As soon as his head hit the pillow and his eyes closed, Haruto slipped into sleep. By the time he opened his eyes again, the sky outside had turned a dull gray. Throwing off the covers, he got up and walked over to the window, peering out into the dusky evening sky. A wave of fatigue washed over him.
"I slept straight from the afternoon to evening? At this hour, Setsuna should be home by now."
He glanced in the direction of the Kiyoura household before heading to the fridge. It had been a long time since he'd prepared dinner at home, and the inside of his refrigerator showed it—almost bare. Seeing the emptiness, he couldn't help but sigh.
No ingredients left. Time to restock.
Still feeling groggy, he stood in front of the open fridge, letting the cold air help him wake up a bit more. Once slightly more alert, he shut the fridge door, grabbed his wallet from beside the bed, and got ready to head out.
It was already late—vegetable stores were definitely closed by now, and while the supermarket might still be open, the quality of the remaining produce likely wouldn't be great. His best bet was to check out a convenience store and see what he could find.
Locking the door behind him, Haruto walked off under the night sky toward the nearby convenience store…
The familiar chime rang out as he stepped up to the automatic doors—ding-dong. As they slid open, he entered and looked around at the other customers. His gaze eventually landed on the cashier: the familiar female clerk. The moment he walked in, her eyes subtly acknowledged him too.
Him again.
She was already used to seeing Haruto at this point. Her face remained calm and indifferent.
Haruto only let his gaze rest on her for a moment before turning to the shelves, casually browsing for what he needed.
Later, he sat alone on a bench in a quiet park under the dim glow of a streetlamp. Lifting his head toward the bright moon overhead, he stabbed a straw into a carton of milk and unwrapped a convenience store rice ball.
The taste… mediocre, as expected.
Convenience store rice balls never had long shelf lives, but that didn't necessarily mean they were fresh either. It was edible, at least, enough to fill an empty stomach.
With a few quick bites, the rice ball was gone. He folded the wrapper and held it in his palm before taking a sip of milk. Letting out a long breath, Haruto stood up, tossed the trash in the nearby bin, and glanced around at the quiet surroundings.
"…Guess I'll head home."
He sighed, then began walking back to his apartment.
_ _ _ _
"I can drink! Back in my old hometown, I used to drink with my grandpa all the time!"
"Seriously? You're underage—you really sure about that?"
"Of course! If you don't believe me, after school we can buy some and you'll see!"
Sitting in the classroom, Haruto listened to the nearby boys brag about drinking. His gaze fell on them, taking in their tough-guy act, then drifted to the girls eyeing them with varying degrees of interest. He couldn't help but think—ah, youth.
He suddenly felt someone's eyes on him. Turning his head, he caught Eriri looking his way. As their eyes met, she gave a huff and quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact.
"…Hey, Haruto."
A hand dropped onto his shoulder. Haruto turned to see Akihisa Yoshii standing beside him, looking like he had something on his mind.
"What is it? Something fun happen over the weekend?"
"He won a pair of vacation tickets," said Sakamoto Yuuji, who had wandered over before Yoshii could even speak.
"Yuuji!"
"Well, it's not like you can use them. Summer break's still a ways off, and the tickets expire this month. Don't tell me you're planning to skip school just to go on vacation?"
Yuuji grinned playfully. Yoshii sighed in defeat and pulled two vacation vouchers from his pocket, placing them on Haruto's desk.
"Okinawa?"
"Okinawa."
"..."
Haruto's expression darkened slightly as he recalled a nightmare he'd had last month about that very place. Looking up at Yoshii, he asked:
"So, what are you planning to do with them?"
"Yoshii lives alone. His parents work overseas, and his sister's studying abroad. I've got work, and no one in my family can go either. If it helps, you could give them to someone in your family."
Yoshii nodded, seemingly fine with the idea. Haruto, however, thought it over. His father was the mayor and certainly wouldn't have time off. His mother stayed at home to care for his grandmother.
His two younger sisters were still in school—it'd be impossible to let them travel on their own.
"Doesn't seem like anyone in my family could use them."
Mai might be able to go, but Mai had work, and she also had to look after Setsuna. Giving the tickets to them didn't seem feasible either.
"Man… if only it were summer vacation. These would actually be useful. But pulling these during the school term? Total waste."
Yoshii sighed again. He couldn't decide whether he was lucky or unlucky.
"Why not resell them cheaply? Maybe someone at the lottery booth would buy them off you. Then you could stock up on games and manga instead."
Haruto's suggestion made Yoshii's eyes widen in surprise. He hadn't thought of that.
"Actually… that's not a bad idea. I'll ask around after school."
As he watched Yoshii walk off, Haruto began thinking. It was already mid-June. July would be here soon. The weather was getting hotter—and summer break was right around the corner.
Should he take a trip with Setsuna during the break?
