"Okay, the damage isn't too severe. This is fine. Please try to avoid any strenuous activities with this hand, Kazama-san."
Inside the hospital, with Amaori Renako and Takamatsu Tomori accompanying him, the gentle nurse finished applying ice and medicine to Kazama Haru.
The bruise on his right hand quickly faded, and the pain also lessened considerably.
"Well, let's go."
Kazama Haru slung his backpack over his shoulder, preparing to usher the two out of the hospital.
"Are you really okay, Haru-kun? You fought against so many thugs at once. Don't you want to check if there's anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?"
Renako's brows furrowed slightly, still looking worried.
Takamatsu Tomori nodded in agreement, her pretty face showing a concern no less than Renako's: "I also think it's best if you get another check-up, Haru-kun. Just such simple wound treatment... I still can't feel at ease."
"Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think."
Kazama Haru gave a helpless smile. Although he had repeatedly stated that he hadn't suffered any loss at all, and in fact, the group who started the trouble might have to spend ten days to half a month in a hospital bed, the two still forcibly "escorted" him to this hospital, taking him up and down for a thorough check-up. Only after seeing the "mild contusion" injury report did they feel somewhat relieved.
Walking out of the hospital, as if by prior agreement, Akari and Renako stood on either side of Kazama Haru. The three walked side by side on the slope dyed red by the setting sun.
….
In the distance, an overcrowded train hummed past on the tracks.
It was already May. Accompanied by pleasant breezes, fragrant cherry blossoms occasionally fell on their heads, adding a unique charm of seishun to their subtle, silent atmosphere.
Corresponding to the varied expressions on their faces, the three were each preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"Haru-kun, promise me you won't do such dangerous things again, okay? Seeing you get hurt... makes me very anxious."
To Kazama Haru's surprise, it was Akari, usually the most taciturn, who first broke the silence between the three.
Kazama Haru scratched his head awkwardly: "Sorry for making you worry, Akari. I promise you, nothing like this will happen again."
"Takamatsu-san, this is not Haru-kun's fault at all. The main responsibility lies with me... I'm sorry!"
Renako clapped her hands together with a crisp sound and bowed deeply to Takamatsu Tomori.
"Ugh..."
As the two were not very familiar yet, Takamatsu Tomori was startled by her sudden grand gesture, her steps faltering. She habitually tugged on Kazama Haru's sleeve and hid behind him.
Huh?
This subtle movement naturally did not escape Renako's observation. She narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing that things were not simple.
Speaking of which, she had been curious before. Haru-kun and Takamatsu-san... seemed a bit too close?
The two were not only front and back desk neighbors; they would chat and laugh as soon as class ended every day, and they would often sneak into the Astronomy Club room, closing the door, doing who knows what in secret.
Most importantly, she remembered that as early as when she first met Haru-kun, she heard him say that the two of them seemed to have agreed to form a band together.
Wait, what is this?!
Am I not Haru-kun's best friend? Why do I feel like... I've lost so much compared to Takamatsu-san?
With this thought, her gaze returned to Takamatsu Tomori, who was hiding behind Kazama Haru.
Despite her shy face, her petite body was clinging tightly to Kazama Haru, without any doubt or unfamiliarity.
This girl, could it be that she also... No, what 'also'? I am Haru-kun's best friend, not that kind of impure relationship.
In any case, looking at her eyes, Renako's internal alarm bells rang loudly. The more she thought about it, the more ominous it felt, as if a "DANGER" kanji, like in Sekiro, had suddenly appeared on her forehead.
No, to protect my sincere friendship with Haru-kun, I must do something!
"Gulp..."
Stared at so intensely by her, Takamatsu Tomori suddenly felt enveloped by an invisible pressure, and a soft gasp involuntarily escaped her throat.
But for some reason, facing Amaori Renako's "pressure," the usually timid and introverted Takamatsu Tomori felt no inclination to back down at this moment.
An inexplicable, completely incomprehensible intuition told her that if she showed weakness now, everything she had with Haru-kun would be ruthlessly taken away by Amaori-san.
If she wanted to avoid such a sad situation, she had to show a determination no different from protecting a band!
Driven by such thoughts, Takamatsu Tomori tightened her grip on Kazama Haru's sleeve.
"Haru-kun."
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Kazama Haru tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why the two of them had suddenly stopped moving. There wasn't even a traffic light here.
Seeing him even lower his head slightly to speak with her, Takamatsu Tomori felt a little happy, but to say what she was about to say, she lowered her tone.
"Recently, every night I've been secretly practicing the songs you recommended to me under my covers. The live should be fine now."
Her gaze shifted to Kazama Haru's injured right hand as she continued:
"This Saturday, if... you have time, I'd like to take you to a music café called RiNG. There... perhaps we can find partners to form a band with."
