That feeling from that night—"I don't want to run away"—it's still in my chest. Haruto arrived at the classroom at 6:30 AM. The day before the Nomiya Festival. The moment he opened the classroom door, he felt the weight of the air on his skin. Akane was sitting by the window, hugging her knees. Same posture as yesterday. Her mouth shut tight, eyes fixed only on the world outside. Mizuki's seat was empty. Haruto set his backpack—not a school bag, a backpack—on his desk. Classmates trickled in one by one. Every single one glanced at Akane, then glanced at Haruto, and said nothing. Yesterday's atmosphere was still hanging there. (I have to do this.) Haruto pulled out the shortcake he'd baked the night before. Two-layer sponge. Whipped cream and strawberries. A sample. Something he'd made himself. Decorating materials were stacked at the edge of the classroom. Haruto started assembling a stand alone. He stacked two chairs and tried to place a board on top. Crash. The chairs collapsed, and the board fell with a loud clatter. Everyone turned around. No one came to help. "[serious]…Yeah, figures," He muttered to himself and started rebuilding. --- The classroom door opened ten minutes before first period. The first person to enter was someone he didn't recognize. Blonde hair. Long and straight. Tied back perfectly, not a single strand out of place. About 172 centimeters tall, with a student council vice president armband on the chest of her uniform. Eyes the color of jade swept across the classroom. A cold gaze. Unreadable emotion. She was holding a notebook. The air in the classroom shifted. A girl whispered, "[whispers]Student council…" The girl walked to the center of the classroom. She opened her notebook and looked at Haruto. "[serious]Kishimoto Haruto. You're the Year 2, Class 3 cultural festival executive committee member, correct?" "[surprised]Uh, ah, yes," "[serious]I've come to verify preparation status. I'm Serina Aoyama, student council vice president. Explain today's work progress," When she said "today's," they'd only just started. Haruto began, "Um, well—" Serina's gaze stopped on the shortcake sitting on the desk. Just for a second. But it definitely stopped. "[serious]…Um, is this for tasting?" "[cold]That's irrelevant. Explain—" "Want to try some?" Serina's hand holding the notebook froze. "[serious]…It's a quality check for work purposes," She said it with a resolute expression while accepting the fork. One bite. The moment the sponge melted in her mouth, Serina's ears turned red. Not just her ears. Her cheeks too. All the way down her neck. "[serious]…The quality meets standards," Her voice was slightly pitched higher. The classroom went quiet. After three seconds of silence, laughter erupted. "[laughing]She's blushing!!" "[laughing]Wait, the vice president!?" Serina hid the lower half of her face with her notebook. Her jade eyes grew sharp. By the window, Akane—who'd been hugging her knees—turned to look. Her golden eyes were fixed on Serina. That's when footsteps echoed down the hallway. "[laughing]Made it!" Silver hair disheveled, Mizuki burst through the door. She was breathing hard, barely making it before the bell. But the first person she saw wasn't Haruto. Mizuki's gaze went to Serina, and she took in the situation. Her smile deepened. "[gentle]Well. An interesting person has arrived," --- Serina shook off the redness and snapped her notebook shut. "[serious]To reiterate. Kishimoto Haruto, I—" "[serious]Um, I'll explain. Um—" "[serious]I have formally registered you as an observation target in the student council's confidential management registry—the Select List, a registration system for monitoring spiritually significant individuals," Haruto's mind went blank. "[surprised]…Huh?" "[serious]Should any suspicious behavior be observed, I will file a report. That is all," "[angry]What do you mean observation target!?!?" The moment he shouted, Akane kicked her chair back and stood up. "[angry]Hold on a second!!" Both Serina and Haruto turned around. Akane stepped forward. Her golden eyes looked directly at Serina. "[angry]The protection target is under my jurisdiction!?" "[serious]Protection target?" Serina opened her notebook. "[serious]No such informal classification exists in student council regulations," "[angry]Field judgment takes priority over regulations!" "[cold]There has not been a single instance in this school's 70-year history where field judgment overrode regulations," "[angry]Then I'll rewrite history!" Behind them, Mizuki placed a hand over her mouth. Her shoulders trembled slightly. "[gentle]Oh my. A jurisdictional dispute. How entertaining," "[sarcastic]Stop laughing and help!" "[serious]I'm not an object!!" All three ignored Haruto completely. Akane and Serina stood face-to-face, neither backing down. Mizuki leaned against the wall, watching. Classmates whispered, "What's this?" "A love triangle?" "The vice president's intense." The classroom buzzed with low voices. Haruto said "I'm not an