嫉妬と沈黙 (Shitto to Chinmoku – Jealousy and Silence)
Jealousy and Silence
Monday, 10:26 AM – Ren's Living Room
The sunlight filtered through the windows, soft and golden — but the air felt strangely cold.
All five girls were seated in the living room. No arguing. No playful jabs. No teasing. Just… silence.
Ren stood near the doorway, feeling like he had walked into someone else's house.
"This doesn't feel like the same place anymore…"
Scene: Haruka Withdraws
Haruka sat on the far end of the couch, arms crossed. Not glaring. Just distant.
Ren tried to sit beside her.
She stood up and walked to the kitchen instead.
Not a word.
Not a glance.
He followed. "Haruka—"
"I'm not mad," she interrupted, voice flat.
"Then why are you avoiding me?"
She opened the fridge. "I'm not. You're just spending time with people who need you more."
Ren's breath caught.
"…Is that how you feel?"
Haruka didn't answer.
She just took out a can of soda, opened it, and walked away.
He had never seen her like this before.
Scene: Mei Observes
From the hallway, Mei stood watching.
Quiet. Still.
She didn't say anything to Haruka. Or to Ren.
But when he passed her, she placed a hand gently on his sleeve.
"You're starting to see it, aren't you?"
He looked at her, confused.
Mei's gaze was kind — but piercing.
"…The moment you take a step toward one heart, the others feel farther away."
Scene: Yui Can't Sit Still
Yui was pretending to play a game, her controller not even on.
She kept glancing at the kitchen. At Haruka. At Ren.
Then she threw the controller on the floor, startling Rika.
"This sucks!" she blurted. "We were all having fun! Now it's like someone flipped a switch!"
"Maybe because someone did," Rika said bluntly, not looking up from her manga.
Yui turned to Ren, expression torn between frustration and pain.
"You confessed to Emi, didn't you?"
Ren froze.
Emi, sitting silently, slowly lowered her gaze.
"I told him how I felt," she said softly.
Yui looked between them — and laughed bitterly.
"…Guess being the first girl doesn't mean you win."
Scene: Rika's Deflection
Ren found Rika later, sitting under the kotatsu, chewing gum, blasting lo-fi on her phone.
She didn't look up when he sat beside her.
"Everyone's acting weird," he said.
"You're the reason," Rika replied.
"…Yeah."
She finally looked up.
But her eyes weren't mocking. They weren't teasing.
They were tired.
"I liked it better when you were just a clueless loser," she said with a sad smirk.
"At least then, I could pretend this wouldn't get messy."
Scene: Ren's Heart in the Crossfire
That night, Ren lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
No one had fought.
No one had cried.
But the silence in the house was heavier than any argument.
He thought of Haruka's retreat. Yui's outburst. Rika's detachment. Mei's warning.
And Emi's trembling hand across the breakfast table.
"This was never just about who I'll choose.
It's about what that choice takes away from the others."
Closing Quote:
"When five hearts orbit one…The closer one draws near,The others drift farther into shadow.
And sometimes, silence speaks louder than love."