Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 3 - Chapter 1

_____________We should kiss. 

She was in high school when she said that, but two years later, when we met again…she was in junior high. 

I had no clue what to make of that. 

Chapter 1 – Mystery Calls to Mystery

1 

That night, Sakuta Azusagawa had a dream. 

A dream of the past—two years ago, to be precise. 

He’d been in his third year of junior high. 

Ten days earlier, he’d been rushed to the hospital, covered in blood, three mysterious gashes on his chest. Sick of seeing his doctor’s troubled look, Sakuta slipped out of the hospital and boarded a train at the station nearby. 

He didn’t care where it took him. The only reason he’d headed to the ocean was because a TV show he’d idly watched the day before had a bit where a character sat on a beach, gloomily watching the waves roll in. 

And he figured he was in the right mood for that. 

That’s how he wound up on the beach at Shichirigahama in the middle of the day. As he stepped onto the sand, he could hear the roar of the waves—louder than he’d expected. He walked slowly down to the surf. 

The distinctive salty smell of the sea air. The early afternoon sun felt good. On the water’s surface were paths of light, leading to the sun. And in the distance—well, the air must have been clean, because he could see the horizon clearly. 

He gazed for a while at the line between sea and sky. Then he sensed someone standing beside him. 

“Did you know?” she asked, her voice clear. She spoke softly, but he could sense the strength of her will. “The distance from eye level to the horizon is approximately three miles.” 

“……” 

He glanced toward her. A girl in a high school uniform, holding her hair back against the wind. A beige blazer and a navy-blue skirt. She was standing barefoot on the sand. 

He didn’t recognize her. Didn’t know her name. 

When she saw him looking, she shot him a mischievous grin. 

Sakuta glanced around, just to check, but sure enough, there was no one else here. Only an elderly couple walking their dog way down the beach. It seemed fair to assume the girl had been talking to him. 

“Is everyone here like you?” 

“Mm?” 

Her head tilted to one side in evident confusion, unsure what he meant. 

“Do you all go around talking to strangers?” 

He was aware this area was a tourist hub. Enoshima to the west, Kamakura to the east. Maybe everyone just made it a habit to welcome outsiders. 

“Oh, do you think I’m a total weirdo?” 

“Nah.” 

“Well, good!” 

She looked relieved. 

“I just thought you seemed annoying.” 

“Oof, you can’t say that to a high school girl. The three worst insults! Annoying! Lame! And tactless!” 

She had her hand on her hip and was puffing out her cheeks. He’d made her mad. 

“Then let’s just go with cringe.” 

“That’s the fourth-worst thing!” She gave him a baleful glare. “You’re in a real bad mood, huh? Things not going well?” 

“What you said earlier…,” Sakuta began, ignoring her question. This was exactly the kind of attitude that made total strangers assume he was in a bad mood. 

“Yeah?” 

But she didn’t bat an eye. In fact, she smiled. She seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve. 

“The distance to the horizon,” he said, still relentlessly sullen. “Is it really three miles?” 

“Closer than you thought, right?” 

She picked up a stick of driftwood and drew a circle in the wet sand. Then she added a stick figure and a straight line from the stick figure’s head to the edge of the circle. 

“If you use the secant-tangent theorem we learn in high school, you can easily calculate the distance to the horizon.” 

Using the sand as a blackboard, she scribbled a formula, but a wave came in and erased it. She hastily took a step back onto drier sand. 

“……” 

Sakuta turned his eyes to the horizon again. It had seemed so far away before. Strange how it looked closer all of a sudden. 

“Now it’s your turn to answer my question,” she said. 

At the time, he intended to ignore her. But somehow he found himself explaining why he was here. 

“I have a sister,” Sakuta said. Before long, he told the girl about the bullies. 

Once he started talking, the words just came tumbling out. 

He told her about the mysterious cuts and bruises the bullying triggered. How helpless he’d felt when he couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening to her. And then the baffling gouges that appeared on his own chest. How nothing was going right, and how he’d come here trying to escape those feelings of helplessness. He laid it all out there. 

He didn’t want her sympathy, and he wasn’t expecting her to make him feel better. He’d figured if he told her a story like this, she’d be rattled and leave him alone no matter how much of a busybody she was. He had only shared his troubles for this petty reason. She’d been right about his bad mood. 

“That’s a lot to handle,” she said. 

Sakuta was confused. She didn’t appear thrown by anything he had said. She didn’t make a show of sympathy or try to cheer him up, either. There were no follow-up questions about the scars on his chest or accusations that he must be lying. She simply held out a hand. 

“I’m Shouko Makinohara,” she said. “Same Makinohara as the highway rest area chain. Shouko is soaring child. What’s your name?” 

“I’m…,” he said. Almost a reflex. He stopped, hesitated, then reached out to take her hand. But just before he did…the dream ended. 

His hand may have come up empty in the dream, but in real life, his palm was touching something soft and round. 

He felt the warmth of another body lying on top of his. Smooth skin, slightly sweaty, snuggled up against his right side. 

From the feel and weight, this was definitely a girl. 

He thought about what that might mean, but then a tongue licked his lips. 

He opened his eyes. 

A white, fluffy, adorable creature was right in front of him, brushing his face with a raspy tongue. A white kitten. 

One he’d been looking after for the past two weeks, since the final day of the first term. 

He moved the kitten off his face. 

But this was not the only thing resting on him. There was another…something much bigger than a cat. 

A panda. More accurately…it was Kaede, his sister, wearing panda pajamas. She would be turning fifteen later this year, but she still sneaked into his bed sometimes. 

Nasuno, the Azusagawa family cat, was lying on her chest. She was a calico cat, and the soft, round sensation he felt earlier must have been her butt. He was very relieved to find it wasn’t his sister’s boobs. 

He pulled his hand away from Nasuno, yawned, and pinched Kaede’s nose. 

“Mmph.” 

Kaede made a face but then opened her mouth, securing a fresh supply of oxygen. He considered clamping a hand over her lips but decided that was no way to treat a teenage girl, and he abandoned the idea. 

“Wake up, Kaede.” 

“Mm? Oh, good morning.” 

She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes. 

“Like I keep saying, you’ve gotta quit sneaking into my bed.” 

“Because you’ll be tempted into forbidden love?” 

“Nope.” 

“Don’t worry! If you desire it, I’ll sink to any depth!” 

“It’s seriously too hot for this.” 

It was summer. Human warmth had no appeal at all. In fact, he’d rather not touch anyone this time of year. 

Of course, he made an exception for the senpai he was dating—Mai Sakurajima. He was ready to touch her all year round. 

But the world wasn’t built for his pleasure, and most days went by without any physical contact on that front. In fact, he’d only seen her a handful of times since vacation started. 

Mai was working again, and her schedule was packed with filming TV shows and commercials as well as doing interviews, promotional events for her shows, and cover girl shoots for fashion magazines—all the stuff that went with celebrity. 

Before vacation started, she’d said she would only be working for half of it, but that schedule had filled up fast. She had almost no time off. 

And all he could do was sigh. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Kaede, do you know what day it is?” 

Kaede looked at the digital display on his clock. 

“August second,” she dutifully replied. 

“Two weeks of summer vacation are already gone.” 

“Right.” 

“But I haven’t snuggled with Mai at all!” 

“Then snuggle with me instead!” 

Kaede nestled in close. 

“No thanks.” 

When Kaede failed to give him some space, Sakuta sat up anyway. 

“What does she have that I don’t?!” Kaede wailed. 

She threw herself on him, and he nearly toppled over again. He quickly stood up. 

“You’re extra needy today.” 

“I am in the midst of my greatest crisis yet!” 

“How so?” 

“I have to master sister-do as soon as humanly possible!” 

Kaede gave her own words a powerful nod. 

What in the world was the sister-do? Was it related to kendo or judo? No, if it were included in the same list, there’d inevitably be complaints from the organizing committees. 

Just as Sakuta decided it actually didn’t matter, the intercom buzzed. He glanced at the clock; it was already ten AM. Sakuta knew who it was before he even answered. 

Only one person came at this time of day. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” 

He yawned and headed to the entrance to greet their visitor. 

At the door was a clean-cut young girl in a white sundress that only enhanced the image of wholesomeness. 

She was twelve years old, a first-year student in junior high. She certainly looked her age, but the collected way she bowed her head, saying, “Sorry to intrude,” made her seem older than her years. If nothing else, she was remarkably courteous and had excellent manners. 

The girl—Shouko Makinohara—removed her shoes and stepped up into the apartment. The white kitten came running out and rubbed against her ankles. 

“You can probably tell I haven’t fed it yet.” 

