Sitting at the table, her mind foggy from staring at the test questions, Itsuki finally gave up. She set aside the pen she had barely used, grabbed her juice, and took a long, desperate sip. Across the table, she looked at the boy who still had his head buried in a book.
"Ah... you're still reading? Is that book really that interesting?" she asked.
Hearing her voice, Haruto slowly lifted his head. His gaze drifted over the top of the book and met hers directly.
He casually slipped a bookmark between the pages and closed the book with a soft thud, then glanced down at the workbook in front of her. About seventy to eighty percent was filled in, but the rest remained blank.
"Finished already?"
"...Yeah. I can't do the rest," she admitted, a little sheepishly.
Setting his book down flat on the table, Haruto stood and walked over to her side. His eyes fell on the messy workbook as he leaned down slightly to get a better look—bringing his body unintentionally close to hers.
Itsuki could feel his presence all too clearly now, the way his warmth brushed against her shoulder. Her eyes instinctively flicked sideways, and her gaze landed on the smooth curve of his neck, the subtle lines of his collarbone, and the faint glimpse of skin peeking out from his shirt.Her cheeks flushed pink. She hurriedly turned her gaze away—but couldn't resist stealing another glance at his delicate, handsome profile.
"Here... What are you looking at?" Haruto asked, noticing her wandering gaze.
"Huh?! N-Nothing...!" she stammered, eyes darting away in panic.
Seeing her flustered reaction, he didn't press. He simply assumed she had gotten distracted and bent down again to explain the problems to her.
In the quiet restaurant, the two young students—one explaining, the other listening attentively—painted an unexpectedly harmonious picture. Even the waiter, passing by and catching sight of them, couldn't help but smile faintly, remembering their own lost youth.
"So he's just helping her study, huh? I thought maybe it was something more... Guess I was worried over nothing," one waitress murmured to herself, chuckling.
Meanwhile, back at home, Nino had noticed her sister's odd behavior lately. When she saw Itsuki rush out earlier, Nino's instincts kicked in. Quietly, she followed her.
From their high-end apartment, Nino trailed her all the way to a simple restaurant near the school, where she spotted Itsuki sitting alone inside, clearly waiting for someone. Watching from outside at first, Nino's eyes widened when she saw Haruto arrive and join her sister.
Startled, she hurried into the restaurant as well, choosing a secluded corner seat where she could watch them without being noticed.
She couldn't help but suspect—was something going on between Itsuki and Haruto? Had Itsuki betrayed the sisterly bond they shared? Was there... some secret relationship between them?
But then, she watched as her sister pulled out a thick study workbook and placed it on the table.
Even though Nino had a slight problem with her eyesight, thanks to her glasses, she trusted what she was seeing.
Still, even knowing that, it was a huge shock. Of all things—studying? Studying with Miyamizu-kun?
Memories of the last time Ichika had invited Haruto over for study help flashed through her mind.Nino frowned in deep confusion, stealing glances at the two as they worked.
After a moment, she took out her phone and quietly snapped a photo, saving it without comment.Then she lowered her head, pretending to look at her phone, but continued to keep a cautious eye on them.
Was it really just studying...?
"Do you get it now?" Haruto asked after a while, straightening up.
"I think... I kind of get it," Itsuki replied a little awkwardly.
He had expected her to say, "I still don't understand," and was briefly caught off guard by her answer.
Looking down at the girl sitting by his side, smiling awkwardly, he let out a small sigh.
"Want me to explain it again?"
"N-No, it's fine! I basically got it. If there's anything I'm still confused about, I'll look it up when I get home."
Itsuki knew she wasn't naturally gifted academically—but her work ethic had always been second to none. During Haruto's explanations, she had quickly scribbled down notes, capturing the key points as he spoke.
Seeing her determination, he gave a small nod and returned to his seat across from her, picking up his lemon water and taking a slow sip.
"Anything else you need help with?" he asked.
"Not really. Language Arts isn't my best subject, but I'm at least passing. As for English... I'll pass on that for today," Itsuki said, waving it off. Then, tilting her head slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, she added, "Actually, I'm more curious about something else—shouldn't your girlfriend be messaging you or something?"
"That's... not really tutoring-related, is it?" Haruto replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just curious!" she insisted. "Most boys who have a girlfriend would be glued to them, right? You're just calmly studying here. You haven't even checked your phone. Doesn't she care?"
