Although during lunch, Tooru successfully covered for Miyahito's absence when asked, it was only... superficially successful.
In reality, apart from Yuki—who was carefree and never suspected Tooru anyway—neither Utaha nor Kyoko really believed the cover story.
"Tooru, really can't say?"
Packing up his things, Tooru looked up helplessly at Kyoko, who was frowning with worry.
"Hori, it's not that I don't want to say."
"It's that I genuinely don't know where he went. Before he skipped, he only told me he was going home."
As he spoke, remembering Miyahito's icy expression near the end of PE class, Tooru couldn't help but sigh, muttering worriedly to himself.
"Please don't do anything reckless, Miyahito."
"Tooru?" Kyoko heard him muttering but couldn't catch the words.
"Nothing."
Tooru shook his head, glanced around the empty classroom (noticing Yuki was gone), and tried to change the subject.
"By the way, where's Yuki?"
"She and Utaha just left." Seeing she couldn't pry anything out of him, Kyoko went along with it. "They said they were going to a bookstore."
"Oh, I see."
The moment he finished, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Both instinctively turned toward the sound.
The next second, Iura Shuu appeared at the door, one hand gripping the frame, panting heavily like he'd just sprinted a hundred meters from far away.
After catching his breath slightly, looking somewhat disheveled, Iura gasped out to the bewildered Tooru.
"Something happened! Tooru... Miyahito, he... he..."
Before Iura could finish, Tooru and Kyoko simultaneously grabbed their bags, their faces grim, and spoke in unison:
"Let's go!"
.....
Inside the Kendo Club.
"Tell me." With a vicious expression, Miyahito pointed the tip of the bokken at the agonized Motoyama on the floor. He lifted his leg and stomped down hard on his chest again.
"Who. Was. The. First. One. To. Say. It!!!!"
"Uh... I... I don't know..."
Bang——!
Another heavy stomp.
Miyahito had completely lost it.
No matter what, he never expected that Utaha, who had done absolutely nothing wrong, would be subjected to such vicious slander just for spending time with him.
Slut, skilled in bed, stringing him along... For a high school girl, how vicious were those words?
She was just being with him.
She hadn't done a single thing wrong.
When in fact...
The one keeping her in suspense, unable to make up his mind to confess, was him. It was Aragaki Miyahito.
With a twisted expression, Miyahito dropped the bokken that had accompanied him for years onto the floor. Bending over, he grabbed Motoyama by the collar.
Motoyama immediately tried to resist.
Unfortunately, standing only 170cm with just four years of kendo practice, Motoyama's strength was no match for Miyahito, who had trained since childhood and was a full 8cm taller.
He forcefully lifted the limp, one-armed broken senior off the ground.
"I'll ask one last time."
"WHO. STARTED. IT!!!" His roar was so loud his voice cracked.
However, terrified and with a face contorted in pain, Motoyama genuinely didn't know who started the rumor.
"I really don't know! It wasn't me!"
Hearing this, Miyahito's eyes instantly turned red. Without a hint of hesitation, his left fist, pulled back at his waist, swung out with full force.
A brutal left hook slammed directly into Motoyama's gut.
"Speak!"
"It... it was someone from Class 2A who said it!!"
Bent double like a shrimp, his face flushed, Motoyama screamed.
"Very good."
Nodding expressionlessly, Miyahito grabbed Motoyama by the hair with his left hand and yanked his gasping, pained face up.
Forcing a stiff, unnatural smile onto his lips, Miyahito spoke to the senior whose face was already distorting in agony.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Motoyama-senpai."
The next second, with a vicious grin, Miyahito's fist smashed into Motoyama's cheek, knocking him out cold in one blow.
Tossing the unconscious senior aside like trash, Miyahito bent down, picked up the bokken from the floor, and scanned the second-year seniors around him, whose faces clearly showed terror burned into their minds.
"Seniors."
His fingers shifted, gripping the blade as he looked at them, speaking word by word.
"I know you all hold a grudge against me, Aragaki Miyahito. But please, act like men and discipline me properly if you must."
"However, if even one more rumor about Utaha leaves your mouths..."
