2

“You need all the time you can get to get used to dogs, so you can walk me home.”

With that said, Mio took Haruto with her as she headed home from the park. They left Eita and Ena at the park, so Labby was the only other one with them. Labby walked a few feet ahead on the long leash, his tail wagging rhythmically from side to side. Haruto still looked tense just watching the dog.

She had never seen Haruto like that before. Usually in class, he was always making a ruckus, or laughing with all his buddies. He’d fall asleep during class, and if the teacher wasn’t getting on him about that, it was about being on his phone. Souma Haruto was the only boy Mio knew who could turn moments like those into something the whole class could laugh over.

He’d been like that ever since middle school. Mio could remember it like it was yesterday.

Final exams during their second year. The scratch of pencil on paper was the only sound in the whole classroom. Mio dropped her eraser, and it bounced away into who knew where. She couldn’t have found it even if she wanted to. She couldn’t take back any mistakes any more.

She should have just raised her hand and asked the presiding teacher to pick up her eraser. But the tense class atmosphere seemed to reject any kind of noise or interruption, and Mio couldn’t even bring her hand past her shoulder when she tried to raise it. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out.

That single moment of hesitation froze Mio permanently.

But then, the boy that sat in the desk next to her quickly reached out, whispered, “Use this,” and put his eraser on the edge of her desk.

That boy was Souma Haruto.

The teacher immediately went off on Souma for speaking during an exam, but he played it for laughs, and Mio got off scot-free.

He looked a lot more mature in the present, when she watched him now. Back then, he still had a very childish air to him. Even then, he had been tall, but now there was such a great distance that Mio had to look up to see him.

Their relationship had never really gone anywhere. They remained classmates, and they talked from time to time. Leaving things the way they were was safe and comfortable, and before Mio knew it, she got used to being safe and comfortable. She hadn’t even realized how accustomed she was to that comfortable separation. Not until their old middle school classmate Izumi Eita came back.

“So… thanks for today.”

“Huh?” Realizing she was being spoken to, Mio looked up at Haruto.

“I’m just grateful for what you did today. Are you doing alright with your exam prep?”

“It’s fine. I can’t spend all my time studying… besides, the family takes turns giving Labby walks.”

Labby walked ahead, completely content and unaware of their conversation. He was probably happy just to run around and play.

“I gotcha. But you really helped me out there.”

“You even got a compliment from Morikawa-san.”

“Well, yeah…”

Mio was just trying to keep the conversation flowing, but Haruto responded with genuine embarrassment. That made it hard to tease him. She didn’t know how to follow up on that. Realizing that he would never direct those kinds of feelings at her robbed her desire to keep talking.

“And how about you, Natsume?” Haruto asked, his tone forcibly bright as he changed the subject.

“What about me?”

“Oh, just wondering if you had a boyfriend or something.”

“…I don’t.” Mio tried to respond normally, but she didn’t think she succeeded. His question had been so unexpected that she had reflexively turned away. He definitely thought something was off.

Trying to dispel that anxiety, Mio continued, “All I can think about right now is entrance exams. I definitely don’t have time for something like that.”

She technically hadn’t said anything wrong, but she felt like she was making excuses nonetheless.

“Well, d’ya at least have someone you’re interested in?”

“…Well, kinda.” Mio wasn’t sure how to respond at first, but insisting that she didn’t seemed like a blatant lie, so she decided to just be vague. But there was a part of her that wondered how Haruto would respond if she gave a blunt affirmative.

“Oh, so you do.” Haruto nodded like he had come to some kind of conclusion. Mio hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. She ended up blurting out more than he asked for reflexively.

“I’ve actually had this one-sided crush for a while.”

“Really? Do I know the guy?” He took the bait that time.

“Probably,” Mio answered quietly.

“It wouldn’t be Eita?”

Talk about a swing and a miss. Mio’s disappointment gradually gave way to irritation. She stopped right there, biting her lower lip.

Haruto stopped a beat later, looking back questioningly.

Mio looked him straight in the eyes.

She could practically see the question mark over Haruto’s head as he blinked several times.

“Natsume?”

“…”

What would he do if she just up and told him? Would he take her seriously? But maybe it would just make him feel conflicted. Then again, maybe she wanted him to feel conflicted. She’d been holding it all in since middle school… surely she could allow herself that much relief.

Those were her thoughts, anyway.

But for all the thoughts she had, none of them could get her to actually say anything. And of course they couldn’t. If she could’ve said it there, then she would’ve said it a long time ago.

“Souma… You’re treading on some pretty thin ice here.”

So all she did was brush it off and put on a conflicted smile. Like it never happened.

“Oh, my bad. It’s just, everyone found out how I feel about Morikawa, right? Makes me wanna learn about everyone else.” Haruto put on a shy smile, turning to stare at the road signs.

“It’s fine, just…” Mio didn’t know what was fine. None of it was fine. That was why they were having the conversation.

She lowered her eyes, meeting Labby’s gaze, who had sat down to look up at her. Mio saw her skillfully practiced smile reflected in Labby’s eyes. Back to normal. She could switch up the mood.

“Here’s fine. Thanks for walking me home.”

“Okay.”

“Hope it goes well.”

“Huh?”

“Your romantic confession.”

Haruto gave another embarrassed, slightly pained smile, just as planned. But that went away quickly, replaced by his usual, bright grin. “Thanks for everything today, Natsume.”

Haruto walked off, waving. Mio waved back until he was out of sight.

She was smiling that whole time… with her skillfully practiced smile.