An embrace is always romantic, at least to her.

Jinguji Tsuki swore that when Sakuya Sakurakouji paused for a few seconds before resolutely turning away, he must have used the Jinguji family’s once-in-a-lifetime blink technique.

He tossed the bewildered You Miyagi to the ground, paying no mind to the little animal’s cry of “Ouch,” and quickly appeared at his childhood friend’s side, reaching out to grab her shoulder.

How could he possibly let such a misunderstanding spread? It would be fatal!

Determined to defend his dignity and not be branded as someone who performed indecent acts in a bookstore, the boy spent several minutes explaining the entire situation to Sakuya Sakurakouji.

The girl glanced at the small animal slowly crawling up from the floor, pondered for a moment, and then, without ceremony, lifted the boy’s dark green apron, bending down to inspect him.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking if your zipper is open.”

“….”

Clearly, Jinguji Tsuki had not earned the trust of his childhood friend.

After much explanation, he finally cleared himself of suspicion for “public indecency,” and breathed a sigh of relief. When he came back to his senses, his childhood friend had already walked over to the younger girl.

“Hello.”

“Hello, huh? I think I’ve seen you before—you’re a senior from the athletics club.”

“My name is Sakuya Sakurakouji. And you?”

“I’m You Miyagi, desu.”

The two girls exchanged greetings, paying little mind to Jinguji Tsuki, who felt a growing urge to escape the scene—mostly because Sakuya Sakurakouji’s gaze kept darting between him and You Miyagi, as if she was hoping for something to happen between them.

“Sakurakouji-senpai, are you perhaps Tsuki’s girlfriend?” You Miyagi blinked, curiosity bright in her eyes.

“Eh? Girlfriend… No, it’s not like that.” Sakuya Sakurakouji waved her hands nervously, stealing a glance at the boy beside her.

You Miyagi patted her flat chest and sighed with relief. “That makes sense. If Tsuki had a girlfriend and was still interested in the president, that would be pretty rotten.”

Hey, Miss Sakurakouji, your gaze is a little sharp…

“Don’t take everything she says so seriously,” Jinguji Tsuki explained.

You Miyagi pouted, displeased. “That’s mean, Tsuki. I never lie.”

“You’re the one who insists I’m interested in President Hoshinomori. I have nothing to do with her.”

“But two weeks ago, in the old school building’s corridor, you tackled her. Does that count as ‘nothing’?”

“And who do you think caused that?”

Just as Jinguji Tsuki was about to give his junior a piece of his mind, his childhood friend’s voice, now chilly, drifted to his ears.

“Wait a minute—what do you mean, ‘tackled’? You did that to the president?”

“I saw it myself! He went ‘wham,’ and both of Tsuki’s hands pressed down…”

His childhood friend’s brow twitched violently.

“Pressed down on the floor.”

“Don’t you dare speak in half-sentences,” Jinguji Tsuki said, massaging his aching forehead, realizing that he could no longer let these two share the same space.

Fearing the situation would become even more complicated, Jinguji Tsuki dragged Sakuya Sakurakouji out to the alley beside the store to explain their earlier conversation.

When he finished, the dissatisfaction on Sakuya Sakurakouji’s face faded somewhat, but discomfort lingered in her heart, leaving her unable to let go.

The boy truly had not continued to date random girls, as he’d said, but the number of cute girls around him hadn’t decreased. The student council president, the junior in front of her, and even her own friend seemed to harbor feelings for him, leaving her at a loss.

“You’re really not playing me for a fool?”

“How could I do such a thing?”

“Because now, you treat me only as a childhood friend.”

“We are childhood friends.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Looking into the moist emotion in his childhood friend’s eyes, the boy felt something stir within him.

He thought, perhaps if he embraced her now, or reached out to gently rub her head, Sakuya Sakurakouji would feel reassured and continue being the naïve girl she always was.

Jinguji Tsuki expected his cheeks would flush, his heart would race, their bittersweet memories would surge within him, causing waves of emotion.

But he felt nothing.

And so, he could not embrace her, nor reach out to touch her head.

When he realized this, the only emotion left in his heart was sorrow.

Sakuya Sakurakouji seemed to be waiting for something, but when the boy remained motionless, the flickering emotion in her gaze gradually faded and hid itself away.

The girl lowered her head, dejected. “Hey, Tsuki… Am I just causing you trouble?”

“No, not at all.”

“Am I being too impatient?”

“No. It’s me who couldn’t keep up with you.”

“Do you… hate me?”

The sorrow in the boy’s heart could not withstand the helplessness revealed by the girl, and he reached out, unable to help himself, and pulled her into his arms.

“Idiot.”

“Don’t call me names.”

“Mm, idiot.”

Sakuya Sakurakouji closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of the boy—like summer nights, moths circling the streetlamp, desperately colliding with the ephemeral glow, as if something delicious lay hidden just beyond.

“Hoshinomori-senpai is a good person,” she whispered.

“Mm.”

“That’s why I don’t want you to get close to her.”

“I won’t get close to anyone.”

“Liar. I don’t believe you.”

“Then how can I make you believe me?”

“Hug me tighter.”

“Like this?”

“Tighter.”

“Like this?”

“Mm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“You used to embrace other girls like this, didn’t you? Even the president.”

“Are you angry?”

“Mm, very angry, but…”

“But?”

“When I remember that the first person you ever hugged, the first person you ever kissed, was me, it gives me strength to keep going.”

“Sakuya, you’re so hardworking.”

“I have no other strengths. I’m not very smart. If I don’t try hard, I can’t find any way to make you look at me.”

“Even if you didn’t, I would always look at you.”

“But you’d only look at me, then go toward other girls. Even if your eyes are on me, you’re hugging someone else. I don’t like that.”

“Sakuya, what do you like about me?”

“You don’t understand?”

“If it were before, maybe I’d understand a little. But now, it’s hard for me to grasp.”

“Because my time is still stuck in the past. Isn’t yours, Tsuki?”

Suddenly, the boy remembered Hoshinomori Hoshino’s words.

He answered quietly, “Mm.”