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Chapter 24: I’m not Harucchi! Haru’s POV Oh man, I overslept again. The clock on my phone read 9 a.m., and Shiori-san wasn’t sleeping beside me anymore. Did she already head downstairs? I glanced around the living room, hoping to spot her, but nope. No Shiori. "Good morning, Haru! Finally awake, huh?" "Marika nee-san?" I muttered, blinking at her as she stepped out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel. (A/N: Guys, please don’t think weird stuff. I’m begging you.) "If you’re looking for Shiori, she already left. She said she had some paperwork to handle at her apartment." Oh, come on. I wanted to talk to her today. "Oi, brat, don’t look so disappointed. If you two have issues, just fix them already," Marika teased, smirking like she knew everything. Shino’s POV Ugh. My SFO ranking dropped. AGAIN. And it’s all because my mom is obsessed with making me study. I mean, sure, exams are important or whatever, but my ranking in Stellaris Fantasia Online is my real pride and joy! For now, I needed to blow off some steam. Shopping seemed like a good distraction. "Mom, I’m heading out for a bit!" "Did you finish your assignments? Or are you skipping them again?" "I finished them already!" Seriously, moms are the real final bosses. At the mall, I wandered through clothing stores, but doing this alone felt boring. Then it hit me: I should drag Haru along and mess with him. That guy hasn’t hung out with me lately. Ever since he got himself a girlfriend, he’s been slacking off on his duties as my personal entertainment. Hmm, maybe I’ll even take him to a lingerie shop just to see him panic. I whipped out my phone and sent him a LINE message. Me: "Haru? You busy? Come with me for a bit." Haru’s POV I was halfway through breakfast when my phone buzzed. Shino: "Haru? You busy? Come with me for a bit." "What do you want?" I replied, already suspicious. Shino: "Come shopping with me! I’m at the mall." I sighed, staring at my half-empty bowl of cereal. Did I really want to deal with her antics today? "I don’t feel like going out. Ask someone else," I typed back. Her response came instantly: Shino: "That won’t do, Haru. If you don’t show up in an hour, I’m sending this picture to Shiori-sensei~." Attached was the picture. You know, the one of me grinning like an idiot while reading a romance manga. What the heck? How did she even get that?! "Fine. I’m coming." Shino: "Good. I’ll be waiting by the fountain at the mall. Don’t be late!" Great. I swallowed down my breakfast and jumped into the shower, my mind haunted by all the ways Shino could ruin my life if I didn’t show up on time. By the time I reached the mall, I was already five minutes late. "Shino-sama, please forgive me! Just delete those pictures!" I begged as soon as I spotted her. "You idiot! You didn’t even compliment my dress! We’re on a date, you know," she said, puffing her cheeks in mock annoyance. "What?! You dragged me here!" "Hahaha! You should see your face, Haru. Priceless!" There was no winning with her. "Let’s go, Haru. You’re my pack mule today," she said, tossing her shopping bags at me. And so began the longest day of my life. We wandered from one store to another, Shino happily picking out clothes while I lugged her growing pile of bags. People were definitely staring. They probably thought we were a couple or something. By the time we were done, I felt like my arms were about to fall off. "Where to next?" I asked, already dreading her answer. "To a lingerie shop!" "Nope. I’m done. Send that picture to Shiori-san if you want; I don’t care anymore!" "Hahahaha! Fine, fine. You’re no fun, Haru." She finally decided to reward me with snacks at the food court. "Shino, if you plan something stupid again, I’m dumping your bags," I muttered as we sat down with our drinks. Yuna’s POV After gaming non-stop in SFO, I figured I needed a break. Some fresh air and shopping with friends sounded like a good change of pace. We were at the mall, browsing cosmetics, when I heard a familiar name. "Shino, if you plan something stupid again, I’m dumping your bags!" Shino? I turned toward the voice and froze. There she was—Shino Miyabi, the most famous SFO player at our school. And with her was... Haruki Mishizaki? Wait a second. Shino is part of Harucchi’s SFO party, right? And Harucchi... Haruki... No way. Could Haruki really be Harucchi?! "Yuna! Why are you spacing out?" Sachi-chan asked. "I’ll catch up with you guys later. There’s something I need to do," I said, already walking toward them. Haru’s POV "Wait! Mishizaki-san! Miyabi-san!" We turned around to see Yuna Fuukawa running toward us, looking a bit out of breath. "Oh, Haru, you know her?" Shino asked, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. She’s the girl who returned my wallet that one time. Remember?" "Ohhh, right. Nice to meet you, Yuna-chan~!" Shino said with a grin. Yuna didn’t seem to care about introductions. She was staring straight at me. "Mishizaki-san," she said, her voice steady but her eyes sharp, "are you... Harucchi?" Time froze. My brain short-circuited. "What? Harucchi? Who’s that?" I said, laughing nervously. Yuna wasn’t buying it. "Don’t play dumb. Harucchi is part of Shino’s friends in SFO. And your name—Haruki—sounds awfully similar. So tell me, are you Harucchi or not?" Shino’s expression shifted from amused to intrigued. "Wait, Haru, are you actually Harucchi?!" "No! Of course not!" I lied, sweat dripping down my forehead. Yuna crossed her arms. "If you’re not Harucchi, then you won’t mind showing me your game profile later, right?" "Uh fine. Wait for me at the cafe." I was doomed. Yuna’s POV He’s totally Harucchi. The way he panicked, the way Shino looked surprised but not that surprised—it all added up. And if Haru really is Harucchi, then that means... I clenched my fists. Does he already have a girlfriend in the game? Was that why he was hiding this from me? "Fine," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We’ll talk about this later, Haru. But you owe me an explanation." If he didn’t come then, he is really Harucchi. "By the way, if you didn’t show up, I’ll tell everyone at school that you’re Harucchi." "I am Neko-chan. I know you recognize me." Haru’s POV As Yuna walked away, I felt like I’d just barely escaped a boss battle. "Harucchi, huh?" Shino said, smirking. "You’ve got some explaining to do." "I don’t want to talk about it," I muttered. She laughed, patting my shoulder. "Relax, Haru. Your secret’s safe with me. For now." Neko-chan huh.