"The young master finally decided to wake up?"
Miyamura Shizuka, who had just stepped out of the living room, turned at the sound of footsteps on the staircase. There was Akira, still half-asleep, rubbing his eyes as he trudged down.
"Mom, did you make breakfast today?" he asked with a yawn, ignoring her teasing tone.
That was the wrong thing to say. Because of Shouko skipping breakfast earlier, Shizuka had gone out of her way to make a little extra. Yet somehow, both of them had slept until noon, and now it was practically lunchtime.
Fortunately, she had prepared enough bentos for Daiki when he went fishing, so there were still some leftovers for Akira and Shouko to eat. If they didn't finish them soon, though, it would end up as afternoon tea instead.
"Just eat some fruit for now. Lunch will be ready soon," Shizuka said as she headed toward the kitchen. "If you eat too much now, you won't have room for lunch."
Akira dared not push further. After washing up, he quickly went back upstairs.
"Shouko," he said as he entered his room. She was sitting on the bed, hugging his black cat plush, sniffing it with a strangely serious expression. "I heard from Mom you skipped breakfast this morning. Aren't you hungry? Also, Shizuka-chan wants to know if you're staying for lunch."
Shouko froze for a moment when their eyes met, then quickly looked away. Tossing the plush aside, she got up and brushed past him.
"I'll go help Auntie with lunch!"
"Hey, slow down! Don't trip."
She ignored him, her pace quickening as she disappeared down the stairs. Akira sighed, shook his head, and sat at his desk.
He stared at the computer screen, recalling the storyline of Your Lie in April. But when he tried to put it into words, all he managed to type were two lonely quotation marks.
The manga had been moving, but turning it into a light novel was proving much harder than expected.
"Akira! Lunch is ready!" Shouko's voice called from below.
"Coming!"
Relieved, he quickly saved his work, shut down the computer, and went downstairs.
The midday sun lit the shrine roofs, and the faint scent of soba noodles lingered in the air. Ginkgo leaves fluttered down onto the tram tracks like scraps of gold foil, only to be swept away by the passing breeze.
"Miyamura, if you're really worried, you can come with us," Takagi offered at the Nishimiya gate.
Akira shook his head. "Nah, I'll pass. Shouko, you guys be careful, alright?"
Shouko patted her bag. "Don't worry. I brought everything."
Satisfied, Akira waved goodbye and shut the gate behind them.
Inside, he could already hear his mother's voice from the living room.
"Ugh, these movies are awful. Who even makes this nonsense?" Shizuka grumbled.
"Didn't you say you wanted to read Anohana yesterday?" Akira called out. "I can print it out for you."
At that, her irritation disappeared. "Oh, right. Good idea."
He went upstairs, grabbed his laptop, and printed the manuscript, carefully numbering the pages so she wouldn't get confused.
"Why not just let me read it on the laptop?" Shizuka asked, puzzled, as she accepted the stack of papers.
"Because I still need it for writing. If I give it to you, I won't see it back for days."
Shizuka narrowed her eyes at him, rolled up the papers into a baton, and lightly bopped him on the head before settling in to read.
Akira ignored her teasing and began typing again. Somehow, that light tap cleared the fog in his mind. Words that had refused to come earlier now flowed easily from his fingers.
The living room soon filled with the quiet rustling of pages and the steady rhythm of keystrokes.
"Click…"
"I'm home!" Daiki's cheerful voice rang out as the front door opened.
Akira glanced at the clock—already past five.
"Welcome back," Shizuka replied absentmindedly, eyes still on the manuscript.
Daiki proudly held up two fish strung on a rope. "Look at this! Pretty good, huh?"
And then began a long monologue about how lucky he'd been and how jealous his fishing buddies were.
"Impressive," Shizuka cut in dryly. "Now mop up that fish water you're dripping everywhere."
Still glowing with pride, Daiki followed her into the kitchen—until she promptly kicked him out again. He ended up in the living room, sharing his fishing tales with Akira instead.
"Dad, I'll take one over to the Nishimiyas," Akira said, closing his laptop. "Granny's probably still making dinner."
He grabbed the fish and slipped out before his father could start another story.
At the Nishimiya house, Akira knocked on the door—he'd forgotten his spare key.
"Coming, coming. Stop banging already," came Yuzuru's impatient voice.
The door opened to reveal the younger Nishimiya, her face deadpan. "Seriously, don't you have a key?"
"I rushed out and forgot," Akira admitted, lifting the fish. "Here. I'll leave this with you."
"Thanks." Yuzuru took it without hesitation. She was long used to this routine; Uncle Miyamura always came back from fishing with exactly two fish, never one or three.
Akira ruffled her hair before she could protest, then waved and headed back home.
That evening, Daiki's fishing tales continued until Shizuka's cooking finally saved Akira.
The next morning, Akira and Shouko walked into class together. He immediately noticed the stares. Clearly, word of Friday's incident had spread.
But that was fine. At least fewer people would try to bother Shouko now.
"Morning," Takagi greeted.
"Morning," they both replied.
Akira yawned and set his head on his desk. "Shouko, wake me when Nobe gets here."
"Got it."
While he dozed, Shouko chatted with Takagi, until a group of girls surrounded her.
"Shouko, is it true you and Miyamura are dating?" one asked.
"I heard you even kissed after class Friday!" another chimed in.
Shouko flailed, face red. "N-no! It was an accident! And it was just on the cheek…"
Her denial sounded suspiciously like a brag. The girls leaned in, but before they could press further, Ayumi entered the room and scattered them.
Still, most of the class wasn't convinced.
Later, when class began, Nobe caught Akira staring out the window. "Miyamura! Come solve this problem."
Sighing, he walked to the board, scribbled the answer, and returned.
"Pay attention," Nobe warned.
"Yes, ma'am."
He behaved—at least until the next break.
That was when a girl from another class appeared, bowing politely.
"Miyamura, I'm Sakuragi Mari, captain of the first-year cheerleading squad. Could I… have your contact info?"
The classroom fell silent. Dozens of eyes turned to Akira, then to Shouko.
Shouko froze, heart pounding. No way…
"Sure," Akira said calmly.
"Eh!?"
He reached over and squeezed Shouko's wrist under the desk, steadying her. Then he rattled off a phone number.
"Got it! Thank you so much!" Mari beamed and hurried out.
The class erupted in whispers. Ayumi and Takagi repeated the number under their breaths, realizing it sounded familiar.
Then it clicked.
It was Shouko's number.
Shouko smacked Akira's arm, pouting. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I just wanted to get rid of her quickly," he whispered back. "With so many people watching, you couldn't exactly pull the same stunt as last time, right?"
"Hmph." Shouko turned away, pretending to sulk.
Ayumi leaned over, confused. "Shouko, why aren't you upset at all?"
"Of course I am," Shouko said, dramatically wiping an imaginary tear. Then she grinned. "But don't worry—the number he gave her was mine."
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