Even if it felt a bit like being tossed aside after crossing the bridge, Natsukawa Kanade wasn't the type to hold grudges.
He wasn't that petty.
Besides, today was Iino Miko's birthday. If there was ever a time to let things slide, it was now.
So after calmly bidding farewell to the couple at the café, the two of them stepped outside into the warm afternoon air, wandering aimlessly down the quiet street without saying much.
Miko trailed slightly behind him, looking like someone who had just lost a duel with herself. Her steps were hesitant, and her hands fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan.
After all, she had been agonizing over her earlier outburst.
When she blurted out, "Senpai, don't touch me like that!", she hadn't meant it the way it sounded. Kanade had clearly just caught her from falling—he was helping her. But instead of thanking him, she'd barked at him like he was some kind of creep.
And now the guilt was gnawing at her.
Ugh… why did I say that?!
Ever since they left the dessert shop, she'd been wracking her brain, trying to figure out how to properly apologize without making things even more awkward. But every time she opened her mouth, her nerves choked the words back down.
Meanwhile, Kanade was calm. Maybe a little too calm.
In truth, that moment back at the café? He had already moved on.
It wasn't like she punched him or anything.
What he was more focused on now was something else entirely—how to break the news to her that he couldn't stick around much longer.
He had made plans earlier, and ditching someone else just because today happened to be Miko's birthday didn't sit right with him. It wasn't about who was more important—it was just about keeping your word. First come, first served. That's all.
After walking a few blocks in silence and letting her enjoy the sunshine a little longer, he finally sighed and slowed to a stop.
"Miko," he said gently, his voice soft enough not to startle her. "Sorry, but I can't stay with you the whole day. I've got another appointment coming up soon."
He smiled apologetically, tilting his head slightly. He wasn't trying to dump her coldly—just being honest and careful with his words.
As expected, Miko's expression crumbled instantly. Her shoulders drooped, and her lips parted in a quiet gasp.
But the words she blurted out next caught him completely off guard.
"I'm sorry, Senpai… I was too much just now…"
"Huh?" Kanade blinked, genuinely confused.
She looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her fingers clutched at the hem of his jacket sleeve like it was a lifeline.
"I—I didn't mean it like that… what I said earlier. I know you were just helping me," she mumbled, voice trembling with guilt. "I just said it on impulse… please don't hate me…"
She looked up at him, eyes glossy with unease. That expression—like a small animal who thought she'd just lost her one protector in the world—would've shattered even the coldest heart.
Kanade, on the other hand, just stood there, blinking.
Wait… that's what this is about?
He had no idea she was still carrying that moment like a weight on her back.
"No, no—it's really okay!" he said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "I didn't take it personally, I promise! I mean… you're just not used to this kind of thing, right? Interacting with guys, I mean."
He chuckled a little, trying to ease the tension. "Honestly, your reaction was completely normal."
Miko stared at him, still unconvinced.
He said it was fine—but then why had he suddenly brought up leaving right after?
Could it really be unrelated? Or is he just saying that to make me feel better…?
Her brows furrowed.
"…Then, Senpai," she asked hesitantly, "do you really have something else to do after this?"
The words she wanted to say were more along the lines of, Then why don't you stay a little longer? But even she had her limits when it came to embarrassment, so she settled for something more indirect.
Kanade nodded casually and pulled out his phone. "Yeah, I promised someone I'd study with them. Look."
He tilted the screen toward her, showing a string of LINE messages about meeting up at the library.
"Oh…"
Miko stared at the messages for a moment, then looked away, a quiet "souka…" slipping past her lips.
So he really did have plans…
A small pang of disappointment bloomed in her chest. It was selfish of her to want more. Kanade-senpai had already spent the whole morning with her—even shared dessert, walked with her, caught her like a prince in a shoujo manga…
She should be grateful. That should be enough.
But still… somewhere deep in her heart, she wished he could stay.
Then an idea popped into her mind—something she'd completely forgotten until now.
Back when she first joined the student council, they'd played a game. The winner got a favor from Kanade-senpai—anything, as long as it wasn't unreasonable.
And she'd won.
If I used it now… asked him to let me tag along to the study session… would he say yes?
Her heart raced. But in the end, she shook her head.
"Senpai…"
"Hm?"
"…No, it's nothing." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I just wanted to wish you a safe trip."
Kanade paused. "Oh… thanks."
He nodded and turned to leave. "Well, I'll get going then."