"I suppose Toyogasaki won't need a kendo club anymore. Nor will you need to suffer my presence here. After all, many major corporations are always eager to fast-track 'promising youth' for overseas assignments. I may be insignificant, but I can certainly help arrange those placements for you gentlemen."
Just then, Tooru and Kyoko finally arrived from the school building. Seeing the carnage in the dojo and Miyahito standing alone with the sword, they both shouted simultaneously.
"Miyahito!"
"Miyahito!!"
Miyahito didn't speak. He just silently turned to look at his friends who had rushed in, panicked.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Miyahito... you... sigh..."
Like Kyoko, seeing the scene, Tooru's mind instantly pieced together what had happened inside.
But thinking Miyahito had already vented his rage, they never expected that after beating the second-years to a pulp alone, he still wasn't done.
He was still planning to take the sword to the Class 2A classroom.
Seeing this, Tooru and Kyoko immediately threw themselves desperately to stop the red-eyed Miyahito from going on a revenge rampage in the second-year building.
"Miyahito! Enough! Don't go!"
"Listen to me, Miyahito. You always call me Mama Hori, right? Just listen to Mama Hori, okay?"
But Miyahito turned a deaf ear to his friends' pleas.
In fact, if his mind wasn't eerily clear right now, and if he didn't still consider Tooru and Kyoko his friends, he would have already pushed them aside violently.
Just as Kyoko and Tooru were about to lose their grip on the enraged Miyahito,
"Miyahito!"
A pair of wine-red eyes filled with worry, and a voice laced with concern and fear.
It was Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Seeing Utaha appear before him, her face etched with urgency, Miyahito's struggling movements gradually ceased.
The fury that had completely consumed his face slowly melted away, replaced by the bewildered, guilty look of a child who had just caused a massive mess.
Noticing Miyahito's turbulent emotions finally settle under Utaha's presence, Tooru and Kyoko instinctively wiped an internal cold sweat from their brows.
Good thing we called Utaha on the way here.
Simultaneously, a quiet realization echoed in both their hearts.
Miyahito really loves her...
Her heart aching, Utaha didn't notice the quiet sympathy on her friends' faces. With a look that blended soft reproach and deep concern, she hurried to his side.
Standing slightly on her tiptoes, she gently raised a hand to caress the boy's bewildered face, her lips curving into a tender smile as she asked, "What happened?"
"Utaha, I..." The words caught in his throat, blocked by an invisible weight. Miyahito anxiously tried to force them out.
But after several attempts, he couldn't say what he originally intended.
He could only manage a whisper.
"I'm sorry, Utaha."
"I might... shouldn't..."
The final three words—like you—never left his lips.
Or rather, he couldn't bring himself to say them.
Thinking back to the truth he had just uncovered.
Thinking about how, simply because he liked her, she had been dragged into this undeserved disaster.
Miyahito took a step back.
"Eh?" Utaha froze, sharply sensing him pulling away.
For the first time.
Miyahito had dodged her.
"I'm sorry, Utaha."
Staring blankly as he left those words behind, turned, and ran past her, ignoring Kyoko and Tooru's calls to stop, Utaha stood alone in place.
Like a child abandoned by her own family.
Lost. Helpless.
... The next day, Miyahito did not come to class...
... The third day, he still did not come...
On the fourth day, a school-wide broadcast during lunch stunned all the first-year students at Toyogasaki.
"Class 1-B, Aragaki Miyahito, for severe violation of school rules and discipline, the school has decided to suspend student Aragaki Miyahito for one week, with his final examination grades marked as zero as punishment....."
Hearing the announcement, Yuki, Kyoko, and Tooru in the classroom were instantly stunned.
Then, right after the broadcast ended, Kasumigaoka Utaha, her face icy cold, appeared in the Class 2A classroom.
Without a hint of hesitation or confusion, she walked step by step into the second-year room and slowly stopped in front of Mogi Toukei, who was surrounded by her clique.
She raised her hand. Swung it down.
Slap——!
....
The sixth day. Tomorrow was the Toyogasaki final exams.
In the dimly lit living room.
Hugging a blanket, curled up alone on the sofa, Miyahito hadn't said a word.
