The final bell rang at Hanasakigawa Girls' School, and the classroom erupted in noise. Students packed up and shuffled toward their next destinations. But Shiina Taki , still in her uniform, didn't seem to notice. She lay face down on her desk, waist‑length black hair draped over her shoulders and thighs, oblivious even as classmates streamed out around her.
Yahata Umiri rose slowly and stood beside Taki. Expressionless, she pulled a can of KISS coffee, decorated with anime art, from her instrument case and placed it upright on Taki's head. No reaction.
"Not going to band practice today?" Umiri asked gently, but Taki didn't respond. With narrowed eyes, Umiri pretended not to mind and said casually, "I'm going to find Haru today."
That line seemed to transfer some joltage to Taki: her fingers twitched.
Seeing this, a hint of understanding appeared on Umiri's face. She reached out and pinched the aluminum tube of KISS coffee to prevent it from falling. Then, she once again gave this tsundere black long straight hair a strong dose of medicine.
"He rejected me when I confessed last time, so I decided to beat him up today to vent my anger."
"...?"
Taki raised her head, eyes were fixed on her good friend, but when she raised her head she noticed the indifferent expression her friend's face, and she couldn't help but pursed her lips.
"I confessed to him…but he refused."
That line Umiri had dropped before at RiNG echoed in her head.
Yahata Umiri's words kept echoing in Shiina Taki's mind, leaving her who had just been ready to support Takamatsu Tomori suddenly lost and overwhelmed.
Why did Umiri have to like Haru too…?
If even Umiri liked Kazami Haru, then what on earth was Taki supposed to do?
Her emotions swirled again in confusion. Taki furrowed her brows and slumped over her desk, looking utterly defeated.
She glanced up at Umiri, who stood over her like a silent guardian. Realizing she couldn't pretend to sleep anymore, Taki let out a long sigh and reluctantly reached for the Kiss coffee still in Umiri's hand.
As she read the label, she asked in confusion:
"Umiri, why coffee today?"
It was strange.
Normally, both Taki and Umiri drank the same brand of panda-labeled chocolate milk. Getting canned coffee from her today was… unusual.
She could've sworn Umiri didn't even like coffee that much.
"They only had this today."
Umiri answered with her usual blank expression. Her voice gave no hint of her thoughts, her tone flat and impenetrable.
Maybe she knew Taki's personality too well to bother with subtlety. After a brief pause, she got right to the point.
"It was just a failed concert, wasn't it? Are you really going to run and hide after something like that?"
With Umiri's cold gaze fixed on her, Taki felt uncomfortable all over. She gripped the aluminum can so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to refute her, but couldn't find the words.
All she could muster was...
"That's not what happened…"
Because this wasn't just about one failed performance.
With Haru absent from the stage, MyGO had fallen apart like sand through fingers. And Taki, who had tried to pull everyone together, had ended up being the final straw that broke everything.
She hadn't been able to get the other members back on track. Even her own drumming lost its central rhythm.
The result of that performance… had clearly been her fault.
Without him, she couldn't do anything.
"…Is that so? Then you can just stay here and hide."
Umiri tossed that line out with a pointed glance toward the window, then slung her instrument case over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom. Leaving Taki behind, frowning, her gaze heavy with frustration.
She sat frozen in her seat, gripping the coffee can like it was her lifeline.
…
In front of Hanasakigawa Girls' High School
Clad in casual clothes, Haru leaned against the wall by the school gate, eyes glued to his phone.
One after another, Hanasakigawa's students passed through the gate, shooting curious glances his way. Most of the girls at this all-girls school had little contact with boys, let alone someone as good-looking and composed as Haru.
He was drawing attention like a panda in a zoo. Even when he casually shifted his gaze, the girls nearby squealed and fled in a flurry of red faces.
He hadn't even been standing there ten minutes, and already he was thoroughly exhausted.
"Still no sign of Taki?"
Haru's face stiffened as he kept glancing up at the gate.
After a proper talk with Soyo yesterday, they'd finally cleared the air. Today, she'd even been chatting normally with Tomori in the group chat again, which helped soothe the panicking little penguin.
But as for Taki, who had exploded just as hard… she hadn't replied to a single message. Every single one was marked unread.
