"…You're really blunt, Umiri. And here I thought you liked Haru too."
As if they were just chatting about something trivial, the golden-haired girl spoke lightly, her tone casual.
Uika still wore that breezy smile as she stood with her hands behind her back, gazing quietly at the wide blue sky. Her shimmering gold ponytail swayed with the autumn wind.
The moment she turned to look back, her eyes those dazzling violet gems seemed to draw the soul right out of you.
"…You've got it wrong. I just couldn't stand seeing Taki being so passive, that's all."
"Some things… it's okay to lie to yourself about, you know?"
Uika's lips curved just slightly as she delivered those teasing words.
Yahata Umiri, leaning against the tree, showed no visible change in expression. But if one looked closely, they'd notice that the fingers gripping her aluminum coffee can had already turned pale from tension.
Maybe noticing that faint sign, Uika didn't wait for a reply. She simply continued, her tone light.
"Actually, I have a friend."
"She and her closest friend both fell in love with the same guy. At first, she told herself there was no way she could betray her friend. So she tried her best to cut off her feelings, to back away from him."
"But now… she knows just how warm those feelings really were."
"Trying to bury those feelings and wish her friend happiness instead, it felt like cutting out a piece of her own heart. It hurt more than she ever imagined. She didn't know what to do."
Uika walked slowly toward the tree where Umiri stood, her face tinged with a quiet melancholy. Yet her eyes, despite the sorrow, held a trace of something bittersweet.
She stepped into the dappled shadows beneath the tree. Sunlight flickered through the leaves, casting shimmering fragments of light across her slender neck. In that moment, she looked like someone standing center stage beneath a spotlight.
Still not looking at Umiri's face, she went on with a faint smile.
"Eventually, the friend realized what she was hiding."
"She'd tried to cover it up and ended up lying. That made her friend angry, so angry she forced her to come clean, to admit her feelings and fight for him fair and square."
"And so..."
Before she could finish, Yahata Umiri cut her off.
"She confessed to him."
The black-haired girl, expressionless, stated it flatly.
Uika blinked, caught off guard. She paused, then gave a complicated little nod.
"That's right. Because of all that, she finally understood what she really felt. So she mustered up the courage and told him."
"But… he turned her down."
Even as she finished the story, Uika still wore a smile, as if the whole thing had nothing to do with her.
"But even after being rejected, she has no intention of giving up."
"Because I love Haru. And I'll make him love me too."
Looking at Uika, who now made no effort to hide her feelings, Umiri remained calm, coffee still in hand.
As she watched Uika's unguarded smile, Umiri coolly downed the last of her coffee. Under Uika's gaze, she tossed the empty can into a trash bin scattered with fallen leaves.
Only when she turned around did Umiri speak again, her voice quiet.
"So even after getting rejected, you're going to keep going. That means… you're choosing to stand against Togawa?"
"…You know this too, don't you, Umiri? Haru doesn't just have one girlfriend."
That wasn't news to either of them.
Even if Uika didn't spell it out, Umiri could immediately pick up on the message behind those words. Her expression turned indifferent.
Because Uika was planning to use that twisted version of "having it all."
She was going to try and become Haru's girlfriend and drag Togawa Sakiko along with her.
If Haru liked more than one girl, then maybe there was a way to keep both friendship and love intact, to avoid hurting anyone. And the only way left to do that was this.
"Then… what about you, Umiri?"
Umiri didn't react. She simply shook her head lightly. Under Uika's starlit eyes, she slowly closed her own, her tone steady and serious.
"I already told you. I just didn't want to see Taki like that. As a friend, I gave her a push, that's all."
"I asked, what about you?"
"…"
Umiri's indifference wavered.
Faced with Uika's gentle smile, she fell into a rare silence. Uika, seeing she had no intention of answering directly, sighed and furrowed her brow before stepping past her.
Her figure drifted by like a cloud caught on the wind, her voice barely a whisper in the air.
"…I really envy you, Umiri."
Waving with a smile, the golden-haired girl walked away, leaving Yahata Umiri frowning deeply where she stood.
Yahata Umiri's deep jade-green eyes calmly followed the direction Uika had gone. Then, the bass-for-hire took a long breath and turned to walk away, heading in the opposite direction.
Uika... was she really jealous of her?
With a storm of thoughts whirling inside, Umiri clenched her fists, a faint, dim light flickering in her eyes.
…
Time slipped by and in the blink of an eye, Friday...
