Chapter 30: Each Change

The chapter begins with Marui leading Mio away, as she reviews what just happened in her head: If she remembers, she was on her way home by herself, a woman seemed to be inviting her somewhere, and... Marui grabbed her hand and they started running away!? Mio asks Marui where they're going, and as they reach a playground, he tells her that she didn't seem to be grasping that she was in the middle of being proselytized to. Mio asks what he means, and Marui explains that if that woman was able to lure Mio to some weird building, two or three days later she'd probably be part of some strange religious sect. (So, basically, Marui thought she was being recruited for some sort of cult.) Mio tells him that it wouldn't have gone that far. She was thinking that if she said a little prayer for good luck, just that would be all right... Mio thinks that, since she must have appeared dazed and sad [when the woman approached her]... Meanwhile, Marui is attempting to turn on a faucet, which is stuck. As he wonders if it's broken, the handle breaks off in his hand, and water starts rushing out. He drops the handle as he scrambles to block the flow of water, and Mio retrieves it for him. She hands it to him, and as he reaches for it, his hand unblocks the stream of water, soaking Mio. Marui manages to get the handle back on, but they're both already wet. Mio mutters that it's a disaster... She can't get on the train. They go to sit on some swings to dry off a bit, and Marui grumbles about how exhausting that was. Mio laughs at what a strange day it's been: Her head is soaked with water, she's the only one who has to go to supplemental lessons this summer break, someone tried to recruit her into a cult... Holding the cloth she's been using to dry herself over her face, Mio thinks that she can't face him... Marui responds that it's all right. If he thinks about it, he'll be at basketball practice... Mio asks what he means, and he explains that while she's at her supplementary lessons, Marui figures that he and Shimizu will be spending most of summer break with their sports clubs. So, if she gets sick of her lessons, she can come to the gym and play, right? Mio agrees, thinking that was pretty sly of Marui. When she's treated so kindly, it almost makes her want to go along with him.

The scene cuts to Mio talking to Shii-chan, explaining that she didn't mean “go along with [Marui]” like that, since she's with Taki. Shii-chan points out, though, that Taki is still avoiding Mio, and he won't tell her why. Mio recalls that at the train station yesterday, she tried to greet him, and he didn't pay attention to her. Mio tells Shii-chan that, since Taki said he needed to think things over on his own, she hasn't heard anything from him. Shii-chan tells her that, personally, if the current situation is going to continue, she thinks it's all right to talk to Marui. Hasn't Mio always just considered Marui a friend? Later, on the way to lunch, Mio and the girls chat about where to go to eat. Someone suggests the roof, but Yuni thinks that would be too hot. Shii-chan suggests that sitting under a tree in the courtyard sounds cool, and Mio is starting to agree with her when she spots Marui on the way to the vending machine. Shii-chan suggests they hold off [buying drinks at the vending machine], and Mio thinks about their earlier conversation. She thinks that, if she only ever thought of Marui as a friend, she wouldn't have been so flustered when she saw him with that other girl. Her heart wouldn't have pounded when he grabbed her hand. She's been putting it out of her mind. If she were to think about, she's afraid of firming up those vague feelings. She also mustn't damage her relationship with Taki... Or maybe it's just an ego trip. As Mio thinks about that, Shii-chan makes awkward eye contact with Inoji. The girls end up eating lunch under the tree, and Shii-chan points out that it's almost summer break. Should they all go see the fireworks at the festival together? Mio asks if that's the festival advertised on the posters at the train station, and Shii-chan tells her that she and Yuni go every year. Mio flashes back to her plans to go with Taki, as Yuni asks, “When you say 'everyone'... do you mean the people from the training camp, specifically Inoue (Inoji)?” Shii-chan, embarrassed, tells her of course not – she means just the girls! (Seeing that she choked on her drink, Mio asks Shii-chan if she's all right and offers her some tissues.) Yuni presses on, asking Shii what's up with Inoue. Mio also wants to know, and Shii-chan reluctantly answers that he asked her out yesterday. Mio asks if that means she'll go out with him, and Shii says that she turned him down. (Mio gasps in surprise, and Yuni tells her to quiet down.) Shii explains that she just doesn't see him that way... He seems like a good guy, but... Mio flashes back to their conversation about how she felt towards Marui from earlier, as Yuni exclaims, “Well, you just can't help disliking him! Kidding, kidding...” Shii asks who said anything about disliking him, as Mio thinks about her feelings for Taki.

Mio decides to go to Taki's house after school, and rings the bell. There's no response, and she wonders if Taki hasn't come home yet. She leans against the wall to wait, and is greeted by Taki's sister (Yuki), who is returning home. She asks what's going on; is Nao not here? Mio replies that it looks like he isn't home yet, and Yuki asks if she'd like to wait inside. Mio prefers to wait outside, and Yuki goes in and calls for Taki. She finds him in his room, zoning out with a pile of math problems around him. Yuki drags him out to see Mio, telling her, “Sorry for the wait! Seems he was taking a little nap.” The scene skips to Mio and Taki on a bench, and Mio awkwardly apologizing for coming there without contacting him first. But, they're just about to start summer break... Mio stops, thinking Taki will say something, but he just keeps looking away. Mio tells him that Shii-chan and the others asked if she wanted to go see the fireworks, but she told them that she already had plans to go with Taki, but maybe they'd run into each other... Mio notices Taki staring sadly at his hands, and asks, “The fireworks... We promised we'd go... together, right... ?” In her head, she urges him to say something. After a moment, he starts, “Yesterday...” Mio, relieved to hear him speak, replies, “Ah, yes!” But, Taki continues, “Yesterday, on the way home, I saw you with Marui-kun. Holding hands.” Mio jumps up and explains – they weren't holding hands like he means. It seems like some weird cult was trying to recruit her, and Marui couldn't just let that happen... Really! She would never be holding hands with him like that... Taki replies, “I don't blame you. I'm not accusing you... If there's someone else you like, you don't have to force yourself. I don't want you to.” Mio wonders what he means by that, and he tells her, “I know I should have said this to you sooner, but... I couldn't.” Standing up, Taki hugs her and lowers his head onto Mio's shoulder, saying, “I'm sorry. Thank you for everything.”

On her way home, Mio runs into an older woman carrying a heavy bag of groceries, and helps her to carry them up the stairs. The woman tells Mio she's really helping her out, and thinks she's seen her around. What is it she's been searching for? Mio is surprised, but explains that she'd been looking for a small stuffed whale, that looks like a dolphin. A whale charm. The woman asks what color it is, as Mio thinks they broke up earlier. If she'd found her charm, and had it attached to her bag again... Mio thinks about Taki saying he saw her with Marui, and how she didn't have to force herself [to stay with him] if there's someone else she likes. She realizes that was about her being attracted to Marui. Mio sits down on the top of the stairs and starts to cry as the the woman asks her if she's all right. Mio thinks that's why she needs to apologize to Taki.


