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V6 Chapter 5: Now the Tables Have Turned
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 13:47:03 +0000 UTC"You okay?"
The voice at her ear jolted Ijichi Nijika out of her thoughts. Steadying the box in her hands, she turned slightly and saw who had caught her, it was Kazami Haru.
The realization sent the little horns on her golden headband twitching in place. She instantly broke into flustered apologies, her tone full of panic.
"Sorry, Haru-san… I was in a bit of a rush and didn't watch where I was going!"
"Good thing I happened to be passing by, or that fall could've been nasty."
Seeing her so frazzled, Haru simply took the boxes from her arms without a second thought.
Even he found the pile of canned drinks heavy. Expecting someone as small and delicately built as Nijika to carry all that by herself (let alone being unable to see the road ahead) was asking for trouble.
She was probably like this all the time. Honestly, it was hard not to worry.
"S-sorry again…"
Scolded so gently, Nijika's head drooped like a wilted flower. Even the signature dorito on top of her head sagged a little.
It was such a contrast from her usual bright, bubbly energy that it almost didn't seem like the same girl.
"But don't underestimate me, Haru-san! I'm the drummer for Kessoku Band, remember? This kind of thing is no problem at all for me!"
Sensing the worry in his eyes, Nijika quickly set her load down and rolled up the sleeves of her white blouse, revealing her pale, slender arms.
Sure, as a drummer, she had decent strength, but her appearance didn't show it at all.
Haru's vaguely amused smile puffed her cheeks in frustration. Was he looking down on her?
"Hey! What's with that face, huh?! I do have muscles, you know! You can pinch them if you don't believe me!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Nijika regretted them. Her arm froze halfway in the air, and a soft blush crept up her neck.
What was she even saying?
H-Haru-san wouldn't take her seriously… right?
"Really?"
Haru, who'd just been rolling his eyes, suddenly perked up, looking genuinely curious.
From his expression, he clearly wasn't joking. Which only made the blush on Nijika's fair cheeks deepen.
Desperate to play it cool, she forced a smile, cheerful and bright like always. With her free hand, she gave a light pat to her endlessly flat chest.
With unwavering conviction, she declared, "...Of course! I carry Bocchi around all the time when she passes out! I've got real strength!"
Her words reached his ears, and he had to take a deep breath.
Crude or classy, he could no longer tell.
All he knew was that the moon was full, and not looking would be unappreciative.
Haru reached out and gently pinched the flesh of her bicep. Soft, smooth (no roughness at all), but beneath that silky surface, there was indeed a hint of muscle tone. She clearly trained hard as a drummer.
Mission Complete
Felt like life had come full circle.
"Why are you putting your hands together like you're praying?"
"Just... feeling thankful, that's all."
Nijika could sense his teasing tone even from his mock-reverent pose. Flustered, she gave his shoulder a gentle, pouty punch.
"Jeez~ Don't mess with me like that, Haru-san!"
…
Still chatting and teasing, the two of them exited the storeroom together, carrying the rest of the supplies. At the counter, Ijichi Seika looked over her shoulder just in time to catch sight of her sister's blushing face.
With a sigh, as if she'd been poked right in the nerve, she muttered with annoyance, "If you're going to flirt, at least don't do it in the store. Do it somewhere I don't have to watch."
"Sis! I-It's not like that!"
Nijika's mild embarrassment erupted into a deep red flush. She hugged the boxes to her chest and tried to explain, but her voice lost all strength in the process.
Seeing that look in her sister's eyes, she could only sneak an awkward glance at Haru.
Trying to redirect the conversation, Nijika quickly changed the subject.
"Haru-san! Thanks for helping me carry that… and now that things have quieted down, maybe it's time we talked about... well, our stuff!"
What, like setting a wedding date?
Nijika, of course, had no idea what sarcastic thoughts were running through Haru's mind. She expertly slipped behind the counter, grabbed two cans of KISS coffee, and handed one to him. Then, glancing toward her sister, she leaned in close.
"I, uh, snuck this one for you. Don't tell my sister, okay?"
Pretty sure the manager already saw everything.
From where he stood, Haru could make direct eye contact with Seika across the room. The older sister's cold smile made the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily.
Usually so kind, Seika now looked at him like he was some sleazebag trying to steal her precious little sister.
