—The next day, RiNG—
A black-haired boy in a gray coat sat in the corner of RiNG's second-floor café, a faint curve on his lips. A steaming cup of tea rested at his side, and a laptop was open in front of him.
The quiet of winter carried a kind of spell that could make one sink into it. Even with the year-end approaching, Haru remained absorbed in work. But today, instead of shutting himself up in his room for "intensive study," he had come to RiNG's café to change the atmosphere.
Just then, his fingers on the mouse froze.
From the stairwell came the sound of hurried footsteps, mixed with lively chatter. Even before lifting his head, Haru's lips curved unconsciously, and he let out a soft laugh.
He didn't even need to look to recognize whose quick steps those were.
"Finished with training already?"
Haru cast a knowing glance toward the practice room. Taki emerged, having just finished rehearsal, followed closely by the sparkling-eyed Anon and their adorable little penguin clutching her notebook. Only the cat was nowhere to be seen.
"Today's good enough. After all, someone's not here."
Taki crossed her arms and tossed the words off casually, but they made Haru's hand tremble on the teacup's handle. The calm look on his face faltered slightly.
"…Cough, cough."
He feigned choking on hot tea, brushing past the topic without fuss.
Because truthfully, this was sort of his fault.
Yesterday, Soyo had tempted him all day with countless tricks. In that atmosphere, she was unusually forward, indulging as if tasting sweetness for the first time. With all those factors together, plus Haru himself failing to hold back...
The result was that he lost control again and again, and Soyo ended up thoroughly "corrected" for various reasons.
"…."
Taki's lavender eyes dropped, and she suddenly glanced at Haru's neck where faint marks still lingered. Her normally frosty expression flushed crimson, but her brows knitted sharply.
"Tsk!"
The sharp click of her tongue rang out beside him.
Her displeasure seemed to take shape in the air. Haru could only cough lightly, pretending not to hear, and quickly lifted his warm Darjeeling tea, sipping again and again to soften the awkwardness.
There was no helping it.
According to the original schedule, today was supposed to be MyGO's intensive training for their next performance. But the bassist, Miss Soyo, had "suddenly" taken a sick day. For various reasons, she definitely wasn't getting out of bed today.
As for why Nagasaki Soyo was absent, the other MyGO girls knew perfectly well without saying a word.
Even without the bassist, they could still manage practice, but since the lineup wasn't complete, today's session ended half-heartedly, more like easing off the pressure of training.
Out of the corner of his eye, Haru noticed Anon hiding behind Taki, stifling laughter with her hand. But the sharp-eyed pink-haired girl caught on immediately, and her giggles turned into a pout the next second.
"…Haru-Haru~ My fingers hurt so much from practice, won't you rub them for me…"
Her voice drifted to his ears as she ran to sit beside him, showing him her delicate fingers with tearful eyes. There was a faint redness there, though whether it truly hurt was questionable.
Haru's lips twitched, a hint of helplessness in his gaze.
"Alright, alright, I'll rub them for you."
"Hehe~"
Chihaya Anon let out a silly, candy-sweet giggle. She let him massage her soft fingers with gentle care, her ears gradually turning pink. The faint happiness bubbling up inside made her want to lean in and kiss him.
But before she could, her move was intercepted.
"Hmph~"
Suddenly, Kaname Raana appeared out of nowhere, slipping smoothly between them. Without hesitation, she nestled herself into Haru's lap like a cat claiming her nest. Anon's eyes widened in shock, her voice tinged with protest.
"Raana-chan, that's so sneaky~ I was here first!"
Watching two of his little girlfriends pile onto him right after practice, Haru could only smile wryly. He gently set his teacup down, then turned his gaze toward the dazed little penguin across from him.
"Training must have tired everyone out, right? Tomori, you've been singing for so long, you must be thirsty. Should we get some desserts and drinks? I helped out here before with Ririko-san, so I'm pretty familiar with RiNG's ordering system."
"I'll go prepare the drinks. What do you all want?"
The responses came instantly.
"I'll have the same as Haru-Haru~"
"Matcha… parfait."