On the way to school, Mio runs into Shii and Yuni. Yuni's tie is undone, and Mio comments that Shii-chan always ties it for her. Yuni says that she just wants the closing ceremony to be over, and Mio laughs. The girls tense up when they spot Taki at his locker, but he smiles and says good morning. Yuni takes his friendliness to mean that he and Mio patched things up, and Shii-chan tells Mio that's great. Mio replies, “No, we broke up.” Shii-chan starts to say, “Right, you broke...” and by the time Mio's words sink in, she's way ahead of them. Flashing forward, we see Mio at her supplemental lessons over summer break. She greets Shii-chan, who's on her way to practice, and tells her that she has algebra first period. Looking into the classroom, Shii points out that there a lot of people there, and Mio says she feels a little better that she isn't alone. We see how Mio imagined she would be tortured by Ichii if she'd been there alone, so it's an unexpected relief. Shii reminds her about the fireworks tomorrow, and Mio confirms that they'll be meeting on the south bridge. Shii-chan asks Mio if she'll be wearing her yukata, which Mio agrees to do once Shii says that she and Yuni will also be wearing theirs. Later, Mio stops into the convenience store for ice cream, and she runs into Marui. He asks if she has classes after this, and Mio tells him she's finished and headed home. He tells her that's too bad – it would have been nice to spend some time together. Blushing. Mio asks Marui why he's acting so different. Stabbing at he ice cream, she thinks it feels like she's being hit on. He tells her that it's not really necessary to hide it anymore... As Mio thinks about his words, Marui says, “Speaking of which... I heard you're meeting at the south bridge for the fireworks tomorrow?” Mio tells him yes, then starts to ask how he knows, but he continues, “You're going to wear your yukata, and I could 'coincidentally' run into you on the way home from practice... is what I was told.” Mio realizes that Shii-chan told him that, and Marui laughs and explains that Shimizu knew about his feelings for her. He was depending on her to let him know if he was making Mio uncomfortable. Marui tells her that he'd like to go; is it all right? Mio asks why he's asking her that, and he clarifies that he means it like he wants to go to see her, so he thought he should clearly ask if she's all right with that. Realizing that he's effectively asking her on a date, Mio stammers that even if he puts it that way, everyone is free to come see the fireworks, so... Marui smiles, and says, “All right, I'll go. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.” As he heads back towards the school, Mio mutters that she can't believe it... That's really not trying to hide his feelings... She thinks that, really, he did tell her that he liked her, and he's still being nice to her, so it's not an unusual way to behave... But to be that blunt about it... Mio wonders how she'll react if he tells her something like how cute her yukata is. Picturing Taki, she thinks that it wouldn't bother her if he were to say that... She shakes her head, and tries not to think about that now. She looks down and sees that her ice cream is starting to melt. The chapter ends with Taki gazing sadly out his window, as Mio tries not to think about anything.

Chapter 29: Almost Summer Break

The chapter begins with Mio arriving at school. She finds that Taki isn't there, and recalls that he wasn't on his usual train. She's been in a state of confusion since yesterday... She thought that things were going well, then it seemed like he was driving her away. Why? Did she do something to make him angry? But then, it doesn't seem so much like he's angry as like he's in pain... The classroom door opens, and Mio sees that Taki has arrived. She calls out, “Taki-kun...! Good morning...” He repeats back, “Good morning,” but continues past her to his desk. Mio is glad he didn't ignore her, but thinks that she needs to talk to him about yesterday. Maybe they can calmly work it out after they leave... At the end of the day, Mio sees that everyone has left, and Taki is on his way out the door without her. She calls out to him, and he tells her that he wants to do some thinking on his own for a while. While questioning what he may be thinking over, she awkwardly tells him she sees: It's right before exams, and she was thinking she may be wrong to keep having him search for her charm and help her study, and yesterday he seemed not to be feeling well... He tells her, “That's not it. You don't have to force yourself. You don't need to keep searching for the whale, either...” He finally looks back and gives her a sad smile, then pushes forward, evading Mio's attempt to grab his arm. Some students looking on wonder who that was and what just happened, and Mio heads off to look for her charm anyway. Taki slipped right through her fingertips... What did he mean, that she didn't have to force herself? Somehow, it felt like something you might say if you were breaking up. Maybe... could it really...? No, they have to discuss it properly. She tries to call him, but can't get through. She leaves a message that she wants to get together and talk, and sends a text message.

The next morning, Mio finds that Taki hasn't responded. That isn't necessarily unusual for Taki; he may also not have his phone. Has she been completely rejected? She arrives at school, and Yuni and Shii-chan rush over to talk to her. She asks them what's up, and they tell her they just heard. Did she really break up with Taki!? Mio is surprised, and slowly responds, “We... didn't break up...” Yuni tells Shii-chan that she told her it wasn't true, coming from Ishida. She explains that, if it was just Ishida, she would have ignored it, but there were also some first years who said they saw it. Shii-chan adds that they were going to try to hush people up, but it seems to have already pretty well spread. Yuni notes that people will find out it's not true soon enough, and Shii-chan asks Mio, “Speaking of which, Taki isn't with you today?” Mio stays silent, but Yuni spots Taki coming in. He walks sadly by, and Mio stammers, “Good, good morning...” Taki hesitates, but replies, “... Good morning.” He then simply hurries to his shoe locker and on to class. Shii-chan and Yuni fret... Seriously, might it be true?

In class, the other students are gossiping over the break up as Mio comes in. The girls who were talking switch the subject to the bath salts one of them tried, and the others ask how they smelled. Apparently annoyed that they'd been gossiping about Mio, Yuni smells the girl's arm and says, “Yeah, it does stink!” The girl says that isn't true, but the others (and Shii-chan) seem amused. Mio thinks that what they're saying about the break-up is wrong, but she can't flatly deny it, either. As Marui arrives at school, he spots Inoji and Ishida buying drinks at the vending machine and discussing if the rumor of the break-up is confirmed. Marui asks what they're talking about, and Ishida tells him they figured he was absent since he missed all of home room. He explains that he had issues making his train; so, what are they talking about? Ishida stammers a bit, and eventually says, “Well, the truth is...” The scene cuts to Marui suddenly grabbing Shii-chan in the hall. She tells him he startled her – when did he get here, anyway? He asks her to come with him for a minute, and she tells him she's on her way to the washroom. He grabs her and says, “Before that – did they really break up!?” Shii-chan looks at his face and replies, “Marui... you're beaming.” (The pie chart indicates that his facial expression is about two-thirds surprise, one-third joy.) He tries to smack the expression off his face, explaining that he just arrived and that he was surprised... Shii-chan tells him that it seems like they may be arguing over something, but Mio says that they didn't break up. Marui says, “Ah, I see... I guess that's what I expected...” as he walks away. Once he's gone, Shii-chan looks a bit more concerned and thinks that, really, things didn't look like they're going well [between Taki and Mio].

The chapter moves to what appears to be the end of the school day, with Akane chasing after Taki on the way home. She tells him that she's been hearing some weird things about him and Ootaka-san. She explains that one of those guys who was at his house (Ishida) was spreading rumors, and mentally takes note of it when Taki doesn't respond. She changes the subject, asking where Mio is. They aren't together today? Seeing his expression after she asks, Akane goes on, “I didn't think it could be true, but... You didn't break-up, did you?” When there's still no response, she grabs his arm and asks, “Nao! Did you break up, or didn't you!? Which is it!?” He pulls his arm away and shouts, “...I don't even know!” As he runs off, Akane mutters, “Nao... was hostile to me...” Back in the classroom, Mio is looking at Taki's desk, wondering what she should do. Marui walks in and sees her with her hand on Taki's desk. Without saying anything to him, Mio flushes and hurries out of the room. She wonders what she can do, when she hasn't even had the chance to talk. She tries sending a breezy text message, saying, “Exams start tomorrow! Let's do our best!” She tries to concentrate, but can't keep from checking her phone: No new messages. The exam period closes in – Mio realizes that she's been up past 3 AM studying, and tries sending another good night message. And the exam period passes...

The chapter jumps forward to the exams being handed back, and everyone is amazed to see that Marui scored a 52 on his algebra exam. The training camp paid off! Marui boasts that it's his greatest ever score, and Ichii tells him not to be so overjoyed with 52 points. Mio is impressed, and wonders if she did about that well. Ichii does suppose, though, that for someone who had previously been scoring in the single digits, this was an accomplishment, so... continue with this trend! Marui agrees, then Ichii calls out Mio's name. She must really enjoy algebra... she'll be getting her wish to continue studying with him, as he's inviting her to special lessons over summer break. Seeing that she only scored 29 points, Mio is stunned. Yuni and Shii-chan also can't believe it – she scored too low. She needed to score 40, and even after having Taki teach her... Shii-chan tells her to calm down, and Mio looks over at Taki. She blushes, and quickly hides her face in embarrassment. Even after the training camp, and Taki looking over her work, she was the only one who failed. Taki looks concerned, but ends up turning his head away. Of course Taki would be disgusted with her... even Mio is getting disgusted with herself. This time, she's definitely made him think less of her... As Mio lays her head on her desk and mentally beats herself up, Yuni starts to call out that homeroom is over, and Shii-chan tells her to give Mio a little more time. Having failed so much in the past, Marui thinks it's harder from the other side. Annoyed, he wonders what Taki thinks he's doing; something like this should be Taki's time to shine. He's surprised to see that Taki is leaving, and hurries to catch him. He tells him, “Taki! I don't know if you had a fight or something, but that's way too cruel. You heard her test results, right? You're not going to say anything?” Taki doesn't respond, and Marui finishes, “You're just going to leave her when she's that upset?” Thinking about Mio's reaction, Taki just sadly looks at the floor.

