Kazami Haru reflexively gave Yahata Umiri's hand a light squeeze after hearing her speak. The sensation of her smooth, cool, and slightly firm skin registered immediately.
He had only grabbed her hand to prevent getting separated again but somehow, he had ended up holding Umiri's hand instead of Takamatsu Tomori's?
Oh no… and he just squeezed it too. That felt way too awkward.
"..."
But Umiri didn't seem to care at all.
She really was the most dependable bro ever. Even being accidentally hand-held didn't rattle her a bit. Her calm reaction made Haru shake his head, trying to dispel any traitorous thoughts from his mind about "brotherly" feelings.
At the edge of the crowd, Haru naturally let go of her hand. That casual gesture made Umiri's emerald eyes lift just a bit.
"When's your performance?"
"Nine o'clock. Still got some time."
He always kept an eye on the time, especially when a stage performance was coming up.
Umiri calmly popped the last takoyaki ball into her mouth, then turned her head slightly and nodded, her cool gaze shimmering faintly.
"I see. Congratulations on the successful live."
The cool black-haired, green-eyed girl suddenly started clapping with a soft "pat-pat" sound, her tone light but strangely celebratory.
Seeing her clapping before the show even started, like she'd already popped the champagne halfway through, Haru blinked and asked, confused—
"Wait… since when did you learn to joke like this?"
"Is it bad?"
Umiri's serene eyes rose to meet his, and she continued in a perfectly serious tone, "I read on Twitter once that the key to survival for modern bands is for bassists to be able to spit drinks and breakdance on stage. Unfortunately, I'm not good at dancing."
Wait a sec… that post she's referencing…
Could it be from that guy with the username "WannaBeFertilizer"?
Umiri stared straight ahead, her expression blank. Noticing Haru's stunned look, she stepped forward slightly and lifted the sleeve of her teal kimono. A faint floral scent drifted around her.
The cool girl said, in her usual composed tone—
"Does it suit me?"
Only then did Haru notice how she was dressed.
Usually clad in dark, punkish rock gear, today Umiri was wearing a vibrant teal silk kimono adorned with white floral embroidery. Her sharp, androgynous charm was now tinged with elegance and grace.
She really was beautiful but since she was his solid bro, he felt zero fluttering in his heart.
"…Bit late to say this, but yeah, the kimono looks great."
"Understood."
Umiri gave a faint nod, her eyes flicking down to her smooth right hand. She casually tossed her empty food box into a trash bin and spoke in her usual emotionless tone—
"I'd like to look around the festival more. What are you doing next?"
"Probably grabbing some snacks."
Haru still hadn't had a proper meal yet, just a couple bites of Tomori's cotton candy.
With crowds so packed, he didn't think it was realistic to find the others. Rather than wander aimlessly, checking out the food stalls made more sense.
"But summer festivals like this are full of overpriced, terrible food hiding among the good stuff. Just waiting to ruin my wallet."
"I see. Then I recommend the grilled garlic chives and oysters over there."
Umiri casually pointed at two nearby stalls. The sheer boldness of the combo made Haru glance over with a mix of admiration and disbelief.
Just walking over to order both would take serious guts.
Not to mention, he'd had enough of both back at "Shiba Seki Ramen." Seeing them again now didn't exactly make him hungry.
"..."
Umiri seemed to catch his weird expression, and the corners of her lips twitched ever so slightly into a near-imperceptible smile.
But when Haru turned to look, she was already back to her neutral, unreadable self. Her emerald eyes calmly observed something in the distance.
"Still, apples dipped in candy syrup, classic. Want one?"
Sweet stuff?
Haru was tempted.
He liked sweet things, he even dumped loads of sugar into his coffee. In that sense, he and Umiri were surprisingly compatible.
If even his bro suggested it, why hesitate?
"Let's do it!"
If Umiri weren't a girl, he'd probably have slung an arm over her shoulder and sworn brotherhood on the spot.
"Hm?"
A tall, purple-haired woman with a selfie stick standing at the edge of the crowd seemed to notice something.
