Chapter 83

As the bus gradually disappeared, Yuki and Yui stood silently at the bus stop.

When the bus was completely out of sight, they looked at each other and, without a word, let go of their hands.

"Shall we go?"

Nodding, Yui started walking with Yuki to the station to see her off.

"…Phew, I'm suddenly so tired."

As soon as they started walking, Yui sighed and said this. She must have been tired. She became quiet, unlike her argumentative self from just a moment ago. She continued walking silently beside Yuki, and she even seemed a bit down, which made Yuki a little concerned.

"Are you tired?"

"Of course."

"You were so noisy and energetic just a moment ago."

Yuki thought Yui would immediately retort, but she only responded with silence. After a moment, Yui, still looking forward, said softly:

"…Well, just a moment ago, I was kind of adjusting to the surroundings. I can do that, you know, Yui the Chameleon. But now I'm too tired to keep it up. My MP is running low."

"Wow, you really are a great actress, Yui."

"That still sounds like you're making fun of me."

This time, Yui immediately shot back, but her tone was weak. Her expression was serious, and it didn't sound like she was joking. She seemed to be saying that this was her true self.

"That's why I was trying to be considerate and intentionally losing the game just now."

"Really? That's a lie, right?"

"No, I'm not that bad at games, you know. Besides, I've always been a bamboo shoot fan."

Yui said this with an unusually serious tone. Yuki couldn't help but look at her, but Yui didn't smile and her gaze wandered aimlessly.

"In situations like this, it's easier to decide on a role. Even though it's the role of the silly one, Rina seemed happy. After seeing her the other day… she seemed to have become much more energetic, which was good. In a way, I felt like I was helped by Rina. I didn't expect Rina to be scolded so harshly by Rinyo… but if it made her feel better and she could laugh, I'm totally okay with it."

Saying this, Yui slightly relaxed her lips. But she quickly lowered her gaze to the sidewalk and stiffened her expression.

"…I don't want to be disliked by my friends. I unconsciously try to act silly to keep everyone happy… to be honest, I was scared too. I didn't understand why Rinyo was angry… I didn't know what to say to stop her, and my mind went blank… I wondered if it was because of that… or maybe this… and in the end, it was probably all of it, piled up."

Yui paused for a moment. Then, with a bitter smile, she said, "I've been talking all this time, haven't I?" Yuki nodded in agreement.

"I thought you had a lot of friends, so you were pretty casual with each one, but you think about a lot of complicated things. I don't have many friends, so I can't do that kind of consideration and don't understand it. I really admire you."

"It's not like I have that many friends. It's normal. And I'm not doing it well at all, especially this time. Sigh, I'm really no good…"

Yui looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. She seemed unusually dejected. The noisy and cheerful girl from just a moment ago in the apartment was nowhere to be seen.

"…Now that I think about it, I was really scared the other day too. When Rina didn't come back, I was waiting alone in the room, wondering what to do. When Rina cried, I was afraid that if I said something wrong, it would make things worse… I almost cried too. But I thought I had to do something…"

Yui fell silent, and a silence fell between them. Glancing at her profile, Yuki saw that Yui looked like she was about to cry.

Had he unknowingly been putting a burden on Yui? Yui… Yui would be fine. Why had he assumed that?

Realizing this, Yuki stopped walking and stood still.

"Sorry, Yui, I…"

He couldn't think of anything to say after that. A cool and inspiring line to cheer her up and lift her spirits. He wasn't clever enough to come up with something like that on the spot. All he could do was apologize and stand there.

One step, two steps, three steps… the distance between Yuki and Yui, who continued walking, grew wider. He had a feeling that she would leave him behind, alone and pitiful.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yui stopped abruptly. She turned around and, with a light hop, approached Yuki and stood in front of him.

Without a word, Yui raised her arm and placed her palm on Yuki's head. She gently stroked his hair and smiled in front of his face.

"Every time I hear complaints from around here… you should repent."

The repentance button is below.