"I don't really need it. I'm usually at the tutoring center, and I come back in the afternoon anyway. But since you still need to stay in contact with people, it's more convenient for you to have it for now."
Looking at the phone being handed to her, Sayu couldn't understand why he trusted her so much. They had only just met the day before, yet he was letting her stay at his place so casually—and now even giving her his phone?
"Aren't you worried?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"That while you're out, I might take your phone and disappear."
"There's always that possibility," he said. "But I just don't think you're the type of person who would do something like that. Just a feeling, I guess."
"Just… a feeling?"
Sayu looked at him, confused. But Haruto didn't offer any further explanation. His eyes remained fixed on the screen in front of him, fingers tapping steadily on the keyboard as he continued working on his manuscript.
With no answer coming, Sayu stood there quietly and simply watched him. As she did, a wave of drowsiness began to wash over her. Without another word, she headed toward the bathroom.
"I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay."
He didn't even look up. He didn't glance her way or respond with any interest. That only made Sayu feel more puzzled by him. She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After waiting a few moments and hearing nothing from outside, she slowly began unbuttoning her clothes.
Inside the room, Haruto was lost in thought, focused and unhindered by writer's block. He typed calmly and smoothly, fully immersed in his story. Even when the bathroom door opened about thirty minutes later, he didn't notice. He was still staring intently at the screen, brows slightly furrowed in concentration.
The girl, now wrapped in a towel, stood quietly behind him. She'd expected some kind of reaction, but when she saw he hadn't even noticed her, she paused. After a moment's hesitation, she silently stepped closer and peeked over his shoulder at the words on his screen.
Haruto hadn't realized she was behind him. His mind was still racing with ideas, and his fingers were faithfully turning those ideas into words:
'A high school girl stood in my field of vision, legs slightly apart. She looked me in the eyes and raised one hand.
'Good morning.'
'Who the hell are you!?'
She blinked at me in confusion as I shouted and jumped out of bed.
'I guess I should say… I'm just a high school girl.'
'Why is a JK* girl in my house!?'
The girl gave a sheepish smile.
'You said I could stay the night… then brought me here.'"
(*JK: short for "joshi kousei," meaning high school girl)
Sayu's eyes quietly scanned the lines as he typed. The content felt strangely familiar, yet at the same time completely different from what she'd actually experienced. A puzzled expression spread across her face—she couldn't quite figure out why he was writing something like this.
She continued watching as he typed out line after line. Eventually, her gaze wandered toward the rest of the desk—and paused when she noticed an entire row of vertically stacked books.
Eventually, growing a little bored, she shifted her gaze from the screen to the rest of his desk—and froze.
Her eyes locked onto a book spine labeled Miyamizu Yūka.
That name. Haruto's surname was Miyamizu too.
Same family name… could it be?
"Um, can I look at the books on your desk?"
"Go ahead."
Haruto, still focused on weaving his story together, didn't even think about what she'd said. Not hearing anything alarming, he absentmindedly gave permission while continuing to type.
Sayu reached past him, picked up the book, and quietly sat down with it, flipping through the pages.
Time passed quietly in the room. One writing. One reading.
About an hour later, Haruto saved his document and stood, stretching slightly from the stiffness in his neck. As he moved, he finally noticed Sayu, still in the living room, wearing a sorrowful expression.
The book in her hand… it was one he had written. That surprised him a little, but he didn't interrupt her. Instead, he poured himself a cold tea and returned to his desk.
The cool liquid cleared his mind—too much so. His thoughts froze, stuck as he stared at the screen, unable to continue.
"Is the story in this book… true?"
The sudden question made Haruto glance back at her. She was staring at the book, her face somber.
"Huh? That story?"
Looking at the book in her hands, he nodded slowly.
"Half true, half fiction. It could have happened, but it didn't."
"It didn't?"
He nodded again and walked over to her, sitting beside her and looked at the book in her hand.
"Her experience was pretty much the same as in the book. Her parents… they both broke down and eventually took their own lives. She ended up alone in the world, struggling just to get by. When she was at rock bottom, someone reached out to her. Things started to get better after that. Her life, at least for now, is relatively stable."
"That person…?"
"I'm gonna shower. If you're tired, go ahead and sleep early."
Without answering, he headed for the bathroom. Sayu stared at the book in her hands, silent for a long time.
When Haruto emerged, she still hadn't gone to bed. After drying his hair, he flopped down on the bed without a word.
"Turn off the light when you're ready. I'm going to sleep."
He didn't invite her to share the bed.
Sayu glanced at the book in her lap, then quietly placed a bookmark inside, turned off the light, and slowly climbed into bed next to him...
The next morning.
Haruto opened his eyes to the sound of quiet breathing. Sayu was still asleep beside him.
"…Yuko…"
She murmured a name he didn't recognize, face twisted in pain. Whoever it was, Haruto guessed it had something to do with why she'd run away.
