"As expected, with Tomori around, Taki joined right away, huh?"
Kazami Haru scrolled casually through LINE ssages on his phone after work. Little Tomori had sent him a bunch of photos from inside RING.
But they were all of weird corners—like table edges and little round balls on the walls.
Oh, this round one kind of looks like a pill bug.
Ding-dong~
Chihaya Anon, who had added him on LINE before, suddenly pulled him into a group chat called "ANON TOK偡YO." Besides him and Tomori, there was one more mber.
The profile pic was a massive, fierce panda head—probably that super popular mascot Mr. Pan, which ant this account must belong to Taki.
In the simulation, he had treated Taki like his best bro. Even though she had a bit of a prickly personality, she was super reliable. Bringing her into the band might even an free coffee at RING from ti to ti.
Still... she cares way too much about Tomori.
Now that she knows I'm in a band with Tomori, she's probably going to hit with that "you trash" glare again.
[Chihaya Anon: @Everyone — After lots of struggles, the band is finally ford! Let's do a team-building hangout this weekend! First, we should talk about roles, band na, and uniforms~]
[Chihaya Anon: Elbow attack.JPG]
[Chihaya Anon: Whining and rolling.JPG]
Apparently upset that no one had replied in a while, that silly pink-haired girl started bombing the group with reaction s. Haru's phone vibrated nonstop.
Haru found ignoring her kind of fun, so he just kept not replying.
A team-building trip this weekend though?
He probably didn't have plans...
Ding-dong~
[Yamada Ryo: Free this weekend?]
Out of the blue, his "ex-wife" ssaged with her usual bluntness. No beating around the bush, probably because she doesn't know how.
[Kazami Haru: About the band?]
[Yamada Ryo: No. About .]
Wasn't that a bit too direct?
[Kazami Haru: I've got stuff to handle this weekend. Can't make it.]
[Yamada Ryo: Then today. You're off work, right? I'll be waiting at "Shiba Taisho Ran" in the southwest district of Shimokitazawa near Haneoka.]
And just like that, she vanished, like she was sure he'd show up.
"Senpai, sothing wrong?"
Sakiko, dressed in her usual formal wear and ready to head ho, noticed the strange expression on Haru's face. He'd never looked this conflicted before.
She noticed him staring at his phone and had a guess.
"Is it about the band?"
That word—band—still stirred sothing strong inside Sakiko. It was tied to both vulnerability and helplessness.
Even though she had sworn to let go of that past, she still hadn't fully moved on.
She wondered how the other band mbers were doing now...
Maybe she was the only one still stuck in the past.
"Kind of about the band, but I'm not exactly sure what I need to do yet."
Haru glanced at Ryo's ssage again. He didn't really understand what she was after. Was it really because she had a secret crush and was reaching out to him?
No, Simulated Ryo had never acted this boldly before they officially beca a couple.
In the simulation, the romance had been all one-sided effort from Haru until they got together, then Ryo turned intensely proactive.
"I see... well then, see you tomorrow."
Sakiko's expression cooled as she turned to leave. There was a faint trace of envy in her eyes as she looked at him.
A band... huh?
Seems like I'm the only one going ho alone tonight. She nodded gently toward him, her eyes briefly revealing a flicker of loneliness. She picked up her shoulder bag and walked out swiftly.
PIC: Sakiko
Her steps were unusually fast, like she was running from sothing.
"Togawa, wait."
She paused, furrowing her beautiful brows, and turned around.
Sothing small and rectangular flew her way. She fumbled a bit, but managed to catch it.
"Pocky?"
She read the label aloud. It was a popular chocolate biscuit snack in Japan. She'd never really had this kind of treat before. A bit surprised, her eyes lit up.
"Discount snack. You only get half."
Haru had a Pocky stick in his mouth and waved at her.
"Hmph~ I'm not paying you back."
She blinked in surprise at his eyes, then quickly smiled—just a little.
Trying to act aloof, she slipped the Pocky into her bag and didn't dare look back at him.
Geez!
If he always acted like this, what was she supposed to do?!
...
Shiba Taisho Ran in Shimokitazawa wasn't far from Haneoka High. It only took about 10 minutes to walk from Rabbit House, where Haru worked.
He wasn't surprised Ryo had chosen a place like this.
That girl's brain didn't work like your average schoolgirl's.
Most Japanese girls don't eat ran in public. They prefer dainty, elegant als to preserve their ladylike image.
For a JK (high school girl) to slurp noodles ssily in public? Super unladylike.
But Ryo was different. In her mind, ran had to be slurped to taste right.
"This way."
As soon as he stepped in, Haru saw that familiar blue-haired girl waving from a corner booth.
She'd picked a corner seat. Haru walked over expressionless, and saw her table covered with food, including pricey tempura and fried squid rings.
"...Yamada-san, just to be safe, can I ask you sothing?"
"Just call Ryo."
"...Do you still have enough money left?"
"Hmm... I think I used it all up."
She raised an eyebrow and stuffed a piece of shrimp tempura in her mouth. The crispy batter crackled as she chewed.
"Oh, and I ordered you the Hell-Spicy Miso Ran."
"...Ma'am, I think you've mistaken for soone else. I'm Makoto Itou."
Haru grinned, tapped his neck with a finger, and turned to bolt from the cursed ran shop.
simgur/M1lem7N
Reviews
All reviews (0)