When the plane touched down and Sayu stepped onto Tokyo soil again, she couldn't help but close her eyes for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she reopened them, steadied her emotions, and slowly walked out of the airport terminal.
_ _ _ _
Meanwhile, Haruto, with one hand in his pocket, left school and headed toward the cram school.
"Hey! Aren't you going to wait for me?"
A hurried figure followed behind him. Haruto glanced back at the girl keeping pace, her wobbling ahoge standing out conspicuously.
He stopped and looked around at the girl, who bent forward with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Observing the reactions of the people nearby, he noticed many eyes turning toward them—but when those people realized Haruto was looking, they quickly looked away.
"I don't mind," he said. "But what about you? Aren't you worried that walking with me might start some weird rumors at school tomorrow?"
"Like what?"
He glanced at Itsuki in front of him and continued walking toward the cram school, with her quietly following behind. Their steps fell in line, one after the other, while three other figures trailed discreetly behind them.
"The way those two are together… it just feels weird," one of them murmured.
"Itsuki said the cram school she goes to is the same one as Miyamizu-kun. So they must go together now, right?"
Miku, hiding her face behind a book, watched the two walking ahead but didn't seem particularly curious.
"I have no idea what Ichika's up to lately. She's been so secretive, hasn't even told us about her part-time job. Compared to them, I'm more worried about Ichika," Yotsuba said, glancing at her sister, Nino, who was staring intently at the two in front. Nino, however, seemed completely uninterested in Ichika's affairs.
"We'll hear about Ichika when she's ready to tell us herself. What's more concerning is those two ahead. Miyamizu-kun already said he has a girlfriend, right? And now he's so close with Itsuki—doesn't he worry his girlfriend would mind? It's suspicious!"
"But didn't Itsuki approach him first?"
"…."
The three exchanged glances in silence as the two ahead walked further away, and they quietly followed.
When they arrived at the cram school, Tsubota was a little surprised to see the two walking together. Recalling that a girl named Itsuki Nakano had asked him questions about Haruto a few days ago, he quickly understood the situation.
Dating shouldn't affect their performance in the cram school… right?
He felt a bit concerned but noticed that Haruto didn't really pay attention to the girl next to him. It seemed unlikely that any trouble would arise.
"Sorry, Tsubota-sensei. I had some things yesterday, so I didn't come to the cram school."
"That's fine. Did you read the news?"
"Yes, I've been keeping good records of the news I read every day."
"You made notes? Good work."
Tsubota stood and pulled out a test from a light-colored drawer, handing it to Haruto.
"This is last year's Meiji University entrance exam. Try it first."
Itsuki, hearing this, couldn't help but feel surprised. She stared blankly as Tsubota handed the test to Haruto, who accepted it without hesitation and returned to his seat to begin.
Watching them interact so normally made Satsuki feel…
"Hmm? Curious, are you?"
Tsubota noticed the confused expression on her face and smiled.
"You mean… the university entrance exam?"
"Yes. The entrance exam for a university ranked in the top fifty of private universities, like Sophia University."
Itsuki's hand trembled slightly as she pointed first to Haruto, then to herself.
"…We're classmates? And he's already preparing for university entrance exams?"
Recalling the test she had taken a few days ago, her score, and seeing Haruto now calmly working on a university-level exam, Tsubota couldn't help but feel a subtle mix of surprise and puzzlement.
Tsubota couldn't help but wonder—was Itsuki really in the same class as Haruto?
On one hand, there was Haruto, who had already mastered the entirety of high school knowledge through self-study, commuting for half the summer, and was essentially prepared for even moderately ranked universities. On the other hand, Itsuki was still struggling with even basic middle school concepts.
"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Miyamizu is a bit special, so don't worry too much about him. As for you, Nakano-san, I've analyzed and organized the topics for the questions you got wrong yesterday. Memorize these first."
He handed over a thick bundle of study notes to the girl in front of him. Itsuki stared at it in silence.
Still, determined to become a teacher herself, she didn't complain. Quietly, she picked up the bundle and returned to her seat, diving into it earnestly.
Watching her focused expression, Tsubota felt a twinge of admiration.
Although Itsuki's foundation was weak, her attitude was flawless. As long as she kept working hard, even ordinary universities wouldn't be out of reach.
"Hopefully, she can keep it up," he murmured to himself.
Tsubota collected the tuition fees without letting his guard down, hoping his students wouldn't slack off either.
From the afternoon until about eight o'clock at night, Haruto, under the lamp light, began to feel his head swimming. He put down his pen with a long sigh, gathered his test sheets, and stood to hand them to Tsubota, who was still looking over other students' work.
"Finished already?"
"There are quite a few questions I couldn't answer. My score might be… terrible."
"Some of the questions are above your current level, Haruto. That's understandable."
Glancing briefly at Haruto's test, Tsubota filed it away carefully.
"When you come tomorrow, it should be graded."
"Then I'll head out for today."
"Alright."
"I'm going too!"
