Let's do it again, Yukino.

Sure enough, as time goes by, things change.

It's all a lie.

"If it were me in my past life, what would I have done if I encountered this scene?"

Springtime questions these memories that I have hidden deep within my mind.

After a long while, he faintly heard someone responding to him from the depths of his restless heart.

You probably already know that, right?

……

…………

the other side

In the conference room,

"I really admire someone who does things for the benefit of others, like that."

"It's like someone carrying all the pain to eliminate that guy, or someone sacrificing for everyone. It's not a big deal, is it?"

In front of a crowd,

Hachiman, who had completely rejected Hayama's proposal, was reciting his classic, terrible "one for all" theory.

Meanwhile, Ms. Yang, who was sitting in the guest seats watching the show, ignored her clothes that had just been soaked and laughed while covering her lower abdomen.

However, just like in the previous life, this theory was seriously rejected by Minister Yukinoshita.

Even so, the clever Hikigaya still couldn't break this terrible situation.

Dong dong dong

There was a soft knock on the door.

The knocking was quite polite and regular.

And yet it all seemed perfectly normal.

"Please come in."

Hiratsuka Shizuka, whose seat was right next to the door, spoke up.

The door was gently pushed open.

Haruhi appeared in her sight, looking no different than usual.

If there are any differences,

wet clothes,

wet hair,

Wet shoes,

Water was still dripping from under his sleeves.

The boy looked like a drowned rat completely soaked by the rain.

but……

Hiratsuka Shizuka's brow furrowed.

Standing at the doorway, Haruhi was so quiet and unlike the energetic boy she remembered.

in contrast,

Silence, solemnity, seriousness

A completely unrelated aura was slowly emanating from him.

What's this guy up to now?

After the door opened, Chunri silently walked into the not-so-large conference room.

Water dripping from his trousers and shoes spread across the floor of the room.

He walked directly to the blackboard in front of Sagami Minami and Yukinoshita, his sinister gaze fixed on the red-haired girl he had been holding back for so long.

The committee chairwoman, Sagami, who was originally immersed in her own world, had her smug and vain mood blown away by the boy's glance and onto the rainy day outside the window.

The red-haired girl saw a coldness in Chunri's eyes, a look of contempt and disgust.

"Hachiman, your cultural festival slogan just now doesn't really suit my taste."

He spoke indifferently, but his voice was directed towards Hachiman.

"The idea that everyone's bonds are based solely on the sacrifice of one person is laughable. It's just utter nonsense from you, Hachiman."

"What do you think?"

"Me?"

The boy instinctively avoided looking at Xiaoxue's gaze and took a deep breath.

Just this once,

Just this once,

This willful act, this last act of immaturity.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone,

A loud noise suddenly rang out in the conference room.

Thump! The boy punched the blackboard behind him.

Everyone was startled by the commotion.

Steady, precise, and ruthless.

The blackboard that had just had the word "person" written on it now had a hole in it.

"Cultural festivals and all that, what do I care?!"

Chunri glanced coldly at everyone whose eyes were fixed on her.

"I don't like the people around me working themselves to the bone like Hachiman because of this damn cultural festival, doing thankless work."

"You're the executive committee chairperson for this cultural festival, right? Since it's your job, you should take full responsibility for it. You've made the choice, so don't try to shift the blame onto my friends. You'll have to make sacrifices and go alone!"

He walked to the seat under the snow and pulled the girl up from where she had been sitting.

The previously noisy conference room instantly fell silent.

"It's springtime, and they're still having a meeting here..."

Like everyone else, Hiratsuka Shizuka was filled with surprise, but what surprised her was that the boy in front of her could say such eccentric things in such a calm tone.

Just this once,

Just this once.

the last time

That's me.

A faint thought surfaced in the boy's mind.

"Meetings can still be held even if one person is missing, right, Professor Hiratsuka?"

The boy's voice echoed in the small conference room.

"And I'm taking her away now, does anyone have any objections?"

And it wasn't until long after the two figures disappeared from the conference room that...

This phrase, which resonates deeply with everyone, has endured for a long time.

……

…………

Doorway,

corridor,

patio,

The rain washes everything in the world.

Passing through one location after another,

The boy led the girl to a secluded place.

Let go.

“...Hey, Ah Qing.”

Suddenly, Xiaoxue, who had been silent all along, called out the name of the boy standing in front of her with his back to her.

Rainwater streamed down the boy's hair, dripping onto the soil. His damp bangs clung to his face, obscuring his eyes and preventing the girl from seeing his expression in the spring sunshine.

but,

They look very similar...

Suddenly, a strange thought popped into Yukino's head.

Perhaps it was a similar scenario when we truly fell in love with each other in our past lives?

Although it wasn't because of the cultural festival at that time

But the atmosphere back then was really similar.

It was just one more rain shower, and at a different time.

Anticipation and imitation.

Just then, as the girl was about to speak again—

"Hey, Xiaoxue."

The sound of spring interrupted the sounds beneath the snow.

He carried himself under the snow without turning around.