Gradually leaving behind the bustling crowd near Moon Forest street, the girl wandered toward the streets around Ikebukuro Station.
The further Mutsumi walked toward Ikebukuro, the colder Soyo felt as she followed far behind.
She had only been here yesterday. If they crossed the main road ahead, they would reach the new home Haru had moved into. For Mutsumi, who had not gone home after school, to be heading in this direction was unusual.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she could more or less guess where Mutsumi intended to go.
"Mutsumi, are you going to Haru's place?"
As if all the fear and tension she had been holding back came rushing in like a tide, Soyo's breathing began to falter. Even so, she forced herself to keep calm and followed Mutsumi's steps.
Before long, the girl in the distance crossed the long stretch of Ikebukuro street.
Under Soyo's stunned gaze, Mutsumi stopped in front of a nameplate engraved with the two characters for Kazami.
"…"
Standing at the door, Mutsumi made no move to knock. She simply glanced toward Soyo, her expression carrying an unspoken meaning. Realizing she had been discovered after trailing her for several blocks, Soyo could no longer pretend.
After a brief hesitation, she sighed and stepped forward.
"Sorry… I was following you just now."
"But Mutsumi, I really want to know, what are you planning to do at Haru's house today?"
Mutsumi only tightened her grip on the strap of her schoolbag and said flatly, her expression unchanged, "Soyo, you should already know."
"…!"
Soyo froze, at a loss for words, her pale fingers rubbing together behind her back in unease.
Seeing her silent and unsure how to respond, Mutsumi simply shook her head. From between the books in her bag, she pulled out a house key with a cucumber-shaped keychain, and with a click, unlocked the Kazami home right in front of Soyo.
The familiarity of the action left Soyo completely dumbfounded. Her voice trembled with disbelief as she asked, "Mutsumi, why… why do you have a key to Haru's house?"
"I remember Haru said there was only one spare key, hidden under the potted plant."
"This one isn't a spare."
Without turning around, Mutsumi spoke calmly, then stepped into the entryway.
Whether it was because she had realized a certain possibility, or because the shock outweighed her unease, Soyo stood frozen for a long moment before biting her lip and following Mutsumi inside the Kazami residence.
…
Steam curled up from a cup of freshly brewed black tea.
Its gentle, refreshing aroma could soothe the mind, yet Soyo felt nothing but tension and unease. She could not enjoy her favorite scent as she normally would.
Her hands pressed hard on her thighs, leaving pale marks where the blood had been forced away.
"Mutsumi, I need you to explain this to me…!"
"Why did you come here instead of going home after school? Why do you have a key? I remember Haru said he hadn't made new keys yet after moving. If it's not a spare, then what does it mean?"
"And why, when Haru just moved in, are you already wearing slippers that are yours alone?"
Her dim blue eyes gathered a fragile determination. Soyo leaned forward, her lips pressed tight, staring at Mutsumi as if trying to read something from her face. Her pale expression betrayed her anxiety, but she still tried to search for an answer.
Mutsumi had no intention of hiding anything.
"Soyo, you already know, don't you?"
A faint glimmer passed through Mutsumi's pale golden eyes. That statement, spoken with certainty, drained the color from Soyo's face.
"Mutsumi, don't tell me you really..."
Cradling a glass of mango juice, Mutsumi fixed her gaze on Soyo's tense expression and spoke slowly, as if delivering judgment.
"I'm living with Haru now."
"As his fiancée."
The calm tone struck her like a clap of thunder. In that instant, all of her doubts fell into place, yet the truth left her at a loss for words.
She opened her mouth but could not force out a sound.
Why… why was Haru Mutsumi's fiancé?
"No… that can't be right, can it? Your family is strict about these things. Your mother wouldn't just let you get engaged to Haru while you're still in high school…"
"Mother agreed. This house was given to Haru by her."
With that casual remark, even the mystery of how a high school boy could suddenly afford such a home was resolved. But it only left Soyo more bewildered.
She rose unsteadily to her feet, her shoulders trembling.
"…You don't have any proof, do you?"
Mutsumi fell silent, then under Soyo's gaze, she took a silver engagement ring from her schoolbag.
That decisive evidence left Soyo frozen in place.
Because she was so familiar with that engagement ring's design, she instantly recognized it. In the dream she once had, the gentle man she called her husband had taken out a ring of the same style when they became engaged. As a wife, she could tell at a glance.
It was unmistakably Haru's taste.
"…Impossible. Even if your mother truly agreed to your engagement with Haru, there's no way she would allow him to date other girls at the same time!"
"Haru and I are formally engaged. My mother also approved of him seeing everyone else."
Seeing Soyo's messy hair and disbelieving, flustered expression, Mutsumi's feelings grew complicated. She pressed her lips together in faint sympathy, but the thought of her responsibility as a fiancée made her take a deep breath and maintain the presence she needed to uphold.
"Now it's my turn to ask you, Soyo."
"Eh?"
