It was time to visit Rio Futaba's house.
Haruto hadn't known her address at first, but thanks to Koharu's help, getting it wasn't much of an issue. With Otori's status and connections, obtaining a student's home address from the school was a simple matter.
He had no idea what kind of expression Rio would wear upon seeing him. It had been so long since they'd last spoken—long enough for her to start avoiding him entirely. But Haruto felt the time had come for them to finally have a proper conversation.
After school, he left the campus and checked the address stored in his email. Guided by the map app on his phone, he made his way in the direction of Rio's house.
Nearly an hour passed. Haruto navigated through unfamiliar streets, hesitating here and there, before finally arriving at the front of a modest, neatly kept house—Rio Futaba's home. He stood in silence at the gate, staring up at the door.
He had no idea whether she would even answer.
Still, after a moment of hesitation, he stepped forward and raised his hand. With a soft motion, he pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
The chime echoed inside the house, prompting Rio —still in her room—to lift her head and glance toward the window. Her brows furrowed slightly.
She disliked social interaction. The sudden, intrusive sound of the doorbell instantly put her on edge. Just imagining that she might have to deal with someone she wasn't interested in made her stomach churn.
After sitting still for a while, conflicted, she finally stood and left her room in silence. She made her way through the living room to the front entrance. Without a word, she reached for the door and opened it just a crack.
And then she saw who it was.
Her eyes widened.
The moment she recognized the boy standing there—Haruto—her expression panicked. Without a second thought, she reached for the door again, intending to slam it shut.
Clack—
"...hiss—!"
Noticing Rio trying to shut the door, Haruto instinctively reached out and wedged his hand in the gap. The door slammed into his fingers with a sharp impact, causing him to hiss and suck in a breath. On the other side of the door, Rio hadn't expected him to react so quickly. When she saw his pained expression, a flicker of concern crossed her face. After a moment's hesitation, she let go of the door, and it slowly creaked open again.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" she scolded quietly.
"Yeah, I know... But it's been a long time since I last saw you at school. If you shut the door now, who knows when I'll get another chance? So... I guess I got a little desperate."
He took a deep breath, glancing at his reddened fingers. He blew on them gently, though it didn't really help much.
Rio's eyes wavered as she looked at him. Wordlessly, she stepped aside and opened the door wider.
"Come in. I'll get some ice for your hand."
"...Thanks."
Once inside, Rio moved quietly through the house, retrieving ice from the fridge and placing it into a small plastic bag with a bit of water. She handed it to Haruto, holding out her pale, delicate hand for him.
Haruto hesitated for a second, then slowly rested his injured left hand in her palm. She felt the weight and warmth of it before carefully pressing the cold pack to his fingers, head bowed, saying nothing.
Haruto sat there in silence, watching her. She wore a soft pink sweater, her head slightly lowered, focused on tending to his hand. The air between them was heavy, quiet.
"...I haven't seen you at school in a while. Been busy?"
"Mm... There were some things I needed to deal with. I couldn't really concentrate at school, so I decided to take time off."
She didn't lift her head, not once. She avoided his eyes completely—afraid that if she saw his face, she'd remember what happened that day in the lab... and lose control of herself.
"...With you gone, I've been having lunch alone. I never know what to do anymore. How much longer will you be away?"
"I... don't know."
Even now, with Haruto sitting right in front of her, she still hadn't sorted out her feelings. After all this time hiding, she still didn't know how to deal with him.
"That day..." Haruto began quietly, watching the gray strands of her hair. "After I passed out in the lab... did something happen?"
"...What do you mean?"
Her hand trembled slightly at the question. Haruto felt it—proof that something had indeed occurred, something he hadn't been aware of. He sighed, his heart growing heavier.
"I just... noticed something strange afterward. When I got home, there was a little bit of color—something that didn't belong to me. So, I got curious."
Rio remained silent, still crouched in front of him, holding the cold compress to his hand. She didn't offer a response.
Haruto didn't press her. He simply waited.
"...What color?"
"A little red."
Her head, which had been lowered all this time, slowly lifted. She looked him in the eyes.
"...If I did something... would you forgive me?"
"...No."
Rio lowered her head again. But Haruto leaned forward, bringing his face close to her ear, and whispered softly—
"You helped me with the ice. I'll call it even."
