( just prank arc)
Hina and Souta went home by another road, while Miko and Isame walked their own path. Neither of them spoke the silence hung heavy between them. Then suddenly Isame broke it,"Why are you always so cranky?" he asked.
Miko laughed at his words,"Oh please, I've always been like this.
Her laughter surprised him Just a while ago she had been furious and now she was smiling like nothing had happened,"Tell me something,he asked still confused,"why do you always put the blame on boys?"
Her laughter faded in an instant. Her face hardened, her voice sharp,"Because I don't like boys at all.
Isame blinked stunned by her sudden seriousness. He had no idea what triggered it,"But why do you hate them so much?" he pressed.
Miko stayed silent for a moment, her gaze drifting away. Then she said quietly,
"Because boys only pretend to be friends with girls. In reality all they want is to satisfy their lust. And when they get the chance… they take advantage.
Her words hit him like a cold wave. He couldn't understand why she was saying this, but it made him restless to know.
"Has someone ever done something wrong to you?" he asked carefully.
Realizing she was getting too serious, Miko quickly forced a smile.
"No. Nothing like that. Forget it.
Seeing her smile again, he decided not to push further. Instead he smiled back and tried to comfort her.
"But you shouldn't think of all boys the same way. Look at me—I'm a boy too, and we're still friends, right?
That caught her off guard. She hesitated, then smiled softly.
"Yeah… because you're not like the others.
Her words made him laugh. He leaned closer, teasing.
"Really? Do you actually think that?"
Her cheeks turned red, her voice stumbling.
"Well… you've never done anything inappropriate with me, so…
He tilted his head, pretending to think, while she nervously glanced at him. Suddenly, he grinned.
"So, does that mean I should do something?"
Miko's patience snapped. She had just calmed herself down, and now this devil named Isame was provoking her again. She exploded.
"Go ahead, try laying a hand on me.
He nearly burst out laughing at her fiery reaction, but somehow held it in. Looking at her face, he teased,
"By the way why are your cheeks turning red?"
Miko quickly turned her face away.
"You're imagining things.
But Isame leaned in, following her every move. Wherever she turned her face, he mirrored it, smirking.
"No really—your face is definitely red.
Her anger flared even hotter.
"Shut up, or I'll smash your face in!
Seeing her this mad, Isame finally decided to ease off. Gently patting her shoulder, he said,
"Alright, alright. Calm down.
But inside, Miko felt even more irritated ,"Does he think I'm a child?Do I really look like a little girl to him?
After a moment, Isame stopped walking.
"Anyway, I should get going. Bye, he said casually.
He started to walk away, while Miko watched him disappear down the road. A thought slipped quietly into her heart.
I don't know why… but maybe I've started to like him.
Isame walked into the café, and the moment Haruki saw him, he instantly knew why he was here. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Haruki asked,
"Isame, what are you doing here?"
But Isame just flashed a teasing smile and replied,
"I was coming back from college, so I thought I'd stop by to see my dear friend.
Haruki didn't buy that for a second. He knew Isame too well to believe his innocent act,Isame casually pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to look as cool as possible.
"Come on, do I need an excuse to meet my best friend?
Haruki sighed and slid into the seat across from him.
"Yeah, but if you're sitting here, you'll need to order something first.
Isame grinned mischievously.
"Fine. Then get us two coffees.
Before Haruki could reply, Kazuki, who was standing nearby, spoke up sharply.
"Two coffees? Why don't you throw them in his face instead.
Still, she went off to fetch the order and handed a cup to Isame with a frown.
"Haruki, is this how you talk to customers?
Haruki picked up his own coffee and sipped calmly.
"Don't worry, this one's no customer. He's my friend, Isame.
Immediately, Isame jumped in, clearly waiting for this moment.
"And this here is my dearest buddy, Haruki. I'm sure you already know a lot about him.
Kazuki still found the whole situation strange. But before she could respond, the "playboy" side of Isame suddenly woke up. He grabbed Kazuki's hand with a flourish and said,"And what's your name, my cutie?
He leaned down and placed a kiss on her hand.Kazuki's eyes flared with anger. Haruki, still sipping his coffee, watched her face and thought to himself, This idiot's about to learn how clapping works with one hand.
A resounding slap cracked across Isame's cheek, so hard his head tilted to the side. Kazuki stormed out furiously.Still holding his tilted neck, Isame looked at Haruki in disbelief.
"Why the hell did she hit me?
Haruki calmly finished his coffee, set the cup down, and said,
"Because you deserved it.
But Isame wasn't done. He stared after Kazuki with dazed eyes and muttered,
"Man, that girl's really cute though…
Haruki decided it was time to cut through the nonsense.
"Enough drama. Just tell me what you came here for.
In a blink, Isame's childish behavior vanished. His voice turned serious.
"Hina told me about what happened yesterday.
Haruki froze.
"She… told you too?"
Isame quickly brushed past the heaviness, smirking.
"Anyway, forget that. Tell me—how are things between you and Hina? Have you two moved past the 'friends' stage yet?"
Haruki bristled but tried to play it cool.
"Don't daydream, Isame.
But Isame wasn't letting go that easily.
"From the way your story's going, it seems like you two are way past friendship.
Haruki frowned.
"I don't know what kind of nonsense goes on in your head…
Whatever Isame said breezily, then suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way, how long has it been since we became friends?"
Haruki let out a long sigh, relieved by the shift.
"About four, maybe five months.
But Isame's smile turned knowing.