“Oh, then can I do it?” 

“Could you take care of Nasuno while you’re at it?” 

“Okay!” Shouko looked delighted. 

He showed Shouko into the living room while the kitten played underfoot. 

As they passed his door, Kaede beckoned to him. “C’mere a minute,” she said. He walked Shouko to the living room, then came back to her. 

“What?” 

“Would you prefer a younger little sister?” she asked, tears in her eyes. 

“What kinda question is that?” 

“You want a clean-cut sister with perfect manners?” 

Kaede glanced meaningfully at the living room. Apparently, this was the source of Kaede’s “greatest crisis yet.” 

“I only need one sister, and you’re it,” Sakuta said. 

“R-really?” 

“I dunno why you’d think otherwise.” 

“Th-then what is Shouko to you?” 

“…Good question.” 

Two weeks had gone by since their unexpected encounter. He’d thought about it a lot but still had nothing but questions. 

Maybe she just had the same name. Still, their faces were awfully similar…and if they were simply relatives, then having the same name was particularly weird. Shouko didn’t know who Sakuta was, so he was pretty sure she wasn’t the same Shouko Makinohara he’d met before. But the first-year junior high kid looking after the cats was the spitting image of the second-year high school student Sakuta had met two years ago. It was hard to believe she was someone else… 

Which left one other possibility. 

Some sort of Adolescence Syndrome was involved. Supernatural phenomena no one really believed had become a hot topic on the Internet these days. And Sakuta knew the stories weren’t just nonsense. He’d already encountered two cases this year. One was Mai’s, and the other involved a kohai of Sakuta’s named Tomoe Koga. 

It was possible a similar phenomenon was happening to Shouko. He wasn’t sure if it was a recent occurrence or had been happening to her two years ago, but… 

“Um, Sakuta?” 

He’d been watching her, lost in thought. It was only natural that their eyes met when she turned around. 

“Mm?” 

“Uh, sorry.” 

“For what?” 

“For this.” 

Shouko gently stroked the back of the kitten as it ate. 

“I keep saying I want to keep it, but I just can’t find the right moment to ask my parents…” 

Nasuno sidled up next to the kitten. 

“I promise I’ll talk things over with them soon. Just wait a little longer.” 

This was why the kitten she’d found in the park was at Sakuta’s apartment. 

“Are your parents strict?” 

“They’re very nice to me.” 

“Not big animal fans?” 

“They like animals…I think. When we were at the zoo together, they had as much fun as I did.” 

“Allergic to cats?” 

“No.” Shouko shook her head. 

“Any chance you live above a restaurant they run?” 

Could be they were worried about health code violations or customers with cat allergies. 

“My father’s a businessman, and my mother’s a housewife. Completely ordinary family.” 

“Huh.” 

Asking anything further would start to feel like an interrogation, so Sakuta relented. 

But Shouko spoke up herself. 

“If I tell them I want a cat, I don’t think either of them would be against it.” 

So why did she look so sad? 

That was an odd turn of phrase, too. Sakuta was curious but decided not to press the point. If this were easy for her to explain, Shouko would have done that in the first place. 

“But…well, I just can’t find the right moment…,” she said again. 

“That’s fine.” 

“I’m sorry. I’m not making much sense, huh?” 

“Nope,” Sakuta said. 

Shouko giggled. 

“I got no problems looking after it for now. Nasuno seems happy for the company, too.” 

The cats were busy licking each other. 

“And you can get used to looking after it here before you have to take care of it full-time.” 

“That’s true.” 

“Have you picked a name?” 

“I have!” Shouko brightened up considerably. 

“……” 

“……” 

But she didn’t say anything else. 

“Is it a secret?” 

“Er? Uh, well…promise not to laugh?” 

“Is the name funny?” 

“N-no, it’s a normal name, just…Hayate.” 

The kitten turned toward Shouko, looking confused. Like Hayate knew the girl was talking about it. 

“I thought Hayate seemed fitting for a white and quick kitten.” 

“Good name. Hayate can be Tohoku buddies with Nasuno.” 

“Tohoku buddies?” 

Nasuno and Hayate were both services offered on the Shinkansen’s Tohoku Line, but Shouko didn’t seem to get it, and he didn’t think it was worth explaining. 

“Never mind,” he said. 

Shouko played with the cats a while longer. Then she seemed to notice something, and she looked up at Sakuta. “Um,” she said, lowering her voice. 

She glanced to one side, behind him…at Kaede, who was watching them from a crack in the doorway. 

“Does Kaede not like me?” 

“That is Kaede’s default attitude toward all mankind, so don’t worry about it.” 

“I think I’m still pretty worried.” 

Fair enough. Anyone would be. 

“Kaede, you done with your homework?” 

“I’m stuck on something. Can you help?” 

“Then come in here.” 

Kaede stepped hesitantly into the room, clutching a math textbook. She quickly plastered herself to Sakuta’s back. 

“How am I supposed to teach you like this?” 

“It’s this part,” she said, holding the textbook out in front of him. A factoring problem. She had already written out the needed formula properly, and she’d also solved all the problems that involved simplifying and factoring expression. 

“I don’t get what you don’t get.” 

“I don’t get how factoring could ever be useful in life.” 

“It helps you pass the entrance exams for the high school of your choice.” 

That was the sole time factoring had ever been useful for Sakuta. 

“That makes sense,” Kaede said, and she wrote Useful on exams! in the corner of her textbook. Did she actually get his point? Was that the answer she needed? Maybe she was asking something much deeper, but Sakuta didn’t have answers for that. Sakuta was still trying to discover the point of calculus himself. Also trigonometry. Who thought this stuff up anyway? Sines, cosines, tangents… 

Then he noticed Shouko staring at him. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Can I do homework here, too?” 

“Summer homework?” 

“Yes.” 

“Sure. Use the table there,” he said, pointing at the one in front of the TV. 

“Thank you.” 

Shouko bowed politely and promptly plopped onto the floor. She pulled a few worksheets out of her tote bag. Turned out that she had math homework, too. Basic linear equations. Twenty problems like that in a row. Maybe fifteen minutes of work if she focused. 

But Shouko put the page in front of her, raised her mechanical pencil…and froze up completely. The first problem was 3x = 9. She just had to divide both sides by three and get x = 3, but her hand didn’t move at all. 

A full minute passed like this. 

When Shouko finally moved again, she reached for her tote bag again and pulled out her math textbook. She then opened it to the page on linear equations and started reading, but she just looked more and more confused. 

“Need some help?” 

“……” 

Shouko looked up at him, surprised. 

“You seem like you’re struggling.” 

“I-I’m fine. I can do it. I think.” 

Shouko went back to frowning at her textbook. 

She stuck it out for a good five minutes and then tried her hand at the first problem. She divided both sides by three and got x = 3. 

She looked up at Sakuta, clearly wondering if she was right. 

“Well done,” he said. “You got it.” 

She solved the rest pretty quickly. It seemed she’d finally grasped the core concept. She didn’t hesitate much…which puzzled Sakuta. The way she acted wasn’t like she’d finally remembered what had been taught to her in class. It was almost as if…she’d never seen problems like these before and was only just figuring out the basic idea. 

She finished up her worksheet and put it away. 

“Um,” he said. 

Shouko looked up at him. Like she’d been taught to always look someone in the eye when speaking and it had never occurred to her to do anything else. 

“Can I ask a weird question?” 

“Er…,” Shouko said, guarded. And blushing slightly. “Is it something dirty?” 

“Not at all.” 

“O-oh.” 

He wasn’t sure why she’d thought it would be, but if he let the topic derail here, he’d never get around to his actual question. 

“Makinohara, do you have an older sister?” 

“No.” 

“Any relatives who look like you?” 

“Not that I’m aware of…” 

She trailed off, clearly confused by this line of questioning. 

“You see, a while back I met someone who looked a lot like you. She was several years older than you are, so I wondered if you two were related.” 

“I’m an only child.” 

“Okay.” 

“How much older?” 

“Mm?” 

“This girl who looked like me.” 

“She was a second-year high school student two years ago, which means she’d probably be in her first year of college by now—so nineteen years old?” 

“Nineteen…,” Shouko whispered. 

The number didn’t seem particularly significant to Sakuta, but it sure sounded like it mattered to her. Or was he reading too much into that? 

“What?” 

“Oh, nothing. I just can’t imagine myself in college. I wondered what it would be like.” 

That sounded totally normal for someone who’d just started junior high. 

“Don’t worry. I’m in my second year of high school, and I can’t imagine myself in college, either.” 

“I think you probably should start working on that,” Shouko said. She said it a bit hesitantly, but she wasn’t wrong. 

