For Misumi Uika, going shopping with others was nothing special.
Even as a popular idol who often appeared on the big screen, she sometimes went out incognito with Sumita Mana, wandering the streets and enjoying those uniquely girlish pastimes. Such moments were essential for easing the crushing pressure on her shoulders.
But today's seemingly ordinary "shopping trip" felt entirely different.
"A-san, make sure you hold on tight. If the crowd pushes us apart, that would be bad."
The voice wasn't loud, yet it rang with such steady strength that, when it reached Uika's ears, it felt as though warmth had seeped directly into her bloodstream, spreading to every corner of her body. It nearly melted away the calm composure she always maintained.
Perhaps it was because the street was holding its annual year-end festival. Alongside the stalls and booths of the fair came a surging tide of people, pressing shoulder to shoulder in both directions. Uika and Haru were caught in the middle, inching forward step by step with difficulty.
To keep them from being separated in the crush, Haru had insisted that Uika hold firmly onto him.
"I-I'll hold on tight!"
But she didn't take his hand.
Knowing full well that, for now, she was nothing more than a "friend," Uika didn't want to overstep and risk annoying him. So, even though it was difficult, she only let her slender fingers cling to Haru's sleeve.
The flow of people brushing past on all sides nearly knocked her off balance.
But Uika didn't feel it was hard at all.
Even if she couldn't truly hold the hand of the black-haired boy she longed for, she was content with this tiny connection between them. Just grasping the sleeve of his jacket filled her with a quiet, genuine joy.
If only things could stay this way forever...
"Ah?!"
A girl with short golden hair and a vivid red ribbon squeezed past. Small in stature, she brushed against Uika's arm, and the hand that had been holding tightly onto his sleeve slipped loose. In an instant, her only tether to him slipped away like a fish darting from her grasp.
Uika's violet eyes flew wide open, staring in shock at her own empty fingers.
"Haru… Haru-kun!"
Her panicked cry was swallowed whole by the clamor of the crowd, as useless as a stone sinking into the sea.
If they were separated here, who knew how long it would take to find him again.
"Ugh!"
Uika tried desperately to push forward through the tide of bodies, straining to get closer to him. But against the flood of people, her strength was nothing at all. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't gain so much as a step. Even when every ounce of her strength was spent, the distance between them remained.
In this crush of bodies on every side, her outstretched hand couldn't reach.
She could only watch helplessly as that hand grew farther away.
She couldn't get closer.
No matter what she did, her fingertips could never brush his. No matter how hard she tried, their fates seemed unable to cross. It was as if an unseen, untouchable barrier stood between them.
For Uika, perhaps this was the ending that destiny had decreed...
"…"
Her eyes dulled as she stared ahead. In the blink of an eye, even the outline of his black-haired figure was lost.
Frustration and a hollow sense of inferiority welled up in her chest. She parted her lips, as if to speak, but no words came. Instead, a faint, bitter smile tugged at her face.
So it's the same after all.
Even though Takamatsu Tomori and Wakaba Mutsumi had gone out of their way to give her this rare chance alone with Haru, her own weakness had ruined it again. Maybe this was nothing more than her just deserts.
After all...
She had fallen for someone she was never meant to love, and done things she should never have done.
"I told you to hold on tight, didn't I?"
That familiar voice, warm and steady, rang in her ears.
Uika lifted her head, dazed, just as a sudden warmth filled her hand. She blinked in shock. The boy with black hair, calm and serious as always, was right there, his hand wrapped firmly around hers. At some point, he had pushed his way through the crowd to reach her.
Their fingers intertwined, locking tight.
"Haru-kun…?"
She could hardly believe it. No matter how she had struggled, she hadn't been able to move even an inch closer. But he had forced his way across the throng, just to take her hand?
Her stifled heart flared crimson, its sluggish beat quickening into a fierce, urgent rhythm. Dazed, she stared at her right hand locked with his, the warmth flooding straight through her palm and into her spine.
Haru pulled hard, yanking her out of the crowd.
He drew her close until there was no distance left between them. With his hand resting firmly on her shoulder, Uika tilted her head up, her violet eyes gleaming like starlight, luminous as lavender under the sun.
"Now make sure you really hold on. We were this close to being separated."
Haru finally let out a long breath, feeling the delicate, icy touch of her hand. Fortunately, he had been through incidents like this more than once before, back during the Summer Festival Live. By now, he knew exactly how to handle them.
