The soft morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow across Sato's room. A cool breeze from the ceiling fan brushed against his skin as he slept peacefully, lost in dreams.
Ding dong.
The sharp chime of the doorbell broke the silence.
Sato stirred, grunted, and pulled his blanket tighter.
Ding dong.
This time, he groaned loudly, yanking the pillow over his head.
"Ugh… whoever that is… go away…" he muttered.
But fate wasn't on his side.
DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG!
The bell went off like a machine gun.
"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Sato shot up, hair sticking out in every direction. "What kind of demon rings the doorbell at six in the morning?!"
Dragging his half-asleep body like a zombie, he shuffled toward the door. His eyelids felt like weights, and he muttered under his breath, "It's six a.m.… SIX… in the freakin' morning…"
With a deep sigh, he turned the knob and pulled the door open—only to be greeted by a scene that didn't make sense.
There they were. The whole gang. Fully dressed. Looking way too energetic for this cursed hour.
Sato blinked.
"…Huh?"
"Oh, it's you guys… wait—WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he blurted.
Kaito tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.
"What do you mean? We planned to meet at your place, remember?"
Sato's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Yeah, but THIS IS SIX IN THE MORNING! I thought you meant afternoon! My mom is still home!"
He tried to slam the door shut in a panic, but—
THUD!
Sakura's foot jammed between the door and the frame.
She grinned.
"Sorry, no can do. We already came all the way here. Besides…" She leaned forward, eyes glinting with mischief.
"…you DO know the onsen opens at six a.m., right? We're already late."
Sato's face twisted in disbelief as he struggled to push the door closed. Sakura, of course, didn't budge an inch. She just kept smiling like some villain in a rom-com.
"Fine! WAIT OUTSIDE then! Just leave before my mom—"
Sakura cut him off with a teasing whisper.
"What's wrong, Sato? Hmmm? Got something to hide? Maybe… your secret stash of lewd manga?"
"WHAT?! No!" Sato's face turned red.
Behind Sakura, Hikari tilted her head, completely calm.
"I'm pretty sure I texted you the time, Sato."
(She texted me? …Oh crap I slept so early yesterday) Sato thought.
Before Sato could even respond to Hikari—
"Sato? Who is it? I'm coming down," a gentle voice called from inside the house.
Panic exploded inside him. No, no, no, this can't be happening!
He slammed his whole body against the door like his life depended on it. Sweat ran down his temple as he forced a smile toward the hallway.
"Ahaha! It's… uh… no one! Just the wind!"
Then—
BANG!
The door swung wide open as Sakura delivered a full-on karate kick. Sato flew backward like a ragdoll, spinning in the air before CRASHING onto the floor.
"SATO!" Hikari gasped, rushing to his side.
And then… silence.
Sato's mom stood on the stairs, eyes wide in confusion as she took in the bizarre scene: her son flat on the ground, two pretty girls at the door, and Kaito waving casually in the back.
"…Sato?" she asked slowly.
Sakura stepped forward with a dazzling smile.
"You must be Sato's mom! Wow, what a beautiful lady! We're his classmates. We planned to spend our day off at the hot spring together."
Then, with a playful gasp:
"…Don't tell me he never mentioned us?"
Sato's mom's smile twitched. Her gaze shifted toward her son, and a dark aura filled the room.
"Sato…"
Oh no. She's angry. I'm dead. Goodbye, cruel world.
"You never tell me anything! If I'd known your friends were coming, I would've prepared something! But no—you had to keep it a secret! Again! Just like last time with Kaito!"
Before Sato could defend himself, his mom softened instantly, holding Sakura's hand warmly.
"Don't mind him. I'm so glad he made such lovely friends. If he ever misbehaves, feel free to whack him on the head."
"MOOOOM!" Sato cried.
WHACK!
"OWWWW! What was that for?!" he yelled, clutching his head.
"For being a pain," his mom said calmly, before turning her attention to Hikari. The sudden attention made Hikari blush furiously. She bowed so fast her hair flew forward.
"N-nice to meet you, ma'am! Or miss? Can I call you ma'am miss?!"
Sato's mom chuckled warmly.
"Oh dear, don't be so formal."
Then her voice snapped like a whip.
"YOU. Upstairs. Get ready. NOW."
"Yeah, yeah…" Sato grumbled as he dragged himself toward his room, muttering about cruel fates.
