I froze for a few seconds; I didn’t know what to say to her. 

“Sora, we always run into each other like this.”

She gave a faint smile. 

“Huh?”

I didn’t understand what she meant.

Or maybe it’s better to say I was too surprised to understand. 

“Y-yes.”

What kind of answer is that!

“Were you on your way home from the arcade?” 

She glanced at the arcade next to me.

“T-that’s right! And you...?”

I was a bundle of nerves. 

“What were you doing around here?” 

I asked her.

She held up a shopping bag. 

“I was shopping—this store sells cute clothes at a great price.”

She seemed genuinely excited. 

It was only then that I noticed what she was wearing: a stylish sweater and a long skirt.

Should I say something to her?

I couldn’t help but think about it—it was my only chance. 

“Sora… I’m going to head out then.”

She walked past me. 

I have to tell her, I have to tell her!

I spun around. 

“Akari!” 

She stopped. 

““About what happened today…”

I clenched my fists. 

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. It’s true, I bought that magazine, but not to see you in a bikini…”

I started to feel lighter. 

“You and I have never really talked; I just wanted to know a little more.”

“I saw you had a photo shoot yesterday, and I still feel guilty about what happened with the bike…”

I took a deep breath. 

“So, I’m sorry again.”

Silence. 

I’d already spilled everything; I thought she’d judge me, but instead…

“So you’re not a fan of mine?”

Her question caught me off guard.

“What?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t have minded finding out you were a fan of mine.”

After she said that, ...I must have looked just like a gaping fish.

“If you want to get to know me better, we just need to talk more.” 

She smiled at me; I’d never seen Akari like that before. 

Her face was slightly flushed.

“Sora, I’m sorry, but I really have to go now.”

She glanced at her watch. 

“See you tomorrow at school?”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

I replied instantly. 

Shortly after, I watched her disappear into the crowd. 

I stood there frozen. 

“Mom, what’s wrong with that guy?” 

“Shhh, don’t point at him.” 

It was the comment from the son to his mother that snapped me back to my senses. 

What just happened?

“Sora!”

Haru finally came out of the arcade, 

but something about him didn’t seem right. 

“What’s wrong with you?”

I asked him.

He had a huge, almost unsettling smile. 

“Nothing, nothing.”

He tried to act nonchalant. 

“Wait a minute...”

“Did you see us?!”

“What!? No! Not at all.”

He’s lying!

It was obvious he’d seen me and Akari. 

“Don’t lie!” 

I stretched his cheeks. 

“Okay, okay.” 

I let go of him. 

“I might have seen something—and more importantly, heard something.”

My face turned red; that happened a lot back then. 

Haru and I weren’t used to talking about certain things. 

“You should be happy—it seems she doesn’t hate you.”

He put a hand on my shoulder. 

“Who knows, maybe you’ll talk tomorrow at school.”

He started laughing. 

That single statement kept me on edge all night.

I tossed and turned in bed. 

Damn it, Haru, why didn’t you just keep your mouth shut!

I ran my hands through my hair. 

But, I’m happy

I looked up at the ceiling, smiling. 

“I can’t wait for tomorrow, even though I’m a little nervous.”

So, now I have to sleep

I tried to convince my mind to be quiet. 

Needless to say, I stayed up all night. 

“Sora, it’s morning!” 

I could clearly hear Mom’s voice calling me at the first light of dawn.

“I can’t believe it—it’s already morning.”

I got out of bed feeling down and, above all, with two huge dark circles under my eyes.

“Good morning—” 

She froze as soon as she saw my face.

“Sora, what on earth did you do? It looks like you’ve been beaten up.”

I yawned before answering her. 

“yaaawn... I’m fine.”

That wasn’t true; I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed a spoon instead of my chopsticks. 

It took thirty minutes before I was fully awake. 

“Mom, I’m off. See you later.”

She waved goodbye as she continued packing her briefcase for work.

As I headed toward school, I felt completely calm.

Or rather, that’s what I’d like to say. 

“Everything’s fine, everything’s okay.”

I moved like a robot. 

Finally, I reached the school gate. 

Between yesterday and today, I don’t know which day was worse.

I thought.

At that moment, I still didn’t have the slightest idea what else was going to happen. 

“Hey, you!”

A girl blocked my path. 

She was wearing her school uniform, round glasses that made her eyes stand out, and reddish hair.

“Are you talking to me?” 

I pointed at myself. 

“Yes, exactly.” 

She didn’t seem friendly at all. 

“I’ll only say this once: stay away from Akari, you pervert!”