From the get-go, I had this nagging feeling that something was off. I mean, less than a day after the Miyamoto High incident, social media was ablaze, loaded with posts about the blonde-haired guy who dared to inappropriately touch Maki. Videos and pictures were everywhere—somehow, not so much serving as evidence of Maki's right to defend her dignity, but more like circulating a wanted poster so everyone could get a good look at the suspect's face.
Yeah, that's the guy—the one I accidentally bumped into in the hallway. And his name rings a bell.
Where have I heard it before…?
"Oh, I know him. He works with Ueda-san at Mokachino as a barista," Furuta pipes up, his eyes lighting up with a bit too much excitement.
"Hmm, I see…"
But I keep my cool, casually checking my phone, flicking back and forth between apps, showing nothing of the storm brewing inside as Furuta rambles on like he's some kind of insider. Seriously, he chats about this blonde-haired dude like they go way back, when in reality, he only hangs at that café to keep tabs on that brooding guy Sakamoto dubs 'the gloomy tea-guy'. Yeah, Furuta's got his reasons, but that's not where I've heard the name… hold on a second!
Right… Maki was all weird about that coffee shop, wasn't she? Hmm, coincidence or something more? Ha-ha, things are definitely heating up.
"Hasegawa, what are you planning to do?" Sakamoto's voice snaps me back to reality, and there he is, eyeing me with that mix of curiosity and concern. "Don't tell me you're gonna beat him or something…"
"Hah? Why would I do that?" I scoff. Seriously, he might look grown-up, but sometimes he's just naive.
"Obviously because he touched your girlfriend."
"I hope you won't get involved with him, Hasegawa-kun…," Furuta chimes in, his worry etched deep as his brows knit together, almost as if he just heard I'm being drafted to the front lines of some fierce battle, likely never to make it back home. "I saw it with my own eyes— well, so did everyone else… he really did a number on a customer."
Oh? So, the guy's a bit of a delinquent?
"He did?" Sakamoto echoes, it seems his interest piqued just like mine.
"Uh-huh, no idea what set him off, but it took three guys to hold him back. Even Ueda-san, who's usually so detached, had to step in," Furuta explains, painting a picture of a scene wilder than anything you'd expect in a cozy coffee shop setting.
But jeez, do you really have to mention that dude's name every single time? Can't you see how your secret admirer's trying to mask his jealousy, even though it's written all over his face? Oh my… these helpless guys really just make me sigh and shake my head in disbelief.
Well, if I could just lay it all out there, tell Furuta straight up about Sakamoto's hidden feelings right in front of him, I would. But right now, it seems I can't split my focus. I'm too caught up in this whole ordeal with the blonde-haired guy. I mean, if he's bold enough to throw punches at a man in public—a customer, no less—why did he seem so rattled the day he supposedly touched Maki? If he's as tough as they say, nothing should scare him, right? Yet, in those videos and pictures that flooded social media, he looked even more shaken than Maki, almost like she was the one who touched him.
Man, seriously… I'm totally hooked on digging into this mystery.
As the school bell chimes, everyone shuffles, rising and making their way back to their desks. Sakamoto drifts from my desk to his own in the middle of the class, while Furuta swivels around, settling down quietly at his spot. Watching them walk away, I start thinking maybe I shouldn't play it so cool. Maybe I should just come out and ask what I really want to know because right now, my curiosity is like a fire inside me, burning to know everything, and I mean everything, right this second. But well, the teacher hasn't shown up yet for the next period, so I seize the moment. Phone in hand, I dive straight into the internet browser and start tapping away, typing a name into the search column, eager to dig a little deeper.
[Morikita Daichi]
And bam, look what I found! I knew my gut wouldn't let me down, ha-ha!
Setting aside that whole Miyamoto High incident for a moment—the name I just punched in pulls up a slew of articles about Horie Mio's tragic death, a story that rocked the youth scene a couple of years ago.
Right, this name is the one all over the media, cited as the reason that rising idol, who everyone 'worshipped', committed suicide at the peak of her popularity. With the teacher still not here, I quickly click into one of the articles and give it a scan. And guess what? This name also pops up as Akizuki-san's son.
Now it clicks. This is how I've heard the name before.