On a bench tucked away in a corner of the school grounds, Oikawa sat eating bread with Iroha Isshiki as they watched the tennis club practicing in the distance.
There was a familiar figure among them.
Saika Totsuka.
He was swinging his racket with all his might, his movements somehow graceful enough to make people instinctively want to keep watching.
"Senpai, have you ever thought about joining a sports club?" Iroha asked, tilting her head with a smile.
"Never."
Oikawa took a bite of the pineapple-flavored bread Iroha had handed him.
It wasn't bad. The soft bread was filled with pineapple-flavored cream, making it taste more like a pineapple pastry.
"Senpai, lots of girls like athletic guys. You're so tall, you'd definitely be popular if you played basketball or football." Iroha was eating her own bread, her legs swinging back and forth like she was on a swing. She looked like she was in a particularly good mood.
"Not interested. With that kind of time, I'd rather find somewhere to take a nice nap." Oikawa swallowed the last bite of his bread, dusted off his hands, and walked over to the vending machine.
"What do you want? My treat," he offered, glancing at her.
"I already have water, Senpai," Iroha replied, shaking her head.
"You don't want anything?" Oikawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Senpai, you're so pushy," Iroha sighed, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "Fine, then. I'll have iced tea."
"Seems fitting for you," Oikawa muttered under his breath as he bought a can of iced tea for 120 yen.
Iroha accepted it with a smile. "Senpai, are you full? If not, I can give you the other half of my bread."
Oikawa glanced at her, then shifted into a comfortable position on the bench and closed his eyes. "No. Keep it for yourself. I'm taking a nap. You can go do whatever you want."
Iroha puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. "What?! I just gave you some of my bread, and you're already kicking me out? Besides, this bench doesn't belong exclusively to you."
Oikawa didn't reply.
The sun was still high in the sky, and he quietly basked in the warmth, enjoying the gentle sunlight against his face.
"Senpai, did you choose the humanities track or the science track?"
Oikawa cracked one eye open and glared at Iroha.
She froze awkwardly, then hurriedly said, "Ah, right, I forgot! I remember now. You chose humanities, and you're aiming for Tokyo University's literature department. Senpai, do you really like literature that much?"
Iroha shifted slightly to the side, seemingly trying to block the sunlight from hitting his face.
"Yeah. For now, I do." Oikawa said, his eyes still closed.
"Senpai, what do you think about me trying to become a writer?" Iroha asked, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice.
"Not possible." Oikawa moved his head so the sunlight could hit his face again.
A moment later, Iroha was standing between him and the sun. "Senpai, maybe I actually have a talent for writing light novels! Like Copycat-sensei who's been so popular lately. Maybe I'll become famous with just one book."
Oikawa suddenly sat up.
He reached over and put a hand on Iroha's forehead, muttering in confusion. "No fever. So why are you talking nonsense in broad daylight?"
"Senpai!"
Even when she was angry, Iroha was still pretty cute.
Oikawa couldn't tell whether this was an act or simply who she really was. Iroha's mischievous personality was genuinely hard to figure out.
"I don't know whether you have any talent for writing light novels, but you definitely have a talent for being annoying. I just want to lie here and enjoy the sun. Why do you keep getting between me and my best friend, the sunshine?"
Iroha blinked.
Then an awkward expression appeared on her face. Biting her lip, she explained, "I... I thought you might think it was too sunny. How was I supposed to know you actually wanted to sunbathe?"
A wry smile appeared on Oikawa's face.
How could he possibly blame Isshiki after that? All he could do was change the subject.
"You seem like you've lost quite a bit of weight lately. Has being student council president been keeping you that busy? Or is there something else...?"
Iroha really did seem noticeably thinner than before. There was also a trace of exhaustion between her brows. Asking a girl her age to shoulder the burden of being student council president really was asking a lot.
"I've been working really hard, you know. Senpai, I'm absolutely going to become a good student council president." Iroha fell silent for a moment after hearing Oikawa's words. Then a bright smile spread across her face.
She reached up and smoothed her windblown hair before straightening her back and lifting her chin.
At that moment, Iroha no longer looked like someone playing the role of a calculating little schemer.
She simply looked like a hardworking student council president. There was still a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, but the self-doubt she'd had at the beginning was gone.
She really was a strong-willed person.
Oikawa still didn't know Iroha that well, but this only reinforced that impression of her.
