Lunch Break.
As Haruto left the classroom, Nino turned around with a sweet smile on her face: "Kuromori, what a coincidence~"
"I see you're always here."
Before Haruto could finish speaking, he felt an arm around his waist.
Nino's eyes turned into crescent shapes, and she smiled, saying, "Take care of your skin~"
"You're unbelievable, Nino."
Nino withdrew her hand, placing one on her hip, and looked at him with her big blue eyes without blinking: "Are you free this weekend?"
"No." Haruto replied without hesitation.
He had heard them talking in the morning about going out together. In a situation with more girls than guys, he, as a guy, felt very disadvantaged—powerless and without a choice.
So, he didn't want to go at all.
If he had time, he'd rather stay home and watch dramas with Mafuyu!
Nino paused for a moment, then softly murmured: "If you don't want to go, I won't either. I can go alone."
Haruto was surprised: "On your own?"
"Of course." Nino replied without hesitation, "I want to go to the mall to buy something, but since my friends are busy this weekend, I could only ask you."
'Is something really going on with her friends?'
Haruto quietly complained in his heart, but he didn't show it. He thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have a study meeting this weekend, but I'm free on Saturday morning."
Nino's lips curled into a smile: "Great, here's your lunch."
"Thank you for the hard work, Nino."
Walking toward the stairs, Nino glanced at Haruto, who was shorter than her, and suddenly remembered a comic panel she had seen on her phone that morning.
In the comic, a girl suddenly stopped the boy on the stairs, and when he turned around to look at her, she lowered her head and kissed him.
The scene was incredibly sweet.
There was even a touch of romance in it.
At the time, Nino hadn't thought much about it, but now, seeing the real-life situation made her heartbeat quicken.
If it were another girl, she might have just thought about it and never acted.
But Nino was different.
She was bold, direct, and passionate about the person she liked.
If Haruto suddenly asked her to go to a love hotel, Nino would probably excitedly follow him without hesitation!
Feeling her heart pounding, Nino called out: "Kuromori, wait a moment."
"Hm?"
Seeing Haruto turn back, Nino fixed her gaze on him, then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, blushed, and leaned in to kiss him.
However, when people are nervous, their minds tend to go blank, and standing on the stairs and bending down, it's easy to feel unbalanced.
Just like Nino at this moment.
Due to her tension, she didn't account for the distance between them.
As a result, in Haruto's eyes, Nino seemed to lunge at him without warning!
Haruto had just enough time to reach out and catch her, but her face ended up buried against his chest.
Soft and fragrant.
Haruto instinctively hugged her closer, finally understanding why Ichika always threw herself into Itsuki's arms.
"Hmm~" Nino murmured, suddenly opening her eyes and blushing deeply: "What are you doing? Don't move, idiot!"
As Nino stood up, Haruto said speechlessly: "Nino, what was that all of a sudden? That was dangerous."
Nino straightened her messy hair and pretended to be calm: "It's fine, I just slipped."
Haruto didn't think much of it and only reminded her: "Be careful on the stairs."
"Yes." After a few steps, Nino grew more uncertain as she thought about it.
She stomped on the stairs, went down, and glanced back at Haruto with a sudden smile: "What's wrong?"
Haruto: "Nothing."
Women are strange. She was fine before, but now she's suddenly upset!
Haruto thought carefully and didn't recall doing anything that would anger Nino.
Just as he was thinking this, Nino's voice rang out.
"Kuromori."
"What is it, Nino... Mhm~"
Turning without thinking, Haruto suddenly saw Nino lean in swiftly.
Her fragrance filled his senses, and the soft touch on his lips brought a hint of fruity sweetness, along with warmth and tenderness.
Time seemed to stand still.
Their eyes met.
Nino looked at him with pride, then immediately walked away.
The first kiss of the day.
She knew if she didn't take the chance, she'd regret it deeply.
But having done it, she felt so happy.
Nino raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced at Haruto, then quickly walked downstairs.
"That was a gift. I'm going to the cafeteria now. See you later, Kuromori."
Haruto instinctively touched his lips and suddenly felt like calling her, to say, "Nino, please give me that gift again!"
As he headed downstairs, he was about to go to the cafeteria when a familiar voice, calm and steady, called out.
"Reckless Haruto."
That's indeed what Miku calls him endearingly.
Because when it's just the two of them, Miku likes to call him that!
Haruto turned and looked at the girl leaning against the wall, gazing at him, and he asked, surprised: "Miku, were you waiting for me?"
At this time, Miku should be with Nino, going to the cafeteria together, right?
Miku calmly replied: "I was just tired of walking, so I took a break here."
Haruto walked over to her and suggested, "I know a way to exercise without running, so it's not too exhausting."
'An effortless workout method? That doesn't exist! I'm not a fool—I won't believe it!'
Miku puffed her cheeks slightly and gave him a look of disbelief: "Liar!"
"I'm not lying."
Haruto insisted he was telling the truth because such a training method really did exist, but only he could use it.
Seeing him so sure, Miku grew curious, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Is there really such a method?"
"There is." Haruto replied. "We can try it during P.E. class this afternoon."
JIII—
Miku looked at him intently, though unfortunately, nothing could be read from her face.
After a moment, Miku turned away, hesitated briefly, and said, "Alright, let's try it."
"Great!"