Since the other party had agreed so easily, there was no way Miyazawa Maki could back out now.
Before she even had time to decide what kind of attitude she should take, Uemura Rena had already seized the initiative and sat down first.
"Huh."
Mine Shiori froze for a moment, looking at Uemura Rena who had taken the seat beside her. Only then did it dawn on her—maybe it would've been better if she'd been the one sitting next to Sawamura Haruno.
Unfortunately, by the time she realized that, it was already too late. Uemura Rena had already shot Maki a look, clearly signaling her to hurry up and take the seat closest to Sawamura Haruno.
"You—"
Looking at Maki sitting down on his left, Sawamura Haruno's expression turned helpless.
He wanted to directly explain the twin situation, but before he could open his mouth, Maki leaned over first and whispered softly,
"Don't expose my identity. I'll tell you a secret about Mana when we get home."
"A secret?"
Sawamura Haruno's eyes flickered slightly.
That was a bit intriguing… but whatever secret Mana had didn't really have much to do with him now, did it? After all, they'd already broken up.
"It's the kind of secret you'll regret not knowing," Maki added quickly, gritting her teeth and raising the stakes. "I promise you won't be disappointed."
Sawamura Haruno didn't reply. He only shot her a warning glance, the meaning obvious—don't mess around.
"Do you two know each other?"
At that moment, Mine Shiori suddenly spoke up.
"It feels like you're really close."
How could they not look close? When Maki had just whispered to Sawamura Haruno, she'd practically been glued to his side. Anyone watching would think there was definitely something going on.
"It's because they used to be a couple."
Uemura Rena immediately seized the timing and blurted it out, making it clear that Maki was the one who'd been there first.
"Eh?! You mean… they used to be dating?"
Mine Shiori looked over in disbelief, as if she needed to confirm it again.
"Mana, you and him… you already knew each other before college?"
"We were classmates in high school," Sawamura Haruno sighed and took the initiative to explain.
"We dated for a while back then, and later broke up."
"Oh—oh…"
Mine Shiori's eyes widened involuntarily.
That was… pretty shocking.
Before college, even back when they were in the same club and attending exchange events with other universities, she'd never once heard Mana mention this. And even though they'd taken some large lectures together, Mana had acted as if she didn't know Sawamura Haruno at all.
Wait—could it be…?
"She didn't say anything because she didn't want to," Maki said calmly when she saw Mine Shiori's reaction.
"There wasn't really any need to talk about it, right?"
As soon as her words fell, the expressions of all three people at the table subtly changed.
"Well… yeah, that kind of thing is awkward to talk about," Maki quickly added, realizing her tone was a little too sharp.
"And college just started—I didn't want to cause trouble for Haruno."
"I see…"
Mine Shiori pressed her lips together, as if accepting that explanation.
But the expression on her face grew even more subdued.
"Still, even if you broke up, you can stay friends, right?"
Uemura Rena, who had been watching quietly from the side, had more or less figured out Mine Shiori's feelings by now.
She pushed her tray forward slightly and decisively joined the fray, smiling brightly.
"Sawamura probably doesn't know this, but Mana often tells me about things from your high school days."
"Often?"
Sawamura Haruno stiffened slightly.
"Yeah," Uemura Rena continued confidently.
"She even talked about it back when we had a joint seminar with the neighboring university."
Seeing that she'd piqued his interest, Uemura Rena leaned in further.
"She lost a game back then, so she had to talk about an unforgettable story from high school. Right, Mana?"
At that, she paused deliberately and shifted her gaze onto Maki.
Go on, Mana!
Now's the time!
Take that unforgettable story you told that day—
the sweet, sugar-overload, cringe-inducing love story—
and crush this "little girl" sitting next to him in one blow!
"Uh… I…"
Faced with Uemura Rena's burning stare, Maki broke out in a cold sweat.
How was she supposed to know what stories Mana had told?!
She had absolutely no idea what the two of them had done back when they were dating.
"Forgot already?" Uemura Rena urged impatiently.
"I remember it super clearly!"
Now not only Mine Shiori was watching with curiosity—even Sawamura Haruno looked surprised.
At this point, how could she not say something?!
"Think about it! Didn't you say you traveled to Atami with him back in high school?" Uemura Rena prompted.
"Atami…"
Maki's heart sank.
That was something Mana had mentioned that day—and the only thing Uemura Rena remembered.
What happened after that, though? She had no clue.
"Atami," Maki repeated, her voice growing weaker.
Sensing the man beside her stiffening, Maki felt even more uneasy.
Sawamura Haruno… looked unhappy.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't angry—but his mood had clearly taken a nosedive.
Should I stop her right now…? he thought.
Mana's "little secret" was tempting, but if he let Maki keep messing around, who knew what nonsense she'd end up saying.
And there was still Uemura Rena, who had mistaken the twins, constantly fanning the flames.
He remembered the Atami trip very clearly.
It had been the first time he'd taken Mana on a trip together—during Golden Week, with permission from both families.
And it was also during that trip that their relationship had rapidly deepened.
Unfortunately, things progressed quickly—and ended just as fast.
That Atami trip had been a major turning point in their relationship.
After returning, there were less than six months left before their entrance exams. Both of them buried themselves in what they had to do, and in the end, they broke up peacefully.
"Wait… could it be," Sawamura Haruno narrowed his eyes,
"that Maki actually knows about Atami? And what the system calls the 'ignored truth'… is related to that trip?"
What if Mana had complained about him to Maki before?
And that seemingly casual complaint was what ultimately led to their breakup—something Maki herself hadn't realized at the time?
That would explain why, in the system's mission, it was labeled an ignored truth.
…Could that be it?
Was it really like this?
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