Ch. 50 - A Strange Change

"Wake up! Nogami-san!"

"Mm… ngh…"

"Come on, wake up! You’ll be late for school!"

"…"

"Does Sleeping Beauty need a prince’s kiss to wake up?"

"…What kind of toad prince are you supposed to be? Go away."

With the half-hearted swat one would give to a pest, Nogami pushed Harutaki aside and groggily propped herself up against the headboard.

It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts, and then, as the memories of last night’s conversation resurfaced, her drowsiness vanished in a jolt of mortification.

That line… “I’ll make a special exception and let you be her(my) boyfriend.”

She wanted to crawl back under the blanket and suffocate herself on the spot.

But as soon as she tried to burrow down, a faint scent drifted into her nose, a clean mix of detergent and something unfamiliar. That was when she realized: this wasn’t her apartment. She’d spent the night in a boy’s home. In his room. In his bed.

And the blanket she was wrapped in…

Right. Yesterday, to stop Harutaki from trying anything indecent while she slept, she’d bundled herself up tight like a spring roll. So tight, in fact, that now when she lowered her head, the smell in the air made it feel like she’d spent the night in his arms instead.

That couldn’t possibly be her fault, right?

Yeah, it was all Hoshikawa’s fault. That bastard tricked her, made her think he was about to…

At least, that’s what she told herself, until she noticed her uniform neatly folded on the chair beside the bed.

That little gesture threw her off-balance. For someone who could be so obnoxious, he sure had his kind moments.

But when she picked up her clothes to change, a faint scent made her pause mid-motion.

Minako had once mentioned that some guys had a thing for the “smell of girls”, and that real perverts even bought “authentic” worn clothes online.

…He wouldn’t have, would he?

Normally, people couldn’t really detect their own body scent. But Nogami’s senses were sharp, and after a night wrapped in Harutaki’s blanket, she could pick out every detail.

No hint of any “girlish fragrance,” just the lavender from her favorite fabric softener and a trace of herbal shampoo.

Still…

She realized how ridiculous she was being. Why was she suddenly so suspicious of everything he did? Why did every little thing seem to tie back to Harutaki somehow? It was like her thoughts were being pulled around by him, tangled and messy, completely unlike her usual cool-headed self.

“Phew, ”

She exhaled slowly, gave her own cheeks a light pinch, and decided to stop overthinking.

Then, as always, she dressed with brisk precision, buttoned up her shirt, slipped on her blazer, zipped her skirt, and rolled her socks up from her toes to her knees. The snap of the sailor socks against her smooth skin echoed crisply in the quiet room.

By then, her stomach had started to growl faintly. Despite herself, she found she was looking forward to what kind of breakfast Harutaki might make.

…

"Izumi, are you okay? You didn’t reply to my messages or calls last night, and your stuff was still in the classroom this morning."

"You look fine, but you seem a little upset. Did something happen?"

As soon as Nogami stepped into the classroom, Minako and Sae hurried over, crowding around her desk with worried faces.

Among the trio, Minako was definitely the best at reading social cues, but Sae’s sincerity and attention to small details gave her a kind of warmth Minako lacked.

"It’s fine, you two don’t need to worry. Someone just tried to cause trouble after school yesterday, and I didn’t have time to grab my things while I was dealing with it."

She didn’t answer Sae’s question directly, opting instead for a vague half-truth.

Getting hassled was true enough, but her bad mood had a very different cause.

Who told that idiot Harutaki to serve that for breakfast, plain toast with bacon, egg, and cheese, plus a cup of milk?

Sure, her own breakfasts were usually thrown together carelessly, but this time she’d actually been looking forward to his cooking… only to be greeted by a convenience-store combo meal.

"Huh? You didn’t bring your stuff home? Then how did you get in last night?"

Ah, Sae, why do you always have to be sharp at the worst times?

Nogami sighed inwardly and scrambled for an excuse.

"Well… I keep a spare key hidden by the door, just in case."

"That’s straight out of a TV show! I didn’t think you would do something so cautious, Izumi."

Sae crossed her arms and grinned, imitating Nogami’s usual confident tone.

"I would never make such a careless mistake."

"You little!"

Nogami lunged to tickle Sae’s sides, and the two of them ended up giggling and squirming in their seats.

Compared to Sae’s spontaneous, scatterbrained energy, Minako was the observant one, watching the pair with a small, thoughtful smile.

Just yesterday, Izumi had been seething with frustration and resentment. And now she was laughing again? Already back to normal?

No… not quite.

Minako had known Izumi for almost six years, practically attached at the hip. She could tell when something had changed.

Izumi wasn’t just back to normal. She felt… different. Hard to describe.

Almost like… she seemed more like a girl somehow.

The thought made Minako chuckle quietly to herself.

Of course, Izumi was a girl. Always had been. What else could she be?

Still, there was no denying it; whatever this subtle change was, it made her feel easier to approach. The tense air that used to hang around her seemed to have softened.

"Izumi, want to have lunch together today?"

The moment she said it, Minako regretted it.

Why did she have to blurt it out like that? Normally, she’d avoid saying anything that might sound insensitive or prying.

"I-I just thought you seemed in a good mood today… figured you might want to eat together."

"…I’ll pass for now. I’ve got enough problems as it is. Don’t want to drag you into them too."

At that, Nogami’s thoughts drifted to last evening, to how Harutaki had been mistaken for her boyfriend and caught up in the mess because of her.

Those punks might hesitate to hit a girl, sure, but if any of them got other ideas and lost control…

After everything that happened, she was still tense, jumpy, and cautious about every little thing.

Still, since he was the one who got her into this mess, shouldn’t Hoshikawa also be the one to clean it up?

He was the type who could hide his claws until the perfect moment, then strike like a swordsman drawing for a single, decisive blow. Calm under pressure, sharp-witted, funny, mature, good-looking… and if he actually studied harder, maybe even smart academically too.

After saying goodbye to Minako and Sae, Nogami glanced toward Harutaki, who was chatting with Tazaki across the room.

A sigh slipped from her lips.

What an infuriating person, someone who somehow managed to outshine her in every possible way.

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