After Aoki's identity was fully revealed, he had become something of a celebrity in his class.
Even after managing to politely turn down the numerous classmates who wanted to have lunch with him, curious glances still occasionally drifted his way.
And at that very moment—
When someone called out from the doorway with a loud "Kei-senpai!" —those glances turned into full-on stares.
The classroom wasn't large to begin with, and a voice at that volume naturally caught the attention of everyone inside.
Feeling dozens of eyes suddenly locked onto him, Aoki's mouth twitched slightly.
He turned around, just a bit exasperated, and looked toward the back door of the classroom.
There stood Kita Ikuyo, peeking in through the doorframe.
A brief silence followed.
And almost immediately, Kei could tell that the topic of discussion in the room had shifted.
"That's the guitarist from his band, right?"
"She was the main vocalist on Fireworks, wasn't she?"
He couldn't catch every word, but it was clear they were now talking about him and Kita.
Suppressing a sigh, Kei looked from Kita to Hikigaya Hachiman.
They had originally made plans to eat lunch together, and Kei was just about to politely decline Kita's offer based on that—
But before he could speak, Hikigaya pushed open the classroom door and said,
"Ah… I just remembered I have something to take care of. Aoki, you two go ahead."
"…"
He didn't even wait for Kei's response before making a swift exit, leaving Kei's lunch hour suddenly wide open.
Kei turned back to Kita.
She was still looking at him, eyes sparkling with the faintest trace of hope.
There wasn't really any reason to say no.
So Kei nodded slightly and asked, "What do you want to eat? Cafeteria, or head out somewhere?"
The hopeful light in her eyes bloomed into a bright smile.
"Senpai can decide! I haven't really thought about it."
"Udon? Rice bowls? Doesn't seem like the cafeteria has anything special today… Let's just go outside."
"Anything's fine! I'll follow your lead~"
After gathering their things, they left the classroom together.
And the moment Kei stepped outside, the room behind them erupted with chatter once again.
"Did you see that? Those two are definitely a couple!"
"She called him senpai like it's totally natural—come on, they're dating for sure."
"Ugh! They're so cute together!"
——
Kei didn't hear any of this.
Nor was he aware of the small storm stirring in Kita Ikuyo's heart.
Before coming to invite Kei for lunch, she had hesitated.
Part of her worried how others might react—what kind of rumors or assumptions would follow.
But more than that…
Unlike Nijika, Kita was aware of her own feelings.
That day, when she smiled and called him Kei-senpai— She had realized how much his support meant to her.
She understood it now, clearly. Her feelings weren't just admiration or friendship.
She liked him.
And not in the way you'd like a friend or an older brother.
It was the kind of feeling where just being around him made her heart lighter.
Where seeing his face made her smile unconsciously.
Where, on a cold winter day, she'd want to gently tug on his sleeve just to stay close.
But that awareness had brought confusion, too.
A month ago, she had asked Kei if he was dating Ryo-senpai.
Back then, she had her suspicions.
Now… Kei had clearly denied it. And they didn't seem like a couple.
Still, Kita could tell— Their relationship wasn't as simple as just "friends."
She'd even seen that video the other day—the street performance Kei and Ryo did together.
The way they played, the way they looked at each other… it didn't feel ordinary.
And she had also noticed the strange way Nijika looked at Kei.
The kind of gaze that lingered just a little too long.
But maybe even Nijika hadn't realized her own feelings yet.
Kita, however, had.
She knew what her heart wanted.
And that knowledge made everything feel a bit more complicated.
Was it selfish to act on these feelings?
Would it be underhanded?
She didn't know.
But after taking so long to admit it to herself—after finally saying "thank you" that night from the bottom of her heart—
…Just inviting him to lunch shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Ryo-senpai wasn't dating him.
Nijika wasn't either.
So, maybe… maybe it was okay?
Thinking that, before she realized it, Kita had already found herself standing at the door to Kei's classroom.
——
The lunch break was long enough for them to leave campus and return with time to spare.
They ate at a light lunch café near the school.
Kita ordered a small set meal, while Kei had a fried fish rice bowl, some fried shrimp, and a sea urchin vegetable salad.
During the meal, Kei asked her a few things about her studies and confirmed that she wouldn't have any issues with the upcoming placement tests.
He also gently inquired about her family situation.
Ever since the day he visited her house and spoke with her mother, things had improved drastically.
Although her mother had originally said "I'll give you one month," she hadn't brought it up again.
In fact, after seeing her daughter's music featured in a broadcast, her mother had even apologized during dinner one night—and expressed her support for Kita continuing her musical path.
With that, one major source of stress was off the table.
But still—something about Kita's demeanor during lunch made Kei feel a bit unsure.
After a moment of quiet, she changed the subject.
"Kei-senpai," she said, looking up at him. "Do you come to this place often for lunch?"
"No, it's my first time here," he replied.
In truth, Kei rarely ate out—usually sticking to the cafeteria or grabbing bread from the convenience store.
Hearing this, Kita asked again, "Then… do you usually eat in the cafeteria? Or do you bring lunch from home?"
"Cafeteria or convenience store. I don't make bento."
