After Amane left, Horikita habitually stood behind the door.
Because that idiot often pretended to forget her key, then knocked on the door asking to be let in.
But this time,
Amane didn't look back.
Should she be relieved? Or should she be disappointed?
She was relieved that if things continued this way, the rumors would disappear.
She was disappointed that... she had to personally push away her only friend.
Horikita opened her phone.
She glanced at the messages in the class group chat.
From the chat history,
many people were still discussing the recently popular photos and videos of two girls playing a couple's game on campus.
The protagonists were, of course, Horikita and Amane.
The comments, however, were quite polarized.
Some people believed it was just girls playing a simple game.
They thought some people had impure thoughts to think otherwise.
But another group of people used harsh words like "filthy" to label Amane and her.
How would this affect things?
For the reclusive her, it had no impact.
After all, her social circle consisted only of Amane.
But what about Amane?
She wanted to make friends with more people.
If bad rumors spread about her and another girl,
would she still be able to stay in other girls' circles?
Absolutely not.
In fact, these past few days, people in the class had also been discussing this matter.
Even Chabashira had spoken to her once,
telling them to be mindful of their image.
Kushida's small group hadn't really sought out Amane for the past week either.
Although Amane didn't say anything,
every time after school, Amane would look longingly at her friends in various small groups discussing where to go play.
But she could only sit in her seat,
and then accompany her back to the dorm.
Horikita knew she wasn't a girl who enjoyed socializing and shopping.
So she had almost never gone out to play with Amane.
Indeed... her personality was more suited for the outside world, wasn't it?
Horikita thought for a long time.
The bad rumors were due to the truth; their relationship had indeed gone beyond friendship.
But it hadn't reached the point Horikita had drawn the line at.
So no matter how they explained or refuted it, it was useless.
The only way was to distance themselves.
Only when their relationship returned to its state before the start of school,
would those who loved gossip find it boring and stop paying attention to herself and Amane.
At that time, Amane would naturally be able to integrate into other small groups.
If that didn't work, she would add fuel to the fire and intentionally say some nasty things in public.
Amane had a good reputation, so there would definitely be people willing to help her and speak up for her.
That way, she could smoothly return to her own circle.
As for herself... she would return to her previous mundane life.
Well.
What's the big deal?
Hadn't she been a loner since kindergarten?
What was this level of loneliness?
She didn't mind three more years of it.
Let her be the villain.
She went to the kitchen.
In the pot were warm candied apples.
Horikita picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.
It was bitter.
Had the apple gone bad?
No.
Even if it had gone bad, such a sweet food wouldn't turn bitter.
Horikita ate a few more bites.
But she could only taste bitterness.
"If only I hadn't met her. People are always insatiable. Once you get used to living alone, once someone else enters your life, you can never go back."
Horikita tried to force a self-mocking smile.
But no matter how she tried to manipulate her emotions, she couldn't make that expression.
Horikita gave up.
She picked up a book and quietly read it alone.
Her eyes quickly scanned each word.
But not a single word registered.
Amane would always snuggle up to her when she was reading.
She would hug her arm and call out, "Suzune, Suzune."
Although she found her annoying,
when she saw Amane's smile,
all her troubles seemed to disappear.
It was just a bit too innocent of a smile.
Because Amane was too noisy,
Horikita had repeatedly asked her to be quiet.
Now she was alone.
It was quiet enough.
There was no longer any noisy sound to disturb her.
But she couldn't focus on reading no matter what.
"Sigh."
Horikita let out a heavy sigh.
She closed the book.
Then she put on her casual clothes, planning to go out for some fresh air.
If she didn't clear her head soon, she felt she would be crushed by the oppressive atmosphere.
There was a time when she had boasted to others, saying that she didn't need friends because she had never had any since childhood.
Therefore, she could accept loneliness better than anyone.
Then a person named Miyako Amane appeared.
And mercilessly slapped her in the face.
Thinking back to her proud demeanor at that time,
as if having no friends was something glorious.
She felt she was utterly childish.
Horikita opened the door and glanced at Amane's door.
Should she ask her to go out for a walk together?
As soon as the thought emerged, Horikita rejected it.
She didn't have the courage.
Perhaps it was fate.
As soon as Horikita took the elevator to the first floor,
she saw a familiar figure walking out with a drink bought from a vending machine.
Amane, are you going out so late?
Could she also be going for a stroll?
Perhaps I should choose a different direction from her.
Horikita thought this.
But her body chose to follow behind Amane.
Horikita, who initially thought Amane was just out for a stroll, soon realized something was amiss.
Amane was wearing the formal attire Horikita had bought for her.
Who goes for a stroll at night wearing formal wear?
Moreover, it was clear that Amane had applied light makeup.
Normally, Amane always prided herself on her natural beauty and never wore makeup.
Why today... Horikita had a bad feeling.
So she decisively followed far behind Amane.
Amane's pace was quite fast.
In a short while, she had rounded the dormitory building.
Behind the dormitory building was a large empty space and some discarded sports equipment.
One would definitely not come here to take a stroll.
However, if one wanted privacy, this would be a good choice.
Suddenly.
Horikita thought of something.
Is someone going to confess to Amane?
This, this is nothing.
Isn't being confessed to a happy thing?
It means someone already feels that she and Amane have grown distant, so they've accepted Amane again.
Isn't this a good thing?
What if it's a handsome, handsome boy or something?
Amane... would be very happy too, right?
Ah, ah.
I wonder who could make Amane take it so seriously.
She might even accept the confession on the spot.
It's truly, enviable... ah.
Seriously.
The wind is so strong tonight, sand keeps getting into my eyes.
Just as Horikita was about to turn and leave.
She heard a familiar voice.
No one was more familiar with the owner of that voice than her.
But it was not Amane's voice.
"Amane-san is truly punctual."
Horikita Manabu glanced at the time.
The time was just right, without even a second of error.
Should he say she arrived precisely on time?
Or that she was just punctual?
"After all, I'm here to see Horikita-senpai. I prepared a little before leaving, which delayed me a bit."
Before she left, she had even blow-dried her hair and made herself dinner.
The reason she bought a drink was because she felt a bit choked.
But in Horikita Suzune's ears, these words became:
"To see Horikita Manabu-senpai, I specifically wore nice clothes and put on makeup, which delayed me a bit."
Then... could it be that big brother is going to confess to Amane?
Or... is Amane going to confess to big brother?
However, neither of these options was acceptable to Horikita.