264: Things She Doesn't Know

Iroha laid her phone flat on the bed, reached for the desk beside her, and turned on the lamp.

The bright lights dispelled the darkness, illuminating a beautiful cookie gift bag placed in the center of the table.

She had gone to the supermarket to buy food gift bags and had made the biscuits herself after asking her mother for advice.

Iroha gazed intently at the cookies, recalling what Yukino had said earlier in the service department.

She mentioned that the two girls they had encountered in the supermarket seemed to be living with Chisato, as she had once seen one of them wearing cool pajamas while opening the door for him late at night.

Not only that, but she had also spotted a third girl appearing next to him when he went out on a date.

Although Haruno had only caught a casual glimpse from a distance at the time, she was able to conclude that their relationships were unusual based on her observations.

Hearing this news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Iroha.

Yukinoshita-senpai was extremely upright; there was no reason for her to lie about such matters, so what she said was undoubtedly true.

"If that's really the case, then that person is a scumbag...well!"

At that moment in the service department, Yukino finished explaining what she knew about the situation.

Iroha fell into silence, while Yui bluntly commented.

Although she promptly covered her mouth out of concern for her schoolmate's feelings, Iroha could still read the unspoken content from her demeanor and expression.

If Yukinoshita-senpai's observations were accurate, then Suzumiya-senpai, who maintained inappropriate relationships with so many girls, was undoubtedly a complete scumbag.

However, strangely enough, Iroha did not flinch at this revelation; her initial feelings remained unchanged.

In other words, from the moment she had encountered him in the supermarket that day, when she saw two girls flanking him, she had been vaguely aware of a certain truth in her heart.

It was just that the unexpected meeting, combined with her mixed emotions of surprise and shock, had muddled her thoughts. She had been too distracted to analyze things in detail.

Even after she followed him to his apartment and calmed down a little, she was reluctant to let her thoughts veer into a direction she hadn't anticipated, as that felt like self-deception.

But now that Haruno had been mentioned, Iroha had to confront the reality head-on.

Despite this, she still didn't consider distancing herself from him.

Maybe I can?

Perhaps Suzumiya-senpai's attitude toward the girls around him was just casual, and he didn't have any serious feelings for them.

And maybe my presence could change that situation, improving his behavior or even transforming it completely.

These thoughts emerged in her heart, and the newfound confidence felt grounded.

Whether it was the incredible dream or the seemingly coincidental encounter in reality, she believed these events were predetermined, an obvious sign that a true relationship was about to begin.

This self-centered thinking might seem a bit unusual, but given the information Iroha had, it was entirely reasonable for her to entertain such ideas.

Thus, she was not shaken by Yukino's words.

She firmly held onto her belief from the beginning. 

It didn't matter what kind of romantic experiences Chisato had; what was crucial was that once she entered the picture, things would undoubtedly change.

There was no doubt that they would achieve a happy ending.

"Buzz—"

In the silent room, the sound of her vibrating phone was particularly loud.

Iroha, holding the homemade biscuits in her hand, snapped back to reality and quickly turned to grab her phone.

[Yes, but I am currently preparing for the monthly exam next week, so I may not have time before then.]

Is this considered... a promise?

Had she successfully taken the first step?!

Instantly, white clouds of joy filled Iroha's heart, and everything blossomed within her.

She burst into uncontrollable laughter, feeling it was too strange to be so giddy at night, so she quickly covered her mouth.

[Me too. I'm currently preparing for the next monthly exam and studying late every day. Let's plan to meet after the exam is over.]

After sending this message, Iroha couldn't help but feel her cheeks heating up again.

But the reason for her blush this time was entirely different from before.

[Well, good night.]

[Good night.]

The next meeting was inevitable.

After finishing their message exchange, Iroha happily rolled around on her soft bed.

After a while, she raised her hand to rub her stiff face from smiling and picked up her phone again to check the contents of their messages.

Their meeting was scheduled for after the monthly exam, which meant after next Wednesday.

There was still more than a week left. I had thought the appointment would be set for an earlier date. It seems I'll have to make more biscuits...

But this was also a good thing. During this time, I could think of ways to quietly get closer to Suzumiya-senpai...

After turning off the desk lamp, Iroha lay on her side in the dim light, holding her pillow and thinking about many things. 

The excitement in her heart gradually subsided, and she slowly closed her eyes as sleepiness took over.

She doesn't know how long it took, but Iroha faintly woke up.

She instinctively reached for the phone on the pillow to check the time, but her hand came up empty.

So she turned her gaze toward the window.

Suddenly awake, she opened her eyes wide.

Outside the window was an unnaturally deep black, an eerie absence of light.

Having experienced something similar before, Iroha vaguely understood what was happening. She opened the door and walked down the stairs.

When she arrived in the living room, everything was ready.

On the coffee table lay a familiar video disc containing photos of her and Chisato.

However, this time something was different.

The video disc was no longer labeled with episode numbers; instead, some puzzling words appeared beneath the title.

[The story of him and her - extra chapter: Things She Doesn't Know]

What does this mean?

This wasn't the first time she had fallen into such a dream.

With doubts swirling in her mind, Iroha opened the disc with ease, placed it into the projector, returned to the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV.

Initially, the content displayed on the screen was quite familiar to Iroha, as many of the scenes being broadcast were things she had seen before.

But gradually, her expression began to change.

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