Sometime later, Miyu waved goodbye and left, leaving Ayane alone in her room. She sank onto her bed, letting her thoughts drift through everything that had happened that day. First came the rejection, then the confession, followed by comfort. It all felt like a whirlwind, and now she wondered how to set everything right.
"I shouldn't rush things," she murmured to herself, remembering Miyu's earlier advice. "First, I'll try to fix things between Arashi, Mizuki, and myself… and only then will I give Ren my answer."
With that resolution in her mind, Ayane closed her eyes, letting herself finally rest as sleep gently took over.
Meanwhile, in his own room, Arashi was lost in similar thoughts. He, too, wondered how he could bring everything back to normal. A sudden clarity came to him: he didn't need grand gestures, just small actions. "I just have to act like nothing happened," he thought. "If I behave normally, maybe she'll also try to act normal with me, and things can slowly return to the way they were."
He paused, feeling the weight of his own decision, realizing that this quiet determination might be the first step toward restoring what they had lost. And with that, his mind continued to mull over the next moves, thinking carefully about every word, every action, every step forward.
Arashi leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A faint smile touched his lips as he thought aloud, almost to himself.
"Humans are strange creatures," he murmured. "We push people away, yet we crave their presence. We hurt and get hurt, yet we can't stop hoping for forgiveness. Emotions… they make everything complicated, but at the same time, they're the reason we try. The reason we care. The reason we keep going, even when everything seems impossible."
He paused, letting the words settle in the quiet room. "Relationships… they're fragile, unpredictable… but maybe that's what makes them worth the effort. Maybe pretending nothing happened isn't about hiding feelings—it's about giving people space to heal, while quietly building the bridge to bring them back."
He exhaled slowly, a determined gleam in his eyes. "If I can understand that, maybe I can fix things… step by step, carefully, without breaking anything more than it already is."
The next morning, sunlight spilled into Arashi's room. He opened his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath as if trying to steady himself for the day ahead.
"Okay… act normal. Just normal," he muttered to himself, sitting up on his bed. Determined, he got up and headed toward the kitchen.
Even from the doorway, he could hear soft sounds—someone moving around, the gentle clatter of utensils. As he stepped inside, he realized Ayane was already there, preparing breakfast.
Arashi paused, watching her quietly for a moment. Before he could say anything, Ayane noticed him. She smiled and waved.
"Good morning, Arashi!" she said cheerfully.
"Good morning," he replied, his voice calm but carrying a small warmth he couldn't hide.
Ayane gestured toward the counter. "Go get ready. I've already made breakfast—it'll be ready soon."
"Umm… okay," Arashi said, nodding. He left the kitchen and returned to his room. Sitting on his bed for a moment, he reflected: Ayane is trying to act normal too… that's good. I should try to fix everything from my side as well.
Just as he was lost in thought, Ayane's voice called from the kitchen.
"Arashi, hurry up! How long are you going to take?"
"Coming!" he shouted back, smiling slightly. With that, he got up and went to join her for breakfast.
Once they sat down, Arashi asked casually, "Ayane, did you talk to Miyu or Hina about the summer festival?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I'll be there with them."
"Okay… that's good," he said, nodding. A simple exchange, yet it felt like a small step toward normalcy—a quiet reassurance that both of them were slowly trying to mend the unspoken tension between them.
As they finished breakfast, Ayane asked casually, "So… are you only participating in chess?"
Arashi nodded. "Yeah. I'm not really good at much else, but chess… I'm okay, so I signed up for that. The teacher didn't even check properly and accepted me. Maybe they were thankful that I was participating in something, so they just let it be."
Ayane smiled thoughtfully. "Yeah… that makes sense."
After finishing, they grabbed their bags and headed toward school. As they approached the gate, they saw Mizuki standing there. Arashi noticed her first.
"Mizuki… you're here?" he said, slightly surprised.
Mizuki looked at him briefly, then her gaze shifted to Ayane. Smiling, she walked toward Ayane and gave her a warm hug.
"Ayane! How have you been?" she asked.
Ayane returned the smile. "I'm fine, Mizuki."
Mizuki tilted her head slightly. "So… what are you participating in?"
Ayane hesitated for a moment. "I'll be there with Miyu and Hina."
Mizuki raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but… in what exactly?"
Ayane blinked, realization dawning. "Umm… oh… I didn't even ask them what we're going to do."
Mizuki chuckled softly. "Well… let's ask them today then."
With that, the three of them began walking toward the school, chatting lightly, the morning sun warming their small, tentative steps toward normalcy.
Mizuki and Ayane walked ahead of Arashi, chatting normally, laughing softly as if nothing unusual had happened. Arashi followed behind, enjoying the calm morning, when suddenly a hand covered his eyes from behind.
"Guess who?" a voice teased.
Arashi groaned. "It can only be one idiot."
"Bingo," Takumi said with a grin. "It's me."
"Come on, think a little," Takumi complained. "You guys don't respect me at all."
Arashi smirked. "Respect? We'll respect you when you earn it."
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now you're roasting me?"
Arashi waved him off. "Enough of that. Tell me—what are you participating in?"
"Of course! Basketball, obviously," Takumi said proudly.
Just then, another voice called from behind.
"Someone remembered me!"
Arashi turned to see Satoru approaching. "Oh, hey, Satoru," he greeted.
"Hi," Satoru replied casually.
"We were just talking about you," Arashi said.
"About what?" Satoru asked.
Arashi grinned. "About what you're participating in."
"Volleyball," Satoru answered without missing a beat.
Arashi laughed. "Wow, you two… at least you're good at sports."
Satoru shook his head. "No one's good at it at first. You have to learn. Every time I invited you to practice, you'd refuse and tell me not to. You'd just sit there alone, looking around. Even when the P.E. teacher called you, you'd say no—or make some excuse."
Arashi raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! Sorry, I can see this is turning into a lecture."
Takumi noticed Ayane and Mizuki chatting happily as they walked ahead. Grinning, he grabbed Arashi and Satoru by the shoulders and leaned slightly forward, pointing toward the girls.
"What's this? Look at them! Ayane is talking with Mizuki! I always thought these two didn't like each other," he teased.
Arashi rolled his eyes. "Whatever you think is always wrong."
Satoru chuckled. "Well… it's good, isn't it? At least they're talking to each other now. I'm happy. Just hope it stays like this."
Arashi nodded quietly, a small smile forming on his lips. "Yeah…"
And with that, the morning continued, filled with small, unspoken hopes that everything could slowly return to normal.