“Fair point.” 

They chatted a bit longer, and Shouko rose to leave just before noon. Same as she always did. He walked her down to the doors of the building. 

“Tomorrow’s bath day for Nasuno,” he said as she prepared to leave. “You can practice washing cats with her.” 

Hayate was still small, so baths were best avoided until the kitten could better regulate its body temperature. 

“Thank you for looking after Hayate,” Shouko said, bowing her head. Then she waved and turned to go. 

“Once again, no progress on the mystery from two years ago,” Sakuta muttered as he stepped onto the elevator. “Guess I’ll have to ask Futaba.” 

2 

Not long after Shouko went home, Sakuta also headed out—but it was a little early for his shift at the restaurant, so he stopped at the electronics store by the station. 

The first floor was all new-model smartphones, so he breezed right past those on his way to the escalator. He kept on climbing, not even glancing at the floors for audio or major appliances. 

Once he reached the seventh floor, the whole vibe changed. This floor and the eighth floor were home to an especially well-stocked bookstore. 

Row after row of bookshelves filled the large space, each packed to the brim with books. The seventh floor was focused on specialty books, and the customer base was getting on in years, so it was always quiet and calm. Like a library. 

Sakuta made his way through the shelves, checking the contents. 

He wasn’t looking for anything in particular. 

After Shouko left, he’d called Rio Futaba to ask for advice, and she’d said, “I’m in the bookstore above the electronic shop. Meet me here.” 

But he didn’t see her anywhere. He’d imagined she’d be in the section with all the science books, but instead he found a different girl in a Minegahara uniform there, with her hair up. 

He did another loop of the floor but still couldn’t spot Rio. 

“A cell phone sure would come in handy here…” 

Text, call, or some free messaging app—there would’ve been any number of ways he could ask where she was. 

As he passed the science corner again, a voice called out from behind. 

“Azusagawa.” 

He stopped and turned around. 

“Are you walking right past me out of spite?” 

It was the girl from before, in the summer Minegahara uniform. She was scowling back at him, and when he looked closer…it was Rio. 

“Futaba?” 

“Did the summer sun fry your brain?” 

Rio heaved an exasperated sigh. She was wearing the school uniform. It made sense that she didn’t wear her usual white lab coat outside of school. But it wasn’t only her clothes that had made Sakuta walk past her twice. 

Her hair was different. She normally just let it hang straight, but now it was tied up at the back, revealing the nape of her neck—skin so pale it had clearly never been exposed to the light of the sun. Rio generally exposed as little skin as possible, so even this modest display was weirdly erotic. 

“It’s too hot to leave down,” she said, catching his look and preempting his unspoken question. As expected of Rio. What a logical reason. 

However, there was something else on Sakuta’s mind. His gaze shifted to her eyes next. 

“And I don’t have my glasses because I’m wearing contacts today.” 

Once again, she didn’t even let him ask. With her new hairstyle and no glasses, Rio looked really different. But her flat answers and emotionless voice proved that this was the Rio he knew. 

“Why the uniform?” he asked, finally getting a question in. 

Rio definitely wasn’t wearing it to advertise her status as a high school girl. 

“I’m stopping by school after this.” 

“If you’re looking for Kunimi, me and him have a shift this afternoon.” 

That earned him a frosty glare. 

“If I don’t achieve some real results, my club of one is gonna get disbanded,” she said. “And? What did you want?” 

“Oh, uh…about that…” 

“Trouble again?” she asked, seeming bored already. She pulled a book off the shelf and started flipping through it. Something about quantum physics that Sakuta would likely never understand a word of. 

“Maybe, maybe not.” 

“Spit it out, then.” 

“I ran into Shouko Makinohara,” he said, getting right to the point. 

“……” 

That name pulled her attention away from the book. There was a look of surprise in her eyes. He’d told Rio about Shouko Makinohara before—how she was his first love and how he’d taken the Minegahara entrance exams because she was a student there. But not only was she not at the school, there were no signs she’d graduated or ever attended. And with no clue what had happened, Sakuta had been left nursing a broken heart. Rio knew all of that. 

“She actually exists?” Rio asked. This was a reasonable reaction. Sakuta himself had been convinced they’d never meet again. He hadn’t even dreamed about her for over a year. 

“And the most surprising part is that she’s in her first year of junior high.” 

“Huh?” Rio squeaked. She almost dropped her book. 

“Two years ago, she was in her second year of high school, but when I ran into her two weeks ago, she was in the first year of junior high.” 

“Have you gone completely insane?” 

“I’m afraid not.” 

“Then the math doesn’t add up.” 

A second-year high school student two years ago would be a first-year college student now. Instead, she’d somehow gone back to junior high. 

“Does she remember you?” 

“No… Doesn’t seem to think we’ve ever met.” 

She’d straight up said, “Nice to meet you.” 

“……” Rio mulled over this. “Azusagawa,” she said, looking up at him again. 

“Mm?” 

“You sure she isn’t someone else with the same name who happens to look similar?” 

“That is the most likely possibility, yes.” 

Sakuta had thought about it but decided that was too big a coincidence. 

“Supposedly, there’s always at least three people with the same face as yours out in the world.” 

“That’s just an urban legend.” 

“Right. Just an urban legend,” Rio repeated, looking away. There was nothing particularly odd about that, nothing that was noteworthy—but for some reason, Sakuta noticed. Probably because he didn’t think what they’d just said would usually provoke an emotional response from her. It was the sort of thing she’d normally dismiss impassively. 

“Futaba?” 

“The other possibility is that she’s Shouko Makinohara’s sister and going by her older sister’s name for some reason.” 

Rio just kept talking like nothing had happened, so Sakuta let it drop for the moment. 

“What kind of reason?” That seems awfully elaborate. 

“You’d have to ask her.” 

“If I ask too many weird questions, she’ll think I’m a weirdo.” 

“So? That’s fine by me.” 

“I’m saying it’s bad for me!” 

“I’m surprised you care what anyone but Sakurajima thinks.” 

“Just to be clear, I’m not gunning for a twelve-year-old.” 

“I don’t really care either way. I suppose the one remaining possibility is that the Shouko Makinohara you met two years ago was a vision of the future from that point in time.” 

“But I’m not the cause of that phenomenon.” 

Simulations of the future were the product of Tomoe Koga’s Adolescence Syndrome. She was a year below them at school—a cute kohai with a peach butt. 

“Since you both experienced the same thing, I don’t think we can completely deny the possibility you helped generate that phenomenon.” 

“If that was involved here, then my age wouldn’t add up.” 

“Right. But…right now, it’s not harming anyone, right?” 

“Doesn’t seem to be.” 

That was a clear difference from Mai’s and Tomoe’s situations. This time it wasn’t even clear if Adolescence Syndrome was involved, and it wasn’t causing any problems he could see. 

Rio closed the book and put it back on the shelf before reaching for another one. Two girls in yukata walked past them. 

They were talking about reports—probably college students, here looking for reference books. 

Sakuta’s gaze followed them. 

“Don’t stare, Azusagawa,” Rio snapped. 

“You don’t wear yukata if you don’t want people looking.” 

“Doesn’t mean they want you looking.” 

“Is there a fireworks display tonight?” 

“Chigasaki.” 

“You knew that offhand?” 

“There’s a sign right over there.” 

Rio pointed at a nearby wall. Two stops down the Tokaido Line from Fujisawa Station, fireworks over Sagami Bay on the beach at Chigasaki. August 2. Today. 

“Come to think of it, we all went to the fireworks last year.” 

The Enoshima Evening Fireworks, held on…maybe August 20. 

Sakuta and Yuuma had finished their shifts in the evening, and on the way out, their boss had mentioned the fireworks display. Figuring it would just be sad for two guys to go, they’d called up Rio. This was before Yuuma started dating Saki Kamisato. 

“Yeah,” Rio said, watching the yukata girls dispassionately. 

“You wore normal clothes, though.” 

“So did you.” 

“Kunimi and I both got our hopes up, too.” 

He’d already been well aware Rio had feelings for Yuuma. Or maybe that was the day he figured it out. He’d caught her staring at Yuuma while he gazed up at the fireworks. 

“You shouldn’t have played coy! Yukata are always the right choice.” 

“Why would I wear something that cumbersome?” 

“So Kunimi could see it.” 

“……” 

Rio glanced away, visibly unhappy. 

“I wouldn’t look good in one.” 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

“Oh, right, big boobs work against yukata.” 

Even in uniform, Rio’s were clearly impressive. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Rio said, putting her arms up. She didn’t seem to appreciate his looking. 

“Then what did you mean?” 