She watched his back as he walked away, still standing there under the afternoon sun.
He had only walked a few steps when something tugged at his memory. Turning back, he caught sight of Iino Miko still staring after him, eyes fixed as if clinging to a fading dream.
"Ah… I almost forgot," Kanade said, his voice turning gentle. "This might be a bit late now, but… happy birthday, Iino-san. See you at school."
The simple words lit up her expression. "Un! Goodbye, senpai!" she replied, her voice bright with relief and just a hint of lingering regret.
It was that casual "See you at school" that truly moved her. It meant today wasn't just some act of pity. She wasn't some stray cat he'd fed once out of sympathy. That small validation made all the difference. Even though the weekend had barely begun, Iino Miko was already looking forward to Monday with the kind of fluttering heart you'd see in a shoujo manga.
…
After parting ways with Iino, Kanade made his way to the nearest station, boarded the train, and quietly stared out the window as scenery slid by. His destination was familiar—too familiar to feel nervous about. But even so, he ran a quick stop at home first.
Freshly changed into casual wear and with a slim folder tucked under one arm, he arrived twenty minutes later in front of a residential terrace house. Without hesitation, he reached out and pressed the doorbell.
This was, of course, the Sawamura residence.
He'd been here enough times that the path from the station to the gate felt etched into his muscle memory. No hesitation, no butterflies. Even standing in front of the door, his mind was mostly elsewhere… like on the fading petals of the cherry tree in the yard.
Last time he was here, the tree was in full bloom. The branches had swayed with clusters of soft pink blossoms, like something out of a spring festival anime. But now, the ground was speckled with petals, and only a few stubborn flowers clung to the branches like the final episodes of a season.
"You zoning out in my yard for a reason?" a voice snapped him back to reality.
Eriri stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.
"Ah, gomen," Kanade chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was just spacing out."
"Then stop standing around like a side character and get in already," Eriri huffed.
Slipping off his shoes at the genkan, Kanade stepped into the familiar warmth of the Sawamura home. He instinctively reached for his usual pair of house slippers, not even bothering to ask—he'd been here that often.
"Is Katou-san here yet?" he asked, glancing around as he adjusted the strap of his bag.
"Not yet. Megumi messaged me just now—she's on her way. Should be here soon." Eriri replied, brushing her twin tails over her shoulders with a slight sigh.
"In that case, let's go ahead and start. That way, I can check where you're struggling the most."
"Hold up," Eriri said quickly. "Is my mom home? You don't need to say hi or anything, right?"
"Nah, it's fine if she's out," Kanade replied, but tilted his head. "She's not home?"
"She left earlier," Eriri said, her face twitching slightly at the memory. "And no need to talk about her. Seriously."
Truthfully, she was still flustered about last night's chaos. Her mom had caught her frantically cleaning up her room and casually teased her about Kanade's visit. That teasing had somehow turned into unsolicited "advice" that felt more like something out of a romcom gag.
"Why don't you just kiss him? Boys love that kind of bold move!" her mother had said, giggling like a high schooler.
Eriri had nearly dropped a bookshelf on herself in response.
She spent half the morning today trying to avoid another interrogation, only managing to escape after promising to help sell some of her mom's doujinshi at the next event. Yare yare da wa…
"Anyway!" she snapped herself back to focus. "Today's mission is crystal clear: Help me pass English. That's it. Don't get sidetracked!"
Kanade nodded seriously. "Got it. That's why I brought this."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a slim notebook, neatly labeled and color-coded like the holy grail of academic salvation.
It was the infamous Top Student's Guide to Not Failing English, hand-prepared by Natsukawa Kanade himself during their recent school trip. Each page was packed with grammar explanations, practical examples, and custom-tailored exercises for someone exactly at Eriri's level.
To a model student, this was pure treasure.
To Eriri?
"Ugh… just looking at this makes my brain hurt…" she groaned, staring at the tiny characters and tightly packed text.
"You're not even trying yet," Kanade said, frowning.
"I-I mean, look at it! It's so thick it could be used as a weapon!" she protested, waving the notebook like it had personally insulted her.
Kanade sighed. "Can't you be a little more ambitious? Aim for a B. Maybe even an A if we hustle."
"No way! Absolutely no way!" Eriri threw her hands up in despair. "Just passing is already a miracle for me, okay?!"
Eriri was decently solid in most subjects. Math? Manageable. History? Kind of fun, actually. Science? She could bluff her way through most of it. But English…
Every time her exam paper came back, the grade felt like a critical hit to the heart. Each time she opened that folded sheet, it was like disarming a landmine—only to watch it blow up in her face anyway.