The day of the training camp has arrived.
Bzzz…
The little penguin blinked in confusion as her phone began to vibrate. She was packing up after school when she glanced down at the screen, and upon reading the message, froze for several seconds.
Then she frantically tapped the screen, quickly replying to the sudden text.
"Tomori, what's wrong?"
Maybe it was because Takamatsu Tomori looked so uncharacteristically puzzled that Anon, curious, leaned over with her pink head tilted.
"Anon-chan? I-it's nothing, really…"
"Eh? Really nothing? Come on, tell me, tell me!"
As Anon pestered her like an excited child, Kazami Haru, who had been silently packing up his textbooks, walked over expressionless and chopped her gently on the forehead.
Under her wide-eyed stare, Haru muttered with a hint of exasperation.
"Idiot. Can't you tell Tomori's clearly troubled right now?"
"Ugh… not fair, Haru!"
Pouting like an angry little pufferfish, Anon puffed out her cheeks, only for Haru to reach over and squish them flat again.
"I'll treat the great Anon-san to a crepe later as an apology. But for now, we're heading to Soyo's place for the training camp, remember? Don't waste time here."
"Ah, that's right!"
Already not really mad, Anon brightened instantly and hurried to finish packing, rushing out of the classroom.
"Haru, Tomori, let's gooo! I can't wait any longer!"
Seeing the other two still lingering, she turned back impatiently, urging them on, which made Tomori scramble to catch up in a fluster.
Soyo's high-rise apartment wasn't far, and the group arrived quickly without much trouble.
"Uwah…"
The moment she stepped inside, Anon couldn't help but let out a gasp.
The enormous, open living room and the floor-to-ceiling windows made a striking impression. Like a curious kitten, she glanced around excitedly. Even Tomori, who had followed behind, gaped in awe, mouth open in a silent "wow."
Soyo really was the queen of Tsukinomori.
Located in central Tokyo, the penthouse duplex spanned over 300 square meters. The conference-style ring-shaped sofa, the spacious and opulent living room, the glass windows that could illuminate the entire space, it all radiated luxury.
Even though he had visited once before, Kazami Haru couldn't help but comment again.
Only in Tokyo could cherry blossoms grow into something this absurd.
"I figured it'd be fancy when I saw the building downstairs, but I didn't expect it to be this big… Honestly, even if we doubled our numbers, we'd all still fit without a problem, wouldn't we?"
"Oh, oh! Why don't we all sleep together in the living room tonight?! We could have a pillow fight and play Old Maid!"
Excited, Anon turned to the group with a grin, but her enthusiasm was quickly dampened by Shiina Taki's flat response.
"Don't forget what we're actually here for. We don't have time to waste playing around."
"Eh?! But just for a bit wouldn't hurt, right? Rikki~"
"I told you not to call me that."
'Madam' Soyo didn't join the back-and-forth between Anon and Taki. Instead, she leaned in close to Haru's ear and whispered with a sweet smile.
"Haru, your room's upstairs. I already got it ready for you~ Want to come take a look?"
Yeah right, more like you got ready.
Haru's mouth twitched, giving her a subtle look, but in the end he still followed her up to the second floor.
The room she led him to seemed to have been a guest room before, but it was clear Soyo had made some "adjustments" in advance, anticipating his arrival. The new bedsheets, the carefully placed aromatherapy diffuser on the nightstand…
Clean, neat, and arranged in a way that felt oddly… familiar.
"…Wait a sec. This looks exactly like my room."
"Ah, caught me?"
Nagasaki Soyo clasped her hands behind her back and blinked playfully. Her half-smiling, half-teasing expression seemed like she was waiting for Kazami Haru to start complaining.
She caught the shift in his expression, a flicker of mischief dancing in her eyes.
Her deep blue gaze curved into crescent moons, and that usual warm, motherly smile of hers carried an added hint of sweetness. Even though Haru had braced himself, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
She'd only been to his house once, yet somehow remembered its layout perfectly.
"I just thought it'd help you sleep more comfortably tonight…"
"You know how some people feel unsettled sleeping in unfamiliar places? Their bodies can't relax, and they don't fall asleep easily, right? So I figured if the space feels familiar, that sense of discomfort might ease up."
"Or… did I overstep, and make you uncomfortable, Haru?"
As she spoke, Soyo's slender brows drew together in worry. Her warm eyes took on a trace of sadness, and she looked genuinely crestfallen, like a delicate woman suffering a blow.
