Chapter 4 And the Boy Comes at Night
1 ─side Kai Rou─
And now, nearly a year has passed since Kai Rou and Kurono Shia met, and since the day they became neighbors in the apartment building.
During lunch break in the classroom, Kai Rou took his lunchbox out of his bag and, without thinking, glanced at his right hand.
There was a lingering warmth that shouldn’t have been there.
Since the moment she had held his hand during their walk to school this morning, it hadn’t left him.
He shook off the thought and opened his lunchbox. It was a simple meal, half leftover from the night before and half frozen food, with white rice.
From the desk next to him, Kurono peered over and spoke.
"Kai-kun. You’re having your lunch again today. It looks delicious."
"Well, it’s just whatever I had on hand. It’s nothing special. What about you, Kurono-san? Are you having a Calorie Mate again?"
"Yes. It’s high-functioning."
"I see... Do you like the chocolate flavor?"
"No, not really. I don’t particularly care about the taste of food."
Despite sitting next to each other, they didn’t sit together to eat.
Since that moving day, Kai Rou had continued to maintain the status quo, as the lowlife had advised him.
He knew about Kurono’s feelings, but he kept pretending not to notice.
In the midst of these days, Kai Rou was able to calmly reconsider that event.
And one particular question arose in his mind.
Why on earth did she like someone like him so much?
She was an absolutely beautiful girl, the kind of beauty that deserved the title of a "super beauty," and on top of that, she had the ability to stop time and was a top agent for some international organization—someone so incredible that it was beyond his imagination.
At first, being confessed to had indeed made him nervous, and even now, it still did.
But more than that, there was a slight discomfort.
It was because, each time he became aware of her feelings for him, he was reminded of how insignificant he was compared to her.
As he thought about this, Kai Rou picked up his cold lunch with his chopsticks.
At that moment, time stopped.
(Why is this happening?)
Suddenly, without reason, time stopped around Kai Rou.
And within his frozen field of vision, Kurono smoothly circled around.
"...Kai-kun."
Her half-closed eyes, looking somewhat pouty, glared at him.
What was going on? Kai Rou was startled, but Kurono puffed out her cheeks a little and said:
"This morning, I was confessed to by a male student."
(...Oh, right.)
Kai Rou remembered hearing the rumor in class earlier that day.
"But why haven’t you asked me about it yet?"
(Huh?)
Well, he had assumed that she’d turned him down, mercilessly.
It was easy to imagine that scene, and he didn’t really care about the outcome, which was already clear.
After all, they had been in the same class, the same club, and neighbors for a year. He knew well that Kurono was very popular, and her reputation as a cool, black-haired beauty had been built upon countless failed confessions.
"Of course, I turned him down on the spot."
"See? I thought so." However, Kurono didn’t seem to want Kai Rou to know this, as she said instead:
"...Kai-kun, I want you to care more about me."
Her small voice, which seemed almost like a whisper, was so unlike her usual cool self that she seemed honest and almost childlike.
"...But saying something like this is useless, isn’t it?"
Her voice, filled with unspoken feelings, seemed to convey her true thoughts, knowing it probably wouldn’t reach him.
However, for a boy with his own set of issues, her feelings were perfectly clear.
(Shit...)
In the frozen time, he couldn’t help but think how cute she was.
And just as time resumed, Kai Rou finally took a bite of the fried chicken he had been holding onto.
Just then, a male student walked past him, pulling his gaze away.
He didn’t recognize him, but he seemed vaguely familiar from class.
He wore stylish black-rimmed glasses, and his striking cherry-red hair stood out even from a distance. He was tall, probably about 10 cm taller than Kai Rou, and looked older, like a high school student.
It was Marusu Aoren from Class 5. The ace of the soccer club, a popular figure, and a well-known student in the grade.
"Kurono-san, hello. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Kai Rou had a hunch. This must have been the guy who confessed to her this morning.
Was he back for a second attempt? Almost all the students remaining in the classroom had suddenly turned their attention to the unfolding scene between the two.
Kai Rou couldn’t look away, though he wasn’t the one confessing. For some reason, he felt tense himself.
