Xiao Chun Miura stared at Kanzaki Sou’s face in shock and helplessness.
……Did he notice?
Did he realize she was deliberately trying to stop him from interacting with Kondo Haruka?
How is that possible?
Was she that obvious?
Objectively speaking, suddenly appearing in his life and immediately developing a going-home-together-after-school relationship might indeed seem unnatural, but would people usually just assume it’s some childhood friend scenario?
……For him to directly associate it with Kondo Haruka, did she really act that exaggerated?
——Hmm……maybe he’s just that sharp, who knows……
Unable to reach a clear conclusion, Xiao Chun Miura’s mind wandered in confusion.
What she worried about most at this moment was that if Kanzaki Sou really became suspicious, then all her future actions would not only be guarded against by Kondo Haruka, but also be scrutinized by Kanzaki Sou himself.
“Could it be that I did it because I like him……eh, but it’s obvious I’m always with my childhood friend every day. How blind would someone have to be to interfere with the time between such close friends?”
Imagining Kanzaki Sou’s inner thoughts, Xiao Chun Miura involuntarily narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together.
“Miura-san?”
“Ah, huh?! What!”
She snapped back to reality at the sound of her name, looking again at Kanzaki Sou’s face.
Kanzaki Sou was watching her ever-changing expression, his face as gentle as always.
Then, he sighed softly.
“……!”
That sigh was light, yet it felt like a heavy hammer pounding into Xiao Chun Miura’s heart.
A sigh?
What does it mean?
……Kanzaki Sou leaned forward slightly.
Xiao Chun Miura instinctively stepped back half a pace; her backpack pressed against the roadside fence, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
Kanzaki Sou stopped, not moving any closer.
His gaze fell on her tightly gripping the backpack strap, her knuckles white, and he remained silent for a moment.
“Miura-san, I’m sorry.”
“——Eh?”
Xiao Chun Miura was stunned.
She had thought Kanzaki Sou was about to say something like “don’t interfere with others’ normal lives,” but suddenly his tone shifted.
……His voice became a bit helpless?
“Haruka’s personality is indeed straightforward, and sometimes it might make people feel pressured.”
He adjusted his glasses, his eyes drifting toward the distant sunset, his voice softer.
“If she said or did anything to make you uncomfortable……”
The boy looked over, his sincere gaze incredibly gentle.
“——I apologize to you on her behalf.”
“……??”
Xiao Chun Miura was completely dumbfounded.
Apologize?
Apologize on behalf of Kondo Haruka?
This……this development isn’t right, is it?
Why is it different from what she imagined?
“She really doesn’t mean any harm, she just sometimes doesn’t consider other people’s feelings.”
Kanzaki Sou continued, sounding utterly sincere.
“She’s not a bad kid at heart. I hope you won’t mind too much.”
Xiao Chun Miura’s brain struggled to process the meaning behind his words.
……Did he say those things to confirm that her strange reactions were really due to Kondo Haruka’s actions?
So after confirming it, it made it easier for him to apologize to her on Kondo Haruka’s behalf?
So……he didn’t think she approached him because she liked him, nor did he know her true purpose in getting close to him.
He just thought she was afraid of Kondo Haruka, so he was helping her out?
“Oh no……”
——A huge, post-crisis sense of relief flooded over her, making her almost weak in the knees.
Her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and Xiao Chun Miura even felt a sense of exhaustion.
“……?”
Of course, Kanzaki Sou was unaware of these inner struggles; seeing Xiao Chun Miura take a deep breath, he thought something might have happened to her.
“Ah, s-so that’s how it is……”
Also noticing Kanzaki Sou’s concerned gaze, Xiao Chun Miura hurriedly followed his words, her voice still trembling slightly from not having fully calmed down.
“I……I don’t mind……it’s just that……I don’t really know how to get along with Kondo-san……”
She lowered her head, hiding her complicated expression.
This misunderstanding……is wonderful!
It’s practically a heaven-sent lifeline!
“I understand.”
Kanzaki Sou nodded, seeming to accept this explanation.
“Haruka……does need some time to adjust to new changes.”
