"It's nothing special, really. I just didn't expect us to run into each other again here. It was a bit surprising. But you're okay now, right?"
He glanced at her knee. After a week, the bright red marks from before had faded. Only a few pale spots remained where the scabs had fallen off, slightly different from the surrounding skin. Fortunately, the injury wasn't too noticeable, and with time, it would blend in completely, leaving no permanent trace.
The girl gently shook her head and then lowered it, writing something in her notebook.
"I'm fine now."
Looking at the words on the page, then at the girl's quiet, serene face, he felt a twinge of guilt. But seeing her assurance helped settle his uneasy heart. He nodded slightly.
"It's good that you're okay. Your name is Nishimiya Shouko, right?"
She blinked in surprise, her eyes filled with confusion—how did he know her name? Sensing her question, he explained.
"Last time at the fruit store, the shopkeeper happened to mention your name, so I asked her about it. By the way, I don't think I ever introduced myself back then, did I?"
Just as he was about to say his name, she had already started writing in her notebook again. After a moment, she flipped it around and held it up for him to see.
"Haruto."
Now it was his turn to be surprised. She knew his name too? Then he remembered—the shopkeeper had also been calling his name that day. It wasn't too surprising that she had heard it. But the fact that she still remembered it made him pause for a second.
Seeing his startled expression, Nishimiya pressed her lips together, glancing down at her notebook. Had she been too forward? Did she make him uncomfortable?
But before she could overthink it, the boy in front of her let out a soft chuckle.
"So, you remembered my name too. Well then, let's make it official this time. My name is Miyamizu Haruto, but just call me Haruto."
"Miyamizu Haruto?"
"Yeah, that's right. Miyamizu Haruto. I'm a little surprised you wrote it perfectly on the first try."
"Nishimiya Shouko. That's my name."
"I'll remember it."
He read over the name in her notebook, then looked up at the girl before him. With a nod, he spoke sincerely.
"Were you here to buy books?"
This time, she didn't use her notebook. Hearing his question, she simply nodded.
Writing everything down took too much time. For simple 'yes' or 'no' answers, she could just nod or shake her head instead of scribbling out a whole response.
"Actually, I came here to buy books too. After browsing for a bit..."
He held up the book in his hand and smiled at her.
"I found this one. By the way, Nishimiya—calling you by your last name is fine, right?"
She gave a small nod. She didn't sense any malice from the boy in front of her, so she didn't mind him calling her by her surname.
"He is been in there for a while, hasn't he? It feels like ages. I am starting to get sleepy waiting out here."
Ichika and Nino, who had been keeping an eye on the bookstore, were growing increasingly drowsy. Nino, standing idly in a corner, let out a quiet sigh. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the time. We've been here for so long... Honestly, I'd rather just go home and sleep.
"Shouldn't we just take turns keeping watch? Why are we all stuck here doing nothing? This is getting boring."
Even Itsuki, whose patience had already worn thin, was losing interest in the stakeout. She'd much rather be lying on the couch at home, covering her face with a magazine, than standing around wasting time like this.
Yotsuba, meanwhile, had resorted to leaning against a utility pole, looking completely drained. Miku, on the other hand, had buried herself in a book, utterly absorbed, paying no attention to her sisters.
Even Ichika was starting to wonder—had Haruto noticed them? Had he already slipped out the back while they stood around like fools?
"Should we send someone inside to check?"
"Who should go?"
"If Ichika goes, it might be too obvious."
"What about Nino?"
"No way. What if he spots me? How am I supposed to explain myself?"
"Itsuki?"
"You go. I'm not doing it."
Yotsuba didn't seem like the type to go into a bookstore willingly, so the three of them quickly shifted their gazes toward Miku, the only one among them who actually enjoyed reading. Since she was already holding a book, it wouldn't look suspicious if she went inside.
"I'm not going."
Without looking up, Miku firmly rejected the idea.
"It's just for a second—just take a quick look."
"If he's not there, we'll leave."
"No."
Miku remained completely unmoved by their persuasion.
Just as Nino was about to push for Ichika to go instead, the door to the bookstore swung open.
A familiar figure stepped out.
Instantly, the five girls froze, shrinking back behind the corner. Their eyes locked onto Haruto, who had emerged from the bookstore... alongside an unfamiliar girl.
"That girl... she went in after him, right?"
"Do they know each other?"
Unaware that he was being watched, Haruto had spent a good amount of time inside the bookstore with Nishimiya Shouko, browsing through books. After carefully selecting a few they both liked, it was time for them to part ways.
"My house is in that direction, so I guess this is where we split."
"Thank you for spending so much time helping me pick out books."
"It's no trouble. It's rare to meet someone who enjoys reading as much as I do, so I guess I got carried away. As long as you didn't mind."
"I really liked the books you picked."
"I'm glad. Oh, right—"
As if remembering something, Haruto rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small packet of cookies. He held it out to her.