Back in the classroom, Yuni wonders about getting together somewhere today. Shii-chan agrees they should; being free from tests, how about treating someone to something special? Yuni cheers, and Shii-chan clarifies that she means Mio. Yuni protests that it's not that big a difference if it's one person or two, and Shii-chan disagrees. As they talk, Mio is touched. But, Mio asks, don't they have volleyball and work today? They remember that they do, and Mio reassures them that it's fine – she has something to do today, too. They part ways outside of school, with Mio thinking that this at least means she can look for her charm. Shii-chan turns back toward the school for her club activities, wondering if the thing Mio had to go do was to talk to Taki. She hears her name called, and sees Inoji approaching her. He asks if she has a minute, and Shii-chan recalls that he told her at the training camp that there was something he wanted to ask her after exams... Meanwhile, at basketball practice, Marui is furiously dribbling the ball. His teammates think they haven't seen him that irritated at practice in a while, and wonder if he failed his exams (as he usually does). Marui tunes them out, still angry that Taki ended up ignoring Mio. It should be up to Taki to comfort her this time. Even if he doesn't seem to want to mediate their reconciliation... Marui thinks that you could deem Taki's actions as basically abandoning his right to act as Mio's boyfriend, couldn't you? As he fumes, Arakawa makes ten failed attempts at stealing the ball from Marui. Once Marui comes to a decision, he tosses the ball to Arakawa and jogs out of the gym. He tells his teammates that, if she asks, to tell the manager that he had some urgent business. Holding the ball, Arakawa figures that Marui must have foreseen a loss to him today. (Akane arrives with the bin full of balls and asks him what he's doing there.)

At the train station, Taki is still thinking about Mio. The train arrives, and people move past him to get on (wondering why Taki isn't boarding). He turns and runs back toward the school to find Mio. From the other direction, Marui spots her, thinking that he made it in time. He sees her talking to some strange girl and wonders who she's with. The girl is telling Mio that, to find happiness, why don't they say a prayer together? She shows Mio how to position her hands, and tells her that she can sense a strong power from her. If she starts studying now, she can reach a higher level of prayer... Marui interrupts by grabbing Mio and declaring, “I made it in time!” Mio starts to question what he's doing, and he grabs Mio's hand, telling her to follow. As he's leading her off, Taki arrives at the other side of the crosswalk, and watches Mio leave with Marui, hand-in-hand.

Chapter 28: I Don't Understand

The chapter starts with Mio looking some more for her lost cell phone charm. She isn't having any luck, and Taki arrives. He tells her that he asked the people in the store, and they hadn't found her charm. No one brought it to the lost and found, either. She tells him that she also hasn't found it, and thinks about how she's been looking unsuccessfully since the rain ended. She had carefully made a round trip from Taki's house to cover the whole area she traveled that night, and then repeated it. Mio thanks Taki for checking the store, thinking that she was naïve to think it would be easy to find once it was light out. Suddenly, they spot something in the bushes... and it turns out to be some other charm. Mio wonders: “An eel? A tadpole?” Mio puts it back in a location that should be easier for the owner to spot, if they come looking for it. After searching, they head back to Taki's to study. Mio tells him that, starting tomorrow, she'll look on her own. With the tests drawing near, she doesn't want to cut into his time any more. Taki is surprised – don't they always study together before tests? They reach the stairs, and he offers his hand to help her down. Mio tells him that, this morning, she looked [at her ankle] under the compress and it had improved. Taki smiles, and tells her that's good. Mio thinks that, in truth, she's happy to have him with her, but it makes her feel guilty to have him drag this [search] out with her.

They run into Akane outside of Taki's house, who tells them that she thought he was back a while ago. Mio and Akane have a somewhat tense moment, as Mio remembers what Akane said about betraying Taki. She needs to hurry and find the charm... Staring at her blank notebook paper, Mio's mind wanders, as she considers where her charm might have fallen. She notices that Taki is staring at her, and says, “Umm... What...?” He tells her that she seemed to be thinking really hard about question three, so he was waiting. Mio turns red, apologizing. Right now he's helping her study, and she needs to concentrate! She goes back to the problem, but can't concentrate on it with him staring. He laughs at how red she's turning, and Mio suggests he take a break from helping her. She tells him to look at literature until she gets through question six... Taki comments that it's almost summer break, and Mio reminds him that depends on passing exams (thinking that literature is Taki's weakest subject). Almost summer break... There's a brief section in which Taki and Mio come across a poster for a fireworks display, and Mio says she'd like to go. Taki asks, “With everyone? Or the two of us?” Mio answers, “The two of us!” She has to get past these exams!

Mio is buying lunch with Yuni and Shii-chan when she bumps into someone. She starts to apologize, then realizes that it's Marui. She blushes deeply and hurries away (Marui thinks: “She really turned red...”). Mio intended to keep a certain distance between them! Marui's eyes start to wander, looking for Mio, and he sees Taki walking through the door. Marui thinks that it would make sense to blow him off; this is awkward... But, Taki helped him quite a bit with algebra. Is Marui that awful? He goes to blow off some steam playing basketball, then finally decides to approach Taki. He thrusts a beverage can at Taki, who asks what he's doing. Marui responds, “Drink this.” (The arrow pointing to the can marks it as an “apology.”) Taki is confused, pointing out that he has a drink, so he doesn't need it. Marui says, “You can drink two cans, right?” Taki is still confused, suggesting that Marui drink it, to which he responds, “There's no point in me drinking it!” Taki asks what he means by “point,” and Marui explains that it's to thank him for the “training camp” study session at his house. Taki takes it, and tells Marui thank you. As Marui awkwardly walks off, Taki tells him that he doesn't want him to do anything else to cause worry. Marui looks back, realizing that he's talking about Mio. Taki goes on to say that, when Marui and Mio fell down on the stairs, he was annoyed to the point of wanting Marui to just disappear. Marui is surprised, responding, “Taki... So, you must have seen...” Taki goes on, telling him that he understood that what he saw this time was an accident... though it did seriously piss him off. Taki starts to leave, and Marui clenches his fist, saying that he's also been reflecting on that. Taki looks back one more time, and adds, “... But... Thank you for helping out in a dangerous situation.” Marui leans back against the wall, muttering, “I can't believe him...” He thinks that, if he were Taki, he wouldn't have said that. Is Taki just an idiot? Or is it... Taki overhears as Marui wonders aloud if there isn't some possibility that he's accepting defeat.

Later, Mio is rushing to submit an assignment before the deadline, and she encounters Marui with a girl on the stairs. She apologizes, and hurries away. The girl (the basketball team's manager) says she has a feeling she caused a misunderstanding just now, and Marui runs off after Mio as he yells, “It's an eyelash, you should wash it out!” He waits for Mio as she turns in her work, and she hears him say, “It was a misunderstanding.” Mio ignores him and walks off, as he continues, “Just now, that was our basketball team's manager, you know? She suddenly felt something in her eye, so I was looking...” Mio tells him, “It's fine.” Marui continues to explain as Mio starts up the stairs, thinking that she's strangely disturbed by this. Marui tells her that their manager's boyfriend is also on the basketball team, so it could be a problem if there was a misunderstanding like this. Mio replies, “I get it. A misunderstanding, is it?” Marui tells her that's right, and Mio adds, “But... It would be better if it wasn't.” Even though she didn't respond to his confession, it's strange how Mio has been paying too much attention to Marui. She tells him, “I think it would be the best if you found a girlfriend soon.” Marui hurries to get in front of Mio on the stairs, and asks, “Is that really how you feel?” Looking down at her, he says, “If that is how you feel... then why are you making that face?” Mio doesn't respond, and Marui reaches toward her, stopping just before touching her face. He pulls back, saying, “No... it's nothing...” He leaves, and Mio brings her hand to her face, wondering why he almost touched her face. It's hot...

