I couldn't sleep. It had been like that since last night. Staring at the ceiling, I kept replaying Inoue Orihime's crying face and Kuchiki Rukia's back over and over. Before I knew it, dawn had broken. Kurosaki Ichigo left the house wearing only his uniform, his orange hair still messy from sleep. The autumn morning was cold. The sky was pale white, the sun still low. As I climbed the slope leading to Orange High School alone, I spotted a familiar white-haired figure just before the school gate. A hand truck. An old man was slowly pushing a hand truck loaded with cardboard boxes. Minazuki Genji—the seventy-one-year-old owner of Minazuki-dō, an eighty-seven-year-old traditional Japanese confectionery shop, and chairman of the Harukaze shopping district. He must have come to deliver daifuku for the cultural festival. "[serious]You're up early, old man" When I got closer, he spoke without turning around. "[serious]Your face looks pale, boy" "[sarcastic]……I just couldn't sleep much" "Here, eat this" He opened the cardboard box on the hand truck and pulled out a daifuku. He placed it in my hand with a soft pat. White and round. "[surprised]Is it really free?" "[serious]It's a service before the festival. Young people shouldn't worry themselves sick—just move forward" With that, he pushed the hand truck up the slope. I bit into the daifuku. It was soft, sweet, and tasted of red bean paste. This flavor. The same one Rukia and I ate standing here together that day. When Rukia reached for her third daifuku and said quietly, "……not bad." She wasn't smiling then, but her voice was somehow gentle. She loves this world. I know that. I know it, so there's no way I can leave things broken like this. I swallowed the daifuku and took a deep breath. ——Let's go. --- On the day of the cultural festival, the丘フェス, Class 2-3 of Orange High School had been bustling with preparations since morning. We pushed the desks to the edges of the classroom and draped cloth over them to make tables. A handwritten menu was posted on the blackboard. But. The air felt off. Rukia stood with her back turned in the kitchen corner—in front of the electric oven we'd borrowed from the home economics prep room—working silently. Her silver hair swayed at the nape of her neck. She wouldn't face this way. Orihime stood in the hall carefully draping tablecloths. She was smiling. But I could tell. That was a "made" smile. Her eyes weren't smiling. Uryuu was setting up the sign alone, working diligently. His straight black hair swayed, and his pale blue eyes behind his glasses were focused ahead. He pretended not to notice when I approached. Byakuya sat in the corner silently arranging chairs. He had his usual paperback in hand, but it wasn't open. None of them would meet my eyes. I stood in the classroom doorway and looked them all over. (This is incredibly awkward……) But I wouldn't run. I'd decided that last night. First, I went to Byakuya. He was arranging chairs one by one, measuring the spacing. When I approached, his fingers stopped slightly. He noticed. But he didn't look up. "[serious]Byakuya" "……" "[serious]You know, the sound of you turning pages is annoying, always" Silence. "[serious]But……having you next to me helped. Thanks" Byakuya's hands stopped. For just a moment, his eyes widened. "[cold]……I see" That was all. He picked up another chair and started arranging them again. But I noticed. Byakuya had arranged one extra chair. For me. No one asked him to. He was just quietly preparing a seat for me. That was Byakuya's answer. Next, I headed toward Uryuu. Uryuu was about to drive a nail into the edge of the sign. He held the hammer and caught sight of me in his peripheral vision, adjusting his glasses slightly. "[serious]Ishida" "[cold]……what is it" "[serious]Is the archery club invitation still valid?" Uryuu's hammer stopped. The blue eyes behind his glasses wavered for just a moment. His lips pressed tight, as if holding something back. "[serious]……of course it is" His voice trembled slightly. He was absolutely pretending not to notice. But it trembled. He adjusted his glasses again with a quick push and resumed driving the nail. Uryuu's ears, still not saying anything, were slightly red. I smiled wryly. That's so like him. Next, Orihime. Orihime was straightening the tablecloth. She must have seen me approaching, but she pretended not to notice while seriously adjusting the edge of the cloth. "[gentle]Orihime" "[sad]……oh, Kurosaki-kun" She tried to force a smile, but it came out strained. "[serious]Your lunch was delicious. Make it for me again" Orihime's eyes went perfectly round. One second. Then her nose made a small sound. "[crying]……yeah!" It was a laugh through tears. Her eyes glistened, but her mouth was smiling. A real smile. I felt relieved and headed to the kitchen last. --- "……this is intentional browning" As I approached the kitchen corner, I heard Rukia's voice. Standing firmly in front of the oven, cradling a tray of burnt cookies in both arms, she was trying to convince herself of something. The cookies had gone well past brown—they were black. A faint smell of smoke hung in the air. "[serious]……Rukia" Rukia's shoulders tensed slightly. She didn't turn around. I spoke to her back. "[serious]I still don't really understand what liking someone means" My voice was quiet. Quiet enough to reach her even with the noise around us. Rukia's back tensed, just a little. "[serious]But……without you, I can't get my bearings. That much I know" Silence. