The restaurant dimmed again. The voice rang out clearly:
"Next reveal: Iroha Isshiki."
"EEEHHHHHHHH?!" Iroha shrieked, nearly falling backward out of her seat. She clutched her phone like it was a holy relic. "N-no way, me?! That's—that's impossible! I don't even know this gloomy senpai!"
Everyone blinked at her.
"Who?" Yukino asked flatly."Yeah, who?" Kawasaki frowned.Even Yui tilted her head. "Um… Isshiki-san? I don't… think I've seen you before…"
"See?! Exactly!" Iroha cried, pointing wildly at the others. "They don't even know me yet! So there's no way this is true!"
Haruno's smile sharpened, amused. "Ara~ so the mystery kouhai falls for Hikki-kun in the future? My, my."
Ebina clasped her hands, eyes sparkling. "Future route! Time-skip romance! Ohhh, I live for this!"
"…I hate my life," Hachiman muttered, pressing his palms into his face.
The voice, unfazed, spoke again:
"Projection commencing."
The walls shimmered.
The student council office.
Iroha sat slumped at a desk, whining. "Ughhhh, why me? I didn't even want to be student council president! This is soooo annoying!"
Across the room, Hachiman stood with his arms crossed, glaring down at her.
"That's because you didn't dodge it properly. Amateur move."
"Senpaiiiiii, help meee!"
And he did.
Again and again, Hachiman helped her shoulder responsibilities she didn't want — quietly, bluntly, without letting her fall apart.
Her projected thought echoed:
"…Why does he always step in? He doesn't even like me. He could've walked away. But he never did."
The sports festival.
Iroha whined and tried to slack off, slipping away from duties. But each time, Hachiman silently filled in the gaps.
She stared at him once, eyes wide, as he walked away with that usual slouch.
"…He's so uncool. So gloomy. So annoying. But with him there… I didn't feel so scared of failing."
The rooftop at sunset.
Iroha doodled in her notebook, pretending not to listen, while Hachiman leaned against the railing.
"You've got potential, Isshiki. You're just too lazy to use it."
Her pen froze. She looked at him in shock.
"…No one's ever said that to me before. Everyone just calls me cute or useless. But he… he actually saw me."
Another image flickered — her notebook, open. On the page, silly little doodles. Hearts. Stick figures. A clumsy sketch of her and Hachiman.
She slammed the book shut in the projection, her cheeks pink.
Her thought whispered:
"…I knew it was silly. But the more he looked out for me, the more I couldn't stop thinking about him."
The projection dimmed.
"SEE?!" Iroha screamed, standing so fast her chair nearly toppled. "This is soooo unfair! None of that even happened yet! It's all, like, future stuff! How is that even allowed?!"
"Ohhh, that's even better," Ebina gasped, practically vibrating. "A kouhai who doesn't even know him yet but will totally fall for him? It's destiny!"
"It's ridiculous," Yukino snapped, her composure faltering. "The system must be broken."
"Or maybe it's just telling the truth," Haruno purred.
"Shut up," Yukino hissed.
"…This is actually cursed," Hachiman muttered, burying his face in his hands.
Iroha slammed her palms on the table. "I DID NOT DRAW HEARTS! I—! It's—it's fake! Deepfakes! This whole thing is rigged!"
"Denial," Haruno sang softly."Classic," Kawasaki agreed.
The voice spoke, cutting through the chaos of Iroha's protests.
"Proceeding to the next question."
The restaurant lights brightened again. Everyone froze, glancing nervously at one another. The air felt heavy, as though the walls themselves were leaning closer, waiting for their answers.
Hachiman muttered under his breath, "…Great. Round two of public humiliation."
Yui clutched her menu tighter, Yukino's expression sharpened like a blade, and Haruno leaned back in her chair, smiling like a cat with cream.
No one knew what the next question would be, but one thing was certain — the answers were only going to get more personal.