Futaba Rio was unlike any other girl Haruto had met.
Given her sharp intellect and talent in the sciences, he had expected her to be rational, detached—even cold. But he never imagined that beneath that exterior, there was a side of her so impulsive, so unexpectedly human.
This turn of events had completely blindsided him.
But rather than feel unsettled, Haruto found himself intrigued. Deeply so. Why was she like this? What lay behind that icy composure? It wasn't something he could figure out just yet, though. Right now, he was feeling a bit drained.
Lying beside him on the bed was Rio, her breathing soft, her expression unreadable. Haruto sat quietly on the edge of her bed, gazing out the window. The amber glow of twilight painted the room in warm hues. The sun was just about to slip behind the western mountains.
"What time do your parents get home?"
"Around seven every night. Though if there's not much going on at the company, they might come back earlier. Why? Getting nervous now?"
She sat up slowly, casually pulling a nearby piece of clothing over her body. Her eyes met his as he sat on the bed's edge. A playful smirk curled on her lips for a brief moment, but it quickly faded, replaced by her usual aloof calm.
"A little. I'm not quite ready to meet your parents yet."
Haruto rose to his feet, walked over to her, and leaned in close. He placed his hands on the bed, then gently kissed her cheek. Without another word, he turned and made his way toward the door.
"I'll be going now. See you at school."
"..."
Rio said nothing, only watched his back as he disappeared out of her room and down the hall. She didn't stop him.
Left alone, she let her body sink back into the bed. Her fingers reached toward the spot where he had just been, lightly brushing over the warmth he'd left behind.
Her heart was in turmoil.
When she let go, she tried not to think. But now that he was gone, anxiety crept in. It clawed at her mind—doubt, longing, fear.
She didn't understand her own feelings anymore.
Closing her eyes, she let out a long, quiet sigh.
By the time Haruto returned to his apartment, streetlights were flickering to life. He stepped inside, walked directly to the bathroom, and turned on the shower. After cleaning himself off, he changed into fresh clothes, glanced briefly around his room, then headed out again—this time to the Kiyoura household.
But the moment he stepped through the door, he sensed something off.
There was a chill in the air, not from the temperature but the atmosphere itself.
In the living room sat Setsuna and her mother, Mai. Both looked unusually tense. Haruto had expected dinner to be ready, maybe a lighthearted evening. But now, it was clear something serious had happened.
He took a step into the room. Both women turned to look at him at the same time, their eyes sharp and unreadable.
The sudden intensity of their gaze made him uneasy. He had no idea what was going on.
Thinking quickly, he offered a nervous smile and said,
"Uh… it looks like I might've walked in on something. Should I head back?"
"No," Mai interjected firmly before he could even turn around. "Actually, it concerns you."
Haruto blinked, surprised by her tone. Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at him, but she sighed with the weight of someone carrying too many unspoken thoughts.
"You might as well come sit. We should talk. All three of us."
"...Alright."
He glanced between Mai and Setsuna. The girl still hadn't said a word, her expression completely closed off.
Haruto sat down across from them, waiting in silence for one of them to speak.
"It's about what happened yesterday."
Mai's voice was calm, but her words carried a tension that made his shoulders stiffen. So that was the cause of the rift between mother and daughter.
His eyes moved first to Mai, studying her face as she began to explain.
Then, slowly, his gaze shifted to Setsuna—who still hadn't looked at him.
"Specifically?"
"Yoko's personality—I know it well. So, in the future, she's very likely to come looking for you."
"I don't really have any contact with her, do I?"
"Sekai."
Setsuna spoke the name of Sekai, and Haruto's gaze turned toward her. Meeting Setsuna's eyes, he understood what she meant.
Even if he had no direct connection with Yoko, because he kept in touch with Sekai, it was likely that Yoko would use Sekai as a messenger to arrange a meeting with Haruto.
"But yesterday, Sekai seemed to be having a hard time accepting it. It's only been one day. Could she really come to terms with this, and reconcile with Yoko?"
"Very likely."
Mai sighed softly and answered, glancing briefly at her daughter before sighing again.
"If it's Yoko, she could definitely pull that off. And Sekai, the girl who's already accepted being with Setsuna… no matter how hard it is to accept, what else can she do? Unless she chooses to give up and walk away now. Do you think Sekai would do that?"
Mai's clarity and insight caught Haruto by surprise.
