Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844261747978/episodes/822139844535000451
The morning after meeting Tomoka.
…Yui remained unchanged, absorbed in his own creations with the classroom clamor behind him.
His neighbour, seated next to him, watched this scene with a look mixing exasperation and admiration—a morning view unchanged from yesterday until now—
“──Good morning, Kozora-kun!”
A sweet, adorable, and utterly bright greeting instantly painted over it all.
“!?”
Though startled, he couldn’t ignore it.
Setting down his pen and turning his face away from Harutsugu… there stood Minasumi Tomoka, unchanged, her beautiful face lit up with that sun-like smile that made you feel energized just looking at it.
“Good morning!”
Surprised by the renewed greeting, Yui responded honestly.
“Morn…ing?”
“Why the question mark? Was my greeting that unexpected?”
“No, it’s just…”
To be honest, it was.
Sure, he had listened to her concerns yesterday, but that had been an irregular occurrence.
he had convinced himself that there was no way he, a corner-dweller in the classroom, would ever interact with Tomoka, the bright, cute, center-of-attention beauty of the class.
But Tomokapaid no mind to Yui’s thoughts.
“I told you! ‘Let’s talk again,’ I said.”
“…Honestly, I thought it was just polite talk.”
“Eh? That’s sad. I really meant it when I said it. I thought we got really close yesterday after school.”
After sitting down next to me with that sad act… she tilted her head, gave a knowing smile, looked up at me, and whispered.
“Or… did yesterday not mean that to you?”
“!”
She knew exactly what she was saying.
Realizing this, Yui confessed.
“Of course not! I thought we got close too! But talking to you right away, just one day after yesterday… it felt embarrassing!”
“Ahaha, good for you for being honest! Then let’s talk a lot starting right now!”
Hearing this exchange, the surrounding classmates murmured in excitement at the interaction between the class’s most beautiful girl—someone they’d never interacted with before—and the quiet boy who was always writing something.
…And even more unable to stay silent was the man sitting sandwiched between them.
“No, wait, hey, hold on, Yū!”
Harutsugu, frozen by the utterly unexpected turn of events, finally snapped back to reality and tugged Yū’s sleeve from the opposite side.
“Huh? What’s going on? When did you become friends with Tomoka-san?”
“…Probably during after-school yesterday.”
“But you’re way too close for that! What the hell—”
Then, Harutsugu realized.
He knew the reason Yui and Tomoka could bond so quickly.
Seriously, he asked.
“…Could it be… you found out?”
“…You guessed right.”
And just like that, he was led to confess. The content of his conversation with Tomoka yesterday—of course, he left out the details about Ryota and her private matters.
But conversely, that meant he’d revealed everything else.
“I see. You don’t usually change your voice that much during streams, and you chat quite a bit normally. Yet you spent hours talking with her, dropping hints about your streaming activities left and right, and then for some reason even dueted and showed off your singing voice.”
Harutsugu summarized Yui’s actions from yesterday, stating it plainly.
“──Why did you think that wouldn’t get you caught?”
“You’re absolutely right! Really!”
That’s right, are you listening, yesterday’s Kozora Yui?
…But blaming my past self and running away from it won’t change reality.
Then, Tomoka, who had been listening, timidly spoke up.
“Um… I heard that, but… could it be that Kohinata-kun also…?”
So that’s what you’re curious about. Yui nodded.
“Yeah. Aside from Minasumi-san, he’s the only person at school who knows about my activities right now. He helps me with video production and various other things.”
“Hellooo! I’m Kohinata Harutsugu, currently working exclusively for Yui on various things!”
Tomoka’s face showed understanding, followed by utter shock.
“Huh… Wait, you have your own dedicated video editor?! That’s amazing! And Hyu… The videos from Kozora-kun’s place were super high quality, right? I’m jealous…!”
She probably understood how rare that was since she streamed too, her eyes sparkling.
At the same time, Harutsugu was also someone who had come to Asahi to elevate himself. His eyes sparkled for a different reason.
“Oh. From the sound of it, you’re looking for a video editor too?”
“Uh, yeah…! I really want someone I can rely on, but asking too many favors is tough on my wallet…”
“No need to worry about that. I’ve decided to prioritize skill development in high school. If you’re from the same school, I’ll take it on for free.”
“R-Really?!”
“Yes, and right now, I’ll even throw in a quick video editing tutorial. We can discuss the details after you sign this document—”
“Cut the talk that makes me feel like she’ll end up with a million yen debt before I know it?”
I interrupted the two, who had abruptly started a skit of suspicious sales talk, and they laughed as if they’d been waiting for it.
Amazing, he blended in instantly. As expected of Harutsugu, a monster of communication skills.
“Well, jokes aside. If you want to commission a video, you’re welcome. For someone like Tomoka-san… oh, sorry, I just went ahead and called you by your first name.”
“Huh? Tomoka’s totally fine! There are three Minasumi at school, so it gets confusing. …Right, Kozora-kun? Don’t you think so too?”
Just as I was thinking that, the focus suddenly shifted to me.
“Eh?”
“Since we’ve finally gotten along, calling me Minasumi-san might cause trouble when you interact with the other Minasumi-sans besides me, don’t you think? What do you say about that? Hey, hey?”
She said this with a mischievous, hopeful smile, looking utterly charming.
…Hearing that, anyone could guess what she wanted. Yui, lacking recent experience with such situations, stuttered for a moment…
Ultimately, he couldn’t resist the inescapable atmosphere created by Tomoka’s pure, expectant gaze and Harutsugu’s lukewarm stare.
