Chapter 79

In the food court, they finished their drinks and the break was over. Just as I was wondering what the devil would demand next, Yui said out of the blue, "It's so sad for Rina to be alone," and in the end, we left the department store as it was.

It seemed that Yui had already heard about the party from Rina.

"What kind of surprise is it?" I was asked, but Yuki also only knew that "there's going to be a party!" and had heard nothing specific.

The arrangements seemed rather messy, so I braced myself for being made to help with the preparations as I returned home with Yui.

Even though I always tell her to lock the door when she's at home, it wasn't locked.

I couldn't find Rina's usual shoes at the entrance, and for a moment I thought she had left the door open, but instead, there were unfamiliar sandals neatly placed there, which made me even more puzzled.

Could it be a burglar...? No, if it were, they wouldn't have taken off their shoes so neatly.

Feeling suspicious, Yuki entered the living room ahead of Yui.

The room, where the evening sun was starting to shine, was unusually quiet.

Just as Yuki was thinking that no one was home, her eyes caught a shadow sitting in a chair at the dining table.

Strangely, it had no presence at all. The figure slowly stood up and turned to face us.

"Hey, Rin?"

Yui's voice came from right behind me. When we both turned our gazes, Rin, looking down at the table, said,

"I was called by Rina."

Her tone was unusually flat.

On the table, there were candies in dishes and neatly arranged candies from boxes, with two large bottles of juice and three glasses lined up on the side. It probably was prepared by Rin, as it didn't seem like something Rina could do.

Yui, seeing this, exclaimed, "Wow, amazing!" and then, without a word from the silent Rin, looked up at Yuki with a slightly surprised face.

"Rin, you knew Rina?"

"Yeah, she helped me with my studies."

"Really... I didn't know that. You've been to her house before...?"

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really?"

Despite saying that, her tone was slightly stiff. Was it just my imagination?

Yuki looked around the room again and asked the still staring Rin,

"Where's Rina?"

"She said she went out to get something she forgot."

I couldn't understand what she forgot, but she was probably up to her usual antics again. Still, with the mystery of this strange situation solved, Yuki let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm, but what kind of surprise is it? We'll just have to wait for Rina... It seems like everything is perfectly prepared... What should we do? Well, let's just warm up a bit."

Saying this, Yui walked to the back where the TV was, put her bag on the sofa, and took out a game controller.

"Meeting after a hundred years... today is my revenge."

A girl who brings a game controller on a date. She must have been eager from the start. Indeed, it might be better not to show the contents of her bag.

Yui muttered to herself and, with a familiar air, connected the game console to the TV and started playing.

What should we do? Yuki looked at Rin, conveying this question with his eyes.

But Rin just stood there, staring at the table. She seemed a bit off.

As Yuki watched her face intently, Rin suddenly raised her gaze and looked straight into Yuki's eyes.

"Can I talk to you for a moment? It's a good opportunity, and I have something to say."

Without waiting for Yuki's response, Rin continued.

"Your stories don't match, Nari and Yui. One of you... no, both of you are lying to me, right?"

"Lying?"

"Basically, you both don't like me, right? You're lying and trying to avoid me... Is that it? If so, just say it clearly."

Her sharp, no-nonsense tone caught Yuki off guard, but he didn't look away from her as he asked,

"I don't think I'm lying... What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Nothing in particular. I just remembered something I had forgotten."

Rin's face, more than ever, or rather, more than he had ever seen, was devoid of expression. She spoke in a matter-of-fact, businesslike tone, devoid of emotion.

"I told you, I hate liars. You're putting on a show, aren't you? It's really despicable."

"Um, I don't really understand... If I did something wrong, I'm sorry."

"No, it's not that at all. It's not a matter of just saying sorry."

Yuki tried to bow, but Rin didn't acknowledge it. Her statements were inconsistent, and her intentions were unclear.

There was a moment of silence.

The sound of Yui furiously pressing the controller buttons and the game sounds were the only things heard in the room. Even though Yui was a bit far away, she couldn't have missed it.

But Yui, either absorbed in the game or indifferent, didn't change her posture facing the TV. Perhaps something had happened between Yui and Rin that Yuki didn't know about.

On the other hand, Rin didn't even glance at Yui and continued talking to Yuki.

"Do you know the rumors about me? How I'm feared and disliked... because I'm that kind of person."

"No, I don't think of you that way. You work hard alone and can do anything. I really think you're amazing."

"That's right. I'm strong, and I can do anything alone. I'm not like you, just wandering around alone. Please don't come to that place anymore. It's a bother. It's a place I found. It's my place."

Her voice was cold, colder than when they first met, or even before that. Her strong, unyielding tone was completely different from the timid Rin who had been affected by Yui.

I wondered if she was misunderstanding something again, but she wouldn't tell me the details. With her completely refusing to communicate, I couldn't think of a response.

I thought that if she was rejecting me, there was nothing I could do to stop her. I didn't have the words. Because Rin would probably be able to handle things on her own from now on. In fact, we might just be a burden to her.

But is that really true...?

Yuki reached out to stop Rin as she was leaving, but hesitated.

At that moment, a sharp voice, as if tearing through the air, rang out.