"Uh… this kind of relationship is truly something else." Kazama Haru scratched his cheek, forcing a stiff smile.
What he didn't say was: in ordinary terms, there seemed to be a more fitting word to describe this kind of relationship.
—Lover.
"Right, right!"
Amaori Renako was visibly excited: "If you ask me, a best friend relationship is the absolute best! So, Kazama-san, if you don't mind, please, please become my best friend! I'm begging you!"
The pink-haired girl bowed deeply, extending one arm forward—palm up, fingers trembling.
Haru-chan, hidden behind the doorframe with one eye peeking through the gap, couldn't hold back: What's the difference between this and a straight-up confession?! Even the posture is identical!
"Um… Kazama-san?"
Seeing Kazama Haru hesitate, Amaori Renako's voice pitched higher with nerves: "What do you think, about my request to become best friends…?"
"Hmm… it sounds… pretty good?"
Under Haru-chan's shocked, flickering gaze, Kazama Haru stepped closer. Then he firmly grasped Amaori Renako's outstretched hand.
Her soft, warm palm trembled the instant his fingers closed over it—a full-body shiver that ran from her wrist to her shoulders.
"Then, please take care of me from now on, Amaori… no, Renako?" Kazama Haru tested her first name, voice low and deliberate.
"Hyaaah! Um… y-yes, Kazama… no, Haru-kun!"
Amaori Renako's head snapped up. Her words tumbled over themselves, and the volume she produced made Kazama Haru genuinely worry whether they'd get a noise complaint.
"Kazama-senpai… actually agreed?!" Haruka-chan, still lurking in shadow, instantly short-circuited.
This makes no sense. None whatsoever.
She had assumed that upon hearing her sister's rather eccentric "friend invitation," a guy like him—handsome, clearly not lacking female attention—would show a disgusted expression. Reject her outright with a look of pure disdain. Maybe even bolt for the door.
Yet he agreed. Just like that. Without hesitation.
As expected… only someone this unreal could get along with Nee-san.
"Um… bye-bye, Kazama… H-Haru-kun! See you at school tomorrow!"
After waving Kazama Haru off from the genkan, Amaori Renako hummed a cheerful tune and practically skipped back inside, the lingering scent of his cologne mixing with the evening air.
Then she collided face-first with Haru-chan's smirking gaze.
"Hoh~? I never noticed before, but you're actually quite the dark horse, Nee-san." Haru-chan's grin stretched ear to ear. "You never had friends before, but here you go surprising everyone by suddenly reeling in a big catch like Kazama-senpai!"
"Hyah!" Amaori Renako practically launched herself backward, nearly losing her balance and toppling onto the hardwood floor. She hadn't expected anyone to be eavesdropping.
The memory of the embarrassing scene flooded back. Her face ignited crimson.
"D-Don't say such ridiculous things! What 'big catch'?! I don't look at Haru-kun with such i-impure thoughts! It's really just best friends! Best friends!"
"Oh~? Oh~? Haru-kun~?" Haru-chan's voice dripped with teasing honey. "Already calling him by his first name so naturally~?"
She leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Alright, alright. Best friend, best friend. You can fool your little sister all you want—just don't fool yourself, yeah?"
"It's really just best friends!" Amaori Renako slammed the door shut behind her. Her voice soared another octave, as if sheer volume could make the statement more convincing.
Ignoring her sister's laughter echoing from below, the red-faced girl fled upstairs like her life depended on it. She burst into her room on the second floor, slammed that door too, and threw herself face-first onto her bed.
Her head vanished beneath the covers. The familiar scent of fabric softener and her own shampoo enveloped her.
Futon reflection time.
This was her nightly ritual before sleep.
"Ehehe… I actually established a best friend relationship with Kazama-san."
Her voice came out muffled against the pillow.
"It's like a dream…"
Amaori Renako's cheeks burned tomato-red beneath the blanket. In her mind, she was already imagining Kazama Haru talking to her with that gentle smile at school. Walking beside her. Maybe even eating lunch together.
If she acted just a little more nonchalant about it, Nakamura-san and the rest of the gyaru clique would be totally dumbfounded, wouldn't they?
But the moment she thought of them, the scene from the karaoke room today crashed back uninvited.