At this point, Haru had a reasonable suspicion that she was just reading the notifications from her lock screen and pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Clearly, messages alone weren't going to cut it anymore. This needed a face-to-face.
Bzzzz…
His phone suddenly buzzed, and he looked down instinctively, only to frown.
"Anon's calling out sick?"
Today was the final day of the Haneoka Cultural Festival.
The busiest events had already wrapped up in the past two days. With things winding down, cultural festival committee members like Chihaya Anon and Kita Ikuyo finally had time to relax and enjoy what was left.
But now that pink-haired whirlwind had called in sick? Haru found that… suspicious.
With Anon's hyper and chaotic golden-retriever personality, there was no way she'd miss the festival unless she was literally bedridden. And yet, she was still posting stickers and chatting in the LINE group like always. Her behavior was too normal, unnaturally so.
As Haru puzzled over this strange behavior, a familiar black-haired figure passed by.
"Umiri?"
Standing at the gate as he was, Haru was impossible to miss. The black-haired girl carrying her instrument case stopped and turned, meeting his gaze with cool turquoise eyes.
The punk-rock girl, ever striking and composed, narrowed her eyes slightly. Then, under the stunned stares of surrounding Hanasakigawa students, she walked straight toward him.
"Waiting for Taki?"
"…Looks like I can't hide anything from you."
Haru didn't look surprised that Umiri saw through him immediately. He simply lowered his voice and spoke calmly. "You've probably heard about the Haneoka culture festival, right?"
"Because of a decision I made, the band's performance ran into some problems. But Taki took all the blame on herself. I messaged her yesterday, but she still hasn't replied."
Anyone could see how deeply she was beating herself up. Instead of blaming anyone, she took all the responsibility onto her own shoulders.
If this went on, the strain on her (both mentally and physically) would only grow worse.
That's why Haru had come here first thing to wait outside the school gates.
"…"
Umiri nodded thoughtfully.
Just as she was about to say something, her calm eyes flickered. Her usually unreadable face twitched slightly as her sharp gaze locked onto Haru's neck.
"Umiri?"
Seeing his friend freeze up for a moment, Haru raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her strange reaction.
"…It's nothing. Taki's still in the classroom."
"I've got work to do with the support band, so I need to head out. But if you wait here, you should be able to catch her."
In just a moment, Umiri had returned to her usual cool state.
She nodded briefly, then turned and walked past Haru with her instrument case. Her even colder-than-usual demeanor didn't escape him.
She was definitely in a bad mood today. Still, she'd told him where Taki was.
What a true bro. He owed her one for that.
Haru leaned back against the wall, deciding to keep waiting. But Taki was taking longer than he expected.
The setting sun cast golden hues across the rough asphalt, like silk threads catching the light. The laughter of the high school girls faded with the passing time.
Fewer and fewer students were leaving Hanasakigawa now, and still there was no sign of Taki.
"She didn't… climb the wall and escape, did she?"
As the thought occurred to him, Haru glanced toward the school gates just in time to lock eyes with someone.
A familiar figure, long black hair swaying gently, holding a bag.
Shiina Taki froze. Her pupils contracted slightly the moment she recognized him. Her patent leather shoes instinctively stepped back.
But Haru reacted fast and grabbed her wrist, cutting off her escape plan.
"L-Let go!"
"This is an all-girls' school, Haru! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Face flushed bright red, Taki stared at him in panic, her voice trembling with embarrassment.
But Haru held her firm, even knowing he could be mistaken for a creep. He furrowed his brow and said as calmly as he could, "If you promise not to run, I'll let go right now."
"I'm not running! So let go already!"
Only then did Haru slowly release her wrist. Taki's face was still tinted with a faint blush as she glared daggers at him.
She huffed in exasperation.
"Haru, what the hell are you doing showing up at Hanasakigawa?!"
"I should be asking you why you haven't replied to any of my messages. Don't tell me your phone's been off 24/7."
"If I wasn't worried, I wouldn't be standing here like an idiot outside a girls' school! Do you even know how many people have been staring at me like I'm some kind of perv?"
His voice, tinged with clear irritation, made Taki feel even more guilty. After all, it was her fault he ended up waiting here.
