Chapter 364: Kouhei and Hiyori

The school day had finally come to an end, and the atmosphere felt heavier than usual. For Kouhei, it had been a weird, exhausting day that seemed to drag on endlessly. Trouble followed him like a shadow. The sharp glares from the boys felt like needles piercing into his back every time he walked past, while the lingering stares and sudden approaches from the girls made it impossible for him to relax.

He honestly had no clue how he’d managed to survive until dismissal. Somehow, he’d gotten through with only a few real problems, but that didn’t make it any easier. Being constantly surrounded, hemmed in by girls from every direction so much that he couldn’t even move forward, was one thing—but the situation with Tsuchiya Shion earlier only made it worse. If he forced himself to see all of this as something “normal,” then maybe he could fool himself into thinking it had been just another school day.

But he couldn’t lie to himself—it was tiring. His body felt heavy, and his mind was drained.

And right in the middle of all that noise and chaos, Hiyori approached him. Her expression carried a soft weight of worry, her eyes fixed on him as if she was afraid he might vanish the moment she blinked.

For Kouhei, facing her wasn’t easy. There was still that lingering awkwardness because of that incident before his death—the time he had sex with Hina right in front of her. It hadn’t been out of desire, but necessity. Without that act, they never would have been able to create the Love Link and fight against Masayoshi.

Of course, Hiyori’s memories of that had been erased completely, and pieces of her past had been altered, carefully fabricated to make sure she never noticed any inconsistencies. But Kouhei’s memories were untouched. He remembered every second of it—clear, vivid, and heavy.

Even so, it wasn’t right for him to keep dodging her. Avoiding her forever wasn’t possible, and deep down, he knew he had to stop running. With a resigned breath, he decided to face her properly.

“Okumura-kun,” Hiyori said, her voice soft but firm as she caught him in the hallway leading out of the school building. The light from the windows behind her cast a faint glow over her figure. “I’ve been trying to reach out to you for a while, but… I thought it was better to wait until things calmed down. You’ve gotten… um, a bit too famous for me to approach directly.”

It was true—she hadn’t been able to go near him earlier. Too many girls always surrounded him, closing in from every side like a crowd that wouldn’t let her through. That was why she’d chosen to message him instead and meet him here, away from all that suffocating attention.

“Ah… well, I’m sorry about that,” Kouhei said, his hand rising awkwardly to rub the back of his neck.

“N-No, you don’t need to apologize.” Hiyori shook her head quickly, her cheeks coloring slightly. “It’s not like being popular is a bad thing. I-I just hope it doesn’t change you or anything…” Her voice faltered, growing softer with each word. “I-I don’t mean that I think you’d get arrogant or let it get to your head. It’s just… I don’t want you to end up taking a path you’d regret. I mean, you’ve never really liked being in the spotlight, right?”

She said it so gently, but every word carried weight. Hiyori had been his classmate since their very first year, and though Kouhei hadn’t noticed, she had been watching him all along. She knew his quirks, his little habits, even his secret interests. Once, she had even trailed after him to a manga café and discovered that he preferred romance manga over shounen. That small detail told her everything—Kouhei wasn’t the type to seek attention. He was the kind of person who wanted to melt into the background, someone who preferred silence and obscurity over flashing lights and stares.

“Well, you’re right,” Kouhei said with a small smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t like being in the spotlight. I’m not planning to turn into someone I don’t want to be.”

“I see…” Hiyori’s lips curved into a smile, one so light and relieved it almost looked fragile. “Thank goodness…”

That smile… something about it unsettled him. It tugged at something inside, something he couldn’t name. Kouhei realized, in that moment, that he didn’t actually know much about Hiyori. A part of him wanted to. A part of him wanted to reach out and understand her. Maybe, just maybe, there was a faint spark of desire there—but it wasn’t the same as what he felt toward Hina and the others. It was… different.

“Hey, Okumura-kun?” Hiyori asked, tilting her head slightly as if testing the waters. “From now on… can I call you Kouhei-kun?”

