87 - A Shock After the Break

RAW

The morning sun shone brilliantly, its rays cascading down from the clear, cloudless sky. The vibrant blue expanse above heralded the start of a promising day, inspiring a bright and hopeful mood. It was perfect weather, the kind that made you want to seize the day with a smile.

Yet, under this cheerful sky, high school student Tomoya Akagi trudged along with a lazy demeanor. Letting out an exaggerated yawn, he glanced sideways at Haruto, who was walking beside him.

"Hey, Haru," he muttered.

"What is it, Tomoya?" Haruto responded in kind.

"Why are you walking to school with me?"

"…Are you saying you don’t want to walk with me?" Haruto asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"I thought we were best friends, Tomoya," he continued, his voice tinged with mock sorrow. With an exaggerated slump of his shoulders, he muttered under his breath, “And after all the help I gave you with your homework yesterday…”

Tomoya immediately grew flustered. "N-no, that’s not it! I don’t mind walking with you or anything!"

"Good to know," Haruto replied, his expression suddenly shifting to one of indifference. "Because I’m finding this walk with you incredibly tedious."

Tomoya spun to face Haruto, his eyes wide. "You just said we were best friends, didn’t you!?"

His indignant shout echoed down the road as they made their way to school after the summer break.

---

The summer holidays, long yet fleeting, had ended yesterday. Today was the first day back, marked by the opening ceremony. Haruto and his best friend Tomoya were walking along the familiar route to school. As they drew closer, more students heading back to their routines began to appear around them.

One male student passed them, his appearance disheveled. Despite it being the first day back, he looked utterly exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Tomoya briefly observed the boy before shifting his gaze back to Haruto, now with a piercing look.

"You’re seriously not walking to school with Tojo-san today?"

The name "Tojo" caused the boy who had just passed to flinch slightly, though he continued walking without looking back. Haruto, noticing this, lowered his voice before answering hesitantly.

"Ah… well..."

"What’s with that half-hearted answer? You’ve got the cutest girlfriend in school now, thanks to the summer break," Tomoya said, exasperation creeping into his tone.

Haruto sighed as he glanced around to ensure the boy was out of earshot. "I mean, I’d rather walk with her than some sweaty guy, obviously."

"Hey! Sweaty is uncalled for! I’m sensitive, you know—handle my feelings with care!"

"I’ve heard bulletproof glass can stop sniper rounds these days," Haruto quipped.

"Haruto, how about you stop firing verbal sniper rounds at me first?"

The two exchanged their usual playful banter as they continued toward school. But Tomoya wasn’t about to drop the subject.

"If you could walk with Tojo-san to school, wouldn’t it feel like winning the lottery or something? Most guys would say they wouldn’t care if the world ended tomorrow as long as they got that chance."

"That’s a weird mindset," Haruto replied, rolling his eyes. Still, he muttered softly, "Not that I don’t understand the sentiment…"

"Then why not? What’s stopping you?"

"Tojo and I agreed to keep our relationship a secret at school," Haruto admitted after a moment’s pause.

"Huh? Why?" Tomoya asked, puzzled.

"Because of her friendships," Haruto explained. "Back in middle school, a guy confessed to her, and it caused a big fallout with one of her friends. They haven’t spoken since. It left her with some lingering trauma."

Tomoya mulled this over. "Ah, I get it. So, she’s afraid that if other girls like you, they’ll resent her for dating you. That about right?"

"Yeah," Haruto said, nodding.

Tomoya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like Tojo-san’s overthinking things."

"Don’t say that," Haruto shot back, lightly punching Tomoya on the shoulder. "You’re making it sound like I’m not worth the trouble."

"Ow! Violence is not the answer!" Tomoya protested theatrically. Then, folding his arms behind his head, he asked, "So, are you okay with keeping it secret forever?"

"Of course not," Haruto admitted with a sigh. "But I don’t know what to do."

"Yeah, I get it. Girls’ friendships can be tricky," Tomoya said, glancing at a group of girls chatting animatedly ahead of them.

Haruto followed his gaze. "If it were just my problem, I could deal with it. But if Ayaka’s friendships are at stake…"

"True. I’d feel bad if Tojo-san ended up getting bullied or something because of this," Tomoya said matter-of-factly. "But you? Meh, you’ll survive a little abuse."

"Gee, thanks," Haruto muttered, rolling his eyes as he punched Tomoya again.

