Going to the bookstore wasn't an issue. Looking at the girl in front of him, Haruto figured it would just be accompanying her to pick up a few useful reference books. Browsing around the store a bit wouldn't take long.
Even the biggest bookstores had clear sections. If they only needed practical books, they'd be in and out in no time—definitely not more than two hours.
"Saturday's fine. If it's just going to the bookstore, I don't mind. I also have a few things I've been meaning to buy... hmm."
He realized he didn't actually need to wait until Saturday—he could easily drop by the bookstore after school today. It wouldn't take long. But glancing at the girl in front of him, Nakano Itsuki, he chose not to change the plan. Getting home early wasn't a bad thing anyway.
Even though his body was still young, it couldn't withstand endless exertion. Fatigue crept in easily, and his spirits had been low lately. He needed a bit of rest to recharge.
"Then, after school on Saturday, shall we go together to the bookstore?"
"Let's confirm again on Saturday."
"Alright."
After that, the two didn't speak much more. They quietly finished their lunches. Haruto finished his first and only stood up to leave after Itsuki had finished hers. They exchanged farewells and parted ways in the cafeteria.
Once she was alone, Itsuki went to join her four sisters. As soon as she sat down, she noticed something was off with the mood. Curious, she looked at the others, particularly focusing on Yotsuba.
Sensing Itsuki's gaze, Yotsuba stiffened and looked toward the other three sisters.
"Ahaha~ it's nothing really. We just saw you sitting with Miyamizu-kun earlier."
"Oh? You saw us together?"
Itsuki didn't feel the need to hide her relationship with Haruto anymore. There wasn't anything going on between them—she'd simply asked him to tutor her in private, and it had been going on for some time now. There was no reason to keep it a secret from her sisters.
While speaking, she found her eyes drifting toward Ichika, subtly observing her reaction.
It puzzled her. Even though she didn't feel anything romantic toward Haruto, she still found herself worrying about how Ichika would take it. She tried to act natural, but noticed Ichika's response was... unexpectedly calm.
"I was just curious, so I looked over and saw you two sitting together."
With the others remaining silent, Yotsuba spoke up.
"I see..."
After leaving the cafeteria, Haruto returned to the classroom and sat at his desk. Most of his classmates were already there. He looked out the window, preferring the view of the open sky to watching people.
Whether sunny or rainy, the sky always brought back memories. Recalling the past gave him a sense of calm that everyday life rarely allowed.
A girl's gaze silently rested on him—this boy leaning against his hand, staring at the sky. That familiar silhouette etched in her memory stirred a mix of emotions. She had something she wanted to say, but a thick wall had grown between them. Alone, she tasted the quiet bitterness of solitude.
"Want to come over after school?" asked Yoshii.
Haruto shook his head. "I'm feeling a bit tired. I think I'll head home and rest."
"Then it's just me and Yuuji again... kind of boring. Oh wait—there's still Hideyoshi! I'll go ask him!"
Yoshii didn't seem too bothered by the rejection. He cheerfully waved goodbye and went off to find Hideyoshi. Haruto packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the classroom.
After school, on his walk home, he stopped by a convenience store to stock up on drinks, then headed to the shopping district to replenish the groceries he'd used over the past couple of days. Once he returned to his apartment, he sank into his chair in front of the computer.
"Feels like I'm barely getting any exercise. Aside from going to and from school, I hardly move at all… I should probably do something about that."
Tired from carrying groceries, he reflected on how sedentary his life had become. He glanced at the computer screen and sighed.
"I don't need to pour every minute into work. I should enjoy this fleeting youth while it lasts."
After sitting for a while, he walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it.
"I'll think about it after a nap."
But despite closing his eyes, sleep wouldn't come. His mind wouldn't settle. Giving up, he opened his eyes again, sat up, and silently returned to the desk. He turned on his computer and resumed working on his manuscript.
Later that evening, when he visited the Kiyoura house, he noticed Mai seemed a little down. Setsuna didn't seem to be paying him much attention either, so he walked over to Mai to check on her.
"It's nothing," she said flatly, casting him a sideways glance.
He figured she was still upset about being left alone during that rainy day. There wasn't much he could do now. Avoiding Setsuna's attention, he offered a few words of comfort, and soon Mai's face turned red, her earlier coldness gone.
After dinner, when Mai kept blinking at him suggestively, Haruto pretended not to notice and went home. He showered and got into bed early. This time, he managed to fall asleep without trouble.