"I made these in home economics today. If you don't mind, take them as an apology for before."
Cookies.
Hiding behind the corner, Ichika, who had been lazily observing, suddenly perked up. Her eyes locked onto Haruto's hands as he offered the cookies to the girl.
She recalled what he had told her earlier—that he planned to give something to his girlfriend.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, she murmured, "That girl is a little strange… She hasn't spoken a single word. She's been communicating with Haruto using that notebook the whole time."
Yotsuba, also watching the scene unfold, suddenly noticed the detail as well. She tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah… Why isn't she talking?"
The others, having noticed it too, shifted their focus onto the girl. They observed her intently, wondering if there was something more to the situation.
Because her long hair obscured her ears, they didn't see the hearing aids. But an idea crept into their minds.
"Wait… is she unable to speak?"
"Maybe… Maybe she can't talk, so she writes everything down instead?"
Back at the bookstore entrance, the girl hesitated for a moment before finally accepting Haruto's cookies. She wrote something in her notebook and showed it to him.
Haruto smiled and said a few more words before waving goodbye and walking off.
The five girls, still crouched in the shadows, were at a loss.
"Should we ask that girl what her relationship with Miyamizu-kun is?" Nino suggested.
Their curiosity about the girl's identity—and why she wasn't speaking—was at its peak. Part of them wanted to approach her and find out more.
But as they exchanged glances, they realized it might be too intrusive to just walk up and ask.
So they hesitated.
And by the time they thought about following Haruto instead—he had already disappeared.
"We've wasted enough time here. I'm done. I'm going home to rest. If you guys still want to stay, suit yourselves."
Itsuki stood up, having lost all interest in continuing the stakeout. Beyond the ethical concerns of following someone around, she simply found the whole thing dull. She'd much rather be at home, flipping through magazines.
Miku, too, silently closed her book and started walking toward home, not bothering to say a word.
Even the usually energetic Yotsuba seemed drained. She glanced at Nino and Ichika, let out a small chuckle, then followed Miku. Seeing this, Itsuki also turned and left without hesitation.
"They're all heading home. What about you?"
"Forget it. That's enough for today. I'm going home too."
Ichika had memorized the girl's face, but she didn't feel like following them anymore. Who knew where Haruto would go next? If she wasted even more time without finding the girl she was really looking for, it would just be pointless.
Sure, she had plenty of time on her hands, but she wasn't alone—her sisters were with her. She couldn't just drag them around on a whim.
"Let's go home."
Ichika's eyes held a trace of reluctance, but she swallowed it down. Nino, noticing but choosing not to comment, simply walked beside her as they headed home in silence.
Unaware that he had been followed the entire way, Haruto parted ways with Nishimiya Shouko and returned to his apartment. He casually placed the new books he had bought onto his desk, took off his school uniform, and changed into his casual clothes.
Pouring himself a cup of tea, he sat down at his desk and resumed writing.
A pen, a cup of tea, a stack of papers…
As the room dimmed, he set his pen down and got up to turn on the lights. A quick glance at the time told him that it was about dinner time.
He walked over to his bag, pulled out the last two small packets of cookies, and stuffed them into his pocket before leaving his apartment. Locking the door behind him, he made his way to the Kiyoura household.
"Cookies?"
Mai, who was in the middle of preparing dinner, looked at the small bag Haruto had placed on the living room table, surprise flickering in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Setsuna, who was already lounging in the living room, had casually unwrapped a pack, picked up a small cookie, and popped it into her mouth.
"We baked cookies in home economics today," Haruto explained.
"You didn't share them with your classmates?"
"I did… but these were left over."
Setsuna swallowed the cookie, took a big sip of water, and glanced at Haruto.
She could tell he wasn't particularly fond of cookies. And yet, the ones he made tasted nearly identical to store-bought ones—just like everything else he did. He always seemed capable of doing anything, which never failed to surprise her.
"I guess I'll try one later," Mai said, still focused on cooking.
Seeing Setsuna's calm expression, she figured the cookies were probably decent.
Haruto looked between Mai, who was busy preparing dinner, and the bag of cookies Setsuna had already opened. Without much thought, he picked up a cookie and walked over to Mai.
From her spot on the couch, Setsuna's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him move.
As Haruto reached Mai's side, he casually held up the cookie to her lips, offering it to her directly.
Setsuna, still reclining on the sofa, squinted further, watching like a cat eyeing a mouse.
Haruto, who had just wanted to ask Mai how the cookie tasted, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Turning around, he saw Setsuna staring at him, eyes sharp, while Mai smiled sweetly beside him.
Normally, Haruto would return to his apartment between 8 and 9 PM.
But that night, he didn't leave the Kiyoura house until 11 PM—his steps unsteady, his energy completely drained.
He hadn't expected the gift he had given Setsuna the day before—those long socks and short socks—to come into play so soon...