"It's not difficult to understand, right? So, Haruto, from now on you need to pay a little more attention to Sekai. Even if Setsuna doesn't stop you, you should consider how Setsuna feels. You have to take Sekai's situation seriously, as well as Yoko's."
Hearing Mai's words, Haruto found himself at a loss for how to respond. He stared subtly at her, her serious expression making it impossible to find a proper answer.
Not only had Setsuna not stopped him—she had been the one to lead Sekai straight into the room. As for Yoko, it was Mai who had gotten Haruto drunk, ignoring that he was underage, repeatedly urging him with phrases like "Just try it, it's okay" and "You're amazing, have another drink."
Why hadn't he thought things through then?
Was it all connected somehow?
Haruto's lingering gaze between Setsuna and Mai caused Mai to slightly turn her head away. Setsuna, facing him silently, pretended not to notice.
"I understand. Anything else I should be careful about?"
"No, that's all from me. How about you, Setsuna?"
Mai looked toward her daughter. Since they'd already talked so much, it was better to say everything at once.
"No."
Setsuna shook her head, having nothing else to add.
"Well then, that's it for now. I'll go prepare dinner. Haruto, come help."
"…"
Haruto silently followed Mai toward the kitchen counter. Setsuna lay quietly on the sofa, turning on the TV.
_ _ _ _
"The release is just about to start. It's been promoted for so long in the magazines; the real test will be this weekend."
June 15th.
After nearly a month's wait, Haruto's book—managed by Mari —was finally about to be published. When Haruto received the call, he felt a little nostalgic. After so long, the release day had finally arrived.
"This weekend? Then there's still two days left. Got it."
"Don't you want to show up at the event?"
"That would be pointless. I don't like that kind of thing. It's already popular enough. If even more girls start liking me, I won't have time to handle my own affairs."
Mari, still without a boyfriend, sighed quietly hearing Haruto's answer, a little frustrated inside.
"Alright, I understand. I'll contact you on the release day then."
"Okay."
Haruto had already received the proof copies. He sent one to Itomori, gave one each to Setsuna and Sekai, and kept two copies for himself—one for personal use, the other…
"The weekend, huh?"
There was still some time before the weekend. Haruto planned to give that copy to her then.
The royalty payment, over 500,000 yen, had been deposited. After paying Mari for the computer, he kept the rest. Sitting at his desk, staring at his document on the computer, he was at a loss for what to write next. He sat there quietly for a while. When night fell, he left his apartment.
For a long time, he hadn't gone out at night, living like a model student—coming home early, sleeping early, waking on time. Even Haruto himself found it strange.
For a long time before, he had no routine whatsoever—just day and night reversed, his body growing more and more exhausted. But now he'd kept this schedule for two months.
"So… only at school can I be a normal, living person?"
He left his apartment, strolled to the convenience store. The clerk wasn't there today, so he grabbed a coffee and paid, then wandered outside.
It was 7 p.m., with plenty of time before the subway closed. And even after, there were taxis, just more expensive…
He hadn't gone out much lately because he only had living expenses. Just walking around without buying anything was hard for Haruto to understand. Better not to go at all than suffer quietly.
He didn't carry much on him. At night, there were always restless people, and he didn't want to lose all his money in one trip.
Taking the subway from Korakuen Station, he arrived in Shinjuku. It had been a long time since he'd been here, and the familiar sights made him sigh. At his age, he couldn't go into bars or those adult-only places.
"Lights and wine and color…"
Standing on the streets of Shinjuku, he hesitated. Coming here was just a whim. He wouldn't be able to get into at least 80% of the shops here…
Not knowing what to write next, Haruto planned to wander Shinjuku for a bit to find inspiration. But looking at the dazzling nightlife, he sighed softly and prepared to leave.
"Hey, kid, fancy seeing you here again."
A man in a suit with slicked-back hair appeared before Haruto, hands in pockets, wearing a roguish smile and a vibe that said—definitely not a good guy.
Haruto's face showed confusion.
"Who are you?"
"It's been a while. About two months, right? You probably forgot me, but I remember you clearly. Didn't I give you a business card back then?"
Haruto recalled the scene vaguely—this man had handed him a card while he was shopping. He'd nearly forgotten.
"Out for a walk alone?"
"...Yeah."
Haruto frowned slightly but nodded gently.
"That's boring. Since fate brought us back together, come on, I'll take you to a good place."
The man hooked his hand over Haruto's shoulder with a sly laugh, then gestured ahead, leading him forward…