"Hello, is this TAKI?"
The voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Yes, yes! I'm TAKI. Are you… Kasumi Utako-sensei?!"
"We've received your support for Love Metronome. From now on, please refrain from supporting it further."
'Beep, beep—'
She had intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but upon hearing the fanatical enthusiasm in the caller's voice.
Just as Miss Machida had described, she was overwhelmed with disgust.
Without thinking, she blurted out her true feelings and hastily ended the call.
On the other end, Taki Tomoya was still holding his phone.
Even as the call was cut off, he continued showering Love Metronome with praises, oblivious to what had just happened.
Wait… what did Kasumi Utako-sensei just say?
Did she really tell him to stop supporting it?
That couldn't be right.
Surely, she meant to say, "Please continue supporting us in the future," right?
Staring at the now-dark screen, Taki Tomoya looked utterly bewildered.
He had so many questions about the plot that he wanted to ask Kasumi Utako-sensei.
Why had she suddenly hung up?
Did her phone die?
Or was she preoccupied with something urgent?
No, that couldn't be.
At this time of day, she should be free...
———————————————————————
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha, having hung up, was also staring at her phone.
However, on her screen was the familiar profile of Hojou Kyousuke.
Hojou-kun, the one who saved Love Metronome and restored her confidence, saw his efforts as nothing more than a trivial gesture.
And then there was this guy—TAKI, who shamelessly kept pushing himself forward even after receiving gratitude from the publisher.
Ugh—
A shiver ran down her spine, and she lost all motivation to write.
Closing her laptop, she stepped into the bathroom.
'Good thing Machida-san reminded me, or I would've forgotten my skincare routine tonight.'
Sinking into the bathtub, the warm water lapped just above her chest.
Freed from any constraints, her curves floated weightlessly in the water.
The bathwater, tinted a soft pink from the added bath salts, obscured the view beneath.
"Still... I really want to know what Hojou-kun has planned for the next part of the story."
Beneath the white face mask, the girl whispered softly to herself.
———————————————————————
Higashi Kendo Clubroom
Kisaki Tetta and Eikichi Onizuka had already left early.
As a result, Kyousuke, who had initially planned to visit the Garden of Words, decided against leaving early himself.
Instead, he simply declared the club activities over for the day.
As the club's advisor, he now had his own private rest area and personal bathroom in the Kendo Club, saving him from having to squeeze into the public baths with the other members.
After showering and changing into a casual black outfit, Hojou Kyousuke found himself in a dilemma.
Although he had been somewhat amused by the minor inconvenience Mitsuha had caused this morning, now that it was time to actually resolve the issue, he found himself with a headache.
Fortunately, Onizuka and the others, who saw Kyousuke as their "love guru"—were unaware of the situation.
Otherwise, their faith in him might have crumbled.
After contemplating for a while and realizing it was already past five, he decided to let things play out naturally.
Hopping onto his motorcycle, he quickly made his way to the Garden of Words. After parking, he took a deep breath and stepped into the restaurant.
By now, the staff were quite familiar with him, so instead of the usual "Welcome!", they simply acknowledged him with nods.
Just as Okudera Miki finished taking an order, she turned around and immediately locked eyes with Kyousuke, who was smiling at her.
A delighted smile flickered across her face for a split second before she quickly furrowed her brows, her expression turning cold.
'There's still a chance!'
Seeing the shift in her expression, Kyousuke internally cheered and quickly approached.
Handing off the order to a passing colleague, Okudera walked over to the table where Kyousuke usually sat.
She didn't sit down but instead crossed her arms and stood there.
"Good evening, Okudera-senpai."
Admiring her slightly annoyed yet still beautiful expression, he spoke as if nothing had happened.
Hearing his familiar voice, Okudera instinctively wanted to respond.
After all, they hadn't seen each other in days, and she did miss him a little. But she immediately scolded herself internally.
'Come on, Okudera! Have some dignity!'
'He hasn't even apologized yet, and you're already giving in?'
"Who are you?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed red.
Her sultry tone didn't sound accusatory at all if anything, it came off as playful, almost like she was teasing him.
'Ahh, why am I like this?'
She had planned to properly confront him about that night!
"I'm Hojou Kyousuke."
Hearing the hint of a pout in her voice, whatever tension he had left completely disappeared.
Okudera-senpai was still the best.
If Mitsuha had been in her place that night, she probably wouldn't even agree to see him now.
"Don't think I'll forgive you so easily! Explain why you pretended not to know me that night!"
Her cheeks tinged with a deep blush, Okudera finally sat down in the chair Kyousuke pulled out for her.
Though her arms remained crossed, her tone sounded even more like she was pouting.
"That night… it wasn't me."
Unable to think of a good explanation, he decided to tell the truth.
"It wasn't you?"
Okudera turned to face him.
She wasn't that angry to begin with, she just wanted an explanation.
Even if he had said it was too dark and he hadn't recognized her, she would have accepted it.
But this? This sounded like a lame excuse.
She was about to call him out for treating her like an idiot, but when she met his eyes, her doubts wavered. His expression was sincere—he wasn't lying.
Just like she had explained to her friend Hiratsuka Shizuka during the Sakura Festival, the "Hojou Kyousuke" from that night had looked at her like a complete stranger.
It wasn't an act.
He genuinely hadn't recognized her.
"Do you have a twin brother or something?" she asked, switching back to their usual casual tone.
"As much as I'd love to give you that explanation, I'm an only child."
"Then why—"
She started to ask but quickly stopped herself. It didn't matter anymore.
That wasn't the real issue.
"I thought you were pretending not to know me because you were with another girl," she said with a bright smile, as if completely letting go of her earlier frustration.
"Do you really think I'd ever hide our relationship from anyone?" Kyousuke countered.
"Our relationship? You mean investor and entrepreneur?"
Her teasing smile was sweet, but it made his scalp tingle.
How was he supposed to answer that? Sakura, help me!
"Speaking of which, I still haven't met any of your friends yet."
Thankfully, she moved on.
Relieved, he quickly replied, "That's easy! I'll introduce you to them soon. And when your restaurant opens, I'll bring them all to support you."
"It's a deal, then."
Under the warm glow of the restaurant lights, her smile was dazzling.
After dinner, because there were not many guests tonight, Kyousuke went to the kitchen to watch the dishes made by the chefs.
Finally, it was time to get off work.
He originally suggested that they go shopping, but Okudera invited him to her home to cook supper for him in order to celebrate the resolution of the misunderstanding.
Kyousuke immediately recalled the delicious home-cooked dishes he had eaten last time and agreed decisively.