Nozaki Umetarou's apartment was quite a distance from where Haruto lived, though their routes home were generally in the same direction. His apartment was just a bit further north, which meant Haruto wouldn't have to walk too far alone at night.
"Come in."
When they arrived at the entrance, Nozaki pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Stepping inside first, he grabbed a pair of guest slippers and placed them in front of Haruto.
"Well then, excuse me for intruding."
Haruto glanced around the spacious entryway and the long hallway beyond. Compared to his own place, this apartment was significantly larger.
After neatly placing his shoes by the door, he slipped into the slippers and followed Nozaki inside. The living room alone was nearly one third the size of Haruto's entire apartment. There was a dining table with chairs, and a bookshelf filled with dictionaries and books about illustration.
Haruto wasn't particularly knowledgeable about art, but he recognized a couple of common dictionaries and a few literary classics.
"This place is huge. Feels a lot more spacious than my apartment. The view outside is nice too—it's a great place to live."
"I checked out a lot of places, but this one just felt right, so I chose it. Work can wait—let's get dinner ready first."
"So you've already decided to keep me here and make me work for you, huh?"
Nozaki smiled. On his usually expressionless face, the sudden grin had an oddly mischievous edge.
"Need any help?"
"Help me prep the ingredients. Take out the meat and vegetables. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots."
Haruto took the groceries Nozaki had bought, rinsed them thoroughly, and started preparing them. Both of them were fairly competent in the kitchen, so working together, it didn't take long before dinner was ready.
They sat across from each other in the living room, eating the meal they had just made.
"I think this is the first time I've ever had dinner with another guy my age."
"Aren't you close with Yoshii and Sakamoto? I always see you guys hanging out together."
"I've had lunch with them before, but never dinner. Since they live farther away, they usually head home before it gets dark."
"I see."
Nozaki nodded and continued eating in silence.
Haruto glanced at the boy sitting across from him and found himself at a loss for words. They ate quietly, without unnecessary conversation. Even though they took their time, two guys eating dinner together wouldn't take all that long. Before long, the meal was finished.
Nozaki collected the dishes himself, washing everything in the sink and tidying up the kitchen.
When he returned to the living room, the atmosphere shifted.
"Alright, time to work. I need you to fill in the black areas I've marked."
He picked up a stack of manga pages from his desk and handed them to Haruto, pointing to the places marked with an 'X.'
"I just need to fill these in with black?"
"Yeah, just that."
Haruto glanced down at the unfinished pages in his hands, then looked up at Nozaki.
After a brief pause, he picked up a pen and got to work.
The detailed and intricate artwork in front of him made him hesitate for a moment, but soon enough, he was focused solely on filling in the black areas.
Nozaki, sitting across from him, worked silently as well. The only sound in the room was the soft scratching of pens against paper.
Once Haruto was fully absorbed in the task, he didn't even notice Nozaki getting up and heading to the bathroom. His focus remained entirely on the manga pages in front of him, his hand moving steadily across the paper, filling in each section with precision.
By the time Nozaki returned and stretched his stiff neck, he noticed that most of the pages he had given Haruto were already done.
"That fast?"
He reached for the completed pages and inspected them carefully.
The technique wasn't anything exceptional, but it was clean and met the standard. More importantly, the speed was impressive.
Nozaki's gaze shifted to Haruto, and his expression subtly changed.
I want him to keep doing this for me.
Haruto, sensing an odd chill, paused and looked up—only to find Nozaki staring at him with an intense, almost hungry expression.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hey, Haruto, do you have any plans after school?"
"Like… a date with my girlfriend?"
"…?"
Nozaki's ears twitched slightly.
"A girlfriend? Nakano, or maybe Sawamura?"
"No, neither. That's not the point. Why are you asking?"
"No reason. I was just thinking—you're really good at filling in black areas. Interested in becoming my assistant?"
"…No. Just so we're clear, I only came here to borrow notes. Don't expect me to keep doing this for you."
"That's a shame."
Nozaki sighed, looking genuinely disappointed.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall—it was already past ten.
"It's already ten?"
"Yeah, it's… huh?"
Haruto followed his gaze to the clock and realized with a jolt that it was later than he expected. His plan had been to leave by eight, but now it was already approaching ten-thirty.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he checked the screen, only to find several missed calls and unread messages.
He had his phone on silent, with only vibrations for notifications. He had felt the buzzing a few times while working, but his focus had been entirely on filling in the black areas. Thoughts like "just one more section" and "I'll check my phone after this page" had kept him from stopping. His mild perfectionism had, once again, gotten the better of him.
He quickly typed out a reply, letting them know he was at a friend's house and heading home soon. Then, he stood up and looked at Nozaki.
"Family?" Nozaki asked.
"Yeah. It's late, and I'm basically done here anyway."
Haruto sighed, glancing at the neat stack of completed pages on the desk.
"I'm heading home."
"Alright. Be careful on your way back."
Nozaki lowered his head, already returning to work. Seeing his focus shift so quickly, Haruto could only shake his head and head for the door.
—
The streets were quiet as Haruto made his way home, the streetlights casting a pale glow along his path.
Wearing his school uniform, he walked alone through the night, his footsteps echoing slightly.
