"Not really. It's enough for me to know that my relationship with her is good."
Like an innocent boy who couldn't read the room, Yuu tilted his head slightly and looked at Haruno with confusion.
"On the other hand, Haruno-san, why do you care so much about our business? Why do I feel like you're not exactly thrilled…"
"Me, not thrilled?"
Haruno took a deep breath. She raised an eyebrow. Her emotionless eyes stared straight into the depths of his, as if silently questioning him—
"Yuu-kun…"
Though she didn't know why the atmosphere suddenly grew so tense, Yuigahama instinctively grabbed his hand, as if to give him courage—or to warm each other in the cold and face Haruno together.
Yukino frowned. Her small hand clenched at her side. She looked like she wanted to step forward and pull her sister back, but she hesitated, unsure of what her sister was thinking.
Different thoughts intertwined. The air in the elevator froze. That was the state of things for a few seconds.
"…Hasn't changed, huh."
Haruno muttered to herself, so softly that even the person in front of her couldn't hear.
"He's still the same as before. When he plays dumb, no one can tell."
A warm light reignited in her eyes. The corners of her lips curved up with nostalgia. Her heart beat warmly and strongly.
When she came to her senses, her chest was filled with joy and relief.
She wanted to hug him, ignoring the other two. She wanted to tell him she remembered everything. That starting today, they could be like before, going everywhere to eat delicious food, visiting places they'd never been, doing everything they wanted to do—
But her calm rationality, like a monster, suppressed all those thoughts.
Haruno froze her emotions for the moment.
"Sorry, sorry. Did I startle you? I was just trying to make the trendiest joke. Even if you two are really dating, it has nothing to do with me. Why would I be mad~"
Holding back her nausea, Haruno smiled again. She patted both their shoulders, her tone cheerful and light.
"How's that? My acting's pretty good, right? The Sobu High cultural festival is coming up soon. If any class needs an actor, you can come ask your big sister to be a stand-in!"
"So it was just acting… Haruno-san's aura was so scary. I thought you were serious." Yuigahama sighed in relief, laughing awkwardly from exhaustion. "My class is doing a play, but we have enough people. I don't know about other classes…"
"Is that so? What a pity." Haruno replied with a laugh, her gaze quickly shifting away from her.
Meanwhile, Yuu and Yukino exchanged glances. They blinked and raised their eyebrows, communicating silently.
"…"
Right on cue, the elevator stopped at the tenth floor, and the doors opened. Haruno stepped out first, asking as if nothing had happened:
"By the way, who are you looking for here? A friend?"
"Just a sick classmate who didn't come to school." Yukino said flatly. Based on the address provided by the teacher, she quickly located Natsukawa Masuzu's door number.
Yuu and Yuigahama were the last to exit the elevator.
She was still holding his finger. He could feel faint cold sweat, but she held on tightly, as if unwilling to let go.
"Yui?"
"Hm? Oh, sorry…" Yuigahama flinched, as if waking from a dream. She let go of his hand. Her expression was a bit complicated. Lowering her face, she whispered, "Just now, for some reason… I suddenly felt like Yuu-kun was going to be taken away."
"By Haruno-san?" Yuu was surprised. Then he raised his hand, ruffled her head, and smiled. "No way. No one can take me from you. I'll always keep the promises I make. As long as you remember that, I'll always be by your side, like now."
"Hm! Even though I'm pretty dumb, I won't forget something that important." Yuigahama nodded with a smile. But her tone wasn't as enthusiastic as her expression, as if she were forcing herself to be cheerful.
With two others outside and Haruno constantly watching them, Yuu couldn't say more. After pinching her cheek affectionately, he followed Yukino's steps.
With a clear, calm mind and perfect acting, no one could see the massive tidal wave that had surged in his heart just seconds ago. Yuu barely controlled his emotional fluctuations like Haruno had, nearly blurting out the question stuck in his throat.
(That reaction, is she falling for me again after her amnesia, or…)
"…"
Haruno still remembered. During their time dating, whenever they had free time, they'd drive around and go on dates everywhere.
Once, at a car show, he merely glanced at a scantily clad model. Haruno pulled him to a corner, held his head with both hands, forced him to look straight at her, and said with a gentle tone and a happy smile:
"Arara? Ararara. Ararara~"
"My dearest boyfriend, want me to get her contact info for you? Even with me by your side, you're still looking at other girls with those eyes. Her charm must be so great you can't resist—I get it. You want to try a three-way date, right? Sounds fun, doesn't it? Hmm?"
Back then, her sarcastic tone and that "Hmm~?" intonation were exactly the same as now. Intense jealousy seeped from behind her fake smile, along with a cold murderous intent that wanted to gouge out his eyes.
Of course, whether she was joking or serious, Yuu couldn't tell back then. Like a lie that was only thirty percent false, it was the most mysterious and captivating thing about Haruno.
But one thing he could tell everyone clearly, based on his memories:
"This woman was definitely jealous just now."
That's why Yuu was confused and uneasy.
Was it just a coincidence, or did Haruno remember the past and feel upset seeing him and Yuigahama so close, as his girlfriend?
Yuu didn't dare ask. So he chose to play dumb, waiting for more information before acting. He'd pretend he too had forgotten the past and couldn't understand Haruno's actions or feelings.
Only by playing dumb could he maintain the calm and rationality in his mind.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Haruno was also playing dumb.
Too many things were strange. Even after personally experiencing the feeling of seeing her boyfriend cheat right in front of her, forced to watch him hold hands intimately with a classmate and stand side by side to face her like an enemy, she still restrained herself from flipping the table and giving up. She chose to wait and see how the situation unfolded.
She didn't know if Yuu was playing dumb or if, like others, he had forgotten that precious time and feeling… Recognizing the wooden comb didn't mean anything. Maybe Yuu only vaguely remembered it, or perhaps he couldn't admit it for some reason.
Facing a situation that couldn't be judged with common sense, attacking blindly wasn't Haruno's style.
Like a war started in silence, she needed more information as a weapon—to avoid falling into a trap and to ensure her lover could safely return to her side, calling her Haruno again with that warm, bright smile.
Haruno wouldn't act recklessly, even though her overflowing love was almost unbearable.
"For now, I won't make a fuss about your cheating with Dango-chan, Yuu-chan."
She shifted her gaze from the inseparable pair. Her heart felt irritated and uncomfortable, but she had to show her usual smile.
"However, that doesn't mean I forgive you…"
"When the whole truth comes out, I'll definitely make you cry and say, 'I don't have the energy to chase other women anymore!'"
For now, she could only rely on fantasies to vent her increasingly insatiable desires.