However, the person most nervous was undoubtedly Marusu. His athletic build stiffened as he said.
"I’m sorry for what happened this morning. I confess I acted impulsively... Now that I think about it, you don’t even know me, so rejecting me was completely reasonable. I regret it. So, uh... I want you to get to know me better, and then give me a proper answer."
"Make it short."
"I’m asking for another chance! I’ll do anything, please!"
Marusu bowed deeply, his earnestness causing the class to gasp in admiration. Some even shouted encouraging words to Kurono.
With the crowd cheering him on, Marusu continued.
"Uh, so I’ll list my strengths one by one, and then please consider giving me a positive answer after that."
"First, I’m good-looking."
(Well, that’s obvious…)
Yet, despite himself, Marusu flashed a white-toothed smile and coolly grinned.
"And second, I’m in the soccer club, but I’m basically good at any sport. Look, check out these arm muscles... my biceps are something I’ve really worked on."
(...Ah, come on, don’t do it.)
Kai Rou couldn’t help but cover his face at the desk beside him, but it was already too late.
"So, what do you think? You can even touch them if you want—"
Before Marusu could finish, Kurono placed her right elbow on her desk and lightly raised her arm, setting herself up for an arm-wrestling stance.
In front of her, Marusu blinked several times, scratching his cheek in apparent confusion.
"Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt a girl…"
"If you win, I might consider going out with you."
"—I accept your challenge."
Kai Rou could almost hear the sound of someone swallowing nervously from the gallery. Normally, this wouldn’t even be a contest, but at that moment, everyone in the room had the same thought.
They were all struck by the utter nonchalance of Kurono’s profile—perhaps their common sense didn’t apply to her.
Marusu bowed respectfully and rolled up his sleeves. As soon as their hands met on the desk, Kurono spoke.
"However, if you lose, don’t ever talk to me again."
"Huh?"
"Ready?"
At her signal, Marusu, seeming to gather his resolve, put strength into his arm. He likely wasn’t using his full power—at least, not initially.
But within a few seconds, Marusu’s face turned bright red, and his slippers slid across the floor as he desperately clung to the desk.
Anyone could see he was giving it his all. Yet, Kurono remained calm, her posture straight.
Then, the conclusion came in an instant.
With ease, like twisting a baby’s hand, Kurono slammed Marusu’s arm down flat on the desk.
The classroom fell into a stunned silence.
Marusu, bewildered, clutched his trembling arm as he spoke.
"Uh, Kurono-san, maybe we should forget about that…"
"No."
"Well, actually, I’m more confident in my studies than in my muscles. I ranked fourth in the grade in the last midterms…"
"I was first."
"...My parents run a hospital, so my family is rich."
"I see. I’m not interested. By the way, can you keep your promise?"
(...Wow...)
Marusu, now looking as if he had been drained of color, hung his head in defeat.
Unable to suppress his sympathy, Kai Rou found himself speaking up.
"...Um, Kurono-san. I think telling him never to speak to you again is a bit too harsh."
Kurono looked at Kai Rou in surprise before nodding, looking somewhat displeased.
"I understand... if you say so, Kai-kun."
Her muttered words were only loud enough for Kai Rou to hear.
"Then, for your (Kai Rou) sake, I’ll pretend this promise never happened."
"...Ah, thank you."
"However, my answer to the confession is still no. No matter how many times he tries, the result will always be the same—forever."
"Wait, wait, wait! Kurono-san, what are you saying!?"
"Huh? Well, if he bothers me again, I’ll be very upset…"
"Yeah, that’s understandable, but to add insult to injury like this is just cruel."
"...Is it? I’m having trouble with this."
This was impossible. Trying to explain the subtle emotions of a guy to this girl was way too difficult.
Kai Rou sighed, running his hands through his hair, and at that moment, he happened to make eye contact with Marusu.
"...Hey, you, the stylish guy with the white hair."
"Yeah, it’s my natural color."
"I see. By the way, are you close with Kurono-san?"
"Calm down. Kurono-san and I are in the same club, so we just chat occasionally."
Kai Rou said, trying to dodge Marusu’s intense gaze.