Preparing to leave school, Mio leans against the window, noticing that the rain is stopping. Looking up at the sky, she hopes that it will hold until she's done looking for her charm. Then, she notices Marui and his friends, and recalls Marui asking, “Is that really how you feel?” In her mind, she responds, “Yeah. It really is.” Taki and Hatano (who seem to have been in a meeting) approach, and Hatano waves at Mio, saying, “Ootaka-san, you're waiting.” Mio doesn't look, and Hatano comments that she didn't seem to notice them at all. She jokes that there must be some good-looking guys down there, and Taki gives her a withering look. He calls out, “Mio,” and she welcomes him back. He asks if she got her assignment turned in on time, and she tells him she made it, somehow. She gives him his bag, and as they start to leave, Taki glances out the window. He gasps, seeing Marui and figuring that he was what Mio was looking at. Their eyes meet, and Taki recalls what Marui said earlier about accepting defeat.

As they leave the train station, the rain has started up again, and Mio complains about the terrible downpour that's started since they got to the station. She notices how down Taki looks, and says, “Taki-kun...? Do you not feel well?” She wonders what happened, since he seemed fine earlier. His face even looks pale. Mio apologizes for not noticing, and says they don't need to do any searching today. He should go home; she'll take him there. They arrive at Taki's house, and Mio tells him to dry off thoroughly and change clothes – he'll catch a cold. He says he will, and Mio waves good bye, telling him to get some rest. Mio thinks that he seemed all right before they left school; it would be bad if he got a cold right before exams. She looks up, noting that it's starting to drizzle again. She thinks she'll make one round searching trip, then head home... She turns her head, and is surprised to see Taki still standing right where she left him. She goes back and shoves him inside, asking him what he thinks he's doing. Once she saw him off, why didn't he go straight inside!? She's about to leave again, and sees that he still hasn't moved. She asks, “Seriously... Are you all right...?” Dropping his bag, Taki finally replies, “No... I'm not... all right...” He pulls Mio into a hug, and her heart races. Didn't he not feel well....? She starts to ask him again, “Are you...?” and stops short, seeing how he's looking down at her. She notices that, being this close, Taki is filling her entire field of vision. As it is now, there's nothing else, and it's nice... She closes her eyes, expecting Taki to kiss her. Instead, he says, “... I don't understand.” Mio pulls back, and asks, “Taki-kun...?” He repeats, “Mio... I don't understand you...” and turns away, leaving Mio confused in the door frame.

Chapter 27: Definitely...

The chapter starts with Inoji and Shii doing the dishes. Bringing the last of them in, Shii apologizes for having him wash all of them. He tells her it's all right; since the others did they cooking, it's the least he can do. Shii points out that he has something on his face, and Inoji tries to wipe it off. After he rubs the wrong side of his face, she gets it for him, and he blushes furiously. She laughs that he must have been scrubbing hard and kicked up some of the bubbles onto his face. She starts to leave the room, but he calls her back, saying, “Once the exams are over... there's something I want to tell you.” Shii immediately asks him what that is, and he says, “Not... right now...” After exams are over, then? He tells her yes, and Shii goes on. Wondering what he might want to say, she considers jokingly that he might want to confess. Deciding it couldn't be that, she wonders if he knows about Mio and Marui...

After dinner, everyone is settling back in to study some more. Ishida yells after Yuki as she heads back to her room, and she turns back to thank them for the meal, saying, “Everyone, work hard, quietly.” Taki looks over at Mio, who smiles and tells him that the desk is in order as she finishes wiping down the table. Akane announces that, to thank them for dinner, she'll help Mio with her algebra. She gets Taki's notes, and drags Mio over to the couch (making Ishida turn off the TV and move). Seeing the two of them together, Taki recalls his suspicion that Akane knew something when they were looking for Mio earlier. As he sits down, Taki's phone falls out of his pocket, and he sees the message that Mio sent, telling him there's something she needs to talk to him about. Mio thinks that Akane is smart, but... She reminds Akane that these are second year lessons, and Akane assures her that she can figure it out as long as she has Nao's notes. Watching Akane work a problem, Mio is impressed. She tells her she's amazing – is Akane related to Taki? She isn't; Akane already told her: If she has Taki's notes, she can figure it out. Mio asks, “I've looked at Taki's notes, too, so why don't I understand any of it!?” Akane tells her it's just the harsh difference between their abilities. Plus, that material is from first year, so try to recall it. Mio can't remember, and tells Akane to give her some time! “Difference in abilities...” She's a pathetic upperclassman, letting a first year like Akane take the lead! Mio thinks that she'll start by going back over the foundation of the problem, while Akane wonders how much time to giver her. Akane leans back and looks over at Marui, just before he glances over at Mio. He quickly looks away, and Akane wonders what that was. Little by little, she's paying too much attention to him, like an idiot. She was looking over there without even realizing... Akane casts a somewhat angry look at Mio.

As it gets later into the night, Shii comes over and says that she's exhausted, and asks if she can rest on the couch. Mio says it's all right, and Akane says that she should also get going. Mio joins her, and Akane tells her that she didn't need to accompany her – it's right next door. Mio answers that she wanted a break, while thinking that this was an opportunity to look for her whale charm. Mio thanks Akane for studying with her and waves good bye. Before going inside, Akane turns back and says, “...You can't help that you injured yourself, but...” Mio isn't sure what she said, and Akane repeats, “You can't help that you were injured, but, Ootaka-san, I think you were depending too much on another guy, even though Nao was right there! I said it before, but... If you betray Nao, I'll never forgive you.” (Note: When Akane says “Nao” here, the kanji actually says “boyfriend.”) Stunned, Mio realizes that Akane must have seen Marui lean in to kiss her. But then, she thinks that she acted too light-hearted up until now... but why would Akane mention that now? Mio tries to reassure herself that she couldn't have seen that; it's all right! Using her cell phone for light, Mio starts searching for her charm, as Akane hurries into her house. Someone out of frame (presumably Akane's mother) yells at her, “Akane? Are you back? Even if you were just at Yuki's house, I've told you not to stay out so late, haven't I...” Akane pays no attention, as she stresses over how strange it is. What she said just now... she isn't sure if she was saying that for Nao's sake.

Still worrying over whether or not Akane saw what happened between her and Marui, Mio is crouched by the gate outside. Taki calls out her name; she was taking a long time, so... He sees her crouched down, and asks if her leg hurts again. Looking on the verge of tears, she answers, “I'm sorry... the dolphin... No, the whale charm... I lost it.” She explains that she must have dropped it along the street somewhere when she went shopping. Taki offers to look on the stairs for her, telling Mio that it would be better if went back... He sees that she's determined to come anyway, so he offers his hand to help her up the stairs, saying, “Be careful on your left leg.” Mio thinks thinks that she will take care, wanting to make her guilty conscience go away... At the top of the stairs, Taki asks if that's where she fell. Mio says yes, and attempts to look for the charm. She thinks that, if it isn't on the stairs, it might be where she fell the first time... But like she thought, it's too dark. Suddenly, Taki asks if that's what she wanted to talk about, from that message. Mio had forgotten that she sent that, and starts panicking over how she should tell him. Looking at Taki, she thinks that she needs to explain it, as soon as possible. She starts by telling him that it was about something else... She says, “To be honest... Marui told me that he likes me.” She explains that she turned him down shortly after, but, even though he said things could stay the same, it's been uncomfortable... Taki replies, “When... Did he confess a while ago?” Mio tells him that it happened at the aquarium, and Taki remembers Akane asking him why he was allowing Marui a chance to be with Mio. She explains that she rejected him, and thought she'd keep quiet about it, but it soon began to feel unnatural. Mio apologizes for having him know something he probably didn't want to hear, and thinks that telling him only made it uncomfortable. Taki responds, “But... I'm glad you told me.” Mio sees that he's smiling, and feels relieved. She was sure he'd look unhappy... He tells that she should have told him from the beginning, and Mio lets out a breath in relief.