“I see no reason to tell you.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because you already know and you’re just trying to make me say it.” 

“If you think you’re too plain to dress up like that, you’re sorely mistaken.” 

“……” Rio’s look suggested she doubted his word. 

“A yukata with this hairstyle would work quite well.” 

The hair-up/yukata combo was a classic. 

“And you tried it on at least once, right?” 

“……” She was really on guard now. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“The way you’re talking, you definitely own one.” 

“What gives you that idea?” 

This question amounted to an admission. 

“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be talking about whether it looks good; you’d just say you don’t have one. That’s the way you think.” 

Rio always spoke logically, getting to the heart of the matter. 

“…You’re really too clever sometimes, Azusagawa.” 

“Don’t look so annoyed.” 

“Impossible. You’re an upsetting person.” 

“Harsh.” 

But she ignored him, picking up a book called The Future of Quantum Teleportation. 

“If that’s all, then I’m off,” she said and turned toward the registers. 

“Thanks for your help,” Sakuta called after her. 

3 

By the time he left the bookstore, it was almost time for his shift, so Sakuta headed to the restaurant. 

His boss was standing by the register, so he said, “Good morning” and glanced around the interior. At this time of day, there weren’t many customers. Just a group of moms sipping tea, some college students studying, and a few businessmen hunched over their laptops, working. It seemed pretty relaxed. 

Sakuta headed straight to the break room in back. He had to change and punch his time card. 

The break room was already occupied. One of Sakuta’s few friends, Yuuma Kunimi, was sitting on a folding chair, already in his server uniform. 

“Yo!” he said, waving a hand. 

“Did you get even more tan?” 

They’d last met at work three days before. Yuuma had already been very tan, but it was even worse now. 

“Am I? I guess I did spend yesterday at the beach.” 

“With her?” 

“Who else?” 

“Ugh, you’re the worst.” 

“Why? You’ve got a gorgeous girlfriend of your own now.” 

“But Mai’s so busy I haven’t seen her in a week.” 

“I saw her on TV yesterday.” 

“Don’t worry. If it was just TV, then I basically see her every day.” 

He didn’t know how many contracts she’d signed, but she was in a lot of commercials. Everything from soft drinks to new snack products. Sometimes for things Sakuta already bought regularly, but her beauty was often used to sell stuff like makeup and shampoo. 

“Well, I can see how that would suck.” Yuuma grinned. 

Sakuta finished changing and stepped out from the lockers as he prepared a sarcastic comeback. 

Before he could deliver it, he heard a familiar voice in the hall. “Good morning.” But the footsteps accompanying it didn’t sound familiar. There was a distinctive snapping to them. 

A moment later, the break room door opened, and Tomoe Koga stepped in. A flower that lit up the previously male-dominated space. Especially since she was wearing a brightly colored yukata. Including zori sandals with very cute straps. She even had a traditional kinchaku made from goldfish-patterned cloth to hold her things. 

“Urp, senpai!” 

Tomoe did not look pleased to see Sakuta. 

“Come to brag about your adorable yukata?” 

Her name hadn’t been on the shift list, so she wasn’t working today. 

“I haven’t turned in next week’s shift request yet, so I came in to fill that out.” 

Tomoe took a blank schedule form from the plastic document case on the table. Careful not to mess up her yukata, she sat down on a stool, picked up a ballpoint pen, and wrote her name and availability for the next two weeks. Work shifts were determined based on employee availability, and they had to turn these forms in every two weeks. Some jobs handled all this stuff with phones, so Sakuta was glad his workplace still used the old-fashioned method. 

When Sakuta said nothing, Yuuma spoke up. “Koga,” he said. “That’s a cute yukata.” 

He made it sound so natural. 

“Huh? Oh, thank you,” Tomoe said, a bit flustered. She turned a little red and glanced at Sakuta. 

“You look good in that yukata,” he said. 

“You’re being creepy, senpai,” she said while sulking. 

So much for compliments. “Where did I go wrong…?” he moaned. 

She’d been happy when Yuuma said it. It didn’t make sense. 

“Well, you were staring at my chest.” 

She held up the kinchaku, blocking his gaze. 

“Whoa, hold up. I was carefully considering the balance of your hips and backside, too.” 

“That’s even worse! Not like I’ve got the kind of breasts that rest on top of the obi. I’m so flat…” 

Now she was totally depressed. 

Yuuma started laughing. 

“When did you two get this close?” 

“W-we aren’t close!” Tomoe snapped. 

“Something happen?” Yuuma asked, giving Sakuta a sidelong glance. 

“I made Koga into a grown woman.” 

“W-wait, senpai! Why’d you have to put it like that?!” 

“I see. Koga, you’re all grown up now,” Yuuma said with a grin. 

“Not you, too…” Tomoe looked betrayed. “Well, I’m meeting people, so I’ve gotta get going. See you later.” 

Fuming, Tomoe bowed quickly and turned to go. But Sakuta called after her. 

“Koga.” 

“Mm? What?” Tomoe stopped to listen. 

“I love watching girls in yukata turn around.” 

“That’s why you stopped me?! You’re so gross, senpai!” 

But Tomoe’s scowl was just cute. 

“That was a joke.” 

“Then what is it?” 

“I can’t see a panty line, so are you going commando?” 

“I’m wearing the type that doesn’t show!” 

“A T-back? T-Back Tomoe.” 

“I—I wouldn’t wear one of those! Stop imagining it!” 

Both of her hands were behind her, hiding her butt. 

“Already did. Best to just accept it.” 

“They’re actually just covering more. Like boxers.” 

“Way to ruin the fantasy. I’d rather not have known.” 

“Argh, don’t make me embarrass myself and then act disappointed! You’re horribad! I’m leaving!” 

“Oh, wait.” 

“Again?! You’re just being obnoxious now, senpai.” 

Tomoe looked up at Sakuta, bracing herself. 

“Watch out for pickup artists.” 

“Huh? Oh, uh…thanks.” 

“You’re awfully cute, after all.” 

“Don’t call me cute!” 

She puffed out her cheeks, sulking. 

“Fine. You’re adorable, so watch yourself.” 

“I’ll be with other people! It’ll be fine. And I’m running late, so bye!” 

This time she actually left. 

Once again, it was just Sakuta and Yuuma. Two dudes. 

“Uh, Sakuta…” 

“Yeah?” 

“What’s horribad?” 

“No clue.” 

Yuuma stood up and punched his time card. Sakuta did the same. 

“Koga uses unusual words sometimes.” 

“All schoolgirls do these days,” Sakuta said. Tomoe didn’t seem to want people knowing she was from Fukuoka, so he left that part out. 

There were fewer customers than usual, and the restaurant was very relaxed. Maybe all the regulars were at the Chigasaki fireworks. 

Shortly after eight, a family in yukata came in. Probably on their way back from the fireworks display. A four- or five-year-old boy dressed in transforming superhero patterns must have worn himself out, because he could barely keep his eyes open. This family weren’t the only patrons in yukata that night. 

Sakuta took their order and went into the back to refill the straws at the beverage counter. He pulled down a box of straws off the shelf, and on his way back in, Yuuma caught his eye. 

“Oh, Sakuta! Found you,” Yuuma said, grinning. “Table five’s asking for you.” 

“Huh?” 

“You’ll see when you get there.” 

Based on the way Yuuma was grinning, it wasn’t anything bad. If the table was asking for him, it was probably someone he knew. But he couldn’t think of anyone who would come here to see him. Maybe Fumika Nanjou, a reporter who kept trying to get a scoop from him. But she hadn’t shown up for a few months… 

The only other possibility was Mai, but she was filming in Kyoto and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. 

“Who, then?” 

He went out front to see for himself. 

Table five was a booth against the back wall. He could see her silhouette as he approached. She had a small carry-on bag next to her, styled like something out of an old movie. 

When Sakuta stopped next to her table, she looked up from the menu. Strong-willed eyes, but the moment she saw Sakuta, she smiled. 

“Why are you here, Mai?” 

Yes, the customer at table five was the senpai he was currently dating—Mai Sakurajima. 

The clothes she was wearing made her look older, and she had some light makeup on. She probably considered this a subdued look, but she was radiating celebrity. 

Naturally, the occupants of nearby tables were all stealing glances at her. He could hear a lot of furious whispering. “Is that really her?” “Her face is perfect!” “She eats at chain restaurants, too?” 

“I thought you were getting back tomorrow?” 

“Most of the actors on set were veterans, and I wasn’t exactly blowing takes myself, so we wrapped early.” 

“I see. And you missed me so much you rushed straight back?” 

