"Did you understand any of that?"
Inside the science lab, only two people remained—Haruto and Rio Futaba. With no other students around to interfere, the two sat facing each other in silence for a moment. Rio, noticing Haruto's blank expression, let out a sigh of exasperation.
"Do you need me to repeat it?"
"No, it's fine," Haruto quickly waved his hand dismissively. "I was just asking out of curiosity. But this stuff… it's way beyond a high school level, isn't it? Too technical for me to grasp."
He shook his head, feeling slightly overwhelmed. What had started as a casual question—asking Rio what she usually worked on in the lab—had quickly turned into a barrage of highly specialized scientific terms. It was as if she were speaking an entirely different language.
It wasn't that he couldn't understand any of it. He recognized every individual word she said, but the moment those words were strung together into complex sentences, their meaning became frustratingly elusive.
After finishing lunch and finding himself with nothing to do, Haruto had wandered into the science lab. Standing before the lectern where Rio was stationed, he casually glanced over the neatly arranged lab equipment. Reaching out, he lightly flicked a transparent beaker with his finger, listening to the soft, clear vibration it produced.
"I'm really not good at this kind of thing," he admitted.
"..."
Rio stared at him for a moment, then fell silent.
She understood—science wasn't for everyone. Not everyone had the patience or interest to dedicate themselves to this field.
Seeing Rio Futaba suddenly fall silent, Haruto smiled and changed the topic.
When lunch break ended, Haruto left the lab. Rio remained standing inside, watching his departing figure. She lowered her head, staring at the beaker he had just flicked. Slowly, she reached out, lifting it in front of her.
Staring at her own reflection in the transparent glass, she let out a quiet, low sigh...
On the way home from school, Haruto used the corner of his eye to observe the girl following behind him. He had already told her he had things to do at home, yet she was still tailing him.
"..."
He wanted to say something, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference. So, without a word, he continued walking until he reached his apartment. Standing at the entrance, he glanced at the blonde twin-tailed girl still following him, sighed, and finally spoke.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. Can't I come here for no reason?"
"Of course you can."
The moment he finished speaking, Haruto opened the door, stepped inside, and swiftly shut it behind him—
Caught off guard, Eriri had just reached the entrance when bam!—the door slammed shut right in front of her.
She stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. A few seconds later, as realization hit her, her face turned red with frustration. Clenching her delicate fists, she started pounding on the door.
Thud! Thud thud!
Inside, Haruto glanced toward the door. He knew that if he opened it, the girl outside would barge in and unleash all sorts of grievances on him. So he simply pretended not to hear, quietly taking a seat at his desk.
Outside, Eriri kept hammering on the door, but after a while, realizing there was no response, she stopped. Instead, she bit her lip, revealing sharp little canine teeth.
"Hmph—"
Marking down this grudge of being shut out, she gave up on knocking and left in a huff.
Silence returned.
Haruto sat still at his desk, his closed eyes slowly opening as the quietness settled. Reaching into his drawer, he resumed his writing.
That evening, he ended up having dinner at the Kiyoura household. Lost in his writing at his desk, he had completely lost track of time. By the time he raised his head, feeling dizzy, it was already past six, and the sky had turned dark. Having no time to prepare dinner, he decided to drop by Kiyoura's place, where he managed to score a meal. In exchange, he helped clear the table and wash the dishes.
After lingering in Setsuna's room for a short while, Haruto left their house and returned to his apartment. After resting briefly, feeling refreshed and clear-headed, he wrote a little more before taking a shower and heading to bed early.
Friday arrived.
Nothing noteworthy happened at school. Haruto quietly sat in his seat, finished his morning classes, and, in an effort to avoid Eriri—who was undoubtedly looking for trouble—hid in Rio Futaba's lab during lunch break. He chatted with her for a while and only returned to class after the break ended.
Feeling Eriri's gaze burning into him, Haruto pretended not to notice.
When school ended, he was well-prepared—he quickly left the classroom before Eriri could get to him. Left fuming, Eriri could only glare at his retreating figure in frustration. Meanwhile, Aoi Hinami, observing the situation, was curious about what had happened between them.
She was curious, but she also had a feeling she'd be stepping on a landmine if she asked.
So, wisely, she decided to act as if she hadn't seen anything and quietly left school alongside Eriri.
Upon arriving home, Haruto found Sekai waiting outside his apartment.
He glanced around but didn't see Setsuna anywhere.
"Setsuna's at home," Sekai said with a small smile. "We split up earlier. But… you didn't give her a spare key?"
"I left it back in Itomori. That way, if my family ever comes to visit, they won't be locked out."
"Ah, I see."
Sekai tilted her head slightly, watching him with a playful expression.
Haruto, unfazed by her gaze, simply walked to the door, unlocked it, and stepped inside. Just as he was about to close it, Sekai suddenly clung to him—
Unlike Setsuna, who was only proactive at first, Sekai was always the one taking the lead. Even if she was still a bit inexperienced, she was clearly trying her best to satisfy him.
It felt… different.
Different from Sayuri, different from Setsuna, different from Mai.
Everyone had their own unique presence.
As the sky darkened, Haruto finally got up to prepare dinner. He let Sekai stay over for the meal before planning to escort her home afterward.
While they were eating, Setsuna dropped by.
She glanced at Sekai, then at Haruto.
"Mom asked me to call you for dinner. But… I guess that won't be necessary now."
"Yeah."
Seeing Sekai sitting in Haruto's room, Setsuna sighed. She didn't say much and quietly left, leaving behind a somewhat awkward-looking Sekai.
