"Senpai, wait…"
Iroha's reaction wasn't slow. She immediately picked up Haizaki's shoulder bag and hurried after him, but after turning the corner, she lost sight of him.
At a loss, Iroha could only stomp her foot anxiously and choose to search nearby.
She didn't hold much hope that Haizaki would actually find her student ID.
She even guessed that Haizaki had merely disappeared from her field of vision to look around casually, and when he reappeared, he would probably put on an exhausted-but-unsuccessful expression, saying he had tried his best but failed.
All just to earn her favor.
Honestly, meeting a boy trying to get close to her on the second day of high school?
She would still need to thank him properly when the time came.
Though, in truth, Iroha really wanted to complain about it.
Five minutes later, Iroha finally saw Haizaki return.
"Here you go. This is it, right?"
Iroha stared blankly at the student ID he handed over. There was no doubt—it was hers.
"Thank you, really, thank you."
She had never expected that Haizaki would actually find it.
However, even so, noticing Haizaki's gaze, she instinctively added an explanation.
"Senpai, although I'm very grateful that you helped me find my student ID, you're not my type. We're impossible."
So this was… another good-guy card from Iroha.
Haizaki was startled inside, yet also felt a sense of nostalgia.
This was the girl known as Iroha—someone who never hesitated to hand out good-guy cards to men.
"Senpai?"
Haizaki's reaction puzzled Iroha. Why was there a nostalgic look flowing through his dark eyes? Had he been rejected by another girl before?
Was he a masochist? Had she run into a weirdo?
Iroha felt a little flustered, though she didn't step away from Haizaki.
"That's really a shame. I originally thought…"
Haizaki continued along with Iroha's words. He knew what she was about to say next.
"We're impossible."
Just as he had expected.
Haizaki felt a quiet sense of nostalgia.
To see someone familiar from his previous life living well in front of him, chatting and joking with him—this feeling was truly wonderful.
"So please give up, Senpai!"
Iroha had never expected Haizaki to suddenly decide to confess, leaving her completely caught off guard.
However, her good upbringing allowed her to respond quickly.
"I like you…" the you who remained in my memories.
Memories crossed time and space. The Iroha who had lain in his arms, her life gradually fading away, overlapped with the girl before him.
Haizaki felt as though he was seeing once again the girl who had always called him "Senpai, Senpai."
His heart trembled.
A surge of guilt and betrayal flooded his chest.
Even if his words to Iroha at this moment were only meant to sever the last regret he carried toward the Iroha of his previous life—
Because he owed that girl in his memories a confession.
"Eh…"
Now Iroha was completely flustered.
Who would have thought that on the second day of high school, she'd be confessed to by a senpai she had just met?
And she had clearly hinted at rejection several times already.
Was he really a masochist? Knowing he'd be rejected, yet still pressing on?
Were high school boys these days terrifying creatures who confessed to any cute girl they saw? Were they all that desperate?
It wasn't like he was Hayama Hayato-senpai—the famous handsome guy of Sobu High she had heard about before enrolling.
Iroha lifted her gaze and met Haizaki's dark eyes.
Those eyes carried sorrow, nostalgia, and other complicated emotions. He was looking at her, but the her reflected in his eyes was not her.
Why did he have such emotions?
Iroha was stunned.
"I'm sorry, Senpai. Please allow me to politely refuse. I already have someone I like."
No matter what, rejecting him was the right choice.
Iroha made up her mind, though her heart felt strangely uncomfortable.
"Is that so? Then that's truly a shame."
He stared at Iroha, her figure reflected in his eyes.
She was ultimately not her.
"Let's go. If we don't leave now, we'll be late."
Haizaki seemed to see a phantom of Iroha smiling as she bade him farewell, and a faint sourness rose in his chest.
Turning slightly so Iroha wouldn't notice, Haizaki walked forward without stopping.
His tone was steady, his behavior normal.
But where Iroha couldn't see, a trace of sorrow flickered across Haizaki's face.
Iroha followed, still confused.
Something felt off.
Could this senpai be playing hard to get?
Maybe… she couldn't be sure.
Looking at Haizaki's back, Iroha suddenly realized she didn't even know his name.
"Senpai, I'm Isshiki Iroha from Class 1-C. May I ask who you are…?"
"Yusuke Haizaki, Class 2-J. I transferred to Sobu High yesterday as an exchange student from the Eastern Union."
By now, Haizaki had already adjusted his state of mind.
Iroha froze. She hadn't noticed at all that this senpai was from the Eastern Union.
His Japanese was so good that she couldn't hear any issues at all.
"Senpai, your Japanese is really good. Did you learn it on your own?"
"More or less."
When he first came to Japan in his previous life, his Japanese had indeed been mediocre—or rather, quite poor. But three months of study and daily life had greatly improved it.
By now, it was nearly fluent, on par with the average Japanese citizen.
"Class 2-J is that international class, right? I remember the famous beauty Yukinoshita Yukino-senpai is in that class. Do you know her, Senpai…?"
Thinking of something, Iroha blinked and asked.
"Yes. I've met her once."
What kind of girl could chat so casually with a boy she had just rejected, as if nothing had happened?
But since it was Iroha, Haizaki found it easy to accept.
Her personality meant that even when facing someone she disliked, she could still smile and interact naturally.
That was truly impressive social ability.
"Senpai, senpai, so? Is Yukinoshita-senpai really pretty?"
Iroha asked teasingly about Haizaki's impression of Yukino. He would probably praise her—after all, she was the school's famous ice queen. No boy could resist her charm.
"She's very beautiful."
Haizaki answered calmly. It was simply the truth.
"Senpai, were you attracted to Yukinoshita-senpai…?"
Her beautiful eyes blinked repeatedly, shining brightly. Her smiling face gave no clue to her true thoughts.
"Who knows."
The Yukinoshita in his memories had a cold exterior, keeping others at arm's length, yet was gentle and kind inside, caring for those close to her in her own way.
What had first attracted him was her dignified, peerless beauty.
With just one glance, he had noticed her among forty students at Sobu High.
But in the end, he and she were not walking the same path.
…