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It’s Friday at the end of the week. It has been five days since the three of them went out.
Lunch break. Kazuma stood up from his desk as his classmates were imaginatively eating lunch.
He was heading exactly towards the middle of the classroom. Where his childhood friend is unfolding their bento.
However,
“…..”
As soon as Ruri noticed Kazuma is approaching, she ended her conversation with her friends and stood up all of a sudden.
“S-Sorry. I need to use the restroom………”
“Ah………!”
Kazuma then rushes to chase Ruri who left the classroom as it is.
Slipping past the hallway, her distant back went beyond the toilet and head to a scarcely populated area in a blink of an eye.
“Hey, wait! Ruri……!”
“………!”
Ruri eventually stop around the passageway leading to the club room building.
“………Why are you running away? Why are you avoiding me………”
“…………I’m not avoiding, you.”
“You are avoiding me. After all──”
──You stop talking to me.
Not only that. Even if Kazuma tries to talk to her, she would end up running away. Just like before.
After all that, she still saying such a terrible lie like 「I’m not avoiding you」.
Ruri didn’t look back. Kazuma repeated his words towards her back that has sunk in silence.
“Besides you didn’t come to the club room anymore. Aren’t you going to keep an eye out for Misaki-san so that I won’t do anything weird? Are you fine with that?”
“………It’s fine. Because I won’t be going to that club room anymore.”
” [Anymore]…………? Why so sudden……”
“Because………..if I’m with the both of you, it will cause a weird misunderstanding again.”
He remembered the incident that happened the other day.
Perhaps Ruri felt responsible for that incident more than Kazuma thought. So is she trying to be considerate to Kazuma and Honoka and keeping a distance?
“You can say that it’s just a misunderstanding. It’s really nothing.”
“…….Yeah………just a misunderstanding………”
Ruri tightly squeezed both her hands. As if she is trying to resist.
“……..Ruri?”
“Hey, Kazuma.”
She finally turned around. However, Ruri put it bluntly without looking at Kazuma’s face.
“…………Kazuma, you already have Misaki-san. So you can leave me alone.”
“…….Eh?”
“You just said it, Kazuma. There is ‘nothing’ between us.”
“……….T-That’s…….”
A figure of speech. Even though he tried to say that, Ruri forcefully interrupted him.
“Goodbye, Kazuma.”
That was really a casual tone.
However, Kazuma clearly felt the intent of 『rejection』included in her words. Kazuma wasn’t able to find the words to say any further.
Leaving behind Kazuma standing stock-still, Ruri left the place without looking back.
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“……..Odagiri-kun?”
“E-Eh….?”
Surprised, he raised his face.
It was the familiar sub-culture club room. Honoka is beside him. Apparently he was zoning out before he knew it.
“Sorry, Misaki-san……….even though you are with me, I was day-dreaming.”
“…….It’s okay but………..what’s wrong?”
She looks at him anxiously, which made him lost of words for a moment. That’s because he wasn’t sure to talk to Honoka about Ruri.
However, Honoka seemed to have guessed the circumstances from that moment of silence.
“……….Is it about Shinomiya-san?”
“……….”
Thinking back, Honoka is in the same class as Kazuma and Ruri. It’s obvious that their relationship has turned sour just by looking at them.
“To be honest………I am having a little squabble with Ruri.”
No, that expression might not be accurate.
It’s not like they were arguing with each other.
He just didn’t understand what is Ruri thinking.
“………..So sorry……..”
“Eh……?! Why are you apologizing, Misaki-san?!”
There is no way Honoka is at fault here. If anyone needs to apologize this time, it’s probably Kazuma. That’s because if he could properly understand the feelings of his 『childhood friend』, this wouldn’t have happened.
However, Honoka looked down with a pale expression and didn’t try to raise her face.
Eternal Kifune's Translations 