The next day.
A shopping complex near Sendai Station.
Gojo had taken Fushiguro and Yuji back to Tokyo the previous night to sort out the aftermath of the whole Yuji situation, while Uchiha Ayato had gotten exactly what he came for and showed up at sumimi’s mall event.
Of course, his actual purpose wasn’t to enjoy watching idol girls sing and dance.
It was to gather intel on Misumi Uika through close-range observation and start building a strategy.
That’s right.
Uncle Ayato was a cold, merciless mission-completion machine.
He had no soft feelings whatsoever.
When Uchiha Ayato walked into the venue, the air was already vibrating slightly from the audience’s screaming.
On stage, two girls stood in the light.
Every eye in the room was on them.
Mana spoke first.
Her voice had a strange, penetrating quality — it could push emotion directly into the back of your skull.
Uika stood beside her, fingers moving across the guitar strings — low and bright at the same time, locking perfectly with Mana’s vocal tone like two interlocking gears.
Uchiha Ayato stood in the middle of the crowd and quietly enjoyed the show.
Not bad.
[Rice Ball emoji] That was his entire review.
Coming from him, that was genuinely high praise.
The signing session started half an hour after the performance wrapped.
The line wasn’t long — it was a small mall event — so Ayato had waited about twenty minutes before reaching the table.
Mana spotted him first.
Her eyes lit up.
“Oh!
Uchiha-kun!
You actually came!” “A promise is a promise.
That’s my nindō.” Uchiha Ayato said this with a face of absolute solemnity.
Domo.
Uchiha Ayato desu.
“Pfft—” Mana laughed and took the CD to sign, not missing a beat.
“A nindō, huh.
Sounds very serious~” “You’d probably get along with Wakamiya-senpai from Pastel*Palettes.” “Maybe.” Ayato smiled, then pushed a second CD across the table.
“Could I ask both of you, on this one — along with your signatures — to write ‘May Chihaya Anon always be happy’?” He’d briefly considered asking them to write “Chihaya Anon is a dummy”, but thought better of it.
Mana stopped her pen.
The mischief flickering in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Chihaya Anon…
is she Uchiha-kun’s girlfriend?” “Just a friend.” Ayato answered without hesitation, not a single beat of delay.
“She’s a big sumimi fan too.
I happened to be in the area and remembered, so I figured I’d bring her something back.” “Ohhhh~” Mana drew out the vowel for a long time, then turned to look at Uika.
“Did you hear that, Uika?” Uika had her head down, signing.
At the question, she glanced up at Ayato.
She smiled, then carefully wrote out “May Chihaya Anon always be happy” in unhurried strokes.
When she finished, she pushed the CD back and blinked once.
“Uchiha-kun…” Her voice was quiet, carrying a faint trace of something warm.
“Thinking of someone without meaning to.
Remembering what they like.
Going out of your way for them…” “That’s not really what ‘just a friend’ looks like, is it?” Uchiha Ayato: ?
What does that mean.
I…
I bought two because I promised Little Sister Anon I’d bring back a souvenir.
There’s absolutely nothing else to it.
The audacity, honestly.
A perfectly pure friendship, and these idol girls have to go and twist it into something.
Embarrassing.
“N-no.
There’s nothing like that.” Uchiha Ayato maintained a reasonably dignified expression, but the confidence behind it had evaporated somewhat.
“I really was just picking it up while I was here.” Mana was covering her mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking.
“Sure, sure.
Just picking it up.” “Just happened to buy two identical CDs, just happened to remember she likes us…” Mana nodded, eyes crinkled with delight.
“Just happened to grab two copies, just happened to come all the way from Tokyo to Sendai—” “Alright, alright.” Ayato grabbed his bag and made a clean exit.
“Thank you both, the performance was great.” Oh no, sumimi is evil.
Why do they keep going straight for the cracks?
Especially you, Misumi.
No wonder you’re classified as Uchiha Obito.
Uncle Ayato is done being your fan.
Run.
Mana watched Ayato disappear into the crowd, then leaned sideways to poke Uika’s arm.
“Uika, that was on purpose, wasn’t it?” Uika shook her head.
The curve at the corner of her mouth hadn’t gone anywhere.
“Not at all~ He just looked so lost.
I couldn’t help giving him a little push.” Then Misumi Uika picked up the lottery ticket Uchiha Ayato had left behind on the table in his rush to escape, and showed the bottom of it to Sumita Mana.
Mana leaned in and looked at the spot Uika was pointing to.
There was a small gold number printed there.
“This number…
it’s a complimentary ticket, isn’t it?” Mana sounded uncertain.
“Mm.” Uika nodded.
“Agency complimentary tickets.
They’re usually held by senior management for close contacts.
They don’t get out.” “Uchiha-kun seems like he’s…
not quite ordinary, does he?” On the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, Uchiha Ayato was in the middle of an unprecedented internal battle with himself.
‘Thinking of someone without meaning to.
Remembering what they like.
Going out of your way for them…
that’s not really what just a friend looks like.’ ‘Listen up, Ayarin — if you like me, you can just say so~’ ‘UCHIHA AYATO!
What do you even think I am to you?!’ Uika’s words and scattered moments with Chihaya Anon tumbled over each other in his mind.
Outside the window, beautiful scenery was flying past at speed, but his eyes kept projecting a certain pink-haired face over everything.
Laughing.
Angry.
Sad.
Proud.
Almost against his will, Ayato took out his phone and opened Line.
His conversation with Anon was still sitting where they’d left it yesterday afternoon.
After he’d clarified that he was in Sendai and not sick, she had immediately replied — Oh, so it’s personal business, huh.
Got worried over nothing.
Sendai though?
What are you doing there, Ayarin?
Whatever, doesn’t matter.
I’m just glad you’re not sick.
And don’t worry about a souvenir!
Focus on your stuff!
As for band practice…
hmph, just wait until you see me absolutely shine at the school festival!
At the time he’d read it and sent back a “got it” without really registering it.
The reason Uchiha Ayato had kept Anon close — beyond extracting system mission rewards — was that spending time around her was genuinely comfortable.
She said what she meant.
Never hid anything, never made you spend half an hour decoding what she was actually trying to say like those complicated girls with too much going on inside.
When exactly had this friendship started to drift from what it was?
The person who teaches you what love is — is born from absolute strength, and the loneliness that comes with it— By the time Uchiha Ayato caught himself, he’d been staring at their chat history for thirty straight minutes.
Uchiha Ayato: ???
Oh no.
I’ve become Misumi Uika.