The long day gradually came to an end, and the sky slowly turned a brilliant dark red.
A few birds flew across the boundless sky, making the beautiful scenery appear even more desolate.
Below the sky was a bustling commercial street, full of people coming and going. Most hurried past without any intention of stopping, making one feel utterly out of place if they were alone.
Sajuna was out shopping with her good friend, though usually, she either went out alone or with her younger sister.
But as a second-year student at Sakuramiya Women's University, she still had a few close friends.
The friend with her was a slender girl with a high ponytail, a well-proportioned figure, and beautiful, appropriate clothing.
Her dark, shiny, flowing long hair was tied up high, held tightly by a white hair tie, creating a unique beauty through the contrast of colors.
(This is a reference character, not Kyoko.)
"I said, Kyoko, stop dragging me along," Sajuna said with a helpless expression.
"Sajuna, you're so listless. I've been waiting for you for ages," the girl named Fujiwara Kyoko said resignedly.
"Where are we going next, Sajuna-chan? I'm so hungry right now," Fujiwara Kyoko said with a plaintive expression. "How about we go eat ramen?"
"We just had ramen for lunch. Why do you never seem to get tired of it?" Sajuna said, speechless. "Kyoko, we're out together—can we please not eat ramen?"
"We've met so many times, and half—no, four-fifths—of them were spent eating ramen," Sajuna said with a pained heart. "I can't believe it was that many; I never realized."
"Huh? Was it really that many?" Fujiwara Kyoko covered her mouth in surprise. "I didn't feel it at all!"
Just as she was speaking, Sajuna's phone suddenly chimed. Before she could even take it out to check the message, the notification sound rang again.
"Eh, who sent a message?" Fujiwara Kyoko was very familiar with Sajuna, so she subconsciously glanced at the phone.
Sajuna opened it to a message from Akira, immediately seeing his "The sunset is beautiful," and her expression suddenly became a little strange.
"A boy!" Fujiwara Kyoko exclaimed in shock.
Sajuna hurriedly turned off her phone.
"Sajuna-chan, you're secretly contacting a boy!" Fujiwara Kyoko said with a pained expression. "Sajuna-chan, am I not cute anymore? Or do you not like me?"
After speaking, she hugged Sajuna beside her, burying Sajuna's face in her chest.
"Is Sajuna already trying out adult life?"
"Wuwu, stop messing around, Kyoko," Sajuna, her face flushed, struggled free from Fujiwara Kyoko's embrace and looked at her, pouting. "If you keep this up, I'm going home."
Fujiwara Kyoko quickly straightened herself, asking with a righteous expression, "Then, Sajuna-chan, who is that boy? Is he a new boyfriend?"
"No, no, he's just someone I know," Sajuna mumbled.
"I saw his message, you know, he's sharing the sunset with Sajuna-chan!" Fujiwara Kyoko leaned closer to Sajuna. "Did Sajuna-chan's heart flutter?"
"My heart didn't flutter at all; we've only met twice," Sajuna explained.
"Eh, you exchanged contact information after only two meetings?" Fujiwara Kyoko was shocked. She knew what kind of personality Sajuna had—always so cold.
A boy actually managed to get Sajuna's contact information after just two meetings!
"Sajuna, is that boy handsome?" Fujiwara Kyoko asked excitedly.
"No."
"Then does he speak nicely?"
"No."
"Then does he have any attractive qualities?"
"No."
"Sajuna-chan! Don't be so perfunctory with me! I'm so curious! Satisfy me!" Fujiwara Kyoko hugged Sajuna and said, "I really want a boyfriend too! How about Sajuna-chan introduces him to me?"
"No," Sajuna subconsciously refused, then felt embarrassed and replied, "He's a very good cook."
"A boy who can cook? Wow, how rare. I want one," Fujiwara Kyoko exclaimed, then became serious. "Sajuna-chan, are you really thinking about dating?"
"Why would you think that?" Sajuna forced herself to calm down, trying to ask in a cold tone.
"Because Sajuna-chan usually doesn't interact with boys, not even childhood friends," Fujiwara Kyoko enumerated. "Not to mention, we're at a women's university, so there are no male classmates. It's just not normal for you to add a boy on Line, is it?"
Is it really not normal?
Sajuna lowered her head, thinking. So everyone thinks it's not normal. They all think I want to date.
The boy's non-aggressive, warm, and gentle smile resurfaced in her mind, making her heartbeat quicken again.
"If Sajuna-chan wants to date, you must tell me. I need to check if he's a good person," Fujiwara Kyoko waved her fist. "Tell him he can't bully my Sajuna-chan."
"It's not what you think."
"Alright, hurry and reply to him; he must be waiting anxiously," Fujiwara Kyoko reminded her, then changed the subject. "How about we go to that restaurant up ahead, then karaoke?"
"Mhm," Sajuna nodded, opened the chat window, and stared blankly at Akira's message.
She then noticed Akira's previous message and quickly replied, "Indeed, Akira-kun."
"Inui-san, how was your day?" Akira inquired.
"It was very enjoyable," Sajuna hesitated, then asked, "Akira-kun, are you also into cosplay?"
Akira on the other end paused, then replied, "Not really. I just remembered that Juju-sama is a professional cosplayer, and I wanted to learn how to make costumes."
Is he learning how to make cosplay costumes because of me?
Sajuna looked at the message on her phone, feeling a bit conflicted.
Before she could reply, she saw Fujiwara Kyoko also staring at her phone screen. "Sajuna-chan, reply to him quickly!"
Sajuna expressionlessly put away her phone.
I gave you a chance, but you didn't use it well!
Fujiwara Kyoko had an expression like an emperor's eunuch who was more anxious than the emperor, almost bursting with frustration.
"Eat!" Sajuna looked expressionlessly at Fujiwara Kyoko, who was stomping her feet in a hurry.
"Oh, Sajuna-chan, you…"
"Then I'm going home," Sajuna interrupted directly.
Fujiwara Kyoko then stopped her excitement, stretched out her arm, and with a bright smile, shouted, "Eat!"