"...What club, exactly?"
"Kyudo," Kai Rou answered casually, not realizing the chain of events that would follow.
2 ─side Kai Rou─
After school, Kai Rou, who had come to the club, couldn’t help but mutter.
"No way..."
"I’ve quit the soccer club for personal reasons. I’m joining here from today, I’m Marusu Aoren from Class 2-5! My hobbies are working out and reading! Nice to meet you!"
There stood a tall, red-haired, glasses-wearing student energetically greeting everyone.
From outside the dojo, the voices of soccer club members crying could be heard.
"You lied when you said we’d aim for the championship together!"
"Please, I’ll do anything! Please reconsider!"
"If you want a girlfriend, I’ll crossdress for you!"
It was unbearable to listen to. Kai Rou glanced to the side.
Kurono seemed not so much surprised as slightly taken aback, her eyes half-lidded.
"Uh, so Marusu-kun is a beginner, so the teaching will be… Kai Rou, is that okay? You’re in charge of him."
The third-year club president said this, and Kai Rou was assigned as Marusu’s instructor.
Then the practice began, and two guys faced each other at the corner of the dojo.
"From now on, I’m counting on you, Kai-kun… By the way, is it okay if I call you by your first name?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever. But I’ve got one question for you. Are you serious?"
"I’m not sane, I’m serious. I’ve decided that I’m going to win over Kurono-san. That’s why I secured a tactical advantage by joining the same club."
Even though it hadn’t been long since he’d been completely rejected, Marusu said this with a carefree expression.
"There’s still a year and a half of high school left. It’s too soon to give up. It’s definitely better to go all in now than regret it after graduation."
Kai Rou thought to himself, This guy’s like the protagonist of a sports manga, always so positive.
"By the way, do you have any lingering feelings for the soccer club?"
"Not at all. I’ve already forgotten about the past."
Still in his gym clothes since he didn’t have a gi yet, Marusu was holding a bow and studying it with great interest.
Kai Rou collected his thoughts and decided to start by teaching the basics of archery, beginning with the eight steps of shooting, in order to repeat and solidify the foundation.
"First, the footwork. Lean slightly forward and place your weight on the base of your big toe, and then—"
"Hmm, I see. Like this, right?"
It seemed like Marusu had incredible athletic ability; just from one explanation, he was already getting the hang of it. At this rate, he’d be able to stand at the target range in no time.
As Kai Rou gave him a compliment along those lines,
"Hey, Kai. Isn’t Kurono-san just way too beautiful when she’s drawing her bow?"
It seemed that Marusu had been genuinely paying attention to the lesson, but was now completely distracted.
Through his glasses, his gaze was fixed on Kurono, who was drawing her bow with her black hair tied in a ponytail.
"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, let’s continue. The next step is the bow stance, but—"
"Hey, wait! Why’s your reaction so lukewarm? Are you made of amino acids and polymers or something?"
"I’m a human being, of course I’m made of protein."
"Hey, Marusu. Can I ask you something?"
"What is it? If it’s about me, I’m 181 cm tall, weigh 76 kg, I’m a Pisces, and my blood type is B. My parents’ annual income is three million yen."
"I’m not asking for your dating profile."
"Kai Rou, you know minors aren’t allowed to use those apps."
"I don’t know and I don’t use them... So, why are you so into Kurono-san?"
Kai Rou asked quietly, and Marusu answered without any hint of embarrassment.
"It’s just love at first sight. Every time I passed by her in the hallway or saw her, I thought, ‘She’s so pretty,’ and before I knew it, I wanted to date her."
That’s why I confessed, he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I’m super popular, you know. I’ve got a good face, I’m tall, I excel in both academics and sports, and my parents are rich. So up until now, I’ve always ended up dating the girls I went after."
Despite the content, surprisingly, Marusu’s voice wasn’t laced with arrogance.
Kai Rou thought, There are really people like this, huh?
"Anyway, I thought I could push Kurono-san the same way, and at first, I thought I could make it work… but she rejected me so easily. I couldn’t believe it. And when I tried again for a second time..."
He grimaced, recalling the moment.
