The look of shock on Utaha's face was almost comical—so much so that when Haruto stepped into the living room, even he paused, caught off guard by her expression.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai," he greeted politely, "it's been a while."
"..."
Utaha's eyes flickered. That face, that voice, she remembered him vividly. The scenes she saw at the astronomy clubroom, the noises she'd overheard… she could still recall every sound with perfect clarity.
Turning toward her editor, Sonoko, Utaha spoke with a trace of suspicion.
"The person you wanted me to observe, don't tell me it's him?"
Sonoko smiled, completely unbothered.
"Yes. This is our landlord, Haruto-kun. You're from the same school, and since you're both writers, I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about. Living under the same roof might just inspire you in unexpected ways. What do you think?"
Utaha didn't even hesitate. She wanted to refuse immediately. Maybe she'd never been in love and couldn't perfectly write about romance, but there was no way she could live under the same roof as this boy.
"Not interested," she said flatly. "I'll be going home."
"Kasumigaoka-senpai," Haruto called out. "Do you have something against me?"
"Not personally," she replied, glancing at him coolly. "But your reputation at school isn't exactly spotless, is it? I heard you've had… quite a few rumors involving girls."
Her words were sharp but calm, and Haruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"I suppose that's true," he admitted.
"Though I'm not sure what Miss Futaba has to do with those rumors. Whatever the case, I'm not interested in getting involved in other people's love lives. And I don't plan to step into that kind of mess myself."
Her tone was polite, but her words had an edge. Haruto's eyes flicked toward Sonoko, wondering what she'd gotten him into.
"Well then," Utaha said briskly, picking up her shoulder bag. "Thank you for the hospitality, but I'll be taking my leave."
"I'll walk you out," Sonoko offered, standing quickly.
"Fine."
And just like that, Utaha Kasumigaoka left, leaving Haruto sitting in the living room, wondering what kind of absurd situation he'd just been dragged into.
He let out a breath and sank into the sofa. Five minutes later, Sonoko returned.
"What was that about?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.
"What do you mean?"
"She's never been that cold before. Usually she's polite, even when she's being distant. But with you, it was like she couldn't stand being in the same room."
Haruto shrugged. "We barely spoke back in school. Hardly even knew each other. I have no idea what her problem is. Honestly, I thought you were pulling a prank on me."
Sonoko tilted her head thoughtfully. "It wasn't part of the plan, but I admit, it's interesting. I'll ask her later what's going on. But from what she said, it sounds like you're quite popular at school, hmm?"
Haruto gave a wry smile. "I suppose you could call it that. But popularity like that is just a nuisance."
He knew better than anyone what it meant. His looks already drew attention, and once people learned he was a published author, it only got worse.
"You're not even pretending to be modest," Sonoko teased.
"Excessive modesty just makes people uncomfortable," he replied simply.
Sonoko sighed, half amused, half exasperated. Her little plan to get Utaha to move in had failed completely.
"What a shame," she murmured.
"Maybe it's for the best," Haruto said. "If she doesn't want the room, we'll just leave it empty for now."
"Do you have someone else in mind to rent it?"
"No one."
Waving the question away, Haruto stood. "I'll be in my room for a bit. Let's talk after dinner."
Leaving Sonoko in the living room, he returned to his bedroom.On the shelf sat a small red torii gate, and beside it, Futaba Rio, calmly reading a book at the desk.
"So, did you meet her?" she asked without looking up.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Yeah. Just once."
"How did it feel?"
Haruto sat beside her, took a sip from a bottle of water, and thought for a moment.
"Didn't feel like anything, really."
Rio shot him a sidelong glance, then returned to her book, apparently unconcerned.
"And how did she feel about you?"
"No idea. We barely spoke."
"No reaction at all?"
"None."
Haruto frowned slightly, puzzled. "Could it be because of those rumors at school?"
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"She didn't seem to like me," he explained. "From the moment she saw me, she looked like she wanted to keep as much distance as possible. She didn't even consider moving in."
Rio finally closed her book, setting it on the desk. "That's strange," she said softly.
Although his behavior could be considered questionable in some ways, when it came to their relationship, she had been the one who took the initiative, so there was no way to blame Haruto for it. Looking at his confused expression, she couldn't help but feel a spark of curiosity herself.
"Weren't you two already acquainted?" she asked.
"Not really," Haruto replied after a pause. "Well… maybe we are, in a sense? I've met her twice in the library. You could say we know each other's names, and that's about it. Everything else just comes from what people say around school."
