"There's nothing too concerning with the rest, but when it comes to short essays, there's still room for improvement. You need to stay updated with current social issues. I suggest that whenever you have free time, read the newspaper or watch the news. It'll help you gain insight and deepen your understanding."
Tsubota carefully reviewed Haruto's work. Overall, the quality was average—he had a decent grasp of the basics, and with continued review and practice, he could gradually improve. But short essays were a different story—they often dealt with societal issues.
There was no denying Haruto's command of language was fine, but the content itself could be summed up in one word: empty.
"Generally speaking, you're doing fine. But competition from top schools is incredibly fierce. To stand out, you need to show something that sets you apart—something that grabs attention."
"Can I make their vision go black instead?"
"Well, I suppose that's not entirely out of the question. But most graders prefer essays that align with their worldview. If the language is too aggressive or the argument too extreme, it might not be well received."
"Got it."
Haruto nodded at Tsubota's advice, mentally noting to start checking the news more regularly and maybe even subscribe to a paper.
"If you maintain your current pace, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Alright then, let's call it a day. I'll head back now."
"Take care on the way home."
Packing up his stationery and exchanging a farewell with Tsubota, Haruto left the tutoring center and returned to his apartment.
As he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, he was met with silence. The place was empty—no one in sight. He patted his pocket and realized his phone was still with Sayu. He wondered how she was doing, or what time she'd be getting off work.
As for the possibility of her just running off—he glanced at the small bag still sitting in his room.
"Looks like she even cleaned the place?"
His room was spotless. Pouring himself a cup of tea, Haruto sat down at his desk and started browsing the news.
"Yamaguchi Prefecture – A 24-year-old resident of Abu Town arrested for mistakenly receiving 46.3 million yen""Aichi Prefecture – Major water leakage at the Meiji Water Intake Facility, severe impact reported"
Previously, Haruto wouldn't have paid any attention to news stories that didn't affect him directly. But now, for the sake of improving his short essay writing, he focused earnestly on each article. He even visited online forums to read through a wide range of opinions and commentary.
Some posts were serious discussions. Others were complaints about the government's incompetence. Some veered completely off-topic into irrelevant conversations.
After a while, he started to feel bored. None of it really interested him. He scrolled rapidly through the news—until something caught his eye. A familiar surname flashed by, causing him to pause and look again.
"Hokkaido" and "Ogiwara." And the subject was a girl. That lined up all too well with the girl currently living in his apartment. Curious, he clicked on the article.
"A girl went missing after arriving in Tokyo with her older brother… The timing matches when I met her. Ogiwara Corporation?"
Narrowing his eyes, Haruto continued reading the article and searched for related information. What he found left him stunned.
He clicked on a link about a company called Ogiwara Foods, skimmed the company profile, and then saw a photo of the company president. The man's face bore a striking resemblance to Sayu.
Haruto fell silent.
He spent the next hour digging through everything he could find online about the name "Ogiwara." There was a lot of irrelevant junk, but eventually, he managed to piece together a fairly complete picture of Sayu's background.
"She didn't even bother using a fake name?"
Maybe… just maybe… there was still a sliver of hope in her heart. A hope that someone in her family would find her—not through aliases or disguises, but through her real name. That someone would search for her and show up one day, asking her to come home. That her family still cared…
"Running away from home, hoping that her family would worry enough to look for her… Hurting herself just to test if her parents still love her…"
Staring at the screen, Haruto absorbed everything. He had even found information about the family structure of the Ogiwara company's president. Sitting in front of the monitor, Haruto rested his chin on one hand and muttered with a knowing look,
"So that's how it is."
Her parents were divorced, and the lack of care and attention from them led their daughter to take extreme measures—just to prove she existed.
"In that news article… there was a girl named Masaka Yuko. She committed suicide after being bullied at school. At the time, the only person with her was Ogiwara Sayu."
That soft whisper from the morning echoed in Haruto's mind.
"Masaka Yuko…"
Though he didn't think Sayu was a bad person, Haruto still hadn't come to a clear conclusion.
He sat at his desk for a moment before standing to prepare dinner. As he cooked, he thought carefully about how to approach Sayu's situation.
_ _ _ _ _
Sayu's part-time job ran from noon to early evening. It was relatively easy, not too busy during her shift. As more staff came in for the dinner rush, she was able to clock out and head home.
After receiving her pay from Yoko, she left the restaurant with Setsuna.
"Do you like him?"
They had just boarded the subway. Sayu, lost in thought about what she should do once she got home, was caught off guard by Setsuna's sudden question.
"Um, that's kind of sudden. By 'like'… you mean romantically?"
"Never mind."
Though Sayu looked flustered, she wasn't particularly embarrassed. That told Setsuna everything she needed to know.