Looking up at the sky, Mio remarks that the stars look close. They're shining, flickering, twinkling... Up until now, she hadn't even noticed the stars. Saying that the stars are pretty, Mio thinks that she's glad she told Taki. She feels somewhat relieved. Taki wonders if it's going to rain, and says, “There's the dolphin.” Mio asks where, thinking he means her charm, but he points up to the sky. The dolphin constellation. That's a constellation? Taki explains that it's what they used to call the Summer Triangle. He shows her how to find it, and Mio is excited when she figures it out. He tells her the names of the stars (Vega, Altair, Deneb), then explains that Vega is also Orihime, and Altair is also Hikoboshi, which are along the Milky Way. Mio recognizes the stars related to Tanabata. Then, she wonders: If the other two are along the Milky Way, does that mean Deneb is submerged? Taki says that it's part of Cygnus, the swan constellation, so it should be fine. In the Tanabata legend, Deneb represents the magpies that formed a bridge with their wings so that Orihime and Hikoboshi could meet. Mio comments that Deneb is a nice star, and Taki points out the star a little above and to the left of Altair. With that, they form the dolphin constellation. Mio sees it, and says that now that he mentions it, it looks like it's swimming. She asks if there's also a whale, and Taki says that there is. She asks where, and he tells that it's visible in autumn. Looking sad, Mio says, “I see... so both the charm and the whale in the sky are missing.” Taki starts to say her name as Mio rests against his shoulder. Once it's light out, she'll look for the charm again, and will definitely find it. Thinking about what happened with Marui and Akane's words, Mio repeats, “I'll definitely, definitely, definitely find it.” Taki asks if it's that serious; she can't help it if she can't find it... but stops when he sees how upset she looks. Thinking that she absolutely won't betray Taki, she says that she has to find it. Remembering when Akane told him that people's feelings can change, he tells Mio, “All right, we'll definitely find it. If we search together, we'll definitely find it.” Seeing his smile, Mio says, “Right!”

The next morning, they wake up to heavy rain. As the others talk about how they didn't bring umbrellas and the forecast seems to call for rain through the afternoon, Mio is off finding an umbrella. She tells Taki she has to go look, and he tells her that she won't be able to see well enough in the downpour. Mio protests that, with this heavy rain, she doesn't know where it might wash away to if she leaves it alone. She could have dropped it anywhere out there. Taki takes the umbrella and says, in that case, he can run to the store and take a look. He hurries out, and Mio runs up and grabs him from behind. She tells him to wait – he can't do that! It's her responsibility to find what she lost, and she can't leave it to Taki alone. She'll find it herself. She thinks that, with the timing of her charm simply disappearing, it might just be her imagination, but... It feels like something invisible is testing her.

Chapter 26: Hurry...

The chapter starts with Taki on his way to look for Mio. As he starts down the street, he notices that Akane is also on her way out. She tells him that her parents are both late getting home today, so she's going to go buy something to eat. Taki asks if she wants to come his house, then, since everyone made curry. She asks what he means by “everyone,” and he tells her that it's Mio and some others. Starting to get a bit concerned, she asks who else is there, and Taki tells her that the only people she would know are Mio and Marui (and Yuki is home, too). Akane flashes back to her encounter with Marui at the train station, and mutters, “I don't believe it... honestly, that guy...” Taki doesn't really hear her, and looks back and asks, “Do you not like curry?” Thinking that she isn't going to let Marui interfere, she says that she'll come. Speaking of which, where is Taki going by himself? What about Mio? He explains that she went to pick up some extra ingredients, but is taking too long getting back, so he's going to look around for her. Akane asks if she went alone. She can't have gone with him, can she? Taki asks who she means, and she responds, “That failure!” Marui? Why? Though, come to think of it, Taki didn't see him around when he was on his way out...

Hearing that, Akane grabs his hand and starts running (though she isn't certain where exactly to go). He wonders what she's doing, and she tells him to hurry. She starts to explain, “Nao, I think you should look out for that guy. I think it would be better if he wasn't with Ootaka-san! I think that he probably...” Taki cuts her off, saying, “Yeah. He probably does.” Akane asks him why, if he's noticed that, would he not try to stop Marui? Taki explains that if Marui fails his algebra exam, then he'll miss summer break. And he'll probably be the only one, so... Akane shakes him, yelling, “Idiot! Why are you aiding the enemy!?” Taki tells her that these are two different issues, and she replies that they aren't; they're together, so he's giving Marui a chance. Taki smiles a little, and tells her that Mio has always been on his side, so now he's going to trust her. Akane softens a little, and starts walking again. She tells him, “It's not like I'm saying I think that Ootaka-san is going to betray you. I don't think that, but... I'm saying that feelings can change. It doesn't matter what your intentions are.” Thinking about Marui, Akane continues, “No matter how much you think you'll dislike someone, before you know it... it turns out that isn't the case...” Akane realizes that she's been talking about Marui, and thinks that no – she still hates him! Blushing, she turns back to Taki and concludes, “Anyway! People's feelings aren't permanent! Lack of preparedness is your greatest enemy!!” Taki looks at Akane quizzically for a moment, then asks, “Akane... Do you know something?” She pauses, then tells him it's just hunch.

Outside the store, Marui and Mio are finishing with rounding up the bottles that fell out of the bag. Mio asks if they should go get a new bag, but Marui figures he can just carry it under his arm. He asks if her vegetables and such are all right, and she thinks that they are. As Mio stands up, she cringes over a pain in her ankle. Marui is looking at a text message from Ishida (complaining about his dry throat) and doesn't notice Mio's injury. Mio asks if the message says to hurry, and he tells her it's just an annoying note from Ishida. Mio says they should hurry, but Marui soon notices that she's limping and asks if her left leg hurts. Thinking, “He caught me...” Mio says that she just twisted her ankle a little. Marui worries that she might have broken something, and Mio waves it off. She can walk just fine! She suggests they hurry again, thinking that she doesn't want him to look at her with that serious expression again (like when she fell down in the last chapter). She tries to hurry back, but Marui stops her, telling her she can't hurry. She really needs to stop pushing herself. Mio starts to protests, “But, the curry...” and Marui takes the bag, telling her again that she can't rush back on that leg. Mio tells him that the bag isn't heavy, and he says he's fine with carrying it. It's his fault, anyway. Looking back, he tells her that if she hurries any more, he'll have to carry her back to Taki's house. Mio tells him that won't be necessary, and Marui goes on ahead. Mio wonders if it's OK to go on like this... Of course, telling Taki [that Marui confessed] would probably be unpleasant. He would worry when they're together like this... They approach a flight of stairs, and Marui tells Mio to hold on to him. Mio says it's fine; there's a handrail. Marui asks her to imagine that there was an elderly man or woman, unsteadily trying to go down the stairs, and a young man like him was there... Mio says he would help them... then asks who he's calling a tottering elderly person? Marui laughs and says it's the same basic situation, right? Mio thinks that's true; she's reading too much into it. Mio asks if the young man will offer her a hand, and he reaches out to her.

Right as they start down the stairs, Mio's ankle gives out again, and she falls down against Marui. Mio apologizes and asks if he's OK, explaining that her ankle gave out again. Their eyes meet, and Mio pushes him away, saying, “Sorry...” Marui pulls her back towards him, as Taki and Akane round the corner to the bottom of the stairs. A kid runs into Akane, causing her to miss the action, but Taki gets there just in time to see Marui lean in to try to kiss Mio. She jerks away, crying out about the pain in her leg. As Akane complains about that brat who ran into her, Taki looks up the stairway in stunned silence. Akane sees his expression, then looks up and spots Mio and Marui. She yells up at them, “What are you doing!?” Mio sees Taki, and realizes that he saw that. She thinks that this is a misunderstanding... right? She panics, wondering what to do and not sure how to explain. Akane starts up the stairs, asking why the two of them are sitting there. Marui starts to explain: Earlier, Mio hurt her ankle, and just now she fell down. Akane sees Mio's and ankle, and comments that it does seem to be bruising... Is she all right? Mio says she thinks so, probably... Taki comes up and reaches out his hand. Looking a little sad, he asks, “Are you all right?” Taki helps her, and they go on ahead. Akane glances back at Marui's face as he watches Mio leave with Taki. Blushing, she tells him that since she was also invited for dinner, she'll take the bag with the food. She leaves, and Marui leans back against the wall.

