Iroha was dissatisfied. Unhappy.
Such a vague answer could never satisfy her curiosity.
"Tell me, tell me—just tell me already!"
She grabbed Haizaki's arm and pressed him for an answer in a coquettish manner.
But at this moment, Iroha realized her behavior was too intimate. She frowned, doubt flashing through her mind.
Even with her open personality, she shouldn't be acting so familiar with a boy she had just met and didn't know well.
Was it because Haizaki had helped her? Or because he had confessed to her?
Iroha didn't quite understand.
And more importantly—why didn't she dislike this feeling?
"Isshiki-san, please pay attention to your behavior…"
Haizaki swung his arm and pulled free.
"You just confessed to me a moment ago, and now you're looking at me with such disgust. Senpai, you're really heartless. I'm hurt."
She pouted, used the back of her right hand to rub at the corner of her eye, putting on the look of a heartbroken girl abandoned by a cruel man.
"One thing is one thing. After being rejected, keeping some distance is the best choice…"
He had no regrets left regarding Iroha.
All he needed to do now was keep his distance and live a normal life.
"What kind of way is that to chase girls, Senpai? Giving up after just one failure? If that's the case, I think you'll never get a girlfriend in your entire life."
Iroha fully displayed her acting talent. A moment ago she looked on the verge of tears; now she wore an expression full of worry, as if deeply concerned that Haizaki would never find a girlfriend.
"As the first girl to reject you, Senpai, what if twenty years later you come asking me to take responsibility? What should I do then?"
"You're making it sound like I won't be able to find a girlfriend even after twenty years. Besides, twenty years from now, Isshiki-san, you'll be an auntie. No matter what, I wouldn't go looking for an auntie."
Haizaki deliberately looked her up and down, then counterattacked.
Iroha's mouth twitched.
She would only be thirty-six then. With good care, she'd be no different from a youthful, beautiful girl.
"I'm not an auntie. Hmph. With thoughts like that, Senpai, I'm genuinely worried about your future."
"Worried that I won't find a partner?"
"Yes. Just in case."
She stated that possibility with certainty.
"There's no 'just in case.' Your premise is wrong. You're not the first girl to reject me, so you don't need to worry about me asking you to take responsibility. Besides, being single might actually be a very good choice."
"So Senpai has already confessed to other girls? Could it be Yukinoshita-senpai? After all, she's the famous ice-cold beauty. If you could confess to me today, then confessing to Yukinoshita-senpai yesterday would be perfectly normal."
Iroha nodded meaningfully, looking as if she had grasped the whole story.
If he really had confessed, she would actually admire Haizaki a little.
Were boys from the Eastern Union all this bold? Confess as soon as they liked someone—wasn't that a bit excessive?
"Like I said, being single isn't bad."
But the day after tomorrow…
Just thinking of Utaha caused ripples in Haizaki's heart.
"Who actually wants to be single? Isn't living, playing, and having fun with a beautiful girl better? Eating alone, shopping alone, watching movies alone—doesn't that kind of life sound way too miserable?"
She absolutely didn't want such a solitary life. Just imagining days of loneliness made her feel like she would go crazy.
"Then do your best and find a boyfriend in high school." Haizaki encouraged Iroha.
"Of course I will. But it definitely won't be you, Senpai. You are—"
"I'm a good person. We're impossible. I know."
Haizaki quickly stopped Iroha from continuing.
"Hmph. As long as you know."
Being interrupted made Iroha a little awkward, but it was within her control. She quickly adjusted her expression and attitude.
By then, they could already see the gates of Sobu High.
More and more students in Sobu High uniforms entered their view.
Haizaki recalled the scene from the first day of Lonely Apocalypse when he arrived at Sobu High.
On the empty streets, there were only sets of Sobu High uniforms. People… had all disappeared.
Now, there were finally people again.
Haizaki felt happy.
After experiencing a year in a world without people, returning once more to a world filled with them made him instinctively cherish everything he had now.
"Senpai, I'll head off first. My classmates are over there…"
Iroha, unaware of Haizaki's thoughts, pointed toward two Sobu High girls not far away.
They were classmates she had met yesterday. After school, they were planning to go to a dessert shop together.
"Go ahead."
Goodbye, Iroha.
"Senpai, one last thing—I want to thank you again. But…"
She straightened up and thanked him solemnly. However, the unfinished half of her sentence and the "you know what I mean" expression before she turned away made Haizaki feel helpless despite his calm heart.
Iroha really did love teasing people.
"I know. Don't worry. I won't have any ideas about you."
She was always worried he might have designs on her.
But in the end, this was simply Iroha's way of dealing with people.
"Not happy…"
Leaving behind those words, Iroha turned and walked away with light steps, leaving Haizaki only with a back that clearly said I'm very unhappy.
A woman's thoughts—don't try to guess them.
"Senpai—"
After jogging only a few steps, the girl stopped again, turned back, raised her voice, and said, "Cheer up. Don't give up just because you encounter failure or setbacks. Tomorrow will definitely be better!"
She smiled brightly and pumped her fist, as if cheering Haizaki on, then turned and left him with her back.
Haizaki froze for a moment, then finally smiled in relief.
So she noticed after all.
It seemed he really needed to relax and return to a normal state as soon as possible.
Otherwise, he truly didn't know whether he would develop psychological problems.
After Iroha joined the other girls, they had already noticed Haizaki's presence.
"Iroha-chan, could it be that just now…?"
Curiosity flared, and the two girls began asking about Haizaki and Iroha.
"No, it's not like that. Senpai just helped me before. I noticed he didn't seem to be in a very good mood today, so I was just cheering him up to help him recover."
"Denying it so quickly—it definitely is!"
One of the girls laughed teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah. Iroha-chan's so cute—didn't expect her to get hit on by the second day!"
The other girl joked.
"Maybe he even confessed!"
The two girls chatted excitedly, enthusiastically imagining what had happened between Iroha and Haizaki that morning.
Iroha blushed and shook her head in denial, but it didn't seem to help much.
Were girls really this perceptive—to actually guess a confession?
But that confession wasn't meant for her, was it?
She had been treated as a substitute by that senpai she met for the first time.
She really didn't know how to describe that feeling.
She had become someone else's substitute.
…