"It was frustrating, and it hurt. It shattered all the confidence I had up until that point."
Marusu’s voice grew heavy. But in the next instant, he smiled.
"But when I think back on it, there was something about it… that moment, it felt so damn good."
"?? ...What?"
Kai Rou thought he misheard.
"It was the first time I was so easily rejected by a girl, and it was the first time I was looked at so coldly… and it was like, damn, I got a thrill from it. This is definitely fate."
But that wasn’t all.
"So, I want to date Kurono-san, or at the very least, even if we don’t date, I just want her to look at me with that cold gaze all the time. Don’t you think so, Kai Rou?"
"I don’t think so!"
Kai Rou realized. This guy’s a freak.
...But.
(His looks, his sports, his studies, his family… he’s way ahead of me in everything...)
What stood out most was his ability to openly confess his feelings for Kurono without a second thought. Kai Rou found it dazzling.
Maybe that’s why. Deep inside, he felt a rough, uncomfortable sensation.
3 ─side Kai Rou─
That afternoon after school, a lot happened.
After the club activities ended and Kai Rou was about to go home, he was suddenly asked by his classmate, Amafuro, to stay and provide archery instruction. Then, for some reason, Kurono also decided to stay and practice with him. Afterward, Amafuro treated him to dinner at a family restaurant as a thank-you, and there were even more events that followed—
When Kai Rou closed the front door behind him upon returning home, a voice seemed to have been waiting for him.
"Welcome home, onii-sama... you’re late, aren’t you?"
"I'm home. I told you, I was at the family restaurant with a classmate from the club."
His cohabiting "sister," a truly evil and extreme character.
As usual, she wore a thin camisole and hot pants, a loungewear style that gave her the appearance of a hopeless future. Her puppy-like hairstyle still had remnants of bedhead. It was truly a relief that she wasn’t his real sister.
As Kai Rou removed his shoes and was about to go upstairs, for some reason, the evil girl blocked his way with her small stature.
"Hey, what is it?"
Before he could move her aside, she pouted like a spoiled child.
"So, onii-sama, how was it? You had dinner with Kurono Shia, ignoring your cute sister, right? Did you feed each other? Ah, don’t tell me you were going all ‘aahh~’ and feeding each other?"
"...I didn’t do anything like that. Now, move."
"Really?"
"...I didn’t."
"Well, I know because I was broadcasting it with the camera I set up for you."
"Grr..."
Her mischievous smile made Kai Rou grimace.
It had been about a year since they met and became family, and he was now somewhat used to these exchanges.
If you ignored the evil "organization" she was a part of, she was truly just an insufferable younger sister.
"By the way, did you eat?"
"Yes. I had cup noodles and I ate the ice cream from the fridge, which I made sure to eat for you as well."
"Hey, what’s that?"
By the way, their living expenses were all provided by the "organization," which transferred money into their account.
"I’m going to take a bath."
Kai Rou said as he entered the changing room and quickly took off his uniform.
After taking a hot shower and soaking in the bathtub, he reflected on the events of the day—no, of the evening.
He exchanged contact information with Kurono.
Why now, though? Was it because of what happened with Marusu earlier? When he closed his eyes, the events from lunch and club practice resurfaced.
Could it be that he didn’t want to give Kurono to Marusu?
The intense shame of realizing his jealousy caused Kai Rou to dunk his face into the bath water.
"──I have something to discuss."
"What is it?"
After Kai Rou got out of the bath and grabbed some milk from the fridge, the evil girl called out to him.
He poured the milk into a glass, gulping it down. The smoothness felt especially good after a long bath.
"Onii-sama, tonight, would you mind sneaking into the neighbor’s house and attacking her while she’s sleeping?"
"Guh!?"
Kai Rou almost choked on the cold milk and spit it out.
"Ugh, that’s disgusting."
"Did you just say ‘attack while she’s sleeping’... you mean Kurono-san!?"
"It’s just a figure of speech. Haha, you’re so flustered, onii-sama. You’re so naughty."
She grinned mischievously, and Kai Rou gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to slap her.
"I’ll listen. What’s going on?"
