Quest: Review the Fic!
Yamada Ryo had already anticipated that Kazami Haru would say something , so without hesitation, she tossed the medicine bottle she'd been holding as a "diversion" aside. Seizing the moment he was off guard, she pressed a hand lightly against his collar.
"Didn't you just say you were already better?"
Ryo tilted her head slightly, a hint of puzzlement in her gaze as she stared at Haru, whose eyes flickered with unmistakable panic.
Honestly? This was hilarious.
This guy always carried himself with such arrogance and confidence—a true "genius" who could outshine her in every way. He was, without a doubt, the most monstrous person Ryo had ever met since she started pursuing music.
And for the first time, he was someone who made her feel... just a little bit inferior.
His back was always so distant, so unreachable, standing at the forefront of the band, shielding everyone from the storm.
Yamada Ryo was proud. She didn't want to just stand behind him.
She wanted to be the one standing beside Kazami Haru.
And now, this person she admired and adored from the bottom of her heart was in an incredibly rare state of vulnerability, so weak he had to lean against the wall just to walk. It was like their usual dynamic had completely flipped.
Honestly? It made something inside her stir with an excitement she couldn't suppress.
Without warning, Ryo slammed Haru against the wall. Her snow-white shoulder peeked from her sweater, her silky hair falling over one eye, though it couldn't hide her breathtaking beauty.
Haru had only panicked at the initial ambush. Now that he'd calmed down, he slipped right back into his usual smug, "I've-got-this" posture.
Even pinned against the wall.
"If you get too close, you might catch the flu from me."
"Then I'll book us a double room in my family's hospital's ICU."
Haru stared calmly at the girl inches from his face. Even so, his heart pounded at the closeness, at her flawless face just inches away.
So she really used his illness as an excuse to invade his house, huh?
"I kinda want to know what it's like to stay home sick and lazy."
Her lips curled into a teasing smile, her words light but charged with meaning.
At this distance, Haru could clearly see Ryo Yamada's mesmerizing face—her porcelain skin, that flawless complexion. And somewhere along the way, her neck had turned a soft, wine-like blush.
It felt like something out of a poem or a painting, a breathtaking scene crafted by human hands.
The two of them were so close that they could feel each other's breath, warm and steady.
It seemed that if he merely lifted his head, his lips would brush against the beauty mark by her eye, a mark as alluring as something from a masterpiece.
Kazami Haru remained silent for a long time, his expression unreadable. Eventually, she broke the silence, her voice calm and detached.
"Haru, do you like Ikuyo?"
"You should already know."
Though it was phrased as a question, the certainty in her serene tone made it sound like a statement.
Kazami Haru responded without hesitation.
He couldn't lie and say he felt nothing for Miss Ryo. Yamada Ryo knew this well. That was exactly why she could press in so boldly, because she knew Haru wouldn't push her away.
Her expression didn't change. In fact, she almost looked smug.
Yamada Ryo remained as elegant and aloof as always. Her quiet demeanor gave off an icy charm. But now, standing in front of Kazami Haru, she could no longer hide her true feelings. The soft pink tinge on the tips of her ears had long betrayed her.
"Ikuyo already turned you down. She's been avoiding you too."
As Haru admitted it, she gently pressed her forehead against his.
Seeing his face darken with emotion, Ryo's fine brows, cool and graceful, suddenly drew together. A few strands of her striking blue hair floated lightly with the movement, and the punk-style earring on her pale earlobe glinted as if catching the moment.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Kazami Haru's neck, then rose slightly on her toes and closed the distance between them.
Her advance was aggressive and forceful, but it couldn't hide the youth and nervous energy beneath it. She poured out her emotions instinctively, the surge of feeling too strong to contain.
When she finally let go, her breath was unsteady, her forehead dotted with shimmering sweat despite being the one who initiated.
A victorious smile lifted her lips. Her charm, almost bewitching, had never been more vivid than in that kiss.
"...Am I not allowed?"
She had laid it all bare.
Just as Kazami Haru opened his mouth to reply, the door—shut moments ago by Ryo—clicked. Someone was unlocking it with a spare key.
Ikuyo Kita stepped inside, carrying a small lunchbox. Her face brightened with anticipation as she opened the door to Haru's apartment—
Only to walk straight into the middle of an impossibly intimate scene.
[Yamada Ryo came to your apartment under the pretense of delivering medicine. She wanted to ask how you truly felt.]
[But halfway through your talk, Ikuyo Kita, who had a spare key, arrived as well.]
[Seeing how close you and Yamada Ryo were, Ikuyo was visibly shaken. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, and though her mouth opened as if to speak, no words came. She fled in panic.]
[That flash of red disappeared in an instant.]
[After that, Ikuyo Kita stopped showing up for band practice.]
[Even though Nijika kept calling her, she didn't answer. You, too, were thrown into chaos. You knew even if you went after her, she'd only avoid you.]
[Unbeknownst to you, Yamada Ryo took the initiative and went to see Ikuyo Kita.]