"Senpai, I know I'm still unreliable right now. And I still depend on you a little too much. But please, let me keep depending on you for just a little longer. I'll sort out my feelings, and then I'll move forward on my own." Iroha stood up.
She wore a slightly embarrassed smile, but there was unmistakable determination in her voice when she spoke.
Oikawa had always felt that everyone wore a mask, hiding their true selves securely beneath it.
But at that moment... It felt as though Iroha had lifted one corner of hers and allowed him to see a small part of the real person underneath.
There was no doubt that took courage.
Oikawa realized that maybe Iroha wasn't some calculating manipulator after all.
Honestly, though, it didn't really matter to him what kind of mask Iroha wore.
Just then, the warning bell for class rang. The two headed toward the school building and went their separate ways at the entrance.
Before leaving, Oikawa turned around. "Kohai, consider this payment for lunch. Hayama chose the humanities track."
Iroha stopped walking.
After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Senpai, Hayama-senpai actually chose both the humanities and science tracks, but... I don't care about that as much anymore."
"I... I think I've realized that maybe the person I like isn't Hayama-senpai after all!" Iroha flashed Oikawa a dazzling smile.
Then she turned and ran toward her classroom.
Oikawa stood there, slightly stunned, scratching his head. "She moved on that fast?"
...
..
Thursday evening—
Oikawa first spent some time sitting in the Literature Club room before finally opening the door to the Service Club.
At this point, the Literature Club existed mostly in name only.
Other than Zaimokuza, that lonely man with an empty nest who still came by to sit around every day, nobody else ever showed up. Ever since Oikawa had been "loaned out" to the Service Club, Kawasaki had barely set foot in the Literature Club room.
The moment he opened the Service Club door, Yukino Yukinoshita looked over.
Perhaps because it was a little cold, she had a blanket draped over her legs. Wearing glasses, she seemed to be struggling with a math problem.
Yui was nowhere to be seen.
Rarely, Yukino greeted him with a smile. "Good evening, Oikawa."
"Your attitude is making me feel strangely honored, Yukino, but... good evening."
After Oikawa walked in, Yukino did as she always did. She took out the tea leaves and started boiling some water.
"Sorry I'm late. I stopped by the Literature Club for a while. I'm still the club president, after all. I can't just leave Zaimokuza to be an empty-nester all by himself."
"Empty-nester?" Yukino tilted her head, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Oikawa chuckled softly and explained, "It means being left alone somewhere with no friends or anyone else around."
"Then I suppose I'm an empty-nester too. When I go back to my apartment, it's just me." Yukino gave a self-deprecating little smile.
She was probably joking, but Oikawa couldn't help feeling that, in that respect, they were somewhat alike.
The two fell silent. Each of them read the light novel in their hands, and the only sound in the Service Club was the water boiling.
"Did you finish the second volume of Clannad?" she asked.
"Yeah. I finished it a few days ago." Oikawa paused, his expression turning slightly awkward. "There was a bit of... well, let's call it a minor incident with how the ending turned out. But it was resolved satisfactorily."
Yukino placed the tea leaves in the pot and poured in the boiling water.
Oikawa watched her every movement intently, trying to figure out why her tea always tasted so good. But everything she did seemed perfectly ordinary. There didn't appear to be any special trick to it.
"Glad to hear it. Shizuka-sensei stopped by earlier. She came to ask us for a favor."
"I heard they're holding career guidance interviews tomorrow. The Student Council is short-staffed, so they need us to help out. They've held these kinds of interviews before, so I know what to do. I can handle it by myself tomorrow."
Oikawa suddenly wondered whether Taishi might be among the students attending one of those interviews.
But probably not. His grades likely weren't good enough yet.
Most of the students invited to these advancement interviews were top students from middle schools across the area. Some were specially admitted, while others received preferential bonus points.
Sobu High used the program to attract some of the best students in all of Chiba.
Yukino herself had been one of the students admitted through special recommendation.
"I don't have anything going on tomorrow, actually. I can come with you," Oikawa said casually.
"All right." Yukino gave a small nod, quietly pleased by his offer. She poured the freshly brewed tea into Oikawa's mug before carrying it over to him.
"Thanks." Oikawa accepted the mug with a faint, appreciative smile.
Miura's request had already been resolved, and the Service Club had once again fallen into a leisurely lull.
Oikawa blew gently on the steaming tea, a relaxed expression on his face.
He seemed to be getting used to life in the Service Club.
Snacks with a cup of tea. It was practically the lifestyle of someone who had retired early.
