By the time the conversation settled, only a handful of students remained in the classroom.
Most had already left.
For a moment, silence lingered between them.
Then Haru suddenly spoke, as if he’d just remembered something.
“Oh, right.”
Riku looked up.
“Hm?”
Haru smiled.
“You mentioned before that you like cheesecake, didn’t you?”
Riku blinked.
“…You remembered that?”
“Of course I did.”
The answer came so naturally that it caught him off guard.
A faint warmth crept into his cheeks.
Haru rested an elbow on the desk.
“There’s a café near the station that’s famous for its cheesecake.”
He paused.
“Want to go with me sometime after summer break starts?”
For a second, Riku couldn’t process the words.
Then the meaning sank in.
The heaviness he’d been carrying all day suddenly lifted.
Just moments ago, he’d been terrified that this was the end.
That once the lectures were over, he might stop seeing Haru altogether.
But now—
That fear was slowly melting away.
“…I’d like that.”
The answer slipped out almost immediately.
Haru’s eyes softened.
“Good.”
The smile that followed was small.
Gentle.
But it made warmth bloom deep inside Riku’s chest.
For the first time that day, the future didn’t seem so frightening.
And somehow…
He found himself looking forward to summer break.