He sat back up. When Rio raised her head, her cheeks were red, her expression flustered—somewhere between embarrassment and irritation. Haruto smiled faintly.
"...So you figured it out?" she asked.
"Not really. Just a guess. With your personality, I doubt you'd do anything like that unless something serious happened. And when I saw how you were avoiding me... I thought maybe you were blaming yourself. So, I came to check."
She hadn't expected him to be worrying about her even now. Her eyes flickered again, and she lowered her head.
"...Wouldn't this be a problem if your girlfriend found out?"
"Now that's a scary way to put it," Haruto chuckled. "Say it with a bit more edge, and it sounds like blackmail. Like, 'If you don't want your girlfriend to see these photos, you know what you have to do.'"
Even while smiling, his words held no hint of levity. Rio watched him quietly, her feelings gradually settling. She stayed crouched beside him, eyes on his face.
Haruto reached out and placed his hand gently over hers—the one holding the ice pack. She flinched slightly, instinctively pulling back, but then looked up into his eyes.
"I can take it from here. You must be tired from kneeling like that. Come sit."
"..."
She moved to sit beside him, not too far away. Haruto held the ice pack to his fingers, the sting in his hand slowly fading.
Just a little longer.
His gaze shifted to Rio again. She sat opposite him in the quiet living room, neither of them speaking.
"Your parents not home today? At work?"
"...Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Just curious. I noticed you were alone. Do you cook?"
"...Simple dishes."
Rio wasn't sure why he was suddenly asking about mundane things like that. Still, it wasn't a particularly uncomfortable topic, so she answered. But her eyes never left Haruto—she watched every movement he made.
She could still feel the sensation of his hand on hers. She lightly touched her right hand with her left, as if trying to hold onto the warmth he'd left behind.
"I see. Can you make chocolate too?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
"For next year's Valentine's Day... Can I have your homemade chocolate?"
"..."
Just as she had started to feel a little more at ease, his sudden question caught her off guard, dragging her back into silence. Haruto looked up at the ceiling, his eyes scanning the clean, well-kept living room. He could tell what kind of people lived here just from the atmosphere.
When his gaze returned to Rio, she turned her face away to avoid it.
"...Don't you already have a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, but she goes to a different school. I probably won't see her until later that night, so..."
"...I'm sure there are other girls at school who like you. Some of those rumors must be true. Someone out there probably really likes you, right?"
"But I want your chocolate."
"..."
She bit her lip, unsure how to respond. Haruto smiled gently.
"You already have a girlfriend, don't you?"
"She's not the jealous type. Besides... after everything that's happened, does that even matter anymore?"
"I don't want to be the third party. I don't want people looking at me like that."
She looked at him, her eyes serious, her lips trembling slightly as she gave her answer.
Haruto simply sighed.
He stood and walked over to her. Before Rio could react, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down onto the sofa. She landed on her back, wide-eyed, as he hovered above her.
Their eyes met in silence.
Rio turned her head away, but said nothing.
Sometimes, silence says more than words.
Haruto couldn't help but smile faintly. He leaned in closer, their faces nearly touching, his eyes locked on hers.
She stared back, motionless—then quickly turned her head the other way.
Haruto moved with her, keeping his face in front of hers no matter which way she turned. Rio scowled, struggling slightly, pressing her hands against his chest.
"What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"Nothing. I just thought... you looked cute. I wanted to see your face up close."
"...Do you say that to every girl? Is that how you make them fall for you? They must have terrible taste."
Her sudden sarcasm caught Haruto off guard, but he chuckled softly.
He leaned in closer, and her eyes widened, a flicker of panic in them.
"So... do you like me? Or not?"
His breath brushed against her cheek. She could smell him, feel the heat of him. Her mind went blank. She shut her eyes tight, unable to answer.
And then... she felt the softness of his lips on hers.
Her eyes snapped open. Their gazes met.
"Mm!"
"Mm?"
"Mm-mm-mm!"
"Mm?"
They exchanged glances silently—Rio glaring, Haruto smiling like an idiot. She didn't push him away, even though she clearly should've.
Slowly, his kisses became bolder. Her initial resistance faded. Her gaze turned hazy, and she let him continue... even responding a little.
It began in the living room.
But at some point... her arms wrapped around his neck.
"...Let's go to... my room."