“Exactly,” Mai said, taking the bait with a smile. “I had a room booked, so I could have taken it easy for another night, but I got my manager to spring for a Shinkansen ticket. Happy to see me?” 

“Of course,” he said, like he was reading a cue card. 

“…Hmph.” Mai frowned, clearly displeased. 

Pretending not to notice, he took out his electronic order pad. “If you’re ready to order, go ahead.” 

“……” 

“I can take your order now.” 

She was getting downright grumpy, but he just kept his business smile going. 

“Why are you sulking?” she asked. 

“I’m not.” 

“You absolutely are.” 

“And whose fault is that?” 

“Well…um…” 

“Um?” 

“…Sorry,” she said, suddenly deflating. “I know—I’m an awful girlfriend. We just started dating, but I’m already ditching you for work.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far, but…” 

“But…?” 

She looked anxious. That was an expression he didn’t see on TV. This one was just for him. 

“I do hope you’ll make up for it.” 

“Fine. I owe you one.” 

“Would paying me back involve something sexy?” 

“Mildly.” 

“Then I forgive you.” 

“Just don’t push your luck.” 

She stomped on his foot, then calmly placed an order. Sakuta punched it into his pad and then lowered his voice so only she could hear. “I’m really glad you came back early.” 

“You should have led with that!” 

Mai sounded mad, but she was grinning happily. 

“How late are you working?” 

“Another thirty minutes. I’d love to walk you home…” 

It was half past eight, and he got off at nine. 

“Fine. I’ll finish eating and stick around till then.” 

“I’ll swing by when I punch out.” 

“Okay. Now get back to work.” 

“You’re the one who called me here!” 

Then he headed to the back to finish refilling the straws. 

He kept himself pretty busy the remaining half hour and was able to clock out right on time. 

“Bye!” he said and changed quickly. 

When he emerged, Mai was at the register, settling her bill. If he’d been even a second later, she probably would have walked home alone. 

They left together. 

“Let me take that for you,” he said, reaching for her suitcase. 

“Thanks.” She handed it over, and they walked side by side. 

“Is she still coming by every day?” Mai asked. Like it was nothing important. Like she was talking about the weather. 

“Mm?” 

“Shouko Makinohara.” 

“She is.” 

“You knew what I meant. Don’t make me spell it out like that.” She gave his cheek a twist. 

“Is it bugging you?” 

“She was in second year of high school when she met you two years ago, but now she’s in first year of junior high? How can that not bug me?” 

She looked up at him, intent on making it clear she wasn’t getting jealous of a twelve-year-old. 

“I’d rather you were jealous.” 

“Of what?” 

“You know.” 

“You already have a girl like me. Are you saying you’d throw that away to go after a literal child?” 

“Forced into a life devoid of dates and intimacy…it’s enough to make anyone turn to pedophilia.” 

“I let you carry my bag, didn’t I.” She pulled it away from behind him. “My underwear’s in there.” 

“Can I peek inside?” 

“Just so we’re clear, I had it washed already.” 

“Have I ever expressed a preference for used underwear?” 

“You deny you have one?” Mai looked genuinely surprised. 

“What I want to see is not the underwear itself but you looking embarrassed because I saw your underwear.” 

“You seeing my underwear would not embarrass me in the slightest.” 

“Then can I see it?” 

“Enough already. Back to the point.” 

“But I wanna flirt with you more. It’s been so long.” 

“We can do that as much as you like later,” she said, sighing. 

“Aww, I wanna do it now, though.” 

“Fine, I’ll hold your hand.” 

“We aren’t some flustered junior high couple. That won’t be enough to satisfy me!” 

“Oh? Then I won’t bother.” 

Mai pulled back. Sakuta gave chase and took her hand. 

She slid her fingers through his. The couple’s hold. 

“That’s better, right?” she asked. 

“……” 

“Why’d you get quiet all of a sudden?” 

“Mai, you’re insanely cute.” 

“I know I am,” she said with a sniff. But she looked slightly embarrassed by it and was avoiding his eye. “So?” she prodded, trying to get him back on track. 

Clearly still asking about Shouko. 

“She looks after the cats.” 

“Anything odd?” 

“No.” 

“Figure anything out?” 

“I talked to Futaba today, but no dice. Still can’t rule out the idea that it’s a totally different person with the same name.” 

“Of course not. I think she is, myself. Does she really look that much like the girl you met two years ago?” 

“Well, she’s a lot younger than I remember, so I can’t say for sure, but if this girl grew up…she’d probably be eerily similar. Then again…their personalities don’t really line up at all.” 

Maybe it was because she didn’t know him well, but this Shouko was always somewhat reserved. And that was the last word he’d have used to describe high school Shouko from two years ago. She was the type to get up close and personal. 

“Hmm.” 

He wasn’t sure if Mai understood or not. She’d never met the Shouko from two years ago, so she had to take his word for it—which might not really help much. 

“Futaba also pointed out that if there is a thing going on here, it’s not hurting anyone—not like yours. So maybe we don’t need to worry.” 

“If you’re fine with it, I’m down.” 

She didn’t sound convinced. 

Then she said “Oh” and stopped in her tracks. 

“Mai?” 

“Isn’t that Futaba?” 

She was looking at the convenience store ahead of them. There was a teenage girl leaving the registers, bag in hand. Definitely Rio. She’d been in uniform when he’d met her earlier, but now she was dressed down in a T-shirt and shorts. Her hair wasn’t up anymore, either; it was back to normal, just hanging there. And she had her glasses on. 

“What’s she doing here?” 

The bag in her hand had a flat bottom—there was a bento box in it. This immediately struck him as odd. Rio wasn’t the type to be out and about at night. But here she was, after nine, walking off toward the shopping district? And Rio lived by Hon-Kugenuma, one stop down the Odakyu Enoshima Line, so it was extra weird for her to be buying a bento at a store near Fujisawa Station. 

And the way she was acting was even more suspicious. She seemed to be trying so hard to avoid attracting attention, it was achieving the exact opposite. 

“Mai, do you mind a detour?” 

“You’re gonna tail her?” Mai asked, as if she disapproved. 

But then she led the way. 

Sakuta and Mai followed Rio back toward the station and stopped outside an office building maybe seven or eight stories tall. They’d seen Rio go inside. 

He looked up at the signs on the exterior. A bank, bars…and an Internet café. The bank was already closed, and the bar staff would turn Rio away at the door, so that left only one destination. 

But even an Internet café would start kicking out high school kids after ten. She wouldn’t be allowed to do much if she went in now. And she’d bought a bento, so…was she planning on staying all night? 

“Mai, can you wait here?” 

Taking a celebrity into a place like that would cause pandemonium. 

“I’ve never been in an Internet café,” she said, clearly hell-bent on joining him. 

There was no use talking her out of it. So he gave up, and they boarded the elevator together. 

They rode the elevator to the seventh floor. Once the doors opened, they stepped off into the Internet café. The lights were turned down low, giving the place a chill, sophisticated vibe. 

“Welcome. How long will you stay?” 

The midtwenties employee at the counter spoke softly, matching the lighting. She definitely noticed Mai, who was peering around the café interior with great interest. 

Sakuta stepped up to the counter. There was a sign behind it showing the rates. Deals on three hours, five hours, or all night. 

Sakuta point to the base rate at the top. 

“We’ll go with this,” he said. 

Two hundred yen for the first thirty minutes. A standard plan, with additional surcharges generated depending on how long they stayed. Thirty minutes should be enough time to find Rio. 

Sakuta paid for Mai as well and was given two vouchers. 

Mai had moved over to the free drink corner and was studying the drink dispensers. 

“You can try that once we find Futaba.” 

“Does it cost extra?” 

“If you pay the base fee, drinks and ice are on the house.” 

Technically speaking, the price of the drinks was included in the base fee. They had soda, oolong tea, orange juice, and even a row of coffee and espresso machines. Same as the drink counter at most family restaurants. This place even had soft-serve ice cream, so it might actually have been better than most. 

Sakuta acted like they were looking for seats as they wandered toward the back of the shop. The center of the place was packed with tall bookshelves holding reams of manga. And surrounding those were numbered cubicles with doors providing some measure of privacy. 

No sign of Rio, or anyone else for that matter—they must all be in those cubicles. He could hear keys tapping occasionally. This would make it tough to find Rio. 

He considered asking the counter girl, but that probably violated their privacy policy. 

“If you know her number, you could give her a call?” Mai suggested, holding out her phone. Her phone case had bunny ears on it. Sakuta took it from her, but his gaze settled on her other hand. 

She was holding a small paper cup. It was filled with soft-serve ice cream, perfectly spiraled. He’d said to wait until they found Futaba, but she clearly hadn’t listened. That was Mai for you. 

