Meanwhile, Kazamiya sat opposite Sara, trying to chat her up.
Sara responded smoothly, but her eyes kept drifting toward Haruya’s side.
(…That stare is burning, Himekawa-san.)
And Rin? She kept sneaking glances at him too.
With his nerves already frayed, even the slightest look felt amplified.
“……Hey, can I ask you something?”
Suddenly, Yūna, sitting in front of me, called out.
“What’s up?”
When I replied, her cheeks flushed slightly before she continued.
“……I’m too embarrassed to say this twice, so listen up. What kind of gestures from the opposite sex make your heart skip a beat?”
By the time she finished speaking, she had straightened her posture and turned her face away from Haruya.
“……Huh? That’s pretty sudden.”
“Sorry. I just thought it might help with scriptwriting…… You’re pretty mysterious, Akasaki-kun, so you’re perfect for character analysis……”
“Even so……”
Favorite type in the opposite sex. Out of nowhere, a romance topic.
For Yūna—no, Nayu’s script, Haruya wanted to help, but talking face-to-face about preferences and gestures was still kinda embarrassing.
But Haruya had decided earlier that morning—no weird thoughts—so he managed to answer Yūna’s question more calmly than expected.
“If I had to say my type, probably someone with a cute smile who’s easy to talk to. As for gestures… maybe tucking their hair behind their ear or tying it up?”
“Heeh.”
Yūna’s eyes widened with interest.
Even when asked about his type, nothing came to mind immediately, so Haruya just listed traits common among heroines from shoujo manga he liked.
Was there something weird about that…? It felt pretty safe, though.
Tilting his head slightly in confusion, Yūna quickly added, “N-No, it’s not strange or anything……”
“It’s just… I was surprised how normal it was. Thanks…… It’s helpful.”
“Well, if that helped, then sure……”
At least he’d escaped the awkwardness—Haruya let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But Rin didn’t seem satisfied. She poked his arm with her finger.
“……What’s up?”
“……Details.”
“Huh?”
Her voice was so soft he barely caught it.
Leaning slightly toward her, he brought his ear closer.
Then, with a cute little sigh, she whispered:
“……Can you tell me more about that type and gestures you like?”
“Eh……”
Not expecting further probing, Haruya let out a flustered sound.
“……Because your answer, Akasaki-kun…… it’s something that could apply to anyone. Right, Yūna-rin? Aren’t you curious too?”
Rin glanced at Yūna, pleading for backup.
The moment Haruya turned to look—yep.
She was avoiding his gaze too.
“……True. Rin has a point. Akasaki-kun…… anything else?”
“Uh… good hygiene?”
“That’s still too generic!”
“……Yeah. Like Rin said, it’s too basic. Nothing else?”
“…… What about you two, then?”
Being stared down by both of them made his face burn.
“Huh? Me?”
“……W-Well, that’s……”
In unison, they replied:
“We’ll tell you after you answer properly!”
Their gazes locked onto him, silently declaring: No escape.
(Ugh, spare me…… Just get us to the destination already…)
The calm scenery outside the train window should’ve soothed his nerves—but Haruya’s heart refused to settle.
After about an hour of swaying on the train,
Haruya managed to scrape together traits from shoujo manga heroines he liked and pass them off as his own preferences, narrowly escaping the interrogation. The two girls still seemed unsatisfied, but they must’ve realized they wouldn’t get anything more out of him.
Now, exhausted from the conversation, silence hung over their seats.
Across the aisle, Sara and Kazamiya were still chatting quietly.
(——So, what am I supposed to do about this?)
A small weight pressed against Haruya’s shoulder.
Glancing over, he saw Kohinata, fast asleep with her head resting on him.
Since they’d gathered early in the morning, her napping wasn’t surprising.
But her soft, rhythmic breathing was way too close.
Her warmth, her scent, the occasional brush of her silky hair—all of it was unbearably distracting.
Flustered, he turned his gaze to the window.
The lush green countryside had given way to an endless stretch of ocean.
The glittering reflection of the sun on the water was mesmerizing.
“Akasaki-kun… I get being captivated by the view, but you’ve been ignoring Rin… Don’t go getting any weird ideas, okay……?”
Yūna murmured, propping her cheek on her hand.
