"Ah, good morning."
Just after Mari had left his apartment, Haruto also stepped out. Standing near the gate of the Kiyoura residence was Sekai, and as always, he greeted her with a friendly smile.
But this time, Sekai didn't look up. She didn't respond.
Slightly puzzled, Haruto approached her and gave a small wave in front of her face. Startled, Sekai blinked rapidly as if snapping out of a daze, and her eyes widened when she saw who stood before her.
"H-Haruto? Why are you... When did you...?"
"I said good morning just now, but you didn't respond at all."
"Ah... Sorry. I was lost in thought. Um... Just now, I saw someone come out of your apartment…"
"You mean Mari-san? She's my editor. We had some things to discuss, so she came over early."
"I-I see... That's all it was... I thought maybe... No, never mind. Good morning."
Sekai's heart was still fluttering. She hadn't meant to doubt him—she trusted Haruto—but he was honestly just too attractive. Even a mature woman might take the initiative with someone like him. It wouldn't be surprising in the least.
So when she saw Mari come out of his apartment, she couldn't help but wonder who the woman was, and what kind of relationship she might have with Haruto.
"Yeah. Morning. I'm off to school now."
"Mm-hm."
After the brief exchange, Haruto gave her a casual wave and headed off in a different direction—his school wasn't the same as the route Sekai and Setsuna took.
As she watched his retreating figure, Sekai bit her lip...
_ _ _ _
"Clear off your desks. We're having a test today. Prepare yourselves. Once you're ready, we'll begin."
Stepping into the classroom with his usual stone-faced expression, Mr. Shin Fukuhara made an announcement that immediately set the students on edge. Haruto glanced up at him briefly, then returned to his own desk, unbothered.
Unlike the rest of the class, Haruto was used to these kinds of surprise quizzes. He'd grown numb to them.
"Quiet down. If you're ready, I'm handing out the test papers. Pass them back."
Mr. Fukuhara handed out the sheets with mechanical precision, glancing at his wristwatch as he did.
"Alright—begin."
_ _ __ _
"Mari, where did you go last night? You didn't come home at all. Don't tell me... you secretly got a boyfriend and stayed over at his place?"
It was lunchtime. Mari sat in the lounge area, a paper cup of coffee in one hand, phone in the other, listening to her roommate's teasing through the speaker. Her face flushed slightly as she recalled the awkwardness of that morning.
"So what if I did?"
"Oh? You don't sound like someone who got a boyfriend. Did you go to some bar or something?"
"I don't go to those kinds of places. I just stayed out for the night. Is that so weird?"
"Not weird, just... surprising. You, who lives like a perfectly scheduled robot, suddenly not coming home at all—that's definitely something worth being curious about."
Mari couldn't help the wry smirk that crept onto her face. She knew her lifestyle was rigid. Still, hearing it said out loud by her roommate made her feel a bit sour.
"You're one to talk, Sonoko. You don't have a boyfriend either. Maybe you should worry more about yourself."
Back in her own office, Sonoko Machida wasn't expecting the counterattack. She pursed her lips in frustration, then quickly changed the subject.
"So, what did happen last night? You were gone all night."
"Nothing big. I just got drunk and crashed at someone's place."
"A stranger's?"
"A high schooler I know."
"A male high schooler?"
Sonoko's gossip senses tingled. Her eyebrows lifted with interest.
"Mm."
Mari's voice was barely audible, like a whisper. But that only stoked Sonoko's curiosity further.
"What exactly happened?"
"Nothing really. I'll tell you when I get home tonight. I'm at work right now, so I've got to focus."
"Wai—!"
Before Sonoko could press further, Mari ended the call with a sigh. She stared at her phone, then stood up and picked up her coffee.
She still had to see Haruto again that evening. If she wanted to finish work on time, she needed to buckle down now.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Haruto rubbed his nose—he felt a faint tickle, though he didn't sneeze. He glanced at the girl seated across from him: Rio Futaba.
His eyes fell on the pinkish, translucent liquid in the beaker in front of her.
"What's that?"
"Strawberry-flavored carbonated water," Rio replied calmly.
Haruto blinked, surprised by her serious tone. He looked again at the drink, then back at her expression. She wasn't joking.
"You made it yourself?"
"Mm-hmm."
Curious, Haruto reached out and picked up the beaker.
"Can I drink it?"
Haruto leaned in and took a small sniff. It did smell like strawberries, with a faint, tangy hint of carbonation—no different from the fizzy drinks sold at supermarkets.
"Sure," Rio replied softly.
"Then I'll give it a try?"
He glanced curiously at Rio, the bespectacled girl lightly pursed her lips and gave a small nod.
"Mhm."
Haruto held the beaker and took a small sip. The taste… wasn't bad at all?
He took another sip—yep, just like any store-bought soda. He blinked, carefully savoring the flavor. Nothing strange so far.
