The misunderstanding surrounding Haruto was something Futaba had no way of clearing up, even if she wanted to.
In class, she was practically invisible. She had no close friends at school, and the only person she really talked to was Haruto. With no social standing to influence rumors, she could only watch as speculation spread.
"It's just a misunderstanding, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. This face is pretty well-liked, right? If it helps me avoid some trouble, then I don't really mind."
"I can't argue with that."
Futaba Rio felt the same way. With Haruto's looks, it was only natural for him to be popular. He was completely different from someone like her, who had a gloomy personality. That gentle smile of his could easily capture the hearts of most innocent, inexperienced girls.
After hearing his take on the situation, she suddenly felt that being misunderstood like this wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"And those girls? Do they not mind either?"
Seeing Haruto's indifferent attitude, Futaba Rio stopped pressing him and instead asked about the girls involved. Haruto pondered for a moment, raising his head to meet her gaze as he carefully thought it through.
"Sawamura definitely wouldn't care—she wouldn't put much thought into something like this. As for Nakano, she already knows about the rumors and doesn't seem to mind. As for Yoshida… I'm not sure what she thinks yet."
Listening to his analysis, Futaba's expression became subtly unnatural for a moment, her brows knitting slightly. From his response, she could almost visualize two looming beasts lurking behind Haruto, ready to swallow him whole at any moment. Without realizing it, she found herself suddenly taking an interest in these two girls—Sawamura and Nakano…
That afternoon in home economics class, they were tasked with making homemade cookies.
Since Haruto didn't have an oven at home, baking cookies wasn't his strong suit, but he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with it either. The process was relatively simple, and with the teacher's guidance, he managed to bake a batch without much trouble.
"I know this might be a bit rude to ask, but… are you sure these are actually cookies?"
Haruto fell silent as he looked at the charred, amorphous blobs that Ichika had pulled from the oven. They had baked their cookies at the same time, using the same method, yet while his turned out golden brown and ordinary, hers had somehow undergone an unsettling transformation.
Haruto wasn't even sure if it was still appropriate to call them cookies. As the temperature of the cookies cooled, he hesitantly reached out, picked one up, and—under Ichika's slightly embarrassed expression and Nozaki Umetarou's horrified gaze—placed it into his mouth.
"..."
Without a word, he extended his hand toward Nozaki, who instantly understood and handed him a napkin.
Covering his mouth, Haruto discreetly spat the blackened, sticky mass into the napkin, wadded it up, and threw it into the trash can.
Watching his reaction, Ichika's face turned completely red.
"I-Is it really that bad?! It just looks a little strange! I followed your steps exactly, so the taste shouldn't be that different from yours!"
Feeling unjustly accused, Haruto glanced down at his own cookies—golden brown, crisp, and normal—then back at Ichika's… whatever those were. After a brief pause, he silently picked up one of her cookies and held it out to her.
"Ah—?"
Opening her mouth instinctively, as if in a scene from a romantic manga, Ichika accepted the cookie. In the next moment, her face twisted in horror as she perfectly mirrored Haruto's earlier reaction—spitting it out into a napkin, disposing of it, and desperately gulping down a glass of water.
Only after rinsing out the taste did she finally catch her breath, staring at her own cookies with newfound wariness.
"Do I still need to explain anything?"
"In manga, the male protagonist would have swallowed the cookie anyway to spare the girl's feelings."
"Unfortunately for you, I prioritize personal safety above all else. Your cookies… Well, let's just say I'd need them thoroughly tested before I'd even consider swallowing one."
Ichika had no response to that. Instead, she silently walked over to Haruto's cookies and picked one up. After a quick glance at him to confirm he had no objections, she popped it into her mouth.
A perfectly normal taste.
"..."
She turned back to her own cookies, struggling to understand how they had turned out so vastly different despite following the same steps.
"I followed your exact process…"
Haruto, feeling once again falsely accused, could only sigh internally at Ichika's seemingly natural talent for creating culinary disasters.
After packing up their respective cookies in plastic bags, Ichika ultimately decided to abandon her batch entirely, dumping the blackened remains into the trash. Then, she joined Haruto and the others as they left the home economics classroom and returned to their classroom.
"Are you planning to give those cookies to your girlfriend?"
On the way back to the classroom, Ichika suddenly asked about Haruto's intentions for the cookies.
"Can't I just eat them myself?"
"Eat them…? You don't seem like someone who likes cookies."
"Good observation. I don't. Which is why I'll give them to my girlfriend."
"..."
Ichika felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation. She remained silent as they returned to the classroom and slumped down into her seat, resting her head on the desk, lost in thought.
'Who exactly is his girlfriend…?'
