The school bell rang, marking the end of another chaotic yet oddly heartwarming day.
As Kazuki left the classroom, he sighed and muttered, "Finally…"
Just outside the school gate, Aira waved at him with her usual bright smile.
"Oi, Kazuki! Let's walk home together!"
Kazuki looked the other way and sighed again. "Can't I go one day without her popping up?"
Still, he didn't say no. They ended up walking side by side.
As they reached a quiet sidewalk, a soft breeze brushed past them. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumble from the sky.
BOOM!
Something fell—no, plummeted—from the sky and landed right next to them.
It was… a giant teddy bear?
"What the hell?!" Kazuki jumped back.
Aira's eyes sparkled. "Kyaa! It's so cute!"
Kazuki looked up. A delivery drone buzzed above, clearly malfunctioning. A slip of paper was taped to the bear: "To Aira Tachibana. Congrats! You've won the 'Romantic Raffle'!"
Aira laughed awkwardly. "Oh… right. I signed up for that… I didn't think I'd win."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "Romantic… raffle?"
"Ehehe… They said you get a surprise to boost your love life."
Kazuki froze.
Aira stepped closer. "So, Kazuki... was walking home with me the surprise? Or... is the real surprise still coming?"
Kazuki stared at the teddy bear, then at Aira.
"...Definitely the bear."
Aira puffed her cheeks. "Hmph. You're no fun."
Kazuki turned around. "And yet, you're still following me."
"I'll keep following you until the next surprise drops!"
"God, please don't drop anything else..."
From behind a tree, Suguru peeked out while munching on chips.
"Heh… romance route unlocked."