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V6 Chapter 7: Always Running Away Won’t Help
🕑 Added 2025-06-29 12:51:29 +0000 UTC"…!"
Already emotionally shaken, Sakiko's pupils contracted the moment she heard those words. Clenching her fists tightly, she gritted her teeth but couldn't say a single word in return.
Because, if she looked at it from Nagasaki Soyo's perspective, there was really nothing wrong with what she had just said.
Regret and guilt surged like a dark tide from the hollow aching in her chest. With her head lowered, Sakiko stood there like a lifeless statue, unable to move.
Seeing her like this, Soyo let out a quiet sigh, then showed that same gentle smile again. Just as she opened her mouth to speak further, the crisp chime of the doorbell rang faintly from the front entrance.
Both of them froze slightly at the unexpected sound. For Sakiko, who had been on the brink of breaking down, it was as if all the tension in her body suddenly released.
She raised her defiant amber eyes toward Soyo again and, with a slightly trembling voice, said, "…I'll get the door."
Leaving those words behind, Sakiko turned, opened the bedroom door, and walked quickly toward the entrance.
With each step, the heaviness in her heart grew more exhausting. Soyo's unfiltered words had shattered her "strength" like fragile glass.
Maybe Soyo was right after all.
Had she ever really considered how Haru felt?
Clack.
Sakiko's face was grim as she opened the iron door to the apartment. Who would just show up here at a time like this without warning? In her mind, the only likely answer was that shameless weirdo Yamada Ryo.
If it was that oddball, maybe the tension in the room could finally ease a bit…
"…"
But the moment the door opened, the blue-haired girl's eyes widened in disbelief.
Standing at the threshold was a girl with radiant, golden mid-length hair, wearing a baseball cap and a flawless idol-like smile.
But the moment this so-called perfect smile met the eyes of Sakiko, her childhood friend, it shattered like a porcelain cup hitting the floor.
"…Uika?"
…
Maybe it was the words from that doll-like girl the other day that had clouded Misumi Uika's understanding of her own heart.
She had just wanted to talk, but instead, Wakaba Mutsumi had told her plainly that Haru was the type to lead multiple girls on. That he had feelings for several at once.
What was worse was that, even knowing this, that quiet, expressionless girl still loved him deeply. Even if Haru ended up liking Sakiko instead, she didn't mind.
Even if she became the "other woman," that was fine?
As long as she could be with him, nothing else mattered?
"Then what am I supposed to do with my feelings for him…"
Uika lifted her gaze to the familiar supermarket before her. Somehow, she'd found herself back at the shelf where they had first met. A few bottles of "Cream Puff-Flavored Oolong Tea" were scattered across the shelf.
The drink wasn't even that good. Yet her hand reached for it without hesitation.
She frowned, gripping the bottle. Even though she wanted to put it back, she just couldn't bring herself to.
She couldn't let it go.
When she heard from Mutsumi that Haru liked "everyone," Uika had felt something stir inside her. No matter how little she understood love, she knew instantly that she had felt a flicker of happiness in that moment.
And she hated herself for it.
"Always running away doesn't help. If I really want to face these feelings…"
Like she was trying to convince herself, Uika exhaled slowly, bottle in hand.
Whenever she closed her eyes, she remembered Mutsumi's words. If she didn't confirm for herself what her feelings for Sakiko truly meant, she knew she would never be able to move on.
Even if, in the end, she had to give up her feelings for the sake of friendship, Uika had decided, she had to be sure first.
By the time she realized it, she had already returned to the doorstep of that familiar apartment. She took deep breaths, calming her nerves, and mustered up all her courage to press the doorbell.
When she heard the sound of slippers approaching, her heart clenched tight.
"…Hoo."
Uika took one last deep breath. Her face lit up with a gentle, natural smile.
Clack.
But the moment the iron door swung open, a familiar figure appeared unexpectedly before her—ethereal, lovely, in pale blue.
Stunned, Uika stood frozen, completely blanking out as she stared at Sakiko. In her hands were two bottles of cream puff oolong tea.
"…Uika?"
Sakiko, whose thoughts had already been a chaotic mess, couldn't believe her eyes. The elegant, butterfly-like purple gaze before her locked with her own, both reflecting the same astonishment.
Uika instinctively lowered the brim of her cap to hide her face. But in front of Sakiko, such a gesture was laughably meaningless.
