Standing in front of the mirror early in the morning, Haruto brushed his teeth absentmindedly, foam trickling from the corners of his mouth. He reached up to smooth out a stray lock of hair before spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing thoroughly. After washing his face, he stepped out of the bathroom.
Walking over to the window, he pulled back the plain white curtains, letting the warm spring sunlight stream into the room. But the brightness was so intense that he had to close his eyes momentarily. After a brief pause, he slowly reopened them, gazing at the clear blue sky outside.
Above, soft white clouds drifted lazily across the vast expanse, pure and serene. The sight stirred something deep within him, reminding him of his childhood—the days spent wandering through the fields of his hometown, staring up at the same endless sky.
The homesickness he had managed to suppress the night before swelled up once more. His mind wandered to memories of those golden fields, the dense forests, and the shimmering surface of Itomori Lake, which gleamed like a mirror under the sun.
But as much as he longed to return, there simply wasn't enough time. He walked over to his desk and flipped through the calendar. The nearest holiday was April 29th, but since it didn't extend into a long weekend, there was no way he could make a round trip from Tokyo to Itomori and back.
As for May—
Thanks to the lineup of holidays—Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day—there would be a four-day break.
"Could I go home in May?"
Traveling from Tokyo to Itomori required taking the Shinkansen to Nagoya, then switching to a local train. The entire trip would take around two hours, and factoring in the journey from his apartment to the station, it would likely take closer to four. That meant nearly eight hours lost in transit for a four-day break. If he left on the night of May 2nd, he would arrive in Itomori late at night.
"I'd have the 3rd to rest at home, then leave on the afternoon of the 4th to return to Tokyo. The 5th would be for adjusting, and on the 6th, I'd be back to school as usual."
Today was the 13th—there were still about twenty days until May.
At a glance, it seemed like a long wait, something difficult to endure. But there was no point in overthinking it now. Whether he could actually go home or not would depend on how things played out.
Rather than worrying about that, it was better to focus on what to do today.
Haruto stood still at his desk for a moment, staring at the calendar before flipping it back to April. Then, he walked over to his small wardrobe, took out a set of casual clothes, and changed. He remained in his room for a while longer, allowing his sluggish, just-woken-up mind to regain clarity.
Finally, he grabbed his wallet from the desk and left the apartment.
He didn't head to the Kiyoura household. Setsuna might still be asleep, or she could already be awake—but with Kotonoha and Sekai staying over, she was probably still at home with them. If he went over now, he'd just be interrupting.
Besides, after everything that happened yesterday, he needed time to sort out his thoughts. The impact of it all still lingered, and he couldn't deny that part of him wanted to avoid confronting it.
In short, staying in his apartment wasn't an option.
Haruto walked southward for a bit until he reached the bus stop. He came to a halt, waiting in silence. His gaze wandered across the street to the lush greenery and the flower beds beneath the trees.
He found himself lost in thought.
The scenery was familiar—something he had seen countless times before. But after everything he had been through, looking at this street again felt strangely foreign. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, as if he were flipping through the pages of an old photo album, comparing the faded images in his memory with the real world before his eyes.
The faded images of his past were suddenly painted in vibrant colors once more. Closing his eyes, Haruto stood quietly at the bus stop. After about ten minutes, a bus pulled up in front of him.
Since he had already gotten a transit card when he first arrived in Tokyo, he simply tapped it and took a seat in the back, waiting in silence for the bus to start moving.
His destination was Shinjuku. He had no particular plans—just a simple desire to spend the entire day at a manga café there. In the evening, he would return home, spend a quiet night alone, and then go to school the next day as usual.
After transferring to the subway, he arrived in Shinjuku just as most shops were starting to open. Some stores around him hadn't even begun business for the day yet.
But the manga café he had in mind was open 24 hours, so he didn't have to worry about being turned away.
Wandering through the streets of Shinjuku alone, Haruto found himself struggling to locate the manga café. It wasn't where he remembered it to be. He ended up searching for nearly half an hour before finally stumbling upon a decent-looking one.
Stepping inside, he didn't waste time on anything unnecessary. After checking the pricing chart, he quietly paid for a full-day pass. Taking the numbered keycard handed to him, he made his way further into the café.
Standing in front of the towering bookshelves filled with manga, Haruto scanned the shelfs and selected three familiar volumes. With them in hand, he poured himself a complimentary cup of coffee and headed toward his private booth.
Swiping the keycard to unlock the small booth, he stepped inside. The space was fairly clean, and a computer sat quietly in front of him. He had almost forgotten that manga cafés had computers as well.
