Her first impression hadn’t changed – he was an outgoing boy, definitely popular with girls. He’d steadily become more tanned, and taller too, it seemed. And she was startled when she saw the skin on his cheeks appear to be peeling off – maybe all he did was skip school and hang around outside? He didn’t seem like the type to spend time with a gang of dropout friends.

‘Where is everyone?’ he asked.

‘It’s just the two of us today, Kokoro-chan and me,’ Fuka answered. ‘Subaru-kun was here this morning, but everyone else has something on over the summer.’

Kokoro glanced at the clock. It was after four.

Rion cast a look around the Game Room, bereft of any boys, and murmured, ‘Hmm. So Masamune’s not here either. That’s odd. I was hoping he’d let me play his video games.’

‘I think I upset him,’ Kokoro said, and Rion looked at her.

‘Really? How?’

Kokoro explained what had happened.

‘I told him I thought RPGs were too long and complicated, and he got angry. He really put me down, and I felt pretty irritated too, to be honest.’

But still …

‘But he said I could still play his games.’

Masamune had told her he’d be willing to lend her some of his games. It was Kokoro’s stubbornness that had made her refuse his offer.

‘I see – I don’t know much about games myself. But I do think you should apologize. I think Masamune must be worried about it, too – worried that he went too far with what he said.’

He said it so casually Kokoro nodded in assent.

‘I’ll definitely apologize as soon as I see him.’

AT DINNER THAT EVENING, KOKORO’S father was still at work, so she ate alone with her mother.

Her mother had made it home just as the rice Kokoro had rinsed and poured into the rice cooker was ready. She changed her clothes and put on an apron.

Work kept her mother too busy to cook dinner, so she’d picked up some salad and gyoza at a shop in the Careo mall. ‘Sorry about this,’ she said, but Kokoro actually liked the food from that shop. The salad they made had nuts in it and was more interesting than the salad her mother usually threw together.

As she was getting the food ready, her mother said, ‘Kokoro?’

Her voice was calm, with a detectable hint of steeliness.

‘What?’ Kokoro said, bracing herself.

‘Did you – go somewhere during the day?’

Kokoro’s heart began to thump.

‘What?’ Kokoro said, a beat late. Her mother had been putting the plates down on the table, but she stopped and looked at her daughter. Kokoro was fetching the chopsticks.

‘I’m not cross or anything. If you feel like going out, that’s fine. And luckily, it’s the summer holidays now.’