The Second Partner
The Monday morning air in the park was unusually chilly.
I took a slow, deep breath of the crisp air and stepped forward.
“Did you have a good time with Yuzuki over the weekend?”
The sudden bright voice made me turn my head. A lightly bouncing bob haircut brushed across my vision.
It was Minase Haruka.
With that somewhat innocent face of hers, she tossed out another cheerful remark.
I hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly lifted the corners of my mouth.
“Well… you could say that.”
The awkward smile that slipped out was unavoidable. There was simply too much that had happened over the weekend to brush it off lightly. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could bury with a single “It was fun.”
“So, what car did you end up picking?”
“Just a regular SUV.”
Even my plain answer made Haruka beam.
“Wow, that’s great! You can fit so many people in it! And you haven’t forgotten you promised to give me a ride sometime, right?”
She spoke in her usual playful tone, but there was a strangely warm undertone to it. Light and friendly, never overbearing.
“Yeah. I haven’t forgotten, so don’t worry.”
“Hehe. Good! By the way, I went to Iori-chan’s dojo on Saturday.”
“Dojo? The Shirakawa family runs a dojo?”
“Oh, right. I guess I never explained it before. Iori-chan’s family runs the oldest kendo dojo in the neighborhood!”
In truth, I already knew about the Shirakawa family’s traditional background even without Haruka telling me. The image of Iori standing calmly in a neatly tied ponytail and training uniform had left a strong impression on me from the anime.
Still, I pretended not to know and asked again. I wanted to hear more, and it was interesting to see how Haruka viewed Iori.
Haruka didn’t seem to mind my lack of reaction. She began recounting the weekend’s events one by one.
The story of how Iori had sparred with someone at the dojo and neutralized her opponent with a single thrust. Everyone had held their breath, she said, eyes sparkling.
Then came the tale of the puppy that had been sprawled out like a piece of mochi in the middle of the floor,
and the little episode where Iori’s younger sibling had swung a wooden sword as a prank and gotten caught by Iori.
They were scenes that could have seemed trivial, but the moment they passed through Haruka’s lips, they came alive. Her voice carried a lively rhythm and a gentle warmth. Before I knew it, I found myself naturally drawn in, hanging on every word.
As I listened, Haruka suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.
“Would you like to come with us next time, Nakamura-kun? If you have time, of course.”
She was making the offer just like that?
I wasn’t without curiosity. And there was no real reason to refuse.
“If I have time?”
“Great! Then I’ll ask Iori-chan about it today!”
Her words ended on the same light, energetic note as always.
With that, Haruka bounced forward as she always did, and I naturally fell into step behind her, jogging along.
After finishing my morning run and returning home, a faint buttery aroma drifted from the kitchen.
Yuzuki was wearing an apron, tilting a frying pan as she continued cooking.
Her back was straight, and her familiar movements with the spatula carried an even calmer atmosphere than usual.
Considering what had happened over the weekend, this excessively peaceful mood actually felt strange.
After showering and coming to the table, breakfast was nearly ready.
Perfectly toasted bread, soft-boiled eggs, and lightly blanched vegetables that still held their vibrant color.
Freshly brewed coffee steamed beside them, and the table was filled with the gentle scent of a warm morning.
But as I looked around, I suddenly felt something was off and tilted my head.
“Where’s Dad?”
Yuzuki answered without turning her head.
“He left while you were out running. Said he had work to do first thing in the morning.”
“…I see.”
Even after that day, Dad continued to act as if nothing had happened. His attitude and expression remained the same, and even the tone of our everyday conversations hadn’t changed.
But… that very calmness made it all the more noticeable.
It felt like he had quietly taken a step back, deliberately giving us space.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one who felt it—Yuzuki must have noticed too.
“…So you were running with Haruka in the mornings?”
It was a somewhat unexpected question. I hadn’t told her yet. I set down my glass and looked up.
“Hm? Did Minase tell you?”
“Yeah. She sent me a message right around the time you got home from your run. She asked if I wanted to join next time.”
Her tone was indifferent, but Yuzuki’s gaze slid sideways with a strange sharpness hidden beneath the nonchalance.
That was just like Haruka—always so friendly. Given her personality, she had probably casually suggested that Yuzuki should come along too.
But Yuzuki seemed to be chewing on those words with a very different meaning.
“Hmm… So that’s why you’ve been running so enthusiastically lately? Trying to look cool in front of Haruka?”
With narrowed eyes fixed on my face, Yuzuki’s expression was half teasing, half suspicious.
I let out a small snort of laughter.
“No way. Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction?”
“…Well, I was just joking.”
Even though she said that, Yuzuki only brought the coffee cup to her lips and turned her gaze away. The curve of her lips had subtly collapsed, and an awkward look lingered at the corners of her eyes.
A mischievous impulse rose in me, so I shrugged lightly.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll run alone from now on. There’s no need for me to run with Minase if you don’t want me to.”
“…”
My words made Yuzuki freeze. Her lips parted slightly, then her gaze dropped to the floor.
“…It’s so unfair when you throw it back at me like that. Now I’m the only one who looks like the bad guy…”
The sight was somehow adorable, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her for a while.
