Why should Ayanokoji Kiyotaka coax her?
Hearing this, Hanatemari Kazura was initially confused, but soon, her heart suddenly sank with a bad premonition.
...Could Meari have found out about her and Ayanokoji?
Unfortunately, Meari's attention was not on Hanatemari at the moment. Otherwise, with her clever little mind, she might have guessed something.
She saw that everyone was stunned by her statement, and she felt a sense of relief, as if she had finally vented her anger.
Meari winked at Ayanokoji triumphantly and said, "Come here, you always like to hug Hanatemari, don't you? Why aren't you comforting her now that she's sad? You clearly said you loved her last night!"
Meari's casual remark happened to expose the truth, leading to different reactions from the two "parties involved."
Ayanokoji's expression was a bit awkward, but his heart remained calm, as he knew Meari's words were just "words of anger."
But Hanatemari Kazura didn't know that.
Hanatemari Kazura had been playing the piano outside, unaware of why Meari had argued with Ruribird Nadeshiko. Now, suddenly hearing Meari say these things while hugging her, she thought her relationship with Ayanokoji had been exposed, and her face instantly turned pale.
She had hidden it so well, why did Meari suddenly know...?
Without time to think, she frantically tried to explain to Meari.
"Meari, things aren't what you imagine...!"
Ayanokoji inwardly cursed, stepped forward, embraced Hanatemari, and covered her mouth, then smiled and continued Meari's words: "Sorry, I only bought a gift for Nadeshiko and not for you, I'm really sorry..."
Hanatemari's face instantly turned red.
She had been "hugged" by Ayanokoji these past few days and was already accustomed to his scent, so her reaction shouldn't have been this strong.
However, the thought of Ayanokoji embracing her in front of everyone, especially in front of Meari... a thrilling sense of immorality suddenly surged within Hanatemari Kazura's heart.
Her cheeks flushed, and her entire body felt weak, as if she had lost all strength, relying entirely on Ayanokoji's support.
Seeing her best friend embraced by Ayanokoji, Meari became the one who was anxious.
"Ayanokoji, let go of Hanatemari!" she shouted anxiously.
She couldn't help but regret it, wishing she hadn't said such things... She didn't expect Ayanokoji to actually go ahead and hug Hanatemari, starting to "comfort" her.
Amidst her frustration, Meari quickly stepped forward to separate the two, pulled Hanatemari behind her, and glared fiercely at Ayanokoji: "What are you doing!?"
"Didn't you tell me to comfort her? I was just cooperating with you." Ayanokoji shrugged rather "innocently," inwardly thinking, "That was a close call."
Fortunately, he had blocked Hanatemari's mouth first; if she had revealed their relationship herself, that would have been a huge mess.
"You comfort her just because I told you to? Don't you know I was just saying that out of anger!" Meari said furiously, rolling up her sleeves, ready to act: "Apologize to Hanatemari quickly!"
Hanatemari Kazura had also realized by now that she might have misunderstood earlier; Meari had likely stumbled upon the truth by accident, but was actually completely unaware of it.
Hanatemari Kazura secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and after exchanging a glance with Ayanokoji, she quickly pulled Meari and soothed her: "Meari, I'm fine, don't worry..."
"But you're at a disadvantage! At the very least, he should apologize...!"
Hanatemari shook her head and whispered into Meari's ear: "Ayanokoji hugged me because of what you said. If we're going to assign blame, it would also fall on you, Meari. I haven't lost anything, so let's not pursue it..."
Speaking of which, the reason Meari was so agitated, besides feeling indignant for Hanatemari, was more out of envy that Hanatemari could be embraced by Ayanokoji in public, and also her regret over her earlier words...
Meari was extremely annoyed, but seeing that Hanatemari had no objections, she couldn't say anything more.
Boys wouldn't like unreasonable girls. Meari forcefully suppressed the agitation in her heart and followed the lead, saying, "Since you're not pursuing it, then let's drop it."
Meari said to the manager with an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry for making you laugh. What I just said was just nonsense, please don't mind it."
The female manager was the only outsider there, and Meari didn't want her to misunderstand.
"It's alright." The manager wore a professional smile, beaming, and once again had some conjectures in her mind.
From Meari's recent behavior, Ayanokoji actually had no relation to Hanatemari or the other white-haired girl.
But the manager noticed something Meari didn't—Hanatemari's gaze towards Ayanokoji was full of affection, as if she were looking at her lover...
With her many years of social experience, she was certain that the two were definitely in a relationship.
Never mind... She couldn't understand the Young Man's circle, so she'd better keep her mouth shut.
After making up her mind, the manager no longer inquired about the relationships among these guests, only asking a few questions within her duties.
The money had been paid, and the rest was simple. Ruribird Nadeshiko returned to the piano room and played the piano for a while, confirming that the piano felt good. Afterwards, everyone left the flagship store.
During this period, none of the five people mentioned what had just happened, as if nothing had occurred.
But how could they act as if nothing had happened?
Especially the two opposing individuals, Saotome Meari and Ruribird Nadeshiko, who couldn't stand each other, they just hadn't found a topic to start a conflict yet.
Ayanokoji didn't think too much. After leaving the flagship store and seeing the sky darken, Ayanokoji turned to the four girls and said, "Everyone, it's getting late. Shall we find a place to eat?"
"I'll pass, I have something to do later." The first to refuse was Ririka.
She had a slight smile on her face, perhaps remembering something happy: "I had a great time today. We'll see each other at school next week."
After greeting everyone, Ririka left first.
"I'll also pass. My family is waiting for me to have dinner." Hanatemari Kazura also politely declined.
She usually stayed at school, and every Friday evening, her parents would prepare a lavish dinner for her after school. Although it was a pity, she could only refuse.
Hanatemari Kazura also left.
Now, only two girls remained present.
Ruribird Nadeshiko looked up. Ayanokoji initially thought she would also refuse, but she suddenly spoke, "Ayanokoji... wait a moment, I have a question I want to ask you."
After Meari caused that farce, Ruricho Nadeshiko had been pondering a question, even forgetting to seize the opportunity to trouble Meari. She was even distracted while playing the piano.
Now, as they were about to part ways, she finally couldn't help but ask.
"What's wrong?"
"... Ayanokoji, why did you speak up for me in front of that manager? Why were you willing to cover for my lie?"
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