Chapter 26
"Then you can co along too."
The words dropped into her ears like a stone sinking in water, and for a mont Takahashi Mio forgot how to breathe.
The tone was as bland as boiled water, stripped of every trace of emotion.
The more neutral it sounded, the more unsettling it felt.
A sentence that agreed, yet carried the clearest possible refusal.
Mio snapped awake. There was no foundation of affection between her and Shiratori Seiya. Never mind his relationship with Hojo Shione—even Shione's younger sister was surely closer to him than she was.
She was nothing more than an outsider he had known for less than half a month.
A sour swirl of sothing—she couldn't na it—rose in her chest.
Not jealousy, exactly, but enough to irritate her.
Her hands, resting on her thighs, clenched so tightly that not a sliver of air could slip between her fingers.
Damn it.
We've already broken up...
Seiya noticed her sudden silence and turned, studying her face.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah—"
Mio pulled herself together. A bright smile snapped back into place; she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I was only joking," she said lightly. "You two arranged everything in advance. Dragging along an extra outsider would be awkward, wouldn't it?"
She tried to keep her tone casual, but the stiff politeness sounded more forced than if she had simply agreed to et Hojo Suzune.
Seiya studied her for a long mont.
"Do you actually want to co?"
The question pierced straight through her. Mio's eyes darted away; her heart pounded, palms slick with sweat.
Still, she forced a rigid smile.
"Huh? No, not really."
Seiya said nothing. His steady gaze pinned her in place; after only seconds she couldn't bear it and dropped her head.
She suddenly regretted telling him not to see Suzune.
Damn it.
"I really don't think it's a good idea for you to co with to et Hojo Suzune," Seiya said, looking at the side of her face. "That girl's got issues. Bad temper—even her sister can't handle her."
Mio blinked in surprise.
Her fair ear twitched; the knot inside her loosened. She lifted her head.
"Then... she's willing to go out with you?"
"Mm."
Seiya nodded, matter-of-fact. "She likes ."
"..."
Looking at his calm face, Mio didn't know what to say. Announcing another girl's feelings for him right in front of his girlfriend—only a scumbag would do that.
Yet she found, to her own surprise, that she wasn't upset. Her lips parted.
"So you're still going to see her? Aren't you afraid she'll cling to you?"
"Not afraid."
"If I avoided her, that would an I had sothing to hide."
"The so-called 'impossible' is impossible. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted that photo with you—she can see it."
"Oh."
Mio gave a small sound. The panic in her chest settled.
"You don't need to worry about your friends finding out. It's just a picture. They've never t ; if I change clothes no one will recognize ."
"Oh."
"All right. Everything's out in the open."
Seiya zipped his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and looked straight into her eyes.
"But more than any of this ss, I want you to focus on the assignnts I gave you. If your scores don't hit the target, you don't get a single yen."
He switched off the air-conditioner and walked out of the classroom without another word.
"..."
Watching his retreating back, Mio's eyes filled with complicated light. She bit her lip.
How unfair...
Going on a date with another girl and sounding so righteous about it...
Still, whatever the case, right now she was the one he called girlfriend.
The more she replayed his words, the lighter she felt.
After a mont the giddy feeling peaked.
She burst out laughing, bright as fireworks.
——
Noon. Hojo residence.
Hojo Suzune stood in front of her bedroom mirror, holding up one outfit after another, scrutinizing her reflection with a critical eye and muttering non-stop.
"This one's all right, but it's too gentle—doesn't match my style at all..."
"This one's way too bright. When did I even buy it?"
"This one's hideous..."
Try on, toss aside. Clothes carpeted the chair, the bed, the floor—her room looked like a textile battlefield.
She even dug out her junior-high uniform. Surprisingly, it still fit after all these years.
For a mont she stared at herself in the mirror, then flushed and hurled the uniform into the trash can.
Next ca a white dress; when she zipped it up, the bodice gaped sadly.
"Sis! Why are your clothes in my closet?!"
"..."
After who-knew-how-long she had whittled the chaos down to three acceptable outfits and stuffed them into her suitcase. The kimono had been bought with her mother last month.
Sweat beaded on her back. Even the toughest piano practice had never drained her like this.
She wiped her forehead and flopped onto the bed.
Clothes chosen—ti to review tomorrow's plan.
Birthday trip to Tokyo: Seiya had asked where she wanted to go so he could prepare.
Suzune had flat-out refused.
Let Seiya plan everything? Where was the fun in that?
She narrowed her eyes, smiling, then curled her legs beneath her and shrank into a small ball.
Tapping open her phone's notepad, she skimd her checklist one last ti—she and her sister were leaving for Tokyo tonight.
Halfway through, a notification banner slid down:
[Shiratori Seiya: ...]
Suzune blinked. Seiya never posted unless it was important.
She tapped it.
A caption—Please take care of from now on—sat above a photo of him with another girl.
?
A needle seed to pierce her heart. Her pupils contracted; she shot upright on the bed.
Clutching her phone, she dashed toward the living room.
"Sis!"
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