"How is it?" Rio asked, her eyes quietly sparkling with interest.
"Tastes pretty normal. Like regular soda. But this isn't physics, right? More like chemistry?"
"Mm-hmm. It was just a little experiment, really."
"That's unexpected… I didn't think you'd be into this kind of thing. I figured you'd—wait, hold on…"
Haruto blinked. The edges of his vision were starting to blur. Two Rios stood before him, and the room seemed to swirl and tilt. Before he could finish his sentence, his knees buckled and his eyes shut. He collapsed—right into Rio's arms as she rushed to catch him.
Colors swirled around him like a kaleidoscope. Even trying to form a thought felt like moving through molasses. He didn't know where he was, or what was happening. He floated, senseless, through that confusion until eventually, clarity returned.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Rio standing quietly in front of him, watching him.
Haruto blinked slowly, then raised his arm—still numb—and touched his cheek. It felt hot.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words came weak and halting.
"Ah… ugh… I…"
"It looks like one of the ingredients caused a bit of an issue," Rio said. "But it's nothing serious. I checked—the side effect was similar to a mild anesthetic. Kind of like the stuff hospitals use. You'll recover after a bit of rest."
Haruto stared at her in disbelief. That soda knocked me out?
He still couldn't move properly. Rio, avoiding his gaze just a little, pulled a handkerchief from her lab coat pocket and gently wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. She tucked the cloth away again without comment.
The intimacy of the gesture made Haruto feel strangely self-conscious. Unable to move, he just sat there in the chair, while Rio continued to stand in front of him—watching. Sometimes their eyes met, sometimes she looked away.
"Lunch break ended a while ago," she said. "But I already called in for you. Told them you weren't feeling well."
Haruto blinked. She called in for me?
Rio glanced at her watch.
"Lunch break ended two hours ago. It's already past three. Only an hour left before school's out."
Haruto didn't know what to say. He sat there, quietly feeling the weight of his immobile limbs. They passed the time in silence—him seated, her standing—in the quiet laboratory.
About thirty minutes later, he noticed he could wiggle his fingers. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"Ah… I… th-think… I can talk…"
His tongue and lips felt clumsy. The words came out in fragments, barely audible. Still, it was a sentence. Rio looked surprised by how quickly he was recovering.
She hadn't given him a large dose, but based on her calculations, it should've taken at least four hours to regain mobility. It had only been two, yet he could already speak.
"Can you move?"
"N…not yet."
Silence fell over the lab once more. Another thirty minutes passed. Haruto could finally raise his hand, though it trembled with weakness. Even forming a fist was difficult.
"I'm recovering… but not fully there yet."
Rio had to wipe drool from his face three more times, which left Haruto thoroughly embarrassed. He looked up at her.
"What did you put in that? How could soda knock someone out?"
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Haruto didn't respond right away. He just sat there, flexing his hands now and then, trying to coax strength back into them. His expression was hard to read.
"This fragile, powerless feeling… it's rare. Kind of a strange experience."
"How does it feel?" she asked.
"Like I'm completely helpless. Other than that… I guess it's bearable."
"I really am sorry."
"No, it's partly my fault too. I wasn't paying attention. I drank too much at once. So don't blame yourself."
He slowly tried to stand—but as soon as he lifted himself off the chair, he plopped back down with a soft thud, his body swaying slightly. Still no good.
"Three o'clock already?" he murmured.
"Just about," she confirmed.
"I've got something to do around five… this is going to be a problem."
Haruto remembered he had plans with Mari. But if he couldn't walk properly by then, there was no way he could make it back to his apartment.
"Girlfriend?" Rio asked casually, though her eyes flickered as she looked at him.
"No," Haruto replied, sighing deeply. "Not exactly."
By the time the school day ended, around four o'clock, Haruto finally managed to stand—albeit shakily.
"You sure you can make it home like that?"
"Barely. Every step feels like a battle. My legs are stiff, every little movement takes all my strength. They're still a little numb too… it's awful."
Seeing the guilt on Rio's face, Haruto offered a reassuring smile.
"It was an accident. These things happen. I'm already mostly recovered. Just need a bit longer, and I'll be okay."
"If it comes to it, I can walk you home."
She hadn't expected her experiment to go so wrong, and now the guilt was eating at her. She bit her lip and stepped closer.
"Um… I think I'll be okay. But if it turns out I can't, I'll take you up on that."
"Alright."
Time passed slowly. At 4:20 PM, nearly another hour later, Haruto finally regained enough control to walk on his own. His body still ached, but he could move.
He stood, took a lap around the lab, then covered his mouth as he let out a small cough. He turned to face her.
"Looks like I'm good to go. Thanks, but I won't trouble you further."
"Are you sure? I don't mind walking with you. Just in case something happens."
Looking at the still-unsteady Haruto, Rio bit her lip again, her face tense with worry.