"Even so, I know you better than you think. That's why I can tell—you don't consider yourself good enough for her. Am I right?"
Haruki stood, picking up his empty cup. He glanced back and admitted softly,
"Yeah. You're right.
Isame leaned forward, his tone earnest now.
"But why? Why don't you think you're worthy of her?
Haruki met his gaze.
"You already know why.
"Then at least try proposing once, Isame urged.
Haruki froze mid-step.
"I'm nothing compared to her. She has a future, a big one. She's destined to make a name for herself. And me? I'm just some nobody working at a café. I don't have a future worth offering.
Isame fell silent. He finally understood Haruki had feelings for Hina too. That's why he spoke with rare seriousness.
"Does that even matter? Look, I'm your friend. I don't care about any of that. If Hina likes you, then she won't either.
Haruki carried the cups back to the counter and handed one to Kazuki, who had returned.
"Coffee's done. Time's up too.
Isame groaned, frustrated at his stubbornness.
"You're so boring, Don't you ever imagine going on dates with her? Don't you want to hold her hand, romance her, be with her like a real couple?"
The word "romance" made Haruki's chest tighten. He thought of Hina and whispered bitterly,
"Only a fool would want to romance a loser like me.
This time, Isame actually got angry.
"Then think about this—what if Hina started dating someone else? What if she came to you and said, 'Haruki, meet my boyfriend'? How would you feel then?"
Haruki said nothing. His silence was the only answer.Instead, he clenched his fist and landed a hard punch square in Isame's chest. Isame stumbled back a step, but his lips curled into a smile.
"I think you got my point, he said lightly. "Anyway, I've got tuition to get to. Later, man.
After he left, he sat there lost in thought. It felt as if time had stopped just for him. Maybe Isame was right… If Hina ever dated someone, the one it would hurt the most would be me. But this has to happen someday. She can't stay single forever.
To distract himself, he threw himself into work, muttering under his breath, It's not like I'll be here forever either. One day, I'll have to leave too.
While he was trying to keep his mind busy, Hina walked in, her usual sweet smile lighting up her face.
"Haruki, I'm back, she said.
He turned his tired face toward her. Just seeing that smile of hers made him smile too, though faintly. But the worry on his face didn't hide well, and Hina noticed immediately. Her own smile vanished.
"Haruki… did you fight with someone today?" she asked softly.
Haruki avoided her eyes, focusing on the counter. "Do you really think I'd go around picking fights?"
She stepped right in front of him, refusing to let him brush her off. Her hand brushed over his forehead and cheek as she asked, "Are you feeling sick?"
He looked at her, almost amused," She looks more worried than I am.
Her palm rested gently against his cheek. "Do you have a headache? Tell me what's wrong.
Seeing her so worried about him, he couldn't help but smile. He held her hand, moving it gently away from his face. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry so much.
He tried to get back to work, but Hina wasn't letting him escape.
"Did Isame say something to you today?" she pressed.
The moment Isame's name came up, Haruki paused for a second before forcing a laugh. "Come on, what could he possibly say to me?"
"You're lying. I saw him leaving the café,Hina pushed back, refusing to let it go.
Kazuki suddenly stepped in, blocking Hina's path. "Relax. I just asked dear Haruki about his mom. That's all. He got a little emotional, since he really loves her.
Now Hina's focus shifted to Kazuki. "And why did you have to bring up something like that?"
Haruki sighed heavily, watching the two of them. Kazuki quickly added, "Sorry… I just like knowing about people, so I asked.
But Hina wasn't listening anymore. She was thinking hard, her eyes darting between them. Then suddenly she blurted out, "Wait a second… since when do you two call each other so sweetly by name?"
Both Haruki and Kazuki froze, caught off guard. Kazuki stammered, "I-It just slipped out, okay?"
But Hina wasn't convinced. Her jealousy spiked, and she grabbed Haruki by the collar, her voice rising.
"Slipped out? Really? What exactly are you two doing behind my back?"
Everyone in the café had their eyes on them now. A girl whispered to her boyfriend, "honey,They actually look really cute together, don't they?"
"Yeah,he agreed with a grin.
Meanwhile, Haruki was panicking. He tried to calm Hina down, "You've got it wrong. There's nothing like that I swear.
But Hina's anger wasn't fading. Her voice shook as she demanded, "Don't lie to me, Haruki. Tell me the truth—what do you two do when I'm not around?"
The crowd started whispering.
"Maybe he's a cheater, that's why she's mad,one girl muttered.
"But he's so handsome though, another sighed.
Kazuki stood frozen, guilt eating away at her. It felt like she was the reason the two were fighting, so she lowered her head and said softly, "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have asked such things. I promise I won't again.
Seeing her apologize made Hina realize she might have gone too far. Her anger melted into guilt. What am I even doing? I'm not even his girlfriend…
She turned back to Haruki and said quietly, "No… I should be the one apologizing. You're already upset, and here I am making things worse.
Haruki's chest warmed at her words. "She figured out I was troubled just by looking at me… and maybe this whole act was just her way of taking my mind off things. I shouldn't let her efforts go to waste.
A small smile tugged at his lips.Seeing him smile again, Hina relaxed. She reached out, brushing his cheek affectionately. "That's better. You look fine now.
Kazuki, watching them, couldn't help but mutter under her breath, half-jealous, half-teasing, "These two are impossible. Always fighting, always worrying about each other…"
And then with a bitter smile, she whispered to herself, No matter what, they never stop caring for each other. I wish I had that. I want a boyfriend too…
To be continued 👀