Seeing her disguise being torn open so bloodily,
Sakiko let out a shout and didn't want to say anything more, turning to leave.
In fact, her heart had completely acknowledged Shouko's Divination ability.
But it was precisely because of this that she even more so didn't want to present her pathetic self before her former friend.
"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll probably become someone's star slave next. Is this the future you want?"
"!!????"
[anger value, +666 points.]
Sakiko, who was striding away, stopped in disbelief and turned her head to look at Shouko.
Shouko, however, opened an umbrella and came to Sakiko's side.
"Let's go, let's walk together. You don't want others to know about your situation either, do you?"
"I... I understand..."
Hearing the commotion coming from the CRYCHIC Band room not far away,
Sakiko bit her lip and finally obediently stepped under Shouko's umbrella.
Although she really wanted to earn money... the idea of completely becoming someone else's star slave in the future was something she was absolutely unwilling to accept.
Falling from the status of a young lady had already made her feel miserable.
If she fell any further, she was afraid she would truly go crazy.
However... looking at the extremely domineering Shouko standing beside her,
And feeling the umbrella shielding her from the cold autumn rain, a trace of inexplicable security slowly radiated from her heart.
Ever since her mother passed away, she had been living in a daze during this period of time.
Amidst her confusion and inner turmoil, there was no one she could turn to for comfort.
Her father had failed, even becoming a disgrace to the family.
Her grandfather's actions were utterly incomprehensible, leaving her no choice but to flee from home.
But after escaping, how was she supposed to live?
As a formerly noble young lady, she had never spent a single day out in society.
And now, she not only had to support herself but also take care of her decadent father.
It was truly, truly difficult.
She recalled how she had hit a wall every time she looked for work over the past few days.
Overcome with sorrow, Sakiko instinctively leaned closer to Shouko.
In her mind, she couldn't help but replay Shouko's recent actions.
Perhaps Shouko had noticed that something was wrong.
That's why she had been the first to suggest leaving the group... and had stood directly in front of her, delivering such harsh criticism to everyone else.
And now, she was waiting quietly outside, wanting to find a better path for her.
If that were the case, everything that happened before became very, very reasonable.
Yes, it had to be that way!!!!!
At this thought... Sakiko's gaze toward Shouko changed completely.
Although her pride as a young lady made her reluctant to accept sympathy from others...
...the confusion in her heart made her desperately hope for a warm harbor to shield her from the wind and rain.
Even if it was just a little bit, she would be truly, truly satisfied.
*Splash*... As the two of them walked out of the shop and into the rain.
Feeling the cold, biting autumn wind, Sakiko leaned even closer to Shouko.
"There's a hotel not far from here. Let's go warm up."
"Okay..."
With her pride as a young lady torn away and her understanding of Shouko's actions...
...the previously conflicted and lost Sakiko had become unusually obedient.
Or rather... even if her pride was torn...
...Sakiko was still struggling internally, telling herself...
...that she simply didn't want to accept her future self becoming someone else's star slave.
And she wanted to hear from Shouko how she could change that tragic future.
To her surprise, her phone suddenly rang at that moment.
"Answer it..."
"Okay..."
Taking the phone out of her pocket, Sakiko looked at the unknown number on the screen.
Frowning slightly, she pressed the answer button and held it to the ear further away from Shouko.
Even though Shouko had a hearing impairment... just in case, she didn't want to appear even more lowly in front of her.
When the voice of a police officer came from the other end, telling her to come to the Police Headquarters to pick up her father...
...Sakiko gritted her teeth tightly, but ultimately agreed with a serious expression.
Hanging up the phone... she was about to speak, but Shouko beat her to it.
"That was the Police Headquarters's number, wasn't it? Is it about your father??"
"You... you heard that!???"
[anger value, +99.]
[anger value, +99.]
"I didn't need to hear it. I'm familiar with that number. As for what happened, the tarot cards in your hand already told me."
Shouko spoke as if it were obvious; after all, she certainly couldn't say she had heard the other girl's inner thoughts.
Hearing this... the last shred of Sakiko's pride was once again brutally exposed.
Even though she knew Shouko was likely doing this for her own good, her emotional defenses were still shattered.
However... before she could say anything... under Sakiko's bewildered gaze, Shouko raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap to her face.
"You!????"
Sakiko clutched her face, staring at Shouko in disbelief.
"Does it hurt??"
"Shouko, what exactly are you trying to do??"
"He's a grown man, yet instead of contacting the family, they call you, a teenage girl. Whose fault do you think that is??"
"But he's my father! I can't just watch him get locked up in the Police Headquarters and do nothing!!!!"
Perhaps because her last bit of pitiful pride had been pricked again, Sakiko exploded, shouting at Shouko.
Such shouting naturally drew puzzled looks from the people nearby.
But Sakiko, whose defenses had been repeatedly shattered, no longer cared.
She just wanted to know what Shouko meant by all this.
"So, have you decided to become someone's star slave??"
[anger value, +99.]
[anger value, +99.]
"Shouko, Shouko, what... what are you trying to say!!!!"
"Kneel."
"Huh!???"
"I told you to kneel. Can't you hear me, or do you have a hearing impairment like I do??"
Looking at Shouko's indifferent gaze, Sakiko's eyes widened.
She looked at Shouko in disbelief, as if she were seeing her for the first time.
They were supposed to be best friends. It was already painful enough that she had torn down Saki's pride; why was she doing this now??
Could it be... was she really going to trample on the last shred of her human dignity?
"I was wrong about you!!!!"
[anger value, +666.]
After saying that, Sakiko turned and ran directly toward the Police Headquarters.
But a single sentence from Shouko made her stop in her tracks.
"So you do understand that a star slave's life is miserable, and that having your dignity trampled on feels awful."