Evening.
After Kiso Yukina met up with her father at the train station exit, the two returned home together.
After greeting her mother watching TV in the living room with a normal expression, she returned to her own room.
Then the instant she closed the door, the false mask was removed, revealing a dejected face.
She spread her arms and flopped onto the bed, her face buried in the soft blanket, staying quietly motionless in this position.
This was a way for her to relieve stress - a dispirited side she only showed when alone.
And the culprit who made her so unsettled wasn't Eriri on the surface, but another person.
"Bad guy..."
A soft murmur came from the unlit room.
This single utterance contained too many emotions - helplessness, disappointment, compromise...
Scenes from today flashed through her mind.
The anticipation when leaving home in the morning, the excitement when looking at cats together, the forced smile when learning their two-person world would be disturbed, and finally the loss when realizing Murakami Yuu's true thoughts.
Her mood reached the peak like a roller coaster, and the following process was just continuously falling down.
Thinking again about the determination she had made from the very beginning, grievance rushed toward her like a tidal wave.
"Bad guy, bad guy, bad guy..."
Her arms lightly pounded the bed, as if venting at someone.
She slowly turned over, her arm covering her eyes.
That's right, I knew from the beginning, didn't I? The process doesn't matter - as long as the ending is beautiful, that's enough.
Staying by his side, just as he was by my side back then.
Kiso Yukina took a deep breath and slowly stood up. The room light was turned on. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, her eyes were somewhat red, but they revealed determination.
Most things in the world often don't develop as one wishes. There's always a gradual process of change.
Just persist according to the strategy set from the beginning. One day he'll know who has always been by his side.
The longest confession is companionship - this was the romantic way Kiso Yukina adhered to.
...
Meanwhile, Murakami Yuu was walking Eriri home.
Unlike Kiso Yukina, whose conservative family members specially picked her up at night, Eriri's family was away on business. They said they'd probably be home tonight, but there was still no news.
Eriri guessed it might be due to flight delays, as similar situations had occurred several times before.
Letting a girl go home alone at night wasn't good, so even though Eriri waved her hands repeatedly saying it wasn't necessary, Murakami Yuu still insisted on his decision.
Perhaps he wouldn't have deliberately acted so gentlemanly before, but now that he was clear about his own feelings, Murakami Yuu felt it necessary to be more attentive. Security was something invisible and intangible, but it definitely existed and could bring psychological changes to women. There was no harm in it anyway.
The three went out together. After seeing Kiso Yukina off on the train, the two boarded another train and walked on the road taking Eriri home.
Pedestrians on the street walked hurriedly. The air held a stuffy humidity, and the sky overhead showed no starlight - this was the prelude to rain.
Please, at least wait until I've sent Eriri home and gotten back myself before it starts.
Murakami Yuu withdrew his gaze from the sky. After noticing his companion's reaction, he found it somewhat amusing.
"Why are you staying so far away from me? You'll get lost again."
"It's not that exaggerated!"
Eriri responded with dissatisfaction, but after noticing that the distance between them could indeed fit another person, she quietly moved a bit closer to Murakami Yuu.
"What timid rabbit hole did you pop out of? It's not like we just met today."
"It's all because of you, suddenly saying those things..."
Eriri muttered softly in a voice only she could hear. When she saw Murakami Yuu looking at her with a puzzled expression, she puffed up her cheeks indignantly and turned her head to the side.
"It... it's nothing."
"So cute and adorable, too bad she's a tsundere."
Murakami Yuu teased.
"Who... who's a tsundere!"
"A certain someone glaring at me with her fangs showing."
Eriri hurriedly covered her mouth, making Murakami Yuu laugh again.
No longer teasing her, Murakami Yuu slowly restrained the smile on his face.
"What... what's wrong? Why so serious all of a sudden..."
Eriri wasn't quite used to Murakami Yuu with this expression. The unfamiliarity made her uneasy.
"Don't you have anything to ask me?"
Murakami Yuu looked at her.
Eriri was startled but immediately realized he was talking about Kiso Yukina. She shook her head very quickly.
It wasn't that she didn't want to know, but she wasn't clear about how much weight she held in Murakami Yuu's heart right now. That time on the school rooftop seemed to have made him somewhat unhappy. Since then, she hadn't dared to do things that might create a rift between them.
"Being overly cautious isn't your style. Keeping doubts bottled up inside is quite uncomfortable."
Observing Eriri's expression, Murakami Yuu seemed to have guessed her thoughts, so he chose to be direct and dispel her concerns, adding another line:
"You can ignore what I said before. Rather, I hope Eriri will ask me."
"I have no questions."
Eriri still shook her head.
"Then can you listen to me say something?"
"What is it?"
"About Kiso Yukina, and Eriri."
"Can I just listen to the part about me?"
Eriri's expression was somewhat unnatural, but she still tried to maintain her usual appearance.
"That wouldn't be fair to you."
After Murakami Yuu said this, Eriri just lowered her head without speaking. Silence fell between them.
Eriri didn't know how to respond naturally. She was the type who thought much but showed little. Her mother often teased her at home for being a tsundere ghost - being two-faced was her normal state.
So it was only natural that she would be tongue-tied and conflicted during this conversation.
A strong wind suddenly blew from the street, surging from behind, pushing her back and making her take two uncontrolled steps forward.
The next moment, her eyes widened.
Murakami Yuu directly reached out his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace.
Feeling the body temperature so close, Eriri's face began to heat up. She bit her lip and actually reached out to grab Murakami Yuu's shirt front. At such close distance, she raised her head to look directly into his eyes, bold in a way unlike herself.
Be honest, Eriri. Your so-called restraint and dignity, aside from widening the distance between you two, produces no effect.
The instant the thought arose, she made up her mind.
"That's Yuu's thought. To me, this isn't such a big deal."
Murakami Yuu released his hand. The two separated.
"So you mean..."
"This is fine for now."
She said it again.
"At least for now, this is fine."
...