She lowered her sunglasses, revealing pale pink eyes that scanned carefully. Once she confirmed her suspicions, her cat-like lips curved into a mischievous smirk, and one brow arched meaningfully.
"Oh my~ Nyamuchi thinks she just saw something very interesting…"
Yuutenji Nyamu muttered softly with a strange tone.
She had only come to the festival to grab some video footage but what luck! In this packed chaos, she ran into familiar faces. Two of them, in fact.
Especially that black-haired, black-eyed handsome guy, she knew she wasn't mistaken from the first glance.
Click!
She stopped recording and redirected all her attention to the two not far away.
"That boy with the black hair… That's definitely Kazami-kun, right? And the girl beside him… that's ave mujica's bassist, no doubt…"
"But what are they doing together at a festival right now?"
"Shouldn't he be with Togawa instead?"
Yuutenji Nyamu suddenly found her thoughts spinning in all directions.
At first, Yuutenji Nyamu had assumed that Kazami Haru and Togawa Sakiko were in some kind of mutual crush, a double-arrow relationship. That's why she'd entertained the idea of teasing Haru just to get a reaction out of Sakiko.
Who would've thought she'd witness such a strange scene instead?
Could it be… it wasn't mutual? Was it actually just Sakiko's one-sided crush? Maybe it was a circular love triangle?
"Wait… are we really that kind of rock band?"
Nyamu's easygoing expression stiffened slightly. Her voice grew a little unnatural as she stared at her phone, now wondering if she should just go ahead and tell Sakiko what she saw.
After all, "rock" was, in a way, synonymous with chaos.
Young men and women spending long hours together, creative energy mixed with emotional intensity, romantic entanglements were bound to happen. Love triangles, quadrangles, even scandalous affairs turning practice rooms into… other kinds of spaces, it was practically a cliché.
And then it hit her.
"Wait a second… could that guy be involved with other girls too?"
The thought branded itself into her mind like a burning iron—once it took root, she just couldn't shake it. The longer she stood there, the wilder her theories grew.
…
"I'm so sorry!"
"I didn't expect we'd sell out so fast this year… We didn't even have time to restock, so this here's our last one. If you want more, we'd have to wait for our manager to bring more over… that'll take at least thirty minutes."
The blue-haired part-timer in a mint-green cap bowed deeply with her hands together, looking so apologetic that it was impossible to be mad.
Haru thought for a moment, then turned to look at his bro Umiri and handed over the bill.
"In that case, we'll just take the last one."
As a token of appreciation for her bringing him along as a freelance band member before, treating her to candy apples seemed appropriate.
"Hehe~ Even though it's the last one!"
"But…"
The twin-tailed blue-haired girl suddenly struck a confident pose with arms folded, completely shifting from her earlier pitiful demeanor. Haru blinked in confusion as she bent down and began digging under the counter.
In just a few seconds, she pulled out a bizarrely golden candy apple.
Wait a sec… that thing looks like...
The Winged Dragon of Ra – Sphere Mode?!
"Your next line is: 'Wait, isn't this the legendary one?' Right?"
Grinning smugly, the girl shoved the "Golden Candy Apple" into Haru's hands.
Just as she was about to launch into the apple's dramatic backstory, she noticed Umiri standing beside them with an unchanging expression and quickly coughed, swallowing all the punchlines.
"500 yen, thank you for your purchase."
She returned his change with a calm smile, as if nothing strange had happened, and waved them off.
Haru stared at the golden candy apple in his hand with a strange expression. Even Umiri tilted her head, curiosity in her eyes.
"Here, Umiri. You have it."
Without hesitation, Haru passed the candy apple to her.
"Are you sure?"
For once, Umiri's normally flat tone carried a hint of emphasis.
After Haru gave a confirming nod, she took it without protest. Her emerald eyes sparkled slightly as she inspected the golden treat in her hands.
It took her less than half a second to decide what to do next.
Crunch.sfx
Umiri pulled out a clean napkin from her pouch. With a simple motion, she neatly split the candy apple in half before Haru could say a word. She immediately handed one half to him.
Her swift, precise movement carried a distinct air of cool confidence and nonchalance.
"Here you go."