"I… I'm fine with anything."
All three girls answered at once. Only Taki crossed her arms, frowning slightly as she replied, "…Wait, what café makes the guest prepare the drinks? Leave it to me."
Without waiting for Haru to reply, she turned toward the counter with practiced steps. But before she could take a step, Matsugi Ririko popped up in her path, smiling broadly.
"Little Taki, aren't you a 'guest' too?"
"Huh?"
Taki froze, and Ririko pressed gently on her shoulder, guiding her back down into her seat.
"Guests should sit properly! Desserts and drinks are obviously for the staff to handle!" As she said this, Ririko sneaked Haru a wink. Catching the signal, Haru quietly gave her a thumbs up.
As expected of Matsugi Ririko. Next time, I'll let you have the red jungle buff.
"In that case, one Darjeeling, one matcha parfait, a latte for Taki, and milk tea for Tomori! And instead of cream puffs… let's go with mille-feuille and some macarons..."
"Got it!"
Ririko gave a playful salute and spun away with a smile. Left behind, Taki sighed helplessly and folded her arms, pretending to sulk. Her beautiful face grew slightly stiff.
Beside him, Chihaya Anon suddenly seemed to remember something. Her crystal-clear eyes narrowed playfully as she slipped her arms around Haru's right arm. Her voice carried a faint note of expectation and excitement.
"Since practice is already over~ does Haru-Haru have any plans for the rest of the day?"
"If not, then maybe..."
"Of course not."
Before Haru could answer, Taki cut in flatly from across the table.
"He's already busy enough handling our upcoming performances. On top of that, Sakiko's tour is about to continue, and Ave Mujica even needs him for stage work, right?"
"Hiss~ when you put it that way…"
Chihaya Anon wasn't the type to be spoiled or unreasonable. With Christmas just around the corner, she wasn't about to demand Haru drop everything to keep her company. She simply nodded in understanding.
Then, as if remembering something, her long lashes trembled slightly.
"Speaking of Ave Mujica...Haru-Haru, how's Nyamu-senpai doing lately?"
Nyamu?
Haru froze mid-sip of tea. Across from him, Taki raised a brow.
"Nyamu? You mean Ave Mujica's original drummer?"
"Exactly! Nyamu-senpai hasn't uploaded any videos since last week. Normally her posting frequency is super high...sometimes even twice a day isn't unusual! But now, all of a sudden, she's gone completely quiet!"
"Hah? That's not really strange, is it?"
Taki's expression made it clear she didn't see the problem. Anon puffed her cheeks like a little pufferfish, narrowing her eyes as faint irritation slipped into her voice.
"No way~ That's not it at all! Rikki, you don't understand anything!"
She anxiously swiped through a video platform on her phone, then turned the screen around for everyone to see. The feed of videos and her channel homepage flashed by, and Haru's eyes glinted faintly.
"Nyamu-senpai has never gone more than three days without updating. And she hasn't even posted on social media since last week! Even if she was sick, she'd at least drop a couple of tweets. This is totally not normal!"
"…She probably just needs a couple of days off to rest?"
And so the bickering between Anon and Taki began. But Haru, still holding his tea, only furrowed his brow deeper, his expression clouded with thought. Takamatsu Tomori noticed and tilted her head with concern.
"Haru?"
Her question snapped him out of it. Haru's tense brows relaxed.
"…Sorry, Tomori. I was just thinking."
He gave her an apologetic smile, then drained the last of his tea.
The crisp clink of porcelain on walnut broke through the girls' quarreling. Anon blinked in confusion at her boyfriend, only to see him gently lift Raana from his lap and set her aside.
He took a deep breath.
"Sorry, everyone. I just remembered I've got some work left unfinished. I need to head out right away… as for the dessert I ordered, please help me eat it."
"Eh?"
"Wait! Your laptop—"
Before they could react, Haru rose and strode off. Even Taki, the quickest to respond, couldn't stop him. By the time she opened her mouth, the black-haired boy was already gone, leaving the girls staring after him in bewilderment.