"Ehh~ Then… how about next time I make lunch for you?" she offered, eyes gleaming.
"I've been practicing cooking a lot this past year—even if I'm not amazing yet!"
"No, this is really too much trouble for you..." Aoki shook his head, trying to decline.
But before he could even finish speaking, Kita interrupted him with a familiar line: "Don't worry, that's what friends are for! Alright, it's settled then!"
She paused for a moment, then added with a playful smile, "Hmm... but if you really feel bad about troubling me, how about you keep me company for a little shopping trip this weekend? You can help carry my bags and chat with me~"
He figured he'd probably be free that weekend.
Going shopping and carrying bags wasn't a big deal.
But as for the bento thing—Aoki really didn't want to impose on her for that.
Still, he found himself nodding, planning to gently persuade her again after.
But Kita's "case closed" attitude left him with no room to argue...
If things kept going like this, could he really keep their relationship at just this distance?
After confirming that she was serious about making him bentos from now on, they didn't exchange any more words.
As he picked up a fried shrimp with his chopsticks and took a bite, Aoki glanced out the window again.
Autumn always carried a strange sense of melancholy—faded leaves drifting down seemed to stir up a quiet sadness for no reason.
But the glass-clear sky and the pure, cloudless blue above gave off a strange sense of vitality too.
Just past his view was the long, endless hill lined with cherry trees at Shuchiin Private High School.
Autumn really was a contradictory season.
After lunch, the two of them headed back to school.
Once inside the building, Aoki saw that Kita Ikuyo's classroom was on the first floor, so he walked her back first.
As he returned to his thoughts—mentally preparing for the curiosity of his classmates—Aoki climbed the stairs toward his own classroom.
That's when he ran into Hiratsuka Shizuka.
They'd spoken briefly in class earlier that morning, but since it was the start of the new term and she had a ton to deal with.
She hadn't said much—just the usual "study hard" kind of stuff.
Now that it was lunch break and things were a bit more relaxed, she naturally called out to him when she spotted him in the hallway.
"Oh, Aoki."
She walked up to him, clapped him on the shoulder like a cheerful old man, and grinned.
"I didn't get the chance to talk to you earlier. But look at you! Quietly becoming a superstar, huh?"
She was referring to the whole 'Suki-san' and Kessoku Band situation.
Kei gave a faint, helpless twitch of the brow at her blunt tone and casual contact.
He subtly took a step back to maintain his personal space, then replied,
"Superstar's a bit of a stretch... I'm just a little known, that's all."
"Come on, don't be so modest. Your music even got picked up by a film, didn't it? Though I gotta say... that Fireworks movie was pretty awful."
There wasn't really a good way to respond to that, so Aoki gave an awkward laugh.
"Ah... haha."
Hiratsuka didn't seem to notice—or maybe she did and just didn't care.
After his laugh, she paused, then continued, "You're a known figure now. Even the school board has taken notice. Not to mention, you just transferred and already ranked first in your year."
Now this was something more serious—unrelated to music.
Kei straightened up a bit, giving her his full attention.
"So," Hiratsuka said, "they'd like you to give a short speech at this year's opening ceremony. But hey, if you think it's a waste of time, it's totally up to you."
If it had been any other teacher, they'd probably be pressuring him into it right now.
But Hiratsuka wasn't like that.
She always put her students' well-being first, even if it meant she didn't benefit from it.
'A true teacher...'
Giving a speech at the opening ceremony wasn't a big deal—just a bit of trouble preparing the script.
If he could help out without causing her any more trouble, he'd rather do that.
So he shook his head and replied, "It won't take much time. Just a speech, right? I don't mind."
"Ohh~" Hiratsuka nodded, pleased.
Then Kei added, "Actually, there's something I'd like to get your approval on too…"
"I'll need to take a day off the day after tomorrow for a special live performance."
"The day after tomorrow, huh... It shouldn't interfere with the opening exams. But with everything you've got going on, are you sure your grades won't take a hit?"
"Don't worry," Aoki said with an 'OK' hand sign. "I've got it covered."
"So confident when it comes to grades, huh? You're a strange one..." Hiratsuka teased.
With that, their conversation wrapped up as she waved him off. "Alright, get back to class before the next period starts."
Kei nodded, gave her a polite farewell, and continued down the hall toward his classroom.
As he walked, his thoughts turned back to everything they'd discussed.
First: the speech.
Hiratsuka-sensei would let him know what the theme was later, so no rush there.
Then there was the entrance exam.
That reminded him—he still hadn't claimed the scholarship he earned.
He forgot to bring it up while talking with her, so he'd need to find time to follow up on that.
But he also had a nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something else...
He kept thinking as he walked for a while—until it finally hit him.
The long-absent Yukinoshita Yukino, the president of Service Club, still owed him from that little bet.
Back then, she skipped the exam for some unknown reason.
So technically, that win was his.
Still, it wasn't urgent.
After all, it had been over a month since then, and he had more pressing matters to handle...
The upcoming live performance, the scholarship issue, recording for the school broadcast...
He'd probably have time for club activities on Friday.
Yeah, he could deal with it all then.
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