Tokyo, Toyogasaki Academy, School Courtyard.
As summer arrived and the temperatures climbed, the group of five who usually spent their lunch breaks on the rooftop moved their base to the cool, shaded courtyard.
While sitting under the trees, chatting and eating lunch, Utaha noticed something off about Miyahito sitting beside her.
He looked worried.
Instinctively setting down the bento he'd made for her, she gently reached up, her fingertips lightly touching his furrowed brow, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Seeing this, Kyoko and the others, who were about to tease them for being lovey-dovey again, noticed Miyahito's distracted expression. They instantly dropped their playful moods and looked at him seriously.
"Hmm?" Snapping out of his daze, Miyahito looked at Tooru's serious face, then turned to Utaha, who was still gently massaging his brow.
Noticing the concern in her eyes, he gently caught her wrist and said, "It's nothing, really."
"Everyone, just keep eating."
But neither Utaha nor the others listened. They just silently watched him.
Finally, feeling the weight of their stares, Miyahito sighed and gave in. "I just suddenly got a bad feeling. That's all."
A bad feeling?
The four exchanged glances. Tooru let out a dry laugh. "Seriously, Miyahito? Finals are still half a month away. You're already feeling the pressure?"
"Don't tell me you're gonna scrape by in science again?"
Remembering his terrible science grades, Kyoko and Yuki joined in mercilessly.
"Told you to study science, but you never listen."
"Well, it's not all bad. As long as Miyahito's science score anchors the bottom, I feel pretty secure."
"That's harsh, Yuki. That's a personal attack."
Shooting a look at the girl pretending to be cute, Miyahito clutched his head and wailed dramatically, "Ahhh! Why does science even exist! Just destroy the world already!"
Even Utaha couldn't stand it anymore.
She lightly tapped his forehead, her tone slightly stern. "Don't say things like that about the world."
Miyahito froze.
"Pfft, hahaha!" Tooru couldn't help but burst out laughing at his friend's bewildered expression.
Kyoko and Yuki, covering their mouths, both gave Utaha a thumbs-up.
Yep. Only Utaha can successfully roast Miyahito.
Anyone else doing it just wouldn't hit the same.
Annoyed at being laughed at, Miyahito glanced sideways, giving a disdainful look at Tooru (who was laughing hardest) and Yuki (who looked the most gleeful).
Then he suddenly said, "Heh. Even if my science is trash, I still ranked 8th in the midterms."
"I wonder how those 'little geniuses' who beat me by one or two points in science... fared in the overall rankings? Let me think~~"
In a blink, the tables turned.
Watching Tooru and Yuki look like they'd swallowed flies, Miyahito laughed loudly, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Yeah, exactly like an anime villain.
Watching the three of them tear each other down like they were trying to take each other down with them, Kyoko and Utaha exchanged helpless glances and sighed in unison.
"Sigh..."
The next second, both girls couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing their laughter, Miyahito, Tooru, and Yuki (who was nearly spiraling into self-deprecation from the crossfire) all paused.
Then, they all started laughing together.
...
With the cheerful lunch atmosphere, time flew to dismissal.
With finals approaching, Tooru and Yuki, who usually liked to hang out after school, decided to follow Kyoko's example and head straight home.
As for Miyahito?
He didn't rush out the moment the bell rang.
After packing his bag, he waited in the classroom until most students had left.
Then, he walked out, crossed his arms, and leaned lightly against the windowsill in the corridor between Class B and Class C.
He waited quietly until the hallway mostly cleared out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Stepping out of Class C, Utaha, carrying her bag in front of her, smiled warmly at Miyahito.
"I'm used to it." Shrugging, Miyahito pouted playfully, feigning a bit of grievance. "Well, waiting is worth it if I get to walk home with Lady Utaha."
"Oh my, let me take a closer look." Leaning forward slightly, Utaha looked up at his pouting face, blinking playfully. "Whose poor, neglected child is this?"
"Yours," he shot back, seeing the teasing glint in her eyes.
"Alright, alright. Mine it is." Her smile growing more doting, Utaha slowly reached out, gently pinching his cheek, and chuckled. "There, there. Stop pouting."
"I'll treat you to your favorite nut ice cream later, okay?"
Miyahito didn't say yes or no. He just raised an eyebrow. "Three scoops?"
Hearing this, Utaha deliberately wiped the smile from her face, her pinching hand giving a light shake. "One at most."
"Too little. Two."
"One and a half."
"Deal!"
Reaching an agreement, the two chatted and laughed as they left Toyogasaki Academy.
A short while later.
Holding a matcha soft-serve cone, Utaha took a small bite of the tip, then playfully offered it to Miyahito's lips, whispering, "Here, say ahh~~"
"Eh? Again?" Holding a small spoon in one hand and a cup of ice cream balls in the other, Miyahito sighed helplessly. "Utaha."
"Come on, I don't mind." Still smiling, she pushed the cone slightly closer to his mouth. "Don't tell me Mr. Miyahito hasn't graduated from youthful fantasies about 'indirect kisses' yet?"
Look at that. A literary genius's words are just unanswerable.
Leaving him with no good comeback.
With a helpless expression, Miyahito opened his mouth, took a small bite, and pretended to casually savor the flavor while subtly looking away.
But his little act didn't escape Utaha's notice.
Watching his embarrassed reaction, a mischievous glint in her wine-red eyes, she pulled her hand back and lightly licked the sweet ice cream.
After walking a bit in comfortable silence, eating their respective treats, Utaha suddenly asked, "What was wrong during lunch?"
"The Miyahito I know rarely looks that stressed over exams."
Miyahito paused.
Well, of course he couldn't hide anything from the genius girl.
"Really, it's nothing." Spreading his hands with a wry smile, he said, "I just suddenly got a feeling like something's coming."
"?"
"How do I put it..." Forgetting his words, he scratched his cheek. Thinking it over, he hesitantly explained, "It feels like I'm about to take the fall for something I didn't do."
"You know what I mean, right? Utaha."
But seeing her blank expression, he realized she didn't quite get it.
"Probably just my imagination." He scratched his head, frustrated. "I can't really explain it."
"Maybe someone out of sight is setting me up to take the blame for something."
"That's not a thing."
Seeing his helpless, slightly pouty expression, Utaha couldn't help but smile.
"Don't look so skeptical, Utaha." Remembering the times he'd been blamed for nothing as a kid, Miyahito sighed with a headache. "I've had this exact premonition a few times when I was little."
"And then I'd end up taking the..."
Before he could finish, a bright, cheerful girl's voice suddenly cut in.
"Eh, Big Brother?"
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