285 Control Yourself, Miyamizu Mitsuha

Even though an extra person had joined their group, Hojou Kyousuke and Miyamizu Mitsuha still chose to walk hand-in-hand rather than take the subway.

The conversation, however, had shifted from the two of them to Mitsuha and Masaki Kaori.

The cheerful girl strolled alongside the couple with no sense of awkwardness, chatting away non-stop about all sorts of things.

For a brief moment, as the two walked close together, it felt like they had returned to Itomori.

Back then, Sayaka was like this too—despite being practically in a relationship with Teshigawara, the three of them always hung out together.

In fact, Sayaka often talked more with Mitsuha than with Teshigawara, making him seem like the outsider.

But that wasn't the case with Kyousuke.

Even while Mitsuha chatted with her friend, she always made sure to loop him in whenever the topic touched on something related to him.

Take now, for example—Kaori was teasing their calculus professor, saying his thick-rimmed glasses didn't suit his face.

Mitsuha laughed and replied, "Isn't that the perfect look for a STEM guy? If he wore gold-rimmed glasses instead, you'd probably say he looks sneaky."

"Well, that's true. Just looking at Professor Kubo, you can tell he teaches math," Kaori nodded in agreement.

"He's actually an associate professor at our college. I heard he used to lecture at Tsukuba University last year. You can really feel how knowledgeable he is during class."

She turned to Kyousuke as she said this.

"Knowledgeable? Every lecture he dumps a bunch of stuff that's not even in the textbook! I always feel like I've overslept and missed the class. I can't understand a thing," Kaori slid into their conversation effortlessly.

"That's only because you're always sleeping. If it were Professor Shigeta, you'd be getting chewed out every class." Mitsuha didn't hold back at all.

"Ugh… Back in high school, I thought I had a talent for math, so I picked it as my major. I wish I could go back and slap my past self."

"Pfft—hahaha." x2

Kaori looked at the two laughing in sync, confused.

'Wait, was I funnier than I thought? That wasn't even a joke, was it?'

"Hold up—if your current self goes back and kills your past self, then where does your current self even come from?"

Mitsuha turned her head slightly and looked up at Kyousuke with a small smile.

It was the same line he had once used to comfort her when they first met.

"Maybe your future self will show up to stop you," she added, giggling.

Kyousuke smiled knowingly and gently bumped her head with his shoulder.

"What are you two even talking about? Past, present, future?" Kaori grumbled. Then her eyes lit up with realization:

"Oh, I get it! This is what they call a 'married couple joke'! A private little inside joke only the two of you understand. When you say it, everyone around you just gets confused, and the couple feels all warm and fuzzy! So unfair!"

"Yup~" Mitsuha sang the reply playfully, fully owning it.

Some secrets were meant to be shared only between two people.

"Well, since you're not switching majors, you might as well study hard. Like they say, 'three years on a cold stone will warm it eventually.' Just keep at it—you'll get there."

She was trying to cheer her friend up.

Mitsuha knew all too well what it felt like to not understand a lecture and try to sleep just to feel like the time wasn't totally wasted.

"As if! After three years on a stone, I don't know about the stone warming up, but my butt would definitely be sore!" Kaori wasn't buying it.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about starving to death?" Kyousuke chimed in.

"Good point! But maybe if you're sincere enough, the gods will bless you, and you'll finally succeed."

Mitsuha nodded earnestly.

They used to send each other rants in memos, but now they could talk face-to-face.

The transition from occasional messages to real-time conversations made even the simplest exchanges feel joyful.

The reality of being reunited grew stronger by the second.

"Oh please, that's just Mitsuha talking from her genius pedestal. You and I are nothing alike—aside from both having one head and four limbs."

"Anyway, Hojou-san, you better be mentally prepared. Living with a math genius can be terrifying!" Kaori fired back after being tag-teamed by the couple.

"You don't need to worry," Mitsuha said with a proud smile. "Kyousuke won the Gold Medal in the Japan Mathematical Olympiad (JOI) when he was just a second-year in junior high."

What's the best part of talking with friends?

Bragging about the person you love, of course!

Mitsuha tried to keep her tone in check, but even she could hear the pride in her voice, which made her cheeks flush red.

