Aogiri High IF Route: The Love Ryo Was Meant to Find, and the Other Heroine is You! - The day the endless after-school hours come to an end.

The courtyard of Aogiri High School was bathed in the soft autumn sunlight during lunch break. On the grass where the school building's shadow stretched just a little longer, beneath the large aogiri tree, Ryou gazed up absently at the sky. This school, perched on a hillside in Naruse City, always had such a pleasant breeze. The wind blowing now seemed to carry a mix of scents—the Naruse River, the symbol of this town, and the sweet aroma from the local bakery. "Ryou, say ahh!" "Huh?" When Ryou turned his head, a pair of large, round brown eyes were right there. Mika's bright brown semi-long hair swayed gently in the breeze. The trademark braids on each side, tied together at the back, were her signature look. "Tamagoyaki! I want you to taste it." Mika picked up a slightly misshapen piece of rolled omelet from her lunchbox with her chopsticks and thrust it toward Ryou's mouth. "W-whoa, you're too close." Ryou instinctively leaned back. But Mika didn't back down. She was always like this. The kind of person who could get along with anyone instantly, a sun-like presence in their class. But with Ryou, she had a special way of teasing him. "Mika-chan, you're making Ryou uncomfortable." Yuu, sitting on the opposite side, let out a soft laugh. Her waist-length straight black hair swayed smoothly every time she tilted her head. Her gentle, slightly droopy dark eyes looked back and forth between Ryou and Mika. "Even you, Yuu... It's Ryou's fault for spacing out, you know?" Mika puffed out her cheeks in a pout. Ryou gave a wry smile and thought about himself objectively. (Man, I really am hopeless...) He was 172 centimeters tall, and he thought of himself as a bit on the slender side for average. His messy black hair still had bedhead from the morning that wouldn't stay down—Mika had just laughed at him earlier, saying, "You've got bedhead again." His gentle, slightly droopy brown eyes always made people say, "I can never tell what you're thinking." But Yuu and Mika had known this side of Ryou for a very long time. "Here, Ryou. I have some tamagoyaki too." Yuu held out a smaller stacked lunch box. When she opened the lid, there was a neatly arranged spread of rolled omelet, cherry tomatoes, and octopus-shaped sausages. It looked like a lunch straight out of a magazine. "Whoa, thanks." As Ryou reached out with his chopsticks, Mika immediately cut in. "Ah, no fair! Ryou, you're only eating Yuu's. Eat mine too." "I am eating it! I just ate some, remember?" "Only one piece! Eat more." Yuu watched the exchange between the two of them, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed. This was Ryou's everyday life. Naruse City in Chiba—a bedroom community a little removed from the city center. In front of the station, there was a Harbor Mart convenience store, and in the "Himawari Street" shopping district at the south exit, there was a café called "Lamp-tei" that the three of them often visited together. The master, Narumi-san, was a former teacher who always added extra cheese to their Napolitan pasta for free. He was born in this town, met Yuu and Mika for the first time at the "Hidamari-en" nursery school, and they had been together ever since. In the Aobadai residential area, Ryou's house and Yuu's house were three doors apart. Mika's house was a five-minute walk away. When they were kids, they would gather at one of their houses almost every day and play until the sun went down. Every time he passed by Yuu's house, if the smell of curry drifted from the south-facing window on the second floor, he knew, "It's curry today." Even back then, Yuu was good at cooking, Mika was unbeatable at tag, and Ryou was always falling out of trees or tripping in puddles, making the two of them laugh. He thought nothing had changed since those days. He thought it would stay that way forever. "Ryou?" When he snapped his head up, Yuu was looking at him with concern. "Ah, sorry. I was spacing out a little." "Are you okay? If you're tired, do you want to go to the nurse's office?" "No, no. I'm fine, really." As Ryou waved his hands in a fluster, Mika grinned slyly. "You were thinking about something weird again, weren't you? Ryou always talks to himself, after all." "I do not!" "You do! The other day, you were muttering to yourself in the hallway and got weird looks from the first-years, remember?" "That was... well..." Yuu laughed again. But behind that smile, Ryou didn't notice. There was an expression there, as if she wanted to say something, as if she was holding something back. The lunch break chime rang. The afternoon classes felt long to Ryou. Yuu was diligently taking notes, but occasionally she would look out the window, seeming lost in thought. Mika was energetically raising her hand and speaking up as usual, but she kept glancing over at Ryou. (Somehow... aren't they both acting a little strange today?) Ryou propped up his textbook and let out a quiet sigh behind it. He had a bad feeling. But afraid to acknowledge it, Ryou shook his head. (It's just my imagination. Everything's normal.) He told himself that. After school, Ryou was in Yuu's room. Yuu's house in Aobadai was a two-minute walk from Ryou's. Like kids, it was their habit for him to ring the intercom without any prior plans, just asking, "Can you play today?" And Yuu would always smile and open the door, saying, "Sure." That