Every morning the same morning comes. So I will keep protecting the one who loves you most.
Haruto lives in an ordinary provincial city, enjoying a peaceful high school life. Clear skies, the same classroom, the unchanging smiles of friends. Every morning his little sister Hina jumps into his bed, his childhood friend Mao greets him with a smile, and his junior Hinata waits for him at the shoe lockers. Haruto has no idea why he's so popular. He just accepts the gentle days as they come.
Then a transfer student named Tsukasa appears. She's a tsundere—always putting up a tough front, ye
Every morning the same morning comes. So I will keep protecting the one who loves you most. - Rewinding Wednesday — I know how many times it has rained
When classes ended, the sky was still bright. The blue outside the window was just beginning to cloud over with a faint white haze. Haruto slung his bag back over his shoulder and glanced at the classroom clock. It was a little past four.
"Haruto, hey, you've got time before your shift today, right?"
Mao called out to him from the seat beside his. A girl with long black hair tied in a single ponytail—she'd been next to him since they were little. She smiled as she tucked the notebook she'd left on her desk into her bag. Her movements were the same as always, and just as every morning came the same way, Mao was beside Haruto every day in the same way.
"Yeah, I guess. No club today."
Haruto answered vaguely. The literature club was supposed to meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but apparently their advisor, Ms. Ichikawa, had a meeting today and couldn't come, so the morning notice had said the club room would be unavailable. So Haruto had planned to head straight home today.
"Then come to Noct! I've got a shift today. I'll give you the hookup."
Noct—a café on the first floor of Arietta, the shopping mall in front of Tokiwa Station. Mao worked part-time there several days a week. Haruto had been a few times. With its warm wooden interior, it was the kind of place that was easy for students to walk into.
"The hookup? You're gonna do something for me?"
"Fufu, you'll have to come and see."
Mao laughed mischievously. A small dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. Seeing that smile, Haruto thought, well, why not. He didn't have any particular reason to refuse. Even if he went home, Hinata was still at school, and it was a bit of a long afternoon to spend alone.
"Alright, I guess I'll come."
"It's settled! Then get ready and meet me at the school gate."
Mao said that happily and left the classroom first. Haruto watched her go, then slowly stood up. Outside the window, the wind was swaying the trees in the schoolyard. In the distance, he could hear the voices of students heading home.
Before leaving the classroom, Haruto happened to glance at the very back seat by the window. No one was there. It was the transfer student Tsukasa's seat. She seemed to have disappeared somewhere again today. She'd been in the classroom until lunch, but the moment classes ended, she was gone. Haruto was a little curious, but without thinking too deeply about it, he stepped into the hallway.
He met up with Mao at the school gate, and the two of them started walking side by side. From Tokiwa High to Tokiwa Station was about a fifteen-minute walk. Along the way, they passed along the bank of the Kiriha River. The river's surface reflected the afternoon light, glittering and shifting in fine ripples.
"No club today, so I get to walk home with you for the first time in a while."
Mao said, walking on Haruto's left. She'd always naturally ended up on his left when they walked together, ever since they were kids. Haruto had never even been conscious of it. It was just a given that Mao was on his left.
"Yeah. You've been all about club lately."
"Haruto, your manuscript for the club journal hasn't progressed at all, has it? Don't blame me if Ms. Ichikawa gets mad at you."
"She won't get mad. She's nice."
"That's not the point, geez."
Mao laughed. Her voice mingled with the murmur of the river and reached Haruto's ears pleasantly. The sky was gradually gathering clouds. It had been clear in the morning, but the weather might turn in the afternoon. Haruto looked up at the sky and remembered he hadn't brought an umbrella.
"Huh, is it going to rain, maybe?"
"The forecast said there'd be a passing shower in the evening. Haruto, you don't have an umbrella?"
"Forgot it. It was sunny this morning."
"Same as always. Well, I keep my folding umbrella at the shop. You can use it on the way home."
Mao said that and patted her bag. She was always prepared. Haruto nodded vaguely and faced forward again.
When they arrived at Arietta Mall in front of Tokiwa Station, since it was a weekday evening, the interior was bustling with students and shoppers. Noct Café, tucked in the back of the first floor, showed warm lighting through its glass entrance. With a wood-grain counter and small round tables lined up, it was a calm, settled shop.
"Welcome, Haruto. The manager says she'll give you the hookup today."
Mao poked her head out from the back of the shop. Over her uniform, she wore Noct's dark brown apron. With her white shirt sleeves rolled up, deftly wiping cups, she looked a little different from the girl he saw at school. Haruto felt somehow embarrassed at the sight. It was like seeing a side of his childhood friend he didn't know.
"The hookup? The manager's giving it to me?"
"Yep. When I said I'd give you the hookup, the manager said 'then I will too.' You're popular, Haruto."
Mao said it teasingly. Haruto scratched his head, at a loss. From the counter in the back, a woman in her forties was smiling at him. A gentle-looking woman with soft brown hair tied up. The manager of Noct Café, Shiori Maddock. Haruto had met her a few times. She was always speaking to customers in a kind voice.
"Welcome, Haruto-kun. Mao-chan's been looking forward to this since morning."
"Huh, really?"
"Manager, please don't say that!"
Mao's face went red as she lightly smacked the manager's arm. Shiori Maddock chuckled and retreated behind the counter. Watching the exchange, Haruto felt somehow warm inside. He liked this kind of time. Calm, unchanging time.
Haruto sat at a seat by the window. On the table, a single flower was arranged in a small vase. A white flower. He didn't know its name. Haruto took out his phone and checked the time. Four-thirty. Mao's shift was apparently until six.