New changes?
Does he mean herself, the suddenly appeared ‘colleague’?
It felt a little off, but Xiao Chun Miura had no energy to think deeper, just responding vaguely.
“Mm……”
“If you need, I can talk to Haruka. I’ll just say that Miura-san doesn’t know how to interact with her yet, so she shouldn’t be too rough around you.”
“Th-thank you so much for your kindness, Kanzaki-san! But! There’s really no need to go out of your way to say anything!”
Xiao Chun Miura panicked.
“I’ll try to adjust myself! There’s no need to trouble Kanzaki-san and Kondo-san!”
She absolutely didn’t want Kanzaki Sou to go talk to Kondo Haruka about this.
If Kanzaki Sou really went and spoke up for her to Kondo Haruka, that would be like pouring oil on the fire—Kondo Haruka would only target her more.
“I see, that’s fine too.”
Kanzaki Sou didn’t insist.
“But if you need any help, feel free to tell me.”
“We’re already ‘colleagues’, so helping each other is normal, right?”
That warm smile and voice reached Xiao Chun Miura’s heart, making her freeze.
“But,”
Kanzaki Sou’s voice continued, snapping Xiao Chun Miura’s mind back to reality.
“I want to say, Miura-san.”
“Yes!”
“If you ever have those……‘concerns’ again,”
He turned his head, looking at her again, his gaze behind his glasses filled with meaning in the sunset’s afterglow.
“Maybe you could just tell me directly.”
“What……?”
Seeing Xiao Chun Miura still confused, Kanzaki Sou smiled helplessly.
“There’s no need to make excuses like ‘discussing work’ or ‘interest in astronomy’.”
“……!”
Xiao Chun Miura’s face turned scarlet in an instant, the heat she thought had faded surging back even stronger.
He……he knows!
He knows those were just excuses!
He knows everything!
Then, was his previous talk about Kondo Haruka really an apology and explanation, or……another form of test and warning?
How sharp and observant is he beneath that gentle and polite exterior?
Xiao Chun Miura felt like she was completely exposed in front of him, all her little schemes laid bare.
Watching the girl’s face flush red again, nearly burying itself in her chest, Kanzaki Sou’s lips seemed to curve upward ever so slightly, but quickly returned to their usual line.
“My house is at the intersection up ahead.”
He pointed forward, ending the conversation at the perfect time to save Xiao Chun Miura from further embarrassment.
“Thank you for walking home with me today, Miura-san.”
“Y-you’re welcome……no, I should be the one thanking you……”
Xiao Chun Miura’s voice was as soft as a mosquito.
“Well then, see you tomorrow.”
“S-see you tomorrow……”
Watching Kanzaki Sou turn and walk away, his figure merging into the sunset-lit street, Xiao Chun Miura finally collapsed against the roadside railing, gasping for air.
Too……too scary.
This ‘journey’ with Kanzaki Sou was a hundred times more nerve-wracking than any scenario she had imagined.
She thought she was the most clear-headed person in the world, with everyone else merely data or npc-like existences.
Xiao Chun Miura had racked her brains with worry, only to realize in the end that she had been seen through from the very beginning.
That feeling of everything being under someone else’s control made her feel strangely unsettled from deep within.
She instinctively summoned the Goodwill Interface again.
Kanzaki Sou’s Goodwill toward Kondo Haruka: 50.
Still no change.
This was probably the only thing that could comfort her now.
***
After returning home, the house was as silent as ever.
These days, Xiao Chun Miura had gotten used to living alone—she wasn’t even sure if “Koharu Miura’s Parents” were ungenerated data. In any case, she hadn’t met them even once yet.
She could only eat dinner, take a bath, then lie alone on the unlit bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and sighing softly.
A long time passed.
“……System?”
She called softly into the air.
There was still no response.
The pixel-style screen, after disappearing on the first day, hadn’t reappeared, as if it had vanished completely.
“……Ugh——”
Loneliness and helplessness surged like a tide, overwhelming Xiao Chun Miura.
In this world, she was utterly alone, walking every step with trepidation.
It felt like no one could help her.