Mai used a spoon to scoop a bit of soft serve and held it out to Sakuta. 

“Say ‘Ahhh.’” 

“Ahhh.” 

He opened his mouth, suspecting a trap, but she actually fed it to him. 

“Good?” 

“Yes.” 

Mai smiled happily, scooped another bite, and tried to feed him again. 

“You don’t want any yourself?” 

“I just ate dinner, so I’m pretty full.” 

“I see.” 

“What? If you don’t like it, you’ll have to eat it on your own.” 

Apparently, she was determined to make him finish that entire cup of soft serve either way. Letting her feed it to him definitely seemed like the better option. 

He silently opened his mouth, and Mai shoved the rest of the soft serve in, one bite at a time. 

He quickly got a brain freeze. When she realized this, Mai shook her head and went back to the drink counter to make an espresso. 

“Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

He gulped it down. 

When he was done, they threw away the soft-serve cup and put the coffee cup on the rack for dirty dishes. Then he finally punched Rio’s number into Mai’s phone. 

She picked up halfway through the second ring. 

“Hello?” 

She sounded guarded. It was a call from an unknown number, after all. 

“It’s me.” 

“Why are you calling from a cell phone number?” 

“Borrowing it from Mai.” 

“Save the details of your romance for someone who cares.” 

She sighed. That was exactly how he’d expected Rio to respond. It was so normal he couldn’t believe she was right here with them. 

“So what is it? More trouble?” 

“I just equal trouble to you now?” 

“Yes. It’s your middle name.” 

“Hey…” 

He was about to argue the point when a cubicle door behind them opened. 

“…Sakuta, look,” Mai said, tapping him on the shoulder. 

He turned around. A girl was coming out of a cubicle, and her eyes met his. He immediately knew something was very wrong. 

It was Rio. Sakuta was talking to her on the phone right now, trying to locate her. 

But the Rio in front of him was empty-handed. She wasn’t talking on the phone. And she obviously didn’t have a headset on, either. 

He heard an alarming sound in his ears. 

“Is something up, Azusagawa?” It was Rio’s voice, coming from the receiver at his ear. 

But the Rio in front of him looked surprised to see him. Her lips didn’t move. 

“Uh, sorry, Futaba. Looks like the battery’s about to die. We’ll talk tomorrow.” 

“Got it. If you’re not in a rush, I certainly don’t mind.” 

“Bye.” 

He took the phone away from his ear and ended the call. When he looked up, his eyes met Rio’s again. 

And she immediately turned to go back into the cubicle. 

“Ah! Wait!” he said, but the door slammed shut. 

He moved over to the door and knocked lightly. 

“Futaba?” 

“……” 

No answer. 

“You aren’t going to pretend you’re not actually there, right?” 

There was a click as she undid the lock, and the door swung open. 

That was definitely Rio. In the flesh. The Rio Futaba he knew. Cargo shorts with big side pockets. Baggy T-shirt. A striped tank top under that. 

“That was me on the phone?” she asked. 

A strange question in any other situation, but if there was a time for it, that time was now. That was exactly what Sakuta wanted to figure out as well. 

“Yeah.” 

“Then I can’t hide it, huh?” 

She made a face but then resigned herself to her fate. 

“Let’s talk outside,” Rio said, so Sakuta turned in his and Mai’s vouchers at the counter, and they left the Internet café. 

They took the elevator down, and Rio headed for the passage connecting the JR and Enoden platforms of Fujisawa Station. 

“There are two of me,” she said flatly. 

Like it wasn’t an outrageous statement. 

Rio put her hands on the railing of the passageway, staring at the people walking past on the other side. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means what I said. For the past three days, there have been two Rio Futabas.” 

“……” 

He knew she was saying something really nuts. He got that much, but Sakuta’s brain just refused to process it. There was no doubt he’d been talking to Rio on the phone a moment ago. That had definitely been the Rio Futaba he knew. 

And at the same time, Rio was right here in front of him. This was Rio Futaba, too. 

“Adolescence Syndrome?” Mai asked. 

“……” Rio stared at her feet. “I hate to admit it, but…,” she said. 

“You have a hunch why?” 

“If I did, I’d have handled it.” 

“I guess you would, yeah.” 

There was something else he wasn’t clear on. Her hair was down. She had her glasses on. When he’d met her that afternoon, she’d looked different. 

“When I met you earlier today…that was the other Rio?” 

“I don’t remember seeing you, so probably.” 

“Okay…” 

“That fake’s a real pain. She’s taken over my home, so I can’t go back there. I really don’t want my parents knowing about this.” 

“Right.” 

Who could handle having their daughter doubled? 

“The fake is also really into club activities. She’s going to classes and everything.” 

“She was in uniform this afternoon. Said she was on her way to the Science Club.” 

“Being outside sounds riskier by the minute. If anyone I know sees me, there’ll be no end to it. I’m gonna have to hide.” 

“Hence the Internet café? Isn’t there any place better?” 

“I don’t have the money to stay at a hotel.” 

Especially if there was no telling how long this would go on. 

“You’re a dumbass,” he said. 

“That really hurts coming from you.” 

“Why didn’t you just call me?” 

“……” 

When Rio realized Sakuta was genuinely mad at her, her wry smile faded. 

“Think about it,” he said. “You’re a high school girl. Staying in an Internet café? That’s insane.” 

The cubicle doors might have locks, but that was no guarantee of safety. A guy might be able to get away with it, but a girl could well find herself in real trouble. 

There were people out there who targeted runaway girls. Whatever her reasons for it, Rio was being seriously reckless. 

And the staff would have noticed how young she was before too long. It would’ve been impossible to go on like this. The moment someone talked to the police and got in touch with her parents, she’d be doomed. 

“……” 

Rio just hung her head, saying nothing. 

“Look, Futaba… Ow!” 

Before Sakuta could say anything else, Mai jabbed him in the ribs. 

“Mai, I’m sorry if you’re bored because I’m not paying attention to you, but this is important… Ow, ow, ow!” 

Now she was yanking on his ear. 

“She can’t just call you, can she?” Her eyes said he was being totally clueless. “You’re being totally clueless.” She said it out loud, too. 

“Er, why not?” 

“Imagine Futaba contacted you and explained the situation. What then?” 

“I’d have her stay with me.” 

“You’re a guy, though.” 

“Well, yeah, but…” 

“Futaba knows you pretty well, but you want her to call up a boy knowing he’ll try to get her to stay over?” 

“I really don’t see why not,” he said, being completely honest. 

Mai let out a long sigh. “Men,” she said. 

“Sorry.” 

“Sakuta,” she said in the same disgusted tone. 

“But, I mean, Futaba’s my friend? I’m not trying to put a move on her.” 

“Ohhh, so if a high school girl was in your apartment right after taking a bath, you wouldn’t be even slightly turned on?” 

“No, I definitely would be.” 

“That you get right away.” She flicked his forehead. 

“I mean, you put the image of a girl wrapped in a bath towel in my head. Don’t blame me.” 

“I didn’t tell you to imagine anything!” 

There was a smile on Mai’s lips, but not in her eyes. 

“……” 

Rio was also glaring at him. 

“Obviously, I was imagining Mai in that bath towel,” he insisted. 

“Then okay.” 

“That makes it okay?” 

Mai ignored his last quip and turned toward Rio. 

“But now that it’s all out there, maybe it’s time to accept his help?” she suggested. There was no strong-arming nor gush of sympathy. Mai simply approached the situation like an adult. She was only a year older than Rio, but at times like this, Mai always seemed much older. 

“If you stick to your guns here, Sakuta will just think you’re being childish.” 

Rio sighed. Maybe that struck a nerve. 

She turned toward Sakuta. “Azusagawa,” she said. 

“Okay.” 

“I haven’t said anything yet.” She smiled, as if the tension had already drained away. 

“So, Mai,” he said. 

“What?” 

“Futaba’s gonna be staying at my place. That okay with you?” 

He was just making sure. 

But Mai said, “Of course not.” 

“Huh?” 

He was totally lost now. Mai had just talked Rio into asking to stay with him, so why did it sound like she was trying to stop that from happening now? 

“Did that come as a surprise?” 

“Why would it not be?” 

He really didn’t get it. 

“Are you really that clueless?” 

She looked at him like he was a total idiot. He probably was being an idiot. 

“Think about it this way. If I had a guy friend staying over at my place, would you be okay with it?” 

“I don’t even want to imagine it.” 

“See?” 

“Yeah, okay, point taken.” 

But then what should they do with Rio? He folded his arms, thinking. 