Back at his house, Taki tends to Mio's ankle with a first aid kit. He tells her that it's a little swollen, and she should avoid putting her weight on her left ankle so she doesn't twist it again. Mio thanks him, and the others comment that it's good Mio didn't roll her ankle badly enough to break it. Inoji questions where “that girl” came from, motioning towards Akane. Mio explains that she's Taki's next door neighbor, and Akane adds that she was invited for dinner. It's no big deal. Ishida says she looks familiar, and Shii figures that Akane goes to their school. While they talk, Mio thinks that Akane's behavior doesn't seem to indicate that she saw when Marui almost kissed her. Mio is glad; not even having talked about being confessed to yet, if they'd seen that... Shii asks Taki about the plates for dinner, and Mio tries to offer to help. Taki smiles at her, telling her to rest. As he heads back towards the kitchen, his smile fades away. Mio thinks that she needs to hurry and talk to him about Marui's confession. She picks up her phone and sends Taki a message. As she does, Marui finally arrives. Ishida asks where he went that took him so long (and points out the bag is broken). Marui tells him he dropped it, but not to worry. He sighs that he's hungry, and Ishida tells him the curry is done. Marui follows him into the kitchen, leaving Akane and Mio alone.

Akane points out that Mio still has her purse, and Mio nervously laughs about it. Akane asks how that's funny, as Mio wonders why she's feeling so nervous if she doesn't think Akane saw Marui attempt to kiss her. She tries to calm herself, then realizes that the charm Taki gave her is missing from her purse. It was there when she went shopping earlier... She starts looking around the room for it, and Akane asks what she's doing. Mio tries to think of where she could have dropped it, and gets up to look around the house. Akane calls out to her again, and she says she's going to the bathroom. Not seeing it in the hall, Mio figures that she must have dropped it along the street. In that case, the longer she waits, the harder it will get to recover it. She can't look right now... But it may have been hit by a car or bike, or have fallen in a ditch (Mio pictures it crying over its abandonment). She'll look for it tomorrow... At dinner, Ishida is pestering Yuki again (she's commanding him to sit). Shii comments that he's getting some training again, and Inoji recalls that Ishida used to act like that around the older girls in middle school. Marui laughs that he has a thing for older women. Yuni asks Shii if there's leftover curry, and Mio offers to get her another (large) helping. Taki asks her if he should help her do it, but she says she's fine. She has an awkward run-in with Marui in the kitchen, and Taki looks down sadly after seeing them together. Mio comes to ask if he wants seconds, and Taki is too distracted to hear her at first. When she finally gets his attention, he tells her that he's finished. He takes his plate to the kitchen, and Mio sits back down a few seats from Marui. The chapter ends with Taki glancing back at them again, as Mio thinks that she wants to hurry and talk to Taki, soon.

Chapter 24: Overnight Study Session, and...!?

The chapter begins with Ishida explaining that, after what happened with the last set of exams and the supplementary lessons, the basketball team canceled practice to study, primarily for Marui's sake. Ichii must have spoken to the team adviser for them to cancel. Yuni points out that it won't be basketball to blame, if Marui fails this time. Well, he has to get thirty points, so he needs to work hard today! Watching them talk, Mio tells herself to calm down; it will be all right. This is a study session, so if she's concentrating on her textbook and notes, it doesn't matter who else is there. She hears Taki call her name, and he directs her to the refrigerator to put away the desserts she's holding. As she's putting things away, she mentions that Taki didn't seem surprised when an extra person showed up. He explains that Ishida let him know ahead of time that [Marui] was coming. From the other room, they hear someone wondering where they should start studying, and Yuni says she figured they'd just study on their own. Ishida replies that doing that would be catastrophic for Marui and Ootaka's algebra scores, which would be too pitiful. Turning to Taki, Yuni figures that Taki is going to teach them, right? Taki says that he is (with an arrow explaining that neither of them seems to see any conflict in that), and Mio pulls back nervously. She awkwardly bows, thanking Taki for his continued assistance, and it occurs to Ishida that she's Taki's boyfriend. He sort of jokingly reminds them that it's a study session, so they shouldn't spend it flirting. Shii shoves him away, and volunteers to join them in studying algebra. Mio suggests that they all work together, thinking that she doesn't need to be told not to flirt in these circumstances. (Ishida is asking Shii why she shoved him like that – it hurt!)

They gather around the table to work, and Inoji sees that Marui is about to sit next to Shii (where he planned to sit). He reminds Marui that he was going to be studying with Taki, so he should go sit next to him. Marui moves, and Ishida comes in to join the group. He plans to sit at the table with them, but finds that there are no more chairs. They tease him that he can just go back to sitting in the other room, and Taki offers to go get another chair. Mio gets up to assist him, and they head toward the second floor. Taki explains that there's an extra chair in his room, and Mio starts to get a little excited. It's her first time in his room. She looks around, and notices the opened window. It has a relaxing feel to it... Mio exclaims over the impressive number of books, and Taki says that they're mostly his father's. In the past, Taki's room was his father's study. Mio comes over to help Taki clear the books that are piled on the chair, and asks if she can just put them wherever there's free space. Taki tells her that they all have a particular place to go, so Mio asks where to put the one she's holding. He tells her he'll put them away later, so she can just leave it on the desk for now. As Mio prepares to do that, the door slams shut. They're startled for a moment, then Taki realizes that it was blown shut by the wind. Mio puts the books down, remarking that it really scared her. She pauses, and notices that she can hear the wind through the trees. Mio comments on how quiet it is with the door shut, and Taki replies that it completely blocks the noise from the people downstairs. Blushing again, Mio says, “With it being so quiet, it sort of feels like it's just the two of us here...” Realizing what she just said, Mio quickly says, “Never mind! We need to hurry and take the chair...” She grabs the rest of the books and tries to rush them to the desk, but Taki puts his arms around her from behind. She starts to question what he's doing, and he reminds her of what she said in the last chapter about avoiding public displays of affection. Mio remembers that whole weird scene, and hides her face. She said that to him, didn't she? She says, “...Everyone is downstairs...” Taki responds, “Yeah, just for a second.” Turning to face him, Mio realizes that the distance she'd been putting between them may have been making Taki feel lonely.

As they're about to kiss, the door flies open, and they hear, “Hey, Nao! What's with all the people downstairs? You didn't tell me anything about this!” (Some of the books come tumbling down, and Mio thinks: “Ah, your father's books!”) Taki turns toward her, and says, “Yuki? Why...” Hearing that, Mio turns around quickly to get a look. His sister!? Wow, she's really cute... Noticing someone else in the room, Yuki says, “Huh? Miwa!?” Looking a little annoyed, Taki explains, “Yuki, this is my girlfriend. Ootaka Mio.” Yuki just says, “Ah,” realizing her mistake (with a note that she didn't see anything but Mio's hair). Mio nervously gives a very formal introduction, and Yuki smiles and says, “That's right, I've heard about you, Mio-chan!” Mio tugs on Taki's sleeve, telling him that his sister is really adorable, and he continues to look annoyed. Yuki says she just wanted to mess with him a little, and they hurry down to take the chair. As they leave, Mio looks back at Taki's room, thinking, “Miwa, huh?”

