Haru, Sho, and I decide to do something to lighten to the mood, so we return to the campus the next morning to make sweets. It's supposed to take our minds off of the accident. But from the tense silence that lingers over the room, I know it isn't working.

We spend a few hours baking cakes, and then we taste each other's creations. "Yours is too bitter. The tea tastes burnt," I tell Haru.

"I know. I wasn't paying close attention, so the water I used started boiling," Haru admits.

I turn to Sho. "And yours... the dark chocolate is too bitter. You need more sugar and cream to balance it out."

"Yeah..." Sho smiles a little, but there's no humor behind his voice. "Sorry about that."

I guess it's true, then. I guess you can really taste someone's emotions in the food they make. But then... why does my strawberry cake taste just like it always does?

Maybe, I realize... maybe because I was already broken.

~x~

Aoi is going to spend the week at Noboru's house, so when I get back to our room, I'm all alone. I glance over to her side of the room. Her crisply ironed bedsheets are starting to collect dust, and her desk is now completely empty, despite the fact that it's usually cluttered with schoolwork.

Not for the first time, I feel inevitably lonely.

I take a seat on the bed and stare out of the window, watching a small bird leave a nearby rooftop and disappear into the sky. I'm starting to enjoy the silence when I hear a buzzing sound.

It's Aoi's phone.

Sighing, I take the phone off of the bedside counter. On the screen is a single line of text:

[1 New Text Message]

My face shifts into a slight frown. Aoi isn't here... it would be an invasion of privacy to see what the text said. But then again, it might be important...

After hesitating slightly, I type in Aoi's passcode. A message appears on the screen.

Sender: Unknown
Recipient: Yuuna Aoi

If you reveal the truth to anyone, Noboru will be the next one hurt.

My eyes widen. This is no coincidence. The car crash was not just an unlucky "accident"; someone had hurt Aoi on purpose. Someone like...

...Emi.

I frown. I need to tell the others about this.

But first, I need proof.

And I need to know why.

~x~

Emi doesn't go to the National Academy of Sweets anymore. So if I want to find evidence, I need to ask someone who's relatively close to her.

There's only one person I can think of who fits the description. But it's the last person I want to see right now.

Kashino.

~x~

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