Since the start of the new school year, Ryou has kept a distance with all the schoolchildren and never thought to meet them outside the schools. He liked to be alone, and he referred to his thoughts that he did not need new faces and that his acquaintances should stay within the school.

He needed his old friends.

On one of the April days, Ryou stayed at home and finished all of his school tasks a week in advance, which meant that he had an incredible amount of free time. Ryou, knowing this, considered himself a slacker, but did not want to decide anything about it, because he was attracted by his current position, in which he has the possibility to be in his own comfort zone.

At least that's what he thought until some time later, looking out the window at the city at night, he heard a phone call.

That was the day he decided to go outside at the behest of his classmates.

As he went outside and discussed the whole situation Yumiko and Glenn had come into contact with, he was under the embrace of colourful rays that were shining near his home and realized that his life in a new city simply could not be under his comfort zone, and decided to help by trusting the word of someone I know.

Remembering that he had run away from his parents' house because they had moved without his own opinion, he felt sorry for Yoshiro the day they met, so he decided to ask Glenn when they were at his apartment.

"Does the child have next of kin? He can't stay with you forever."

Ryou received a reply from Glenn in the form of a slight smile, after which the young man became a bit stale. They were talking, snuggling up against the bar in the corner of the room.

Glenn turned his eyes back on the child who was sitting on the couch with Yumiko. "Do you really accept yourself at this moment, looking at the child? Personally, I don't feel like Yoshiro-kun, but I'm only helping him out of choice."

Ryou realised that Glenn, by stagnating him a few seconds earlier, had learned of the feelings hidden within him by the mere sight of his eyes, since he had not even noticed his face showing concern for the child at the time.

Ryou lost the conversation to Glenn without even being a part of it.

"Like you, Ryou-san, I too feel responsible for the child."

Ryou claimed that he wanted to help the child, but could not know the reason for his own desires, and he was tormented by the thought of it. Hesitating, he could barely hide the feelings on his face.

The next early evening, Tokyo was snowed by spring snow. Yumiko walked out the door of the entrance and at the same time moved from the harsh cold. Ryou stood a few meters in front of her.

He felt that his comfort zone was crumbling and that further relations with Yumiko were inevitable. With his nose up, Ryou stretched out his jacket to Yumiko and carelessly covered part of his face with a thin jacket collar. He was still uncomfortable with the fact that he had come personally to help a friend.

Yumiko took his robe and put it on her fragile body. Ryou saw how cute and stupid she looked in it. A snowball flew into his head. Inexplicably looking back at the child who made snow balls, he realized that this child had in a short time managed to change Ryou's future life in Tokyo, because it was Yoshiro who created the situation after which a young man stopped hiding more from people. In good faith, he and the boy play a little snowball.

Ryou pondered whether this was the right time to begin to blend in with the new people, or whether it would be better to leave it as it was. He couldn't exactly answer himself, but he liked being here and now.

Two days before the events, Akiko ran towards Yumiko after school.

Looking at Yumiko's humble gaze, angry Akiko thought Yumiko was the fool who made her chase after her.

"In that case, help me... please!"

Yumiko helplessly accepted her request, through which she committed herself to sharing new knowledge of Ryou's personality.

Knowing that from that moment on she had developed some kind of relationship with Yumiko, Akiko could not keep the joy off her face. It was quite remarkable for Akiko to realize the fact that she had taken the first step and further bonded with Ryou.

As she walked into the unsociable school checkroom to retrieve her jacket, her gaze met that of a young man who was smiling at her with his brown eyes.

"The idol of the whole school herself," he addressed her in a sly voice.

It was Tomoyuki, leaning against one of the school cabinets. Akiko instantly recognized him by his untucked white shirt without a jacket and his dark brown hair.

"Do you need something, Yamashita-kun?"

"Why so serious? I just wanted to talk to my classmate."

"Really? We used to communicate only within the confines of school, and with great discontinuity."

"I'd like to rectify that situation. After all, it's not for nothing that we've known each other for a year now."

"Okay," Akiko sighed. "And what are you so eager to talk to me about?"

Tomoyuki looked up at the ceiling, contemplating certain things with a satisfied face.

"I've really been watching your whole development all the way up to the level of a popular girl at our school," he continued slowly. "But that's not what this is about right now. Really, how important can it be to talk about the past if one is moving toward the future?"

"Yes, we have indeed known each other for a very long time."

"I've noticed you've become involved with the silent girl from Class A. Yumiko Sato, an attractive and appealing girl with whom no one wants to communicate. Can you figure out why? It's because she's cold to everyone. So why would you, an idol, want to compete with a schoolgirl who doesn't care at all about your intentions?"

"I have personal intentions."

"What are they?"

"What do you care?" wondered Akiko, getting a little angry, which Tomoyuki tried to calm her down by waving her hand.

"I'm interested in her."

The maiden froze, trying to figure out if she'd misheard by any chance. Soon, her face overflowed with a chuckle, and she chuckled. "Really? You, also on Yumiko Sato?"

"She has one guy in her social circle at the moment, remembered by the maidens on her first day for his beauty. There's another one, but I don't know him. I can see why you decided to pick on Yumiko Sato-she's the only one who talks to Ryou Hayashi in public."

"How do you know about all this?"

"I already answered your question. I'm interested in her."

Tomoyuki thought, he didn't tell her for nothing. Not only was he interested in Yumiko, but Akiko herself, along with Ryou Hayashi.

"Not only that," the maiden added, coughing. "Yumiko Sato is Ryou-kun's girlfriend, but only technically. She's his pretend girlfriend and there's no love between them."

"Oh, I guess I wasn't supposed to know that fact."

