"What are you doing here?"
Staring at the girl standing before him, Haruto didn't look the least bit happy about her sudden appearance. But at the same time, there wasn't a hint of surprise in his eyes either.
Like a delicate work of art, her dazzling golden hair shone under the light. Rio, sitting nearby, quickly realized who this girl was — the one rumored to have a complicated relationship with Haruto. In all of Toyosaki, there was only one girl with hair like that.
Her name... was Eriri, wasn't it?
"What am I doing here?" Eriri smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, lunchtime's kinda lonely when you're by yourself, so I figured I'd come find you. And this must be the genius girl everyone's talking about — Futaba-san, right?"
Noticing Eriri's gaze shift over to her, Rio instinctively tensed up. She'd never been good at talking with girls her own age. Boys her age disgusted her — sure. But girls weren't much better. From Eriri's polished smile, Rio could tell it was fake.
This girl didn't come here for small talk.
She came for Haruto.
And the realization gnawed at her — this was her sanctuary, her private laboratory, a place where no one intruded. And now this random girl had barged right in.
"Yes," Rio replied flatly. "Did you need something?"
Her eyes were cold, her voice distant — nothing like the calm, easy tone she used when speaking to Haruto. This was how she made her stance clear to unwelcome visitors.
But Eriri didn't seem to mind one bit. Smiling like she owned the place, she casually walked in, sat down beside Haruto, and placed her bento box on the table.
"You don't mind if I join you, right?"
Watching Eriri settle in beside Haruto, Rio's mood sank straight to rock bottom. But with Haruto still here, she forced herself to stay silent. Lifting her eyes slightly, she glanced at him.
Feeling the sudden tension in the room, Haruto looked at Eriri beside him, then shifted his gaze to Rio sitting across the table — her expression cold and distant.
It wasn't like he found this near-battlefield atmosphere amusing at all.
"...Do whatever you want," he sighed helplessly.
Turning to Rio, he gave her an apologetic look.
"Sorry about this."
"It's fine," Rio replied stiffly.
The frustration in her heart slowly eased. She could tell Haruto wasn't exactly happy about this either — he was just stuck in a situation he couldn't control. Realizing that made her feel a little better.
Eriri, sitting beside Haruto , quietly observed Rio's gradually softening expression and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Shooting a sideways glance at Haruto, she gave a small sigh, then turned her attention back to her bento.
"My mom made this for me this morning," she said softly. "Want to try some?"
She gently nudged her bento box toward Haruto.
When she saw his eyes briefly flicker toward it — only to quickly look away — Eriri blinked, caught off guard.
"I'm not really interested," Haruto replied flatly.
"Aren't you afraid your mother will find out?" Haruto pressed.
"My mother now?" Eriri scoffed softly. "She doesn't know anything. Even if she did find out, it wouldn't matter."
Hearing that, Haruto fell silent. She glanced at Eriri's calm, indifferent expression. Compared to the mother he'd known back when they were dating… the current Sayuri was like a completely different person. Quietly, Eriri pulled her lunchbox back in front of herself.
From the side, Rio Futaba watched their conversation — cryptic, almost like some secret code between them. That sense of being left out, unable to understand, gnawed at her heart. With her head lowered, she ate her lunch in silence, just like the other two. None of them said another word after that.
Lunch passed like that.
Once it was over, Haruto told Eriri to head back to class first. She glanced briefly at both Haruto and Rio, packed up her lunchbox without lingering, and left the science lab without so much as a backward glance.
"That was Sawamura, the girl they say you've been rumored with, right?" Rio finally asked.
"You know her?"
"The blonde hair," Rio replied simply.
"In a place like Toyosaki, where she's the only blonde girl, I guess it wasn't that hard to figure out," Haruto chuckled.
Rio gave a small nod. She might not have recognized any of the other girls Haruto was rumored to be involved with, but in this school, Sawamura's signature blonde hair made her stand out like a sore thumb.
"We got to know each other for... certain reasons. And, well, a lot's happened since."
"I can tell."
Rio wasn't exactly great at socializing, but that didn't mean she was blind. Despite the distance Haruto and Eriri seemed to keep between them, there was an unmistakable rhythm to their interaction — a quiet synchronicity only people who had known each other for a long time could develop.
Noticing that made Rio feel even worse.
But she had no right to ask further. All she could do was bury her curiosity deep inside.
Lunch was over, but there was still some time left before afternoon classes began.
Haruto, with nothing better to do, wasn't in any rush to head back. Even if he did, there wasn't much waiting for him there.
He shifted his gaze toward Rio, who was sitting across from him, and suddenly asked a bizarre question.
"Hey, Futaba. Can I ask you something?"
"...Sure."
"Do you think quantum physics can be used for hypnosis?"
"....."
The lab fell silent.
Rio stared at him, speechless, clearly unsure how to respond.
Haruto, lost in thought about the nature of hypnosis, didn't even notice her look. Eventually, Rio let out a quiet sigh and answered.
"Hypnosis is... part of psychology, isn't it? What's it got to do with quantum physics?"
"So it's impossible?"
"...I mean, probably... maybe... theoretically?"
