Chapter 22

After the last class ended, Yuki quickly started getting ready to leave and stood up from her seat.

Then, Yui, who was still putting away her class notes, said,

"Hey, you're leaving already?"

"Yeah. Goodbye."

With that, Yuki tried to leave quickly, but Yui suddenly put out her palm and said,

"Wait a minute."

"Huh?"

"Wait a sec."

Caught off guard, Yuki stood there, not knowing what to do.

After a while, Yui, who seemed to have finished getting ready, sat in her seat and said,

"Okay, you can go now."

Confused, Yuki tilted her head and left the classroom. On the way out, she almost got caught by Sonoda but managed to avoid her and made it to the hallway. She then slipped out of the school building and passed through the school gate. Suddenly, a shadow darted past her and stood in front of her.

"Ta-da!"

A female student, spreading her arms in a strange pose, turned out to be the wild Yui.

"...What?"

"Want to walk home together?"

Yuki, who was puzzled, was greeted with Yui's usual smile, and she started walking beside her without waiting for a response. However, Yuki couldn't help but stare at Yui's face, as the invitation seemed too casual.

"Didn't you say you come by bike on days when it doesn't rain?"

Yui's very presence walking was questionable. There were many clouds, and the wind was blowing, but it hadn't rained a single drop all morning, and the forecast showed almost zero chance of rain.

"Recently, I've been thinking about walking a bit. I thought a little exercise might be good."

"Putting on extra weight?"

"What?"

Yuki had meant it as a joke, but Yui's tone was serious. Realizing that such comments were taboo for girls, Yuki quickly tried to smooth things over while scanning Yui from head to toe.

"You don't look fat at all."

"Hey, don't stare at me like that, okay?"

"Well, your legs are really nice."

Yui's long, slender legs were accentuated by her short navy socks and black loafers. Her plaid skirt was of average length, though some girls wore much shorter ones, so it might be considered longer than average. Yui, who was holding the hem of her skirt with her hand, blushed slightly and said,

"T-That's complete harassment! These days, that kind of thing is taken very seriously!"

"Oh, right. Sorry. I won't say anything like that again."

"But it's the truth, so it's hard not to say it, right?"

There was a mysterious pause after Yui's quick response. She glanced at Yuki's expression, and Yuki asked,

"Does it make you happy to be complimented?"

"I didn't say that."

"You're complicated."

"Girls are always complicated."

Yui said something that didn't seem to fit her at all. Deciding to stop saying unnecessary things, Yuki fell silent.

"Actually, walking or not is just an excuse. I really just wanted to walk home with you, Yuki..."

Yui, leaning forward slightly, looked at Yuki with her usual smug expression.

(So that's what it is.)

It seemed Yuki was completely locked onto. As long as she sat next to Yui, it seemed there was no avoiding it.

Uncertain how to react, Yuki remained silent. When approached like this, she always found it difficult to respond. After walking in silence for a while, Yui, unable to bear it, whispered,

"Yuki, you're still putting up your A.T. Field, aren't you?"

"Really? I feel like it's been neutralized a lot."

"Who's the Angel here?"

Despite Yui's occasional attempts to start a conversation, the talks always ended quickly. They were falling back into the same pattern of walking together in silence.

Glancing at Yui's face, Yuki thought she seemed a bit down. Yui didn't seem to be trying to initiate anything. She had mentioned before that she got anxious when Yuki was silent, but...

Confused, Yuki decided to speak up.

"It's not that I'm in a bad mood or anything."

"Huh?"

"I'm just not very good at starting conversations. And I just have a thin reaction."

Upon hearing this, Yui looked up in surprise and met Yuki's gaze. She then relaxed her lips slightly and said,

"You say that like it's a set phrase... but I can't accept that."

Despite her words, Yui's voice gradually regained its energy.

"Personally, I want to see Yuki get more angry, frustrated, or even cry."

"Are you trying to bully me?"

Yui giggled, covering her mouth. She seemed to be in a much better mood and leaned in, asking in a lively voice,

"Hey, hey, want to stop somewhere?"

"Where?"

"Somewhere."

Her own suggestion was completely vague. However, Yuki, who had intended to go straight home, firmly declined.

"I'm worried about my sister, so I'm going straight home."

Yesterday, she had poured Mentos into a cola bottle, making the floor sticky. By the time Yuki got home, it was too late. Sui had said, "I couldn't resist my curiosity. Sorry!" without a hint of remorse, but her excessive energy was a concern.

Sui had boasted, "I'll be the first to leave the classroom and go home after class," and she always got home early. She claimed that the "homeroom club" wasn't just for fun, but in reality, she was a member of the art club in name only and often skipped it.

Yuki didn't elaborate on this. When she said this, Yui nodded dramatically and said,

"Hmm, your sister again... But we haven't talked much today, have we?"

"Is that a quota or something?"

"Every day is tough..."

Yui closed her eyes and made a pained face. When Yuki dismissed it as nonsense,

"But to me, you're just one of many classmates..."

"That's not true. The Nariho stock is rising in my book. You're currently at the top of my 'people I'm interested in' list."

Yui smiled smugly. When she smiled like that, it was a sign that she had just pulled a prank.

"What's second place then?"

"S-Second place? Hmm, if you suddenly ask..."

"A ranking without a second place is meaningless. Therefore, it's a bluff."

"You just wanted to say 'bluff.' Isn't that usage wrong?"

"Well, you're the one who talks to me the most and walks home with me the most..."

"What's second place then?"

"..."

It was hard to answer on the spot. Yuki couldn't remember the last time he had a proper conversation with a girl or who it was with. Satisfied, Yui swayed her body and let out a dramatic sigh,

"Ah~ I'm starting to worry about Yuki's future. You need to be more social... At this rate, you won't become a proper adult. Yuki doesn't have many friends, right? And, well, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Yui looked at Yuki with wide eyes, and he stopped, meeting her gaze.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No, I don't."

They stared at each other in a strange silence. After a moment, Yui broke into a smile, laughing and stopping repeatedly.

"Of course not, right? You surprised me."

"Well, you sounded like my sister, so I was a bit surprised."

"Really? Your sister must be very understanding. She's probably very reliable."

"Not really."

"Always saying that..."

It was frustrating to be seen as more flighty than Sui.

"Recently, she's been really insistent about me getting a girlfriend."

"Hmm~? So, what do you think about that?"

"Not at all. Even if I asked someone to be my girlfriend, no one would say yes."

"Y-Yeah, I see. But you might be surprised... You might find a good match nearby..."

Yui, speaking hesitantly, gave Yuki some strange looks. With such persistence and obvious hints, even Yuki couldn't remain silent.

(I need to be clear about this once and for all.)

With that thought, Yuki turned to Yui resolutely.

"Hey... Can we just stop this? This whole 'falling in love' game is ridiculous."

Yuki said this firmly, and Yui looked back at him straight.

Her slightly relaxed lips had tightened, and she seemed to be showing a rare expression.

Breaking eye contact, Yui took a couple of large steps forward, turned around, and faced Yuki again. Her hands, holding her bag around her waist, clenched tightly.

"I'm not playing a game."