Two days later, after school — on the street.
Haruki and Rei are walking home together. Rei notices that Haruki is a bit quieter than usual. He looks worried.
"Why so sad?"
Haruki hesitates for a few seconds before answering.
"Yuzuki is trying to talk with you."
Rei bursts into anger. He stops walking and says,
"So she told you to... What does she want?"
Despite Rei's words, Haruki was still worried. He felt that something was wrong.
"It's just… look, you really need to talk to her. She hasn't been coming to school much lately, and when she does, she looks depressed and—"
This pissed Rei off even more. Without a single thought, he replied,
"So what… she'll get better on her own."
"But—"
Before Haruki could say anything, someone suddenly ran up and kicked Rei in the leg.
"Ahhh!! Who the hell—"
Rei turned and found a short, brown-haired girl standing there, two hair clips holding back her bangs. Her eyes were red from crying, and her face was twisted in anger.
Meet Mariya. She's Yuzuki's best friend. Rei recognized her, but didn't really understand why she was there.
"It's because of you! Yuzuki is all sad. She's not even talking to me!
Tell me—what did you do to her, you monster!?"
Rei was speechless, but more than that, he was furious.
"Monster…? Do you have any idea what she did to me?"
Haruki stood frozen, unsure what to do.
Mariya, furious, clenching her fists, raised her voice in anger.
"Whatever she did, you definitely deserved it!"
Rei ground his teeth, ready to explode again.
"Do you even know what you're talking about?"
Haruki stepped in and closed the gap between them so they wouldn't hurt each other.
"Alright, you two—keep it down."
Mariya stepped back a little and looked at Haruki for a second. She calmed down slightly, but there was still a hint of hatred in her eyes.
"I'm giving you one last warning—don't you dare come near her!"
With that, Mariya took a few steps back, turned, and stormed off. Rei shouted after her, furious.
"I don't wanna see her either!"
Haruki grabbed Rei's shoulder. Rei turned to him.
"Calm down a little."
Still heated, Rei brushed Haruki's hand away.
"And you were telling me to talk to her…? What's her deal!?"
Rei walked off in anger, Haruki following behind in silence.
Eventually, Rei began to calm down. Miharu had invited him over so they could study together—and just the thought of that softened the storm inside him.
And the time finally came. Rei found himself sitting on floor cushions at a low table in Miharu's room, studying together.
Open notebooks, pencils, and a cozy, casual atmosphere surrounded them. Rei paid close attention as Miharu explained each step.
"You mean like this…? The range is negative infinity to one," he said, working through the math problem.
Miharu rested her hand lazily on the table.
"Yes, you got it! I thought you sucked at math. Seriously, how did you even fail in the first place?"
Rei stretched his fingers in exhaustion and replied casually,
"Honestly, I thought I'd never be able to understand this method myself."
"Is that so…?"
Rei smiled. He was getting better at reading Miharu's mind.
"You need a break."
Miharu grinned and stretched her back.
"You took the words right out of my mouth. Want a mocktail?"
"Sure."
She let out a tired breath.
"Which one?"
Rei already knew what he wanted, but he pretended to think hard.
"Hm… Cuddles on the Beach."
Miharu's face lit up.
"That's my favorite too. Coming right up!"
She walked over to the sleek bar counter in the corner of the living room and prepared two mocktails. A moment later, she returned and gently placed the glasses on the table.
"Here we go—"
"Oh wait! I forgot something. You go on without me."
She headed to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge.
"Where did I put them… There it is!"
She pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box from the freezer and opened it.
"My homemade Cadbury Caramel Macchiato. I really put in the effort."
Miharu giggled and popped one into her mouth, her cheeks flushing.
"Yummy."
She returned to her room and placed the box on the table. Miharu looked away, blushing.
"Here… remember when you gave me that limited-edition Cadbury Caramel Macchiato?"
"Yeah."
"I tried to make them myself. Try some and let me know how they are."
She offered him the box, but then noticed Rei's face had turned red.
"What happened?"
Rei's face flushed even more, his voice a little dazed.
"I was just thinking about… the time we accidentally kissed."
Miharu blushed deeply and pulled her shoulders back, startled that he brought it up so suddenly.
Why is he bringing that up now…?
Rei turned to her with charming eyes and an almost drunken smile.
"We didn't get a chance for a proper kiss."
Miharu's face turned bright red as she hurriedly set the chocolate box on the table.
W-What!?
She turned to face him. His hand slowly moved toward her, her heart pounding faster.
Is he… about to kiss me for real?!
But he isn't like that… or maybe…
Just as her breath caught, Rei casually reached past her and grabbed a chocolate from the box. Miharu exhaled in relief, clutching her chest.
Oh… he just wanted a chocolate.
But then—he gently placed the chocolate into her mouth. With a sudden movement, he pushed her to the floor, climbed on top of her, pinned her hands, and kissed her.
Miharu, surprised, felt his lips soft and the chocolate melting between them. She tried to resist, squirming slightly.
Damn… he's too strong for me. I- I mean if you want it that badly.
Miharu stopped resisting and slowly gave in. Rei adjusted his lips and loosened his grip. Their chests were pressed as close as possible. She felt his warmth and the mingled flavors—chocolate, caramel, and alcohol.
…Alcohol?
Wait… I smell alcohol on his breath…
Her eyes flicked to his glass. It was empty. And then she realized.
Oh no—my muscle memory… I used to make this for my dad. I might have added alcohol. No…
Miharu let Rei take his time, holding her breath. Moments later, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily, struggling to catch their breath.
"Y-You really… took your time."
Rei, equally breathless, blushed red.
"You're… tired already? There's a lot of chocolate left… senorita."
Miharu turned crimson, her legs shifting just by imagining the scenario.
W-What?! Senorita?! How many chocolates are left in the box?!
Miharu lay frozen, face red all over. Rei released her wrists, but she couldn't move. He slowly reached for another chocolate.
Senorita...
My body won't move…
Her eyes grow even wider as she looked at Rei, taking another chocolate.
The butterflies in my stomach are killing me… Wait, what's he planning after this?!
Her mind flashes with multiple scenarios this can end up. She watches helplessly as he turns to her.
I can't stop him… I can't…
Miharu squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for when he would charge in, her heart beating louder and louder. But instead of going further, Rei simply placed his head on her lap—falling asleep with the chocolate still in his hand.
Miharu opened her eyes, just staring at the ceiling, slowly sweating, heart still beating faster, both hands over her mouth.
I can't believe…