The summer break had drawn to a quiet, reluctant close. Cicadas buzzed their final symphonies outside, as the skies over Tokyo blushed with the soft amber hues of twilight.
Hikaru Kagawa stood by his bedroom window, arms folded over the sill. The air was warm and still, like time had slowed in mourning of summer's end.
"This is the last night," Hikaru whispered to himself, his reflection faint in the glass. A lot had changed since spring.
He thought of Aiko Tanaka and Riku Hayashi—how things between them had fallen apart, and how, slowly, carefully, they'd found their way back. Laughter had returned, even if a little tentative at first. But it was real. Just like the old days.
The break itself had flown by. Games with Renji. Late-night calls with Friends. A few group outings. He even got roped into one of Souta Moriyama's failed romantic escapades, which ended with a dramatic rejection and a waitress dumping soda on Souta's head.
"This one-month break felt like just one day," he murmured, letting out a sigh.
Sleep came gradually.
---
The next morning, Hikaru's peace was violently interrupted.
"RISE AND SHINE!"
Something small and heavy cannonballed onto his back.
"AGH! Yuki! My spine!"
Hikaru gasped and flailed as his sister grinned devilishly on top of him.
"Wasn't there a less life-threatening way to wake me up?!" he groaned.
Yuki grinned. "Would've lacked impact."
"I think I have a cracked rib."
"That's the spirit."
After dragging himself out of bed, Hikaru showered, got dressed in his uniform, grabbed a half-burnt piece of toast, and headed out the door.
It was his first day after summer break at Momiji High.
---
Class 3-B buzzed with the mix of excitement and dread. The desks were the same, the uniforms still stiff from the iron, but something felt different. The hallway air itself seemed older, like even the walls knew they didn't have many seasons left together.
Hikaru entered and immediately spotted Renji Kanzaki balancing a broom between two desks, standing on one foot, completely focused.
"...Why?" Hikaru asked.
Renji looked at him like he had asked something deeply philosophical. "It's balance training. I saw it in a kung fu movie."
"You're going to fall."
"No faith, huh?"
Renji wobbled. The broom slid. He toppled straight into a nearby trash can.
Yume Amagiri, seated nearby, didn't even look up. "Ten out of ten. Olympic-level dismount."
"Are you okay, Renji?" Sakura asked from the back, trying not to laugh.
Renji gave a thumbs up from the bin. "I meant to do that."
"Sure you did," Haruki muttered with a smirk.
The classroom settled as Riku Hayashi, now the student council president, stepped up to the podium.
Riku adjusted his glasses, radiating a serious aura. "As the student council president, I look forward to leading with dignity, fairness, and enthusiasm."
A paper plane hit his forehead.
Everyone turned.
Renji blinked. "It wasn't me this time."
Yume quickly pocketed another paper.
"I saw that, Amagiri."
"I was adjusting my notebook."
The speech carried on with forced composure.
---
In the neighboring Class 3-D, Rina Tamura poked Minato Yoshi's cheek repeatedly with her pen.
"Minatooo~ did you miss me?"
Minato, still adjusting his glasses, flinched. "Y-Yes. Please stop stabbing me."
Mizuki Sasaki, seated in front of them, sighed quietly. "You two are unbearable already."
"I find that offensive," Rina huffed.
"It's true though," Minato admitted. "You once held my hand for an hour in the movie theater just because you were scared of a cartoon frog."
"That frog had teeth, okay?!"
---
Flashback: How Rina and Minato Fell in Love
It began in their first year. Minato had been new, socially awkward, and known for always answering every question with textbook precision. Rina had been bubbly, loud, and borderline chaotic.
She sat behind him. One day, she borrowed his eraser. Then a pen. Then his notebook.
"You really like asking for stuff, huh?" he said one day.
She beamed. "Yeah, but I always return things with interest."
Next day, he found his eraser back—with a small doodle of a frog and her number inside.
Minato was flustered, confused, and, for the first time in high school, intrigued.
A month later, they were officially a couple. Rina was everything Minato wasn't—spontaneous, emotional, unpredictable. And yet, he found her impossible to ignore.
"I think I like you because you make my world less… scripted," he once told her.
"And I like you because you read dictionaries for fun."
---
Back in 3-B
Renji was mid-rant. "I'm telling you, there's a squirrel living in the school vents. I heard it. Chittering. It hates me."
Mizuki Sasaki walked in, quietly taking her seat beside him.
Renji brightened. "Oh hey, Sasaki-san! Want to hear about the squirrel conspiracy?"
Mizuki gave a small smile. "Sure. I'm always up for delusional theories before lunch."
Yume watched them from across the room.
She told herself she was just observing. But inside, her chest ached.
She had liked Renji for a long time. Since the second half of first year. When he caught her sleeping in class and offered his hoodie as a pillow.
He was ridiculous, loud, a magnet for trouble—but he was also kind, and always noticed when someone felt out of place.
She looked at Mizuki. Calm, composed, always nearby. There was something unspoken in her eyes whenever Renji talked to her.
Yume swallowed.
They both liked him.
But neither said it aloud.
---
Later that day, Yume, Mizuki, and Renji were on cleaning duty.
Renji tried balancing a mop on his nose.
Yume rolled her eyes. "What are you, a seal?"
"A majestic sea lion, thank you."
Mizuki chuckled softly. Yume noticed. She noticed everything.
When Renji left to dump the trash, Mizuki lingered.
"I know," Mizuki said.
Yume looked up. "Know what?"
"That you like him."
Silence.
Yume didn't deny it.
Mizuki smiled sadly. "It's okay. I do too."
Neither girl said anything else. They finished their cleaning. When Renji returned, they both smiled like nothing had changed.
But something had. A silent understanding. A gentle sadness.
Two girls, one boy, and a love neither could voice.
---
Meanwhile, Haruki and Sakura sat together under the tree behind the school during lunch.
Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad I came to school today," she said.
Haruki smiled. "You're stubborn."
"Only for you."
He brushed her hair back gently.
Her condition hadn't worsened, but she tired easily. Still, she wanted to spend time at school, with him, with everyone.
"Promise me something," she said.
"Anything."
"Smile, even when I'm not around."
He paused.
"I'll try. But you've got to stick around a little longer to teach me how."
She laughed softly.
"You big baby."
---
As the day ended, Renji stood at the window of Class 3-B, watching the sunset.
Yume leaned on the wall beside him.
Mizuki walked past them, offering a quiet wave.
Renji turned. "You know, I think this is going to be a good year."
Yume smiled faintly. "Yeah. Me too."
But her heart whispered a different truth.
Even if I can't have you… I'll be happy by your side.
And Mizuki, walking down the hall alone, thought the same.
Two girls. One boy. Neither would ever say a word.
But both would remember this year forever.