Back downstairs, Yuki introduces herself to everyone, explaining that she hadn't planned on being home, but her schedule changed. It looks like she's intruded on their studying. Ishida rushes over to tell her that no, they're the ones intruding! He grabs Marui and explains that he was on the verge of death in algebra, so they couldn't stand back and watch. Marui grumbles that's not true, and Yuki comes over. She asks if his scores are really that bad, and leans forward to look at his paper. As she does, Marui and Ishida both very obviously look down the top of her dress. Standing back up, she tells Marui that he is indeed failing, but he can surely do it if he works hard. They beam at her, and the girls glare over at them. Yuni says something like, “Well, they are guys,” as Mio thinks that Marui is mooning over her. Like she thought, he's interested in looks; confessing to her was just done on impulse. It was never anything to worry over. Turning back to her work, Mio thinks what a waste it was to worry. Ishida calls out to Yuki to help them study (since she's a college student), and she tells them she has her own report to work on. Get Nao to teach them. More importantly, what are they doing for dinner? Mio tells her that they were planning to buy some things and make curry. Yuki asks if she can have some, and Ishida excitedly tells her that of course she can! They should eat together! Thinking, “You again?” she explains that she was going to eat in her room. He whines that they should eat together, then asks Yuki what her cooking is like. She answers that it's awful, and he calls her modest. She says that, basically, she can peel and core apples. As Ishida replies that he'll eat the cores, Yuki begins to picture him as a hyper puppy. She smacks him on the forehead, yelling, “Heel! Sit!” He follows her directions, so she continues to, “Paw!” He gives her his “paw,” and she pats him on the head. She tells him not to be so impulsive, and he barks in ascent. In the background, everyone looks on in embarrassment. Yuki tells Ishida to study hard, and call her when the food is ready.

The chapter runs through some scenes of everyone studying, then going off to shop. Back at Taki's house, they've started cooking. Mio sticks her head into the kitchen to say that she put out the spoons and to ask if there's anything else that needs done. Shii tells her that there isn't right now, so Mio can take a break. Ishida comments that he was surprised to see that Taki was the one doing the cooking. Yuni says that she figured he probably just ate supplements and such, and Taki replies that he does when he's by himself. But sometimes Yuki gets him to cook, so he's used to it. Looking a little concerned, Mio asks about Taki's mother. He tells her that for now, both of his parents are away. Shii asks about the sunglasses, and he says that yes, they're for cutting the onions. Ishida and Inoji both note that they found it more surprising that Mio can't cook. As they go back to talk to Marui, Mio thinks that, at the moment, she feels like a completely useless person. Then, she hears Shii saying from the kitchen that she messed up, and only bought enough ingredients to make food for the original number of people. Mio quickly volunteers to go back to the store and buy what they need. As she starts out, Taki starts to say he'll go with her, but people start asking him questions about how to operate the stove and where the bowls are, so he can't. On her way out, Mio runs into Yuki, who smiles and sees her off. Mio smiles back, telling her that she's going. As she heads toward the store, Mio runs the ingredients she needs through her head – potatoes, onions, meat, tomatoes – but can't help but remember Yuki calling her “Miwa.” She tries to talk herself out of thinking it was a big deal, but hearing his ex-girlfriend's name in that room, in that situation... it makes her imagination run wild.

She hears her name called, and turns to see Marui. He announces that he's going, too, to buy more drinks. Mio tries to offer to get them herself, but he was planning to buy 1.5L bottles, so she probably couldn't carry them all herself. As they pass a store, a little girl's mother is yelling to her to be careful; it's getting dark out, so watch for cars. Looking at the back of his head, Mio wonders if Marui actually came with her because it was getting dark. She remembers him telling her that he likes her, then tries to tell that echo in her head to stop. After they've walked a bit, Marui apologizes for coming there today. Ishida dragged him there, so... Mio stiffly tells him not to worry about it, and he tells her that her voice seems to say the opposite thing. Mio puts her head down and tells him she can't help it; she's the one who can't act normal. She's apologizes, telling him she isn't used to things like this. Marui asks, “Taki is the first person you've gone out with, right?” Mio says yes, then remembers something. She's not sure this counts, but there may have been someone else. Marui asks when, and Mio tells him about something that happened in their third year of middle school. She confessed via email, and got a reply saying, “OK.” But two days later, she got another email saying, “We should probably break up.” Marui doesn't have much of a response, saying, “Ah... Well, that's...” and Mio laughs it off. Like she figured, that didn't count. She hasn't seen or heard from him since. Marui starts to wonder who it might have been, thinking about how he might have been with him in the basketball or soccer club... They finish shopping, and Mio notices that Marui bought a lot of drinks. He tells her that it didn't seem like that before he bought it, and Mio laughs. She thinks that she's glad; since she was honest about her feelings, it feels like she's been able to talk normally with him. Even so, rather than being nervous like her, Marui seems composed. Maybe it's the difference in their experience levels...

Getting back to talking about their purchases, Mio figures that the bag must be heavy, right? Marui starts to say that it's not a big deal, but the handle on the bag tears. The bottles roll out, and they hurry to grab them. Mio notices that one is about to roll into the street, and she lunges to stop it. She lands awkwardly right next to the road, and Marui yells, “Ootaka!?” She turns to tell him that she's safe, somehow. He doesn't seem to hear her and appears genuinely worried as he grabs her shoulder, asking, “Are you all right!?” Mio says yes, she's completely fine. He puts his head down and says he thought she collapsed by the side of the road... He apologizes, saying that he should have carried the bag more carefully. Looking at the expression on his face, Mio starts to laugh. She tells him that when the bag broke and the bottles started to spill out, they must have looked hilariously idiotic. Marui looks away, a little embarrassed, and responds, “Ah... Idiotic, huh? I am an idiot...” In her head, Mio thanks him, wanting him to stay laid back like usual. Meanwhile, back at Taki's house, they start to get concerned that Mio is taking so long. Yuni points out that they can't do any more without the ingredients, and wonders if Mio got lost. Shii wonders if she could have, inside the neighborhood, and Yuni notes that there are some twists in the road. She says she'll try messaging her, and Taki tells her that he'll go look. On his way out, Taki thinks that the street leading up to the train station does seem like a place someone might get lost. The chapter ends with Mio thinking that when Marui loses his composure and gets that frantic look on his face, somehow, it makes her worry. (She is also clinging to a bottle of “Popsi.”)

Chapter 24: Test Period

The chapter begins with Mio and Taki on the train, going to school. Mio is excited, because it's the first time she's been able to get a seat in the morning. Taki says that this may be the first time he's been able to sit, too. He explains that he doesn't sit, even when it's not crowded, so he can get off the train right away. It's usually not too crowded this early in the morning. Mio suggests they take this train for a while, and Taki agrees. As Mio thinks that she's making a sort of underhanded promise, Taki yawns. She asks if he's tired, and he tells her he's fine (with his eyes closed). Mio apologizes to Taki in her head for having him meet her so early. But she's afraid of what might happen if they were to accidentally run into Marui... She's considered telling Taki what happened, but if she does, she has a feeling it will make things more tense and only make her feel more guilty. She doesn't want to make Taki worry for no reason... As she's thinking it over, Taki's head drops onto her shoulder, and Mio notices how his hair turns a sort of light brown in the light. Taki's head starts to drift over onto the shoulder of the man on his other side, so Mio pulls him back towards her. Mio smiles, thinking it's nice they can let their guards down like this. She rests her head on his, and also drifts off. After some time, Akane finds them, and yells at them to wake up. Honestly, what did they think would happen if they both slept on the train? Mio tells her that she saved them; she never noticed that Akane took the same train. Akane explains that she gets on at a different door, and Mio tells her she should ride with them. A still half asleep Taki starts to wander into the road, and Mio yells at him to watch out for the cars. Watching them, Akane recalls that Marui told her he confessed to Mio. By the looks of things, Nao doesn't seem to know. However, Mio seems to be acting normally, too... Was Marui lying? Akane calls out, “Ah, Marui-senpai,” which causes Mio to panic and let go of Taki's hand. That seems to confirm it for Akane, and she says, “...I was mistaken.” (When Mio sees the guy Akane supposedly confused for Marui, she thinks that he doesn't look like him at all.) Akane runs off in the other direction, thinking, “He really did confess to her!” Mio is left wondering what just happened.

