The atmosphere at the table was warm and cheerful.
Everyone was seated on the floor around a table piled high with sukiyaki, sushi, and other party dishes.
"Wait—so even though it's a Valentine's Day party, everyone here is actually single?" Sonoko Suzuki asked in surprise, glancing around the room.
"Yep. It's basically a get-together for friends," replied the pretty Watanabe Yoshimi with a smile. "But maybe some of us are secretly hoping to stop being single today."
Across from her, Katsuhiko Minagawa looked up for a moment. His brief, instinctive glance was noticed by another girl at the table—Sekiya Kaori—who narrowed her eyes slightly.
"...I see. Then I guess we feel a little out of place." Sonoko muttered.
"It's fine. The more people at a party, the more fun it is," Minagawa replied casually.
He really was a handsome guy.
Back at the café, when Ran and Sonoko had been eating cake, it was Minagawa and Wakamatsu Toshihide who had approached them. Minagawa had no romantic interest in either of them, but since Wakamatsu clearly had a crush on Ran, Minagawa had tagged along as his wingman.
Unfortunately, that plan backfired—Sonoko had been more taken with Minagawa at the time.
That is, until Hayashi Yoshiki walked in today. Now, Minagawa seemed plain in comparison, and Sonoko had lost all interest.
"Actually, when Ran called me, I thought she had a boyfriend and was bringing him to the party," Hayashi Yoshiki said with a smile, resting an elbow on the table and his chin in one hand.
"Yoshiki-nii…" Ran blushed visibly.
"Then I found out she just couldn't say no to someone. That was a relief."
Hearing that, Ran realized that Yoshiki was subtly helping her out. Her shoulders relaxed.
She really wasn't good at rejecting people.
Especially when it came to Wakamatsu Toshihide, who had a habit of talking over her and never giving her the chance to say "no." Every time she tried, he'd interrupt with some overconfident, self-satisfied remark.
But now that Yoshiki had spoken on her behalf, maybe he'd finally get the hint.
Ran glanced at Wakamatsu, who was gripping his chopsticks tightly and staring at his plate, clearly sulking—but at least he wasn't arguing.
The other college students began to sense what was going on. It was obvious now that Wakamatsu had forcefully invited the girls.
To defuse the tension, Kaori Sekiya laughed and quickly changed the subject.
"But this sushi is so good! Did your aunt make it herself?"
"Oh, she probably just plated it after buying it." Minagawa replied dryly, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Then I'll definitely ask which restaurant it's from. It's really delicious."
"You two high school girls should eat more, too!"
Suddenly, Watanabe Yoshimi turned to Hayashi Yoshiki with a twinkle in her eye. "Come to think of it—we've been talking about ourselves all this time. Yoshiki-san, are you single too?"
That question made Sonoko's eyes light up. She had been dying to ask it.
"You look like you'd have no shortage of girls," Minagawa commented, puffing on his cigarette.
"Maybe, but I haven't met the right one yet."
"Then!" Sonoko leaned in eagerly, "What kind of girl do you like, Yoshiki-nii?"
Ran also looked at him curiously.
"Hmm…" Hayashi Yoshiki smiled. "I guess she'd be mature, considerate, and have good taste in clothes. Of course… being attractive helps too."
"Mature…" Sonoko muttered, glancing at herself. Her expression deflated.
Kaori Sekiya couldn't resist teasing her. "Little one, shouldn't you focus on your grades first?"
"Tch." Sonoko turned away, pouting.
The party continued, light and friendly—but Wakamatsu Toshihide, usually loud and upbeat, remained silent. He now resembled the gloomy guy from earlier—Naomichi, who'd barely spoken all evening.
After a while, once most of the food was gone, Minagawa put down his beer with a clink and looked toward Naomichi.
"Alright, we've eaten. Naomichi, how about you show us something fun?"
"...Sorry. I'm not really good at this sort of thing."
"Huh?" Minagawa's brows drew together in irritation. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
Naomichibowed his head in submission.
Just then, a small boy—around five or six—ran into the room and climbed onto the sofa behind the group.
"Mom! I wanna play with everyone too!"
He called to the woman in the kitchen, who was just coming out with a tray.
Immediately, Minagawa turned to him, voice sharp.
"Susumu ! Get back to your room! Don't get in the way."
The boy flinched and shrank back.
His mother crouched down at the table, trying to calm Minagawa with quiet words. But he stood up, grabbed his lighter and cigarette, and stormed out with a muttered curse.
"Katsuhiko!" Kaori Sekiya, his childhood friend, quickly followed him out.
"What's wrong with Minagawa all of a sudden?"
"His temper's gotten weird."
Sonoko and Ran whispered between themselves.
Hayashi Yoshiki was not surprised. Some people became irritable after a few drinks.
That Naomichi kid? He clearly didn't fit in with this group. He must've come because he couldn't say no. After all, Minagawa was the club president, and his family was wealthy. That kind of social dynamic came with pressure—especially in Japan, where social hierarchy still played a role.
Yoshiki didn't like the lingering smell of cigarette smoke in the room, so he stood up and walked over to the glass door that led to the backyard.
He wanted a breath of fresh air.
As soon as he stepped up to the door and looked through the glass…
He met eyes with Conan, who was crouched in the bushes outside, peeking into the room.
They stared at each other.
Slowly, Conan began to back away, trying to pretend he hadn't been caught.
But Yoshiki opened the door anyway.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. Then, narrowing his eyes, he added, "Were you following me?"
"I wasn't following you!" Conan popped up from the bushes and shouted.
Gradually, Conan's shoulders slumped, and he looked down.
The truth was, when he'd heard that Ran was attending a Valentine's Day party—with Hayashi Yoshiki—he'd been overcome by jealousy.
Now, standing in the doorway, Yoshiki couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he looked back at the people still chatting and eating inside.
The Grim Reaper himself followed us here.
And if he was right… someone was probably going to die tonight.