After that day, the biggest change between us was that moments like this had become naturally allowed.
Even in careful words, emotions were growing clearer, and our gazes lingered on each other longer and longer.
“Ah, we’re going to be late for the academy at this rate. Hurry up and eat. You can do the dishes, okay?”
Yuzuki suddenly stood up, grumbling as if the current atmosphere was too uncomfortable. Her voice still had that familiar roughness, but there was definitely something softer at the end of her words.
“Got it.”
I smiled and nodded.
When I opened the front door, the morning air brushed against my skin like a thin veil.
The sunlight was still faint, and the streets were quiet, but that very silence felt pleasant.
We walked side by side without a word.
Yuzuki’s fingertips swayed gently beside the strap of her bag. Even as she walked, her hand seemed unable to find its place, brushing through the empty air.
I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or unconscious,
but the way her hand swayed looked almost like an invitation. After a brief hesitation, I slowly reached out.
And gently wrapped my hand around hers.
“…!”
Yuzuki flinched and stopped in her tracks.
Her arm lifted slightly, then carefully settled back down.
She only turned her head a little toward me and opened her mouth in a small voice.
“Wh-what if someone sees… what are you thinking…”
The whispered voice was mixed with panic and caution, but at the very end, there was an unmistakable hint of excitement.
Since she didn’t seem to dislike it, I kept my eyes forward and smiled.
“It’s fine, isn’t it? People might just think we’re close siblings.”
“…No matter how close we are, who holds hands with their own sibling? That would look weird to anyone…”
Her lips moved faintly, and her lowered profile was flushed red.
I shrugged.
“There’s no one around anyway.”
With those short words, I stepped forward without letting go of her hand. Yuzuki followed a beat later, quietly matching my pace.
Her small, warm hand stayed nestled in mine.
We walked slowly toward the academy just like that.
She never said another word. She didn’t pull her hand away, nor did she squeeze mine.
Just like that, with one small, warm hand held in mine, we slowly made our way toward the academy.
After a brief silence, Yuzuki carefully spoke up.
“By the way… what are your plans for fooling around with other girls from now on?”
…Fooling around. Anyone who heard that would get the wrong idea.
Her tone was as indifferent and grumbling as usual, but there was a pouty edge to it.
I let out a small laugh.
“That sounds like jealousy to me.”
“It doesn’t! It’s just a status check. I have to keep an eye on you…”
Yuzuki deliberately turned her head the other way. Then she added carefully,
“…I know it can’t be helped. Given the situation.”
She let out a small sigh and continued in a low, firm voice.
“But that doesn’t mean I want you acting like some playboy who hits on any girl you see.”
Her words ended in another grumble, but there was a clear emotion woven into them.
I didn’t reply. I simply tightened my grip on her hand a little more.
At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.
When I watched the anime protagonist get involved with multiple heroines, it had felt like simple fantasy.
But now that it had become reality, I was beginning to realize just how precarious and complicated it really was.
If I truly had to fall in love with someone else,
whether it was for research or fate or something unavoidable, who exactly should I choose?
Perhaps answering that question was the most unrealistic task I faced right now.
Before classes began.
Right after the first morning meeting of the day ended, Kyoko stretched her neck and let out a long sigh.
At that moment, the intercom rang.
An unpleasant sense of déjà vu. Before the screen even turned on, Kyoko swallowed a dry laugh.
And then the woman’s face appeared on the conference room screen.
Kirishima Ren.
A woman from the National Defense Agency’s Dracore Experimental Bureau.
Her words were always soft, but the cold intent beneath them was extremely irritating.
Kyoko leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.
“A complete reexamination? What kind of directive is this now?”
Kirishima didn’t smile, as usual.
Kyoko paused. Her gaze grew heavy as it settled on the screen.
“…Isn’t that in direct conflict with our existing policy? Up until now, we’ve been analyzing coupling data centered around specific subjects.”
Her tone remained calm, and her expression didn’t waver. But Kyoko knew how to read what lay beneath.
She let out a short breath. The current order was proof that the government was moving faster than expected.
“Has this matter already been discussed with Yuuito’s father? Dr. Hideo has always placed the highest priority on ensuring the stability of coupling.”
“…A deep emotional bond?”
Kyoko frowned.
She knew of an experiment that had been conducted in a similar fashion.
Back when she was still an active pilot, there had been a now-abandoned project that attempted coupling between lovers.
Perhaps that was why her expression unconsciously hardened.
Kyoko pressed her lips together tightly and let out a short sigh.
“…You want to revive that experiment now? The records clearly show how it ended.”
Kyoko turned her head in disbelief.
“So from now on, we’re supposed to watch who Yuuito dates and decide his coupling partners based on that? And what if the boy has no talent for seducing girls?”
The words that left her mouth carried unavoidable sarcasm, simultaneously revealing just how unrealistic the entire policy was.
“Haa…”
Kyoko had never imagined she would end up discussing things like “who is dating whom” inside the academy.
In a situation where romantic scandals sounded more important than Dracore coupling practice, Kyoko could only raise her eyebrows, unable to continue.
“…Understood for now.”
Since the other side had gone this far, there was no point in arguing further.
Kyoko simply nodded.