Kai kept his eyes on Emi Fujimoto, carefully analyzing every microexpression on her face.
She stood near the rooftop entrance, her posture slightly tense, her lips pressed together as if unsure whether to speak or not.
She wasn't acting like her usual self.
She was being too silent and her was moving between Kai's eyes and the floor.
Kai remembers Emi being a very joyful girl, not a shy one.
Her sudden appearance wasn't a coincidence.
She had probably been waiting. Watching.
Still, she hesitated.
"Kai-kun…" she finally spoke, her voice softer than usual. "Can we talk?"
Kai remained still for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah… sure." He said, with a friendly voice, covering the part of his face that Hina slapped.
Emi stepped closer, but there was something off about her.
She looked hesitant, but her eyes… they held an unreadable glint.
"I… I wanted to talk to you earlier," she admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But… I didn't feel comfortable."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
She glanced away, seemingly embarrassed. "I just… that girl... Lala and Haruto were there. It felt… suffocating, in a way."
Kai's curiosity piqued at her response. "Suffocating? Why?" He asked.
Emi hesitated.
She didn't speak.
Then, instead of answering, she let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Never mind. It's not important." That's all she said.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.
"She's avoiding the question." Kai thought, as he scratched the back of his head.
He didn't realize that by doing that action, he revealed the red side of his face.
Before he could press further, Emi's gaze landed on his face.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Kai-kun… your cheek is red," she said, stepping even closer, concern flashing in her eyes. "Did… did someone hit you?"
Kai touched his cheek instinctively, pretending to be caught off guard.
And , in an instant, he realized that this was the perfect opportunity.
The perfect chance to play along Hina's act as he couldn't lower the guard in Emi's presence.
Letting out a forced sigh, he looked away, as if reluctant to speak.
"It's-It's nothing," he muttered with a fake sad voice.
After his words, Emi stepped closer to him and touched his hand that was resting on his face.
"You can tell me, Kai. We're friends... remember?" Emi said, in a motherly way while caressing his hand.
Despite Kai felt uneasy, he kept playing along.
He looked down on the floor, and lowered his hand so that Emi could see what happened.
"Just… Hina." He whispered.
Emi's breath hitched. "Hina-san… did this to you?"
Kai nodded slowly bvefore raising his glance towards her again, playing the part of the hurt boyfriend. "Yeah… w-we had a fight."
Emi's brows furrowed. "Because of what?"
Kai let out another deep sigh, this time adding a subtle tremble to his voice.
"Her jealousy." He said, while clenching his fists. "Her jealousy is a complete monster."
A moment of silence passed. Emi processed his words, her hands slowly balling into fists at her sides.
"She… she really hit you over jealousy?" she whispered, as if she couldn't believe it.
Kai gave a humorless chuckle.
"Y-Yeah... It's been happening a lot lately... And this situation is starting to hurt me... a lot." Kai said, trying to sound as hurt as he could.
Emi looked horrified.
"L-Lately…? What do you mean?" Emi asked, in a worried way, while looking into Kai's eyes with a very sad look.
She was feeling really sorry for Kai, maybe.
Seeing her reaction, Kai decided to embellish the story further.
In his mind, he was smiling.
He rubbed his forehead, pretending to be exhausted.
"It's getting worse," he murmured, his voice laced with false vulnerability. "She even got jealous over a pregnant woman once…"
Emi's eyes widened. "A pregnant woman!?"
Kai nodded.
"Yeah. We went on a trip to the Yukka river, and there was this woman with her baby. The woman was also pregnant, and she talked to us to have some informations. Nothing serious. But Hina? She got all quiet and she spoke for me without letting me say a single word, and when we got back, she accused me of… of liking her." Kai said, with a "nostalgic" tone of voice.
Emi's mouth parted slightly, pure disbelief washing over her face.
Kai continued, lowering his gaze. "I love her, but… I feel like I'm walking on eggshells all the time. Every little thing sets her off."
At that moment, Emi looked as though she might burst into tears.
"That's… that's horrible…" she whispered, her voice cracking.
Kai didn't say anything. He let the silence do the work, deepening the weight of the fabricated story.
And then, unexpectedly—
Emi stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Kai froze for a moment.
Her embrace was warm, gentle, and filled with genuine sorrow.