"Haruto, what do you want to drink? It's on the house today, so order whatever you like."
Mao came to take his order. With the order pad tucked in her apron pocket, she looked down at Haruto with a smile. Haruto opened the menu. House blend, café latte, mille crepe. They all looked good.
"Then, a café latte and... a mille crepe, maybe."
"Nice. My recommendation is the mille crepe. I'll bring it right out."
Mao said that and lightly returned to the counter. Watching her go, Haruto gazed outside the window. The clouds had grown even thicker, and he thought he heard the sound of thunder in the distance.
A little while later, a café latte and a mille crepe were brought to Haruto. The mille crepe was dusted with powdered sugar, and the layers of its cross-section looked beautiful. Haruto picked up his fork.
"Thanks for the food."
He took a bite. The cream was soft, the sweetness restrained and easy to eat. Haruto honestly thought it was delicious. It was worth Mao's recommendation.
Just then, he heard the sound of the shop's entrance door opening. When Haruto looked up, a familiar brown side ponytail was swaying there. The tips of her bright brown hair flipped up a little, and she brushed aside her bangs with her hand as they threatened to fall over her eyes. Her amber eyes scanned the shop and found Haruto.
It was the transfer student, Tsukasa.
Tsukasa stopped for a moment. Her eyes met Haruto's. Her expression stiffened just slightly. But she immediately returned to her usual tough face.
"Why are you here?"
Tsukasa approached and stood in front of Haruto's seat. Her small body wrapped in her uniform, arms crossed. That posture was the same as always, and Haruto couldn't help but laugh.
"Mao invited me. What about you, Tsukasa-san?"
"N-nothing. Where I go has nothing to do with you, does it?"
Tsukasa said that and tried to sit in the seat across from Haruto. But before she could, Mao came out from the back and spotted Tsukasa.
"Ah, Tsukasa-san! There's a seat open over here!"
Mao waved with a smile. Tsukasa looked at Mao's face for a moment, then at Haruto. Haruto said nothing, just smiled and nodded. Tsukasa looked like she was hesitating, but in the end, she sat down in the seat across from Haruto.
"It's not like I wanted to come. It looked like it was going to rain, so I just stopped in to wait it out."
Tsukasa said it like an excuse. Haruto gave a "hmm" in response. If she really just wanted to wait out the rain, she didn't have to pick this shop in particular. But he wasn't tactless enough to point that out.
"Tsukasa-san, what do you want to drink? The manager's giving us the hookup today."
Mao said as she set a glass of water in front of Tsukasa. Tsukasa picked up the menu and looked at it for a while. Then, in a small voice, she answered, "The blend is fine."
"Understood."
Mao smiled and returned to the counter. Tsukasa stared after her, as if confirming something. Haruto noticed her gaze but said nothing.
"...You sure spend a lot of time with that girl."
Tsukasa murmured. Haruto took a sip of his café latte before answering.
"Mao and I have been together since kindergarten. She's basically family at this point."
"Family, basically..."
Tsukasa repeated quietly. Her voice was so faint it was barely audible to Haruto. Haruto looked at Tsukasa's face. She was looking outside the window. Thick clouds covered the sky, and it was darker outside than before.
"You haven't been in this town long, right, Tsukasa-san? Have you made any friends?"
When Haruto asked, Tsukasa shrugged.
"I don't need friends. Being alone is enough."
That way of speaking was her usual bravado. But to Haruto, it felt like something else was hidden behind those words. Not loneliness—that would be too dramatic. Something smaller, harder to put into words.
"But Mao seemed happy talking to you. I heard you helped Hinata on the stairs yesterday, too."
Tsukasa's hand stopped for just a moment. She looked at Haruto, then dropped her gaze.
"That was just a coincidence. She was about to fall, so I caught her."
"Even if it was a coincidence, you helped her. Thank you."
When Haruto thanked her honestly, Tsukasa brushed her bangs aside as if embarrassed. That gesture was oddly childish, and Haruto couldn't help but smile a little.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, really. I just thought you have a surprisingly honest side, Tsukasa-san."
"Huh? I'm not honest or anything. Don't get the wrong idea."
Tsukasa raised her voice. Her reaction was amusing, and Haruto laughed again. Just then, Mao came back from the back with a tray.
"What are you two talking about? I brought your blend, Tsukasa-san."
Mao set a steaming coffee cup in front of Tsukasa. Then she placed a small plate in front of Haruto. On the plate was another slice of mille crepe.
"Huh, I already ate this."
"It's the hookup, the hookup. The manager said to give one to Tsukasa-san too. Ah, this one's yours, Tsukasa-san."
Mao said that and placed the same mille crepe in front of Tsukasa. Tsukasa's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Huh, for me too?"
"Friends? How nice, youth."
The manager, Shiori Maddock, called out with a smile from behind the counter. Tsukasa looked even more bewildered at that voice. Seeing her like that, Haruto felt somehow warm inside.
"The manager's kind. You don't have to hold back."
"...It's not like I'm holding back."
Tsukasa said that and picked up her fork. She took a bite of the mille crepe. In that instant, Tsukasa's expression softened just a little.
"...It's good."
It was a small voice. Haruto heard it. Mao seemed to have heard it too. Mao smiled happily.
"Right? Our shop's mille crepe is exceptional."
Tsukasa said nothing and took another bite. Her profile wasn't her usual tough expression—it was the face of a seventeen-year-old girl simply eating something delicious. Haruto felt like he was seeing that face for the first time.
After that, the three of them talked about trivial things for a while. School, favorite foods, TV shows. Tsukasa was curt at first, saying "nothing" and "I don't know," but as Mao patiently kept talking to her, she gradually joined the conversati
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