She turned her head to the side to avoid Kyousuke seeing her face.

'Ugh, so embarrassing… Why does this make me feel so weirdly happy?'

'Come on, Mitsuha, pull yourself together—you're about to blow up the whole friend group with your shamelessness!'

"Wait—middle school? Gold medal?!" Kaori froze mid-step and turned to stare wide-eyed at Kyousuke.

"Seriously? Then why didn't I ever see your name in the International Math Olympiad results?"

Realizing her question might sound rude, she quickly added, "I don't mean to doubt you—I'm just curious. With skills like that, anyone would expect you to go to the internationals!"

She hadn't paid much attention to Kyousuke before, respecting the unspoken boundaries between friends.

But now, looking closely…

'That face… That face has no business being in a math competition!'

If everyone at the Japan Math Olympiad looked like him, she'd attend every year.

Heck, her interest in math would skyrocket!

"There were… other things going on at the time," Kyousuke said simply.

Their school, Higashi, wasn't just a top-tier feeder for the University of Tokyo—it also regularly competed with elite schools like Tana High.

During competition season, the best students from around the country would gather for training camps.

It was always intense and exciting.

"What could possibly be more important than joining that competition? If you win, you basically get automatic admission to any elite private university through AO entry!"

Kaori sounded almost frustrated—a sentiment only someone who'd struggled academically could fully relate to.

Though she herself had made it into Ochanomizu University and was often called a "genius" by classmates, she knew very well the difference between her and a real genius.

"Well… actually, Kyousuke already received a special early admission offer from the University of Tokyo." Mitsuha explained with a soft smile, even as her inner voice screamed in panic:

'Help! This is so embarrassing! But… why does it feel so satisfying?!'

'Calm down, Mitsuha! You're losing it!'

"Wait, Tokyo University does special admissions?!" Kaori gasped.

Meanwhile, Mitsuha, trying to keep a calm face, felt her mouth curl upward uncontrollably again.

Feeling Mitsuha grip his arm a little tighter, Kyousuke looked down at her.

With his keen eye, he immediately caught the sparkle of happiness in her eyes.

It was the same look he had seen many times before— When Sakura proudly shared his handmade sweets with friends.

When Shouko introduced him to her family for the first time, When Eriri—well, never mind.

She'd never let him see that side of her.

The girls were adorable — every flutter of their lashes radiated pride, every word was dripping with humblebragging, though they were clearly trying hard to act calm and collected.

It was so cute that he had the sudden urge to scoop them up in a tight hug and smother them with kisses.

Mitsuha's flushed cheeks didn't escape his notice either.

He made a mental note to cook something really special tonight — to reward that tiny glimmer of vanity in her heart.

"But still, it feels like such a shame," sighed the underachiever. "Winning that kind of honor would've made for an unforgettable memory."

"Well, there's nothing we can do," Mitsuha replied with practiced patience. "Kyousuke still works as the advisor for the Kendo Club."

"Both the middle school and high school divisions rely on him for training. And he also competes in the national tournaments himself."

"...Don't tell me Hojou-san also won the Kendo championship?" Masaki Kaori narrowed her eyes at Miyamizu Mitsuha.

Even she, not the brightest, had picked up on the fact that she was now being used as a prop to stroke her best friend's ego.

"Bingo! And not just in the team competition — he took first in the individual category too. Oh, and he got the Thirty-Man Valor Award as well."

Seeing her friend's stunned expression, Mitsuha couldn't hold back a giggle. H

er crescent-moon-shaped eyes sparkled with delight — it was almost too cute to bear.

"Oh my god, why didn't I just go eat out with the upperclassmen tonight? Why, as a proud single woman, do I have to sit here listening to your romantic bragging?"

Kaori groaned dramatically and stole a side glance at Hojou Kyousuke.

As she suspected, this guy didn't look like someone who belonged in a math research lab.

The first thing anyone would notice — aside from his unfairly handsome face — was the solid muscle under his T-shirt.

The kind of muscle that made even magazine cover models pale in comparison.

"If I tell my classmates and the upperclassmen that Mitsuha actually has a boyfriend, and that this is him, they'll swear I'm lying."

"You could take a photo with me," Kyousuke suggested casually.

