Chapter 55

As soon as they stepped out of the entrance and became a pair, Yui sighed while walking down the corridor of the apartment building.

"Studying at the library? I didn't hear anything about that."

Then, she suddenly had a sullen look. It wasn't strange since it was before the test, but her tone was like, "Studying? That's impossible, right?"

"That was just for Rina's sake. Things would get complicated if they did."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's my story."

If Rina were to say, "I'll go too!" it would ruin everything. So, Yui decided to keep their destination a secret and left the apartment building. Yuzuki walked ahead down the alley, and Yui followed cheerfully, her steps light.

"Hey, where are we going? If it's a secret, could it be something like a big surprise?"

"Still, Ideon is the strongest, right?"

"It's not Sunrise, just so you know."

While having such a conversation, they approached the corner of a main street where a convenience store was located. Just then, a woman in a white dress with floral patterns crossed in front of them.

Her long black hair was casually let down, contrasting beautifully with the white. She had a model-like figure and exuded an aura that seemed to change the atmosphere around her just by walking. Men would likely stop and stare.

Yuzuki's eyes were drawn to the woman's legs, which extended elegantly from the hem of her dress.

"Hey, eyes. Your gaze."

Yui suddenly extended her arm from the side and covered Yuzuki's vision with her palm. Yuzuki thought it was unnecessary to be covered, no matter what she was looking at...

"Oh, it's Yui, what are you doing here, just standing around..."

A very familiar voice sounded, and the view in front of her suddenly brightened. Yui and the woman looked at each other.

"Rin, is that you...?"

"Ah, it's a coincidence, I'm surprised..."

In fact, this time, Rin and Yui had planned to run into each other conveniently. The plan was to pretend it was a coincidence and suggest they hang out together. It wasn't much of a plan, but...

Still, Yuzuki didn't immediately recognize how much Rin had changed. Her eyes were more prominent, and her lips had a slight red tint. She looked like a model, and Yuzuki wondered if it was appropriate to casually talk to her.

But then, Yuzuki noticed that Rin's tone was extremely unnatural, and her behavior was suspicious, ruining her cool beauty. She thought Rin was a terrible actress. Clearly, amateurs couldn't mimic the skilled actress Yui.

"What are you doing here?"

"Eh, ah..."

When Yui asked, Rin suddenly sent a pleading look to Yuzuki for help. It was a complete lack of planning. Yuzuki thought Rin, who was usually sharp, would have everything well-prepared.

Of course, Yuzuki had no plan either, so she returned the look, expecting Rin to figure it out on her own. Rin's gaze wandered around and then, for some reason, pointed to the convenience store.

"A, a..."

"Anpan?"

"No, that's..."

"Oden?"

Since Rin was just opening and closing her mouth without making progress, Yuzuki decided to intervene and help.

"Wow, you look so beautiful, I'm surprised. You look completely different."

"R, really? Ah, thanks..."

Rin, who rarely showed embarrassment, looked down shyly. Yuzuki's compliment was sincere.

"Your outfit really changes your impression."

As Yuzuki looked at Rin from head to toe, Yui's face kept appearing at the edge of his vision. When he asked, "What?" Yui showed the hem of her skirt.

"What's this?"

"Clothes."

"You have quite a different perspective."

"I've seen Yui's casual clothes many times."

"Are you tired of them?"

Yui was wearing a light blue skirt with a pattern, a shirt, and a thin white cardigan that was almost see-through. Yuzuki realized she wore different clothes every time, unlike himself.

"Yup, Yui is cute, very cute."

"You're late... How many chances to say you're cute did you miss?"

"What's that?"

Yui and Yuzuki started bickering. Yuzuki glanced at Rin, who was standing silently with her head down, staring at a random stone on the ground. Realizing this wasn't good, Yuzuki turned to Rin.

"Perfect timing, why don't you come with us?"

"Wha?"

Yui let out a strange sound, turning her head sharply to look at Yuzuki. She seemed quite surprised, but Yuzuki was even more surprised by her reaction. He thought she would be enthusiastic, saying, "Great, let's all go together!"

"Wha, aren't we friends?"

"Of course, but..."

"Are you saying no?"

"N, no, I didn't say that!"

Then what was that indecisive attitude?

While they were arguing, Rin's eyes darted around, and her face turned pale. Yuzuki gave her a look, and Yui seemed to realize the situation was dire.

"N, no, we're good friends! Right?"

She dramatically grabbed Rin's hand and swung it back and forth. Rin's face changed, and her cheeks turned red.

"Let's just go without Yuzuki!"

Despite her words, Yui's tone was a bit sharp. She said, "Let's go," but it wasn't clear where they were going. In fact, Yuzuki had no plan and had left everything to Rin.

"But, I'm done here."

"No, wait! What's this? What was the secret?"

"Sorry, I actually have no plan today."

"Huh?"

Feeling a murderous aura from Yui, Yuzuki quickly turned to Rin to divert attention.

"Where were you planning to go, Rin?"

"Well, I thought I'd study for the test at the library..."

"Huh..."

The truth came out of a lie. Yui made a face as if to say, "No way," but why did she show it so obviously? Rin, of course, noticed and...

"E, er, Yui..."

"Well, you don't have your study materials, right?"

"Y, yeah! It's not the time to study on a day off!"

(We should be studying...)

Both of them spoke as if they had forgotten about the test next week. Rin's voice suddenly became high-pitched and strange.

"Let's not study today, let's have fun, really have fun!"

She was clearly trying to match Yui's mood, but her character was obviously off. She was supposed to be the one who would scold them for not studying. But Yui seemed satisfied.

"It's the first time I'll play with Rin, it feels strange..."

It was indeed the first time. The secret was out.

"So, what are we going to do? Where are we going?"

"E, er, well..."

Rin sent another look to Yuzuki. Since he didn't usually go out to play with classmates on weekends, Yuzuki didn't know what to do. This led to a negative spiral where he couldn't think of anything to do. Rin, probably in the same situation, returned the look.

"It's... G, G..."

"Gegge?"

"G... Game center?"