Hikigaya's chopsticks ca to a halt. Nikaido Hiro and Margo locked eyes; neither spoke, simply staring the other down.
"Houshou-san." Sakuraba's voice ca from the side, sounding a bit tense. "What did you just say?"
Margo turned her head toward Sakuraba. Those purple pupils narrowed slightly; the smile remained, but Hikigaya felt it would have been better if she weren't smiling at all.
"Doesn't Sakuraba-san know? Hikigaya-kun and Nikaido-san are just acting."
Sakuraba Ema's expression stiffened for a mont, but she quickly regained her gentle smile.
"Houshou-san, didn't I say this morning? Hikigaya-kun and Hiro are clearly..."
Margo tilted her head, watching her, and then let out a pfft of laughter.
"Sakuraba-san, you're amazing. You know everything, yet you can still smile so happily."
"...I don't know what Houshou-san is talking about. I don't understand."
"You don't understand?" Margo tilted her head, Sakuraba's reflection mirrored in her purple pupils. "But your expression tells that you do understand."
Sakuraba Ema's smile remained gentle.
"Houshou-san sure knows how to joke," she said softly. "The feelings between Hikigaya-kun and Hiro are obvious to everyone. How could it be acting?"
Margo blinked and turned back to Hiro.
"Nikaido-san, what do you say? Are you acting?"
Hiro's fingers tightened, bunching up the cloth of the bento box in her grip.
"That is none of your business."
"How could it be none of my business?" Margo said with a smile. "Darling is my childhood friend; it's only natural for to care about him, right? And besides..."
She paused, a flash of cunning crossing her purple pupils.
"If you two are just acting, then I can join in too. Since it's all fake anyway, wouldn't it be more interesting with one more person?"
Hikigaya felt his head beginning to ache.
'What on earth does this woman want?'
Nikaido Hiro stood up.
"Margo, please leave."
"Why?" Margo tilted her head. "This isn't your house."
"We are eating. We don't wish to be disturbed."
"I'm not disturbing you. I'm just chatting with Darling. Right, Darling?"
At this point, Hikigaya just wanted to finish this al quickly and find a place to hide.
Sakuraba Ema spoke up softly from the side.
"Margo-san, you're making things difficult for Hikigaya-kun."
"Difficult?" Margo blinked. "How so? I'm just telling the truth."
She looked at Hikigaya.
"Darling, tell , am I wrong?"
Hikigaya set down his chopsticks and sighed.
"Margo, what exactly do you want?"
"I want to eat with you," Margo said with a smile. "Just like when we were little. We ate together, played together, together we..."
"That was when we were little," Hikigaya interrupted her. "It's different now."
"How is it different?" Margo asked, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible grievance. "Darling, have you changed?"
Hikigaya didn't know how to answer.
"He has changed," Hiro answered coldly. "He has a girlfriend now, he has friends, he has things he wants to do. He isn't the person you knew as a child anymore."
Margo turned her head to look at her. Those purple pupils narrowed slightly, and the smile was gone.
"Is that so? Then what kind of person is he?"
"Nikaido-san doesn't know either, does she? You only know that he is your 'boyfriend.' What do you like about him? What does he love to eat? What does he hate? What is he afraid of? You can't answer... can you?"
Hiro's fingers gripped the bento cloth so hard her knuckles turned white.
"Margo." Hikigaya's voice was a bit hoarse. "That's enough."
"Darling, I'm sorry, but I don't want to stop yet."
Margo turned her head to look at Sakuraba Ema.
"Sakuraba-san, do you have anything you want to say?"
Sakuraba Ema's smile froze.
"Margo-san, I don't understand what you're saying..."
"You do understand. You understand better than anyone. This play is a fake, their feelings are fake, everything is fake. But you still cooperate with them, you still pretend to support them..."
She paused, a trace of mockery flashing in her purple pupils.
"You are just using the na of 'help' to tie them to your side."
Margo's voice was very soft, but every word was as sharp as a knife.
She looked back at Hikigaya, his shadow reflected in her purple eyes.
"Darling, do you see clearly now? The relationship between them is nothing more than a sham—a fake relationship, fake support, fake concern... it's all fake."
Hikigaya felt his breath hitch for a second.
'Fake.'
The word pierced his ears like a needle.
"Nikaido-san pretends to be your girlfriend, and Sakuraba-san pretends to be the friend who supports you. They use this false relationship to tie you to their side, making you play along with this house-playing drama..."
Margo's voice was very light, but every word felt like a hamr striking his heart.
"But Darling, you have no reason to play along with them anymore. The rumors have died down. They have no reason to force you to continue this fake relationship."
She reached out her hand.
"So, co with . Stop playing house with them."
Hikigaya looked at her outstretched hand, then looked at Hiro and Sakuraba.
Nikaido Hiro stood by the bench, her fingers tightly clutching the bento cloth. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't say a word.
Sakuraba Ema sat on the bench, just staring at him quietly. There was no emotion in her eyes, but Hikigaya noticed her fingers were trembling slightly.
He wanted to say sothing. He wanted to tell Margo it wasn't like that.
Hiro really was helping him, and Sakuraba really did care about him. They weren't "shams."
The actions were real, the concern was real, the words they used to bail him out were real.
But he couldn't say it. Because he himself didn't know anymore what was real and what was fake.
He only knew he was tired right now—extrely tired—and didn't want to be entangled anymore.
He sighed and stood up.
"Let's go."
Margo smiled and took his hand.
"That's more like it."
"Stop playing house with them. You don't need to pretend to like anyone, you don't need to protect anyone, you don't need to help anyone maintain a lie. It's enough for you just to be yourself."
She gripped his wrist tightly and pulled him away. Her geta clicked against the floor while his sneakers padded against the ground; the two sounds mixed together in total discord. He didn't look back. He simply followed her, walking slowly, step by step.
When they reached the entrance of the courtyard, Margo stopped. She didn't turn around; she just stood there.
"Nikaido-san, Sakuraba-san." Her voice drifted back from where she stood.
"You two should stop acting, too. Darling isn't your prop. He gets tired too. I hope you can understand."
Hikigaya followed Margo into the shadows.
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