Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (花のち晴れ〜花男 Next Season〜)

There it is!

Welcome~

Look at that girl, she's so cute!

Airi...

Huh? You know her, Harutocchi?

So pretty it's crazy!

She's totally Megurin level!

Why don't you sit?

I finally found you.

We don't need peasants that can't pay donations here.

Get out of here already!

Airi...

Why exactly did you come here?

I'm sorry!

I...

... did really terrible things.

I tried to drive you out of the school.

I made people secretly take and spread your private photos.

Scary! The pretty girl is scary!

- But after Haruto told me off... - Is that all you wanted to say?

Then leave already.

Don't turn up uninvited.

Hey...

Aren't you being too mean, Harutocchi?

She's always like this.

She thinks it's fine if she just cries in the end.

So strict~!

Obocchan-kun, you don't make any allowances for pretty girls?

I'm sorry.

What will you do, Edogawa?

Huh?

You can decide. To forgive or not forgive her.

Huh?

Huh?

Huh?

What?! I should? In this situation?

Um...

Whether I forgive you or not...

It was also my fault for hiding the truth about my family,

so it's okay now.

Thank you!

You're so kind, Oto-san!

Case closed!

- Say, Oto-san. - Yes?

Will you be Airi's friend?

Er, uh... Friends...

That would be...

Otocchi... Why don't you be her friend?

If this pretty of a girl was my friend, even I'd brag about it, take a photo and put it on Insta!

You'd get over 100 likes!

- I bet. - No...

It's okay.

Of course we can't be friends so suddenly.

Yes...

From now on...

I'll do my best so that we can eventually become friends.

So please give Airi a chance.

Okay?

If it's like that, then...

I guess.

Hear that? It's okay right, Haruto?

Like I care.

Anyway, you've never had any friends, have you?

You didn't have to put it that way...

She has you guys at least, right?

The C5 aren't friends. We're comrades.

Right.

So you're my potential first friend, Oto!

Ah, I'm sorry.

I just left off the honorific.

Hey, Oto.

What's that cylinder-y thing?

Oh, um...

It's called a flask,

and it has water in it...

I've heard of that!

I've never seen one before!

Why is Airi-san with Oto?

Aww, if I knew Airi-san would approach her, I wouldn't have stopped being her friend.

Yeah.

I can understand why everyone is envious.

Let's sit here.

The slight scent of vanilla.

Even from this close, she has no pores and her eyelashes are long too.

Her lips are so plump too.

This must be the kind of person they call a pretty girl.

What is it?

Why are you looking at me?

Why does a girl like this want to be friends with me?

Is there something on my face?

Suspicious.

Definitely suspicious!

Don't lean forward so much. You'll fall.

You think so too, don't you?

When Airi's grinning like that she's never up to anything good.

Then you could have stopped it.

Them being close.

That was... Because Edogawa said it was okay.

Then leave them alone.

But still...

Aren't you overthinking it?

She might just want a friend.

Don't say random things. This is Airi we're talking about.

Damn it.

What is she trying to brainwash into Edogawa?

If you want to know...

Just go find out.

He really went.

- Let's eat. - Let's eat.

Why do I have to do this?

Um, Airi-san?

Hm?

Is that your lunch?

Yeah, for my health.

I'm pretty sure that's actually bad for your health.

This is little Airi.

You were a bit chubby.

A fatty, right?

No...

You see, Airi was finally born when my parents were about to give up.

So I was totally spoiled...

I thought the whole world was Airi's.

Why are you just standing there? Hurry and bring me new sweets.

Can't you pick them up yourself?

What? How could I do that?

Airi is a princess.

And we even came to visit you...

Never mind. Let's go.

Airi had delicious sweets and lots of toys.

She was totally fine without any silly friends.

Plus, the princesses in fairy tales were always alone.

My life changed in year 4 of primary school.

We're going to keep walking for 30 minutes towards the park!

- Okay~ - Why do we have to walk?

We could just go by helicopter.

Should I get you a walking stick, Miss Fatty?

I ate too many snacks so even walking was difficult.

The line was gradually getting farther away.

"I shouldn't have come on the excursion."

"I'm never going to school again."

But then...

Oi. Hold on.

Hurry up. Come on.

What can a scrawny person like you do?

Come back after you've trained a bit.

Then just lie there forever, fatty.

You just called me a fatty, didn't you?

I did. Fatty.

I'll crush you!

That was the first time I talked to Haruto.

Just give up already.

Shuddup!

I said I'll do it so I'm doing it!

After a while, the teacher realised Airi and Haruto weren't there,

- and came back to get us, but... - Move!

You can stop now.

This is my problem.

Haruto insisted he would carry me to the park.

And as promised...

He took me all the way to the park.

It took 2 whole hours.

2 hours?

From that day on I stopped binge eating snacks.

Haruto was my saviour,

so I want to protect the C5 no matter what.

I see.

Oh...

That doesn't mean I expect you to forgive me for what I did to you.

Oi!

What? Since when?

I thought the excursion incident was a secret.

You said it was your dark past,

and told me not to talk about it.

But if I don't share my secrets...

Oto won't open her heart to me, right?

Let's talk a lot from now on and learn more about each other, okay?

Okay.

Edogawa.

If she annoys you, you can just wallop her like you usually do.

I'm not going to punch her. And don't say 'usually'!

Don't hold back.

I give you permission.

She's like a little sister to me.

You can punch Haruto, too.

Airi gives you permission.

- Oi, stop it! - Why?

- What "why"? Stop it! - Why?

Make sure you're free tomorrow.

We're going to hang out after Oto finishes work.

You can come too, Haruto.

Huh? Is that okay?

As your little sister, I'll be the go-between for you and Oto.

What's that supposed to mean?

What are you thinking?

I'm working hard so that Haruto doesn't hate me any more than he already does.

"Working hard", you say...

Airi feels bad about it in her own way.

When I talked to Oto, she was actually pretty nice.

It made me a little...

No... pretty depressed.