Haruto sat stiffly on his chair, hands neatly placed on his knees, posture straight enough to pass a military inspection.
Across from him, completely ignoring every known social rule, Aoi sat on his bed.
Not just sitting.
Relaxed. One leg folded, the other gently swinging, back propped up by his pillow like she had paid rent here.
She looked around his room with open curiosity. "Wow," she said casually. "So this is Haruto's sacred domain."
Haruto's soul attempted to evacuate his body.
"W-Why are you on my bed?" he blurted out.
Aoi tilted her head, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Because it's comfortable?"
"That's not— I mean— you can't just—" He gestured helplessly at the bed. "That's my bed."
"And?" she smiled. "You're sitting on that chair like it's about to explode. I'm just balancing the atmosphere."
She bounced lightly once on the mattress.
Haruto audibly swallowed.
This is not a dream.
If it is, it's a very cruel one.
"So," Aoi continued, leaning back on her hands, clearly enjoying this far too much, "you always this quiet at home?"
"I'm not quiet," Haruto protested weakly. "I'm… normal."
"Hmm." She scanned him slowly. "I disagree."
His face heated up instantly. "Why are you even here?"
Aoi's lips curled into a knowing grin.
"That," she said lightly, "is a long story."
Haruto groaned. "Of course it is."
She glanced at the door, then back at him. "Relax. Your mom said I could wait here."
She WHAT.
Before he could question his entire existence, Aoi shifted slightly closer, lowering her voice just enough to be dangerous.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she teased. "Or did you forget about me already?"
"I could never forget you," Haruto said instinctively.
The second the words left his mouth, he froze.
Aoi's eyebrows lifted.
"Oh?" she said, amused. "Didn't take you for the smooth type."
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT," Haruto panicked, waving his hands. "I meant— I mean— you're very memorable— as a person— not—"
She laughed.
A soft, genuine laugh that made his brain short-circuit.
"Relax," she said, standing up at last. "You're fun when you're flustered."
She walked toward the window, then glanced back at him. "Anyway… let's rewind a bit."
Haruto blinked.
"…Rewind?"
Her smile softened, just slightly.
"About thirty minutes ago," she said.
Half an Hour Earlier
Haruto was still lying on his bed, phone in hand, staring at Saki's message like it might suddenly explain itself.
We should do something during the break.
His brain had already gone through panic, denial, acceptance, and panic again.
That was when the doorbell rang.
He barely reacted at first. His mom's footsteps passed his room.
"I'll get it," she said.
Haruto rolled onto his side, face buried into his pillow. Please be a delivery. Please be literally anyone not involved in my emotional crisis.
The door opened.
"Hello," a familiar voice said brightly.
Haruto's eyes snapped open.
That voice…
Curiosity won. He stood up and peeked into the hallway.
And there she was.
Standing at the front door like she belonged there.
Aoi.
Casual clothes. Confident posture. Same unreadable smile.
"Oh," his mom said kindly. "You must be Haruto's friend."
"Yes, ma'am," Aoi replied politely. "I'm Aoi. From school."
Haruto's brain shut down completely.
Friend?
School?
Why is she here?
"I was wondering if Haruto was free," Aoi continued. "We talked recently, and I wanted to follow up on something."
Haruto wanted to scream.
His mom glanced back toward the hallway. "Haruto? You have a visitor."
He stepped forward slowly, like he was approaching a wild animal.
"Aoi…?" he said.
She smiled at him. "Hi."
Just one word.
That was all it took.
And now—
***
Haruto blinked, back in the present, staring at the same girl currently occupying his bed like it was her personal throne.
Aoi met his eyes, smile playful but unreadable.
"And that," she finished, "is how I ended up here."
Haruto exhaled shakily.
"This summer," he muttered, "is already ruined."
Aoi laughed. "Oh no. It's just getting interesting."
Aoi stretched her arms above her head, then hopped down from Haruto's bed like she hadn't just violated several unspoken laws of teenage privacy.
"Anyway," she said casually, turning to face him, "you should probably hear the real reason I'm here."
Haruto straightened instantly. "There's a real reason?"
She tilted her head. "You thought I came just to tease you?"
"…Yes?" he answered honestly.
Aoi laughed. "Wow. I'm hurt."
Then her expression shifted. Not serious exactly, but sharper. Focused.
"This is about Riku."
Haruto froze.
"…Riku?"
She crossed her arms. "He's angry. Like, genuinely annoyed. Not his usual quiet brooding either."
Haruto's shoulders slumped immediately. "Ah…"
Aoi leaned against the desk now. "You vanished."
"I didn't vanish," Haruto muttered. "I just… stopped going."
"For a month," she corrected.
He winced. "When you say it like that, it sounds worse."
"It is worse," she said bluntly. "You were training almost every day. Then suddenly nothing. No messages. No explanation."
Haruto looked away. "Midterms happened."
"They ended," Aoi replied calmly.
He had no comeback.
She continued, "Riku doesn't chase people. You probably noticed that. If someone quits, he lets them. If someone skips, he ignores it."
Haruto frowned slightly. "Then why—"
"He sent me," Aoi said.
That made Haruto look up instantly. "He did?"
"Mm-hmm." She nodded. "Told me to check on you. His exact words were, 'If he's injured, I want to know. If he quit, I want to hear it from him.'"
Haruto swallowed.
Riku's voice echoed in his head. Calm. Observant. Heavy.
Aoi studied his face. "So?"
"So… what?"
"Which is it?" she asked softly. "Are you hurt? Or did you quit?"
Haruto hesitated.
Images flashed through his mind. Practice rallies. Losing. Riku's praise. Sweat. Growth.