Since appearing on TV, Mari hadn't contacted him much. Occasionally, he would ask her about the book sales, and her reports were always promising. Of the 60,000 printed copies, most had already sold. Only a few remained in stores. There were talks of printing 40,000 more and expanding distribution to bookstores nationwide.
Still, despite the good sales, the internal opinion of him at Sakura Publishing remained lukewarm. For instance, the TV appearance Mari promised to arrange had been denied after internal discussions.
"Sorry. I couldn't make it happen after all."
"No worries. Just getting this far—I'm already grateful."
He truly was. Mari had done a lot for him. Without her help, his debut might've only sold 6,000 copies, or even less. Reaching 60,000 was partly due to luck too.
But for his next book… should he still stick with Sakura Publishing?
If he was honest with himself, the only reason he still felt anything for the company was because of Mari. The rest of the staff were strangers to him, and some decisions they'd made had left a bad taste in his mouth.
After a brief chat, Mari had to go—someone was calling for her. After ending the call, he sat quietly in his room, staring at the open document on his screen. After some thought, he decided to submit his next work to Sakura Publishing again.
"Just one more book with them. After that, I'll start looking into other publishers. I'm not the overlooked rookie I was when I first submitted."
He sighed softly and placed his fingers on the keyboard again.
—
Saturday came. After school let out, Yoshii and Yuuji came over and invited him to the arcade. But since Haruto had already promised to go with Itsuki, he politely declined.
"Got a date?" Yoshii teased, holding out his pinky.
"No. Just going to the bookstore with someone I know."
Hearing it was a bookstore, Yoshii immediately lost interest and headed out with Yuuji.
Haruto glanced toward Itsuki's desk. She hadn't made any moves yet, and he didn't go over to speak with her either. Instead, he left the school alone, went home to change into casual clothes, and waited for her message.
Just past noon, he received a text from Itsuki.
"1:00 PM, Kinokuniya Bookstore, Shinjuku."
"Kinokuniya, huh... That brings back memories. It's probably the biggest bookstore chain in all of Tokyo. Not surprising she chose that one."
Glancing at the time, it was only just past noon. He had an hour to spare. With nothing else to do, he freshened up, styled his hair in the mirror, and made his way to Shinjuku.
He took the subway from Korakuen Station and arrived at Shinjuku's west exit about half an hour later. He walked out, looked around, and headed toward Kinokuniya.
"Come visit our Meow-Maid Café sometime~"
"Take a break with us inside~"
Along the way, maids in cute outfits handed out flyers, each competing for attention. The area was packed with maid cafés.
He politely declined the flyers and kept walking. Finally, he reached Kinokuniya and stood near the fossil shop right next door. Taking out his phone, he sent a message to Itsuki.
"You here yet?"
"On my way. You're already there?"
"Still on my way."
He didn't push or mention that he was already there. Putting his phone away, he turned and looked into the fossil shop window.
He hadn't really paid attention to it the last time he came. Now that he had some time, he took a closer look through the glass. Something caught his eye—an ammonite fossil.
"Late Cretaceous... about 71 million years old... and the price is... three million yen?"
Haruto furrowed his brows and stared at the price tag for a long moment, making sure he hadn't misread it.
"I wonder if that's expensive or reasonable. I don't really know much about fossils."
The fossil intrigued him. He even considered buying it. He had about four million yen in savings, so he could afford it... but still...
"It's pretty big. Even if I bought it, my apartment's too small to display it properly. Maybe I should be thinking about house instead. With four million yen... what kind of property could I even get?"
He dreamed of living in Bunkyo Ward, but real estate there was expensive. Even a modest single-family home would easily start at ten million yen.
"Three million yen... that's already a tenth of what I'd need. Factor in taxes, furniture, and everything else... probably need at least thirty million yen to seriously consider it."
With reality setting in, his desire for the ammonite faded quickly. He looked away after another glance. Nearby were other natural stones—cheaper, of course. A round pink stone was just 800 yen.
But he wasn't bored enough to start buying random rocks to decorate his apartment.
Just as he was about to leave, a particular label caught his eye. It drew him into the store, where he slowly walked over to a display, staring in surprise at the stone in front of him.
Sakura Stone – Origin: Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture
Price: 13,750 yen
He remembered how he once thought of visiting Kameoka to buy sakura stones for his novel research. Who would've thought he'd find one here?
His interest deepened.