"They'd just accuse me of sneaking off to some idol fan meet with Mitsuha," Kaori replied dryly.

"Nonsense! There's no idol out there as amazing as Kyousuke!" Mitsuha retorted immediately.

"Exactly. So, come on — let's take a picture. I'm showing it to Doi tomorrow. Didn't she just brag about her Tokyo U boyfriend last time?"

"She was acting all high and mighty, completely ignoring how everyone around her was dying inside." Kaori huffed indignantly.

"Kaori… are you… by any chance, actually talking about me?" Mitsuha mumbled, her face growing warmer.

She'd never done anything like this before and didn't know how to handle the attention.

"Don't be silly — we're friends! And honestly, if I had a friend like Hojou-san, I'd be showing off way more than you are."

As they chatted, the three of them arrived at the supermarket.

Nothing fancy — just a local store that Kyousuke used to frequent when he first moved to Tokyo.

Back then, he often bought half-priced bento here, and on lucky days, he even scored 80% off.

Because of that, he had a bit of a soft spot for this place.

"Let's save the photo for later. Besides, you can just look up Kyousuke online—" Mitsuha began, but then she let go of Kyousuke's arm and turned back to him.

"Kyousuke, go ahead and pick out the groceries. Kaori and I are going to grab some snacks."

What she was about to say definitely wasn't something she wanted Kyousuke to hear — he'd just tease her about it later.

These things were best shared with a friend in private.

"Got it. I'll come find you in a bit," Kyousuke nodded, grabbing a shopping basket and placing it into the cart.

At the vegetable section, he didn't immediately start picking anything out.

Instead, he took out his phone to check his unread messages.

In the group chat titled "Everyone's Hangout," his earlier message —

"I won't be home for dinner tonight" — had sparked a flood of replies from Eriri.

Three messages were her ranting about manga work.

Two were announcements about the latest updates from the Tokyo Youth Expo.

Five were photos and articles — throwbacks to her winning dance competitions as a child. And the rest were her listing dinner ideas.

If he summed it all up in one sentence, it would be:

'Hojou Kyousuke, you big dummy!'

'Hurry up and come home so we can draw manga together!'

'Hurry up and help me prep our entry for the competition!'

'Hurry up and let me teach you to dance! Hurry back!'

Then there was a message from Yukari, checking if he wanted her to make him dinner.

Right after that, still at school, Eriri resumed sending her barrage of dish names.

Utaha-senpai kept things simpler — she just sent one line:

———————————————————————

"I'll be waiting for you to come back to bed."

———————————————————————

In their private chat, she had also sent a selfie.

The angle was from just below the chest, her skirt so dangerously short that even a school discipline officer would lose their mind.

Just one more centimeter up and the skirt would've ceased to be a skirt at all.

Her long, crossed legs were wrapped in black stockings, with perfectly sculpted thighs that looked sinfully soft even while seated.

One glance was enough to imagine how incredible they would feel to the touch.

Her calves were slightly flexed, with elegant curves that flowed all the way down to her dainty feet.

———————————————————————

"Put your shoes back on, Senpai!"

———————————————————————

That was his reply from earlier.

Yes — those same delicate feet were completely exposed in the photo.

Her big toe cheekily poked up, the stretched fabric between her toes turning sheer enough to reveal the rosy color underneath…

Back in the group chat, Eriri and Utaha were now locked in a heated battle — Eriri demanding that the shameless woman rein it in.

She vowed to wait in the living room until Kyousuke got back, determined not to give her rival even the slightest opening for mischief.

He quietly turned off his phone.

If Eriri ever saw that photo, she'd absolutely explode.

Thanks to Utaha-senpai, every time Kyousuke saw her, he felt like he was starting his day anew — overflowing with energy.

Also thanks to Utaha-senpai, every time he saw her, he wanted to drag her into his room and give her a crash course in biology.

Shaking his head to clear those wicked thoughts, he reminded himself — this was Mitsuha's time.

He was a one-woman man.

Though the day was winding down, the vegetables still looked fresh.

Anything past its prime had already been marked down.

He had no desire to buy discounted produce just for the nostalgia — he picked out what he needed properly.

Mitsuha had already given him an idea of Kaori's taste preferences.

As the heir of the "Radiant Cuisine" legacy, his cooking skills were unrivaled.

