Chapter 32
10:30 a.m.
In the classroom the professor was still lecturing, and Takahashi Mio sat near the air-conditioner. A faint, cool breeze kept lifting her bangs, keeping her more alert than usual; even Nanase hadn't jabbed her ribs once this period.
"Life is empty and flavorless only to those who find it so."
Hearing the quote, Mio quietly copied it into her notebook—maybe it would earn her one more point toward that million-yen prize.
The lecture ended sooner than expected, and exhaustion crashed over her. She couldn't stifle a yawn.
Before she could finish it, the girl beside her spoke. "Let check your notes—see if anything's off."
Mio blinked, turned, and t Nagata Nanase's eyes in mild confusion, but slid the notebook across the desk anyway.
"I picked up a shift this afternoon," Nanase explained, "so going over it now saves ti later."
"Oh—sure." Mio nodded, sympathy creeping into her gaze.
Two weeks earlier she'd waitressed at the sa diner; last-minute swaps happened all the ti. Running plates and occasionally scrubbing dishes was tiring, but the money kept her going. What she dreaded most was serving classmates.
Unlike friends who'd worked since high school for pocket money, Mio's father—old-school to the bone—believed "respectable girls don't parade themselves in public." In high school her allowance had been stingy yet enough for the occasional café outing. University changed everything. The stipend barely covered textbooks, and the sketchy online loan she'd taken left her no choice but to work.
She had no idea what Nanase thought of her, but wounded pride insisted Nanase must look down on her. After one mortifying encounter, Mio quit and found a new job a few kiloters away. Even so, she worried—there were only so many restaurants near campus.
Luckily, she'd t Shiratori Seiya. Without him, her life would still be pitch-black.
"Looks fine," Nanase said. "Review these points this afternoon. I'll quiz you at the library the day after tomorrow—"
No answer. Nanase rapped the desktop. Tap-tap.
"Ah—right!" Mio straightened.
Nanase hesitated, lips pressed thin. "You... okay?"
"Yup, I'll morize everything this afternoon."
"That's not what I ant." Nanase shook her head. "Your major exams are in two months. Can you really juggle these extra classes?"
"Oh, those just need a pass."
Nanase's brow arched. "You're in Chinese Literature, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Then why are you taking three core acting courses? You've maxed out the six cross-major credits, and you need A's, not passes."
She'd wanted to ask since day one. Mio's attendance was spotty; she dozed through lectures—hardly the picture of diligence. Yet she'd volunteered for academic masochism.
"Um... I'm interested. In acting. Might pursue it professionally." Mio's voice dropped; saying this to an acting major felt presumptuous.
Nanase caught the implication. "You want to be an actress?"
Mio seized the opening. "Yeah, I'm thinking about it."
Nanase studied her with narrowed eyes, lips tight. Mio squird. "What?"
"...Nothing." Nanase turned to leave. Though she said nothing, Mio read the verdict: You're delusional.
She watched Nanase disappear through the doorway.
"What was I even saying..." Mio groaned, tipping her head back.
Regret prickled. Nanase—acting major, straight-A student—had every right to doubt the girl who snored through theory class.
Yet beneath the sha, irritation flared. Just because she wasn't enrolled in acting didn't an she lacked talent. Did Nanase have to look down on her?
What if Shiratori Seiya was right—what if she had untapped genius? She'd been working hard: taking notes, buying facial-expression workbooks, practicing in front of the mirror every night.
Her mind drifted to Seiya. Yesterday he'd gone to celebrate Shione's little sister's birthday. How had that gone?
Ugh—he already had a girlfriend and still went out with another woman.
But... did he actually like her?
Mio's phone buzzed. She glanced: probably spam.
She let the screen dim before lazily grabbing it. The ssage made her freeze.
10:30, in front of Literature Departnt Building No. 2. Co alone if you want to know the truth about Shiratori Seiya.
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