The route home felt emptier than it did during the day. Without the usual crowds, the silence around him felt oddly hollow, making him quicken his pace.
He wasn't afraid—just eager to get home and rest.
But as he passed by a small park, he suddenly heard something unusual.
A muffled whimper.
A strained voice.
He stopped in his tracks and turned toward the park, eyes narrowing as he peered into the darkness.
"…Is someone there?"
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!"
"Hmm... um..."
A low, urgent voice cut through the night.
A quiet, stifled sound followed.
Haruto's breath hitched.
The hesitant and worried voice of a young man, mixed with the harsh, impatient commands of a woman, made Haruto slow his steps unconsciously. He softened his footsteps, walking quietly along the path outside the park.
Perhaps because of the distance, the voices weren't entirely clear.
"You're too slow! Just take it off already!"
"Ugh… No! I don't want to!"
"Why are you acting like a girl? Hurry up and squat down!"
"…Ugh…"
Curious, Haruto glanced into the park. The dense foliage of the trees obscured his view, making it difficult to see clearly. In the depths of the shadows, he could just barely make out a trembling figure crouching down—delicate and frail-looking. In front of that person stood a woman with a noticeably 'plump' figure.
A black rope extended from the boy's neck to the woman's hand.
"I spend so much money on this every month—this is what I'm paying for! Hurry it up!"
"…"
Hearing that, Haruto withdrew his gaze. He had no further interest in whatever was happening there. Without another thought, he quickened his pace and left the park behind.
—
About half an hour later, he finally arrived back at his apartment. Standing by the roadside, he glanced at the Kiyoura household next door, now completely dark. He then walked to his own door, took out his keys, and stepped inside.
The familiar scent of home, the familiar surroundings—it all made him relax. He shut the door behind him, slipped off his jacket, and hung it neatly on the rack before heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.
As he stood there, staring at his room, he suddenly realized he wasn't sure what to do next.
"Guess I'll take a bath and go to bed."
There was nothing particularly pressing to do. With that thought, he headed toward the bathroom.
—
Since he had gone to bed later than usual, Haruto woke up slightly later the next morning. The incessant ringing of his alarm dragged him out of sleep. He sat up with a yawn, stretched, and got out of bed.
A quick wash. Get dressed.
As he contemplated whether he should make breakfast or even prepare a bento for later, the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, he found Setsuna and Sekai standing there.
"Good morning, Setsuna."
"Morning."
"Yo, Miyamizu-kun, you don't look too great. Did you stay up late last night?"
"Yeah, I got home a bit late. I was at a friend's place helping with something. Didn't leave until around ten."
Noticing the way Setsuna's gaze lingered on him, Haruto added, "It was a guy."
He turned back inside. Since there was still plenty of time before they had to leave, he grabbed the last few ingredients from his fridge and quickly fried an egg for breakfast.
"Are you going to your classmate's place again today?"
Setsuna asked as she watched him eat.
Haruto paused mid-bite at Setsuna's question. He glanced at the girl in front of him, her eyes holding a hint of something unspoken, and shook his head lightly.
"No, I won't be going again. He had some backlog of work he hadn't finished, and when he found out I could help, he asked me to lend a hand. We managed to get most of it done yesterday, so at least for this week, I won't have to go back."
Thinking back to last night, when Umetarou had all but roped him into being his assistant, Haruto chuckled to himself. He finished his simple breakfast, placed the dishes in the sink, and picked up his school bag.
"Alright, let's go. Time for school."
Setsuna looked like she had more to say but ultimately just nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. Quietly, she followed Haruto out of the apartment. Sekai, on the other hand, was unusually silent today, with an expression that no one knew what she was thinking about.
—
By the time they arrived at school, Umetarou was already there. He looked the same as always, though Haruto had a feeling that after he left last night, Nozaki had likely continued working for a while longer.
Honestly, Haruto sometimes wondered if Nozaki's sluggish reactions were simply due to chronic sleep deprivation.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Exchanging casual greetings, Haruto took his seat and placed his bag down before turning toward Nozaki.
"What time did you go to bed last night?"
"Around midnight… maybe one? Can't really remember. Why?"
"Just curious. Do you always stay up that late?"
"If I don't, I won't make my deadlines. And I'd rather not deal with my annoying editor. As long as I submit my work perfectly on time, I can avoid seeing them. That's very important to me."
"Editor?"
Haruto was a little surprised at first, then remembered—mangaka usually had an assigned editor to oversee their work, coordinate schedules, and offer feedback.
He had heard that editors sometimes suggested changes to the content as well. If the relationship between a mangaka and their editor wasn't good, it could turn into a serious headache.
Looking at Nozaki's annoyed expression, it was obvious that he held some strong opinions about his editor.
Haruto thought back to his own experiences dealing with feedback—how frustrating it could be when someone nitpicked his work, even if they were technically right. He could understand Nozaki's irritation.
"Can't you just switch editors?"
"…I think it might be possible."
Nozaki suddenly looked deep in thought, his eyes showing a spark of interest. It was clear that the idea had never occurred to him before, and now he was seriously considering it.
"Class is starting!"
The voice of Kiryu Yuzuki rang through the classroom as she entered. With that, the students quickly returned to their seats. Haruto, too, ended his conversation with Nozaki and turned to face the front, quietly preparing for the lesson.