"Utaha..." As Hoshimi looked at Kasumigaoka, whose eyes were misty, he was just about to say something when Kasumigaoka suddenly trembled, broke free from his embrace, and quickly walked away as if escaping.
All that was left behind was her graceful silhouette and a lingering fragrance.
"..."
Hoshimi stood in place, with a subtle expression on his face, guessing what might have happened, and watched Kasumigaoka disappear down the street.
After he could no longer see her, Hoshimi turned to leave.
Suddenly, he noticed someone in the corner of his vision who seemed to be watching him secretly.
His gaze shifted, and he saw Eriri's childhood friend, who was staring blankly at him through the glass from inside the family restaurant.
At the same time, three young women sitting by the window were also watching him, giggling and seemingly talking among themselves.
"..." Hoshimi raised an eyebrow, realizing that this childhood friend and the three women must have witnessed the kiss between him and Kasumigaoka through the window.
With this in mind, Hoshimi gave a subtle smile and waved goodbye to the childhood friend, mouthing the words, "Eriri is really great~" with a smile.
Inside the family restaurant, Tomoya Aki frowned deeply as he looked at Hoshimi outside, who was waving goodbye to him.
Was the guy really saying goodbye to him? It seemed so...
But what exactly did he say? From the way his lips moved, it didn't look like "goodbye"...
Filled with confusion, Tomoya didn't respond to Hoshimi's farewell.
After watching Hoshimi leave, he returned to his duties as a waiter.
...
On the other side, Hoshimi, who had already gotten into a taxi headed for the train station, took out his phone and sent a message to Kasumigaoka, jokingly saying:
"Utaha, that president of yours is so rude. I waved goodbye to him, but he didn't respond at all! Not even a nod!"
"Beep--beep---"
Two seconds later, Kasumigaoka's reply came.
"That's normal. That idiot is known for being unreasonable and lacking manners. It's not surprising he'd do something like that. But I'm more curious, why were you even saying goodbye to him? Were you bored?"
"Just being polite, since he's someone you know. I thought I'd say goodbye to avoid coming off as arrogant." — Hoshimi.
"...No need to bother in the future. After tonight, I should be able to leave the club. By then, he'll just be another ordinary junior, not someone I know. You don't have to be polite to him anymore." - Kasumigaoka.
"Leave the club? Can you do that now?" — Hoshimi.
Earlier at the coffee shop, he hadn't heard what Kasumigaoka and Eriri discussed because they were too far away.
"There's a 90% chance. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow when it's all sorted." — Kasumigaoka.
"Okay~ then tell me in my dreams tomorrow." — Hoshimi.
"Sure." — Kasumigaoka.
"Young man, we've arrived at the train station."
At that moment, the taxi arrived at its destination.
Hoshimi paid and got out. Before entering the train station, he sent another message to Kasumigaoka:
"I'll stop chatting now. I've arrived at the station. When you get home, just send me a message. If I'm not asleep on the train, I'll reply."
On the other side, Kasumigaoka's eyes brightened as she replied:
"Got it. When you get home, send me a message too, so I don't worry about you."
Hoshimi quickly sent back an "OK" emoji before putting his phone away and heading into the station.
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka excitedly clenched her fist.
If she timed Hoshimi's journey from boarding to arriving home again and compared it with the morning's timing, she could get a more accurate result.
She was one step closer to uncovering Hoshimi's real-life background!
"Hmm, hmm, hmm~ hmm, hmm~ hmm, hmm, hmm~~~"
In a good mood, Kasumigaoka put her phone away and hummed an unknown tune as she strolled home.
A breeze blew by, and Kasumigaoka, wearing a skirt, suddenly felt a chill beneath it.
"Uh~" Her face turned red as she quickened her pace, keeping her head down in silence.
...
At 7:20 PM, Hoshimi returned to Chiba.
Instead of going home directly, he first went to a small clinic. He paid the doctor a bit to leave a trace of an IV injection on the back of his left hand, then covered it with some medical tape.
Now, the IV mark was there.
But that wasn't enough—perfecting a lie required more effort.
Next, he went to a pharmacy to buy disinfectant and a small spray bottle (the clinic didn't have any), and then rented a room in an ordinary motel.
In the motel room, he followed the pharmacy clerk's instructions and mixed the disinfectant to match the kind used in hospitals.
He poured the disinfectant into the spray bottle and sprayed it around the room.
Then, he hung up the new set of clothes Kasumigaoka had given him, using the room to create the illusion of having stayed in a hospital.
But that wasn't enough. To avoid any trace of evidence, Hoshimi took a shower, removing any scent left by Kasumigaoka.
In the shower, he didn't use the motel's shampoo or body wash, just rinsed with warm water, and even avoided getting his hair wet to prevent it from showing signs of being freshly dried.
Once everything was in place, he put on the clothes he had set up and sat in the room for ten minutes to make sure he carried the scent of disinfectant before leaving.
By the way, he left the other set of clothes Kasumigaoka had given him, along with his original clothes, in the motel room, planning to come back for them after school tomorrow when Yukino and Kotoko weren't around.
To that end, he even extended the room's rental until the day after tomorrow, just to be safe—after all, those clothes were a gift from Kasumigaoka.
Speaking of Kasumigaoka, Hoshimi realized he hadn't yet replied to her messages.
He pulled out his phone to check.
6:27 PM, the first message.
"Hoshimi, I'm home." — Kasumigaoka.
6:35 PM, the second message.
"Hoshimi, did you fall asleep? Let me know when you get home, so I don't worry." — Kasumigaoka.
Hoshimi thought for a moment and replied:
"I'm home now. No need to worry." — Hoshimi.
After sending the message, he put away his phone and quickly headed toward his apartment.
He had to move fast—what if the scent of disinfectant faded?
Soon after, Hoshimi returned to the apartment building. He didn't go straight to his own place but instead went to Yukino's, knocking on her door.
Before knocking, Hoshimi double-checked his phone to make sure it was on silent. No issues.
"Click—"
The door opened, revealing Yukino, her twin tails peeking out from behind the door.
"Hoshimi..."
"Yukino, I'm back from getting an IV. Come here, give me a hug first."
...
27th floor, Hoshimi's apartment.
Mrs. Arisugawa sat expressionless on the couch, still waiting.
The old butler standing nearby began contemplating whether he should start looking for a burial plot for Young Master Kiyokawa.
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already more than 30 extra chapters available.