Mio was still hung up on Monday night. She buried her face in her pillow and whispered, "This is bad…" That moment. Rei's cheeks had flushed slightly. She'd tossed and turned in bed several times, but that scene wouldn't disappear. (What did that even mean?) Tuesday morning, heading to university, Mio looked up at the sky. October blue. She took the north exit bus from Minase Station, arrived at Toyo University's campus, and was still a little dazed. Third floor of Building One, Seminar Room Two—the classroom her seminar used—had wooden chairs lined up in rows. Through the window, she could see the zelkova tree in the courtyard. Mio set her bag in the second seat from the window and pulled out her notebook. "[surprised]Oh, Mio! Long time no see!" She turned at the voice. A boy with soft, brownish short hair approached with his hand raised. Calm green eyes. Smiling. Murata Makoto. "[gentle]Makoto! It's been a while!" Makoto slid smoothly into the seat next to her and set down his bag. "[serious]Um… how have you been lately? We haven't seen each other in forever, so I was a little worried" Mio felt relieved. With Makoto, it was always like this. Normal. Proper. Safe. Every day with Rei had been chaotic, so this "normal" felt incredibly calming. "[gentle]Oh, things have been pretty hectic. But I'm doing fine" "[serious]I see. …You seem like you're having fun lately, though" Makoto said it a little hesitantly. Mio asked, "Huh?" "[serious]No, your atmosphere's a bit… brighter than usual" Mio didn't know how to answer, so she flipped through her notebook pages. Fun, huh. Maybe that was true. Rei was loud, foul-mouthed, and a lot of trouble—but sure, every day was lively. (Did I really show that on my face?) "[laughing]Really? I don't think so!" Makoto paused for a moment, rubbing his palm against his knee. That habit of sweating when nervous—it hadn't changed since way back. "[serious]Um… do you want to eat lunch together today?" Mio didn't really think about it. "[gentle]Yeah, sure" Makoto's face brightened immediately. * * * Just after noon, Cafeteria Midori was packed. More than half of the 220 seats were already taken. Mio and Makoto set their trays on a two-person table by the window. Today's special: chicken sauté, 480 yen. "[serious]Um… has anything happened recently? Like, in your personal life?" "[gentle]Personal life?" "Oh, no, I was just asking randomly…" Makoto mumbled. Mio put the chicken sauté in her mouth and thought for a moment about how to explain Rei. But nothing came to mind. Then Mio's gaze drifted out the window. —Beneath the zelkova tree in the courtyard, there was a back she knew far too well. Black hair. 181 centimeters. Arms crossed, leaning against the tree. Golden eyes looking up at the cafeteria window on the second floor, staring intently. (No—) "[surprised]Wait a second!!" Mio set down her tray and stood up. Makoto jumped. "Huh?" he said. She ran through the cafeteria, down to the first floor, and burst into the courtyard. "[angry]Why are you here!! I told you not to come to the university!!" Rei said it easily. "[cold]Did you? I didn't hear it" "You did!! I definitely said it!!" "[cold]You didn't come home by noon, so I came" "You don't need to come home! College students eat lunch at college!!" Rei brushed off Mio's shout and glanced around at the students gathering in the courtyard. His golden eyes narrowed halfway. Mio looked around too. A few people were glancing over. Then a hand grabbed Mio's arm firmly. "[excited]Hey hey, Mio! Who's that!? He's super hot, right!?" A girl with vivid crimson hair braided into three strands pressed toward Mio, her eyes sparkling. Bright lemonade-colored eyes. When she smiled, her fangs showed. Sakamoto Hinata—a classmate from Mio's first-year literature class. (Oh no.) Hinata was already walking toward Rei. No hesitation. Direct approach. "[excited]Hey, what's your name? What department are you in?" Rei looked at Mio. With golden eyes, slowly. A face that was hard to read—was he asking for help, or just exasperated? "[cold]Kurose Rei. No department" "[surprised]Huh, so you're working? How old are you?" "[cold]23" "[excited]Wow, cool! I'm 18, but older guys are totally fine with me! My name's Sakamoto Hinata! I'd be happy if you remembered it!" Rei looked at Hinata. Then at Mio. