Wakaba Mutsumi was a block of wood.
That may sound a bit harsh, but she really wasn't good at expressing her emotions or interacting with others.
Even she herself thought she was too dull at times, often saying hurtful things without realizing it.
Wakaba Mutsumi envied Togawa Sakiko, who could freely express her desires and give up anything for what she wanted to do.
But Wakaba couldn't do that.
To her, following others' instructions had become an instinct ingrained into her very bones.
Whether it was learning the guitar from a young age, attending the school her parents chose, or even her hobbies and interests, everything had been carefully arranged for her.
All she had to do was go through the motions.
Wakaba Mutsumi sat on a park bench, staring at a text message on her phone.
It was from Nagasaki Soyo, the bassist of her former band CRYCHIC.
Since Wakaba and Togawa Sakiko had been childhood friends, Soyo often tried to get information about Sakiko from her.
But Sakiko had strictly forbidden her from telling anyone anything.
Caught between the two, Wakaba didn't know what to do. She didn't even have anyone to confide in—after all, she didn't really have any friends.
While she was blankly staring at the weeds, Wakaba suddenly noticed someone passing by the park entrance.
It was a boy about her age, wearing a simple black and white hoodie. His shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a short, neat ponytail, revealing a handsome face.
He was the one she had seen with Sakiko the other day.
She recognized him almost instantly. His black hair and eyes were uncommon, and the way he laughed and chatted with Sakiko left a strong impression.
Her feet started moving on their own.
Wakaba instinctively followed him.
She didn't know what his relationship with Sakiko was.
But it had been a long time since she had seen little Sakiko laugh like that. Sakiko always looked exasperated or troubled whenever she saw Wakaba.
Wakaba didn't understand why.
"...Do you need something?"
Kazami Haru suddenly stopped and turned around, hands still in his pockets, looking at the girl behind him.
It was the first time he'd seen a girl with such beautiful hair color. Even Anon, who always kept her stylish cherry-pink hair perfectly groomed, couldn't compare to this girl's naturally elegant hair.
Under the sunlight, her soft green hair seemed to shine with a translucent glow.
It was a color full of vitality and calm beauty—comforting and natural.
The wooden girl didn't know how to respond.
She had followed him on instinct and didn't know what to say.
Kazami looked at her silent face with a bit of exasperation, frowning slightly as he wondered what to do.
But when he made that expression, Wakaba's eyes lit up with a strange glint.
Why did his expression resemble little Sakiko's so much?
"You're a student at Tsukinomori, right? Too bad—I'm on my way to play pachinko. Don't follow me."
"Unless you're willing to lend me some money, that's a different story."
Kazami had long grown used to dealing with the many rich girls from Tsukinomori who approached him because of his looks, so he casually threw out that line.
"Pachinko" refers to a game similar to slot machines, but using small metal balls as tokens instead of coins. It's a popular form of gambling in Japan—if you're lucky, you can win big.
Of course, most people lose everything.
Even so, the gambling aspect drew in crowds of players. Whenever Kazami went to busy areas like Shibuya, he'd often see young men or office workers yelling in frustration outside pachinko parlors, sometimes screaming things like, "300,000 yen! My 300,000 yen!"
Wakaba tilted her head in confusion. She had no idea what "pachinko" was.
That line usually worked great to scare off girls who were just chasing his looks but seeing her blank expression, Kazami realized this sheltered young lady had no clue what he meant.
Still... even someone as blank-faced as her came up to talk to him?
Had his charm really reached that level?
"I saw Sakiko with you."
Wakaba suddenly spoke in a slow, quiet voice.
That finally jogged Haru's memory. Wasn't this the childhood friend of Sakiko, the one nicknamed the "High-EQ Language Tutor," Wakaba Mutsumi-san ?
But Wakaba was usually a loner and never approached others. The fact that she mentioned Sakiko's name helped Kazami guess her motive.
"You came to find me because you saw me with Sakiko?"
She nodded lightly, still expressionless.
This girl was nothing like his ex-girlfriend, Ryo, who looked cold but laughed easily. Wakaba truly showed no expression at all.
Kazami's impression of her was simple: a beautiful and delicate doll.
"If you just want to ask about Sakiko, you should ask her directly. No need to come to me."
"I've got something important to do right now, so I'll be going."
He waved at her and turned to leave.
Today, he didn't have time to waste. He planned to go to the music store and pick out a keyboard to use in the band. It would cost nearly all of his remaining savings.
If that weed-eater were here, maybe she could've used her Ultra-Rare level bargaining skills to get him a great keyboard for the price of a bowl of ramen.
But Wakaba was still following him.
What was this girl thinking? She hadn't said what she wanted, yet she kept trailing after him.
If Kazami didn't already know Wakaba was just spacey by nature, he might've thought she had some kind of romantic interest in him.