The low, resonant chime of a summons echoed from the classroom speakers. "Class 2-C, Shiina Yuki. Report to Conference Room One immediately." In that instant, the three-way argument stopped dead. Mio's large blue eyes, Hina's sharp gaze, Shizuka's glistening, narrow eyes—all turned toward Yuki at once. (Saved... or am I? No, I just got an escape route.) With his uniform clinging to his back, damp with cold sweat, Yuki slipped between the three of them. Hina started to say something, but the classroom door closed before the words could form. The moment he stepped into the hallway, all the strength drained from his body. "[whispers]Man, this is rough..." He leaned a hand against the wall and let out a deep breath. The carnage that had been going on since yesterday's sports festival. Mio's "I'm submitting a marriage registration!", Hina's "I was talking to him first!", Shizuka's "I don't want to give up." The three voices still clung to his ears. As he walked down the hallway, Yuki thought idly. (Conference Room One... what do they want? Don't tell me someone else is lying in wait... please, give me a break.) The connecting corridor from the main building to the special wing. Outside the window, the quiet grounds the day after the sports festival stretched out. As if the feverish energy up until yesterday had been a lie, no one was there. The soccer goals cast long shadows in the evening sun. Entering the special wing, the air felt a degree colder. Conference Room One was at the far end of the second floor. A place normally used by the student council. (The student council wants something... no, is this about yesterday's commotion? Something about the safety of male students?) He stood before the door. Took one deep breath. The moment he raised his hand to knock, the door opened from the inside. "You came." A low, curt voice. Standing there was the most feared third-year in the entire school—Saejima Rin. Her short-cropped silver hair gleamed coldly under the hallway's fluorescent lights. Her narrow, crimson eyes looked down at Yuki, appraising him. She stood at 175 centimeters. Tall for a girl, obviously, but taller than Yuki too. She wore a black, gakuran-style stand-collar uniform, unbuttoned and worn loosely. "[cold]You're late." With just that, Rin turned her back on Yuki and started walking. "[surprised]Huh? Uh, the conference room is..." "Follow me." She didn't even look back. A voice that brooked no argument. Yuki had no choice but to follow. Rin's back as she walked down the hallway was completely unguarded. Students they passed uniformly cleared the way, pressing themselves against the walls and waiting for them to go by. "It's Saejima-senpai..." "She's with a second-year guy." "Did that transfer student screw something up?" He could hear the hushed whispers. Rin paid them absolutely no mind. No—it was more accurate to say she noticed them but ignored them. Using the observational skills honed over 37 years of life experience, Yuki watched Rin's back and thought. (There's no malice here. If anything, she seems scared of something... no, is she putting on a brave front?) They went down the stairs to the first floor. Through the connecting corridor leading to the gymnasium, and further outside. They ended up behind the gymnasium. The north side, untouched by sunlight. A space surrounded by concrete walls, full of blind spots. Cigarette butts littered the ground, and on the wall of the equipment shed with its peeling paint, graffiti someone had scrawled remained. This was Rin's territory. Rin stopped and slowly turned around. "[cold]No one will come here." Her crimson eyes captured Yuki. He didn't miss the way something flickered deep within those eyes. (This... isn't just a simple summons.) Before Yuki could open his mouth, Rin's expression—changed. The face of the scariest senpai in school up until now vanished, smooth as water. Her eyebrows drooped into a sad slant, and her eyes fell. Her lips trembled faintly, and Rin wrapped both arms tightly around herself. As if hugging her own body. "[whispers]...Yesterday, some delinquents were hassling me." A small voice. "[whispers]When you came out from around the corner of the gym, they just... backed right off. You know that?" Yuki searched his memory. It was true that yesterday, during the sports festival lunch break, he had been resting here alone. He'd felt like someone was coming, but he'd dismissed it as his imagination and gone straight back to the classroom. "[serious]No, I didn't really do anything." He answered honestly. Rin was silent for a while. She kept her head down, biting her lip. "[whispers]...When you show up, I..." From between her silver hair, she glanced up at Yuki. Her crimson eyes were faintly wet. "[whispers]I don't know... I just feel calm." Her voice was trembling. The voice of Saejima Rin, feared by the entire student body. A single tear spilled from the corner of Rin's eye. It made a small stain on the concrete ground. "[crying]Only in front of you... I can't act tough." Rin spat the words out. But the tears wouldn't stop. They overflowed one