The girl's cool green eyes sparkled like scattered stars in the night sky. Even when gazing directly ahead, her expression showed barely a ripple of emotion. Yet the slight upward curve of her lips gave her a unique charm, one that gradually made it impossible to look away.
It wasn't the first time Kazami Haru had thought Yahata Umiri looked cool.
He used to be pretty confident that he himself was top-tier in the looks department. But after meeting Umiri, he finally understood what true, textbook "cool" looked like. Even someone as dazzlingly handsome as he was couldn't compete.
"Thanks, Umiri-bro. I won't hold back then."
She did just split an apple in half for him with her bare hands—if he didn't take it, Haru feared she might split his skull next.
"Hm?"
Umiri raised a brow slightly at the unexpected nickname, the candy stick still in hand. But she said nothing, simply taking a refined bite of her half of the apple candy.
As she did, she noticed Haru hadn't taken a bite yet.
"Not eating?"
"Nah, I'm just wondering if eating this thing actually unlocks a CG event."
Haru muttered something cryptic.
He'd thought the "Golden Apple Candy" was just a flashy urban myth kind of gimmick. Who knew he'd actually run into the real thing today and not even alone.
[Legend says that couples who share a golden apple candy… will stay together happily ever after.]
Kita's lively voice echoed in his mind, those words replaying like a mantra. It gave him a moment of hesitation.
But only for a second.
Never one to believe in superstitions, Haru bit into the golden candy with determination. The instant it hit his tongue, an overwhelming sweetness flooded his senses.
"...It's just honey, isn't it?"
He finally spoke, voice laced with irony.
"So that's why it's gold."
Umiri commented matter-of-factly. Her face betrayed no discomfort, but Haru couldn't believe she wasn't fazed, he felt like the syrup was trying to glue his throat shut.
Just as he looked around for something to drink, a pale hand extended in front of him. Umiri, having already finished her half, handed over a chilled carton of coffee.
"Here."
Her tone remained flat and effortless. The smooth flow of her actions made no one question why she just happened to have boxed coffee on hand.
The faint bitterness of the coffee instantly cut through the overwhelming sweetness.
Revived, Haru let out a deep breath. He didn't notice Umiri watching him quietly, or the way she looked at the now-clean stick in her hand with unreadable calm.
…
Wakaba Mutsumi had always been reserved and expressionless, incapable of articulating her feelings in words. She was obedient to her parents and friends alike, like a puppet bound by invisible strings.
And yet, lately, something had changed.
She'd begun to refuse things firmly, to express herself more clearly. To Nagasaki Soyo, the reason for that shift could only be one thing.
"Mutsumi, thank you for coming with me today."
"…Mm."
Soyo lightly clasped her hands together and offered a soft smile, while Mutsumi only nodded quietly in response.
Originally, Soyo had planned to invite Haru in secret. But Chihaya Anon clearly knew what she was up to. If she acted without care, Anon would just follow along, and that would complicate everything.
But Soyo wasn't in a rush. She would win with patience and smarts.
"I've been meaning to apologize about Sakiko. Honestly, I really regret it… I let my obsession with CRYCHIC cloud my judgment and did some dumb things."
Soyo spoke softly with her hands behind her back, her gentle face smiling as always but to Mutsumi, there was a faint loneliness beneath it. Unsure how to respond, she remained silent.
"But don't worry, Mutsumi~ I know I'll never forget CRYCHIC for the rest of my life… but I've finally given up on trying to go back and fix things with Sakiko."
"So about all that before… could you forgive me?"
Her gentle voice dipped slightly. Turning her head toward the bustling crowd, a tinge of remorse crept into her expression. After a long pause, the doll-like girl finally gave a quiet nod.
She still considered Soyo an important friend. She'd only been harsh and decisive for the sake of Sakiko and Haru. If Soyo had truly let go, then Mutsumi could feel genuinely happy about it.
"Thank you, Mutsumi. I thought for sure you'd started to hate me…"
Soyo's voice held a hint of surprise and relief. Her fingers curled around the hem of her skirt.
If she played things right from here… maybe she could get a handle on Haru's movements.
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