Sayu didn't know how to respond to the abrupt question followed by the abrupt silence. Her eyes lingered briefly on Setsuna before she lowered her head, staring at her shoes, sinking into silence.
Neither spoke a word. That silence stretched until they arrived at their stop. When Setsuna finally spoke—"We're here"—Sayu snapped out of her thoughts and followed her out of the station.
As they stepped into the apartment, the smell of freshly cooked food greeted them.
Haruto glanced over his shoulder toward the door and saw Sayu enter. He placed the dish he was holding on the table and headed back to the kitchen. Sayu gently closed the door behind her.
"Did you eat at the restaurant?"
"No, not yet."
"Then let's eat together."
He told her to wash her hands, and the two sat down at the table. They ate in silence, a quiet so heavy it made Sayu a little uneasy.
Only after they'd finished did Sayu slowly lift her head. She looked across the table at Haruto and handed him the phone she'd been carrying.
"Hm? Oh, right."
He accepted it without surprise and placed it on his desk before beginning to clear the table. Sayu tried to help, but Haruto waved her off.
"Your family… it seems like they're looking for you."
He was at the sink, rinsing the dishes, when he said it. Sayu, sitting on the couch in the living room, went pale. Her lips trembled as she looked up at him.
But Haruto didn't look back. He continued scrubbing dishes, eyes fixed downward.
"I came across some news about you online today. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but after reading more… it really did seem like it was about you."
"…"
"Hokkaido. Ogiwara. High school girl."
"…Why are you bringing this up?"
Her voice was strained, and she bit her lip, her expression clouded with pain. Her eyes flickered with emotion as she stared at the boy standing in the kitchen.
"No special reason. I was just surprised. You ran away from home without even changing your name. If you were hoping your family would find you… maybe it's time to go back."
"There's no one at home who cares about me anymore."
"Is it because of that girl named Yuko?"
"…You already know?"
She sounded surprised, but after realizing he knew her identity, it wasn't so strange that he would've found out about Yuko as well. The story had become big news in Hokkaido, especially in her hometown.
It had even been reported on TV several times. Anyone who did a little digging would find out easily. There was nothing particularly surprising about that.
Sayu lowered her head in silence, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face between her knees.
"I'm not going to pry or ask what happened. It's not my business. But… using your real name like this, it probably won't be long before your family tracks you down. So… just be ready."
"…"
Haruto placed the clean dishes into the cupboard, wiped his hands, then crouched down in front of Sayu.
"Do you want to shower first, or should I?"
She didn't respond, so he went ahead himself. When he returned from the bathroom, Sayu was still curled up in the same position. Haruto didn't say anything to comfort her—he simply sat back at his desk and resumed his work.
"…Can I go see her?"
He had just taken a sip of tea and was staring at his screen, trying to figure out what to write next, when Sayu's quiet voice broke the silence.
"Hm? See who?"
"The girl in your book."
"My book?"
Following her gaze, Haruto looked at the book on his desk. He paused briefly, a little surprised and curious.
"If you met her, what would you want to ask?"
"I don't know… It's just… I feel like… if I could meet her, I might understand a lot more."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Haruto stared at her in silence for a moment. Then he smiled softly and stood up.
"I'm kind of curious myself now—what the two of you would talk about. Let's go. It's a bit of a walk. Hopefully we'll get there before she goes to sleep."
Grabbing his phone, Haruto headed for the door. Sayu stood up too. Her legs were numb and aching, but she bit her lip and followed him out.
As Haruto turned to lock the door, he glanced back at her, wincing as she stumbled forward on wobbly legs.
"Legs gone numb?"
"A little. But walking should help."
He locked the door and glanced at her again, adjusting his pace so she could keep up.
They walked side by side down the quiet street, their shadows overlapping under the streetlights. Sayu glanced up occasionally and saw moths fluttering around the lamps.
Just like people.
Even if they know it might not lead to something good, when they see the light, they can't help but fly toward it—only to get trapped in one illusion after another.
"Does Kiyoura-san know about her?"
"Setsuna? I think she has a guess. But the two of them never really talked."
Sayu looked at Haruto's back as he walked ahead. Her simple understanding of relationships had been shattered after meeting him. She never imagined people's emotions could be so complicated in the big city.
"…What about you? Back in Hokkaido—was there anyone you liked?"
"No."
"Not even a celebrity crush?"
"Nope."
They made idle small talk along the way, choosing not to take the subway. After nearly an hour of walking, Sayu was drenched in sweat, the back of her shirt soaked through. She sipped from a bottle of green tea they'd picked up along the way, watching Haruto walk ahead like he had endless energy.
Just as she was about to ask how much farther they had to go, Haruto suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
~~~~~~~~~~
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