"Yo, Miss Tanaka!" Kaito called, waving cheerfully.
Sato's mom froze, her expression instantly changing into a warm smile as sparkles practically floated behind her.
"Oh, Kaito! How's your mother doing?" Sato's mom said
Meanwhile, upstairs in his room, Sato tossed his shirt aside, frowning deeply.
"Great way to start my morning… thanks a lot, Sakura," he muttered under his breath, irritation written all over his face.
As he reached for his towel, a shiver ran down his spine. The image of Sakura's mischievous grin flashed in his mind like a nightmare.
"Damn it… she really pisses me off," he groaned, dragging his feet toward the bathroom.
"But… there's nothing I can do about it."
He sighed, accepting his fate.
Outside the house, a sleek black limousine sat parked by the curb. Inside, Sora leaned back in the driver's seat, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the wheel. His sharp eyes stayed fixed on the front door, though impatience was clear on his face.
"What's taking them so long?" he muttered, exhaling sharply. "Why do I always give in to whatever Hikari says? I swear… I need to stop falling for those cute eyes of hers every time."
His grumbling was cut short by the sharp vibration of his phone.
"Huh?"
He pulled it out and frowned when he saw the caller ID.
Jiro.
"…What do you want now?" Sora said flatly as he answered, already bracing himself for Jiro's usual teasing remarks or sarcastic insults.
But this time… Jiro's tone was serious. Dead serious.
"Sora, I need to see you. Immediately. It's important."
Sora blinked, startled by the urgency in his voice. Then he quickly masked it with his usual cold tone.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but my schedule's full. I'm not meeting you today."
"...It's about Hikari."
Those words froze Sora in place. His hand tightened around the steering wheel as his calm façade cracked.
"What… did you just say?"
Jiro continued, voice low and cryptic.
"I just thought… since you're the closest one to her now, you'd want to know. I can't explain on the phone. If you want to save her, meet me at the usual rooftop by 10. It's up to you."
Click.
The call ended before Sora could respond. He sat there in silence, eyes darkening, thoughts swirling like a storm. Save her? What the hell is he talking about…?
Back in the house, footsteps echoed down the stairs. Sato emerged, fully dressed, looking much calmer—until his eyes widened in horror.
"...What the hell are you doing?!"
His mom sat on the couch with Sakura and Hikari on either side, happily flipping through a photo album. His photo album.
"This is Sato when he made his first little… oopsie~," his mom said sweetly, pointing at a picture of a chubby baby Sato covered in… well, best not to describe it.
Sato's face turned crimson in an instant. He lunged forward and snatched the album from her hands.
"Mom! Why would you show them this?! Especially Sakura!"
"Oh, don't worry," Sakura said with a devilish grin, struggling not to burst out laughing. "Your secret is safe with me… Mr. Oopsy~."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Sato roared, his veins practically popping out.
Hikari, on the other hand, was beet red, steam practically rising from her head as she waved her hands frantically.
"I—I promise I didn't really see anything! And even if I did—uh—I think you looked… cute as a baby! Not that I looked! I didn't! I mean—uhhh—"
"Whoa, slow down, girl. We're losing you," Sakura teased, smirking as Hikari practically short-circuited.
Before Sato could explode, Kaito casually stepped in, shoving his phone into his pocket.
"Okay, guys. Sora's been waiting outside forever. Don't you think it's about time we leave? Plus…" He smirked. "I've already seen all those baby pictures before. In fact… I have them saved on my phone. I could send them to you two."
"Oh YES, please!" Sakura shouted, already chasing after him with a sparkle in her eye.
"DON'T YOU DARE, KAITO!" Sato bolted after them, chaos exploding in the living room.
Meanwhile, Hikari stood frozen, bowing repeatedly in front of Sato's mom, who just laughed softly.
"Make sure you all have fun, okay?" she said warmly as they finally managed to leave.
The black limousine's door opened, and the group climbed inside.
"Okay, sir, we're all ready to go," Kaito said, sliding into the back seat with Sato and Hikari, while Sakura hopped into the passenger seat next to Sora.
But the atmosphere shifted the moment Sora spoke. His voice was calm… but his words cut through the air like a blade.
"I'm sorry," he said without looking back.
"…But something just came up. Hikari won't be going."
Everyone froze.
"…What?"
Their eyes widened in shock, confusion swirling in their faces as Sora's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
To be continued…