The turning point that ended the cold war was the villa's power outage and his crash injury. Even Haizaki found it unexpected. He had thought there would be no chance for their relationship to ease, yet on the final day of June, the opportunity arrived quietly.
Even if Haizaki had been hard-hearted and determined to continue the cold war with Kasumigaoka to the end, at this moment—facing the girl's gentle and considerate actions—even the hardest heart would soften, let alone his, when he had already been searching for a chance to reconcile.
Haizaki let out a silent sigh. She had already done this much for him—what reason did he still have to stay angry?
"Thank you. You can go back and rest now. I'll prepare breakfast tomorrow."
"Mm," as Utaha tidied up the medicine, she responded softly, joy rising in her heart.
Haizaki's words were no different from declaring that their twenty-day-long cold war had officially ended.
"Then get some good rest."
Utaha nodded slightly as she stood up, but her heart hesitated. She—she was still missing an apology. Even now, the words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
She was anxious, restless, urging herself to speak quickly.
"You too. Good night."
One step, two steps.
She reached the doorway and stopped, then turned around. She had decided—she could not hesitate any longer.
And at that exact moment, Haizaki spoke.
"Kasumigaoka-san, wait…"
"What is it?"
She had meant to apologize, so why did she end up asking a question instead?
Utaha, you useless woman. She scolded herself repeatedly.
"About what happened last time—I spoke too harshly. I should have restrained myself more. You're a girl, alone in a lonely world and a foreign country. Of course you'd feel pressure. I overlooked that, and also—"
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I had problems. I'm sorry. I should have trusted you more. These three months, I've been constantly under your care. Without you, I definitely wouldn't have been able to live like I do now."
A faint smile appeared on Utaha's face.
She finally said it—though not perfectly, and Haizaki had beaten her to it. She resented her own lack of decisiveness and resolve.
"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I can promise you that."
Thinking of the thoughts that had flashed through his mind after the crash, Haizaki took this opportunity to speak.
"I want you to agree to one thing. No—this isn't a request. You must agree."
Haizaki's serious expression made Utaha's eyes widen slightly as she focused.
"What is it?"
"No matter what happens in the future, you must live on strongly. At least live until April next year. Hold on for a full year, until the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom again."
Utaha's heart trembled.
This was Haizaki's consideration for her, made in case something happened to him.
"You're still going to fly… right?"
After already experiencing a crash, why insist on going back into the sky? Was flying really worth risking his life?
"Yes."
Utaha pressed her lips together, looking at Haizaki as she spoke seriously.
"I can agree—but I also need you to agree to one thing."
"Every time you fly in the future, you must tell me in advance."
It wasn't a demand for him to stop flying altogether? This was completely different from what Haizaki had expected.
"And if I feel like it, you have to take me up with you."
The first part was fine, but the latter made Haizaki hesitate.
The risks of flying would only increase in the future. Even if he intensified inspections and had full confidence in the combined aircraft's quality, danger still existed.
"If you want to fly, you must undergo training for ejection, parachuting, and landing."
"That's fine."
Utaha agreed.
In truth, when she made this request, she was also hoping to use a step-back approach—to make Haizaki give up flying altogether.
But it failed.
Haizaki's obsession with flying exceeded her imagination. Even at the risk of putting both of them in danger, he would continue to fly.
"I'll head back now. Get some rest."
Utaha returned to her room.
Haizaki, meanwhile, began taking off his jacket and pants, preparing to rest.
He had walked ten kilometers on foot, driven two hundred kilometers by car, yet those two hundred kilometers were frequently clogged with traffic, forcing him to get out and clear blockages himself.
What should have been a three-hour drive ended up taking him eight hours.
He did not want to stay outside overnight. She didn't know the reason.
But when he returned to the villa and saw the girl sleeping on the living room sofa, Haizaki understood why he had insisted on coming back.
He was simply afraid she would find out and worry.
In the end, she still noticed. The perceptive girl had caught on to his crash and injury.
Yet it was precisely because of this that their relationship eased, and the cold war came to an end.
"Yusuke-kun, can I come in?"
Eight minutes later, Haizaki froze, completely unprepared for Utaha's return.
Why was she here now?
"Sure…"
The girl entered the room wearing pajamas, a large pillow hiding half of her delicate face.
"Considering that you're injured, and for the convenience of taking care of you, I've decided to sleep here tonight."
Utaha's reasoning sounded perfectly valid. Her tone was firm, as though everything she said was purely for Haizaki's sake.
Yet Haizaki felt something was off.
A simple sprain didn't require anyone to take care of him. And if she truly planned this, shouldn't she have said so before leaving? Why come back only after changing into pajamas, clearly prepared for sleep?
"What—are you unwilling?"
The girl questioned him, though her voice carried a hint of nervousness.
Haizaki realized she was afraid he would refuse.
For a girl to come to a man's room and ask to stay the night required considerable courage.
If it were another man, he might already be imagining things, anticipating a beautiful night.
"No, I don't mind. But this isn't because you're afraid of the dark and being alone, right?"
Haizaki thought of that night at the Nagoya hotel.
The ambiguous atmosphere vanished instantly.
"Get lost—"
The large pillow was hurled angrily at Haizaki by the embarrassed and furious Utaha.
This man truly had no sense of romance. Someone like him would never find a girlfriend. If he had just been a little more tactful earlier, she might have been willing to make a small sacrifice and sleep in the same bed with him.
"If I were afraid of the dark, how do you think I've lived these past two months? Anyway, I'm sleeping here tonight."
"Fine—but how are we sleeping?"
Surely not on the same bed. His bed wasn't that big. If two people slept on it, they'd have to squeeze together.
"You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
Alright then.
Haizaki decided not to say anything more.
Besides, there was only one thing he wanted to do right now—
Sleep.
He was exhausted.
...