Insomnia gripped him the entire night. No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't figure out why he had run away on the rooftop yesterday afternoon.
Twisting on the sofa, rolling onto the carpet, tumbling down the stairs... After hours of restless tossing and turning, he finally just stared blankly at the ceiling until dawn broke. Still unable to pinpoint a reason, he silently told himself:
If I can't figure it out, I'll stop overthinking. I just need to get my mindset in order from now on.
She's not the senpai from your memories. She's just your grade-mate, Kasumigaoka Utaha from Class C.
Act natural. Be confident. Don't overthink it when you interact! She's just a classmate.
Yeah... just a female classmate in a different section. I'll treat her like I do the others.
Fortunately, aside from Yuki and Kyoko, he generally followed a "no unnecessary communication" rule with other girls. So, even with Kasumigaoka... he could just stick to that principle without any mental burden.
Though that was his resolution, could he really pull it off when facing a girl who looked exactly like the senpai he'd been infatuated with for two lifetimes? Or could Aragaki Miyahito truly maintain his composure in front of "Kasumigaoka Utaha"?
That was a question only time could answer.
"Haa..." His tangled thoughts finally easing slightly, he let out a huge yawn. But the moment he relaxed, the exhaustion from a sleepless night crashed down on him. Trying to check the time to see if he could catch a quick nap, he stiffly turned his head.
Unfortunately, ever since rolling off the sofa last night, he'd been lying flat on the carpet with just a pillow under his head, completely motionless from the early hours until now, when the sky was already bright.
"Ow, ow..." Just turning his face to the left made him hear his joints popping. Focusing his bleary eyes, completely drained, he forced his sluggish brain to read the wall clock.
"Eight... thirteen? Oh, it's already past eight."
Failing to immediately grasp what that meant, he drowsily closed his eyes.
The next second.
"Oh my god! It's already past eight!?"
Instantly jolted awake, he shot up. Face pale with shock and disbelief, he clutched his head in panic, words tumbling out rapidly.
"What do I do, what do I do? It's already eight!"
"I still have to go back to Chiba! Ahhh! Damn it, I was too distracted last night! I forgot to make a cake for Ayase!!!!"
"It's over, it's over! It's too late to make one now. I'm gonna disappoint her."
Face grim, completely forgetting about sleep, he stared in despair at the spotless kitchen, which showed zero signs of use from the previous night.
"It's over, it's over...."
After the peaceful Saturday morning turned into a chaotic scramble, Miyahito only managed to pack his holiday homework and the 60% completed Mechanical Crown soundtrack into his backpack. Yawning, shoulders slumped in defeat, he headed out. He was off to the nearby Shinkansen station to catch a train back to his family home in Chiba.
Just as he stood at the door, keys in hand, about to lock up...
"Good morning, Miyahito."
"Oh, it's just you, Kei." Turning to glance at the courtyard gate, Miyahito forced back his sleepiness and gave a drowsy, goofy smile. "Morning, Kei."
"Wow, those are some serious dark circles." Covering her mouth slightly, Kei looked at him in mild shock, then sighed helplessly. "Miyahito, did you pull another all-nighter writing songs?"
"Ah... yeah. I kinda lost track of time." He almost blurted out "No, I just couldn't sleep because of a girl," but caught himself just in time.
"Mou, Miyahito, you really need to watch your sleep schedule," Kei said, her tone sounding uncannily like his mother. "You can't just stay up all night every day, Miyahito...."
"Yeah, yeah, no more next time. Just let this one slide, okay? Come on, Kei." Recognizing the familiar nagging tone, he quickly cut her off with a placating smile.
"Really?" Honestly, his "I won't do it again" had long lost credibility with her. After spending so much time together, she knew her idol "Miyani" was completely clueless about daily life, especially when it came to taking care of himself. She'd heard him say firsthand: "Huh? Dinner? Bread and fruit are fine for me. Cooking for one is such a hassle." Hearing that, both she and her brother Miyuki had just sighed helplessly, mentally categorizing him under "A guy we can't just leave alone." Now, whenever possible, they'd invite him over for dinner every few days. Nothing fancy, but at least it ensured the solo-living freshman got a hot meal and some soup.
"Miyahito, really, no more next time." Unfortunately, since he was both a senior and her ultimate idol, she couldn't lecture him as harshly as she did her own brother.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Feeling guilty, he didn't dare resist. He just weakly raised a hand, offering a slightly ingratiating promise.
"Alright." Realizing she couldn't win, Kei looked away, a faint blush touching her cheeks.
Oblivious to her reaction, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in relief. As expected of the President's sister. So commanding even at this age. Basically a miniature version of President Shirogane. He mused silently, locked the gate, and walked out with his backpack.
Kei instinctively fell into step beside him. "Miyahito, are you going somewhere far?" Seeing his luggage, she asked curiously.
"Yeah, heading back to Chiba for the weekend." He turned and briefly explained.
"I see." Nodding in understanding, images of Ayase popped into her mind, and her lips curved into a smile. "I kinda miss Ayase-chan too."
"Then when I get back, I'll ask if she wants to come visit next week." Checking his phone for ticket info, he said without looking up.
"Mhm. If she's coming, let me know in advance, Miyahito." Kei nodded with a gentle smile. "We can go watch a movie together then."
"Oh, sounds good." Having just bought his Shinkansen ticket, he looked up and smiled at the already-planning Kei. "I'll leave Ayase in your care, then."
"Miyahito, aren't you coming?"
"Nah, you two go ahead. I'll give Ayase some spending money anyway."
"Eh, no need! I can cover it."
Hearing her earnest refusal, he chuckled internally. What a good girl. Yeah, I should let Ayase and Kei hang out more.
"It's fine, you don't need to pay for her. I'm not letting my little sister and her best friend's first outing be on their dime."
"Ugh... fine, let's split it then."
"That's more like it."
Chatting lightly, they soon arrived at his destination.
"Take care, Miyahito."
"Yeah. I'm off then."
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