‘What does this mean?’
Koharu Miura couldn’t help but frown slightly.
“Sou, from the time we were children until now, has always been wholehearted toward his friends. He only ever wants the best for them.”
“So, as long as he thinks he can help, regardless of whether the other party has actively asked for help or even hinted at wanting support — “
” — once Sou discovers it, he always uses the most considerate way, whether openly or secretly, to help his friends solve their problems without making them feel awkward or ashamed.”
Haruka Kondo stared at the soda can on the table, her words clearly carrying a deeper meaning.
“He’s always been this way, whether it’s with someone he’s known for a long time or someone he just met.”
“I’ve seen many such instances by his side. It would be a lie to say I haven’t been affected at all — “
” — so Miura, if you need help with something, just tell me directly, and I’ll help you too.”
“…Don’t just think about relying on Sou.”
“He isn’t your personal privilege; he can’t be waiting around 24 hours a day to help you solve your problems.”
“Wait, wait, wait — “
Koharu originally thought she understood what Haruka was getting at, but the topic had suddenly jumped to “if you need help, ask me, and I’ll help you.”
Koharu had to call an emergency stop.
If Haruka had misunderstood something, then everything said afterward would just be further off track.
‘I need to ask her why she’s asking this. We haven’t had any interaction at all over the last few days — it’s been several days since I even spoke to Sou face-to-face.’
“Um, Kondo, I know you value Kanzaki, and I also consider him a friend and an important person. I know he’s tired.”
“…If it weren’t something I’m truly powerless to handle, I certainly wouldn’t want to trouble him.”
“…”
Haruka Kondo looked at Koharu Miura with a scrutinizing expression.
” — Can we go outside to talk?” the girl with the russet-colored curly hair suggested after a long silence. “It’s too noisy here to say anything.”
She held up one finger, pointing toward the girls singing loudly behind them.
“…All right.”
Koharu Miura looked Haruka in the eye and nodded solemnly.
The song in the booth happened to reach its final fade-out, and the surrounding noise paused for a brief moment.
In that short silence, Haruka looked into Koharu’s eyes and gave a subtle signal. Then, the russet-haired girl stood up and walked toward the other girls.
Koharu understood the hint and followed her.
“Yui, you guys keep singing. Miura and I are going to the restroom for a bit.”
Haruka stood up and naturally interrupted Yui Hori, who was preparing to challenge a high-pitched song.
“Eh?”
Yui turned around, a teasing glint flashing in her sharp eyes. “The two of you are going alone? Are you going to say things we aren’t allowed to hear?”
“What ‘unhearable’ things could we say in a restroom?” Haruka rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we all go together? Then you can hear for yourself what fragrant things we’re discussing.”
“Ah, I’m not going~! I’ve been waiting to sing this song~!”
As soon as she heard the suggestion to go out together, Yui immediately backed down, clutching her microphone and dropping the teasing.
“Okay, okay, off you go.”
Mio Sato helped hold Yui back and seconded Haruka’s suggestion.
Haruka shook her head.
……
The two of them walked out of the booth, which was filled with colorful lights and singing.
The KTV corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant used to clean the floors and walls. This oppressive environment actually made Koharu feel a bit more alert.
Haruka didn’t actually lead her to the restroom, but instead walked straight toward a corner at the other end of the corridor.
There was a rest area there.
“I’ll be blunt, Miura,” Haruka said aggressively as soon as they sat down. “Do you know about the suspicious individuals loitering near the school lately?”
“…Yes, I know.”
‘Sou told me about it before and warned me to be careful.’
Koharu wondered. ‘Does this have anything to do with what Haruka was talking about earlier?’
“Sou was originally supposed to walk home with me after school yesterday.”
“But when I finished my club activities and went to find him, he seemed a bit distracted.”
Haruka began to recount the events from the previous day that Koharu was unaware of.
“He was helping me pack up, but after a while, he suddenly told me he had something urgent to take care of. He told me not to wait and to just go straight home once my family arrived to pick me up.”
“I thought it was strange at the time. After he left, I sent him a few messages while I was in the car on the way home, asking what was going on.”
“Sou didn’t reply right away. It wasn’t until that night that he messaged me — “
” — saying that because he was a bit concerned about something related to you, he had to go to the Student Council Room.”
Koharu was stunned.
‘Did Sou tell Haruka about it as well?’
“Sou has always been very discreet… If he told me, then he must have believed it was something he could share with me.”
Haruka continued, ” — He told me he was worried about your safety.”
“He said it might be related to those suspicious people appearing near the school lately and that they might be planning to do something to you.”
“I asked him what made him think that, and Sou said he received some messages on LIME and felt like something was off.”
“As for the specifics, he said he needed to investigate before he would know for sure, which is why he had to go to the Student Council Room immediately.”
“Hearing Sou say that, I knew the situation might be unusual, perhaps even quite serious.”
“But.”
Haruka’s tone shifted.
” — Miura, I’m not criticizing Sou’s way of doing things, and of course, I truly don’t want you to be harassed by some delinquents.”
“It’s just that, while I don’t know the specifics of what you’re facing, if you really feel you’re in danger, wouldn’t it be more efficient to tell the school, tell your family, or just call the police?”
“…”
Koharu was speechless. She knew that in the face of danger, those were the most correct actions to take under normal circumstances.
But it wasn’t just her — in fact, it wasn’t even her who was being threatened.
Based on the situation, the target was Arisa Kiyono. Arisa didn’t want to call the police; she didn’t want the fact that she was an underground idol exposed, nor did she want the school to order her to stop her idol activities.
‘It’s even a line she absolutely doesn’t want to cross — something she never wants to see happen. So I can’t consider those methods at this stage.’
However, she hadn’t expected Sou Kanzaki to mention her business to Haruka.
He had done this for her before, mentioning Haruka’s affairs to her as well.
But it wasn’t for the sake of taking sides behind someone’s back.
From her time spent with Sou, she knew his actions were always based on his desire for his cherished friends to feel at peace, joyful, and happy.
The fact that he could tell Haruka about this meant he believed it was something they, as friends, should help with — therefore, there was no need to hide it from her.
‘It’s actually a bit touching… It means that in Sou’s eyes, he and his childhood friend are both friends with that girl from Class 5 now. And Haruka really did show that attitude.’
Haruka had sincerely proposed what she thought was a reliable solution… even if she had spoken under the pretext of not wanting Sou to get into danger.
“…”
Koharu pursed her lips, and after a moment, she slowly looked up.
“Kondo.”
” — Sou might have misunderstood. I don’t believe I ever said I was being… harassed by delinquents or anything like that.”
“Something did happen, but it’s not that serious.”
“Maybe Sou is just too kind and perceptive?”
“Is that why he linked the recent presence of suspicious people around the school to potential danger? Maybe that’s why he wanted to investigate and confirm it wasn’t what he thought?”
Even when met with kindness and friendship, Koharu Miura couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth to the girl with the russet curly hair right now.