"Little Kita and Bocchi talked to me earlier today, you know, about the Haneoka Cultural Festival!"
Holding her coffee, Nijika gently shook her head, her voice full of that buoyant energy that always seemed to lift people up.
She raised her vivid red eyes to meet Haru's gaze, smiling as if recalling something from long ago.
Haru sipped his iced coffee and stared straight at the golden-haired angel before him.
"Nijika, do you think it's better to join in?"
"Of course it is! This is a once-in-a-lifetime stage for high schoolers. In a way, it's like our very own little Budokan!"
"Besides, Bocchi really looks like she wants to participate. I don't want her to have any regrets."
Ijichi Nijika rested her chin in one hand, legs swinging gently beneath her as she sat on the round stool. Her long, slender legs dangled in the air, pale and delicate.
Her face, already lovely like an angel's, bloomed into a bright, radiant smile.
But it was clear that wasn't the whole story. If Nijika truly had no doubts about joining the cultural festival live, there would've been no reason to call Kazami Haru here in the first place.
Clearly, something remained unresolved in her heart, something she couldn't decide alone, something she needed his help with.
Haru saw that right away. A glimmer of understanding passed through his deep black eyes, and he asked calmly,
"You're thinking about MyGO, aren't you?"
"Ah—"
Nijika hadn't expected him to go straight to the point. The bright smile on her face faltered slightly with embarrassment.
Scratching her cheek with a shy laugh, the golden-haired angel said quietly, "So I really can't hide anything from Haru-san, huh? You're right… I'm a bit hesitant about performing on the same stage as MyGO. But not because I'm afraid to go up against them…"
She trailed off, voice looping around the issue. Finally, she lifted her eyes and looked straight at Haru. Her hands, still clutching her canned coffee, trembled just a little as she gathered her courage.
"Haru-san… would you not perform in this live?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Haru's face. He hadn't expected her to think exactly the same way as he did.
"Please don't get the wrong idea! I'm not saying this because I want to exclude you or anything! It's just… if you perform for both bands, the audience might see it a certain way…"
"And I think… Kita-chan's taking this live really seriously. So I was wondering if maybe she and Anon were in some kind of rivalry…"
As if terrified that Haru might misunderstand her, Nijika flailed her arms a little, her voice flustered and rushed.
It was obvious how much she cared about his feelings. She didn't want him to feel hurt or rejected, not even a little.
Haru, who'd been moved by how in sync they were, now found himself amused by her panicked cuteness. He raised an eyebrow and said with mock sadness,
"That's a shame… I've been preparing for a while too…"
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!!"
Nijika instantly put her hands together in a desperate little apology. Her face looked so close to tears that Haru couldn't help but laugh.
Just as he was about to confess it was all a joke, the little angel across from him tugged on his sleeve.
"I didn't mean anything bad! I really just wanted to say I'm sorry… Haru, please don't be mad at me, okay?"
Her signature dorito drooped low, and her small, pouty face looked like a puppy that had been abandoned in the rain.
A sudden surge of guilt welled up in Haru. He gently reached out and patted her head.
"Of course I'm not mad at you. I was just joking earlier."
"Huh?"
Nijika blinked in confusion, her expression blank and adorable. Haru chuckled and gave her a quick rundown of the MyGO meeting.
When she realized they had the exact same thought all along, the girl who had been flustered just seconds ago flushed bright red and began pounding her tiny fists against Haru's chest like soft raindrops.
Only when he raised both hands and begged for mercy did she finally stop.
"…You're such an idiot."
"I'm really sorry. What can I do to make it up to you, Nijika?"
Now the tables had truly turned.
Her catlike eyes narrowed into slits. If this were a manga, she'd probably have grown fluffy cat ears right then. She tilted her head, golden ponytail shimmering in STARRY's warm lighting.
"I remember you bought paints and art supplies a while ago, right?"
"If… if you draw something for me, I'll forgive you."
She must have gathered every bit of courage she had to say that.
Back in the storeroom, Nijika had noticed the faint orange-red pigment on his sleeve, oil paint. That meant Haru had been painting again recently, and she couldn't stop thinking about it.
Something inside her heart stirred. A question took root.
Had he… dreamed the same dream?
"Draw something?"
