As soon as Arashi, Mizuki, and the others stepped outside, they naturally split into their usual small groups without even planning it.
Arashi stayed with Mizuki.
Ren paired up with Ayane.
Miyu was with Satoru.
Hina walked with Takumi.
Everyone was casually talking, and the atmosphere felt completely normal. Light conversations, small smiles, nothing seemed out of place.
Then suddenly, Miyu's tone began to change. Her voice carried irritation. What started as a normal talk with Satoru quickly turned heated. She began speaking louder, her frustration becoming obvious.
One by one, everyone's attention shifted toward them. The surrounding chatter slowly died down as people noticed the tension.
Then Miyu, clearly angry, raised her voice and said,
"Do you even like me or not?"
Hearing this, Mizuki immediately walked over to her and asked gently,
"Miyu, what happened?"
But Miyu, still upset, replied sharply,
"Ask him. Ask Satoru what he was doing with that girl. They were laughing and talking so happily. He told me he was going for match practice, and when I left, that girl showed up and they both started talking and smiling."
Mizuki tried to calm her down and said,
"Hey, relax. She's probably just his friend."
Miyu quickly responded,
"What kind of friend holds hands and laughs like that?"
Now Satoru was also getting irritated. His expression tightened, but he was still trying to hold himself back and not explode.
Miyu continued, her voice filled with hurt and anger,
"If you didn't even like me, you could've just said it. What was the need to do all this behind my back?"
At this point, Satoru's patience finally reached its limit. He couldn't control his anger anymore, and he said—
"Yeah? And what about you, huh?" Satoru shot back.
His voice was no longer calm. The frustration he had been holding in started spilling out.
"When I came into the class, you were smiling and talking with that guy too. And the moment I walked in, you acted like nothing happened. The truth is—you don't love me."
Mizuki, watching the argument escalate, muttered in a low, disappointed voice,
"…Not you too, Satoru."
But Satoru didn't stop. He looked straight at Miyu and pressed on,
"Go on, tell me—who was he? Why were you two talking like that?"
Miyu answered immediately, her voice more intense now, tears forming in her eyes,
"He was just a customer! You're supposed to be friendly—it was for the festival."
Satoru gave a bitter scoff.
"Yeah, yeah… nice try. He wasn't just a customer. When I asked who he was, you didn't answer. Why is that?"
Miyu's emotions overflowed. She repeated herself, almost desperately,
"He was just a customer. I keep telling you—he was just a customer!"
Her voice cracked as she spoke again, tears now clearly falling,
"You love that girl, don't you…? You don't love me anymore."
Mizuki stepped in again, more firmly this time,
"What are you both saying? Stop. You're overreacting to small things. Let's go to the restaurant and talk there calmly, okay? Just relax for now."
But Miyu, unable to calm down, cried out,
"He doesn't love me…"
And then Satoru said something that shocked everyone.
"Yeah. I don't love you. What are you going to do about it? I wasn't born just to be with you—I can make my own choices."
The moment those words left his mouth, Arashi rushed forward. He grabbed Satoru by the collar, his expression sharp with anger.
"What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?!"
Satoru glared back and replied,
"I'm not out of my mind—she is."
Seeing things getting physical, Takumi and Hina quickly stepped between them. Both of them spoke seriously,
"Let's handle this properly, okay? This isn't the place to fight."
After that, Takumi and Arashi held Satoru back, making sure he wouldn't lash out again. On the other side, Hina and Mizuki gently but firmly held Miyu, trying to calm her as she cried.
They began moving away from the scene, trying to defuse the situation and get everyone somewhere quieter.
But as they walked, they suddenly realized something.
Ayane and Ren weren't with them.
Mizuki looked around and asked,
"Where are Ayane and Ren?"
Takumi answered from behind,
"They were walking ahead earlier. They probably didn't realize what was happening back here. So, they just kept going. You know how they are—they were lost in their own world."
Hina nodded slightly and added,
"Yeah, that right."
Arashi then said,
"Wait, I'll call them."
He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Ren's number. After a few rings, Ren picked up.
Arashi asked,
"Ren, where are you guys?"
Ren replied casually,
"We already reached the restaurant. Where are you all?"
Arashi frowned slightly and asked,
"Which restaurant?"
Ren answered,
"We're at Aurora Orbit Café."
Arashi replied,
"Perfect. We're coming there too."
After that, the group headed toward the restaurant. Hina and Mizuki stayed close to Miyu, softly trying to quiet her down as she wiped her tears. Meanwhile, Takumi and Arashi walked with Satoru, speaking to him in low voices, urging him to calm himself.
By the time they arrived at Aurora Orbit Café, the tension was still heavy, but at least no one was shouting anymore.
They went inside and chose a table.
Takumi made Satoru sit in the middle seat so he couldn't just walk off in anger. Arashi sat on one side of him, keeping an eye on him. On the other side, Hina guided Miyu to sit down, with Miyu in the middle and Hina beside her for support.
Mizuki stayed slightly apart at first since Ayane and Ren weren't at the table yet, likely somewhere else inside the café.
Once everyone finally sat down, Mizuki took a long, deep breath, trying to settle the atmosphere.
Then she said—
Mizuki looked at both Miyu and Satoru and said calmly,
"Okay, listen. Don't fight. If you're both relaxed, then we'll start talking."
Miyu and Satoru quietly nodded. They were still emotional, but at least they agreed.
Before Mizuki could continue, Takumi suddenly spoke up,
"First, let's eat something. I'm really hungry, please."
The sudden comment slightly broke the tension.
Mizuki sighed and said,
"Okay, fine. Go ahead and order."
Everyone gave their orders one by one. The waiter noted everything down and was about to leave when Mizuki pointed toward Ren and Ayane's table and added,
"They're with us too. Please take their order as well."
The waiter nodded and walked to their table.
He politely asked,
"Sir, Ma'am, what would you like to order?"
But Ren and Ayane were so busy talking to each other that they didn't even notice him.
The waiter cleared his throat and repeated,
"Sir, Ma'am, may I take your order?"
Ren finally noticed and turned to Ayane.
"Go ahead and order, Ayane. What will you eat?"
Ayane replied,
"Whatever you eat."
Ren smiled slightly and said,
"Then I'll eat whatever you eat."
Ayane shook her head.
"No, you order first."
Ren answered,
"No, you."
The waiter stood there awkwardly, clearly confused about what to do.
From the other table, everyone was watching this. Arashi finally called out,
"You two, stop it and just order, or the waiter will leave."
Hearing that, both Ren and Ayane quickly placed their orders properly.
But when they realized everyone had been watching the whole exchange, both of them got embarrassed. At the same time, they turned their faces away in opposite directions and raised their hands slightly to hide their expressions.