Meeting her inquisitive gaze, Haruto chuckled a little. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. There was no message from Setsuna—but two emails from Sekai had popped up.
"She does care," Haruto said simply, "but it's not a problem. She trusts me."
"Wait... so you didn't tell her about today?"
"Nope."
"Ehhhhh~?"
Itsuki's face showed a surprised expression, but the next moment, she realized that perhaps it really wasn't convenient to tell one's partner about such things.
Still, the fact that Haruto was hiding his relationship from her felt somewhat inappropriate.If she were to get a boyfriend someday…
Her thoughts drifted completely off-topic, away from the original conversation.
"Well, since there's nothing else, I'll be heading back."
Haruto placed his hand on the book in front of him, preparing to stand up and head back to his apartment. For him, staying here any longer served no purpose — better to return and continue working on his unfinished project.
"Is there something urgent?" Itsuki asked.
"Not really. It's just... staying here any longer feels pointless. It could get troublesome if someone sees us, right?"
"I guess you're right."
Itsuki nodded. Even if she went home now, there wasn't anything special waiting for her.The real reason she struck up this conversation was simply to fish for some information about Haruto's girlfriend, to see if Ichika still had a chance.
But now that she thought about it, talking about this here really wasn't a good idea. If someone overheard a few stray words and started spreading rumors, it would only cause trouble.
"Oh right, I almost forgot — let's exchange contact info. It'll make it easier to get in touch before tutoring sessions."
"Sure, I don't mind."
Haruto entered her contact information and saved it — Name: Itsuki Nakano.
Casually adding her number into his directory, Haruto politely excused himself, grabbed his book from the table, and left the restaurant. Just before stepping out, he tilted his head slightly toward a certain gaze he had sensed.
'Noticed me, huh?'
Sitting quietly in a corner, Nino quickly lowered her head and retracted her gaze.
Standing by the entrance, Haruto glanced at the familiar figure tucked in the corner. Recognizing her unmistakable features, he couldn't help but smirk slightly. Without saying anything, he pushed open the door and left the restaurant.
A long while later, Nino slowly lifted her head, realizing he hadn't come over — he had already disappeared from sight. Silently, she rose from her seat without speaking to Itsuki and slipped out of the restaurant.
_ _ _ _
"Haruto, where are you?"
"Just hanging out with a classmate. I'm heading home now. What's up?"
"Nothing special... I just didn't know what to do this afternoon and... I kinda wanted to see you."
Hearing the hopeful tone in Sekai's voice, Haruto, now walking outside under the bright blue sky with white clouds drifting lazily overhead, lifted his gaze thoughtfully.
"This afternoon, huh... Are you free tonight?"
"Tonight… yeah, I am."
"Tell your mom you're staying over at a friend's place. That won't be a problem, right?"
"Um… last time... she misunderstood and thought I was already dating you... so... it should be fine if I tell her."
Listening to her halting explanation, Haruto recalled the awkward incident at sekai's home. Although a bit unexpected, it wasn't entirely surprising. He nodded lightly.
"Alright, understood. Just let her know. By the way... she's not going to follow you over, is she?"
Suddenly recalling what happened between himself and Mai in the past, Haruto grew a little cautious.
He also remembered that Sekai, like Sayuri and Eriri, came from a single-parent household.
"No, no! Mom comes home really late every night. And when she does, she's too exhausted to care about anything. I just need to leave her a note."
"I see. Then it's settled. Come over in the evening. I'll need some time to rest when I get home."
"Saving your energy?"
Walking along the road, Haruto froze for a moment, coughed lightly, and casually replied.
"Something like that. Anyway, I'll hang up now. See you this evening."
"Okay."
Haruto soon stepped into a nearby convenience store and gave the familiar clerk girl a small smile.He wandered the aisles, grabbing some basic seasonings and instant food before heading to the counter.
There, he casually picked up a small shiny box and placed it on the counter.
The clerk girl, used to seeing him by now, stared at the small box without much expression.She couldn't even remember how many times she had scanned that item for him.
"1,415 yen."
Haruto handed over some bills and coins, chuckling slightly when the clerk quickly tossed the coins into the cash drawer as if they were contaminated. Grinning, he grabbed his shopping bag and left the store.
Watching his back as he disappeared, the clerk girl bit her lip unconsciously.