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Rukia didn't turn around. But I could see it. Her ears were turning red before my eyes. Beneath her silver hair, her ears were blushing crimson. After a while, Rukia opened her mouth. "[cold]……hmph. Of course. Without me, you can't do anything" Still not turning, she picked up one of the burnt cookies. She pressed it silently into my hand. I took it. Black. Very black. I cautiously took a bite. "[sad]……bitter" My face twisted dramatically. In that moment. Rukia laughed. Out loud, she laughed. "……fu, fufufu" She tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late. Her shoulders shook, and a small laugh escaped. It was the first time I'd heard her laugh out loud since I came here. The first time in days. I froze, my face still twisted. Rukia quickly covered her mouth with both hands, turning away. Her ears were still bright red. Something warm spread through my chest. Bitter, but not unpleasant at all. What is this? --- Ten in the morning. Class 2-3's café opened. A line formed in front of the classroom. "Wow, Rukia-chan is serving in her uniform!" "So cute!" The silver-haired waitress, Kuchiki Rukia, took orders with perfect composure. "What would you like to order?" "[excited]One hot coffee and a scone!" "Understood" Rukia took the order perfectly and headed to the kitchen. Two minutes later. Rukia brought an iced coffee and cake to the farthest table. "[surprised]Um, I ordered a hot one though" "[cold]This is hot" "[surprised]There's ice in it!?" "[cold]……cold hot" Then she delivered a hot coffee to the next table. That person had ordered iced. "[surprised]Um……!" "[cold]……iced. But it's hot" "[angry]Which is it!!" Orihime came flying in at full speed. "[scared]I'm so sorry!! I'll switch them!!" She dashed over and swapped the hot and iced drinks. Then she headed to the next table. She set down the cake. "[excited]Great, thanks!" "[excited]Enjoy!" But that cake belonged to a different table. "[surprised]Wait, where's my cake……" "[sad]Oh!! I'm sorry!!" She dashed off again. The hall was chaos. Meanwhile, in the kitchen. Ishida Uryuu was silently making perfect omurice. The ketchup letters he wrote were beautiful, and his speed was abnormal. "[serious]Next, three scones. Two omurice" "Y-yeah!" Satsuki from the school store poked her face through the kitchen window. "[surprised]……wait, you're not an amateur, are you? That technique" "[cold]I do archery" "[surprised]What does archery have to do with this!?" At the register, Byakuya handled customers with an expressionless face. "Welcome" When handing over change, he stared directly into the customer's eyes. "[scared]Scary……" "[excited]But super cool!" "[serious]Next customer" A long line formed in front of Byakuya's register. I ran back and forth between the hall and kitchen, watching all this. Rukia making order mistakes, Orihime trying to help but causing secondary disasters, Uryuu being so perfect it was scary, Byakuya being expressionless yet popular. (These guys are all a mess) I laughed without thinking. But today, no one had a dark expression. That much was certain. --- We closed at three in the afternoon. After cleanup, everyone collapsed on the classroom floor. Uryuu had bought bottled tea for everyone. He was handing them out silently. "[gentle]……thanks" Uryuu adjusted his glasses and drank his share without saying anything. His ears were a little red. Byakuya leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. But when I sat down beside him, he didn't move away. Orihime sat next to Rukia, asking, "How was that follow-up at table three?" When Rukia answered, "It was a problem-free delivery," Orihime laughed and said, "That was terrible!?" The two of them laughed together, their voices filling the classroom. I sipped my tea and looked around the room. (……not bad) I thought that in my heart, and then I realized something. It wasn't over yet. There was the after-festival bonfire tonight. A fire would be lit in the schoolyard of Karakura Municipal Orange Hill High School, and all the students would gather under the evening sky. The words I'd spoken to them today had reached them. I knew that. But. No one had given an answer to the question of love yet. I looked at my palm. The sensation of the burnt cookie Rukia had pressed into my hand seemed to linger. Rukia's laugh wouldn't leave my head. If the five of us were together under the flickering flames of the bonfire tonight—it felt like something would change. Whether it would or wouldn't, I still didn't know. I let out a small breath and looked up at the classroom window, beginning to be dyed by the autumn dusk.