Even though having his embarrassing moment dragged up and laughed at—especially by a girl he liked—made his insides twist in discomfort, seeing Utaha laugh so happily... Whatever, it's a bit awkward, but it's fine.
"I really can't win with you."
Perhaps infected by her joyful laughter, Miyahito relaxed his mind. The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted, the curve growing wider.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, Aragaki Miyahito. Their laughter filled the vast blue sky.
After the laughter subsided.
"Hey." Breathing slightly heavily, Utaha turned her face, the corners of her eyes still holding residual amusement as she looked at the relaxed boy beside her. Her lips curved as she spoke.
"Aragaki-kun, why did you run away that day? Am I that scary?"
Hearing this, Miyahito turned to look at her and shook his head.
Then, he withdrew his gaze, looking up at the blue sky above.
"Maybe I was just embarrassed. After all, I never expected..." His voice suddenly grew much quieter here: "...that you would appear right in front of me."
"Hmm? Aragaki-kun, what did you say? I didn't catch that."
"Uh uh, nothing."
"Really? Suspicious. You're not talking bad about me, are you?"
"No way." Miyahito chuckled helplessly. "For a great girl like you, how could I ever speak ill of you? Not even in a lifetime."
"Is... is that so...."
Feeling as if her heart had just been hit by a direct fastball, Utaha looked away, her cheeks flushing as she muttered softly.
"D-don't just say things like that, Aragaki-kun."
"?"
Confused, Miyahito mentally threw up a question mark.
Just saying things? What did I say?
Stealing a glance at him, seeing his face completely devoid of any awareness of what he'd said, Utaha suddenly had the illusion that she was the fool.
Noticing her sigh, Miyahito grew even more confused.
What's going on?
After chatting casually on the rooftop for a while longer, The lunch break bell rang.
Hearing it simultaneously, both Miyahito and Utaha instinctively looked toward the sports field outside the fence.
Noticing the students walking back toward the school building from the field, Miyahito subconsciously said,
"Lunch break's over already. Time really flies."
Hearing this, Utaha naturally replied,
"Yeah, it really does go by fast."
However, what Miyahito failed to notice was this: when he spoke, his gaze was fixed on the outdoor sports field below. But when Utaha replied, her eyes were locked onto his profile.
"Let's head back to class."
"Yeah."
.....
As the two walked down from the rooftop, nearing the first-year floor, Miyahito suddenly stopped. Utaha, as if unaware, naturally walked past him and continued down the stairs. Only after her figure disappeared around the corner did Miyahito wait another two or three seconds before finally resuming his descent.
Honestly, neither of them knew why they had tacitly agreed to hide the fact that they had spent lunch break together on the rooftop.
Even if someone found out, it wouldn't really affect them. At worst, people would suspect they were dating. But in reality, both knew their relationship was just that of simple, ordinary friends who shared common interests (reading novels, listening to music). They weren't even close friends yet.
Even so, by unspoken agreement, they chose to keep it hidden.
Back in Class C, as Utaha was about to return to her seat, she faintly overheard a clique of girls gossiping about her again.
Really, they have too much free time.
Accustomed to her classmates' whispers, Utaha didn't mind. But she knew better than anyone how much pressure rumors could put on a person.
That was exactly why she chose to hide it.
She didn't want Miyahito to have to endure or grow used to that kind of pressure, just like she did.
It's enough that I handle it alone. Aragaki-kun... well, he should just stay happy and continue being their prince.
Her expression calm, she withdrew her gaze and naturally returned to her seat as if nothing had happened. Sitting down, she bent to pull a bunkobon from her desk-hanging bag, quietly reading it spread across her desk.
The girls gossiping, mistaking her silence for ignorance, unconsciously raised their voices.
"Hey, I heard Kasumigaoka-san was picked up after school in a sports car."
"Yeah, I heard Eika from Class D saw it."
"Eh... a sports car? We're just high schoolers. Kasumigaoka's something else."
"Tell me about it. Didn't she say she's from Wakō City? For such a rural place, could she be from a landowning family?"
"No way, that's too far-fetched, right?"
Just as their gossip grew increasingly outlandish, a familiar voice cut in.
"I agree, it's pretty far-fetched."
"Eh?"
"Aragaki-san."
"Miyahito-kun....."
The girls stared in surprise at Miyahito, who was leaning against the hallway windowsill, eyes slightly narrowed, smiling at them. Hearing them call his name, he didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his left index finger, pressing it lightly to his lips. His tone was light but carried an unmistakable firmness.
"I've always thought it's incredibly lucky to become classmates with strangers our age."
"Don't you agree?"
Hearing his unspoken warning, the girls exchanged glances, then lowered their heads into silence.
Seeing this, Miyahito showed no particular reaction.
Just then.
"Miyahito! What are you doing over there? We gotta change in the locker room!"
"Coming! You guys go ahead!"
Shouting back to Tooru, who was urging him to hurry, Miyahito straightened up in the hallway. He turned back, his gaze calm as he looked at the Class C girls one last time.
"Sorry about that. Next time, I think it'd be better if you just called me Aragaki-san."
"After all, I don't even know your name."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Left behind were the girls, heads bowed, silently returning to their seats, along with a few Class C classmates wearing amused, gossiping expressions.
And, unbeknownst to them, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had quietly put away her book, her earlobes slightly flushed as she gazed out the window.
Accompanied by her soft complaint.
"Mou, you busybody, Aragaki-kun."
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