"The organization asked for data on her sleep. Onii-sama, could you sneak into her room and gather data on her breathing using this small microphone?"
"…………This is a joke, right?"
"I’m serious. And here’s the spare key."
That’s how it went. At 1 a.m., Kai Rou found himself with trembling hands, quietly opening the door to the neighboring apartment.
He carefully opened the door and stepped into the dark hallway.
The sound of his heartbeat was louder than ever, and strange sweat dripped from his temples.
According to the evil girl, for about a year, they had been gathering data on the neighbor’s activities through the wall. Apparently, this was the time when Kurono was most likely to be sound asleep.
So, he shouldn’t have to worry, but—
(…This is definitely illegal, right!?)
But he couldn’t go against it. He was being manipulated not just with his weaknesses, but his very thoughts.
If he got caught, it would be bad. It was already out of line just to sneak into a woman’s room, especially when the people involved were as dangerous as the police. Not to mention that time could be stopped.
But most of all, what would Kurono think if she saw him doing this?
Would she be angry? Disgusted? Or would she feel betrayed?
Just imagining it made his stomach tighten painfully.
Even so, with that heavy heart, his feet moved forward, and his body followed. There was no guarantee that a future awaited him at the end, but Kai Rou quietly tiptoed down the hallway.
When he finally reached Kurono’s room, it was exactly as he had expected—bleak.
It had no trace of a typical girl’s room. In the small living room, there was only one desk, with a box of calorie mate in the corner and a plastic storage box.
On the floor was a mattress where Kurono lay, covered by a blanket, her quiet breathing filling the air.
The faint moonlight that slipped through the gap in the curtains gently illuminated her sleeping face.
With her eyes closed, Kurono’s face was delicate, like a finely crafted Western doll.
Kai Rou cautiously moved the small microphone closer to her—
And in that moment, the fingers holding the microphone froze in place.
Time had stopped.
The blanket fluttered.
A pair of red eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Kurono’s body shot upright.
At the same time, Kai Rou felt a blow like being struck by a steel pipe.
"Wha-!?"
How did she sense him?
The girl, who had been sound asleep just moments before, instantly sprung to life, kicking his hand away with a sharp kick—
Then, a powerful palm strike hit his stomach.
As time resumed, the shock penetrated his abs, delivering a crushing blow to his organs.
Kai Rou collapsed to his knees.
With the pain surging through him, he looked up.
Kurono’s eyes were still closed.
"...Munya, I am... the strongest, invincible... I’ve trained to fight even in my sleep... Munya... Zzz..."
And then, she was asleep. She had attacked him while still deep in slumber. But what shook Kai Rou the most was her attire.
"W-Why… Why are you sleeping in just your underwear…?!"
Kurono wore nothing but a black bra and shorts. Her full bust, faintly defined abs, slender waist, and pale thighs glowed mystically under the soft moonlight streaming through the window.
Kai Rou flushed red and averted his gaze. But naturally, this was no time for such reactions.
He had to escape—now. The moment he tried to move his legs, however, Kurono’s eyelids fluttered open slightly.
"…Kai-kun?"
"—"
It was over. That single word echoed through his blank mind, freezing the blood in his veins.
But then—
"…Why… is Kai-kun… in my room… mnya…?"
Rubbing her eyes slowly, her drowsy mind seemed to reach a conclusion.
"I get it… This must be… a dream."
A miracle, Kai thought.
He had to escape before this chance slipped away—before she fully woke. Trembling legs spurred into action, but in that instant—
"Wha—!?"
A terrifying strength seized his collar, lifting him like a stuffed toy.
Kurono’s face loomed close—long lashes, flawless cheeks, and glossy cherry lips parted to speak.
"If it’s a dream… then anything goes, right…?"
"W-What!? W-What are you saying—!"
"Please… don’t struggle… Kai-kun. You can’t… overpower me anyway…"
With that, she forced him down onto the mattress.
Then, with unrelenting momentum, Kurono draped herself over him, clinging tightly. The faint sweetness of her shampoo mixed with her soft, feminine scent, her smooth skin pressing against him. Kai’s heart pounded so fiercely it felt ready to burst.