Mutsumi drew in another slow breath, then spoke in a calm, unquestionable tone.
"Soyo, you lied to Haru, didn't you?"
"At first, all you wanted was for him to accept your confession, to naturally become lovers with someone who liked you in return. Even though you were unwilling to share him with everyone, you deliberately acted generous, telling him you'd get along with them."
"That's not true, I never thought that way!"
Her vulnerable spot had been struck without warning. Soyo's eyes widened and she instinctively refuted Mutsumi, but her denial lacked strength. Having her mask ripped away left her uneasy, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not sound convincing.
Mutsumi slowly closed her eyes and continued at her own pace. "Ever since CRYCHIC completely disbanded, you've wanted to keep Haru under your control. You tried to stop Umiri from becoming official with him, and you used your status as his girlfriend to force Uika to keep her distance."
"Whether it was during training camp, during lives, when everyone was together, or even just now with your attitude toward me as his fiancée, all of it proves that you've been lying from the start, wanting selfishly to have him all to yourself."
"Even when you apologized to him, you never truly told the truth."
Soyo stared blankly, her voice trembling, unsure how to respond.
Looking at the fragile, glass-like girl before her, Mutsumi was about to speak again when her expression suddenly froze.
Soyo shivered. From Mutsumi's gaze, she sensed there was someone behind her. At this time of day, the only people who could freely enter the Kazami home were those with a key...
Aside from Mutsumi as his fiancée, there was only one other person.
"…"
Her heartbeat stopped for a moment, her expression freezing with it. Then it pounded like an engine ready to burst from her chest. The blue eyes that should have been gentle now held only panic and fear as she slowly turned toward the figure behind her.
Haru was standing at the living room doorway, frowning heavily.
Since the new Kazami home was no longer a small apartment for one, even if Haru entered through the front door, the sound would not easily carry into the spacious living room.
And with both Mutsumi and Soyo so wrapped up in their own atmosphere, neither had noticed the faint sound of the door.
"…Hm?"
Compared to Soyo's fear, Haru himself looked confused at being stared at by both girls.
Wait, what was going on here?
He had just gotten home to find two of his girlfriends talking about something, and the mood felt… off.
Uh-oh. It seemed he had walked in at the wrong time.
"Soyo?"
His voice, calm yet questioning, struck her like a steel nail straight into her heart.
"No, it's not like that!"
Panicked, she ran straight to him, completely ignoring Mutsumi.
She grabbed Haru's left hand tightly, but this time she felt no warmth in his palm. The chill spread instantly through her body along with the surge of emotion.
A sharp sense of loss hit her.
Do something... she had to do something, right now!
"I… I didn't tell you everything last time for a reason… I was afraid you'd hate me if you knew! I was so, so, so scared…"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry… I'll tell you everything from now on!"
"I'll never… never lie to you again…"
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she stammered her apology, the regret and sorrow swirling into a storm that trapped her. Haru felt the dampness on his hand, then realized large tears were dripping one after another onto his skin.
His heart softened immediately.
"Soyo, it's alright."
"Calm down first, take it slow."
He didn't hesitate to comfort her, but in her state she seemed unable to hear him, only clutching his hand and apologizing through sobs. Even Haru, still unsure of the situation, was at a loss.
"Please… Haru! I'm begging you, I know I was wrong…"
Overcome by fear, she dropped to her knees before him, clutching his hand as though it were the most precious thing in the world. Her tears fell in heavy drops onto the floor.
She knew that if she let go now, she might never be able to hold it again.
Why… why had it come to this?
She had found the love of her life for the first time, and gained a home that could last her a lifetime. Those two joys had overlapped, multiplying into even greater happiness.
She had lived in what felt like a dream, so why… why was it ending like this?
"I was wrong, I swear I'll never lie to you again!"
"As long as it's for you, Haru, I'll do anything! Just… don't throw me away…"
Her voice was hoarse, stripped of all the gentleness it once had. Kneeling there, apologizing again and again, she was trapped in suffocating panic. After all, even people who loved each other could be torn apart by a single misunderstanding.
And from the very beginning, her relationship with Haru had been built on falsehood.
She had lied to him, deceived him...
If she could take out her own heart to prove her love, Soyo would not hesitate for even a moment.
The pain in her chest felt as if it were tearing her apart, leaving her crying to the point of suffocation. Her hoarse voice, breaking into coughs, still forced out repeated apologies that reached Haru's ears. Her pleas from where she knelt on the floor were so pitiful that he instinctively took a deep breath to steady himself.
Although the situation had confused him at first, Haru now understood what was happening.
Soyo had likely realized that her lies had been exposed. That was why she had lost control of her emotions completely, because in her eyes, if he found out he had been deceived all this time, there was no way he would not be angry.
Haru drew in another slow breath, considering how to resolve this.
"…"
But his moment of silence made Soyo's pupils contract sharply.
Last time, Haru had forgiven her with such gentleness, yet she still hadn't told him the whole truth.
This time, Haru probably… would not forgive her again.