How am I supposed to not be aware?! She’s literally using my shoulder as a pillow!
Not to mention, he had to be careful not to wake her.
“……I’m not having weird thoughts.”
“R-Really? Seemed like you looked away because you couldn’t handle seeing Rin’s face……”
“……Ugh.”
“Hit the mark, didn’t I?”
Yūna smirked—just for a second.
Then, after checking no one else was listening, she leaned in.
“……Hey, Akasaki-kun… do you… actually like shoujo manga a lot?”
She said it with a hint of embarrassment.
Her voice was tinged with shyness.
“Eh……?”
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Before he could hide his bewilderment, she elaborated.
“……That Namikui manga you mentioned your cousin reads… was that really her?”
Namikui—a fairly obscure title. During the Eikafest, Haruya had brought it up as a reference for Yūna’s scriptwriting.
“……H-How’d you know?”
“Well, from what you said earlier about your type, I kinda figured… It reeked of someone who reads shoujo manga.”
She hid her mouth behind her notes,
cheeks slightly pink—embarrassed, yet also happy to find a fellow fan.
“……Actually.”
After confirming Sara and Kazamiya were still chatting and Rin was still asleep on Haruya’s shoulder, Yūna whispered:
“……I told you my cousin was the one reading it, but… the truth is… I like shoujo manga.”
“……O-Oh.”
“Yeah. That’s all.”
“……Uh, well…”
Haruya hesitated.
Yūna was Nayu, so her confession shouldn’t have surprised him.
But she didn’t know he was Haru.
She’d mustered the courage to confess her hidden hobby to the real Haruya.
Despite feeling embarrassed about her love for shoujo manga…….
Since Haruya himself also felt that shame, he could easily imagine how much courage it took for her to do so.
(……I want to respond honestly. But……)
Old scars ached, sealing his lips shut.
Noticing his hesitation, Yūna smiled. “……No, it’s nothing.”
Then, blushing slightly, she added:
“……I’ll uncover the truth myself. No—I’ll make you want to tell me…… Ugh, that sounds so cringe.”
The moment her sweet smile faltered, she seemed to realize how embarrassing her words were. She turned away, fanning herself.
Haruya, equally flustered, scratched his head.
(Damn it, my heart skipped a beat just now…)
Yūna gave him a curious look.
(……Akasaki-kun, you’re so much like Haru-san… A phone call would confirm it instantly, but that’d be no fun. This is my last trump card……)
Haruya talked about the type of person he likes and their mannerisms.
they matched what Haru had told Nayu during their offline meetup.
(……He might not remember, but Akasaki-kun’s responses were almost identical. Even the way he hides his embarrassment is the same. And now that I think about it, his outfit today feels familiar too……)
Still, if Haru-san really was Akasaki-kun… this was payback.
After all the times he’d teased her, she finally had a chance to turn the tables.
(……This trip will clear things up.)
Before she knew it, they were almost at their destination.
Once Rin woke up, she might not get another chance to talk openly with Haruya.
With a playful grin, Yūna leaned in one last time.
“……We’re almost there. Haru-san.”
His heart nearly stopped.
Every muscle in his body locked up.
(……Wait, what did she just say? Did she say ‘Haru-san’?!)
Maybe he misheard. Please, let it be a mishear.
Her voice had been so quiet it was possible, but……
Cold sweat formed on his brow as Yūna abruptly stood. “W-We should wake Rin up.”
“R-Right.”
He glanced at Rin, still asleep on his shoulder—wanting to confirm Yūna’s words but fearing it’d only make things worse.
Unaware of his turmoil, Rin snuggled deeper, her cheek squished adorably against him. Haruya fought the urge to poke it. “H-Hey, wake up……”
“……Nn?”
Blinking drowsily, she stretched.
Her eyes were slightly red, tears clinging to her lashes.
After a few slow blinks at Haruya—too close—he averted his gaze and looked away toward the window, scratching his cheek.
“……Eek!? I-I was sleeping on your shoulder!?”
Rin must have been still half-asleep, unable to comprehend the situation properly. But now that Rin fully awake, She probably grasped what was happening.
Rin abruptly pulled her entire body away from Haruya and looked down.
Only her ears, which weren’t completely hidden, visibly burned red.
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