Neither of them spoke again.
They simply enjoyed the hard-earned silence.
Even though the wind outside was battering the windows, Oikawa didn't find the noise annoying like he usually would.
Then suddenly, someone forcefully pulled open the Service Club door.
"Yahallo!"
"Yahallo~"
There were only two people Oikawa could think of who used such a distinctive greeting: Yui and Ebina.
No. Actually, as far as Oikawa was concerned, Ebina had clearly copied it from Yui.
As expected, Ebina came in with Yui, greeting them with her usual smile. "Hi, Yukino! Come to think of it, this is the first time we've seen each other since New Year's, isn't it? Wow, it's so warm in here! The Service Club really knows how to keep things cozy. Oh, and hi to you too, Oikawa!"
"Yeah."
Oikawa gave her only a brief greeting, without much enthusiasm.
Nobody came knocking on the Service Club's door for no reason.
The club's brief period of peace was clearly about to be shattered by Ebina's arrival.
Oikawa looked toward Yui, silently asking why Ebina was here.
Yui immediately understood. "It's like this. Hina also wants us to help her figure out what university and major she should choose in the future."
Oikawa was speechless.
Since when had the Service Club become a university guidance office?
Still, thinking about it, he could understand. Students at this age were facing one of the first truly important choices of their lives. It was only natural to want to be careful.
Even so... the fact that the one asking for help was Ebina still surprised Oikawa.
From what he remembered, Ebina was someone who usually had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted.
Who would've thought that even she had moments when she'd turn to others for advice?
...
Inside the Service Club, Ebina explained what was troubling her while Oikawa and the others mostly listened.
For the moment, they couldn't offer her any particularly useful advice.
Choosing between the humanities and sciences, then deciding which school and major to pursue in the future, was a very important matter.
So Oikawa and Yukino needed time to think about it too.
By the time school ended, the main thing Oikawa had done was record Ebina's questions on his phone.
He planned to think them over once he got home, or discuss them with the others during tomorrow's Service Club activities.
Then they could give her a thoughtful, reasonable answer.
And so, the members of the Service Club headed home.
After taking the bus back, Oikawa had been planning to fire up a game he'd recently discovered and play for a while.
But then Kawasaki suddenly called.
"Oikawa, can you come over? Taishi seems really upset about the entrance exam. Ever since he got home from school, he's locked himself in his room. I'm worried about him."
There was a hint of tears in Kawasaki's voice.
Taishi's situation was probably more serious than she was letting on over the phone. Otherwise, she wouldn't be this worried.
"Don't panic. I'll be right there." Oikawa hung up and rushed out the door.
He hailed a taxi and headed straight for Kawasaki's house.
Honestly, this was partly his own fault.
Oikawa had been meaning to find time to sit down and have a proper talk with Taishi, but he'd been so busy lately that the matter had completely slipped his mind.
Taishi felt guilty.
Because of him, Kawasaki had to work part-time just so they could afford to keep him in school.
That was why he wanted to do better. He wanted to get into Sobu High.
At the very least, maybe then he'd feel like he owed Kawasaki a little less.
Oikawa arrived at Kawasaki's house before long.
Kawasaki was already waiting outside. The moment she saw him approaching, she ran over.
Two tear tracks were visible on her face.
The sight made Oikawa's heart ache.
He pulled Kawasaki into his arms and gently stroked her head. "It's okay. Don't worry. I'm here."
For some reason, the moment Kawasaki saw Oikawa, the panic in her heart suddenly disappeared.
It felt as though she wouldn't be afraid even if the sky came crashing down.
_ _ _
"Taishi, open the door. It's me." Oikawa stopped in front of Taishi's room and said only those few words.
Taishi slowly opened the door.
His hair was a complete mess from repeatedly running his hands through it. He was hunched over on his bed, and his face was streaked with tears, as if he'd been crying for quite a while.
Oikawa sighed.
He had seen this kind of situation many times before.
Pre-exam depression?
That was probably what people called it.
Countless students had gone through something similar, especially those who put enormous pressure on themselves before important exams.
Fortunately, Oikawa knew how to handle it.
He looked down at Taishi and spoke in a firm, commanding tone. "Get dressed. You're coming out with me. From this moment on, you're not an exam candidate. You're just an ordinary fourteen-year-old kid."
"Stop thinking about all that nonsense. None of it matters right now. Just listen to me, put the exam out of your head, and get up and get dressed first."
.
.
.