But, somehow, Kai felt "disgusted".
Maybe that hug wasn't 100% sincere.
"Kai-kun," she murmured, "I'll always be here for you. No matter what."
Kai clenched his jaw. He had to respond. It would be suspicious otherwise.
Slowly, reluctantly, he raised his arms and returned the hug, patting her back lightly.
It was the bare minimum of reciprocation—just enough to make it seem real.
But even that was enough to surprise Emi.
She stiffened for a second, as if she hadn't expected him to accept her comfort. Then, her face turned an unmistakable shade of red.
Kai pulled away after a moment, offering her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Emi. That… means a lot."
She looked flustered, her hands nervously gripping the hem of her blazer. "O-Of course…"
Clearing her throat, Emi quickly changed the subject.
"Um… Kai-kun," she started, "I was thinking… maybe we could go out later? Just for a little bit. Get some fresh air."
Kai's eyes slightly narrowed.
She was making a move.
"Where?" he asked, feigning curiosity.
"Do you remember the Neko Café? The one we visited before?" she said with a hopeful smile. "I was thinking we could go there again."
Kai hesitated for a brief moment—but only for show.
This was perfect.
It was a golden opportunity to investigate her, see what she was up to, and figure out her true intentions.
Hina wouldn't have been happy, of course.
But to make her feel comfortable, he would've told her to stalk them.
So, he smiled. "Sure. That sounds nice."
Emi visibly brightened. "Really? Great! Let's meet at the station at 7 PM, okay?"
"7 PM it is," Kai confirmed.
She gave him one last smile before nodding and heading toward the rooftop door.
"YAY!" Emi exclaimed.
As soon as she disappeared inside, Kai let out a slow breath.
He had done it.
He had played his role perfectly.
But now, he needed to keep his guard up...
After they parted ways, Kai went to his class again and kept following the lessons until the end.
When the bell rang, Kai started packing up his things.
Meanwhile, Lucas approached him.
"Hey, Suzuki!" He said with a friendly tone and a smile.
Kai moved is glaze towards him and smiled in return.
"Hey, Lucas!" Kai replied.
"Me and my friends are going to the arcade later, wanna come with us?" He asked.
"An arcade ? Mmmh..." Kai rubbed his chin while thinking.
He could go there before meeting Emi.
But he also knew that there was some stuff to do with the festival organization.
"Well, it seems like a perfect idea, but I am busy with the festival today... I'm sorry." Kai said while scratching the back of his head.
Lucas's happy expression disappeared and a resigned smile appeared on his face.
His face was saying "I knew that he wouldn't have accepted an invite from a loser like me..."
Kai felt sorry atfter noticing his change of humor.
"...But we can go tomorrow after school. I promise." Kai said.
Then, Lucas' eyes lightened up with joy.
"R-Really?!" He said, joyfully.
Kai nodded. "Yeah. Promise."
"Oh. Good!!!" Lucas said, with a happy tone of voice.
He seemed happy...
To be specifc, he seemed happy to have a new friend.
After their little talk, they parted ways.
Kai was about to go to the student council room to talk about the festival organization, but a sudden message by Naomi told him that there was nothing to do for that day.
That news actually surprised him, but he didn't ask himself any question.
He just thought "I think that i'm gonna rest for a bit."
So, he walked out the classroom, heading to his house.
He sent a rapid message to Hina while walking.
"Dear, I'll wait you at the school gates, we'll return home together, okay?"
Then, when Kai had arrived, he started to wait for Hina's arrival.
He wanted to talk to her about everything that had happened—about Emi, about their little act, about the strange men lurking outside the school.
But as the minutes passed, and students slowly trickled out of the building, there was no sign of her.
Ten minutes turned into twenty.
Twenty turned into thirty.
Kai frowned, crossing his arms. Where the hell is she?
Just as he was about to take out his phone and send her a message...
His gaze landed on something.
Or rather, someone.
A familiar figure walking down the street in the distance.
His eyes widened slightly.
It was Hana.
Hiro's younger sister. His childhood friend.
She hadn't noticed him, too busy talking with someone beside her.
A guy.
Kai's breath hitched slightly.
He didn't know why, but a strange feeling crept up his spine.
"What the..." He said to himself.