"Uika, why are you here?"
Sakiko's brows drew tight, her eyes wide as she questioned her. Facing that sudden demand, Uika couldn't even get a word out.
She remembered it now, how she had once "accidentally" seen Sakiko and Haru together. That moment hadn't been a mistake. Her childhood friend had a deeper connection with him.
And for some reason, she had hidden it from her.
Overwhelmed and dizzy, Sakiko nearly lost her footing. Just moments ago, Soyo's harsh truth had pierced straight through her defenses. Now she was being blindsided by her own best friend.
She didn't even have the strength to react anymore. She didn't know what to say.
She had never imagined herself becoming this fragile.
"…Saki-chan."
Uika's voice was soft, maybe still hoping to mend the bond between them. But Sakiko only frowned and looked at her in silence, making Uika realize—
Sakiko probably wasn't in a state to hear anything right now. So the words she had prepared stayed trapped in her throat.
"Saki-chan? Who's at the door?"
Nagasaki Soyo appeared slowly from the bedroom, trailing after Sakiko. Her blue eyes paused for a second when she saw who stood outside. Then she gave a long, deliberate look at Uika's perfect, almost divine face.
No matter what thoughts swirled in her heart, the girl still walked forward with a smile.
"Huh? Could it be… Uika from Sumimi? If you're showing up here at this time… then you must know Haru too, right?"
Her eyes glinted faintly. Her smiling face remained composed, but inside, alarms were blaring.
She truly hadn't expected yet another hidden "enemy" to show up. Nagasaki Soyo was fully aware of just how charming her dear husband was, but even someone like Uika, a top idol, had fallen for him?
Still, Soyo had long grown used to this kind of thing. After the initial flicker of surprise, she quickly regained her composure. For now, it was still unclear how much of a threat this Uika girl really posed.
"…Yes, I'm sorry for dropping by so suddenly today."
Misumi Uika avoided eye contact with Sakiko as she spoke, her slight step backward betraying the urge to retreat.
That small gesture didn't escape Soyo's eyes and when she glanced at Sakiko's stiff, ashen expression, she sensed something more beneath the surface.
Even though this was her first time meeting the idol Uika in person, just the fact that she'd shown up unannounced at the apartment told her plenty. There was no doubt this girl had some kind of close connection to her husband.
More importantly, it seemed she also knew Sakiko.
And if that was the case, then...
"Well, since Uika-san is also a friend of Haru's, why not come in? We're just about to have dinner, you know?"
At this point, she and Sakiko were no longer alone. Adding one more person didn't make a difference.
In fact, Soyo was more than eager to keep "updating" her intel.
Now that Sakiko was no longer fully within her control, secrets and surprises had started popping up all around him. If she clung to the old information without adapting, it was only natural she'd end up the loser.
"What's going on?"
The noise at the front had drawn Haru's attention too.
He had been worried Sakiko dragging Soyo off might lead to a confrontation, but instead, he stepped out to find Uika at the door. The moment their eyes met, her violet gaze shimmered with a touch of apology.
Oh no. This was getting more complicated than ever.
It was just like that time he'd invited Sakiko and Mutsumi over for dinner and somehow ended up pulling Ryo into it too. Now with Soyo and Sakiko both showing up, Uika just had to get "rainbow summoned" too?
This setup had the logic of stacking two Rank 2 monsters and ending up with Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon.
But why Uika of all people?
Knowing about the connection between Uika and Sakiko, Haru felt a subtle shift in the air. He exchanged a quick glance with Uika, then shrugged lightly and spoke.
"We've got plenty of food today. Uika, why don't you join us for dinner?"
"Thank you. I'd be glad to."
Uika's heart warmed at his words. Even now, Haru stepped in to ease the awkwardness, treating her (this uninvited guest) with kindness. But she didn't have time to reflect on her feelings.
What worried her more was running into Sakiko like this. There was no way to "explain" herself now. No matter how urgent it felt, she'd have to wait for another chance.
…
As the wielder of the household skill Ultimate Wifey Cuisine" Lv.5, Soyo possessed an uncanny level of "wifely power."
While Haru cooked, she naturally stayed by his side, assisting him with skill and grace. Her solid fundamentals and practiced techniques reduced his workload significantly.
Before long, a table full of steaming, fragrant dishes was ready.