After what happened… given their personalities…
They might very well bring it up in class. Mock her relentlessly. Make it a whole thing.
Amaori Renako's imagination spiraled toward worst-case scenarios:
If Haru-kun suddenly acted friendly with her in class, given their jealousy and pettiness, they might redouble their efforts to isolate her. Even escalate into outright bullying.
Especially Nakamura-san herself—not only did she look intimidating and difficult to handle, but in past conversations, she'd boasted about her delinquent days. How she'd dominated her all-girls middle school through sheer force of personality.
And backing all of it? Her boyfriend. Uda Koji. A minor boss in the Ryujin-kai—an actual violent gang/ yakuza.
According to Nakamura-san, he was the real deal. The type who could pull a knife without flinching. Regular delinquents supposedly wet themselves just seeing him.
If Renako somehow earned that Nakamura-san's hatred, her school life would become unbearable.
So… what should I do if Haru-kun—Kazama-san—greets me tomorrow?
If she simply ignored him, he'd be hurt. The hard-won "best friend relationship" would crumble back to nothing.
But if she didn't…
Caught in a spiral of internal conflict, Amaori Renako's thoughts grew fuzzy. Her breathing slowed. Somewhere between anxiety and hope, she drifted into restless slumber.
...
[Successfully established a "best friend relationship" with Amaori Renako—Rewarding 5,000 Wish Points]
Shortly after parting ways with the pink-haired girl, a pleasant chime rang through Kazama Haru's mind.
Jackpot.
His mood lifted instantly. His steps toward home grew noticeably lighter, sneakers tapping a satisfied rhythm against the sidewalk.
He'd originally expected breaking the ice with Amaori Renako to take considerable effort. Yet this adorably awkward girl had been so proactive—just a few hours of gaming together had earned him such a generous reward.
Five thousand wish points. Converted to cash, that equaled 2.5 million yen.
Was there any other side hustle in existence with a higher hourly rate?
Calculated that way, Renako-chan really was… efficient.
Still riding that wave of satisfaction, Kazama Haru pushed open the front door of his home.
"Welcome home, Haru-chan."
Sena Ajisai sat gracefully on the living room sofa, greeting him with a beaming smile—like a devoted wife awaiting her husband's return. The warm lamplight caught the silver of her hair, and the faint scent of jasmine tea drifted from the cup beside her.
"Ah, Ajisai. Good evening—I'm home."
Kazama Haru returned the greeting easily. He'd grown completely accustomed to her presence here. If one day he came home and no one was waiting… he couldn't imagine the emptiness.
"You didn't have a work shift today, did you?" A hint of almost imperceptible resentment wove through her gentle voice. "Why are you home so late?"
She had been hoping to use this rare opportunity today to have a proper talk with him.
Sena Ajisai missed the intimate days they'd shared in the past. Back then, they walked to and from school together. Talked about everything. Shared every small moment.
It wasn't until middle school that both their lives diverged—especially Kazama Haru, always busy scraping together a living.
Even knowing how hard he worked, Sena Ajisai still occasionally wished for a day when neither of them had obligations. When they could simply sit together, sipping hot tea, chatting and laughing away an entire afternoon.
Just like before.
This lull at the start of the new semester was precisely that rare window. And after the embarrassing "wish" she'd somehow blurted out last night… the desire had become impossible to suppress.
So she'd rushed to his house immediately after school. Waited.
And waited.
Until now.
Seeing the disappointment and grievance practically overflowing on Ajisai's delicate features, Kazama Haru's chest tightened.
He didn't know exactly where he'd gone wrong. But if his Angel-sama wore such an expression, apology seemed mandatory.
"Um…"
The words stuck halfway up his throat.
Because across from him, Ajisai had gone completely still. Her slender fingers were pinched around the fabric of the jacket he'd just hung up, frozen mid-motion.
Huh? Does hanging clothes require that much concentration?
Following her gaze, Kazama Haru spotted it.
There—caught in the weave of his jacket—a single strand of hair gleamed under the lamplight.
Slender. Slightly curled.
Pink.
"Haru-chan?" Sena Ajisai plucked the strand between her fingertips, twirling it slowly around one finger. Her violet eyes locked onto his, unblinking. Her voice dropped to something dangerously sweet:
"Could you please explain… what exactly this is?"