( misunderstanding arc)
Haruki finished his work and started walking towards home. On the way, there was a turn—the one that led to Hina's house. For just a moment, his eyes lingered on that street, as if his heart itself was whispering: "Maybe someone is waiting for you on that road."
From behind, a teasing voice came—light in tone but sharp enough to strike the heart—
"If you miss her so much, why don't you just go meet her?"
Haruki turned around. It was Isame. Mischief twinkling in his eyes, that usual confusing little smile on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Haruki asked in shock.
Isame shrugged. "Following you."
"Since when?"
"Since you left the café." Isame casually walked alongside him.
Haruki asked with slight annoyance, "Why were you following me?"
Isame answered plainly, "You were lost in your thoughts, so I didn't want to disturb you." Then, cutting straight to the point, he added, "By the way, you still haven't answered my question."
Haruki pretended like he had forgotten everything. "Which question?"
Isame reminded him, "If you miss her so much, why don't you just go meet her?"
Haruki's gaze once again shifted toward that lane. Slowly, he muttered, "Why would I miss her?"
Isame exhaled deeply. "That… only you can tell—why."
Hearing that, Haruki fell silent, as if he truly had no answer. Clouds of sadness again spread across his face. Seeing this, Isame too decided to stay quiet. Then, trembling words escaped Haruki's lips—
"Maybe… maybe we'll never meet again."
Isame was stunned hearing that. But instead of asking further, even he stayed silent. Perhaps he had already gotten his answer—or maybe just another question.
---
Meanwhile, something was also stirring in Hina's heart. After her class ended, she sat in a quiet corner of the library. A book lay open in front of her, a pen spun between her fingers—but her mind was restless. Kazuki's words were still echoing in her ears, like a line on repeat:
"Maybe he went to meet his girlfriend…"
Hina frowned to herself. "Who even says such things? I've seen him always talking to someone on the phone…"
Irritated, she shut her books.
Just then, Isame spotted her. He walked straight over and casually said, "You haven't gone home yet?"
Hina quickly started scribbling in her notebook. "Yeah… what would I even do at home? I thought I'd study a little more."
Isame's eyes fell on her notebook—and he burst out laughing. Trying to hold it back, he said, "Wow… studying so seriously, huh?"
Hina glanced down at the page—only to see the same word written over and over again: Haruki. Haruki. Haruki.
She immediately tore out the page and snapped at him, "You won't tell anyone about this."
Isame sprawled back into his chair with style. "And why should I listen to you?"
With slight nervousness, Hina pleaded, "For Haruki's sake… please don't tell anyone."
At the mention of "Haruki," Isame froze for a moment. Then he smiled. "Alright, fine. I won't."
Hina sighed deeply in relief. "Thanks."
Isame crossed one leg over the other and casually picked up a book, looking all cool.
After a while, Hina softly asked, "Hey, Isame… can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, go on."
She hesitated, then asked, "Does Haruki… have a girlfriend?"
Isame stared at her suspiciously. Hina blushed lightly, "It's not what you're thinking… I didn't mean it like that."
Isame asked bluntly, "Then why are you asking?"
Hina closed her book, a little sadness in her eyes. "A few days ago I went to meet him at the café. But he wasn't there. The girl working in my place told me, 'He probably went to meet his girlfriend.'"
Isame burst out laughing. "Whaaaat? What did you just say—girlfriend? Haruki?!"
Hina frowned. "Yes… but why are you laughing?"
Trying to stop his laughter, Isame raised his hands. "Okay, sorry."
But Hina pressed further, more curious than before. "So tell me… does he have a girlfriend? Please."
Isame thought for a moment, then answered honestly, "To be honest, I don't know either."
That angered Hina. "And you call yourself his best friend?"
Isame calmly explained, "Yes, I am his best friend. But that doesn't mean he has to tell me everything."
Hina said quietly, "That day… I saw him at the bus stop hugging a girl."
Isame was surprised. "Really?"
"Yes."
A spark of mischief lit up in Isame's mind. He smiled slyly. "Well, if he really does have a girlfriend, then that's a good thing. At least someone is there to take care of him."
Hina snapped instantly, like a child angry over losing their favorite toy. "Good thing? What nonsense! If she turns out to be some cheap girl, she'll ruin him. Haruki is way too innocent."
Her anger was written all over her face. Seeing it, Isame secretly laughed inside—his little arrow had hit the bull's-eye.
He stood up, still smiling. "If he has a girlfriend, that's his choice. We can't really say anything, can we?"
He walked out of the library, but stopped at the door, turning to look back at her. Inside, Hina held her head, her heart full of restlessness. Her mind was clouded with only one name—Haruki.
Watching her, Isame chuckled softly. His plan was working—even without him doing much at all.
---
At the café, Haruki sat at a table, staring at his phone. His body was here, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.
Kazuki walked up behind him, voice soft and curious. "What are you thinking about?"
Haruki immediately put his phone away and forced a little smile. "Nothing."
Kazuki placed a card on the table and said directly, "You're missing Hina."
The moment Hina's name was spoken, his smile vanished. "Yeah… maybe."
Kazuki sat down beside him. "If you miss her so much, why don't you just go meet her?"
Haruki averted his eyes. "I don't know… maybe she won't like it if I show up at her place."
His voice carried a nervousness—even he didn't quite understand it himself.
Kazuki tried to explain, "You used to go to her place before. What's changed now?"
Haruki sighed. "After what happened last time… I don't have the courage to face her anymore. And if she really wanted to talk, she wouldn't have blocked me."
Kazuki lightly smacked his head, almost like a playful punch. "You idiot!"
Haruki rubbed his head. "Why'd you hit me?"
Kazuki explained firmly, "Maybe she misses you too. Maybe she's just mad at you."
Haruki gave a half-hearted smile. "Of course she must be mad."
Kazuki leaned forward, serious now. "That's exactly why I'm saying—she probably wants you to talk to her. And you? You haven't even tried once."
Haruki slowly nodded. Yes, that was true.
Kazuki teased him with a grin. "You fool… when girls start to think of someone as 'special,' they act this way."
Haruki didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Kazuki explained clearly, "It means—girls get mad only at those they consider their own. And when they're mad, they want that person to make up with them."
Haruki softly repeated, "So… Hina is upset with me. And she wants me to make it up to her."
Kazuki nodded firmly.
Still doubtful, Haruki asked, "But how are you so sure?"
Kazuki got a little annoyed. "Because I'm a girl too, and I know how girls think. And by the way—I'm your senior." Then she ordered outright, "That's why—you're going to meet her."
As Haruki stood up, he glanced back slightly. "I'll… think about it. Whether I should go or not."
But the truth was—Kazuki had already lit a big flame of hope inside him.
Now the question remained:
Would Haruki actually go to meet Hina… or would he once again stand at that crossroads, letting his fear win?
To be continued…
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