His eyes widened instantly. His brain went blank, his mouth dry. He didn’t know what to say, his tongue suddenly heavy in his mouth. And yet, somewhere deep inside, he wanted her to call him that.

“Ah! And you can call me by my name too, of course,” she added quickly, looking down for a second before lifting her gaze again. Her eyes were soft, almost like a pleading puppy’s. “I-Is that… okay with you?”

“W-Well… calling you by your name still feels kind of embarrassing,” Kouhei admitted with a flustered chuckle. “But if you’re insisting… then yeah, you can call me Kouhei-kun.”

“Fufufu. Thank you,” Hiyori said, her laughter light and sweet. “Ah… I’m really glad you’re back…”

“Huh?” Kouhei blinked.

“Ah! I-I mean…” she stammered, her face reddening slightly. “I was really worried about you, you know? When you suddenly stopped coming to school before winter vacation, I was scared. Amemiya-sensei said you were hospitalized, but when I asked her which hospital so I could visit, she just avoided the question and wouldn’t tell me.”

She wanted to visit him? The thought tugged at his chest. That was… touching. But the truth was that back then, Kouhei had been dead. He hadn’t known what was happening on this side. And because Misuzu had altered Hiyori’s memories, carefully erasing and rewriting them to cover the truth, she couldn’t remember any of it either.

“Even before that, I was worried,” Hiyori continued softly. “I had this feeling that something awful had happened to you. And then when Saionji-san also stopped attending class, my anxiety just got worse. I wanted to know what was happening, but Amemiya-sensei kept brushing me off, saying it was fine… but she never gave me a single clue about where you were.”

It was honestly shocking that she felt that way. Normally, something like that shouldn’t even be possible. Hiyori’s memories had already been altered, twisted and erased—so by all logic, there was no way she could be worried about Kouhei. But perhaps that was the very flaw in it. Memories might be erased, but emotions weren’t so simple. Feelings were stubborn, rooted deeper than recollections, and they couldn’t just be wiped away completely. That must have been why, even though her memories of Kouhei were gone, the emotions that once tied to those memories still lingered. And so, without understanding why, Hiyori still felt something was wrong… still felt that pull of unease inside her chest, a nagging worry about Kouhei’s safety that she couldn’t explain.

“Thank you for thinking that about me, Ichinose-san,” Kouhei said softly, his expression calm but carrying a weight behind it. “But as you can see, I’m fine now. I really wish I could have told you what was going on, but because of circumstances, I just couldn’t. I’m sorry for that.”

Hiyori’s lips trembled slightly before she hurriedly shook her head. “N-No, it’s fine. Really. I’m just glad… I’m just glad you’re okay, and that nothing bad happened to you.” Her voice wavered, but there was relief in it, clear as day.

Just as their words settled in the air, a car rolled up in front of the school gates. The sound of its engine hummed low, breaking the moment.

“Ah, that’s my ride.” Hiyori smiled, turning back to him. “Well then, thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Kouhei-kun. I hope… I hope I’ll see you doing well tomorrow too!” she said, her voice carrying a gentle warmth as she began to walk toward the car.

“Yes, see ya.” Kouhei lifted his hand, giving her a small, casual wave, though his gaze lingered on her a moment longer.

Her smile deepened before she turned away, and it stayed on her face the entire way to the car. Her steps were light, almost floating with that quiet happiness, until she finally reached the door and opened it—only to find someone already waiting inside.

“Nee-chan! You’re here!” Hiyori’s voice brightened with surprise and joy.

“Yup,” her sister replied smoothly, her tone casual. “I didn’t have work today, so I thought I’d come see what you were up to in school. Tell me, is that boy your boyfriend, by any chance?” Her words carried a playful tease, but her sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing.

“Ah, no, he’s not!” Hiyori quickly denied, her voice rising in flustered panic. But her cheeks betrayed her, heating up in a soft blush that spread across her face. No matter what she said, it was obvious she liked him.

Her sister leaned back in the seat, lips curving into a slow, knowing smile. She recognized that boy.

Because she had just seen him not long ago.

“I see… that’s interesting then,” she murmured