Morning light trickled in as the sun began to rise.
With the buzzing of message alerts coming from his phone, a slender right hand reached lazily out from beside the bed and silenced the notifications. Haru shut his eyes again.
Only after a sluggish five-minute routine of waking up did he finally sit up, his mind still foggy.
Outside, soft rays filtered through curtains as thin as silk. Dust and lint floated in the air, catching the light in a golden haze. Two bristle oil paintbrushes lay quietly in the corner of the desk, their wooden handles glowing faintly under the morning sun.
"So it's already morning, huh?"
Haru narrowed his eyes, checking his phone.
8:20 a.m
Normally, waking up at this hour would still count as lazy for him. On a typical Sunday, he'd sleep until nearly eleven. Especially after yesterday's date, which had drained him mentally and physically.
If not for the alerts on his phone, he probably would have slept a while longer.
The first message was a good morning from Ikuyo-san, packed with playful emojis and red hearts. Just looking at it, Haru could practically see her flushed cheeks on the other side of the screen.
Ikuyo, freshly in a relationship, was brimming with energy and affection.
After spending the whole day together, even after confessing her feelings, she had still clung to Haru, talking endlessly, sneaking kisses in corners with a blushing face, and occasionally burying her nose in his neck to take long, shameless sniffs of his scent.
She was really taking "getting a taste for something" to the next level.
The heady, ambiguous atmosphere of last night, paired with the fact that they were alone outdoors, made it entirely possible that if he hadn't been careful, Ikuyo might have dragged him to a hotel. Thankfully, after kissing her until her legs turned to jelly, he seized the moment to forcibly send her home.
"Hm?"
Haru's brow lifted slightly, a curious glint in his eyes.
[Taki-san: Are you there?]
[Taki-san: I need to talk to you. Please reply when you're free.]
Aside from Ikuyo, there were also a bunch of messages from Shiina Taki. Tapping into the conversation revealed a long string of texts filling half the screen. Even just glancing at it, Haru could feel her urgency.
Given her usual nature, someone who avoided troubling others unless absolutely necessary, something had definitely happened.
Without hesitation, Haru called her directly.
"You finally decided to reply?"
The call had barely connected when her voice came through cold, sharp, and impatient.
Even through just her voice, Haru could picture Taki's frosty expression. His brain kicked into high gear, reviewing whether he'd done anything that might've offended her.
No... he hadn't, had he?
At worst, he'd gone from sneaking glances at her legs to openly staring. Other than that, he hadn't done anything worth making her angry.
Exhaling a long breath, Haru cautiously tested the waters. "I just woke up. Did something happen, Taki-san?"
There was a strange pause before her somewhat subdued voice finally came through.
"…Yeah. There's something I need to talk to you about. But I can't explain it over the phone. Come out, I want to speak in person."
A flicker of realization passed through Haru's eyes.
If it had been band-related, she would've just said so on Line. But something that needed a face-to-face talk definitely wasn't just about music.
Most likely it was a personal issue between band members or maybe even between Haru and Taki herself?
With that thought, Haru shook his head and buried the idea for now, cautiously asking:
"RiNG?"
"No. Come to my place."
The calm, certain tone of her voice made Haru pause.
Hold up.
…
When a girl invites a guy she's not dating to her house, it's usually to settle things. Either define the relationship, or end it.
At first, Haru had gone thinking maybe Taki was going to answer his confession. But the moment he saw her, he immediately sensed this wasn't it.
No matter what kind of girl it was, they didn't normally wear this kind of expression when facing a confession. This level of tension, this look of a ticking time bomb...
"…"
The dark-haired boy sat silently on Shiina family's couch, a steaming mocha on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced around, noting that Shiina Maki was nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, Taki had chosen this time on purpose, so they wouldn't be interrupted.
That alone made things feel off.
If it had just been about her reply, they could have talked quietly at a café. Instead, she insisted on this secluded, private setting.
If it had been Soyo or Ryo, Haru might have guessed their intentions right away. But for someone like Shiina Taki to choose this kind of situation, it was hard to read.
Still, Haru had a few theories.