"I don't care about her, but I understand Ryou-kun. Not wanting to want an influx of restless schoolgirls, he had to make that move. And that hypocrite Yumiko took advantage of his trust..."

Tomoyuki took a sharp interest in her story. In truth, he wasn't following anyone, but only wanted to learn more about the silent maiden with whom his friend had begun associating.

"That's interesting. Is that why you decided to take aim at Yumiko Sato?"

"She pisses me off to the bone. The fool got cocky and is now vacationing with Ryou-kun. That's hypocrisy."

"I see. I agree with you, Akiko-chan."

Hearing him, she was struck by the similarity in their opinions. "T-true?" she said, losing her sense of annoyance.

"I'll help you with your case. You know you can count on me."

"But why should you help me?"

"As a token of my friendship for you, Akiko-chan. I respect you."

Akiko accepted his last words, having a more positive and loyal opinion of Tomoyuki in her mind. Nodding, she agreed with him.

"In that case, we'll talk later."

They said goodbye, agreeing with each other. The checkroom became quiet again after Akiko left the room. Looking out the window, through which the silhouettes of various schoolboys shone through, he thought deeply to himself.

"Rotten you are, Akiko-chan. Ranking people beneath you, hovering somewhere in seventh heaven yourself. Rotten."

A sly chuckle drifted quietly through the room, but no other soul heard the sound.

A gloomy few school days have passed since then for Akiko. All that time, Ryou didn't attend a single class, and his desk remained empty. Finally, the young man deigned his wish to come to school. That afternoon, Akiko and Tomoyuki decided to check on him together.

That same day, Akiko soon heard from Ryou about an important case in which Yumiko, Glenn, and teacher Masumi were somehow connected.

Interested in the personalities of his new acquaintances, Tomoyuki asked Akiko for a walk after the school day was over. Tomoyuki was at his place celebrating the arrival of precipitation in the sky. The sun that shone bitterly over the city was lost in the gray clouds, and a cool weather prevailed, brilliantly accompanied by a gentle breeze.

They decided to stop at the playground near the school. Akiko sat down on the swing and began to sway with the smooth movements of her charming legs. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, stood beside her and quietly gazed at the clouds that covered the open parts of the sky, from which the sunlight peeked out.

"The second person in Sato-san's social circle turned out to be Glenn Zaliman, a Class B mestizo."

"Hmm? I thought he was creepy," Akiko replied. "His vague smile and dark eyes... made me shiver just remembering."

"You're thinking of doing something bad to Yumiko besides attaining Ryou Hayashi's love, aren't you?"

"It is my business what I will do in her direction. I don't like her as a person present in Ryou-kun's social circle."

"So you're thinking of making Sato-san disappear?"

"Hmm, I think that's exactly what I'm aiming for. It would be ideal if Yumiko Sato were to vanish. However, I won't think about that until after she's useless to me and Ryou-kun. Right now, he's more attached to her."

Tomoyuki closed his blue eyes. The wind blew through their gazes and blew their hair. The young man felt an inner peace and relaxed his shoulders.

"Honestly, Akiko-chan, I don't advise you to touch Sato-san at all."

"Huh? Why is that?" perplexed Akiko at his inarticulate words.

"I suppose Hayashi-kun and Glenn Zaliman won't allow you such actions. Especially about the latter-you have no idea what he's capable of. Neither do I, which is why I'm counting on your intelligence."

"What do you advise me to do?" wondered Akiko, taking hold of her chin.

"I advise you to wait out the moment when Sato-san becomes defenseless."

"I see, I think you're right. Nevertheless, why are you helping me with my immodest plan? I didn't think you had any cockroaches in your head either."

"I have my own reason."

A strong wind suddenly blew through the street, and Akiko closed her eyes in defense and lifted her arms, unable to contain the sudden rush of that wind.

"You won't tell me then?"

"Some other time," Tomoyuki replied with a serious tone, looking into the distance from where the wind was blowing. "Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind."

Tomoyuki felt within himself the arrival of something exciting. From afar it was approaching in his mind, as if heralding disaster.

The next day, at Masumi's request from yesterday, Yumiko approached the teachers' lounge. When they met Masumi's gaze, they nodded at each other. The teacher's expressive eyes revealed all her emotions-she looked tired at the moment.

"I'm still not awake from yesterday," Masumi yawned slightly, covering her mouth. "And how are you doing, Yu-chan?"

"I've begun to adjust to my normal sleeping routine. I feel fine, sensei, thank you for asking."

"Yeah. Oh, you came here about the mug, that's right. I forgot~", Masumi stretched.

She began to seem more serious, and Yumiko, who noticed her businesslike look, became alarmed, not wanting to expect the worst outcome.

"You do care a great deal about the literary club... I understand that. After all, I've been administering this club since its inception."

Yumiko nodded in response.

"Yu-chan, your club may be closed for good due to the lack of students and the lack of support from the members."

"So how can this situation be remedied?"

"You have to get people in the club, Yu-chan. There is no other way."

"Gather... people?" the damsel marveled, and all confidence was lost on her face.

"That's the only way you can save the literary club. I realize I've put you in front of a choice, but... you'll have to make a decision about the continued viability of your club."

Yumiko has been given the fact and obligation to gather new club members, or her daytime soothing clubhouse hangouts all by herself may be gone from her life forever. The seventeen-year-old girl, who has not maintained relationships with her peers all her life, now wants to revive her club, and now she has to find new acquaintances. At the cost of her time and the partial loss of her personal space, this outcome seemed like a worthy bargain to her.

The five young lives met by the call of the heart or by a random current would begin to build acquaintanceships with trumps and bones up their sleeves.