, almost laughing. So having a girlfriend was a plus in Itsuki's eyes?
"There are a lot of smart people," she went on, "but that doesn't mean they're good at teaching. You explained things really clearly last time, and I could actually understand it. That's why... I want to ask you."
She hesitated again, clearly worried about imposing.
"Of course, I understand this might be inconvenient for you. I'm not asking for daily tutoring—just occasional help when I get stuck. As for payment..."
She trailed off, looking frustrated. It was clear she had no idea what would be appropriate compensation for tutoring.
"I understand," Haruto said suddenly, before she could overthink it any further.
His quick answer surprised Itsuki. She stared at him, unsure what exactly he meant.
"I'll tutor you," he said, smiling slightly. "Instead of payment, let's call it a favor. One tutoring session equals one future favor—you help me out when I'm in a pinch. We'll meet here. Is that okay?"
Meeting Itsuki's wide, puzzled eyes, he added, "If we met at your house, it would probably just cause more trouble, right?"
"It's not that big a deal... but yeah, here's better," Itsuki agreed quickly. Public spaces avoided any misunderstandings.
She hadn't expected it to be so simple. After a beat, she asked cautiously, "When you say 'favor'... what kind of help are you talking about? Let's be clear—I won't agree to anything weird!"
"I haven't really thought about it yet," Haruto said, still smiling. "When the time comes, I'll let you know. It won't be anything crazy. And if you don't want to, you can say no."
"...Alright," she said, a bit unsure but accepting it.
They spent a little more time discussing the details—how often they'd meet, what topics to focus on—and also chatted briefly about Ichika's recent behavior. Throughout the conversation, Itsuki kept trying to probe for details about his girlfriend, but he skillfully dodged every question.
Eventually, her food arrived. Seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, Haruto stood up to leave.
"Alright. It's settled—Saturday afternoons, here."
"Got it," Itsuki nodded.
Waving casually, Haruto left the restaurant, heading back to his apartment.
Left behind, Itsuki quietly watched his retreating figure. Then, ignoring the curious looks from nearby diners, she turned her attention to her meal and began to eat alone.
When she returned to their apartment, Itsuki stepped inside and immediately spotted Yotsuba alone in the spacious living room, sprawled across the sofa. She was lazily flipping through a manga, occasionally tossing a potato chip into her mouth. Hearing the door, Yotsuba lifted her head slowly and spotted Itsuki coming in.
"Ah, welcome back, Itsuki."
"Yeah, I'm back. Where is everyone else?"
"They're mostly in their rooms. Nino's getting dinner ready — it should be done pretty soon."
"I'll pass. I already ate out earlier. I'm just going to head to my room after this, so no need to call me for dinner."
Having already eaten more than enough at the restaurant, Itsuki now felt uncomfortably full. Trying to cram any more food into her stomach felt less like eating and more like... well, she didn't even want to think about it. Just imagining it made her stomach churn slightly. Shaking her head, she turned toward the stairs, ready to retreat to her room.
"Wait a sec!"
Just as she turned around, Yotsuba, who had been slouched on the sofa, suddenly sat up straight and leaned forward, calling out to stop her.
"What is it?" Itsuki asked, glancing back over her shoulder.
"You left school with Miyamizu-kun today, right?"
"....."
There was no use denying it — they had left together right in front of everyone. Itsuki simply nodded, admitting it openly.
"So what?"
"What did you two talk about?" Yotsuba asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Facing Yotsuba's eager gaze, Itsuki hesitated for a moment, then decided to share half of what had happened that afternoon.
"I asked if something had happened between him and Ichika. He gave me... a pretty unexpected answer."
"An unexpected answer?"
"If you're that curious, why don't you ask Ichika or Miyamizu-kun yourself?" Itsuki said, her voice calm as she turned back toward the stairs. "I'm heading to my room. I need to rest."