A hero doesn't flee the field, and he never fails at the same place twice.
"…I-I understand."
Her mind was completely blank as he held her in his arms. With her cap pulled low, her face was hidden, but from this close Haru could see the faint blush glowing beneath the silk-like strands of her golden hair.
She couldn't think anymore.
From the moment his hand gripped her shoulder, Uika's thoughts had scattered. The faint floral fragrance unique to him filled her senses, and with her eyes glazed, she let her forehead rest gently against his chest.
"..."
Haru watched the blonde girl in his arms with a subtle expression. Even though her face was mostly hidden, he could still see her features. That fair, beautiful face was slowly softening, touched with happiness, like someone sinking into the warmth of a winter morning bed.
He could almost imagine an invisible fluffy tail wagging behind her.
Uika carried a faint scent of camellia, the fragrance of an idol who always took care with her appearance. If he leaned close, he could catch a trace of the shampoo from her golden hair. Her pale, well-cared-for skin looked so smooth and tender it seemed as if water would bead on it at a touch.
To others, she was the "cool" and "mature" member of Sumimi. Yet here she was, blushing furiously, shrinking shyly into his arms, her bangs brushing softly against his chin.
She was so unbearably cute that for a moment, he didn't know how to praise her.
"This crowd must have gathered for the parade. Let's move along the outer edge."
Haru shook his head slightly, pulling his focus back. He tightened his grip on Uika's right hand and began edging toward the perimeter, afraid she might get swept away again. Her cold hand was heating up fast, almost feverishly.
Even once they left the crush of people, their hands didn't part.
"This should be far enough, right?"
"…I-I'm sorry! It's my fault for being careless and making you worry so much."
Her flushed cheeks burned with embarrassment as she apologized, the warmth of his hand and his faint fragrance making her feel hazy. She wasn't sure whether she ought to let go or keep holding on.
Since it was Haru who had taken her hand, it didn't count as her being pushy, right?
But now that they were out of the crowd, if she still kept holding on, would it give him the wrong impression?
Her heart twisted between desire and restraint, her fingertips trembling. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke in a tentative voice, "That was really dangerous just now. Luckily we made it out of the crowd safely…"
Now that they had escaped, wasn't there no reason to keep holding hands?
From beginning to end, Uika thought only of Haru's feelings. She feared that even the smallest gesture, even an offhand word, might cause him discomfort.
No matter how reluctant she was, she understood what it meant to stop at the right time.
Uika was a greedy girl, but for the one she loved, she could endure anything.
"…"
Haru studied her anxious little face with a thoughtful look, then spoke with a trace of amusement. "It does look like we're safe now. There's no need to hold on so tightly."
"Y-yes, you're right."
Panic flashed in Uika's eyes as she instinctively began to slip her hand free.
But just as their fingers started to part, warmth enveloped her palm once again. Startled, she looked down to see her hand still firmly caught in his, her expression both tense and adorably flustered.
"H-Haru-kun…?"
Haru chuckled inwardly, then said outright, "It's true we don't need to hold on so tightly anymore. But we could still keep holding hands, just lightly. If the crowd swells again, it might be too late to react. And if we stay closer, it'll keep your hat or sunglasses from being knocked off."
"What do you think, A-san?"
It was a bit of an excuse, but the truth was he didn't intend to let go.
"…Th-that makes sense! It's better to stay prepared."
Uika's heart swelled with sweetness. Relieved, she finally relaxed and let herself openly enjoy the touch of his hand. Their shoulders brushed now and then, their closeness making her gaze grow hazy.
Had she drawn closer to him?
She had believed that as "Uika," she could never take another step forward. But this unexpected joy left her both nervous and thrilled. She was terrified she might mismanage this closeness and make him uncomfortable.
Yet the hand she once thought forever out of reach was now held firmly in hers.
For her, this was a tremendous step forward in love.
If things went on like this, wouldn't it be natural to confess to him, start dating, spend this unforgettable night as a couple? And then, when she inevitably had to quit being an idol…
What if she became a mother?
Uika had no experience as a "mother," but she had heard from classmates at Hanasakigawa Academy that education for the baby began even before birth. In that case, she could ask Haru to play piano as prenatal music, couldn't she?
Ah! What should they name the baby after it was born?