If she wasn't planning to do something with him, then maybe she was about to do something to him.
Judging by the dark expression on her face, Haru suspected it was the latter.
"So, Taki, I'm guessing you didn't call me over just to share a cup of joe?"
"Of course not."
Taki folded her arms and sat down stiffly. The tension in her brows didn't fade for a second.
Noting that she wasn't quite stable right now, Haru didn't press her. Instead, he calmly took a sip of the homemade mocha. The unexpectedly sweet taste hit him like a shockwave.
Taki stayed quiet for a moment, then finally spoke.
"Haru, I want to ask you something."
"Do you like Umiri?"
Halfway through his sip, Haru nearly choked. He slowly set the cup down, eyes flashing with a sharp realization.
So the good bro, Yahata Umiri, had already told her about the date invitation. Even though she hadn't replied yet, Haru figured that was basically a silent rejection.
He'd been thinking of following up with Umiri again but Taki beat him to it.
"I'm not sure I can give you a clear answer to that right now."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
Watching her furrowed brow, Haru closed his eyes, then answered seriously.
"The fact that you're asking means you already know, don't you?"
"I invited Umiri out on a date. I did that because... I wasn't sure how I really felt about her. So I wanted to use that chance to find out."
From the start, Haru and Umiri had gotten along well. Their wavelengths matched perfectly, and they quickly became good friends. After spending more time together, they had grown familiar enough to understand each other deeply.
They both knew the truth, even if Haru didn't spell it out. Umiri would've figured it out anyway.
But it was precisely because they were such close friends that Haru had been stunned when he realized Yahata Umiri liked him.
Until then, he'd never imagined that their strong friendship might take a different turn. Especially with Umiri, who had spent so long by his side without ever showing a single crack in her composure.
After learning the truth, his head had been nothing but chaos.
Taki, arms crossed, looked momentarily caught off guard. But she quickly recovered, pressing her lips together as she said in a low voice, "You must have figured it out when you came to my place last time, right?"
"I slipped up and said... that Umiri actually has feelings for you."
And not just Umiri, she nearly exposed everyone that day.
If she hadn't blurted out her own feelings as well, Haru suspected Taki might've even outed Sakiko for good measure.
"Of course I know."
Haru nodded, and Taki gritted her teeth at his calm response.
"But what you don't know is, Umiri's planning to turn you down."
Reject?
Haru nodded slightly, not surprised by the news.
After all, when he asked her out, the usually decisive and assertive Umiri had responded with a rare "Let me think about it." That alone said more than enough.
"She obviously likes you, and yet she's choosing to reject you. She's even pretending not to like you, like she's trying to brush it off. Isn't that way too strange?!"
The way Umiri had casually brushed it all aside, insisting to Taki that she and Haru were "just friends," still didn't sit right with her.
Because she knew Yahata Umiri wasn't the type to lie about something like that. There was no way she only saw Haru as a friend. Taki had seen the truth in her eyes.
But what she didn't understand...
Why was Umiri rejecting Haru?
Why did she lie?
"…"
Haru frowned deeply as he stared ahead, those words stirring something turbulent inside him.
Even though he had sensed that Umiri harbored more than just friendly feelings, he still couldn't fully grasp the thoughts she kept buried inside.
His theories were just that, his own assumptions but he didn't think Umiri was the kind of person to get caught up in harem-style drama.
Which made her behavior all the more inexplicable.
"I have no idea what Umiri's thinking anymore."
Taki's clenched fists and heated voice made her frustration clear. Just thinking about the look in Umiri's eyes that day reignited her fury.
Sure, she had lost her temper and rejected the coffee Umiri brought, but even then, she still considered Umiri a close friend.
As angry as she was, she couldn't just ignore her. In fact, it was precisely because she cared that she had to intervene. She couldn't just watch Umiri spiral like this.
That was why she brought Haru here.
If she couldn't talk sense into Umiri, then she'd get him to do it.
"So that's why you called me here?"
Looking at Taki's flustered yet determined face, Haru furrowed his brows, seemingly deep in thought. He stared at the woodgrain on the ceiling, quiet for a moment.
