The next morning, Sawamura Haruno was woken up by his phone's alarm.
He struggled to pry his eyes open, his hazy gaze slowly sweeping across the room before it finally registered that this was his newly moved-into apartment.
"Eight twenty already…"
He grabbed his phone, shut off the alarm, checked the time, and let out a helpless sigh.
He had to get up, change clothes, and catch the train during the morning rush if he wanted to make it to class on time.
Living as a human being was a lot like living with an alarm clock.
Before you realized it, it became an indispensable part of life.
When you were young, you set alarms to go to school.
When you grew up, you set alarms to go to work.
By middle age, you set alarms for your kids' school.
And when you finally reached old age—
your biological clock no longer allowed you to sleep in anyway.
"Humans and alarm clocks… really are a kind of parasitic relationship."
Haruno muttered this conclusion to his reflection as he brushed his teeth, looking thoroughly exhausted.
Come to think of it—
wasn't there still someone in his apartment who didn't quite qualify as "hateful," but was definitely irritating?
She probably hadn't left yet… right?
With that thought, Haruno sped up his washing.
Seven or eight minutes later, he shook the water off his hands and headed toward the guest room.
The door wasn't locked.
He pushed it open easily.
The curtains by the window fluttered slightly in the breeze, and the cool morning air made him squint instinctively.
Even so, he could clearly see the defenseless, tempting body sprawled across the bed.
"…How can someone be this lazy?"
Looking at Miyazawa Maki's disgraceful sleeping posture, Haruno frowned slightly.
None of the bedding he'd given her—quilt, sheets, pillowcase—had been put on properly. Everything was scattered messily across the bed, while Maki lay sprawled in the middle of it all in a large X-shape.
Her pajama top had been unconsciously tugged up to above her stomach.
Just a little more, and he'd be seeing something far too stimulating for early morning.
"The only thing that makes you different from Mana… is places like this."
Haruno stared quietly for a moment, then gently closed the door.
Claiming he had no reaction to such a scene would be a lie.
But he'd already lived through adulthood twice—he was still capable of restraining himself.
Besides, Maki's behavior last night had mostly been driven by competitiveness toward her sister, along with impulsive urges to vent and retaliate.
If he'd really crossed the line with her, it would only have caused far bigger problems.
For now, he decided to put that issue aside.
After leaving the apartment, Haruno boarded the train and soon arrived at the gates of the University of Tokyo.
This top-tier institution—among the best in Asia—still maintained a relatively traditional academic structure.
Freshmen and sophomores weren't assigned specific majors. Instead, they focused on general education first, before being divided into humanities and sciences tracks, which were further split into Classes I through III.
Generally speaking, Humanities Classes I and II weren't drastically different in academic level.
But Class III was another matter entirely.
That class consisted of the absolute top scorers, and students there gained priority when choosing majors in their sophomore year.
——Sawamura Haruno happened to be a Humanities Class III student.
Incidentally, Miyazawa Mana was also in the humanities track.
Though not Class III, she was still in the Komaba campus, just like Haruno.
After arriving at school, Haruno first took out his phone and sent Mana a short message asking when she'd be free to meet. Only then did he slowly head toward his classroom.
Unlike most freshmen, Haruno wasn't particularly enthusiastic about attending lectures.
To be honest, even he found it strange.
Why did young people in this country get fired up in the weirdest situations?
Like during entrance ceremonies—
shouting things like "I'll shoulder the future of this nation!" or "Now that I'm in Todai, I'm going to—!"
Just a short while ago, they'd still been clueless high schoolers whose entire world revolved around studying.
As he was lost in thought, Haruno suddenly heard someone call out from behind him.
"Ah—Sawamura-kun. Good morning."
"Good morning, Mine Shiori."
Haruno replied without hesitation, slowing his pace slightly.
The voice was unmistakable.
He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was—his fellow humanities student, Mine Shiori.
Her voice belonged to the type that lingered in your memory after hearing it only a few times—flat, calm, with almost no emotional fluctuation.
"Sawamura-kun, are you free this afternoon?"
Mine Shiori quickened her steps and walked up beside him, lowering her voice.
"If you are, I was hoping to invite you to a café nearby."
"Huh? A café?"
Haruno glanced at her in mild surprise.
She looked exactly as usual—
snow-pale skin untouched by sunlight, slightly sleepy-looking eyes, tightly pressed lips that made her seem distant.
She wasn't wearing glasses, but she still gave off the unmistakable impression of a girl who spent all day holed up in the library.
Which raised the obvious question—
Why was this perpetually drowsy literature girl suddenly asking him out for coffee?
"The necklace you picked up a few days ago… was actually mine."
Perhaps unaccustomed to being stared at so directly, Shiori's gaze drifted aside.
Lowering her head, she explained softly,
"It's very important to me. So I thought it was necessary to treat you to something as thanks."
"Oh—that necklace."
Haruno suddenly remembered.
A few days ago, he'd picked up a necklace on campus. After waiting half a day with no one coming to claim it, he'd turned it in at the lost-and-found.
He hadn't expected the owner to be a classmate—
let alone someone right beside him.
If he'd known, he might've taken a photo and posted about it online. Maybe someone who knew both of them would've helped connect the dots faster.
"It was no big deal," Haruno said casually.
"No need to thank me. Just be careful not to lose it again."
"No… because it's really important to me, so…"
Shiori's eyes wavered more noticeably, her voice growing weaker.
"I see…"
Haruno hesitated, noticing her suddenly gloomy expression.
"But I'm not sure I'll be free this afternoon."
He genuinely wasn't—
mostly because Maki was still at his apartment.
"Then…"
Listening to his explanation, Shiori took a deep breath, as if making up her mind.
"…Are you free at noon? Even if it's just in the school cafeteria."
"That should be fine."
In the end, Haruno agreed.
Though he still didn't quite understand why she was so insistent on thanking him.
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