Then another image barged in uninvited.
Saki. Watching him. Smiling. Sitting nearby. Heart pounding for all the wrong reasons.
"I didn't quit," he said finally. "I just… took a break."
"A month-long break?" Aoi raised an eyebrow.
"I panicked," he admitted.
She blinked. "About badminton?"
"…Not exactly."
That was enough of an answer.
Aoi sighed, then smiled again, lighter this time. "Figures."
She stepped closer. "Look, I don't care what your reason is. That's between you and him. But Riku hates uncertainty."
Haruto nodded slowly. "Tell him I'll come back. After summer starts properly."
"When?"
"Soon," he said. "Before I lose the courage."
Aoi smirked. "I'll tell him that. He won't like it, but he'll accept it."
She grabbed her bag, heading toward the door, then paused.
"Oh," she added, glancing back, "and Haruto?"
"Yes?"
She smiled mischievously. "Next time you disappear for a month, at least warn the people who care."
Before he could respond, she opened the door.
"And for the record," she said lightly, "your room is very… you."
Then she was gone.
Haruto stood there in silence.
Badminton.
Riku.
Summer.
And Saki.
"…I'm so dead," he muttered.
And somehow, summer vacation hadn't even officially started yet.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned to the house.
Haruto stood there for a few seconds, replaying everything that had just happened like his brain was trying to process a bugged game cutscene.
Then—
"…Wait."
His eyes widened.
He turned slowly toward the door.
"How did she get my address?"
The realization hit him late. Very late. And very hard.
"She just— showed up," he muttered. "At my house. Like it was normal."
His brows furrowed. The shock faded, replaced by something else.
Grumpiness.
He crossed his arms. "That's creepy. A little. Okay, maybe more than a little."
He paced his room once, twice.
"She didn't even explain it. Just left after dropping a mental bomb and casually invading my bed."
He flopped onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling again.
"…Unbelievable."
Yet no matter how much he complained internally, the tension in his chest slowly loosened.
Aoi was gone.
The house was quiet.
No immediate threats.
His thoughts drifted again, naturally this time.
Badminton.
Riku's face surfaced in his mind. The rallies. The pressure. The way his shots always came back sharper, faster.
"I really did disappear on him," Haruto admitted softly.
A month without practice. Without progress.
That bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
He rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone, opening the calendar almost without thinking.
Summer vacation… starts next week.
He stared at the date.
"…I'll go back after it starts," he decided. "Not immediately. Just… after a week."
Enough time to reset.
Enough time to breathe.
Enough time to stop panicking every five seconds.
He nodded to himself.
"Yeah. That sounds reasonable."
His phone buzzed again.
He stiffened.
Then relaxed when he saw the name.
Kenta
Kenta: Yo. Midterms finally dead. You alive?
Haruto sighed.
Haruto: Barely.
He placed the phone down and closed his eyes.
Summer was coming.
Badminton was waiting.
And his feelings… were definitely not going anywhere.
One week.
He just needed one quiet week.
And knowing his luck, that probably meant everything was about to get loud.
One week later.
Summer vacation had officially begun.
The school was quieter than usual, the halls empty, the air heavier with heat and freedom. Haruto stood in front of the gym doors, sports bag slung over his shoulder, staring at them like they were the gates to his execution.
"…Alright," he muttered. "I said I'd come back. I'm coming back."
He pushed the doors open.
The familiar smell hit him immediately. Polished wood. Old sweat. Rubber soles squeaking somewhere in the distance. The badminton courts stretched out in front of him, sunlight spilling through the high windows.
And then—
A hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Hard.
Haruto nearly jumped out of his skin.
"GAA—!"
He froze mid-scream.
The grip tightened just a little.
Slowly, carefully, Haruto turned his head.
Riku was standing right behind him.
Too close. Way too close.
His expression was calm. Too calm. His lips were curved into a small smile that did not reach his eyes.
The kind of smile that said I have been waiting.
Haruto swallowed.
"H-Hey, Riku," he said, trying to sound casual. "Long time no—"
"You're late," Riku said quietly.
"One month," he added after a beat.
Haruto laughed nervously. "Ahaha… when you say it out loud like that—"
Riku's smile widened.
Haruto's soul screamed.
I'm going to die here.
The hand on his shoulder finally loosened.
Riku stepped back, arms crossing. "You came back."
Haruto straightened instantly. "Y-Yeah. I said I would."
A long silence followed.
Riku stared at him.
Haruto waited.
And waited.
Sweat rolled down his back, and not just because of the heat.
Is this it?
Is he forgiving me?
Is this the calm before peace?
Riku nodded slowly. "Good."
Haruto's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Oh thank god," he breathed. "I thought you were going to kill me but—"
Riku turned away, already walking toward the court.
Then, without looking back, he said—
"100 sit-ups."
Haruto blinked.
"…What?"
Riku stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
"100 pushups too," he added calmly. "Fast."
Haruto's jaw dropped.
"WAIT— WHAT?!"
"You disappeared for a month," Riku said evenly. "Your stamina probably did too."
Haruto panicked. "Riku, listen, I had midterms and emotional distress and—"
"Start," Riku said.
Haruto stared at him.
Then at the floor.
Then back at Riku.
"…Can I negotiate?"
Riku smiled again.
That same deadly smile.
Haruto dropped to the floor immediately.
"Yes sir."
As he began his first sit-up, already regretting every life choice he'd ever made, Riku spoke again.
"After that," he added, "we train."
Haruto groaned mid-rep.
Summer vacation has officially started.
And somehow, it already hurt.