Haru repeated her words, his thoughts drifting. Whether in the simulation or in real life, Nijika was always Nijika. In the simulation, he'd only managed to finish one portrait of her, right at the very end.
This time, he wanted her to see it, see it with her own eyes.
"Of course I'll draw for you. But don't expect too much, alright?"
"If it's a drawing from you, Haru, then I know it'll be perfect."
She reached out and gently held his left hand, the hand that held the brush. As she gazed down at it, she gripped it a little tighter. When she looked up again, her eyes held a tenderness and trust so deep, so warm, it made his heart skip a beat.
The sunlight in her eyes, the instant of pure warmth... It caught him off guard.
And Nijika, realizing what she'd just done, could feel the heat climbing up her cheeks.
"Hey! I already said that if you're going to flirt, get out of my store and do it somewhere else!"
The sharp voice of Seika-san, resident late-stage single woman, echoed across the café and made Nijika freeze in place like a startled deer.
She kept stealing glances at Kazami Haru, eyes dodging his as if trying to hide the feelings rising fast in her chest.
…
I don't want to give him to anyone.
That was Nagasaki Soyo's most honest thought in that moment.
Maybe it started when the "plan" was thrown off course by the butterfly effect. That's when she realized things were starting to spiral out of her control.
He was supposed to be her boyfriend by now, even kissed her before the start of the semester. But here they were, and their relationship hadn't advanced one bit.
Soyo was frustrated, especially after that dream, she'd only grown more restless.
"It's really getting hard to tolerate..."
Paper shopping bag in hand, Soyo strolled through the streets of Yokohama. The agitation that had filled her earlier slowly eased with each step.
She had dressed specifically for today: an off-shoulder, cream-colored, vintage-style maxi dress that hugged her graceful figure. Her soft elegance and maturity stood out even more than usual.
Soyo rarely came to Yokohama. The only reason she was here today was because Haru, under her subtle guidance, had finally taken the initiative to invite her over.
For someone who had known his address for a long time but never dared to act on it, this was a golden opportunity.
In the paper bag she carried were hand-picked scented oils and aromatherapy goods, intended as a gift for her emotionally-dense "husband."
"This should be the area... right?"
A refined, warm smile rose to Soyo's lips. Feeling her heartbeat speed up, she instinctively tightened her grip on the bag.
This time, she wouldn't let that flirt of a husband escape.
She was going to use this visit to conquer his heart once and for all. And once the moment was right, she'd make him beg, make him say, "I swear I won't see other women again," or she wouldn't let him off the hook.
Heart pounding, Soyo picked up her pace along the street, only to crash into someone as she turned the corner.
Raised on the polished manners of a noble-lady academy, she immediately adopted a graceful stance, soft brows furrowing slightly as she opened her mouth to apologize.
But the other person beat her to it. "I'm terribly sorry. Are you hurt?"
That voice… it sounded familiar…
Soyo narrowed her eyes instinctively. At the same moment, Togawa Sakiko, standing across from her, realized who she'd bumped into. It had been a long time since they'd met and now, of all places, they ran into each other here.
It felt like fate was having a laugh.
Even Soyo hadn't expected to run into Togawa Sakiko in Yokohama. But instead of pondering it, she simply smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, soft and sweet as ever.
"What a surprise, running into you here, Saki-chan. What a coincidence~"
It really was a coincidence.
Togawa Sakiko furrowed her brows, eyeing Soyo with clear suspicion. Why was she in Yokohama of all places? Soyo lived near Shinjuku, there was no good reason for her to be here.
Meeting in such an out-of-the-way place made it hard not to suspect an ulterior motive.
Just as Sakiko was about to say something, Soyo clapped her hands together and spoke again, smiling as if they were old friends.
"I'd love to catch up, but I actually have something really important to do in a bit…"
"So I'll be taking my leave this time, but let's talk again soon, okay?"
With that, Soyo waved her hand in farewell and turned away without hesitation, the paper bag swinging at her side, leaving Sakiko behind in stunned confusion.
It almost felt like she was using a push-pull tactic.
Still, since Soyo didn't press the issue, Sakiko wasn't about to either. She had her own important matters to deal with.
Not far ahead, Soyo allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. As their eyes each drifted off in separate directions, both women happened to arrive at the same thought.
"There's no way she knows… I'm about to go see Haru~"