Seeing the faintly disappointed look on Haruto's face, Rio hesitated, her gaze drifting for a second before she gave an uncertain reply.
"That sounds like a very half-hearted answer," Haruto said, raising an eyebrow. "But if there's even a chance... wanna give it a shot?"
Rio blinked, taken aback. She squinted at Haruto, scrutinizing him carefully. But his eyes were calm — completely unclouded by malice or ulterior motives. That calmed her nerves a little.
"You don't mean... you want to hypnotize me, do you?"
Hypnosis — that mysterious, almost urban-legend-like technique — had been popularized long ago. While it seemed strange and mysterious to ordinary people, to experts it was just another psychological tool.
Through words and subtle cues, the subject would gradually enter a dream-like state — one where they remained conscious, but open to suggestion...
Neither Haruto nor Rio were experts in hypnosis. But just the mention of trying it had instantly put her on guard. After all, for a girl, anything that made her drop her defenses or surrender her thoughts was something to be wary of.
But then Haruto pointed to himself.
"No, I'm not talking about hypnotizing you. I want you to try hypnotizing me."
Rio stared at him, stunned. She'd been mentally preparing herself for how to deal with his attempt to hypnotize her — and then he came out with this.
"I mean, for hypnosis to work, you have to relax, let your guard down, and believe it'll work, right?"
Haruto's sudden barrage of words left Rio momentarily speechless. She hadn't expected him to be this... invested.
"You sure know a lot about this..." she muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Because it looked interesting, I went through a phase where I studied it a little. Well, I wouldn't even call it studying — I just bought a few books on the subject and skimmed through them. I'm basically a complete amateur."
It was probably the same for most people — once you learned about hypnosis, you'd naturally get at least a little curious about it. Especially younger people who'd seen it in shows or stories before. Hypnosis, as a form of psychological suggestion, had a mysterious appeal.
"If you know about it... then why—"
"Let's not get into that right now. Let's just give it a try. I'll attempt self-hypnosis."
"..."
If he could hypnotize himself, did he even need her here?
Looking at the boy sitting in front of her — Miyamizu Haruto — Futaba Rio couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. Still, after hearing his explanation, she went to look for some materials in the lab. After a moment, she tied a five-yen coin to a piece of thread, dangling it in the air in front of Haruto, who was already seated and waiting.
"Wearing a white lab coat and using a coin for hypnosis... you're starting to look like an actual therapist or something."
"Alright, let's begin."
Standing in front of him, Futaba Rio honestly wasn't all that interested in hypnosis. Not because she doubted it could work — but rather because she didn't think it was something that could be pulled off so easily.
She held the thin thread with her delicate, pale hand, letting the coin dangle right in front of Haruto's face. Then, she gently started swinging it back and forth.
"Look at it."
"You're getting sleepy... very sleepy..."
Reciting the lines Haruto had taught her like she was reading straight from a manual, Rio chanted in a monotone voice. But staring at Haruto's completely expressionless face as he focused on the coin, she couldn't help but feel... kind of stupid.
"...Are you asleep?"
"Nope. Actually, the way you were talking just now — completely flat and emotionless — just made me feel even more awake."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Try using a softer tone — like you're talking to a lover, a husband, or your precious child. Fill your voice with love. See if that works?"
"..."
Rio, who had never even been in a relationship before, stared blankly at Haruto, letting out a small sigh.
The first two suggestions sounded somewhat reasonable. Even if it felt like he was teasing her, it was still within the realm of understanding. But that last one — "like your precious child"... After all this time knowing Haruto, she never realized he had that kind of kink.
"I'll... do my best."
After pressing her soft lips together and taking a moment to compose herself, Rio took a deep breath. Then, slowly, she raised the coin again and began to gently sway it in front of Haruto.
"You're... feeling sleepy now."
"Your eyelids feel heavy... you're getting sleepier... and sleepier..."
Copying the kind of lines she'd seen in TV shows or commercials, she used a gentle, almost coaxing tone — like lulling a child to sleep. As she rocked the coin, she noticed Haruto's expression gradually soften. His eyes slowly began to lose focus, looking like he really might fall asleep at any moment.
Rio was a little surprised. She didn't expect such an obvious effect on just the second try.
Is he messing with me?
A little suspicious now, she followed Haruto's script and spoke softly, watching as his gaze became completely unfocused. Then, she spoke the final line.
"Before you... is the person you trust the most. Everything she says is for your own good. Now then... your name?"
Her voice was like a whisper, full of gentle kindness. Rio stared at Haruto, whose eyes were now completely vacant, like he was in a trance.
"...M-Miyamizu... Haruto..."
His reply was faint, like the unconscious mumbling of someone half-asleep. It made Rio glance down at the coin in her hand.
Was this really working that well?
She wasn't convinced.
"Your age?"
"...3.....16..."
"...Huh?"
Rio narrowed her eyes slightly. Something sounded... off. Slowly, she stared at the boy in front of her.
Did he just say "Three"...?
"Just now... did you say 'three'?"
Silence.
As suspicion grew in Rio's eyes, Haruto slowly responded.
"...Yes."
"Why did you say 'three'?"
"Because... I'll always be three years old."
"..."