after another, tracing down her cheeks and falling from her chin. "[crying]It's stupid, right." Behind the words meant to sound tough, her voice was completely that of someone crying. Inside Yuki, 37 years of life experience sounded an alarm. (This is—bad. She's serious. This is the real deal.) The old man's spirit wavered softly, with pity. At the same time, the heart in his young body ached, squeezed tight. A sensation he'd never experienced before. The contradiction between an adult's reason and a high schooler's body. At that moment, Rin's hand reached out. She grabbed Yuki's uniform sleeve, tight. Her fingers gripped just above his wrist. Fingers that should have been slender were surprisingly strong. "[whispers]...Don't let go." A hoarse voice. The dimness behind the gymnasium. A distance close enough to feel each other's breath. Rin's body heat transmitted through the sleeve. Her profile, showing a vulnerability unimaginable from her usual fierce expression. Her eyelashes, wet with tears, trembled. The 37-year-old man understood. This was a very dangerous situation. He understood it rationally, but his young body was a different matter. He couldn't stop the arm Rin was holding from growing hot and tingling. "[whispers]U-um..." The moment Yuki tried to say something, Rin let go as if startled. "[scared]...Sorry, it's nothing." As she hurriedly turned her face away, Rin's ears were faintly red. Yuki saw that. And then—he hit his limit. Inside Yuki's head, voices began to echo. "I'm submitting a marriage registration!" "I was talking to him first!" "I don't want to give up." "Only in front of you... I can't act tough." Four voices. Four sets of feelings. Sincere emotions directed at him—someone who had been nothing more than a plain, 37-year-old salaryman—from four girls. (What am I supposed to do?) The strength left his legs. Yuki slowly crouched down on the spot. "[surprised]Hey, you okay?" Rin's eyes widened as she called out to him. He couldn't answer. Yuki hugged his knees, leaned his back against the wall, and hung his head. "[crying]What the hell am I supposed to do..." His voice trembled. A 37-year-old man, in a high schooler's body, was on the verge of tears. Pathetic. Miserable. But he couldn't stop it. "[crying]Everyone's serious... and there's nothing I can do about it..." Beside him, Rin wiped her own tears, staring down at Yuki in bewilderment. And then, from Yuki's mouth—unconsciously, words spilled out. "[crying]I want to go home... I just wanted to go back to my own world..." A small murmur to himself. Something he himself barely registered saying. But— At the corner of the gymnasium. In a shadowed spot, there was another figure. Straight, waist-length blonde hair. Large blue eyes. Shiratori Mio stood there, her hand pressed to her mouth. After yesterday's carnage, she had been watching from a distance the place Yuki had been summoned to. Worried about Yuki, unable to stop wondering if he was in some kind of danger—she just couldn't help herself. (Did... Yuki-kun just say something?) Mio's blue eyes opened wide. Rin gave the crouching Yuki a light pat on the shoulder. "[gentle]...You've got your own stuff going on too, huh." Her voice had returned, just a little, to the usual Rin. "[gentle]I'm gonna go wash my face. You... just stay here and calm down for a bit." With that, Rin quickly left the area behind the gymnasium. Alone, Yuki remained leaning against the wall. Quiet footsteps approached. "[gentle]...Yuki-kun." He raised his head. Mio's face, illuminated by the evening sun, was there. Her golden hair shone orange. Her blue eyes gazed straight at Yuki. "[serious]Just now, you said... your own world, didn't you?" A quiet voice. But each and every word pierced Yuki's heart. Yuki's entire body froze. "[serious]What... does that mean?" He searched for an excuse. (No, that was just a slip of the tongue...) No good. This wasn't something he could just gloss over. (I said "my own world," but I was talking about an anime...) Impossible. Mio would see right through a lie like that. (The town I used to live in...) It wouldn't make sense. It wouldn't make any sense at all. Three times, he crafted an excuse in his head. Three times, every single one crumbled. "[serious]I... I've always noticed that you were hiding something, Yuki-kun." Mio took a step closer. "[serious]Ever since the first day you transferred in... you seemed so mature somehow. But sometimes, you'd get this look on your face, like you were truly troubled." Another step. "[serious]I've always wanted to know why you make that face." Mio's hand gently touched Yuki's. "[gentle]Yuki-kun... won't you tell me?" Yuki's mouth was open, but no words came out. Only silence filled the space behind the gymnasium. The defensive line he had built up—"as long as they don't find out, I can live in peace"—was beginning to crumble with an audible sound. (It's over.) In the distance, he heard the chime signaling the end of the school day. The evening sun stretched both their shadows long. Only Mio's blue eyes, quietly but surely—captured Yuki, seeking the truth.