“…………Tomoka-san.”
A bit embarrassed, he averted his eyes slightly as he called a girl his own age by name for the first time since childhood.
Upon hearing it, Tomoka blinked once… …floated, genuinely delighted, blooming like a flower into a smile.
“…What is it? Yui-kun?”
In return, she called his name too.
Gently, happily, and with a voice just as sweet as yesterday after school.
Despite knowing it was deliberate, Yui fell for it hook, line, and sinker, his cheeks burning.
“!”
“Ahaha. Hey, Kohinata-kun, Yui-kun is cute, huh?”
“I know. By the way, why won’t you call me by my name?”
“Hmm? Maybe after we get a little closer?”
“That’s too bad. Lucky you, Yui. Right now, you’re the only guy in class who gets special treatment.”
“You guys!”
Yui shouted, his embarrassment reaching its limit, only to be laughed at by the two of them again.
“…But still—”
After a bit more casual chatter among the three,
Harutsugu excused himself for an errand. Left alone with Tomoka, Yui broached the subject.
“I really don’t plan on interacting with the other Minasumi sisters… besides Tomoka-san.”
It was pointless to say this now that he’d already used her first name, but he stated it anyway…
“…Ah—”
For some reason, Tomoka looked away, seeming slightly awkward.
“Tomoka-san?”
“Um, I should apologize first. Sorry. …I might end up making plans to get involved.”
“Huh?”
While Yui looked confused, Tomoka rummaged through her bag.
“Yesterday, we briefly confirmed via message, right? About whether it was okay to tell my sisters that you’re ‘Hiyui’.”
“Ah, yeah.”
They’d only exchanged that much through the personal accounts.
Yui didn’t want it spread around recklessly, but he wasn’t hiding it at all costs either. he’d agreed it was fine within the sisters. Naturally, he’d also asked them to keep it confidential.
“I definitely asked them not to spread it around. But… in exchange, they asked me to deliver this to you.”
Saying that, Tomoka took something out and handed it to Yui…
“…A letter?”
It was a single letter, tucked into some incredibly cute stationery. …To put it more bluntly, the kind that would make any guy’s heart race unconditionally if he found it in his shoe locker.
“Huh. From Tomoka-san?”
“N-no way!? Just… just read it!”
Tomoka’s face flushed bright red as she hurriedly denied it.
It made sense—if Tomoka was here in person, there was no reason she’d send a letter. …Well, even if that weren’t the case, sending a letter in this day and age was rather old-fashioned.
She unfolded the letter, opening the tri-folded contents. Written there was…
‘Please come to the back of the school building during lunch today.’
And this was another summons that seemed to hint at something.
And the sender was written as—Minasumi Mitsuki.
I see. Taken out of context, just the facts alone would make any first-year high school boy harbor some kind of expectation.
But the day after meeting Tomoka, receiving this via Tomoka from her sister…
“…………Why?”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t told that part either…!”
It was a call that left them utterly baffled.
Both Yui and Tomoka found themselves tilting their heads in confusion.
◆
That said, ignoring it was out of the question.
So during lunch break, Yui followed the summons and went to the back of the school building.
After waiting a while, he heard footsteps behind him.
Yui turned around… and once again, his eyes were involuntarily drawn away.
Appearing before her was a peerlessly beautiful girl, every bit as stunning as Tomoka.
Her hair was cut into a sharp wolf cut, framing a perfectly sculpted face. She didn’t possess Tomoka’s unconditional, radiant aura that brightened everyone around her, but instead carried a cool yet somehow soft and reassuring presence.
The kind of beauty that would captivate anyone who saw her, drawing them in unconsciously. Such a girl, possessing that mysterious charm, appeared before Yui.
“…You’re ‘Hiyui—Kozora Yui, right? I know this was a pretty sudden call, but thanks for coming.”
That girl—Minasumi Mitsuki—dismissed any need for preamble.
“Alright, let’s get right to it. Hey, Kozora-kun—”
For some reason, her cheeks flushed lightly.
She stretched both hands toward him, took a step closer, and—like this—declared.
“—Can I just give you a hug for now?”
“………Why?”
At the same moment. In the classroom after Yui left.
(I-is he okay…?)
Tomoka, left behind in the classroom, found her thoughts drifting to the area behind the school building.
(Mitchan is definitely a good girl, and I love her too… but, how should I put it? Sometimes she operates on this incredibly unique logic. I hope Yui-kun doesn’t get too confused…)
Honestly, she wanted to go to the back of the school building herself to check.
But… she had been stopped by Mitsuki heself. So she had no choice but to wait.
…Well, but.
Truthfully, she wasn’t that worried. Both Mitsuki and Yui were very good people, at least from her experience with them. She believed nothing strange would happen.
So, the remaining concern was…
(…Come to think of it)
Tomoka realized a certain fact.
(I’m pretty sure Ryota was in the same class as Michan. …I hope nothing weird happens… But maybe I’m worrying too much?)
At the same time—or rather, a little earlier. In another classroom.
(Seriously… Mitsuki, what’s with not being able to eat lunch together again today?! It’s been like this constantly lately! What a jerk! she acted like she had something to do, but wouldn’t even tell me what it was…)
A certain boy muttered this grumpily to himself.
(…What kind of business is so secret she can’t even tell her childhood friend? Keeping it hidden is the problem here… Mitsuki just left the classroom, right? …Alright.)
He quietly rose from his chair… completely unaware he was about to pull the trigger on further collapse.
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