Even though they all understood the situation, being caught in the act still made Sekai feel guilty—like a child caught stealing someone else's favorite dessert. Even after Setsuna left, she just sat there, sulking.
It wasn't until after dinner, when Haruto walked her home, that she seemed to be in a better mood again.
As Sekai stepped into her house, Haruto stood under the glow of the streetlamp for a moment before slowly making his way back to his own apartment...
_ _ _ _
Meanwhile, Nino stepped out of the bathroom.
She wore only a thin shirt, her fair legs still glistening with drops of water. But she didn't seem to care, simply drying her long hair with a towel as she walked into the living room.
There, she heard Itsuki's displeased voice.
"Even so, isn't it a bit inappropriate for a guy to come over to our house alone?"
"If it's Miyamizu-kun, I don't mind!"
"Yotsuba!"
"I… don't really have an opinion on it. But… since our house is full of girls, having a guy over does feel a bit… improper."
"See? Even Miku thinks it's not appropriate!"
"If he comes over, I'll just take him to my room. So he won't bother you guys."
"You… You're not planning to do something with him here, are you?"
"Hah?"
Even Ichika herself was stunned by what Itsuki had just said. She stared blankly at her younger sister, unable to believe such a bold statement had come from her mouth. It was something Ichika had never even considered, and as the realization sank in, her face flushed red—partly out of embarrassment, partly out of annoyance. Her gaze toward Itsuki grew sharp and unfriendly.
Realizing she had misspoken, Itsuki became visibly flustered, struggling to find a way to explain herself.
"Itsuki, Ichika and Miyamizu aren't even dating. How could they just skip straight to that step? You're overthinking it."
It was Miku who came to Itsuki's rescue, glancing toward Ichika while subtly backing down. What Itsuki had just said was too much, and if they didn't smooth things over now, Ichika might hold a grudge. Miku didn't want any lingering resentment over a boy—it simply wasn't worth it.
"Well then, just be careful tomorrow."
Miku got up, as if ready to head back to her room. Yotsuba watched her for a moment, then glanced at both Itsuki and Ichika, only to notice that at some point, Nino had come out of the bathroom and entered the living room.
"Nino."
"You were talking about Miyamizu just now? Is he coming over tomorrow?"
Itsuki fell silent for a moment, shifting her gaze from Nino to Ichika before finally answering.
"Yeah, I invited him over to help me with math. My test scores were terrible this time, so I asked him to tutor me. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"
Nino, whose own grades were far from good, furrowed her brows slightly. If this was just about studying, there shouldn't be a problem—getting help with tutoring was completely normal. But the fact that it was Miyamizu Haruto, and that Ichika had been the one to invite him, made things feel… different.
"We've never had a guy over before. And now you want to bring him here?"
"I'll take him straight to my room. He won't be a bother to anyone."
"…Fine, he can come over, but not in your room. If this is really just about tutoring, then let's all study together in the living room. Our grades aren't great either, so we might as well make use of the opportunity."
Nino's gaze shifted from Ichika to Yotsuba and Itsuki. Miku had already left, so only the four of them remained in the room. The moment Nino finished speaking, Yotsuba visibly stiffened, while Itsuki seemed to understand but showed clear reluctance.
If it were a regular private tutor, she wouldn't have minded as much. But having a classmate, a boy her age, help her study… It made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
"No way! He's our classmate, someone our age. I hate stuff like this."
"I… Wahaha… I mean… I think I'll pass?"
Yotsuba and Itsuki's reluctance was clear, but Nino didn't seem the least bit annoyed. Instead, with a single casual remark, she made Yotsuba sigh in defeat and left Itsuki speechless.
"What do you think Dad would say if he saw our grades?" Nino said flatly. "We were never great at academics back in middle school, but we managed to get into Toyosaki Academy thanks to Dad's connections. If things keep going like this… What do you think he'll do?"
Even Yotsuba was well aware of her poor grades, and Itsuki couldn't deny it either. Deep down, she had the desire to improve, but every time, she lied to herself—telling herself that as long as she worked hard, she could achieve good results. Yet she always ended up wasting time on variety shows and magazines, only to regret it when she saw her test scores.
Yotsuba was similar, though instead of variety shows, she was completely engrossed in manga, rarely giving much thought to her studies.
"…"
"Ugh…"
The two exchanged glances and sighed in resignation. Then, looking toward Ichika, who was leaning on the couch with an amused expression, they nodded reluctantly.
"Getting tutored by Miyamizu-kun… actually sounds kind of interesting. I'm in~"
"Just so we're clear, it's not like I expect him to improve my grades or anything. I just want to study on my own, so don't bother me."
Seeing them finally agree, Nino turned to Ichika.
"It's just studying, right?"
"Yup, just studying~"
"In any case, since you invited him over, make sure you tidy up your room. If he accidentally sees it, he might be seriously disappointed in you."
"I know, I know~"
Ichika smiled sweetly at Nino, a little surprised and pleased that she had backed her up. She hadn't expected Nino to take her side, but it made her happy. Now, she couldn't help but look forward to seeing Haruto's reaction when he came over tomorrow.
"What about Miku? If we're all studying in the living room, what's she going to do?"
"…"
Yotsuba suddenly raised her hand, as if she had just thought of something. She looked at Nino and Ichika, then at Itsuki, who gave her a sidelong glance.
Seriously? Even Miku? Was Yotsuba a devil?
Nino, catching on to Yotsuba's intent, gave her a knowing smile.
"Then it's up to you, Yotsuba. Go tell Miku that we're having a study session in the living room tomorrow."
"Eh? Me?"
Yotsuba pointed to herself in shock, completely caught off guard.