She glanced over at Haruto, who sat by the window, before sighing and burying her head deeper into her arms. Her mind was a whirlwind of speculation, imagining countless faces as she tried to figure out what kind of person Haruto's girlfriend might be…
By the time school ended, Haruto had packed his books into his bag and left a few unimportant things in his desk before heading for the door.
"Let's stop by the dessert café today! I really want to try their whipped apple juice—it looks so good!"
Itsuki's cheerful voice rang in Ichika's ears. Her sister wanted to visit a dessert café, but at the moment, Ichika had no particular interest in sweets. She turned to her sisters.
"I'm heading home."
Miku wasn't interested in desserts either; she preferred tea.
"What about Yotsuba and Nino? What about you, Ichika?"
"I don't mind. I can stop by for a bit."
Nino, after thinking for a moment, realized she didn't have any particular plans and agreed to join them.
"A dessert café? Then I want a chocolate sundae!"
"I'll pass. I just remembered I have something to do. You guys go ahead—I'll see you at home tonight."
Ichika grabbed her bag and stood up. With a quick smile at her sisters, she left the classroom in a hurry, running off in another direction…
Watching her hurriedly departing figure, Itsuki turned her gaze to the others still in the classroom.
"That looks a bit suspicious."
"Yeah, very suspicious."
"It doesn't seem like she had any plans with Miyamizu. Leaving the classroom in such a rush—it definitely looks suspicious. Could it be..."
The remaining four girls exchanged glances, each seeing the curiosity and intrigue reflected in the others' eyes. Without the need for further discussion, they silently agreed to follow behind Ichika, quietly trailing her as she made her way out of the school.
At Toyosaki Academy, a rather peculiar sight unfolded—four identical-looking girls discreetly tailing another girl who looked just like them...
Meanwhile, as he exited the school gates, Haruto wasn't in a particular hurry to return home. After walking for a while, he stopped in front of a bookstore, glanced at the sign, and then stepped inside.
"Welcome."
"Do you have any recommendations for new books?"
Inside the bookstore, Haruto asked the middle-aged shop owner for suggestions. After checking out a few book summaries, he found none that suited his taste and instead decided to browse for something on his own.
While Haruto was perusing the bookshelves, five girls stood outside, observing the situation.
"Why are you all following me?" Ichika asked, turning to face her sisters.
"No, it's you who's following someone," Nino retorted, arms crossed in disbelief.
Even Nino hadn't expected Ichika to actually resort to stalking someone—especially a guy who already had a girlfriend.
"I'm just curious," Ichika admitted, not bothering to hide her intentions. "He mentioned he had a girlfriend, but we know nothing about her. It made me wonder what kind of person she is."
Miku, meanwhile, glanced at the bookstore entrance. The thought of going inside to check out some books briefly crossed her mind.
Yotsuba, who had been looking forward to eating a chocolate sundae, now found herself crouching behind a street corner instead, tailing someone. She sighed, visibly disappointed—Itsuki seemed to share her frustration.
"A bookstore, huh? What kind of book would he buy? This is so boring. How long are we going to wait?" Itsuki grumbled, her enthusiasm waning.
Nino, too, seemed uninterested. Only Ichika's eyes remained fixed on the bookstore, filled with intense curiosity.
"I mean, nobody would arrange a date in a bookstore, right?"
"Let's just wait a bit longer," Ichika insisted.
As they debated, a figure appeared at the bookstore entrance and stepped inside. The five girls instinctively looked at the newcomer—a young girl.
After a brief glance, they all averted their eyes. "She looks too young to be his girlfriend," one of them muttered.
Inside, Haruto continued browsing through books. Aside from the popular new releases, he was pleasantly surprised to find a few older, lesser-known works, such as Akutagawa Prize-winning "The Name of the Village" from the 1990s and Shinoda Setsuko's "Sanctuary" from 1995.
Books like these were rare in mainstream bookstores and were usually only found in second-hand shops.
After skimming through one, he decided it was interesting enough to purchase. Just as he turned to head for the checkout, he unexpectedly noticed a familiar figure standing nearby. He focused on the person—a brown-haired girl scanning the bookshelves.
Sensing his gaze, the girl hesitated before turning toward him. Their eyes met.
"You're that girl from last time, aren't you?" Haruto said, recognizing her.
The girl flinched slightly at his words, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. Haruto, holding his book in one hand, approached her with a gentle smile. When he got closer, he stopped, his gaze momentarily landing on the hearing aid in her ear before shifting back to meet her eyes.
"I wanted to apologize for last time. I didn't notice you behind me, and I might have caused you trouble."
The girl seemed surprised at first. She looked up at him, her nervous expression easing slightly. For a moment, she hesitated before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small notebook and a pen.
She quickly scribbled something down, then turned the notebook toward Haruto.
'Is there something you need?'
Haruto looked at the words, then at the girl in front of him, and smiled.