The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity (薫る花は凛と咲く)

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS! KAORUKO

Rintaro, what is this?

Saku, Rintaro, what's the matter? Guys?

Kaoruko?

Isn't she...

Rintaro?

Kaoruko's that girl from the library the other day, isn't she?

For real?

The one from Kikyo?

That's right.

That's what the silver-haired girl called her.

But why?

You said the other day you just happened to run into her

and wanted to apologize for scaring her...

but was that really all?

I thought something was off.

You've been acting strange for a while now.

And with you suddenly sticking up for Kikyo.

- Are they fighting? - Beats me.

Why aren't you saying anything?

Or are you gonna tell us it's nothing again?

I don't... want to tell you.

Sorry.

You mean...

What in the world are you four doing?

Come on, get up!

Start cleaning already!

Unbelievable. Getting carried away and trashing the entire classroom.

The rest of you, don't just stand there. Get cleaning!

After that, back to class!

- Seriously? - You gotta be kidding.

C'mon, let's go, Saku.

I'll race you with the dust cloths.

What? Hard pass.

Hey, don't be like that.

All right, let's get to cleaning!

Yorita, sorry about just now.

It's okay. Don't worry.

THE FRAGRANT FLOWER BLOOMS WITH DIGNITY

Man, I screwed up!

What was I thinking, saying something like that?

I didn't even realize that note was in my school notebook.

I should've checked more carefully!

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS! KAORUKO

I need to thank her.

RINTARO GOT ALL OUR EXAM RESULTS.

I AVOIDED FAILING. THANKS TO YOU.

REALLY?! THAT'S AMAZING! WELL DONE!

YOU CAN JOIN THE FESTIVAL, RIGHT?

I want you to have

a great time at the sports festival with everyone.

And then you can tell me all about it, okay?

The teachers at Kikyo hate Chidori even more than the students.

If they found out a scholarship student like Kaoruko was involved with Chidori,

I don't know what would happen to her.

READ

He read it!

I wonder what sports they'll play.

Soccer?

Or baseball?

Maybe basketball?

Or maybe...

Hey, Ayato.

What are we gonna do about this?

They've been like this since yesterday.

Well, their seats are pretty far apart.

Saku's at it again. First, it was me, now he's fighting with Rintaro.

- Guess it's your turn next, Usami. - What?

You two managed to make up, thanks to Rintaro. Right?

- Okay. - You got this.

Listen up! We've got three days left till the sports festival!

This year, it's baseball!

How about we hit the batting cages after school for some training?!

I'm gonna pass.

Can't. Got plans today.

I can't go on. My heart's been shattered.

I just wanted to enjoy the sports festival with everyone.

Boy, you gave up quickly.

See ya.

Bye, Tsumugi!

Hey, Natsusawa, we're hanging out at my place soon. You should come, too.

- Target acquired! - We're taking you in!

What the heck is going on?

Let's talk while we walk home.

We could even stop somewhere along the way.

There's nothing to talk about.

Sure, there is.

I'm just pissed off.

Saku!

Is it because Rintaro got involved with someone from Kikyo?

No.

What is it, then?

He doesn't trust us,

does he?

Wait, that's what's bothering you?

I thought you were more emotionally detached.

I mean, you're always throwing shade at everyone.

Sorry.

He's gone soft!

Shohei's right.

It's thanks to him that someone like me

was able to fit in at Chidori.

So if something's going on, I want to be there for him.

Yeah, well, that's just the kind of guy Rintaro is.

He does things for people without even thinking about it.

Bet he doesn't even realize that's how you feel.

That's why we're the only ones who really know

just how damn cool Rintaro really is.

Saku.

I'm not sure if you noticed,

but Rintaro said he didn't want to tell us.

Yeah, I heard him.

Rintaro, of all people,

didn't pretend like it was nothing.

That was the first time he actually told us how he felt.

I was really happy about that.

Rintaro didn't try to hide the fact that something happened.

Sure, we won't know what that is until we hear it from him.

But it's okay. He'll tell us when he's ready.

Come on, Saku. Cheer up, dude!

- How about something tasty to eat? - Let's go grab some ramen.

- Sounds good. - Fine, whatever.

Come on, Rintaro. What's with the long face?

Nothing.

You're not exactly subtle, you know.

What?

Did you flunk your exams again?

No, I passed them all.

Well, if you can joke about it, you can't be that down.

I'm serious.

Wait, you're not joking?

That's what I've been telling you from the start.

Did you... cheat?!

Like hell I did! Why do you have zero faith in me?!

You passed them all? What was your highest score?

- Fifty-nine. - Fifty-nine?!

Okay, now you're pushing it.

Welcome-- Ms. Waguri, good evening.

Good evening.

I'm sorry for dropping by right before closing.

Do you... still have any cake left?

THE FRAGRANT FLOWER BLOOMS WITH DIGNITY

Not much, but there's enough for you.

There would've been more variety if you'd come by on the weekend.

I thought about doing that,

but I figured they'd taste better if I ate them when I felt like it.

Kind of like a reward for getting through midterms.

Midterms?

That reminds me, Rintaro also...