Exhaustion was etched across the face of a boy who hadn't truly slept in three days. Yet, his dull, vacant gaze remained fixed on the cover of Love's Metronome on the table, not wavering for a single second.
At that moment, his phone—emitting only a sliver of light—relentlessly looped the song "More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers."
For six entire days, aside from calling his mother on the first day to say "I got into a fight, got suspended for a week" and receiving her reply "I understand. It's alright. Mom will handle everything. Just rest at home,"
Miyahito hadn't answered a single call.
During this time, perhaps sensing his brother's distress or following their mother's advice, his sister Ayase hadn't called him either.
She had simply sent a LINE message: "Big Brother, love you," to let him know that "no matter what others think, Ayase will always love you," and then quietly waited for his return.
However.
Over five days had passed, and Miyahito still hadn't come back.
"Maybe... I really shouldn't have liked Utaha." Staring blankly at the ceiling, replaying the truth from six days ago over and over, Miyahito covered his face in anguish.
If he hadn't barged into her life, if he had just let everything return to its original track, the girl he loved wouldn't have gone through this.
Confidently believing he could do better than Aki Tomoya, that only he could give Utaha happiness, Miyahito's entire confidence had shattered that afternoon six days ago.
Turns out, Miyahito... was nowhere near as capable as that... guy he had looked down upon.
"I'm sorry... Utaha...."
Just then.
Bang bang——!
The glass door to the living room was suddenly knocked.
Without waiting for a response, the person outside tapped the balcony door once and then brazenly slid it open, pulling back the curtains that blocked the afternoon sun.
Throughout this entire process, Miyahito didn't say a word. Didn't move.
"How much longer are you going to wallow like this?"
That voice belonged to Miyuki.
Finally, Miyahito moved.
He slowly raised an arm, his body moving as if all strength had been drained, and shakily sat up.
Slowly lifting his head, forcing his eyes open, he forced a weak smile toward Shirogane Miyuki, who stood on the outdoor engawa looking at him sternly.
"Miyuki-senpai."
Standing outside, Miyuki looked at this utterly broken Miyahito. He silently recalled the phone call from Ayase a few days ago, and what she and Kei had asked of him.
On the phone, Ayase's pleading voice had said: "Kei-nee, Miyuki-nii, can you please help talk to my brother? He's spiraling into a dark corner again, and this time, Mom and I can't pull him out."
Now, looking at Miyahito's haggard, lifeless state, a trace of pity flashed across Miyuki's face.
But quickly, he steeled himself.
He strode forward, reached out, and firmly pulled Miyahito up from the messy sofa.
"Miyuki-senpai? Wait, where are you taking me? Miyuki-senpai!"
Ignoring his struggles, Miyuki half-dragged, half-pulled him out of the dark room and into the sun-drenched courtyard.
After his eyes adjusted to the bright light, a lost expression returned to Miyahito's face.
Seeing this, Miyuki didn't speak. He just watched him quietly.
For a moment, the two of them fell into a tense standoff.
After a short while.
"Miyahito, I already know roughly what happened."
At Miyuki's words, Miyahito blinked.
The next second, he believed it.
After all, Miyuki was the Student Council President of Shuchiin Academy. Even though checking on an outside student was harder, it wasn't impossible. Especially with Shinomiya Kaguya and her exceptionally capable maid, Hayasaka Ai, in the council.
So, it wasn't strange that Miyuki-senpai knew.
Watching Miyahito remain silent, Miyuki gradually felt a headache brewing.
Simultaneously, a bizarre sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Wait... thinking carefully, Ishigami's situation back then, and Miyahito's situation now... why are they so similar?
So similar it wasn't identical, but practically the same.
Both acted on impulse. Both over the girl they liked. Both suspended for fighting.
Are all my juniors like this?
Drawing on his rich experience in counseling, Miyuki spoke.
"Is your love really this shallow, Miyahito?"
"If your feelings waver this easily, are you really prepared to entrust your happiness to the person you love?"
"Do you understand why Kasumigaoka-san didn't tell you about what she was going through?"
Three questions.
Miyahito lifted his head, staring blankly at Miyuki.
Seeing his junior like this, Miyuki silently sighed in his heart.