His only concern?

That other women might never be able to forget his food after just one bite.

And that... would be a real problem.

On one side, Kyousuke was still busy shopping for groceries, while on the other, Mitsuha was happily showing off her boyfriend to her friend.

"Wait… Are you serious? I thought that name sounded familiar, but I can't believe it's really him!" exclaimed Masaki Kaori, her mouth agape.

That Hojou Kyousuke?

She'd read his massively popular mystery novel last year and had heard rumors that the author was a handsome guy.

But she'd dismissed it as marketing hype, never giving it a second thought.

Now, hearing that her friend Mitsuha's boyfriend was that Hojou Kyousuke, she was completely floored.

A boyfriend like that would be the ultimate catch in any school's circle of friends.

"Haha, you have no idea. At first, Kyousuke's drawings weren't even as good as mine, and his writing was pretty rough too."

"I even wrote a short story just to tease him about it!" Mitsuha laughed, finding that even this "underhanded" act was surprisingly fun.

Simply boasting about Kyousuke's impressive achievements would have been a little dry—telling the story of how she played a part in them was much more captivating.

"Wow, so you're that amazing, Mitsuha?" Kaori exclaimed.

"It's not that I'm amazing. Back then, Kyousuke was just a total beginner. Whether it was writing or drawing, he jumped in headfirst without any real preparation," Mitsuha said, pulling out her phone and opening an album.

She'd curated it from her diary entries—only the parts she was okay with sharing.

"Vaccine Man!?" Kaori yelped in surprise.

Judging by her personality, it was no shock that she was into manga and comics.

"Without the title, I never would've recognized it!"

"Yeah, back then Kyousuke was collaborating with other people. But he's come so far since then." Mitsuha's proud smile deepened as she opened another folder, revealing a slideshow that Kyousuke had created.

A beautiful girl with delicate braids stood on a mountain peak, gazing at a distant forest shimmering with an ethereal green light.

At her feet, grass swayed gently in the breeze, while above her head, twin comets—one blue, one red—streaked across the sky like a dream.

This was Mitsuha's favorite image.

The first time she'd seen it, she'd been shocked.

But after her memories returned, it filled her with a deep, quiet happiness.

She'd once crossed the River of Three Crossings—come face to face with death—but Kyousuke had pulled her back.

Now, every moment they shared was woven from the efforts they'd both poured into their past.

"It's so beautiful~~", Kaori murmured, her eyes wide as she cradled the phone in both hands, captivated by the image's red and blue glow.

"Is that you, Mitsuha?" she asked.

"Mm-hm. That's me in my third year of junior high, back in my hometown of Itomori," Mitsuha nodded softly.

These days, mentioning Itomori only brought back warm memories.

She knew her mind wasn't the best at hanging onto details, so she figured it was better to leave the sad stuff behind.

"That's amazing! I want to find a boyfriend who can draw, too!" Kaori declared.

In just one night, Kaori's ideal type had jumped from math prodigy, to kendo master, to novelist—and finally settled on artist.

"Kyousuke's actually entering an art competition soon," Mitsuha offered with a grin. "If you're serious about finding an artist boyfriend, I'll have him keep an eye out for you."

"…Hehe, that's okay. If my dad found out, he'd probably confiscate my allowance," Kaori quickly backtracked.

Moments ago she'd been raring to fall in love, but now she was already retreating—a typical sign of someone attending a women's college because of her family's wishes.

"If you're more into writers, Kyousuke's literary society has plenty of…" Mitsuha started.

"No thanks! They're all old men!" Kaori cut her off with a playful glare.

———————————————————————

As they chatted—or more accurately, as Mitsuha bragged—Kaori was busy filling her basket with snacks.

It was almost like she was trying to eat away her envy.

"Once you try Kyousuke's cooking tonight, Kaori, you won't even want to touch those snacks," Mitsuha said gently.

She wasn't worried about the money, just that Kaori would be too full for the snacks afterward, and then she'd end up taking them home and gaining weight.

Only to complain to Mitsuha later.

"It's fine, it's fine~" Kaori chirped, dismissing the warning.

'I refuse to believe Hojou-san will make me want a chef for a boyfriend too,' she thought stubbornly.