He hoped someone would explain to him what exactly the Ex-Girlfriends’ United Front was.

"I'm home."

Changing into slippers and stepping into the living room, Cocoro lay quietly in the corner. Its tail alternated between arching high as if being pulled and flopping softly against the floor.

Tsukimi Jinguuji called out to it, but Cocoro acted as aloof as Sakura Sakasou in class, not even glancing his way.

He went upstairs to his room, tossed his backpack carelessly onto the floor, collapsed onto his bed, stared at the ceiling in a daze, then turned his head and closed his eyes.

After a brief nap of half an hour, Tsukimi Jinguuji went downstairs. His mother had not yet returned home. Checking his phone, he noticed a message from her on LINE.

In short, she had to work overtime today, so Tsukimi would have to sort out his own dinner.

He opened the refrigerator, found some frozen rice balls, peeled off the plastic wrapper, placed them in a bowl, and put them in the microwave to heat.

Standing before the microwave, staring at the spinning rice balls inside, the boy was struck by a sudden urge to sunbathe.

Such utterly unreasonable, impossible notions—perhaps they are unique to adolescence.

When he grows up, becomes the kind of adult who works late at the company every day and leaves his child to heat up rice balls at home, he surely won’t yearn for sunbathing anymore.

All in all, these aimless thoughts seem to be the very proof of youth.

So, I suppose I am living in the midst of youth, after all.

Ding—

Ding-dong—

Tsukimi Jinguuji opened the microwave, touched the bowl for a moment, and quickly withdrew his hand.

Ding-dong—

So, it wasn’t just his imagination.

He walked to the entryway and opened the front door.

The visitor who rang the bell was Sakura Sakasou, holding a pot in both hands. How had she pressed the bell—elbow, forehead, or perhaps her nose?

Tsukimi Jinguuji suppressed his curiosity.

“Sakasou, what brings you here?”

“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? My mom made stewed potatoes and meat, so I’m bringing you some. Hehe.”

Once inside, Sakura Sakasou saw Tsukimi Jinguuji take the heated rice balls out of the microwave. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him.

“You’re having that for dinner?”

“My mom’s working late today.”

“Then you could have come over to my house.”

“Too lazy,” Tsukimi replied.

“No way anyone would believe that.”

So Sakura Sakasou had no intention of leaving right away. After setting down the stew, she messaged her mother to explain, then began rummaging through the fridge for ingredients.

Unbuttoning the cuffs of her shirt, she rolled up her sleeves.

“Well, there’s cabbage at least. Give me a moment.”

“You’re planning to cook?”

“At the very least, I can stir-fry some cabbage. It’ll be quick—something I can handle. You wash your hands first.”

Thus, Tsukimi Jinguuji’s dinner evolved from a 150-yen convenience store rice ball into a heated rice ball, stewed potatoes and meat, and stir-fried cabbage lovingly prepared by his childhood friend.

As he ate the mildly seasoned cabbage, his childhood friend sat across from him, chin resting in her hands, gazing at him as if hoping for praise.

“By the way,” he said.

“Hmmm?”

Tsukimi Jinguuji recalled what Hoshino Morihoshi had said before school ended, pondering for a moment before looking at his childhood friend.

“Are you close with President Hoshino Mori? I heard you two are going out together this weekend?”

“Hoshino Mori-senpai? Hmm… um… ahaha… how should I put it…”

Sakura Sakasou seemed to deliberately draw things out, lengthening her words as she watched his expression.

“Are you really curious? About me and Hoshino Mori-senpai?”

“…Not really.”

“Is that so? Then I won’t say anything.”

“…”

Seeing his speechless expression, Sakura Sakasou burst out laughing. “Aha~ You really are curious, aren’t you? The ex-girlfriend alliance.”

Tsukimi Jinguuji froze, unable to help asking, “Ex-girlfriend alliance? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Obviously, it refers to the connection between me and Hoshino Mori-senpai.”

“Huh?”

Sakura Sakasou just smiled, urging him to finish his food before it got cold.

Watching Tsukimi Jinguuji’s gloomy face, Sakura Sakasou smiled gently, her gaze never leaving him.

She would never flaunt her status as his ex-girlfriend in front of him. To her, it was a memory full of pain—a wound in her heart.

Even now, Tsukimi Jinguuji had never given her a reasonable explanation for what happened back then.

She was waiting.

Waiting for him to finish his meal, and just as he was about to ask further about the earlier topic, Sakura Sakasou’s phone rang. She answered, immediately saying “Hoshino Mori-senpai,” nearly causing him to fall over.

When did these two start exchanging not only LINE but phone numbers as well?

Honestly, it was a bit unsettling.

Sakura Sakasou glanced at Tsukimi Jinguuji, slid open the patio door, and stepped out into the garden. Even with his good hearing, he couldn’t make out their conversation through the door.

When Sakura Sakasou returned to the living room, Tsukimi Jinguuji couldn’t help but say, “Hey, don’t say anything weird to the president.”

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘weird’?”

Tsukimi Jinguuji hesitated, worried that Sakura Sakasou, knowing so much, might mention things she knew to Hoshino Morihoshi. So he tried to preempt her.

“In any case, I’ve already broken up with her. Now we’re just ordinary senior-junior colleagues, working together in the student council. Please don’t bring up anything about us having dated.”

“Huh? I wouldn’t mention it, so why are you warning me?”

“Uh…”

Just as Tsukimi Jinguuji was about to clarify, he heard the girl’s emotional voice.

“Do you think I’m interested in digging up your little secrets from when you two were in love?”

He was taken aback. “I never said that.”

“But that’s the impression you’re giving now.”

Just then, there was a sound from the entryway. Sakura Sakasou, pouting and dissatisfied, strode over to him, one hand on her hip, and jabbed her finger lightly at his chest.

“I don’t care how many times you two hugged while dating, or how many times you kissed, or how many times you told her ‘I love you.’ I don’t want to know at all.”

“I told you, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I don’t care about your sweet memories with her!”

“So, does that mean you want to know? Want to know how many times I’ve kissed my current boyfriend? Well, I’ll tell you! More times than I ever kissed you!”

“That’s your imaginary boyfriend, isn’t it? He doesn’t actually exist.”

“What’s wrong with an imaginary boyfriend? Before you and I dated, didn’t you, too, do things alone, pretending?”

“Ah~ Ah~~ Childhood friend catching you in that situation—if it were me, I’d want to escape the planet from embarrassment.”

“Hey, hey! Miss Sakasou? How can you just say—”

Thud—

The childish bickering stopped at that sound, both turning toward the living room door.

Yuuko Jinguuji stood at the entrance, a shopping bag emblazoned with the Aeon Mall logo at her feet, a long green onion poking diagonally out of the bag. The sound had come from it dropping to the floor.

Feeling their eyes on her, Yuuko Jinguuji tried to pick up the conversation, but after thinking for a long moment, could only scratch her head awkwardly and mutter,

“Uh… Did mom come home at… the wrong time?”

“Mom, when did you get here?”

“About when I heard my son talking about, um, that… with the air.”

“….”