Kanata lifted his heavy eyelids. An unfamiliar ceiling. New, slightly distant wood grain patterns floated hazily in the morning light streaming through the window. This was the guest room in Asuka's house. *(As of yesterday, this is my room now.)* His head still felt a little foggy. Too much had happened last night—he didn't feel like he'd slept properly. Asuka had come to his side, and then— No, better not think about it. Kanata shook his head lightly and slipped out of the futon. When he opened the door leading to the living room, a soft, sweet scent tickled his nose. Butter, and a hint of slightly burnt soy sauce. From the kitchen, the pleasant rhythm of a knife on a cutting board kept time. "Ah, good morning, Kanata." Asuka poked her head out from the kitchen. Her silvery-white hair was tied back in a single bundle, and she wore a white shirt with a denim apron. Her violet odd-eyes sparkled brilliantly in the morning light. "[gentle]Breakfast is almost ready. Go wash your face." "Yeah, thanks." As Kanata turned toward the washroom, his gaze suddenly stopped on the living room sofa. His suitcase had been opened, and the clothes that should have been inside were now neatly folded. No, that wasn't all. In the corner of the room—which had been empty until yesterday—stood an organizer chest. One of its drawers was open, and inside, his T-shirts and underwear had been carefully sorted and put away. He peeked into the washroom. The washing machine was quietly running. "Hey, Asuka..." "[surprised]Hm? What's wrong?" Kanata pointed at the clothes on the sofa. "You did this? You went into my bag without asking..." "[laughing]Ah, sorry, sorry. But they were all wrinkled. You can't wear them like that, right? I figured I'd do the laundry too. You've got university again today." Asuka laughed without a trace of guilt. Then, waving the spatula in her hand, she headed back into the kitchen. "[excited]And also—tonight's dinner is hamburg steak, your favorite! Look forward to it." "Hamburg steak... You're already thinking about that, this early in the morning..." Kanata was at a loss for words. She was practically like a newlywed wife. No—what was he even thinking, letting that thought cross his mind? "...Like a wife." The words slipped out before he could stop them, and Kanata hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth. Asuka turned around. "[gentle]Huh? Did you say something?" "N-No, nothing!" Asuka tilted her head, but her smile quickly returned. "[laughing]It's always been like this, hasn't it? I've always liked taking care of you, Kanata." Always. That's right. Back when they were little, after Kanata had fallen and gotten covered in mud at Donguri Park, Asuka had tried to take his clothes home to wash them. In the end, they were both too small to even reach the washing machine, and the two of them ended up flooding the washroom and getting thoroughly scolded by Asuka's mother. *(So she hasn't changed since back then?)* Kanata murmured to himself inwardly, as if trying to convince himself. But something was fundamentally different between then and now. Asuka's smile was far more beautiful than before, more mature. And in the depths of her eyes—which sometimes turned dead serious—he sensed something lurking that he didn't recognize. It felt like staring down into the depths of a deep, dark ocean. Seiwa University's campus shone dazzlingly under the early summer sun. Students sat on the grass as they pleased, or hurried by bicycle to their next lecture hall. A group holding flashy signboards—likely for club recruitment—was loudly calling out to what looked like a group of new students. Kanata walked through this everyday scenery side by side with Asuka. "[gentle]Kanata, how many periods do you have today?" "Let's see... language and general ed lectures in the morning, then a seminar in the afternoon." "[sad]I see. I only have morning classes today. So we can't go home together." Asuka pouted her lips just a little. "Well, some days are like that." When Kanata answered lightly, Asuka opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped. And when they parted in front of the lecture building, she turned around one more time. "[whispers]...Kanata." "Hm?" "[gentle]Do your best in class, okay?" With just those words, Asuka disappeared into the crowd. The lecture was boring. The professor's explanation of economic principles just wouldn't sink in. The blue sky outside the window mercilessly stole Kanata's concentration. "Hey, Kanata-kun." A small voice came from the seat next to him. The voice belonged to Mayuko, from the same club. Swaying her brown hair tied in a ponytail, she poked at the edge of her notebook with her finger. "This assignment—due next week? Or the week after?" "Next Wednesday, I'm pretty sure. The professor mentioned it before." "[surprised]Ehh, seriously? I haven't even started yet." Mayuko clutched her head in an exaggerated gesture. Kanata couldn't help but give a wry smile. "Haha, that's bad. I'd forgotten about it too until yesterday." "[laughing]Right? Wanna work on it together at the library sometime?" Mayuko said that and leaned in toward Kanata—and that's when it happened. *Clatter.