Chapter 111: Operation "Normal" is a Catastrophic Failure

My lie hangs heavy in the air between us on the darkening street. I denied being the boy in the photo. I denied our shared past. Aiwa's face crumples with a disappointment so profound it feels like a physical blow. She gives me a small, heartbreaking nod and walks away, leaving me alone with my cowardly relief and a mountain of guilt.

The weekend passes in a blur of anxiety. Every time my phone buzzes, I jump, half-expecting a text from Aiwa calling me out. Every time Rina looks at me, I flinch, anticipating the interrogation about my failed date and the secrets she suspects I am keeping. My life is now lived on high alert, a constant state of bracing for the next inevitable explosion.

Monday morning at school is torture. My new mission is Operation: Act Normal. It is a mission I am destined to fail spectacularly.

I walk into class, my palms sweating. Aiwa is already at her desk, staring out the window, a melancholic aura surrounding her. I slide into my seat, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

"Morning, Matsuki-san," I manage to squeak out, my voice cracking.

She turns, her expression carefully neutral, devoid of the usual shy warmth. "Good morning, Hinamata-kun," she replies politely, then immediately turns back to the window. The cold shoulder is back, but this time it is not born of embarrassment. It is born of disappointment. My denial has created a new, icy distance between us.

This subtle shift does not go unnoticed by the ever-watchful eyes of Rina and Haruka, who choose this exact moment to "casually" walk past my classroom door. They see Aiwa ignoring me. They see my miserable, rejected face.

"Hmph," Rina says, a smug look crossing her face. "Looks like someone finally saw the light."

"Or perhaps," Haruka muses, tapping a finger on her chin, "his awkwardness reached critical levels and she initiated evasive maneuvers. Understandable."

Their relief that the "threat" of Aiwa has seemingly neutralized itself is palpable. They spend the rest of the morning being marginally less possessive, occasionally even allowing me a few inches of personal space. It is a small mercy, but one I am too preoccupied to appreciate. My mind is entirely focused on the girl sitting next to me, the girl whose childhood dreams I just casually stomped on.

Lunchtime is a new level of awkward. Aiwa sits with us, but she positions herself between Miki and Hana, creating the maximum possible distance from me. She participates in the conversation, talking cheerfully with everyone else, but whenever I try to speak, she offers only brief, polite, non-committal answers before turning her attention elsewhere.

Kenji, Miki, and Hana exchange confused looks. Rina and Haruka exchange triumphant ones. I just stare miserably at my food.

"So, Aiwa-chan," Kenji says, trying to be friendly. "Did you have fun at the 'Starlight Paladin' cafe? Rui was acting super weird after you guys went."

Aiwa flinches almost imperceptibly at the mention of our disastrous date. "It was… informative," she says vaguely, not looking at me. "For research."

"Right, research," Rina says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did your 'research' yield any interesting results?" She is looking directly at me.

"No," I say quickly, perhaps a little too defensively. "It was just a cafe."

The conversation stalls, crushed under the weight of unspoken secrets and profound awkwardness. I spend the rest of lunch feeling like a pariah, isolated even in the middle of my own chaotic group. My attempt to protect myself by lying to Aiwa has backfired, creating a new, icy barrier between us and somehow making me even more suspicious to Rina and Haruka. Operation: Act Normal is a catastrophic failure.