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. "[serious]Um… Mio… who is that person?" Makoto, who'd come out of the cafeteria late, stopped when he saw Rei. His usually calm green eyes were unusually frozen. Mio took a deep breath. "[scared]Um, so… a pet… no, I mean, um… a roommate…?" There was a pause. "[surprised]A roommate!?" Makoto and Hinata shouted at exactly the same time. Three students nearby suddenly looked over. "[scared]N-no, it's hard to explain!" "[serious]…What do you mean, roommate" Makoto's voice dropped slightly. Mio turned bright red. "[excited]He lives at your place!? That's amazing! You get to see him every day!" Hinata bounced. Completely the wrong direction. Rei watched the commotion from the side, quietly looking at Mio's face. His golden eyes were sharp. He'd definitely caught that "pet… no, I mean" part. "[cold]…You were about to call me a pet just now" "[scared]I wasn't!! I wasn't!!" Mio's shout echoed through the courtyard at lunch break. * * * After they dispersed, Makoto awkwardly called out to Mio. "[serious]Um… do you want to go to a family restaurant tonight? They're doing a campaign. I have something I want to talk about" Mio answered "Yeah…" without really understanding the situation. Makoto nodded, looking relieved but somehow unsettled. He rubbed his palm against his pocket. * * * It was right after the afternoon seminar ended. "[excited]Hey, did you hear!? Mio's got a super hot guy living with her!" Hinata was telling the other seminar students without hesitation. No malice at all. She just thought it was an interesting story. Mio froze on the spot. (Hinata…!!) The rumor spread in less than an hour. As she was packing up, another classmate called out to her. "[serious]Is it true you're living with someone, Mio?" Mio's face went pale. Every time she walked down the hallway, she felt eyes on her. She thought she heard voices saying, "Is that him?" and "He's supposed to be really hot." (What do I do… what do I do…) * * * Around that time, Rei was at a table at the edge of the cafeteria. He unwrapped a tuna mayo onigiri he'd bought at Hakomart, thinking back to the scene at lunch. That seat by the window where Mio and Makoto had sat side by side. The moment Makoto handed Mio a drink. I'm a cat. Human romance doesn't concern me. The moment he thought that, Mio's smile when Makoto handed her the drink flashed through his mind. His hand tensed without meaning to. Crunch. The onigiri crumpled in his hand. Rei stared at the mess in his palm for a few seconds. Tuna and mayo spread across the inside of the wrapper. "[cold]…The packaging was bad" No one was there. But he was making excuses to himself anyway. Rei stood up and started wandering the university hallway. Looking for Mio. He noticed he was looking for Mio and felt a little irritated. But his feet kept moving. At a corner in the hallway, he saw Mio muttering "What do I do…" as she walked. "[cold]Where are you going" Mio flinched. "[angry]Hey! Don't come to the university! How many times do I have to tell you!!" "[cold]…It bothered me that you were eating with another guy" Mio went rigid. The air in the hallway changed. "[surprised]…That means… huh, what does that mean…?" Rei understood the meaning of what he'd just said a second later. "[cold]…Forget it" He looked away. The tips of his ears were slightly red. Mio's heart started beating urgently in her chest. Loud. Really loud. Rei's face was definitely a little red too. The two of them fell silent for a while. Students passed by in the hallway. * * * Night. Apartment Tsukimi-dai, Room 203. Mio threw herself on the bed. With her face pressed into the sheets, she kicked her legs. (What does "it bothered me" mean…? What is that…!!) The room was quiet. Rei's presence was over there. After a while, there was a soft footstep. Something approached the edge of the bed. Mio lifted her face slightly—Rei was crouching at the edge of the futon, curled up. Knees hugged to his chest, body small, eyes averted. The moment Mio saw him, she understood everything. This was an apology. Ever since he was a cat, this was how Kuro would act whenever he'd done something wrong. In the closet shadows, at the edge of the sofa, curling up small, waiting for Mio to get angry. "[cold]…I'm sorry. Coming to the university was too much" Short words. His eyes still averted. "[laughing]…That's exactly how you apologized when you were a cat" She couldn't stop laughing. Not a giggle—real laughter came out. "[cold]Shut up" "When you were a cat, you did the same thing after you scratched up the sofa. You haven't changed at all" Rei said nothing. But the corner of his mouth rose slightly. Mio's laughter stopped abruptly. Rei's cheeks were red. A deeper red than what she'd seen in the hallway. His eyes still averted. A face trying to say something but unable to. Mio's heart beat loudly again. (…This is bad.) The two of them fell silent for a while. The white light of the room's bulb. The night of Minase City outside the window. Rei slowly moved to the floor and sat at the edge of the futon again. Mio buried her face in the bed. "[whispers]This is bad…" "[cold]What is" "Nothing" Rei said nothing. But he sat a little away from Mio's futon, yet still in the closest spot to her in the room. Mio closed her eyes under the sheets. (Tomorrow, I'm going to a family restaurant with Makoto. Rei knows that. If I remember that face—) What would happen? With no answer, the night of Minase City continued quietly outside the room.