No… it probably won't be just the two of us. Mai wouldn't stay home alone. And if we do go somewhere, Sekai will probably tag along too.
He remembered he and Setsuna had promised to return to Gifu during the summer. But at this rate, it wouldn't be just the two of them. Mai might also…
He didn't think too deeply about it. There was still some time before the break. Even if they ended up going as a group, his house was big enough. Anyone could rest in his room if they were tired. Though… the soundproofing wasn't great.
He even considered whether he should send his sisters Mitsuha and Yotsuba away for a while…
_ _ _ _
"That girl… Sawamura, right? Your relationship with her seems... complicated."
"…Why bring her up all of a sudden?"
Sitting in the science lab with Rio, having just finished lunch, Haruto closed his bento box and raised an eyebrow at her sudden question.
"I just don't get it," Rio said coolly. "You already have a girlfriend, but you're still tangled up with so many girls at school. Are you planning to hide your relationship with your out-of-school girlfriend and start something new here at Toyosaki?"
She didn't see herself and Haruto as a couple, even after that had happened between them. Their relationship had clearly moved past innocent friendship, but she wasn't so naive as to believe she had become his girlfriend.
Half of her feelings were hidden; the other half remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
But as they ate together today, the memory of that night surfaced—and with it, her curiosity about Sawamura Eriri.
"Although it might sound interesting, I don't have that kind of relationship with Sawamura. We're just ordinary classmates—nothing as complicated as you're imagining."
"But… she likes you, doesn't she?"
"Yeah."
Haruto's tone was casual, almost indifferent. He had never paid much attention to the gossip and social web of the school, and Futaba Rio wasn't familiar with Sawamura Eriri either. But judging from appearances alone, she could tell Eriri wasn't your average girl—normal students didn't go around with such striking blonde hair.
Still, she couldn't quite figure out what kind of relationship Haruto really had with that girl.
Lowering her head slightly, Rio silently picked up a piece of sausage shaped like a little octopus and popped it into her mouth.
Having finished his lunch, Haruto stood up and walked over to the lab's window. He stared out at the view beyond, then lifted his eyes toward the sky. It was bright and clear, a radiant sunlight flooding the blue expanse above.
"The weather's going to start getting really hot soon."
"Mm."
"You ever think about applying for school funds to get an air conditioner installed in your lab?"
Rio looked up at him, at the young man standing by the window, unsure how to describe the feeling welling up inside her. She stared at his back for a while, then eventually gave up on replying. Silence would do.
She knew well enough that what he said was practically impossible. Still, gazing up at the clear blue sky outside, and hearing only silence behind him from the lab, Haruto's lips curled slightly into a faint smile as he quietly awaited the arrival of summer's heat—
_ _ _ _
It seemed the promotional work done by Sakura Publishing had finally paid off. Just one week after the disappointing book signing event, Haruto received a call from Mari.
She told him that sales had been steadily climbing in recent days. The initial print run of 6,000 copies had completely sold out. They were now rushing to print a second batch—this time, nearly ten thousand copies. And it wouldn't just be limited to Tokyo; the book would gradually be distributed to stores all across the country.
"Ten thousand? Isn't that a bit… much? Are you sure they'll actually sell?"
Haruto didn't feel particularly excited. The news didn't quite sink in. Instead of joy, he felt a creeping self-doubt. The poor turnout at the signing and the lukewarm release had left a shadow over his confidence.
"You haven't been watching TV, have you?"
"TV?"
"A well-known host mentioned your book on a variety show the other day. It blew up online after that—now a lot of people are talking about it."
"A well-known host?"
"Yeah. You know that cross-dressing entertainer, Matsuko? Super famous."
As she casually sorted documents on her desk, Mari asked if Haruto had any sort of connection with Matsuko. The question caught him completely off guard.
"I don't know him. I mean, I know of him—but we've never met or anything. He mentioned me on his show?"
Haruto had seen the host a few times on late-night TV, but he'd never appeared on any programs himself, nor had any contact with media figures. The sudden recommendation made no sense to him.
"Yeah, it was kind of out of nowhere. He just brought up your book in the middle of the show—not in detail, just a passing mention. But it was enough to spark interest."
"…I see."
Realizing this was the reason behind the sudden spike in sales, Haruto could only feel a quiet, distant gratitude toward Matsuko. Beyond that, he had no particular feelings.
"So… that's why you're printing ten thousand more copies?"
"For now, yeah. There might be even more later. Matsuko's popularity right now is only second to Japan's top idol groups—his influence is huge. Are you sure you two don't know each other?"
"Positive."
"Alright then, let's leave it at that. The royalties for the reprints will be transferred to the same account."
"Got it."
After ending the call, Haruto—still at school—sat with a puzzled look on his face. He had no idea how all of this had happened. He didn't even own a TV. There was no way for him to know exactly what Matsuko had said about his book.
"…Guess I'll have to look it up online later. See what was actually said."