Hearing Haruto was leaving, Itsuki quickly stood. Under Tsubota's faintly subtle gaze, she fell in step beside him, walking together toward the exit.
"Youth… it's wonderful," Tsubota murmured, shaking his head slightly before returning to grading.
"Hey! Wait up a bit!"
Seeing Haruto walking steadily ahead, Itsuki hurried to catch up and called out, a little annoyed.
"What is it? Your way home and mine aren't the same, right? Though your apartment isn't far from here…"
"Why are you walking so fast?!"
"Because my house is far. Walking back would take over half an hour."
With one hand in his pocket, Haruto looked at Itsuki. The dim night, illuminated by street lamps, cast a soft glow over her face, giving her a slightly different appearance than usual.
"I see… that makes sense," she said.
"So, what did you want to ask me? If it's nothing special, I'm heading home."
"No, it's nothing major. I just thought you were walking fast and wanted to check."
"You really call someone over just because you think they might have something going on? That's kind of… sadistic."
"Not at all!"
Gurr—
Itsuki clutched her empty stomach. She hadn't eaten dinner, and after following Haruto to the cram school since the afternoon, her hunger was catching up with her.
Haruto, in the same state, caught her gaze. They looked at each other for a brief moment…
"Extra-large volcanic beef ramen."
"Chashu ramen."
After ordering, Itsuki's cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced sideways at Haruto, noticing he wasn't looking at her but instead staring at his phone, seemingly messaging someone. A pang of disappointment struck her.
She peeked at his screen, knowing it was impolite, but curiosity won over.
'Not home yet?'
'Got something to do. Should be home in about an hour.'
'Got it. I'll go to bed first.'
'Good night.'
Living together?
Seeing that, Itsuki's mind conjured up a stranger—a woman sharing a room with Haruto. Jealousy and unease churned in her chest. Realizing her reaction, she took a deep breath to steady herself.
At that moment, she noticed Haruto was looking at her.
"You saw that?"
"Eh?"
"Nothing. She just asked when I'd be home."
"She's… your girlfriend, right?"
"Yeah. She's my girlfriend. Her place is near my apartment. You can even see her balcony from mine. She's probably worried because I'm home late."
"Sounds like a really close relationship."
"Close? Is it?"
Hearing Itsuki's words, Haruto glanced at her and gave a faint smile, slipping his phone back into his pocket. When their ramen arrived, the two of them quietly began eating.
Itsuki's portion was enormous, piled high like a small volcano. As Haruto ate, he couldn't help but watch her, completely absorbed in her own world, steadily working her way through the towering heap of noodles.
When they finished, Itsuki's home was nearby, just a ten-minute walk from the ramen shop, so Haruto decided to walk her to the building.
"Goodbye, and good night."
"...Mm, good night."
Watching Haruto turn and disappear into the darkness, Itsuki pursed her lips slightly before stepping into the elevator.
By the time she got home, it was nearly ten o'clock.
Haruto walked beneath the streetlights, checking the time on his phone, and continued forward at a steady pace.
"Once I get home, I'll just take a shower and go to bed."
It was already ten, and if he tried to do anything else tonight, waking up on time tomorrow would be nearly impossible. Eight hours of sleep were essential.
As he climbed the stairs to his apartment, he noticed a dark shape piled near his door in the dim light. He stopped, staring at the shadow for a moment, then pulled out his phone to illuminate it.
"..."
It was a girl with chestnut hair. Haruto paused for a moment, sighed, and opened his apartment door. He then looked at her again, stepped forward, and lifted her gently into his arms, carrying her inside.
The girl, half-asleep, noticed a faint white glow in front of her eyes and felt herself being moved. Slowly opening her sleepy eyes, she realized she was in a familiar room.
"This is...?"
"You're awake."
Haruto set Sayu down on his bed and watched as she gradually pushed herself upright. She looked at him and gave a small smile, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
"I waited outside for so long... and you didn't come back, so I fell asleep out there."
"You know the schedule at the cram school, don't you? During summer evenings there's no class, but now we have evening lessons again."
He poured two glasses of water—handing one to Sayu while holding the other himself—and took a small sip as he watched her.
"Why did you come back? Weren't you already in Hokkaido?"
"..."
Seeing the smile vanish from her face, Haruto guessed roughly what had happened.
"So, how long are you planning to stay in Tokyo this time?"
"My brother already rented the apartment upstairs for me. From now on, we're neighbors."
Sayu's small, pale hand peeked out from her sleeve, pointing toward the ceiling. She smiled at Haruto.
"Neighbors, huh? But what about your studies?"
"It'll take some time to get everything sorted. My brother is trying to help me transfer into your school, but it seems a bit difficult."
Sayu gave a slightly embarrassed smile. It would normally be fine, but because of some troubles from her past—especially the incident with her friend's suicide—her transfer paperwork wasn't completely settled yet. It was still uncertain whether she could enroll at Toyogasaki School.
~~~~~~~~~~
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