After finishing the bento,
Takumi Yuuya stretched out and lay back, gazing at the sky.
The wide blue with drifting white clouds instantly lifted his mood.
He raised a hand as if he could touch it—
But the sky was far too distant.
With a sigh, he lowered his arm… and it happened to fall right onto Kawasaki Saki's lap.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red, but she didn't push him away.
Yuuya closed his eyes, yet his hand showed no sign of moving.
[Affection from Kawasaki Saki +10]
Face burning, Saki turned her head aside.
Finally, Yuuya pulled his hand back.
"Do you usually nap up here during lunch?"
"…Yeah."
"Are you sleepy right now?"
"Not really. I slept well last night."
"You should've said yes. Then I could've let you use my arm as a pillow."
"…I-I guess I do feel a little sleepy."
Her voice was tiny, almost swallowed by the breeze.
Yuuya chuckled and stretched out an arm toward her.
After a moment's hesitation, she lay down, resting her head lightly against it.
Their eyes met.
But Saki quickly lowered her gaze, unable to hold the contact.
Yuuya leaned in slowly and kissed her softly on the forehead.
[Affection from Kawasaki Saki +30]
The familiar glowing system prompt flickered before his eyes. He lifted her chin gently with his hand.
Her whole face was crimson.
Yuuya leaned in again.
Seeing this, Saki shut her eyes tightly.
He stopped just short—close enough to feel her breath—then drew back.
Saki opened her eyes, startled.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"…It didn't feel official enough."
"I-it doesn't matter…"
"No, it really does. Imagine if years from now you remembered our first kiss, and all you could think about was the taste of braised pork on my breath."
"…Then how about… after dinner, we brush our teeth together?"
"Yeah. That would fix it."
Yuuya nodded seriously.
Saki let out a soft laugh, leaning into his chest.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his other arm around her.
That afternoon, as the final bell rang, Saki packed her commuter bag.
She stole a quick glance at Yuuya, her cheeks tinged pink.
When lunch had ended, she'd climbed down the iron ladder—only for a sudden gust of wind to blow her skirt.
He'd definitely seen it.
On their way back, he had even muttered: "The sky today is pure white."
The more she thought about it, the hotter her face burned. Grabbing her bag tightly, she hurried out of the classroom.
Yuuya watched her leave, then pulled out his phone.
He tapped on the voice message Eriri had sent:
"Yuuya-kun, are you free for a date this afternoon?"
Nearby, Aki Tomoya froze at the sound of Sawamura Eriri's voice.
Yuuya turned his gaze toward Miura Yumiko.
"Yumiko, are you free later?"
"…Yeah."
Yumiko raised her head, surprised.
"Then let's go hang out—with Yuigahama-san and Ebina-san too." Yuuya smiled.
"…I-I got it." Yumiko assumed the plan was beginning.
Yuuya recorded a quick reply to Eriri's message:
"Sorry, Eriri. Something came up this afternoon. How about coming over to my place tonight instead?"
Without waiting for her response, he pocketed his phone, grabbed his bag, and left.
Tomoya stared after him.
Lying to Eriri, scheduling another outing with different girls, and still inviting Eriri to his house that night…
It was too much.
Even if he hadn't spoken to Eriri in ages, as her childhood friend, he felt he had to warn her.
With that thought, Tomoya left the classroom and went to wait outside Eriri's homeroom.
He didn't approach her directly.
Eriri was too popular at Sobu High—if he went up to her openly, rumors would spread in seconds.
Inside the classroom, Eriri noticed him.
Her heart leapt.
She quickly packed her bag, bid farewell to a few friends, and stepped into the hall.
When she spotted Tomoya, she gave a dismissive hmph, acting as though she didn't even know him, and walked past.
Only once she had gone down the corridor did Tomoya follow.
When they reached a quiet, empty spot—
"Eriri."
Tomoya called out.
She stopped.
It was the first time in two years he had said her name.
"…What is it?"
She didn't turn around.
"Your boyfriend's no good. He turned down your date and immediately asked other girls out instead."
"…And what does that have to do with you?" She finally turned, her sharp eyes locking on him.
"W-we used to be friends. I thought I should warn you… so you don't get tricked by someone like him."
"I don't need your warning. Yuuya-kun treats me well. He'd never lie to me. Goodbye."
She spun around to leave.
Deep down, though, she wanted Tomoya to stop her.
Because Yuuya's message was dangerous.
If Tomoya stopped her here, the script Yuuya had written could move to its next stage.
But—
Tomoya didn't move.
Eriri's hands clenched into tight fists, her face pale.
Why? Why won't you stop me?
Tomoya just watched her walk away.
He wanted to reach out.
But after two years of silence, how could he?
To suddenly appear and accuse her boyfriend with no proof—she'd only get angry.
Besides… even though Yuuya had invited her, Eriri might refuse on her own.
He had already done his part.
He'd given the warning.
Now, the choice was hers.
Ding-dong.
Yuuya pulled out his phone. A new message from Eriri popped up:
"He didn't stop me."
Yuuya smirked. Not a surprise.
To Eriri, she and Tomoya had always been childhood friends.
But in Tomoya's mind, Eriri wasn't his "childhood sweetheart." Just… an old friend.
Why was their definition of that bond so different?
The answer was simple.
Eriri had always harbored a crush, but her tsundere personality kept Tomoya clueless—he even mistook her coldness for dislike.
With that misunderstanding, how could he ever stop her?
The truth was, in his heart, Eriri wasn't someone important.
And there was another key reason—one she had confessed to Yuuya.
Before entering Sobu High, during summer break, Tomoya hadn't contacted her even once. And after school started, he had acted like they were strangers.
That had infuriated Eriri.
And it had led directly to their long silence.
When Yuuya had heard this from her, he had immediately understood Tomoya's side.
Not reaching out during summer—wasn't it possible Tomoya had been working part-time, saving money to live?
Pretending not to know her at school—wasn't it possible Tomoya had wanted to avoid misunderstandings?
Eriri was too popular. If he looked close to her, people might hound him for introductions or favors.
So instead, he kept his distance.