Chapter 365

She liked a noisy, bustling atmosphere.

But she also needed time alone to lose herself in thought.

Especially today.

If it had been a normal meetup, she would have skipped it.

But since she had put this gathering together herself, Hiyori decided to put today's events out of her mind for a while and just have fun with her friends.

Divided evenly between boys and girls, the group of eight—herself included—spent their time at a cafe, a pool hall, and a karaoke room under Hiyori's lead.

It wasn't until nearly ten at night that they finally parted ways to head home.

"Bye, Asahina!"

"See you tomorrow!"

At the subway station entrance.

Hiyori raised her hand with a bright smile to bid her friends farewell as they headed in their separate directions, but—

"I'm off, bye—"

For a moment, Matsuda's broadly smiling face flashed in her mind, causing her to freeze.

Bye-bye. It was a greeting she used often.

But today, she didn't want to use it.

The reason was none other than what Matsuda sunbae had said.

Back in the winter, on the bus to the Kendo tournament venue, he had mentioned that she used this exact phrase while crossing the intersection.

It was the word that had left an impression of her in Matsuda sunbae's memory; otherwise, she would have just been another passing stranger to him.

Because of that, it felt special somehow, and she didn't want to use it with just anyone.

"See ya!"

Quickly swapping her farewell, Hiyori waved and tapped her transit card alongside Miho to pass through the turnstiles.

"You weren't having fun, were you?"

Waiting for the subway beside her, Miho asked the question as if reading her mind.

Hiyori shrugged and shot back a question of her own.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Do you know how long we've been joined at the hip? Of course it was obvious. Was it because of Aoki?"

Her teammate during their pool games.

The way he had stuck right by her side, showing off his pool skills and being completely overbearing as he tried to teach her—it had definitely been a little annoying at the time.

But that feeling had quickly faded.

She could view a teenage boy's posturing as cute enough to let slide.

"No. It has nothing to do with our hangout today."

"Really?"

Miho nodded, looking as if she had it all figured out.

Realizing her thoughts had been read yet again, Hiyori pressed an index finger to her lips, gesturing for silence.

At that, Miho flashed a meaningful smile.

"Got it. I'll stay quiet."

Chatting with Miho on the loud subway ride back, Hiyori only got some time to herself after seeing her friend off.

Finally free to think about Matsuda sunbae, she sat blankly, habitually checking her Cell Phone screen as she reflected on their connection.

He had a slightly strict temperament, but deep down, he was incredibly kind.

Whenever she bickered with him—he acted so much like a tsundere—she always found it thoroughly entertaining.

Far more than when she talked with anyone else.

And while she had seen plenty of people treat her well over the years, she felt exceptionally good when Matsuda sunbae did.

Why was that? Simply because he was handsome?

That was part of it, of course, but the warmth hiding beneath his strict personality subtly hit her exact preferences.

She also liked how he patiently played along with every single one of her lame jokes...

The sheer serendipity of the connection she had just been reflecting on seemed to make her grow especially attached to him.

She hadn't noticed him, but he had noticed her; they had met a few times at the cafe before the semester started...

Furthermore, they had run into each other at the bookstore, and now they were a junior and senior at the same Academy...

It was an incredible coincidence. No, it might not be a coincidence at all, but fate.

She wasn't usually one to believe in such things, but running into him in such unexpected situations naturally brought the thought to mind.

Did Matsuda sunbae feel the same way?

Seeing how well he was getting along with Hanazawa sunbae, it seemed like he wouldn't think much of it, but judging by his actions whenever they were alone, it also felt like he cared.

Rumble—!

As she was lost in thought, the subway doors opened.

Hiyori gasped when she saw her destination written on a station pillar and hurriedly hopped off the train.

After exiting the station and enjoying the cool breeze on her slow walk home, she reached to open the front door, but—

"Huh...?"

The key wasn't in her pocket.

She knew for a fact it had been there when she left school, so when had she lost it?

At the karaoke room? Or when she got off at the station?

She wasn't sure, but well... it wasn't a huge deal.

It would have been a big problem if no one was home, but if that were the case, she could have just explained the situation to Matsuda sunbae and asked him to hang out with her until her parents returned.

With those carefree thoughts, she rang the doorbell. Before long, the door swung open, and her younger brother greeted her with wide, alert eyes.

"Why did you ring the bell?"

Her little brother brought a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth.

Hiyori snatched the small tub from his hands and answered.

"I lost my key."

"Why are you taking my ice cream?"

"I'm going to eat it."

"Why?"

"Just because."

"Mom! Sis cursed at me and stole my ice cream!"

Inventing fake news, her brother bolted off to tattle.

Hiyori tried to snatch him but missed due to his speed. Retracting her arm from empty air, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"That little brat..."

Walking inside, she saw her mom making something.

A savory smell filled the air—it had to be corn soup.