"Ehehe… Today, I’ll sleep… with Kai-kun… Zzz…"
She hugged him like a body pillow, her grip deceptively strong despite her soft warmth—a force akin to being pinned under a hibernating bear.
(This… This has to be a joke…)
He had to do something, or he’d end up spending the whole night like this. That would spell disaster in more ways than one.
But if he struggled too much, he might actually wake her.
So Kai resolved to hold his breath and endure. If her grip loosened eventually, he could slip away unnoticed.
An hour, maybe two—just wait for the chance.
"Mmm…"
(This is impossible!)
Each time the sleeping Kurono shifted, her silky skin, soft chest, and thighs brushed against him, asserting their presence in a way that was maddeningly vivid. He really wished she’d stop.
"Kai-kun… I like you… I really… like you…"
Her sleepy murmurs came with warm breath against his face.
In that moment, amid the tangle of tension and excitement in Kai’s chest, a prickling question emerged, sharp like a faint pain.
Why did Kurono like him so much—someone like him?
She’d brushed off that Marusu guy coldly. So why did she say she liked him, someone clearly less appealing as a man?
And more than that—why did it bother him so much?
Suddenly, it hit him.
(Oh… I see.)
He was afraid of her turning cold, of her rejecting him.
Being liked by a beautiful girl like her was, of course, a joy. But an affection without reason felt fragile—like it could vanish without warning—and that terrified him.
If she treated him coldly again, like she had when they first met, it would hurt.
Which meant—
(I… Damn it, I…)
He couldn’t deny he was conscious of her. But he didn’t want to think beyond that.
How long had passed as he lay there, feeling her warmth and breathing so close?
In the darkness, with thinning air and the comforting heat of her body, Kai’s consciousness began to fade—
And as the boy drifted into sleep, he saw an unnatural dream.
A hazy sense of reality. A world instantly recognizable as a dream.
A tall man spoke to a girl—not Kai, but Kurono.
"Shia, you’re not human."
What did that mean?
"You were created as the ultimate, invincible weapon to protect the peace of this world."
What was he saying?
"Don’t leave yourself open. Don’t let your heart trust anything. Ordinary happiness isn’t permitted for you."
The girl simply obeyed those words.
She stopped time, punched, kicked, and defeated every enemy.
That was her entire life.
But one day, by some twist of fate, she enrolled in a high school and met a boy.
He taught her something—an emotion she’d never known in all her time before.
And that’s why she loved him so much.
"You’re late, Onii-sama."
"…Shut up."
Staggering back to his room at dawn, Kai Rou’s eyes bore deep shadows.
He’d managed to slip out when Kurono’s grip slackened in the early morning—an exhausting escape.
He’d fallen asleep briefly during the night, but the strange dream had jolted him awake, a small stroke of luck.
evil girl, still sporting fresh bedhead, eyed him with a glint of suspicion.
"Don’t tell me… you actually attacked her?"
"I didn’t."
With that, Kai Rou collapsed onto his bed, drained.
He should’ve been exhausted, but his half-awake mind refused to settle. Instead, unsorted thoughts spilled from his lips.
"I had a weird dream. Like it was Kurono’s memory… or my imagination. But it felt so real."
"Onii-sama, tell me more."
Half-asleep, Kai Rou recounted the night’s events as they were.
"Hmm, I see. That dream you saw—it might actually be Kurono Shia’s real memory," evil girl said, adopting a lecturing tone.
"Your surgically altered frontal lobe syncs with others’ brain states through empathy, adapting to their abilities. A side effect, perhaps. Being so close while she slept might’ve caused it—your minds and spirits crossed wires unintentionally. A new discovery! Whether it’s a feat worth praising, I’m not sure, but I’ll report it to the <Organization>."
"Yeah, sure…"
Kai Rou didn’t care about the explanation.
He was just tired. Finally, his stubborn brain relented to sleep’s pull.
"…I’m skipping school today. Too sleepy."
"No can do, Onii-sama."
Kai Rou tried to sink into a second sleep, but—
"I told you, didn’t I? Stay in contact with the target as much as possible. So, no skipping."