In the classroom, Yuni and Shii arrive to find Mio at Taki's desk. They say good morning, and ask if they're working on algebra. Mio tells them no; Taki is copying her literature homework. They point out that it's rare for Taki to do that, and he explains he fell asleep midway through. Yuni concurs: Literature puts her to sleep! As Mio comments that algebra does that for her, a feather flutters through the window. It lands in Taki's hair, and Mio starts to point it out to Taki. As she reaches to remove it for him, she hears Marui's friends call out to him (saying he's early). She withdraws her hand, and tries guiding him to it instead. He grabs the feather himself, and Shii wonders where it came from. Yuni suggests that maybe a pigeon flew by... Anyway, why is Mio distancing herself? Mio laughs, and says it's nothing... She thinks that she unconsciously did that when Marui arrived. At lunch, Mio spots Taki (who has just finished talking to his friends from the aquarium) with an unfamiliar drink. He tells her it's a limited edition tomato cola. She asks him what it's like – is it good? He tells her yes, and offers her some. She starts to accept, then sees Marui over her shoulder and runs off again. Leaving school, Mio and Taki are holding hands, and he tells her that he'll be meeting up with his friends tomorrow (who are shown as pictures in the speech bubble, since they haven't been named). Mio says she'll go home early, then, and spots Marui behind them on the stairs. She jerks away from Taki and smacks into the wall (with Taki saying it made quite a noise). Mio thinks that she was too conspicuous this time. Marui says “later” to them as he passes. Taki says good bye, and Mio eventually does, too. Mio thinks that she has to stop this; when Marui enters her line of sight... Taki seems concerned, and says, “...Mio?” She tries to explain that after the “idiot couple” scene they made with everyone watching on the train the other morning, maybe they shouldn't hold hands in public. Mio thinks that her desperate excuse doesn't sound good, either. When she thinks that they might be seen [by Marui], even just being with Taki like usual is stressful.

The next day, Mio is laying down on her desk, tired. She's thinking how bad it is that she's been unable to act like her usual self, when Ichii comes to ask if she's paying attention. He teases her about staying up late to study to avoid failing. He points out that if “that area” of the class (referring to Mio and Marui's desks) would do well, their class would be at the top for their year. There are about two weeks until the end of the term! If they don't do well, they will be missing out on summer break. After class, Yuni sighs. End of the term, huh... Mio asks Yuni what's wrong, as Shii points out that it's strange to see her getting down over tests. Yuni explains that her younger brother has hit a rebellious stage, and she hasn't been able to concentrate on her studies at home (as she pictures her brother and parents yelling at each other). Mio seems to recall that Yuni had four siblings, and Yuni corrects her: There are six of them, including herself. Yuni is the oldest, then there are: twin boys in their second year of middle school; another girl in her first year of middle school; the rebellious brother in his sixth year of elementary school; and the youngest brother in his second year of elementary school. As Yuni explains the unrest in her house, Mio thinks that she must be dealing with some tough things, too... Mio suggests that they all get together to study. This weekend, they could have something like an overnight training camp! Yuni agrees, asking Shii if she has volleyball. Shii says they're on break, so they decide they'll be studying together. As Mio is thinking it will be fun, since she hasn't gotten together with the girls like that in a while, Ishida overhears them and volunteers himself to join. He's saved; they've started construction in his neighborhood, and it's been far too noisy at his house, too. Mio stammers that that must be rough, and he agrees. So, this is perfect... Now, considering the number of people... Mio realizes that he really isn't kidding, and Ishida suggests they meet at Inoji's house. Inoji seems surprised (and Yuni looks unhappy, too), as Ishida explains that Inoji's house should be big enough for six people. Inoji tells him not to interfere with the girls, and addresses Shii. Shii explains that, this time, it was going to just be the girls (as Mio looks sick, figuring that Marui is being included if they're looking for room for “six people”). As Shii tries to explain, Yuni grabs Taki and pulls him over. She says that [Mio and Marui] studied at Taki's house before, so they should do that again! Taki still has no idea what they're talking about (as Ishida says that's fine with him). He turns to Mio, and she explains that she'd been planning with Yuni and Shii to get together and have sort of an overnight training camp to study this weekend... Yuni asks Taki if they can do it at his house, and Mio explains that they didn't stay over last time. So, it would be a burden for him... However, Taki smiles, and says they can. Mio asks if he's sure that it's all right, and Taki assures her that it's fine. Most likely, only Yuki will be there. Mio recalls that Yuki is Taki's sister (momentarily distracting her from her worry), but Yuni comments that Taki can teach Mio and Marui math again. Mio starts to panic; that would be way too much for her. Shii starts to suggest again that maybe it should be just the girls, but Marui tells them, “I'll pass.” Ishida protests that if they're all there, then they can help each other with their weaknesses and it will be more fun. He encourages Marui not to give up on summer break so soon, and Marui tells them not to make decisions for him. Didn't he already say he'd be working at the basketball club for as long as possible? They give up; they'll just do it without Marui this time. Shii seems relieved, while Mio thinks that was dangerously close. She was planning on a somewhat relaxed girls-only gathering, which turned into a very uncomfortable weekend...

After school ends, Mio goes to her shoe locker and hears Shii calling her name. Shii asks if she's on her way home by herself, and Mio explains that Taki is meeting up with his friends. Shii looks like something is bothering her, and Mio asks her what's wrong. Shii tells her, “Well, uh... I heard from Marui... He told me he confessed to you.” Mio panics, and asks if he's been telling people. Shii assures her that he hasn't; she thinks he's only told her. Shii explains that Marui probably doesn't want her to tell Mio, but he asked her to let him know if Mio seemed to be worried about how he was acting. He really does like her; Shii explains that she was a little surprised by how serious he seemed when he made that request. Looking down sadly, Mio says that she was also surprised (Shii tells her that she noticed). Marui said things could be the same as always, but she finds herself worrying about being close to and talking with Taki in front of Marui... Shii tells that she doesn't need to worry about that; she thinks it can be the same, like he said. But, Mio says, it might be painful for him. Shii agrees that it might be painful, but she thinks that it's the same as it has been for a while. He was probably prepared for that painful blow when he dared to confess to her. Mio's eyes widen, and she thinks back over the things Marui had done for her recently. She seems to realize that he probably felt the same way all along. Seeing Mio's reaction, Shii clarifies that she didn't tell Mio this to make her feel bad; rather, it's an awkward time, and Shii will back her up! Mio thinks about that, and asks Shii if that was why she was trying to keep the boys out of their weekend plans. She says yes, once she heard them mention three people... She was planning to firmly oppose it, until Marui said he would pass. Shii makes sure that was the only reason Mio minded that it wasn't girls-only, and Mio says it's fine. But, if the other girls are against, she can let Taki know. Shii says it's fine with her (and Yuni was the one who dragged Taki into in the first place). She realizes that she has to go, and says good bye to Mio. Mio thinks about how Shii was helping her out, and yells back to her, “Thank you! I love you!!” Shii laughs and waves back, saying, “Thank you!” On her way home, Mio thinks that she suddenly felt reassured, finding out that someone else knows what's going on and can share in her concerns. She'll do her best; there's no right answer. If it's a problem she can only worry about until she's able to get a handle on it... Mio looks up, and sees an airplane in the sky. She thinks, for now, she'll focus on what's in front of her.

The weekend arrives, and Mio, Yuni, and Shii arrive at Taki's for their study session. Taki welcomes them in, and Mio thinks that for now, what she'll focus on is passing her algebra final. Mio tells Taki that she brought a gift for his household, and Taki tells her that his sister said she won't be home today. So, since no one will be there, they can all just eat it. Mio starts getting nervous, thinking about how she'll be alone with Taki at his house overnight... (Yuni and Shii seem to guess what she's thinking, pointing out that they'll all be there, too.) Mio suggests that they put the desserts away until everyone gets there, and the girls go inside. They wonder if the guys are there yet, and Taki says they haven't shown up. As Yuni complains about the lack of organization, they see that Inoji and Ishida have arrived. They greet each other, and Ishida asks if everyone just arrived. They tell him they did, to which he replies, “So, all seven of us are present.” Mio and Shii correct him – it's just six, right? Ishida calls, “Hurry up, Marui...” The chapter ends as Mio realizes that Marui ended up coming for the weekend.