Her brother must have whined for something to eat.

Thinking this, Hiyori grabbed her brother by the scruff of his neck as he clung to their mom and pulled him away.

"Mom, I lost my keeeey."

"You didn't lose it near the house, did you?"

"Nope."

"That's fine then. I'll leave a spare on the dining table tomorrow morning, so take that."

"We have spares? Didn't we run out last time?"

"I had a bunch made this time."

"Didn't Dad say he was going to change it to a smart lock?"

"He did?"

"I remember him saying that... Hasn't Dad mentioned it?"

"No, he didn't seem to know about it. He probably forgot."

"Really? I'm gonna go wash up, okay?"

"Aren't you going to have some soup before you do?"

"I'm losing weight."

At those words, her brother—still caught in Hiyori's grip—tilted his head.

"Then why did you steal my ice cream? Ice cream is super fattening."

"I haven't eaten it yet, so it's fine, right?"

"Is it?"

"It is."

"Then give my ice cream back."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like it."

"I see."

Hiyori lightly smacked the back of his head as he nodded with an expression that made it clear he didn't understand at all. Leaving his ice cream on the dining table while he exaggeratedly pretended to be hurt, she headed up to the second floor.

After finishing her shower, she hopped onto her bed, lying on her stomach.

Then, she grabbed her Cell Phone and opened her messaging app.

There were dozens of chats from various people.

Among them were messages from the friends she had hung out with today.

A message from Suzuki stood out at the very top. Come to think of it, he always contacted her this way.

He was taking advantage of the system where the most recently received message appeared at the top.

It was incredibly underhanded behavior.

Normally, she would have frowned, but since she had a fair share of guy friends who acted like this, Hiyori just let it slide and scrolled down.

She then fired off a single message to Matsuda—[Matsumatsuken]—before replying to her friends.

However, even after a long time passed, she got no reply from Matsuda.

Was he sleeping? Or was he spending some cozy alone time with Hanazawa sunbae?

Thinking that suddenly put her in a foul mood.

It wasn't like she wanted to ruin a happy couple's relationship, but she and Matsuda sunbae had a deep connection.

Had Hanazawa sunbae ever run into Matsuda sunbae without realizing it before they actually met, just like she had?

She firmly believed the answer was no.

For some reason, she felt like she absolutely couldn't let anyone else have him.

Honestly, if it came down to stealing him away, she felt like she might actually be able to pull it off...?

Click.

"Sis! Do you want ice cream?"

Her train of thought shattered by her brother barging into the room without knocking, Hiyori scoffed and shot back.

"It's mint chocolate, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Eat it yourself."

"Don't you like mint chocolate?"

"You're just trying to pawn off what you hate on me."

"That's right."

"Your intentions are impure, so I'm not eating it."

"Why? It's great for me because I don't have to eat what I hate, and it's great for you because you get to eat what you like. Isn't that a win-win?"

"Now that I think about it, I guess you're right. Leave it on the desk. And bring me some water."

"Then lend me your game console."

"Did you play for an hour today?"

"Yeah."

"Then no. Get Mom and Dad's permission."

"I'm gonna play secretly."

Who did he take after to be so bullheaded? Seriously, kids these days...

With no intention whatsoever of admitting that her brother's shamelessness was a carbon copy of her own, Hiyori nodded.

At that, her brother's face lit up with joy as he stepped out of the room to fetch the water.

[What.]

In the meantime, a reply had arrived from Matsuda sunbae.

Hiyori immediately tapped the chat window and typed on the screen.

[Let's work out together tomorrow.]

[What's the occasion? I thought you'd be complaining about being sore for a week.]

[No prejudices allowed.]

[Are your legs okay?]

[You saw me playing basketball, didn't youuu.]

[I'm asking how they feel to you. You need to be honest about this.]

[They don't really hurt.]

[Then let's do it. Bring a change of clothes.]

[Okaay.]

Come to think of it, she needed to return the clothes she had borrowed from Matsuda sunbae.

She had to make sure not to forget.

"Sis! Here's your water."

Ending the conversation, Hiyori wore a satisfied expression as her brother brought over a large tumbler floating with ice.

She took a sip of the cool water, opened her closet to grab the game console, and was about to hand it over to her brother when a brilliant idea struck her, bringing a smirk to her lips.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Boot up Animal Crossing on my account and harvest all the fruit."

"I'm not playing that game, though?"

"This is the price for me not telling Mom. If you do one lap, I'll let you play for two hours."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Got it."

"Make sure you save. Close the door on your way out."

Receiving the console and the game, her brother giggled happily and returned to his room.

She would use the items her brother gathered to exchange for Matsuda's affection level.

Was it because she had made a fair trade?

Or was it because she had secured plans with Matsuda?

Feeling exceptionally good, Hiyori lay down in bed with a pleased expression and drifted off to sleep.