The mocha on the table still let off soft wisps of steam, the added creamer blending into a subtle, fragrant sweetness.
"Funny. I don't understand her either."
"Huh?"
Taki's eyes widened in disbelief.
Haru, of course, wasn't going to stop there. A faint smile curved his lips as he looked toward her and spoke meaningfully.
"I don't get it."
"But I know Umiri has feelings for me. And I know I have to take her seriously. So I can't just let her reject me like this. I want to understand what's going through her mind."
Haru downed the rest of his coffee and reached out his left hand toward Taki.
"Which means there's no time to waste—"
"Let's go find her."
…
As a freelance musician, even Sundays didn't mean rest.
Yahata Umiri stood by the backstage prep room, her black bangs tucked behind one ear. Her expression was unreadable.
In front of her stood a familiar client, a punk-styled guitarist who smiled gratefully as she handed Umiri an envelope stuffed with cash.
"Ah, Yahata-san, thank you again! If you hadn't come, we might not've been able to perform at all!"
"No need for thanks. I was just doing my job."
Umiri took the envelope without blinking. Her cool demeanor was something her clients had long gotten used to. But this time, the punk guitarist looked a bit puzzled.
Eyeing the instrument case in Umiri's hand, she asked hesitantly:
"By the way, is it just you again today?"
"Didn't you used to have that keyboardist guy with you? The one you paired with so well onstage? Did something happen to him? He's not sick or anything, right? You two had such great chemistry. If you bring him next time, I can offer double or even triple the pay."
Umiri's brow twitched slightly.
"Sorry. That depends on the situation."
Umiri's demeanor was noticeably colder than usual, a stark contrast that caught the punk guitarist off guard.
Having worked in the rock scene well into her twenties, she had seen her fair share of tangled and abstract emotional ties between bandmates. With that experience alone, she could vaguely sense something off about Umiri.
A moment later, she offered a smooth, adult smile. "Ah, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!"
"We'll probably need your help again soon, Yahata-san, so I'll be counting on you!"
Staying out of other people's emotional entanglements, that was an unwritten rule in band culture.
Umiri, now composed, gave a brief nod in reply. Then, picking up her instrument case, she walked out of the LiveHouse.
The click of her heels echoed crisply with each step. Her straight, shoulder-length black hair swayed lightly at her ears, occasionally revealing a glint of metal from her earring.
Thinking back on what had just happened, Umiri furrowed her brows. Her sharp, graceful face showed the faintest trace of tension.
She was... slightly off her game.
"…"
Her strides quickened as she walked along the street. Even though that performance had been her last job of the day, she couldn't help but walk faster and faster.
The growing impatience in her chest made her grip the handle of her case tighter. Only when she stepped into the familiar Usayama shopping street did her pace finally begin to slow.
"Hm?"
She lifted her gaze and spotted a familiar takoyaki stand.
Of all places, she ran into this octopus ball vendor?
With a complicated look in her eyes, Umiri let out a long breath. She remembered the first time she and Haru happened to run into each other here. Sitting side by side eating takoyaki, it was as if the moment had placed some kind of "curse" on them.
Ever since then, she'd kept bumping into him.
A real curse indeed.
Umiri muttered silently to herself. Something else flickered through her mind, and she gave a small shake of her head, turning to walk around the stand and take the other side of the street.
But at that moment...
"Not going to try some?"
A calm voice drifted into her ears, and Umiri's eyes narrowed sharply.
Her still, dark green eyes turned and locked onto a familiar black gaze. That boy with jet-black hair was standing just a short distance behind her. Even for someone like her, the suddenness of the encounter was enough to shake her composure.
"Haru?"
What was he doing here?
Her mind raced in confusion. Of all people, why did it have to be him, right now? She glanced ahead on instinct, only to find Shiina Taki standing there, brows tightly drawn.
Cornered from both sides. Was this meant to stop her from escaping?
An uneasy tension stirred in her chest. Umiri slowly closed her eyes, and under Taki's sharp gaze, she turned and walked toward the takoyaki stand at a measured pace.
Her voice, cool and even as ever, drifted out:
"Anyway, let's sit down first."