object" a third time, but again, no one was listening. --- That's when it happened. Serina snapped her notebook shut. The sound echoed through the classroom. "[serious]Everyone, return to preparations," Her tone had changed. The vice president's voice. The redness from before, the argument with Akane—all of it vanished. "[serious]The Nomiya Festival is tomorrow. If we cannot resolve this chaos by end of day, I will recommend to the student council that Year 2, Class 3's event be cancelled," The classroom fell silent. She's serious, Haruto thought. This person is absolutely serious. Classmates sprang into action. Chairs scraped. Voices flew: "Where's the materials?" "Which way's the menu board?" "Haven't practiced service yet?" The room filled with activity. Akane walked back to her seat, her lips moving quietly. "[cold]…Annoying. But what she said is right," Mizuki pushed off from the wall and let out a small laugh. "[gentle]Hehe. An interesting person has been added," Haruto looked at both of them. They were facing the same direction. Both nodding at Serina's words. It was the first time. The first time Haruto had seen Akane and Mizuki facing the same way. Deep in his chest, that feeling from last night—"I don't want to run away"—began to take shape. I need to move today. That's what he thought. --- After school came. When the classroom cleanup was done and everyone started heading home, Haruto called out to Akane. "[serious]Got a minute? Home economics room," Akane's expression turned guarded. Her golden eyes narrowed. "[serious]…Why?" "[serious]I want to talk about something," The home economics room was dim. Evening light filtered through the west-facing window. Akane stopped by the door. She'd come in, but kept her distance. Haruto faced her directly. "[serious]You're too honest, Akane. Your feelings show all over your face," Akane's brows furrowed. "[serious]When you yelled at Mizuki. The feeling of wanting to be near me. I could see it all," "[serious]…Are you making fun of me?" "[serious]No. I think it's strength," Akane's mouth closed. "[serious]Someone who can't lie—I think that's cool," There was a long pause. The clock in the home economics room ticked. Tick, tick. Akane's eyes wavered slightly. She was holding back tears. Her lips pressed tight, trying to hide it. "[serious]Tomorrow's festival. I want to do it with you. That's all," Akane looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Then her gaze came back down, and she gave a bitter smile. "[gentle]…That's unfair. Really," --- After sending Akane home, Haruto called Mizuki next. Mizuki entered the home economics room. Her silver hair caught the sunset, tinged slightly orange. She smiled and tilted her head with a "What is it?" expression. "[serious]You don't have to smile," Mizuki's smile stopped. Just for a second. But it definitely stopped. Haruto continued. "[serious]Yesterday, when you said 'go after her,' your voice was shaking. I heard it clearly," Mizuki's gaze shifted to the window. The evening Minatosaka ward spread out below. Building windows reflected orange light. She said nothing for a while. The clock ticked. Tick, tick. "[gentle]…You're really dense, you know," Her voice was different. Not her usual carefree tone. Slightly hoarse. "[gentle]But sharp about weird things," "[serious]You don't have to hide," Mizuki looked at Haruto directly for the first time without a smile. Her violet eyes wavered slightly. Haruto said nothing. He just stood there, facing her. --- "I need you to come with me," Haruto said, calling Akane back. In the home economics room, Akane and Mizuki stood facing each other. An awkward silence hung between them. Both looked away—one at the window, one at the wall. Haruto stood in front of both of them and bowed his head. "[serious]I don't want either of you to disappear," He looked up and continued. "[serious]Tomorrow's festival—let's make the best café ever. The four of us. With Serina too," Akane looked slightly surprised. "[surprised]Serina too? We just met her today," "[serious]But she helped with today's prep, didn't she?" Mizuki exhaled softly. Akane spoke first. "[gentle]…If that's what you want, I guess I can't say no," Mizuki paused for a moment, then her mouth relaxed into a smile. "[gentle]If you ask me like that, I can't refuse. Sounds fun anyway," The two looked at each other. Awkward. But a definite, small nod. Haruto let out a relieved breath. Looking out the window, the sky had turned orange. The Misogi River glowed in the distance. "[gentle]So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Her carefree tone was back. "[surprised]Already?" "[laughing]Seriously!?" The three gathered around the home economics room table. Mizuki pulled out a notebook. Akane brought over menu notes. Haruto began explaining tomorrow's schedule. Outside the window, the orange sky slowly darkened. The three voices echoed through the home economics room. The preparations might still be possible. But no one had told Serina yet.