He got up, washed, and started making breakfast.
Drawn by the smell of food, Sayu woke up and saw Haruto cooking.
"If anything happens, contact Setsuna or Sekai. Or just come find me at cram school—I'll write the address down. But you probably won't need it. You remember where we went yesterday?"
"Umm."
"If not, let Sekai lead you there. Her full name is Saionji Sekai, so don't forget."
After running through the basics, Haruto sat down to eat. Sayu quickly got up, washed up, and joined him at the table.
"If anything comes up, talk to them first. If it's still too much to handle, then you can try contacting me."
"Are you sure that's okay?"
"Okay in what sense?"
He munched on pickled radish, the sharp flavor waking him up, and looked at her.
"Those girls… seem really close to you."
"Yeah, they all like me. And they've always let me be… indulgent, emotionally. That's the only reason you're able to stay here. If it were anyone else, they'd probably explode if they found a strange girl in their boyfriend's apartment."
It was surprising that he understood that much, and yet—Sayu still couldn't reconcile his understanding of social norms with how... abnormal everything felt.
"I promised Setsuna that when we come of age, we'd get married and live together. She's really devoted to me. In the relationship, she's the one in the weaker position. That's why she's always compromising—to keep me around."
"I... see."
Sayu tried to accept that, nodding, but deep down, it didn't feel right. Could you really call that love?
"You don't need to worry about my relationships with them. Just focus on what you want to do. You've already paid rent, so think of this as a normal tenant arrangement."
"Tenant… so it's just a transaction?"
"Of course it's a business relationship. Otherwise, what do you think our relationship is?"
He looked at her curiously, surprised she hadn't already come to terms with that.
"I won't deny you're cute. Your cuteness is exactly why I 'stopped walking' and brought you here. If you weren't, I probably wouldn't have even noticed you."
"Haha… yeah..."
"But thinking I fell for you at first sight? That's a bit… overconfident."
"N-no, I wasn't thinking that—I just… never mind."
"Don't expect too much from others. People who live for someone else's sake will never find their own happiness."
Watching the girl in front of him, Haruto—though not exactly young himself—could more or less guess what she was thinking. Leaving behind a brief comment, he stood up.
"It's been a while since I properly attended lessons at the cram school. I'm heading out. If anything comes up, just contact me. Oh, and the cram school's number is saved in the phone. You can reach a guy named Tsubota there."
"Okay."
After leaving those instructions and confirming there were no issues, he exited the apartment. Sayu, now alone, watched the boy's figure disappear before silently lowering her gaze to the book on the desk. She slowly walked over, sat down, and resumed reading.
Stepping outside, Haruto was greeted by a mix of early morning coolness and lingering humidity. He let out a light sigh and headed toward the stairs.
"Weren't you supposed to take three days off?"
"I thought so too, but it turned out everything was settled by the morning. Since there's nothing else going on, I figured I'd come back to class."
"In that case, let's pick up where we left off."
"Yeah."
After arriving at Aomine Cram School and meeting Tsubota, Haruto was quietly ushered to his seat without being asked any personal questions. They simply resumed the previous lesson as usual.
Meanwhile, Sayu spent the entire morning at Haruto's apartment. Around noon, she received a call from Yoko.
When Yoko realized it was Sayu who answered, she was a little surprised, but quickly regained her composure and discussed a few work-related matters, asking her to come in for her shift that afternoon.
Sayu had no issues with this. Just as she was about to head out, she bumped into Setsuna at the entrance.
"Um, I'm heading to work."
"You have his keys with you?"
"...Yeah."
"A part-time job?"
"Mm."
"I'll come with you. I don't have anything going on right now."
Looking at Sayu, Setsuna couldn't deny the faint twinge of jealousy rising in her chest. She bit her lip but composed herself quickly. Without showing her feelings, she quietly accompanied Sayu to the Saionji family's restaurant.
Yoko was calm when she saw Sayu, but her expression turned to slight surprise when she noticed Setsuna walking in beside her.
"Setsuna?"
"I'm just here to relax a bit."
"Didn't you come with Sekai?"
"I didn't tell her. But I'll probably let her know later that I'm here."
"I see."
Glancing at Sayu, then at Setsuna—whose expression was noticeably cold—Yoko couldn't help but smirk. Things were starting to get interesting. She told Sayu to go change into her work uniform and sat down with Setsuna.
"Haruto's busy again today?"
"He's at the cram school."
"Ah, I see. I've heard a little about that girl's situation. Is everything alright?"
"…"
Setsuna didn't answer. She cast a sidelong glance at Yoko and fell into silence.
Her intentions were far too obvious.
Yoko gave a small smile, looked at the girl beside her, and turned her gaze to Sayu, who had just come out of the back room and returned to the main hall, now dressed for work.
~~~~~~~~~~
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