With a teasing smile, Mai said, “So I’ll just have to stay over, too.” 

“Huh?” 

“Come on, let’s get Futaba’s things.” 

Without waiting for a response, Mai turned back toward the Internet café. Sakuta and Rio glanced at each other once, then followed her. 

“You two seem to be doing well,” Rio said, as if this was unexpected. 

“Your eyes say you think I’m totally whipped.” 

“Well done, Azusagawa, you got it in one.” 

“Being a little whipped is the secret to a successful relationship.” 

“Now you’re just making excuses. Once a rascal, always a rascal.” 

“I’d let Mai whip me anytime.” 

“……” 

Sakuta followed after Mai, ignoring Rio’s look of infinite scorn. 

4 

Back at home, Kaede came out to greet him, looking sleepy. Sakuta quickly explained the situation. He avoided mentioning Adolescence Syndrome but had to convince her to let Mai and Rio stay over. 

“You brought yet another new girl over…” 

“Phrasing, please.” 

“B-but I’m your sister, so I accept that about you!” 

Kaede was definitely nervous at first, but she stopped being afraid of Rio pretty quickly. Rio’s low-key calm may have helped. And Mai had come over often enough that Kaede was used to her, which probably played a big part as well. 

With Kaede on board, they just had to decide the order for baths. Kaede had already taken hers, so they had to figure it out for the remaining three. 

“I’ll go last,” he said, purely out of the kindness of his heart. 

Mai and Rio both looked disgusted. 

“I might get pregnant.” 

“How would that work, Mai?” 

“I’m going to take my luggage home and take a bath there. I’ll pick up a change of clothes while I’m at it.” 

And with that, Mai left. 

“So go on ahead, Azusagawa.” 

“Ah, I get it. You think I’m a pervert who gets off on used schoolgirl bathwater.” 

He decided this wasn’t a fight worth having and took his bath first. 

When he emerged ten minutes later, he found Rio sitting quietly in the living room like a borrowed cat. She took her turn with the bath. 

A few minutes later, he realized he’d forgotten to fetch an extra towel for her. He grabbed a clean one from the laundry and took it to the changing room. 

“Futaba,” he called. There was a splash. 

“Wh-what?” 

She sounded unusually flustered. Her voice cracked. Like she’d jumped into the water to hide. Did she think he’d actually open the door? No trust. 

“I brought you a towel.” 

“Okay.” 

“You have a change of clothes?” 

There had been a large tote bag among her belongings they’d collected from the Internet café. 

“Yes.” 

“Well, if you don’t, I could loan you a bunny-girl outfit or some panda pajamas.” 

“I just said I do.” 

He’d figured the bunny-girl outfit wasn’t in the cards, but Kaede had several extra panda pajamas, and he definitely wanted to see her in one if he could manage. 

“Should I wash the clothes you had on?” 

Sakuta and Kaede’s laundry was already in the washing machine. He threw Rio’s T-shirt in with them and hit the switch. 

Water rushed in, and the washing machine began feverishly doing its job. 

“I can do my own— Wwt?” 

“It’s filling up.” 

“E-even my underwear?” 

“Mm? Are you one of those girls who don’t want their laundry in the same load as Daddy’s underwear?” 

Unfortunately, Sakuta’s underwear was in that load, too. 

“I’m asking about my underwear!” 

“You want me to wash them by hand, right? Got it.” 

The bra and panties she’d been wearing a few minutes before were in the laundry basket. Thin, soft-looking, light-yellow cloth. He reached for them. 

“You don’t got it! Don’t look! Don’t touch! Just get out!” 

“This is my house.” 

“Get out of the changing room!” 

“You sure you’re okay?” 

“I will be once you’re gone!” 

“Down we go.” 

He abandoned the idea of grabbing her underwear and settled on the ground, leaning his back against the washing machine. 

“Why are you sitting down out there?” 

“By okay, I meant the Adolescence Syndrome.” 

He was pretty sure she’d gotten that. 

“……” Her silence was a sign he was right. “…I dunno,” she said after a while. 

She sounded insecure. Reluctant to talk. 

“That it?” 

“What do you want me to say?” 

“Just whatever’s on your mind.” 

It wasn’t happening to him, and even he was upset by it. There had to be something on her mind. 

“…I’m a little scared,” she said. He could hear her shifting in the water. 

“Just a little?” 

“When I was alone at the Internet café, I was really scared.” 

There was a quiver in her voice as she remembered it. 

There were two of her. 

That was a kind of fear nobody else had ever experienced. How could she not be terrified? 

“But is this even possible?” he asked. “How can there be two of the same person?” 

Sakuta remembered there being a popular urban legend along those lines when he was a kid. Stories about doppelgängers who looked just like you. If you ever met them, you’d die—pretty much your archetypal urban legend. 

But the current situation made that seem a lot less funny. 

“If quantum teleportation is feasible on a macro level, it might be possible.” 

“Every time you say the word quantum, my face goes numb.” 

“What about teleportation?” 

“That belongs in sci-fi movies.” 

“I’m talking about the real world.” 

“Seriously?” 

In his mind, teleportation was 100 percent in the realm of fiction. 

“We’ve talked about quantum entanglement before, right?” 

“Uh, something about how particles in separate places sync up?” 

He vaguely remembered that two particles in that state were able to share information instantaneously. 

“Yes. If we interpret my current situation on the same basis as simply as possible… For example, we can assume there is a blueprint detailing my composition and construction.” 

“That’s supposed to be simple?” 

They’d only just reached the starting line, and already Sakuta was getting lost. 

“The information in that blueprint is instantly moving to a different location under the principle of quantum entanglement.” 

“So even though you’re in my bath right now, that information is being sent to the school?” 

“Basically. Through the act of observation, the information composing the version of me at school is converted from a probabilistic existence into a Rio Futaba you’re able to perceive.” 

“The Theory of Observation again.” 

“You remembered that? Impressive.” 

“We’ve been over it enough times.” 

In quantum terms, it was the act of observation that determined the locations of matter. Before observation, they only existed in terms of probability…if he remembered right. 

But his understanding of it was all surface level. He had no illusions that he truly knew what that all meant. And now that concept involved teleportation, somehow. As far as he was concerned, this was like being told magic is real. 

“But the way you describe it, isn’t it impossible for you both to exist simultaneously?” 

It was called quantum teleportation, not duplication, after all. 

“Right, but…I didn’t explain that yet, so I’m shocked you got it.” 

“Once observed, it isn’t probabilistic, but that doesn’t mean you both exist. While you’re in our bath, you aren’t at the school. That’s how it works, right?” 

“Astonishing. You really do get it.” 

“I have a good teacher.” 

“Well, you’re right. Moreover, I haven’t personally seen the other me, either.” 

“Huh?” 

“So if you ask me if we exist simultaneously, I can’t say we do or don’t with any certainty. But I am sure there’s some version of me that exists somewhere else and is doing different things. From the state of my room and my phone usage history, there was evidence of all sorts of changes and actions I haven’t experienced.” 

“So as long as I’m observing you, the other Rio can’t exist?” 

“If the observer who gives me form is you, Azusagawa, then that is correct. Maybe the best way to describe it is…as long as one is being observed, that observer can’t observe the other one.” 

“Uh…you lost me.” 

“I’m assuming there are multiple perspectives involved. Right now, for instance… Sakurajima went home, but what if she ran into the fake me outside?” 

“Okay.” 

“If Sakurajima brought the fake back here, it’s possible the fake she brought back would not exist in the world that you and I perceive. Meanwhile, in the world Sakurajima sees, I might not exist.” 

“…That’s pretty nuts.” 

That was an understatement. 

“Yes. And that would generate a paradox, since the worlds you and Sakurajima perceive would not match up.” 

“But when we met you at the Internet café, I was on the phone with the other you, even as you were standing right in front of me.” 

“Was it really me on the phone?” 

That sounded significant. 

“It was you.” 

“You’re sure?” 

“Well…it’s not like I actually saw you.” 

“Which means we could say, ‘It was someone extremely like me, but we can’t be sure it was.’ There are elements of uncertainty where the ‘me’ on the phone is concerned.” 

“Is that how you could exist at the same time?” 

“This is pure conjecture, and merely one possibility. The fact that I haven’t encountered the fake might just be a coincidence. There is still the distinct possibility that other people could observe us both simultaneously.” 

“But ultimately, that means you can’t just walk around, huh?” 

It would be bad if anyone from Minegahara saw two Rios. That would be a lot to explain, and pretending they were twins might not cut it. 

“Uh, but wait, if this is quantum teleportation and the information you’re made from is the same, then no matter which one of you assumes a physical state due to observation, wouldn’t your consciousness and memories be identical?” 