The only reason he hadn't been arrested on suspicion of loitering was because his good looks could fool almost anyone.
"…So? Are you going to tell me now? Why didn't you reply? And why weren't you coming to practice?"
Haru's straightforward question struck her like a blow. Already full of guilt and unable to meet his gaze, Taki averted her eyes. Her lip gloss shimmered faintly as her lips trembled.
How could she possibly reply?
That performance had failed because of her. Both bands had played Haru's music (his effort, his trust) and she had failed to hold it together. She'd ruined all of it.
"…I'll explain tomorrow. I need to go home for now."
Her weak excuse made Haru raise an eyebrow. His dark eyes gleamed with a knowing glint.
So she was planning to run again. No way.
He shrugged casually, showing no signs of giving in. Under her anxious gaze, he spoke in an offhand tone:
"Taki… remember our bet? You still owe me a not-too-outrageous 'favor,' don't you?"
"You—you jerk… What do you want?!"
Her violet eyes widened, shimmering with emotion. She stared at Haru, completely thrown off.
Back then, they had made a bet over Tomori, and Taki had lost. The condition had been that if Haru won, he could ask one favor from her... Anything, as long as it wasn't unreasonable.
She never imagined he'd bring it up now of all times.
Something was off, what was with that smug look?
Ignoring her flustered reaction, Haru smiled faintly and said slowly:
"Then I want to go to your house."
"…Huh?!"
…
Before she knew it, Haru was once again inside the familiar Shiina residence. Using his precious favor for this might've seemed like a waste, but at least it gave him a proper chance to talk with Taki.
If he was at her house, she couldn't run anywhere.
Unfortunately, Shiina Maki was home today too. The moment she saw Haru, she greeted him warmly, offering snacks and drinks like the perfect hostess. She even teased him for not visiting sooner.
Taki, mortified, immediately dragged Haru into her room under her sister's amused gaze.
Bang!
As the door slammed shut, Maki, now left in the hallway, shook her head with a knowing smile.
"Rock bands sure are intense… Little Taki's always so impatient. Ah! Could it be she got jealous because Haru-kun was looking at me too much?"
Haru, of course, had no idea what was going through Maki's mind.
Inside the room, he looked around instinctively. Not much had changed since his last visit, Taki's room still lacked any girlish vibe.
But now that he thought about it, this was already his third time here.
Even though he was officially dating both Soyo and Tomori now, Kazami Haru had never been to either of their rooms.
Meanwhile, Shiina Taki, often teased by her own sister, still had a faint blush on her elegant face. Seeing Haru standing awkwardly in the middle of her room, she forced herself to speak coldly, like she was trying to hide her own emotions.
"Haru, what are you doing just standing there? Sit down."
"Only if you promise not to go Titan mode and pummel me to the ground."
It's not like he could turn into the Armored Titan and tank the hit.
"…Huh?"
Taki narrowed her brows, looking at the black-haired boy like he'd just said something incredibly stupid.
This guy always came up with the weirdest lines whenever he visited her room. But she was long used to him being a weirdo, so she only shot him a frosty glance and asked flatly:
"So you came all the way to my house just to talk about the last live?"
"Unless you think I came here to whisper sweet nothings and confess my undying love?"
His automatic sarcasm nearly gave her whiplash. Taki's eyes widened in shock, already on the verge of blowing up. Haru immediately caught himself and cut in seriously:
"About that live… I don't think the problem was entirely my fault. I didn't even go on stage, remember?"
"Haru, you—"
"But it wasn't your fault either."
Before she could respond, Haru continued, resting his knuckles lightly against his chin with a helpless smile.
"If we're being honest, the performance didn't fail because someone messed up. The real issue was that we didn't have enough trust in one another."
Trust?
Taki's brows drew together. Her fingers, callused from holding drumsticks, tightened around the hem of her Hanasakigawa school skirt.
"I think I told you before that I trust you, Taki."
"Just like how you've always trusted me on stage, and we've worked in perfect sync. But Anon, who was still trying to adjust at the time, wasn't able to fully trust the others. And you… you didn't trust Soyo or Raana enough either."
You need to trust your teammates more.