…
That so-called "work," of course, referred to Nyamu.
Truthfully, Haru had been waiting for Nyamu to reach out to him. If she realized her mistake and approached him first, his nature wouldn't allow him to be harsh, he'd naturally give her a chance to make things right.
But...
He hadn't expected Yuutenji Nyamu to avoid him completely. Not even a reply to the messages he'd sent before. He had been planning to take a moment in the next few days to talk to her, but thanks to Anon's reminder, he changed his mind today.
After thinking it through, he decided to go sooner rather than later.
"If I remember right, she should be living…"
As Ave Mujica's manager, it was only natural that Haru knew the members' basic details. Even without prying into her "private life," he could find her address without issue.
Closing his phone, where her unread messages still sat, Haru arrived at the apartment building's intercom. He doubted Nyamu would want to see him, but that didn't stop him.
"This feels oddly familiar..."
A memory replayed in his mind, like rewinding an old tape. He recalled the days before he moved, when he lived alone in a small apartment much like this one.
Ding-dong…
Expressionless, Haru pressed the doorbell.
No answer.
He pressed again. Still nothing. It didn't take long to realize it was useless.
From his perspective, Nyamu hadn't been out streaming for over a week. It was unlikely she was wandering about. More likely, she was deliberately ignoring him inside.
A beauty influencer, after all. She knew a thing or two about PR strategies.
But standing here getting nowhere wasn't a solution. He lowered his gaze, lost in thought, when the door suddenly opened.
A tall, striking woman with flowing black hair stepped out. Her graceful yet slender figure caught the eye immediately.
Haru found her vaguely familiar, though he couldn't place why. Before he could speak, the woman gave him a gentle smile.
"…Do you need help with something?"
She brushed back her waterfall of hair. Despite her cool, mature looks, her voice was soft and kind.
Realizing quickly, Haru nodded politely.
"Sorry to trouble you. I was just ringing a friend's doorbell, but she doesn't seem willing to answer. I'm stuck here."
"Your friend? Which apartment?"
Her pale-blue eyes blinked when he gave the number.
"…So you're Nyamu-chan's friend? I live next door to her."
"I'm her band's manager. May I ask if she's home right now?"
The black-haired neighbor hesitated before answering.
"Nyamu-chan's been acting… strange lately. She used to chat excitedly with me all the time. But recently, she hardly leaves her place. Even when she does, she only forces a quick greeting."
"She's probably inside right now, but…"
Her voice trailed off. Haru nodded slightly, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
So his hunch was right.
Seeing his serious expression, the neighbor's lips curved softly.
"Nyamu-chan may not show it, but she works harder than anyone. If you're her friend as well as her manager, please help pull her out of this state."
"…I understand. Thank you."
He bowed his head with quiet gratitude.
"Hehe~ Then I'll leave her to you."
"Sorry to trouble you."
She waved warmly before shouldering her instrument case and walking off. For a moment, Haru massaged his temples with a headache, then straightened his back again.
"Looks like I was right after all…"
As Ave Mujica's manager, it was his responsibility to look after his members. All the more so since he and Sakiko had personally scouted Nyamu. There was no way he could just ignore this.
He returned to the intercom.
"…It's pretty cold out here, you know."
"If you don't pick up the phone, I'll just have to wait here until you come out. But then I might get mistaken for some suspicious guy and dragged off by the cops. That'd be embarrassing."
His words were light, but he had no intention of leaving.
He pressed the bell again, the winter wind lifting his dark hair. His deep black eyes stayed fixed on the door, unwavering.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone and dialed.
To his surprise, she picked up instantly.
[…I'm busy. Why are you calling?]
The impatient voice on the other end only made Haru's lips curl faintly.
"Nyamu-senpai, may I ask where you are?"
[A deserted island.]
Silence.
"…Then could you use Flying Thunder God to teleport home? Because I'm standing right outside your door."
Still leaning against the wall, Haru spoke evenly. Perhaps realizing he really would wait forever if he had to, the silence inside finally broke. A faint click echoed from the apartment door.