* The back door of the classroom quietly slid open. Kanata casually glanced in that direction. —It was Asuka. She stood at the classroom entrance, staring intently at Kanata. No emotion could be read from those vivid violet eyes. Her expression was nearly blank, yet he sensed something taut in the air, and a small ripple stirred deep in Kanata's chest. She had seen him talking with Mayuko. That was all it was, and yet Kanata felt an inexplicable panic. Without a word, Asuka closed the door and left. During the break. When Kanata stepped out into the hallway, Asuka—who had been leaning against the wall—immediately approached him. "[cold]Hey, Kanata. Who's that girl?" Asuka placed her hand on Kanata's arm. Her fingertips were slightly cold. "Ah, uh, Mayuko? She's in the same club. We're in the same econ class. Just now we were talking about the assignment..." "[sad]Don't have that much fun with other women besides me." Asuka cut him off. She was looking down, so he couldn't see her face clearly. But her voice trembled a little. Students walking around them glanced over, wondering what was going on. "I-It's not like I was having fun..." "[crying]Please." Asuka raised her face. Her large violet eyes were brimming with tears that looked ready to spill over at any moment. The small silver stud piercing in her left ear glinted, reflecting the fluorescent lights. "[whispers]...Please, Asuka. I got it." Kanata couldn't say anything more. Seeing Asuka's sad face made him feel, for some reason, as though he had done something terribly wrong. Whether that feeling came from kindness—not wanting to hurt her—or from some other emotion entirely... Kanata still didn't know. After returning home and getting out of the bath, Kanata found Asuka sitting on the living room sofa, staring intently at his smartphone. "Asuka? That's mine, right?" "[gentle]Yeah." She didn't look up. She kept her eyes on the screen, sliding her finger across it with soft *swish, swish* motions. "[surprised]What are you doing? Don't tell me..." Kanata hurried over and tried to snatch the phone from her hand, but Asuka nimbly dodged him. "[gentle]Kanata, you get a lot of messages from girls, huh. Look at all these call logs." "C-Call logs—everyone has those! Club stuff, university stuff!" "[cold]This one's from that Mayuko girl from earlier. This message too, and this call. ...I'll delete them." "Y-You idiot! Don't delete them!" Kanata grabbed Asuka's wrist. But she didn't resist. She just curled up into a small ball on the spot, clutching the phone to her chest. "[crying]...Because." Asuka murmured quietly. "[crying]I don't need anyone but you, Kanata. Dad, Mom—everyone's gone now. You were the only one who stayed by my side." Her voice was trembling. "[crying]So you should only look at me too. Don't look at anyone else. Please..." Asuka stood up and hugged Kanata from behind. Her cheek touched his still-damp hair. "Asuka..." Her slender arms wrapped around his chest. Her soft body warmth pressed against his back, and Kanata's heart gave a sharp thump. "[whispers]Do you see me... as a girl?" Asuka's voice reached his ear. Her hand slowly slid down from his chest, lower. "H-Hey, stop..." "[sad]No. I won't let go." Her fingertips traced his abdominal muscles, and the moment they touched the waistband of his pants— *Brrrring brrrring brrrring!* The smartphone, still lying on the living room table, blared a loud ringtone. On the screen: "Mayuko." *Whoosh!* Asuka pulled her hands away from Kanata and dashed toward the phone as if she'd been launched. "No!" She pressed the call button and held it to her ear. "[angry]This person has a girlfriend! Please don't ever contact him again!!" "S-Stop it, Asuka!!" Kanata rushed over and tried to take the phone back. But Asuka, still gripping the smartphone, collapsed to the floor where she sat. The call had ended. Silence. "...You promised." Asuka's voice came out as if wrung from her. "[crying]That we'd be together forever. You promised, just yesterday...!" Still sitting on the floor, she struck Kanata's chest with both hands over and over. Like a small child throwing a tantrum, with all her strength. "[crying]Liar! Kanata, you liar!!" Large teardrops streamed down her pale cheeks. *Together forever.* Those were supposed to be words of comfort from their childhood. Words Kanata had innocently said to cheer up Asuka, who had just lost both her parents. But to her, that single phrase had become the pillar supporting her entire world. *(She's... serious about this.)* Kanata couldn't strike her back, couldn't embrace her—he just stood there, frozen. He looked down at her, collapsed on the floor, sobbing. The sight was painful, beautiful, and—somehow, terribly distorted. "[crying]*Hic...* uu..." Only Asuka's weeping continued to echo through the quiet room. Kanata's heart pounded unpleasantly now, for a completely different reason than before. Because he understood—the reason for Asuka's tears was pure possessiveness. *(So this is Asuka's true feelings.)* The thought sent cold sweat running down his back. Her love was far too one-sided, far too heavy. Just the two of them, alone in the house. A suffocating sense of entrapment—as if this house, this town, the entire world were closing in with no escape—pressed down on Kanata. Outside the window, the camphor tree in Donguri Park swayed heavily in the strong early summer wind. As if heralding the start of a storm that would rage over just the two of them.