That dream from that night——the three grains of light floating by the pillow——were still catching at the edge of his mind. But today, there were only three days left until the Nomiya Festival. Haruto stood in the classroom after school, facing a freshly completed cake. A trial run. Two layers of sponge stacked, cream spread roughly across, strawberries arranged on top. He needed to taste it. "[gentle]Well, it does look lovely" Mizuki leaned in to look. Silver hair flowed from her shoulders. "[serious]Will you try it? I want to check the sweetness balance" "[gentle]Of course" Mizuki picked up a fork and ate a bite without hesitation. "[gentle]……It's delicious. The sponge is light. You really do have talent for cooking" That was the moment. "[angry]Wait a second!" Akane stood up from her seat. Golden eyes fixed on Mizuki. "[angry]I wanted to eat it first!" "[sarcastic]It's not exactly first-come, first-served, is it?" She kept smiling. That smile lit something in Akane. Akane's expression changed. "[angry]You always do that——laugh and brush things off!" The classroom air froze. Someone dropped a mechanical pencil. The *clink* sounded unnaturally clear. "[angry]What do you really think about Haruto!? Answer me properly!" Mizuki's smile vanished for just a moment. Just one moment. But Haruto saw it. Then Mizuki's expression returned to normal. "[cold]What do I think? ……I think you're interesting" Just one word. Tears welled up in Akane's eyes. "[crying]Interesting? That's all?" Her voice shook. "[crying]I want to protect Haruto! I'm not approaching him as a game! Not like you——so carefree, never taking anything seriously——" "[cold]A game, huh" Mizuki's tone shifted slightly. Not cold, exactly——something like quiet anger. "[cold]You don't know how much——" She stopped mid-sentence. Bit her lip lightly. Swallowed the words. Akane kicked her chair back and left the classroom, tears streaming down her face. The door closed. Silence. Classmates looked away. Watanabe stared at the ceiling. Nishino glanced at Haruto, then immediately looked away. No one said anything. Mizuki faced the window. Only her back was visible. Her expression unreadable. Haruto tried to stand. The impulse to chase after Akane was certain. That was when. "[whispers]……Go after her" A voice barely audible. Not her usual carefree tone. Not the warmth that usually colored her words. Faintly——trembling. Haruto's feet stopped. Mizuki still faced the window, motionless. Her profile hidden. But the tremor in her voice was unmistakable. Something tightened in his chest. She's suffering too. For the first time, he understood that clearly. Haruto had no idea what Mizuki was thinking. But that voice——it wasn't a voice hiding behind laughter. Haruto watched her profile for one more second. Then he left the classroom. He ran down the hallway, down the stairs. When he reached the schoolyard, the evening wind touched his cheek. He saw the cherry tree. The massive old tree——estimated to be 120 years old, standing by the school gate, a landmark of the school. At its roots, Akane sat with her knees drawn up. Haruto approached and sat beside her. He said nothing. For a while, they both stayed silent. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The soccer club's voices in the distance. The orange of dusk casting long shadows on the ground. Akane spoke without lifting her face. "[sad]I think I've known about you for a long time, Haruto" "[surprised]Huh?" "[sad]Even though we just met recently. Weird, right? But being near you makes me feel safe. I don't know why" Akane's voice still trembled slightly. "[sad]But then……she's always there. Smiling, looking like she knows everything. I thought I could never beat her. It made me frustrated. Jealous" Haruto searched for something clever to say. He found nothing. "[serious]I care about both of you" He said it honestly. He couldn't think of anything else to say. There was a pause. Akane lifted her face. Her eyes were red. She wiped the tears roughly with the back of her hand. Then——she laughed a little. "[laughing]……That's unfair" "[surprised]Huh" "[gentle]That's the part I like about you" A small voice. Haruto's heart——jumped. Akane's golden eyes caught the sunset and glimmered. A face that had been crying, but was smiling now. But at the same time, Mizuki's voice returned to his mind. That trembling voice. Mizuki facing away toward the window, showing only her back. Between the two of them, Haruto's feelings still hung suspended in the air. --- The next morning. The moment Haruto opened the classroom door, he knew. The air was heavy. Mizuki sat in her usual seat by the window, a paperback book open. Akane sat diagonally ahead, writing something in her notebook. Their eyes never met once. Classmates kept glancing between them, whispering. Nishino approached Haruto and only said, "You okay……?" He wasn't okay. When preparation time came after school. Three days until the Nomiya Festival. Today was supposed to be the most important work day for the Maid & Butler Café preparations. Akane worked silently on drink menu samples. She didn't consult anyone. Just worked quietly, relentlessly. Mizuki wrote practice scripts for customer service. She didn't talk to anyone either. Her silver hair hung down toward the desk. Between them, an invisible wall. Watanabe came over to Haruto. "[scared]At this rate we won't make it. Menu confirmations, service practice——everything's stopped. Haruto, say something" Haruto looked between them. He tried to say something. Opened his mouth. ——But nothing came out. It was rare. Usually he could read the room and say something that worked. Today the words wouldn't come. He didn't know if it was because he stood between them, or if he was just a coward. Watanabe sighed and walked back. That was when three fluorescent lights in the hallway began flickering almost simultaneously. "[surprised]Huh, again?" A girl looking at the potted plant in the corner of the classroom made a small sound. The leaves that had been green until yesterday——had turned pitch black from the roots. The same kind of withering as that flower. An abnormal death, as if color was being erased from the inside out. The class stirred. Haruto looked at Mizuki. Mizuki's eyes glanced briefly at the flickering lights in the hallway. Then they lowered. Haruto alone saw that gesture in that instant. She knows something——that was the look in her eyes. --- Night. Room 205, Corpo Hinata. Haruto sat on the bed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. His mother Sachiko was already asleep. The room was quiet. What am I supposed to do? It didn't become a voice. It dissolved in his mouth. Akane's tears were real. The words "I think I've known about you for a long time" and "that's the part I like about you"——all of it was real. Mizuki's voice was real too. That tremor wasn't a lie. But Haruto couldn't do anything. When he said "I care about both of you," it was honest, but he didn't know how much it saved Akane, or how much it reached Mizuki. Tomorrow was the day before the Nomiya Festival. That fact sat heavy at the bottom of his stomach. The window curtain swayed slightly in the wind. He could see the Misogi River. Bathed in moonlight, the water surface glowed faintly. A pale shimmer floated on the surface——that light he'd been seeing lately. But Haruto had no energy to pay attention to it now. Yet watching the river's light. Something small was born in his chest. I don't want to run away. I don't want to run from Akane who was crying. I don't want to run from Mizuki who was trembling. I don't want to run from my own feelings either. What to do——he still didn't know. How to do it——he didn't know either. But that feeling alone——was certain. The Misogi River continued to glow quietly.