4 ─side Kai Rou─
Asaki Private Academy. The school Kai Rou and Kurono attended was an unremarkable college-prep institution, notable only for its unusually large campus for a city location and the prewar old school building still in active use.
"Good morning, Kai-kun."
"…Morning, Kurono-san."
In the morning classroom, Kai Rou rubbed heavy eyelids and returned the greeting to the troublesome girl beside him.
It seemed she genuinely believed last night was just a dream—she showed no signs of remembering anything.
(…Saved.)
Today, Kai Rou hadn’t walked to school with Kurono. He’d barely made it out of the house on time, after all.
"You were late today, Kai-kun. Did you oversleep…? Oh, those bags under your eyes are intense. Sleep deprivation?"
"Yeah, well… I stayed up a bit late…"
There was no way he could say, I snuck into your room and got dragged into your bed.
A vivid memory of Kurono in her underwear flashed behind his eyelids. Trying not to let his flushed face betray him—or meet her gaze—Kai Rou looked away.
The scene shifted to the classroom at lunch break.
"Shia-chan, Rou-kun. How about running a café with me?"
A pink-haired twin-tailed girl with a mango perched on her head—Amafuro Rote—posed the question.
During lunch, through a series of events, Kai Rou and Kurono found themselves sharing a table with this girl from a class three doors down.
"A café? You mean for the archery club, right?"
Kai Rou confirmed, and Amafuro nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling.
"Yep, that’s right! How about the three of us take charge of it this year?"
At Asaki Private Academy, the archery club had a tradition of running a café every July during the cultural festival. The responsibility typically fell to second-years, often appointed by the club president or vice-president. But since it was a tedious job often forced on people, those who volunteered were usually given the role without much fuss.
"Ah! Rou-kun, you just made a ‘that sounds like a hassle’ face, didn’t you?"
Amafuro read his mind. Kai Rou gave a wry smile.
"Yeah, well… I saw how busy last year’s seniors were."
"Sure, it looks tough—but! We get to pick the menu ourselves and even design the café uniforms! Doing it together would totally feel like peak youth, right? It’d be so much fun! Come on, let’s do it!"
"Even if you say that…"
Casually, Kai Rou glanced at Kurono. Her usual blank expression gave nothing away.
But then, she spoke flatly:
"…If you two are up for it, I don’t mind."
That caught him off guard. He’d expected Kurono, of all people, to shoot down an idea like this without hesitation.
Regardless, Amafuro turned to him with a beaming, slightly pressuring smile.
"Rou-kun?"
"Uh, well… I dunno…"
Kai Rou scratched his cheek, buying time to think.
Honestly, it sounded like a pain. He’d seen last year’s seniors scrambling around as café managers, and he wasn’t eager to step into that role himself.
But if Amafuro was willing to take the lead, maybe helping out wouldn’t be so bad. Flat-out refusing felt a little awkward, too.
Kai Rou wasn’t the type to get excited about school events. That said, he wasn’t delinquent enough to skip out or slack off entirely. He was more of a typical go-with-the-flow guy—happy to tag along if someone else took charge.
Just then, the classroom door rattled open.
In stepped a tall, red-haired figure with glasses—Marusu Aoren.
"Kurono-san, and Kai. Hey there. Since we’re in the same club now, I was wondering if you’d like to grab lunch together—oh, it’s you."
"Marusu… Why are you here?"
Marusu strolled in carrying a chair in one hand and a convenience store bread roll in the other. But the moment he locked eyes with Amafuro, they exchanged a sharp glare and looked away.
(They know each other…? And they don’t seem to get along.)
Kai Rou noted it but didn’t care enough to dig deeper.
For now, Marusu set down his chair, unwrapped his bread, and took a seat.
"I came to talk to Kai and Kurono-san about something."
"Talk?"
Kai echoed, and Marusu flashed a bright grin, showing off his white teeth.
"I joined the club yesterday and heard some stuff from the seniors. Apparently, our club always runs a café at the cultural festival, right?"
Kai Rou didn’t need to hear the rest, but he prompted him anyway.
And, as expected, Marusu dropped the predictable line.
"How about running the café with me?"
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