But before that, she would have to change her surname to Kazami. She would be "Kazami Uika." Shouldn't she start bridal training now? She wasn't good at chores like laundry or cooking…
Wait, she could ask Mutsumi for help and work hard together with her!
Though at least she was decent at sewing. Maybe she should start making baby clothes in advance. Children grew quickly, so she would have to make several sizes.
"…"
Haru had no idea what was going through her mind. But he could feel it clearly, her temperature was climbing as though she had a fever. When she had been pressed against him just now, she had been burning like a small furnace.
The heat of Uika's body seemed to speak of the fire in her blood.
Haru gradually pushed aside the strange thoughts in his head. Giving the girl's delicate hand a gentle tug, he said softly, "Now that we're away from the crowd, the festival here in the shopping street feels much more open."
"There's still some time before the performance. Why don't we take this chance to look around the stalls? After all, during the summer festival last time, you couldn't join because of work, right?"
But even after he finished asking, the blonde girl at his side still walked with her head bowed, completely absorbed in her own little world.
"Uika?"
"Eh? S-sorry! I just spaced out for a moment!"
Flustered, the blonde girl waved her hands in a panic. In her agitation, she seemed to unleash some secret martial technique, her arms moving so quickly it almost left afterimages.
Just what on earth was she thinking about? Wasn't she getting way ahead of herself?
Her lips pressed together as a faint blush lingered on her porcelain face, her beauty like a scene from a painting. Her eyes, romantic and bright like butterflies in the night, blinked quickly, and her long lashes trembled with every flutter.
Seeing her like this, Haru raised his eyebrows slightly, a teasing smile at the corner of his lips.
"Were you thinking about me?"
The black-haired boy's smile carried its usual effortless charm, and the girl who had only just managed to calm herself turned bright red again in an instant. Her bashful eyes darted away, her words tangled and stumbling.
"Th-this, um, I was actually just…"
Seeing Uika struggle to even form a reply, Haru decided to let her off and chuckled. "It's fine. I only wanted to ask if you'd like to look around the festival with me, A-san."
"I'd love to!"
Why did her heart skip again? Today it felt like she was the only one constantly swept away by her own feelings.
She was supposed to be the one winning Haru over, but instead, Uika felt like her defenses were being taken down one by one. She was the one being captured, stumbling helplessly deeper and deeper.
No, she had to stay calm.
Clutching his hand a little tighter, she reminded herself of her resolve. Today's confession was her final card, her everything. No matter what, she had to make Haru's heart beat for her.
…
"Haru should be at Evening Primrose in Ikebukuro right now."
After pressing her again and again, Wakaba Mutsumi had finally revealed his whereabouts.
The blue-haired girl with messy strands quickened her steps. Urgency pushed her onward, her anxious heart demanding she move faster. The more she hurried, the harder it became to suppress the sting at the corners of her swollen eyes.
A mist of tears threatened to spill at any moment. She tried to swallow her sobs down to small, shaky breaths, but the crushing weight of grief and frustration gnawed at her courage.
Togawa Sakiko still couldn't accept it. She couldn't accept that Haru was already engaged to Wakaba Mutsumi.
She hadn't even had the chance to begin. The efforts she had been prepared to give, the feelings that had crystallized within her over time, all shattered into fragments before they could reach him.
"What have I… been doing all this time?"
Looking around her, wasn't it true that she hadn't protected anything at all?
Her steps faltered. She swayed as if she might collapse on the spot, yet Sakiko clenched her teeth and forced herself upright, her thin fingers curling into small fists.
What pushed her forward now was simply the need to see him.
Even if, when they met, she wouldn't know what to say. Maybe she would demand to know why he had hidden Mutsumi from her. Maybe she would question him about this so-called "harem" or maybe, she only wanted to know what he truly felt about her.
Either way, she had to see him.
She wanted to see him so badly.
"…."
No matter how much her heart ached, Sakiko stubbornly refused to cry.
Each step forward brought back fragments of her dream, beautiful memories of a future she had imagined. But those dreams, that future, were nothing more than wishful thinking. From beginning to end, she had only ever been an outsider.
"Haru isn't just mine alone. If it's you, Sakiko, then I..."
That voice still echoed in her mind. Sakiko shook her head fiercely, trying to throw it away. How was she supposed to accept this truth?
Their fates were meant to be intertwined.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.