The golden glow of dusk streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a café.
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans, mingling with the sweet scent of cake.
Kazehara Tetsu stirred the coffee in his cup with a small silver spoon. It had gone cold long ago.
Across from him, Ichinose Honami held a glass of lemonade in both hands.
"Kazehara, thank you so much for what you did before!"
"If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have known how to face Chihiro... You helped me with a huge problem."
"You don't have to take it so seriously. We're classmates. Helping each other is only natural."
Kazehara Tetsu's words were casual and light.
His easygoing attitude only made Ichinose Honami feel more guilty.
"That's not the same... Not at all!"
She shook her head, her eyes full of earnestness. "A favor is a favor, but this time, you used your own reputation to solve a personal problem of mine. You confessed to me in front of other people, then I rejected you in front of them... I..."
Her voice grew quieter with each word, as if merely remembering the scene made the guilt press down on her until she could hardly breathe.
"It's fine. Didn't you say there weren't many people around at the time? Besides, I don't think it did anything to damage my reputation. It doesn't matter."
"No, that's not the point!"
She looked up sharply, her tone more serious than ever. "Whether anyone knows about it is one thing. Whether I can bring myself to understand it is another!"
"From my perspective, I'm the one who wronged you, Kazehara. You were willing to damage your own reputation to help me and solve such a huge problem. I absolutely can't pretend that this favor