Hearing her mention this key location, Kazama Haru's eyes immediately lit up. To advance the band's progress, this café was a place he couldn't bypass.
Shiina Taki, Kaname Rana, and even Nagasaki Soyo were very likely to appear nearby, making the probability of encountering these key teammates extremely high.
"RiNG, huh? That famous music café, right? Saturday... the time works!"
If it weren't for the sudden string of troubles, he would have wanted to get the band running as soon as possible. Now that Takamatsu Tomori had proactively suggested taking him to RiNG, there was naturally no reason to refuse.
It seemed Takamatsu Tomori hadn't expected Kazama Haru to agree so readily. She first froze, then a flush of excitement appeared on her face: "Okay, it's a promise then!"
Seeing the two instantly reach some agreement that sounded like a date, Renako, who was standing by, couldn't help but click her tongue in exasperation.
Darn Takamatsu-san, she actually used their shared hobby to so easily snatch away my best friend.
How cunning, unforgivable!
"Um, that, Haru-kun?" Renako suppressed her unwillingness and raised her hand to get Kazama Haru's attention:
"Didn't I ask you out several times before? Since then, I've bought many new games, and my skills have improved a lot, so this Sunday..."
Takamatsu Tomori gave her a deep look, but spoke to Kazama Haru:
"Haru-kun, our band is about to start activities..."
"So, I still hope you can put more energy into the band. A guitarist's hands are very precious, so you should avoid activities that require intense wrist movement as much as possible, like, games and such..."
Akari's gaze startled Renako.
What's going on, Takamatsu-san, when did you become so eloquent!
"Uh..." Kazama Haru finally realized something was amiss and understood that he needed to mediate: "Well, actually, the two don't conflict. By then, I should be able to do both..."
Before he could finish, a sudden phone ring interrupted his words.
Curious who would call him at this time, Kazama Haru picked up the phone with some confusion.
….
"Kazama-kun, are you okay!"
From the other end of the phone came Togawa Sakiko's soft, sweet voice, clearly filled with anxious concern.
Her emotions were so agitated that the sound coming from the earpiece was ridiculously loud, scaring Kazama Haru into quickly glancing at Takamatsu Tomori.
If Akari found out now that he knew the senpai she's always admired, there might be a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, the innocent Tomorin only tilted her head, a question mark vaguely appearing above her head.
Her dazed reaction instantly gave Kazama Haru a strange thrill.
It was a bit like NTR.
"I'm fine, Togawa-san... Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"..."
Afterward, aside from omitting the fact that it was caused by standing up for a girl, Kazama Haru explained almost the entire incident to Sakiko without reservation.
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect there to be such bad people in this world. It's truly infuriating, desuwa."
As a young lady who had received an ojou-sama's education since childhood, even when Sakiko was scolding, her vocabulary was adorably endearing, like a spoiled child.
"I'm sorry, suddenly taking the day off today must have caused you a lot of trouble. Thank you for your hard work."
Listening to the sincere apology coming from the other end of the line, Sakiko's eyes softened from their previous indignation.
"Hmph, it really is true. Next time we meet, Kazama-kun, you'll have to make me several cups of black tea to reward me, okay?"
Perhaps Sakiko herself didn't even realize it, but when speaking to Kazama Haru, her voice and tone always unconsciously carried a hint of sweetness.
This was a subconscious display of viewing the other person as someone she could rely on.
"Alright, let's not talk about that for now."
After a sweet chuckle, Togawa Sakiko's voice suddenly became serious: "Kazama-kun, you mentioned the topic of a band to me before, actually..."
After a brief pause, Kazama Haru heard the girl on the other end of the phone take a deep breath.
"I actually... formed my own band. When we talked before, I shamelessly lied to you."
"So, I'm really sorry, Kazama-kun."
Actually, Sakiko had planned to confess this to him in person when they finished work today, but she hadn't expected Kazama Haru to take the day off and not come in.
After work, looking at the empty beverage counter, Sakiko's guilt was amplified once again.
She simply couldn't wait until their next meeting to express the apology in her heart, so she decided to seize this rare opportunity during their call to pour out everything she wanted to tell him.
Including the band project that she had kept hidden in her heart but had gradually become firm and clear because of Kazama Haru.
Kazama Haru's tone was relaxed: "Everyone has things they want to say and things they don't want to say. Temporarily concealing things you don't want to say shouldn't count as deception."
"No, that's not it." Togawa Sakiko's tone on the other end of the phone was unusually persistent.
"The reason I'm revealing all this to you, besides expressing my apology, also has a more selfish reason behind it."
Fingering the notebook full of her project ideas, Togawa Sakiko's voice trembled slightly, but her tone was resolute:
"Kazama-san, are you willing to share this destiny with me?"