Why?! she would ask herself.
How could a half-English, half-Japanese girl fail English this hard?!
The bitter irony wasn't lost on her. What made it worse were the pitying looks and awkward compliments from classmates.
"Whoa, Eriri-san, your English pronunciation is amazing!" "Ne, what was your score this time?" "You must be like, top tier, right?"
Yeah… top tier from the bottom.
Of course her score was "unique"—you couldn't find a number like that unless you went on a scavenger hunt. She'd even managed to snag a spot in the rankings… just not the direction most people aimed for.
"Besides!" Eriri suddenly announced, voice defiant and eyes blazing like a shounen protagonist about to declare a ridiculous dream. "English is totally useless in everyday life! I mean, when was the last time you had to shout 'This is a pen!' in real life?!"
She clenched her fist for emphasis, her cheeks puffing in indignation. "And if you do speak English around people, they'll just dislike it! Like, 'Ugh, this person is so pretentious!' Totally gross, right?!"
"…Right," Kanade deadpanned, watching her rant spiral further and further away from logic.
"And I've already decided I'm staying in Japan forever! FOREVER, okay?! I'll never go abroad. So there! English? Totally unnecessary!" she declared, arms crossed, chin raised in self-righteous finality.
Kanade Natsukawa: "…"
Where does she get this much confidence from?
He sighed internally. Her logic had more holes than a budget shoujo plot.
Sure, she wasn't entirely wrong—English didn't pop up in daily conversations at the convenience store. But if you wanted to enter a decent university, or go into a creative career like Eriri claimed to want, English was practically a requirement. Reading resources, reference books, international work… it was unavoidable.
But trying to argue with her right now would be like trying to explain tax returns to a cat.
"Fine," he relented at last, shaking his head. "Let's just focus on surviving the midterms."
"That's the spirit!" Eriri said triumphantly, completely unaware he'd just given up trying to reason with her.
"Anyway… hand me your last English test. The one from the April monthly exams. I need to see where things are at."
"Ugh…" Eriri visibly deflated. Her moment of victory was short-lived. "You really had to bring that up, huh…"
Still, she didn't put up a fight. With a small sigh, she reached under the desk and pulled out a folder. The test paper, already dog-eared and slightly crumpled, sat atop the stack.
Kanade accepted it, glancing down with mild curiosity.
Hm? That was easy. She handed it over without whining or hiding it behind her back like last time… Maybe this won't be so bad—
He froze.
"…So low?!"
His voice cracked with disbelief. The number staring back at him might as well have been a cursed artifact. For a second, he even flipped it over, wondering if there had been a page missing.
Eriri turned away, her face a shade redder than a ripe tomato. "Ahaha… surprise?"
Kanade ignored her and scanned through the test.
Difficult questions? Wrong. Not surprising. Most students didn't get those. Intermediate ones? Also wrong. That was a little more concerning. Basic questions? She got some… mostly thanks to multiple choice. And the freebies? The literal "gimme" points?
Wrong.
Not even close.
She didn't even miss them due to carelessness—she'd genuinely not known the answers. Random guesses, bizarre vocabulary swaps, a sentence that looked like it was written by Google Translate possessed by a ghost…
Kanade pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally reciting every calming mantra he knew.
Then, just when he thought it couldn't get worse—
"…Eriri," he said, flipping to the vocabulary section. "You spelled 'apple' as 'apol.'"
"…I panicked," she muttered.
"And you wrote 'go to school' as 'wenting school.' That's not even a thing!"
"Ughhh… Don't read it out loud!"
Kanade sat in stunned silence for a long moment, holding the paper like it had personally insulted his ancestors.
"…You've actually regressed. This is worse than middle school level…"
"Ahahaha… yeah, I kinda thought so too," Eriri laughed nervously, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.
She shrank a little under his horrified gaze, like a student caught turning in blank homework with a doodle on it.
"Y-you won't give up on me, right, sensei?" she asked, her voice small but hopeful.
Kanade sighed again, slowly rolling up the test paper.
"…We're starting from the very beginning. Hiragana-style."
Eriri gulped. "You mean… like, the ABCs…?"
"Yes," Kanade said firmly. "Today, we conquer the alphabet."
"Aaahhh~!" she wailed dramatically, flopping onto the floor like she'd been struck by lightning. "Yamete~!"