Under normal circumstances, Sakiko would've enjoyed the delicious meal with a full heart. But with Soyo to her left and Uika to her right, her calm expression masked the constant trembling in her fingertips.
Pressed between two fronts, she couldn't relax at all. Compared to her tension, Soyo was completely at ease.
With a bright smile, Soyo took out her phone and snapped a few shots of the beautifully arranged food, oh-so-"accidentally" capturing Haru's hand in the frame as well. Then, she began eating the meal Haru had cooked.
"…So good."
The moment the food touched her tongue, Soyo's eyes widened in astonishment. The rich flavor, the way it melted in her mouth, it was overwhelming. Happiness bloomed on her face.
She had known, even in her "dreams," that her husband could cook. But this was beyond anything she imagined. At this rate, he was going to completely outshine her in the kitchen too.
"…"
Uika's eyes flicked toward the plate of braised pork in front of Sakiko. But when Sakiko's calm gaze swept toward her, she instantly looked away.
In that awkward tension, she didn't know what to say and Sakiko, for her part, remained completely silent. The atmosphere at the dinner table grew increasingly strained.
Haru naturally picked up on the strange atmosphere. Wanting to lighten the mood, he took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Uika, you bought cream puff oolong tea again?"
"Yeah… I actually kind of like the taste."
"I've been meaning to try other flavors lately, but every time I'm about to pick something new, I end up reaching for this one without thinking. I guess I've gotten used to it."
A faint, gentle light passed through Uika's eyes as she spoke.
That bizarrely flavored drink was a memory shared only between her and Haru. Even though it didn't taste especially good, she still couldn't help wanting to taste it again.
Just as she was about to chat casually with Haru like she always did, her gaze accidentally locked with Sakiko's in midair. In that instant, already feeling guilty, Uika instinctively dropped her head to avoid the stare.
Sakiko's calm expression made every nerve in her body feel taut.
That subtle "interaction" didn't escape Nagasaki Soyo's attention either.
"Oh~?"
A flicker of intrigue flashed through Soyo's eyes. She had assumed Uika, a top-tier idol, would be a formidable hidden threat, but seeing how she wilted in front of Sakiko caught her completely off guard.
Now she was curious, what exactly had happened between those two?
A knowing smile slowly formed on Soyo's face as she tilted her head and teased in a sweet, breezy voice,
"Saki-chan, why are you staring so hard at Uika-chan?"
The offhanded joke made Sakiko's expression stiffen slightly. Her hand gripping the chopsticks turned pale from tension.
But in the next moment, she regained her usual cool demeanor, closing her eyes and replying in a composed voice,
"I wasn't. You're imagining things."
Like hell she wasn't.
Even Haru, sitting directly across from her, began to sweat. Besides Uika, he was the only one who truly understood Sakiko's current emotional state.
If she really did have strong feelings for him, then discovering her childhood friend, Uika, had come to his apartment in secret and being the one to catch her at the door, there was no way she wouldn't feel something.
Especially when he still couldn't forget that kiss from Uika not long ago.
But this wasn't a situation he could step into easily. It was something between Uika and Sakiko and with Soyo sitting nearby, smiling like always, it wasn't his place to speak up.
All he could do was keep trying to talk, to stop the air around the table from growing too heavy.
Because everyone was too busy focusing on eating, dinner ended fairly quickly. For Sakiko, who had been tightly wounded(emotionally) from the beginning, it was finally a breath of relief.
At the entrance, she leaned one hand against the wall to change her shoes. Her elegant face turned toward Haru, offering a faint, apologetic smile.
"Well then, Haru, I'll be going for today."
Soyo's biting words still echoed in her head, casting a shadow over her eyes. But stubborn and proud as ever, she bit her lip and pushed the thoughts out of her mind.
No matter what Soyo said, she wasn't going to give up on Haru because of it.
"I'll come again."
Sakiko turned, revealing her beautiful profile, and looked at Haru with a complicated expression. Only after saying those words did she finally leave.
"Saki-chan ! I just remembered—I have work in a bit, so…"
Watching Sakiko go, Uika panicked. She quickly turned to the dark-haired boy beside her, clearly flustered, but before she could finish her excuse, he gently patted her shoulder.
With a warm smile, Haru said,
"I got it. Go on after her."
"…Okay!"
Her eyes softened as she looked at him. Then she quickly changed her shoes and ran out after Sakiko.
No matter what, she had to talk to her. She had to make things right.