As Haru said those words, Taki's eyes flickered. She suddenly remembered what he had told her before they went on stage, that brief, private talk. She realized now she hadn't taken it seriously at all.
Once she got up there, all she focused on was holding everything together herself.
She hadn't even noticed that Raana was also trying her best to support them.
"This band was built by everyone. It can't succeed just because of one person."
"Not just you, not even me."
Haru's voice grew firmer as he spoke. He was making it clear, this wasn't about blaming anyone.
Taki, sensitive and prone to self-doubt, had always believed she wasn't enough. She had convinced herself that if Haru had been there, none of this would've happened.
But the truth was, Haru had succeeded on stage because his bandmates had trusted him, and he had trusted them in return.
It was the same with that other band:
Ikuyo, Nijika, Bocchi, Ryo. They all had absolute trust in each other.
Trust was the foundation of performance.
"You said that without me, you couldn't do anything, right?"
"But that's not what I see. Even without me in the band, you composed all the songs on your own. You managed every part of the process flawlessly. You've always been the one person I could trust to watch my back."
Their eyes met... His steady and calm, hers wavering.
After a pause, Haru went on.
"But I don't want that trust to become a burden on you. At least not in the way I see it… You should learn to rely on everyone else a little more too."
This stupid guy… Who gave him permission to say something so cool?
Her carefully buried emotions were being pulled out in this quiet room, bit by bit. Taki, flustered by his sudden "speech," instinctively bit her lip.
After getting hit with all this praise, how was she supposed to keep acting cold?
Watching her hang her head in silence, Haru realized his words had hit home. He let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well, that's all I had to say. If you really can't handle it… we can just admit we're not cut out for this band thing, and from now on we'll run away every time we see them with our tails between our legs."
"Who the hell would do that?!"
Her voice snapped out before she could stop it. Just moments ago she'd been wrapped in emotion, but now Taki couldn't help snapping back. Haru's mouth really was as infuriating as Umiri's.
"If you don't want to run… then win next time."
Stretching with a yawn, Haru stood up lazily. His nonchalant tone made Taki mentally groan, what a childish way to provoke someone.
And yet, this kind of childishness was exactly what got to her.
"Like I need you to say it. We'll win next time. For sure."
Yeah… it had to be him.
No wonder Tomori and even Umiri liked him. No wonder she couldn't control her feelings either. But Taki knew, no matter what, she couldn't let those feelings show.
Because if she did, it would hurt Umiri and Tomori.
With that thought, Taki shook her head fiercely, trying to clear her mind.
She reached into her drawer and pulled out two packets of her usual late-night energy milk jellies. With a practiced, indifferent tone, she muttered:
"Haru, you want one?"
…Wait, what?
"I don't like strawberry. I want the one you're holding."
"Ugh, picky much?"
Taki shot him a glare and handed him the chocolate-flavored one with a sigh.
But as they moved closer, she suddenly frowned.
And in the next moment, she unexpectedly leaned in, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat, catching Haru completely off guard.
"—Wait, hold on! Taki, what are you doing?!"
Shiina Taki suddenly grabbed the front of Haru's shirt, yanking at his collar. The abrupt, aggressive motion left his expression frozen in pure shock.
I thought we were just bros… and you're trying to jump me?!
Even someone like Haru, who prided himself on staying calm no matter the situation, started to panic.
He was alone in Taki's room, after all. And considering Taki's "A-rank" strength as a drummer, if she really wanted to do something… he wasn't exactly confident he could stop her.
"Haru…"
Her voice trembled slightly. Her deep violet eyes, like stars scattered in a night sky, were locked onto him with unwavering intensity.
"What's that on your neck?"
Haru: …Huh?
His neck?
He blinked a few times, puzzled by the question. But as he thought for a second, a sudden realization hit him like a bucket of ice water.
Cold sweat soaked through the back of his thin white shirt in an instant.
Reflexively, he reached up to cover his neck, but Taki was faster. She grabbed his wrist with a grip that left no room to move.
What the hell! how is she this strong?!
"I'm asking you, what is this?"
Her tone had turned sharp, icy even, as she interrogated him. Beads of sweat formed on Haru's forehead.
What else could it be?
Of course, it was the damn hickey Soyo left on him yesterday!