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Chapter 25: The moment of confession Part 1 Haru’s POV These events are seriously overwhelming my brain. I never expected this day to spiral out of control like this. "Haru, what’s the plan now? If you don’t show up, your secret might really be in danger, you know," Shino teased, her smirk clearly showing she was enjoying this. "No, she won’t do that. Probably. I’ll just ditch her and go home. Easy." Shino sighed, shaking her head. "You’re so dumb sometimes, Haru. If you ditch her now, it’s like you’re outright admitting you’re Harucchi. And here I was, keeping my mouth shut earlier. What a waste of effort." sigh "It’s not like showing up would make a difference! If she insists on seeing my account, I’m doomed either way." "Yeah, but at least you’ll go down with some dignity. Right now, you look like a chicken." I groaned, running my hands through my hair. "Fine, fine. Let’s head back." With that, we left the mall, but honestly, I still wasn’t sure about my decision. I mean, ditching Yuna felt wrong, but walking straight into her trap didn’t seem much better. Yuna’s POV Tsk. It’s already noon, and I still haven’t had lunch. Guess Haruki’s not coming after all, huh? Fine, suit yourself, Haruki. At least now I know the truth—you’re definitely Harucchi. But now what? Do I just ask him outright if Tria is his girlfriend? I quickly pulled out my phone and did some digging. Turns out there’s a whole gossip thread about Harucchi and Tria having some in-game divorce drama. Interesting. If they’re really done, then I still have a chance. Feeling a little more confident, I decided to leave. If Haruki won’t come to me, I’ll deal with him another time. For now, my friends were probably still waiting for me at the ice cream shop. "Sachi-chan!" "Yuna-chan! There you are! Where’d you disappear to?" They’d even ordered an ice cream for me. Nice. At least someone cares. As we ate, I casually brought up what happened earlier. "So, uh, I saw someone I know here at the mall today." "What?! You saw your crush and went after him?!" Sachi-chan said, way too loudly. "Don’t phrase it weird!" I snapped, though she wasn’t technically wrong. "Oh my god, you totally did! What happened? Did you confess?" "Wha—no! It wasn’t like that!" I waved my hands frantically. "I just wanted to ask him something. That’s all." "Sure, sure," she said, smirking. "So what’d he say?" I frowned. "He didn’t show up." Her smirk faded. "Oh. Ouch. That’s rough." "Yeah..." I poked at my ice cream, suddenly not feeling so confident anymore. Haru’s POV The rest of the day passed in a blur. Shino eventually let me off the hook, though not before making me carry her bags all the way to her house. By the time I got home, I was dead tired. But even as I collapsed onto my bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about Yuna. Her words kept replaying in my head: "Mishizaki-san, are you... Harucchi?" How did she figure it out? Was it really that obvious? (A/N: Of course Haruki and Harucchi? At least think an unique IGN will you?) And what’s she planning to do now? I groaned, pulling a pillow over my face. "This is too much for me..." The Next Day – School Dragging myself out of bed was a struggle, but skipping wasn’t an option. Not unless I wanted Shiori-san to show up at my house and drag me there herself. When I finally made it to school, I found Shino waiting by the gates, waving at me like an overexcited puppy. "Oi, Haru! Over here!" "Why are you so cheerful? Didn’t you get enough of torturing me yesterday?" I grumbled. "Haha, don’t be like that. You’re my favorite victim, after all." "Gee, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. As we walked toward our classroom, Shino leaned in closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "By the way, any plans for dodging Yuna-chan today? I bet she’s dying to interrogate you again." "I don’t know," I muttered, my stomach twisting at the thought. "Maybe I’ll just hide in the library during lunch." Shino snorted. "Good luck with that. She’s way too determined to let you off the hook." Yuna’s POV The moment I stepped into the school, my eyes immediately searched for Haruki. And there he was, chatting with Shino like nothing had happened. I narrowed my eyes. Fine. If he won’t come to me, I’ll go to him. As soon as the bell rang for lunch, I made my move. Haru’s POV Just as I was about to sneak out of the classroom, a shadow loomed over my desk. "Mishizaki-san." I froze. Slowly, I looked up to see Yuna standing there, her expression unreadable. "We need to talk," she said firmly. Shino, who’d been sitting nearby, looked like she was about to burst out laughing. "Welp, good luck, Haru~!" she chirped before skipping off, leaving me to face Yuna alone. "Fine. Let’s talk." She led me to an empty corner of the school courtyard, far away from prying eyes. Yuna’s POV Standing there with Haruki, I felt my nerves start to kick in. But I couldn’t back down now. "Haruki... just be honest with me. Are you Harucchi?" He hesitated, his eyes darting away. That was all the confirmation I needed. "I knew it," I said, crossing my arms. "You’ve been lying to me this whole time!" "Wait, it’s not like that!" he said quickly. "I wasn’t trying to hide it from you on purpose! It just... never came up!" Haru’s POV This is bad. Should I just negotiate with Yuna to keep my secret? Not only mine, but Shiori-san might be exposed. And our secret might be known in public. "sigh... Yuna, please keep this thing a secret okay? I don’t want any necessary fame, that’s why I also kept my identity as Harucchi a secret." "Okay fine. But.... I have a condition." " Say it." "Meet me at the rooftop later after school."