"Think about it, Miyahito. That Kasumigaoka would rather endure school bullying just to stay by your side."
"In the face of such feelings, how much longer are you going to lie to yourself?"
Just then.
Miyahito's phone rang.
Picking it up, looking down.
A message from Utaha. The first one he'd received from her in days.
The message was simple. Just one sentence.
[Utaha: Miyahito, didn't we promise to do things together? Why am I the only one walking to and from school now?]
After reading it, Miyahito said nothing. Didn't reply.
He just silently put the phone away.
However, compared to himself a second ago, his expression had completely changed.
Noticing this, Miyuki gave a slight nod.
"I know what I need to do, Miyuki-senpai."
Lifting his head again, the sunny, optimistic spark returned to Miyahito's face.
"I'm going to confess."
....
When the bell signaling the end of the exams rang.
The Toyogasaki students, tormented by exams for two days, instantly stood up excitedly. Quickly handing in their papers, they happily chatted with friends about summer plans.
However, one person's face lacked the excitement and joy of the coming break that everyone else wore.
That person was Utaha.
"Utaha." Right after the exam, Yuki and Kyoko appeared outside the exam room.
Looking up and responding to them with a faint smile, Utaha stood up from her seat, picking up her pencil case.
At that same moment.
A hoarse, exhausted, yet deafening shout suddenly echoed through Toyogasaki.
"KASUMIGAOKA UTAHA FROM CLASS 1-C!!!"
Hearing the familiar voice call her name, Utaha recognized the owner instantly. She stopped walking toward the door, then turned, her limbs trembling slightly, and quickly ran to the classroom window.
Looking in the direction of the voice.
At that moment, Utaha wasn't the only one staring.
Throughout the entire school building, every classroom window facing the main courtyard was packed with students.
But when they looked toward the source of the shout, they were instantly stunned.
"Hori! It's Miyahito!"
"I see him! This guy's got serious guts."
Squeezed in on either side of Utaha, Hori Kyoko and Yoshikawa Yuki glanced at the girl whose cheeks were steadily flushing crimson. Sharing a knowing look, the two girls grinned and cupped their hands, shouting down to the boy in the courtyard who was taking deep, steadying breaths.
"Over here!!"
"Kyoko! Yuki!" Snapped back to reality, Utaha waved her arms frantically, trying to stop her friends from encouraging him.
But her attempt to silence them was a second too late. Her flawless face was already burning like fire.
In the courtyard below.
Under the curious, popcorn-eating stares of students, upperclassmen, and teachers alike.
Inhale... exhale—! Taking a few deep breaths, Miyahito stood up straight. His gaze was firm, but beneath that resolve lay a depth of affection he never let outsiders see.
He raised both hands to frame his mouth, slowly parting his lips.
Then.
He shouted with every ounce of strength in his lungs.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha from Class 1-C!!!"
"Please! Please go out with me!!!"
The confession echoed through the air, leaving the entire school building in stunned silence.
The next second.
"OHHHH!!!"
A massive, roaring cheer erupted from the crowd.
Nobody expected it. The most talked-about boy and girl in school... they were actually witnessing Miyahito confess to Utaha right here, right now.
This was officially the "Toyogasaki Academy's #1 Gossip Event of the Year."
Gradually, the murmurs, whistles, and cheers merged into a single, synchronized chant.
"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"
Hearing the growing, unified chant from outside, every eye in Utaha's classroom turned to the girl standing at the center window, her face flushed, her eyes overflowing with undeniable love.
"Utaha." Stepping back behind her with Yuki, Hori Kyoko spoke softly. "Don't keep him waiting."
"Mhm. Even though Miyahito always drags his feet and isn't very decisive," Yuki added with a grin, seeing Utaha turn to look at them. "Well, it just means he likes you too much. He's terrified you'll say no."
"I know."
Utaha nodded, her smile brimming with happiness and affection.
Yes, she had always known.
Known that Miyahito liked her, and would only ever like her.
Known how deeply he cared.
So.
Placing both hands on the windowsill, she took a deep breath, leaning out slightly.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Shouted back with everything she had.
"I may not be perfect, but please take care of me from now on!!!"
"Aragaki! Miyahito-kun!!!"
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