was normal. Yuu's room was on the south side of the second floor, and it was meticulously clean. The sheets on her bed were always neatly stretched, and the paperback books on her shelf had their spines perfectly aligned. On her desk, a small cookbook and several handmade beaded accessories were arranged. "I'm definitely not losing today!" Ryou gripped his controller and declared. The two of them sat side by side in front of the TV, a competitive racing game displayed on the screen. "Fufu, Ryou, you said the same thing yesterday." Yuu smiled just a little and stared at the controller in her hands. Ryou picked a race and chose his character, just like always. Yuu matched his selections. But her smile felt just a tiny bit, ever so slightly, stiffer than usual. The race started. Sound effects echoed through the room. Ryou's character crashed into a wall on a curve, and Yuu let out a soft breath. "Ah, you crashed again." "That was unfair! I just hit the accelerator too hard." The usual banter. The usual game. But Yuu suddenly stopped. Her character halted in the middle of the track, getting passed by the other racers. Still, Yuu didn't press any buttons. "Yuu? What's wrong?" When Ryou looked beside him, Yuu slowly placed her controller on her lap. Her long black hair fell beside her face, hiding her expression. "Hey, Ryou." Her voice was quieter than usual. "What is it?" Ryou's heart thumped loudly. Yuu's shoulders were trembling just a little. "I... after I graduate high school, well..." Her words caught in her throat. Ryou looked at the TV screen. Yuu's character had completely stopped, and the word "RETIRED" was displayed at the edge of the screen. "I've decided to study abroad." For a moment, he couldn't process what she had said. Study abroad. The words echoed in his head. Outside the window, cicadas were crying. The autumn cicadas sounded desperate, and their cries along with the game's sound effects seemed unnaturally loud. "...Study abroad?" "Yeah. I couldn't bring myself to tell you... I'm sorry." Yuu lifted her face. Her dark eyes were glistening with tears. Ryou couldn't say anything. Study abroad. That meant Yuu was going far away. Yuu, who lived next door, whose presence by his side was a given, would soon be gone. "Starting when..." He barely managed to say that much. His voice was hoarse. "Right after graduation. So, only half a year left..." Half a year left. Those words pressed heavily on Ryou's chest. (Half a year... that's way too short...) He thought that in his heart. But the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. His indecisive nature got in the way even at a time like this. What was the right thing to say? What could he say that wouldn't hurt Yuu? Calling himself a pacifist sounded good. But the truth was, he just didn't want to be disliked. If he chose someone, someone else would get hurt. That's why Ryou always chose no one. If he didn't choose, no one would get hurt. That was Ryou's unconscious creed. "Ryou, I'm sorry. I've been hesitating for so long..." Tears spilled from Yuu's eyes. At that moment— Thud. A loud noise made Ryou flinch and his shoulders jump. He looked toward the source of the sound. The closet door had burst open from the inside. "Huh?" The person who leaped out from inside was— Mika. The always cheerful Mika, with her sun-like smile, was different now. Her large, round eyes were brimming with tears, her braids had come undone, and her brown semi-long hair was disheveled. Her hands were trembling slightly. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" Her voice was shaking. "M-Mika?! Why are you..." "Yuu said she had something she wanted to tell you... so I got curious..." Without even wiping her tears, Mika looked straight at Ryou. "But... I... I also..." Her words choked up. "I've... always... loved you, Ryou!" The air in the room froze. Ryou couldn't move. Yuu was crying. Mika was crying too. Both of their tears squeezed Ryou's heart tight. "Mika-chan..." Yuu stood up. Her voice was trembling too. "Yuu, I'm sorry! I know! I knew you were trying to tell him first! But... but I..." "Why now? I've also always... always... about Ryou..." Their voices overlapped. Ryou just stood there, rooted to the spot. The two people who had been with him since childhood were now in front of him, crying and shouting. (What should I do... What am I supposed to do...) He searched for an answer in his head. But nothing came. What could a pacifist, indecisive guy who just didn't want to be disliked possibly say in a crisis like this? "Ryou!" "Ryou..." Both of them looked at Ryou at the same time. Eyes that seemed to be seeking help. But Ryou couldn't say anything. He tried to open his mouth. But the words wouldn't come. At that moment— The BGM from the game playing on the TV changed, and a loud sound effect blared. On the screen, large letters were displayed. GAME OVER Ryou stared at those words. (I see... Game over, huh...) The everyday life he thought would last forever had just ended. The after-school hours he thought would never end had come to a close. The autumn twilight streamed in through the window, dyeing the three of them in orange. In the room, only the sound of Yuu and Mika's sobbing remained. Ryou still couldn't move a single step.

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Episode 1

Name: Aogiri High IF Route: The Love Ryo Was Meant to Find, and the Other Heroine is You!
Author: Novelia

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