The two continued joking until they reached the school gates. Haruto’s mind drifted back to the cheerful message Ayaka had sent him that morning: "Good morning! I’m heading to school now!"

By now, she was probably already inside. As he passed through the gates, Tomoya suddenly stopped, pointing ahead.

"Hey, what’s that? There’s a crowd near the entrance."

Following Tomoya’s gaze, Haruto saw a large group gathered near the school entrance.

"Is it a uniform inspection?" Tomoya wondered aloud.

"No way," Haruto replied. "They’d do that at the gate, not the entrance."

The two exchanged curious glances before heading toward the commotion. As they approached, a loud voice rang out from the center of the crowd.

"Ayaka Tojo! I still have feelings for you!"

Haruto froze. His heart sank as he pushed his way through the crowd, Tomoya following close behind.

When Haruto finally reached the center, he saw her: Ayaka Tojo, standing awkwardly in front of a male student with a determined look on his face.

"Isn’t that…?" Haruto began, wracking his brain for the boy’s identity.

Tomoya supplied the answer. "That’s Minato-senpai, a third-year."

Minato-senpai. The same boy who had publicly proposed to Ayaka before summer break—complete with an engagement ring.

Now, his voice rang out again, resolute and unyielding.

"Over the break, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I realized how selfish I was back then. Please, give me another chance!"

"Ah, um... I..."

"But before summer break, I was only thinking about myself and never once considered your feelings! I’m truly sorry for embarrassing you in front of the whole school!"

"Y-Yes. Um..."

"Since then, I've reflected on my actions and spent the entire break thinking about how I could get closer to you! And now, I've finally found the answer!"

Kaito-senpai confidently expressed his thoughts in a lively tone. His overwhelming energy left Ayaka unable to get a word in, her face troubled.

Unaware of her expression, Kaito-senpai pressed forward, his face glowing with confidence.

"Tojo Ayaka! I want us to start as friends with the intent of becoming a couple! Please, I'm asking you!"

With a booming declaration, Kaito-senpai deeply bowed his head and thrust his right hand out toward Ayaka.

The sheer force of his action drew gasps and cheers from the gathered crowd. All eyes turned to Ayaka, eager to see how she would respond.

Feeling the weight of the stares, Ayaka's face turned bright red as she stared intently at Kaito-senpai's outstretched hand.

Watching Ayaka being approached by Kaito-senpai, Haruto felt an unfamiliar, unsettling emotion stir within him. His heartbeat quickened.

After a long moment of silence, Ayaka lowered her head slightly.

"I'm sorry!"

The moment the words left her lips, Kaito-senpai's hand visibly trembled.

"Um, I... I’m really happy about your feelings, Senpai, but I can’t return them."

Ayaka’s clear and firm words made Kaito-senpai slowly lift his bowed head. Though his expression showed disappointment, a glimmer of hope still remained in his eyes.

"Could I at least ask why?"

"Yes... Um, being friends is fine, but I can’t agree to something where becoming a couple is the condition..."

"And why is that?"

"That’s because... because... I, um... I already like someone else."

"Wh-What?!"

Ayaka's confession sent a thunderous shock not only through Kaito-senpai but also the crowd of students.

Among the few unaffected was Tomoya, who smirked and elbowed his best friend beside him.

Trying to hide his embarrassment, Haruto exaggeratedly brushed Tomoya off.

Ayaka’s stunning revelation had left its mark.

Though visibly shaken, Kaito-senpai clung to a shred of hope and asked her a question.

"Th-Then, who is this person you like?"

His lingering hope lay in the possibility that Ayaka was lying. Maybe she had fabricated a crush just to reject him. While that scenario was still grim, it felt far more bearable than the idea that she genuinely had feelings for someone else.

Faced with his desperate question, Ayaka blushed deeply. Looking downward shyly, she responded in a soft voice.

"That’s... a secret."

"Wh-What?!"

Her demeanor resembled a delicate lily swaying in a summer breeze—blushing, smiling faintly, and radiating joy. Her expression was the embodiment of a girl in love.

Kaito-senpai, struck by Ayaka’s overwhelming charm, stood frozen, mouth agape as if his soul had left his body.

Who could be the one to inspire such an expression from the school idol?

The male students in the crowd all shared the same burning question.

On the first day after summer break, a shocking announcement spread like wildfire through the school:

The academy's idol, Tojo Ayaka, has someone she likes!