Did he really need that many?
In just over a month, he had already bought how many boxes?
She couldn't understand it — was he using them to blow up balloons or something? Biting her lip harder, she pushed the thought away and quietly went back to her work.
Even after returning to his apartment, Haruto couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of the clerk's expression.
He tossed the shopping bag onto his desk, casually tore open the shiny box and threw it into his drawer, then carefully arranged the seasonings on his kitchen counter. Finally, he made his way over to the fridge and checked the supplies. Nothing urgent to replenish for now.
15:34.
There was still a long stretch of daylight left. It was May — unlike the darker months of February or March, when the sky would already darken by 5 PM, in May, twilight only began around 6 PM, and full darkness came closer to 7 PM.
With plenty of time left, he sat quietly at his desk, pulled out his manuscript from the drawer, and stared at it in deep thought.
Originally, he had planned for the protagonist to stay in the countryside and drown in sweet pleasures.
But after completing The Angel with a Stigma, Haruto felt that kind of ending was just... too mediocre. Sure, it could happen in reality — but art should draw from reality and rise above it!
"Maybe have them stand on the cliffside with his cousin and do a double suicide? A little homage?"
It felt too sudden. There wasn't any proper buildup earlier. Trying to shoehorn it in would just waste readers' time. Besides, he still had plans for this pen name — best to keep it intact for future releases.
"Forget it. I'll stick to the original storyline. But I'll scrap the whole mountain-forest sex scene — no point dragging it out."
Now that his creative passion had cooled off, Haruto didn't bother plotting anything new. Closing his eyes to visualize the next scenes for a moment, he picked up his pen and lazily began drafting the ending, relying on his old routine template...
....
Late Night, ten o'clock.
Leaving the remaining work to the store staff, Yoko Saionji also changed into her usual clothes, bid farewell to her employees, and made her way alone to the parking lot. Sliding into her car, she headed back toward her apartment.
"The lights aren't on... Well, around this time, she's usually already resting anyway."
Lifting her gaze toward her apartment building, Yoko thought of her daughter, guessing she must already be asleep by now. She climbed the stairs slowly and made her way to the door of her unit.
She slid the key into the lock and opened the door, stepping into a home enveloped in darkness.Normally, there would be at least one small light left on. Tonight, there wasn't even that — which struck Yoko as a little odd.
At the entrance, she slipped off her shoes, her feet sliding easily into her house slippers. Without noticing the small note resting on the table, she walked straight toward her daughter's room.Standing at the door, she gently pushed it open and peeked inside.
"Sekai? Are you asleep?"
The light from the living room spilled into the bedroom, but the bed was completely empty.Yoko blinked in confusion, then pushed the door open wider and flicked on the bedroom light.
Click—
Under the bright light, the truth was clear: the room was empty. Her daughter wasn't home.
A surprised expression crossed Yoko's face. She turned back toward the living room and finally noticed the small note sitting on the table. Picking it up and reading it over, her brows knitted together in surprise.
『I'm spending the night at my boyfriend's house tonight, I'll be home tomorrow, so don't worry about me. —Sekai Saionji』
The handwriting was unmistakably her daughter's.
But... her daughter was already bold enough to spend the night out?
Yoko stood there in silence for a while, her face clouded with complicated emotions. It was probably that boy from last time... She pressed her lips together. Without even leaving a contact number, there was no way to reach Sekai now — nothing she could do.
"I just hope they took proper precautions... Otherwise, if a child comes into the picture, it's going to be a real mess... sigh... Sekai's really growing up, huh."
Murmuring to herself, Yoko placed the note back down on the table and slowly made her way toward the bathroom.
On a Saturday like today, the shop had been absolutely packed. After working for so many hours straight, she felt like her entire body was about to fall apart. Without a long soak, she honestly wasn't sure she'd make it through the night...
"Doesn't your mom care?"
"Mm, it's fine... but... why are you suddenly asking about my mom?"
"No reason... just curious. You're so cute, Sekai — your mom must be beautiful too, right?"
Lying in bed, Yoko Saionji suddenly opened her eyes. She sat up, staring into the darkness of her bedroom. The dream she had just been having still lingered in her mind — fragments of conversation she couldn't quite grasp.
A helpless, exhausted smile crossed her lips. Burying her face in both hands, she let out a long, heavy sigh.
"So lonely..."