"A computer, huh… Now that I think about it, I could probably afford a cheap laptop now. Internet fees are about 5,000 yen a month, right? That's 60,000 yen a year… not too bad. Might be worth considering."
He hadn't planned on getting a computer. When he moved in, most of his living expenses had gone toward furnishing his apartment with basic appliances, so he had decided to put off buying one.
But now, thanks to Eriri's generosity, he wasn't as financially strained. Maybe it was time to reconsider.
Sitting down, he powered on the computer and took a sip of his coffee.
He typed in the address of a familiar website, clicked on a hidden extension, and a category labeled "Adult" appeared. Without hesitation, he clicked it and checked the "18+" confirmation box.
As various thumbnails and categories filled the screen, he scrolled through with an air of detached curiosity.
Movies didn't interest him much. He had already seen too many of those types of videos over the years. It wasn't that he disliked them, just that he had long since grown indifferent.
His gaze shifted downward, stopping at the "Online Chat" section. Now that caught his attention.
Clicking into it, he was presented with several categories: "Premium", "Adults", "Married Women", "Underage", and "Virtual".
What really stood out to him was the last one—Virtual.
"Huh?"
Since when did fictional characters start scamming people for money online?
His eyes lingered on the Virtual category for a moment, but he had little interest in it. Instead, he scrolled back up and clicked on Married Women.
The moment the page loaded, the smirk on his face froze.
"...…"
He should've known better than to have any expectations when it came to these kinds of websites. He had gone through this before—back in his past life. Every time he checked this category, he was greeted by… well, aging faces.
He had thought that being reborn into his younger self would mean the women here would be younger too.
But reality was cruel.
Staring at the screen in bitter silence, his mood plummeted. With a deep sigh, he closed the page and, after a brief moment of hesitation, clicked on Underage, hoping to lift his spirits.
However…
Once again, he fell silent.
Compared to the Married Women category, the people here were indeed younger and cuter—but only relatively speaking.
His optimism took a heavy blow. No longer interested in exploring the other sections, he quietly exited the chat page and turned to the next category.
"Encounters."
It was essentially an online matchmaking service—like a dating site. But from what he knew, most of the photos and personal details here were likely fake. The classic "18 online, 81 in real life" joke wasn't far from the truth.
He didn't even bother taking a second look.
Eventually, his eyes landed on a much more familiar category—Books & Magazines.
"I wonder what kind of works are popular these days… And if any of the authors I used to know have started publishing yet."
Thinking back to his former peers in the industry, Haruto clicked into the section. Immediately, an ad popped up—"First-time purchase, 70% off!"—which he dismissed without hesitation.
Scanning the rankings, he spotted several familiar pen names.
"Kurihara Kenzaburou, Akizora, Mizuyuki…"
Seeing those names again left him momentarily stunned.
"These books were already being published this early?"
He had originally clicked in just to browse, not expecting to recognize so many works.
"…Most of these, I've read before."
He had once devoured countless books in pursuit of improving his writing. Now, seeing them again filled him with nostalgia.
"So they've already started their careers as low-tier authors, huh?"
The term low-tier author wasn't meant as an insult. It was a self-deprecating joke within the literary world—referring to those who wrote erotic novels or low-brow fiction rather than high literature.
Compared to authors who stood in the spotlight, winning prestigious awards and getting prime bookstore placements, erotic fiction writers were undeniably part of the industry's underbelly.
Still, Haruto found himself reminiscing as he clicked through book descriptions.
But when he saw the prices—some going for over a thousand yen, even with discounts—he quickly lost interest. He had already read these books before, so there was no need to spend money on them now.
With no further interest in the Adult section, he switched over to a regular forum and started skimming through current news.
Too much time had passed since his previous life. He wasn't sure what events had happened when, or what major incidents were unfolding in the world.
"Is this year a World Cup year? Yeah… in the summer, right?"
Frowning at the news article, he tried to recall any details.
But he had never cared about soccer. Back then, he had been busy getting to know Sayuri, stepping into the early stages of their relationship. There was no way he had paid attention to the tournament.
If he had remembered, he could've bet on an underdog team and made some easy money.
"...…"
It wasn't just the World Cup—he couldn't remember any major lottery numbers either. If he had known he'd get a second chance at life, he would've memorized at least a couple of jackpot numbers.
"…Damn it."
Frustrated, he sighed and closed the news page.
Knock, knock.
Just as he was lamenting his lost opportunities, a knock came from the booth door.
Frowning, he stood up and walked over.
Was it a staff member?
Puzzled, he opened the door—only to find a young girl standing before him, her expression calm and unreadable.
Then, she spoke.
"…Are you thirsty?"
"...?"