Only position was determined by observation. That shouldn’t cause any change in the information that made up Rio Futaba. If they were operating with different minds and memories, didn’t that imply there were two distinct beings, each calling themselves Rio Futaba? 

“This is just a hypothesis…,” Rio said and then broke off. 

In the silence that followed, the washing machine sounded very loud. 

“Futaba?” he asked. 

“If I… If the one observing ‘Rio Futaba’ was myself… If it was my consciousness observing me and there was some reason why there were two of us, then that might explain the current situation.” 

“Like…two personalities?” 

“I don’t think it’s that clearly differentiated.” 

“Well, assuming you’re right…why would that happen?” 

“I said I don’t have any idea.” 

“Like…some sort of a shock, or a major source of stress?” 

“You sure seem to have something in mind. To be fair, I’ve also heard things like that can interfere with your mind and memories.” 

Sakuta had witnessed something similar two years ago. The enormous stress that resulted from Kaede’s bullying had taken its toll on someone close to him. 

“Yeah, bit of history there…” 

“…Your mother?” 

Rio clearly hesitated before asking. He’d told her his mother hadn’t taken the incident well and had been in the hospital ever since. 

“Basically.” 

“Sorry.” 

“It’s fine. I brought it up.” 

“Mm… So, Azusagawa…” 

“Mm?” 

“I’d like to get out now. I’m feeling light-headed.” 

“Okay,” Sakuta said, except he didn’t move. 

“I’m telling you to get out,” she growled. 

Her voice echoed through the bathroom, doubling the grump. 

Sakuta stood up. “I’ll leave, but you can stay here as long as you need to.” 

“…Sorry.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

That fact that she didn’t just say “Thanks” was very Rio, he thought. He left the changing room and closed the door behind him. 

As he did, the intercom buzzed. Mai was back. 

“Coming!” 

Once Rio was out of the bath, it was time to discuss who was sleeping where. 

Sakuta and Kaede lived in a two-bedroom apartment. There were only the two beds—one in Sakuta’s room, and one in Kaede’s. They had a set of extra bedding in case of company, so there was enough for three people. 

“Then I think Mai and Futaba should use your room, and you should sleep with me.” 

“Never.” 

He rejected Kaede’s proposal out of hand. In the end, Kaede slept in her own room, Mai and Rio took over Sakuta’s room with the extra futon, and Sakuta was left sprawled out in the living room. This was the logical conclusion—and pretty much the only practical choice they had. 

“Good night.” 

The doors to both rooms closed; Sakuta turned off the living room lights and hunkered down in the space in front of the TV. 

The LED lights on the ceiling were still glowing faintly. He could hear the hum of the refrigerator in the silence. 

He closed his eyes but didn’t fall asleep. 

After a while, he heard a door open. Based on where the sound came from, it was likely the one that led to his room. 

He assumed the footsteps were headed for the toilet, but they came toward the living room and stopped next to him. 

Then he heard someone lie down. 

Rio would definitely never do this. So he assumed it must be Mai, and he opened his eyes. 

Lying on her side right in front of him was, indeed, Mai with her lovely face. Even in the dim light, he could clearly make out the shape of it, and she seemed like she was enjoying herself. 

“Mai.” 

“Mm?” She even sounded like she was having fun. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Looking at your face.” 

“I know that, but…” 

“Looking at my boyfriend’s face, then.” 

“……” 

That was hardly fair. His heart was racing now. How would he ever sleep? 

“Heart skip a beat?” she asked, teasing him. 

“You’re having fun?” 

“Of course I am. Not only do I get to spend time with you again, I’m staying over.” 

That was definitely an act. She was clearly messing with him. Then she looked displeased, and before he knew it, she’d reached out and pinched his nose. 

“And Futaba?” he asked, his voice muffled. 

“Sound asleep. It’s probably been a few days since she could sleep in peace, I imagine.” 

“Right.” 

Sleeping in an Internet café would fry any girl’s nerves. And Rio tended to stress that stuff more than most. 

“I’m right in front of you, but you’re thinking about Futaba.” 

“You seemed like you were mad, so I thought it would be safer to talk about something serious.” 

In the process, he ended up stepping on another land mine, though. 

“And to think I took the whole day off tomorrow,” she said, turning away from him. She let go of his nose. “All so we could actually have a date.” 

“Is that why you came back early?” 

“……” 

Mai neither confirmed nor denied this. She just shot him a disgruntled look. That convinced Sakuta that he was right. 

“Wait, why are you wording it like we can’t anymore?” 

“Because you’ll be looking into the thing with Futaba.” Mai had a point. 

“I mean, the ‘fake’ will probably be at the Science Club tomorrow, so yeah, I was gonna drop in on her.” 

There was no point trying to hide it. Nothing could start without verifying if there were two Rio Futabas or not. 

“See? I knew it.” 

“Actually, about that. I have a favor to ask you.” 

“No,” she said, before he could even finish asking. “You just want me to watch the ‘real’ Futaba while you’re visiting the ‘fake’ one, right?” 

“You know me well.” 

The quickest way to check would be to have the real Rio come to school and stand next to the fake one, but that was risky. If someone else spotted them together, it could turn out badly. Cause a panic. 

Rio’s hypothesis also suggested it was impossible to see them both at once. 

Plus, he was a little worried about the doppelgänger legend. All in all, it was probably best to keep the two Rios separate until they knew more. 

“Don’t sound so pleased,” Mai said, twisting his cheek. 

“Ow, ow.” 

“Don’t sound so pleased,” she said. 

“But can you help?” 

“……” Mai wordlessly let go of his cheek, glaring. “Then my debt to you is canceled.” 

“You mean…the one for ignoring me for weeks?” 

“Right.” 

“Aw.” 

“This fulfills that obligation.” 

“If you help me here, I’ll do anything you like. So I’d prefer you pay me back as promised.” 

“I’m already lying on the floor with you.” 

“I was hoping it would be something more French.” 

“……” Mai looked exasperated. 

“Was that too roundabout?” 

Of course not. Mai was acting that way precisely because she knew exactly what he meant. Lying this close to each other, French could only mean French kissing. 

“You don’t need to leverage a debt for that. Choose the right time, place, and mood, and I might just let you.” 

There was an impish look in her eye for most of this, but toward the end, she got embarrassed and looked away. 

“Mai?” 

“Wh-what?” 

She steeled herself and met his eye again. 

Was that a signal to go ahead? He thought it was. Even if it wasn’t, she’d only yell at him for it. And by this point, he considered that its own reward, so why hesitate? 

“……” 

“……” 

Their eyes locked together. 

One second. Two. Three seconds passed, and Mai’s eyelashes fluttered, her eyes closing. 

Sakuta leaned in to kiss her. Just as he did, Mai tilted her head downward, looking flustered. This meant their foreheads bumped before their lips could touch. There was a dull thunk. 

“That hurt,” she said, glaring at him. 

“Because you got all embarrassed and looked down.” 

“B-because you came on too strong!” 

She sat up. 

“Mai? 

“That’s enough for today.” 

He couldn’t make out her expression well in the dark, but he was pretty sure she was blushing. 

“Aww.” 

Putting things on hold when they’d come this far? Downright painful. 

“Because you’re terrible at this.” 

“Ugh, that hurts! I’ve lost all confidence! I’m scared of women now!” 

“That’ll never happen.” 

She seemed awfully certain. 

“How can you be so sure?” 

“Because I’ll let you practice as much as you need until you can do it properly.” 

“…Mai.” 

“What? You don’t want to?” 

“I love you so much.” 

“I know.” 

She sounded annoyed, but before she turned away, he caught a smile on her lips. 

“Night,” she said and stood up. 

“Good night.” 

Mai waved to him as she went back to his room. When he heard the door close, Sakuta shut his eyes. 

He still couldn’t sleep. Everything Mai had said and done had left him far too worked up. 

But that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. 

He kept thinking about Rio. The Rio who’d given him advice that afternoon. The Rio asleep in his bedroom. The two Rios. 

The Rio sleeping in his bedroom had called the other one a “fake.” If he’d been able to accept that, maybe this wouldn’t be so upsetting. 

But Sakuta had his own take on the matter. 

They’re both Rio Futaba. 

If only one was real, they just had to get rid of the fake. But this didn’t feel that simple. And that was keeping him awake. 

Still…even if both of them were real, having two of them was a problem. Her family, their school, and the world they lived in were not prepared to accept two Rio Futabas. That reality was only too palpable. 

So how could he calm down? 

“Argh, dammit! Only cure is to think about Mai’s bunny-girl outfit!”