Haruto didn't know much about Utaha beyond what was common knowledge, her reputation at school and the fact that she was a novelist. And the same probably went for her.
So, if she had chosen to form her opinion of him based on school rumors and gossip, her reaction wasn't exactly hard to understand.
"I can't really blame her for how she feels," he said calmly. "If she has something against me and decided not to move in, that's her choice."
"You don't sound very disappointed," Rio noted.
"If more people move in, more problems will follow," he said with a wry smile. "Sonoko is her editor, so she's probably fine, but if something happens between her and the rest of us me, you, and Mari it could get messy fast."
"You've thought it through that much already?"
"You have to think about things from every angle," Haruto replied, standing up.
He walked over to the bed, looked at the neatly made sheets, hesitated for a moment, then left the bedroom. After a quick shower, he reappeared wearing his pajamas.
"Going to bed already?" Rio asked.
"There's been too much going on lately. I'm a bit worn out. I'll turn in early, don't bother calling me for dinner."
"…"
Rio had no choice but to give up and quietly leave the room, deciding to come back later after dinner was over.
Lying down, Haruto soon drifted into drowsiness and slipped into sleep.
He knew all about Rio's family situation and the fact that he was, in some part, responsible for it. He'd wanted to help her resolve it, but Rio had stopped him.
"I've already talked to my family. Just give it some time, it'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
He had even prepared himself to go to her home in person, fully expecting to be punched by her parents if necessary. But hearing her say that, he decided to trust her instead.
For now, he set aside the idea of meeting her parents, and spent the remainder of his vacation shuttling between his apartment and the café.
_ _ _
Late at night, sitting alone in front of his computer, he watched the red and green lines on the trading chart rise and fall. At different points in time, he'd bought up batches of Bitcoin, carefully recording the prices and totals in a notebook. By the time he came back to his senses, he already owned more than 350 coins.
If things went well, in a few years, that would amount to billions of yen. But that was something for the future.
"A few years, huh… There's no need to think that far ahead yet. Better to focus on living properly now."
Closing his notebook, Haruto sat at the edge of his bed, lost in thought. Should he really keep following his original plan so steadily?
"For now, I guess I'll stick with the plan," he murmured. "You can't predict the future anyway. When the time comes, I'll rethink things carefully. Though… I should probably start thinking about Mitsuha's situation."
Mitsuha was fifteen this year and she'd be entering high school next year. Her goal had always been clear: to attend school in Tokyo.
It was still a year away, but there was no harm in planning early.
"We'll need a home where the whole family can live together… Guess it's time to buy another place. But once we do, there'll be even less personal space."
Thinking about it gave him a headache.
"No need to rush. There's still a year to go and plenty of time to think it over in a few months."
Feeling the weight of everyday life settle on his shoulders, Haruto let out a helpless sigh.
When the new school year began, he found himself in the same class as before. The real class reshuffling wouldn't happen until third year, so they still had plenty of time left to waste their youth away.
There's the school trip this year, isn't there?
Haruto recalled hearing something about it and it was usually Kyoto every year.
This year probably wouldn't be any different, though he didn't know much about Kyoto.
Although Gifu and Kyoto were separated only by Shiga Prefecture, traveling there wasn't exactly convenient. Just going to Nagoya already took effort, and Kyoto or Osaka would mean staying overnight.
When he was younger, he hadn't been able to travel alone, and now that he could, he no longer had a reason to.
The freedom to just go somewhere on a whim, the kind of thing children could do so easily had somehow become something unreachable for him, like invisible shackles he couldn't shake off.
"This year we're still in the same class," said Akihisa. "I wonder if we'll be together again next year."
"If you were a girl, I wouldn't mind," Yuuji replied flatly. "But as you are now, no thanks."
Haruto chuckled at their usual antics. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone looking his way... Nakano Ichika.
When she realized he'd noticed, Ichika didn't look away or blush; instead, she raised her hand in a casual wave.
She joined an agency recently, didn't she? Working toward becoming an entertainer, right? Is she aiming to become a film star?
That thought sparked a new idea in Haruto's mind.
I could try investing in a movie. I wonder if fifty million yen would be enough.
The thought of directing one himself intrigued him even more. He hadn't had the experience or the confidence before, but now…
Now, I could actually try.
Especially when he thought about Koharu's impressive collection of professional camera equipment and her remarkable photography skills. Haruto couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement rise within him.
The idea suddenly became tempting.
Director Miyamizu.
Just imagining someone calling him that made his heart beat a little faster.