Haru, who knew her well, recognized it instantly her "performance."
But that didn't mean it didn't work on him.
He let out a soft sigh and replied, resignedly, "...I'm not upset at all. If anything, thank you, Soyo."
Soyo's eyes sparkled like a deep blue sea, and she stepped closer, hands still behind her back. With the gentle smile of a devoted wife, she said softly:
"If you want, I even got you your favorite mocha coffee?"
"Thanks, I appreciate you going to the trouble."
"Then... should I stay with you tonight?"
"Sure, why not."
Soyo froze for a moment, stunned by his deadpan reply.
Her pale cheeks immediately turned crimson, and she began fidgeting with the curls near her ear, her eyes darting away as she stammered out with an embarrassed smile.
"Really?"
"Just kidding."
Her joy instantly crumbled. A flicker of irritation appeared in her eyes, and realizing she'd been played, Soyo gave up pretending. She leaned forward and gently pushed Haru back onto the bed.
With her cheeks puffed ever so slightly, she brought her face close, her lips near his ear as she whispered:
"Haru… even I get mad, you know?"
"If I really got angry… I'm not sure what I'd do."
Pretty sure you're already doing it.
Haru, well used to her antics, wasn't about to be overwhelmed by a cherry-blossom queen. He kept his breathing steady and calmly replied, "Then I guess that's too bad. Because if you keep doing this, I can't guarantee what I'll do either."
Soyo, her face still flushed, stared at his chest nervously. She looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a long silence and a redder-than-ever face, she finally murmured:
"…I don't believe you. What would you do, exactly?"
Funny. I don't believe me either.
Haru's half-smile and silence only made her realize she was being teased again. Eyes widening, Soyo leaned in like she was going to kiss him in protest.
Just then—
"Knew it. Soyorin, you sneaky cat."
Chihaya Anon's voice rang out coldly from the doorway, hands on her hips. The sudden intrusion made Soyo's expression darken.
Realizing things couldn't go any further, she narrowed her eyes, stifling her frustration. Her plans were ruined.
Soyo turned to meet Anon's icy stare. Sparks practically flew in the air as they locked eyes. Rising to her feet, Soyo said coldly:
"I'm Haru's official girlfriend. I don't see how this is a problem."
"Hah? Who are you calling official girlfriend?!"
Anon reacted instantly, like a bristling pink-haired pup. Her sharp little teeth bared like she was ready to bite, and the two rivals squared off without hesitation.
The commotion had clearly drawn attention from downstairs. Shiina Taki, looking confused, arrived with Tomori trailing behind, concern on her face.
"What now? What are you two fighting about?"
"Stay out of it, Rikki! This is between me and Soyorin!"
Anon waved a hand like a battle-hardened general, ready to settle things once and for all. Taki sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration.
Tomori looked from one girl to the other, not knowing what to do, and turned toward Haru for help.
Only to notice something unexpected.
"Raana-chan?"
Tomori's startled exclamation drew everyone's attention.
There, nestled comfortably in the bed, was Raana, who had somehow snuck into the room during all the chaos, slipping under the covers unnoticed.
"Wait, Raana-chan! That's not your bed!"
"When did she even get here?"
Anon, alarmed, rushed forward to pull the cat-girl out, just as the doorbell rang, long and melodious.
Someone was here?
Now even Soyo didn't have the time or energy to argue with Anon. Panic flickered across her face. Hardly anyone knew her home address.
It wasn't like she'd ordered delivery or a package.
Which could only mean that her mother might have come home.
If her mom returned today, the "plan" she had been ready to set in motion would be completely ruined.
"I'll get the door."
Snapping to attention, Soyo quickly headed downstairs. Under the gaze of Tomori and Taki, she opened the surveillance screen.
The moment she saw the image, Soyo's expression froze.
A flicker of confusion crossed her face before her brows drew tightly together. The strange shift in her expression left Anon and Tomori, who had followed behind, blinking in surprise.
Just who was at the door that could make Soyo react like this?
Sensing something, Haru leaned in beside her and immediately understood.
Good news, it wasn't Mrs. Nagasaki.
"What's going on?"
Seeing Soyo and Haru frozen in place, Shiina Taki's nerves were beginning to fray. She stepped forward impatiently.
With everyone now crowded around, Anon and Tomori followed suit, peeking at the screen.
And saw the delicate, doll-like face of a pale green-haired girl.