…As I thought, it isn’t normal for her to be cold all the time.
Watching Kiyono Arisa thank her, Koharu Miura thought to herself.
If the idol who always wore a bright smile in the game truly became a masked girl who did nothing but glare, Koharu Miura really wouldn’t know how the intended Game Plot was supposed to develop from here.
“You’re welcome, Kiyono.” Koharu Miura offered a gentle smile. “Since it’s been returned to its owner, I’ll be heading home now.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay longer.
If possible, talking with Kiyono Arisa more and spending more time with her would have been the action most consistent with her goal of initiating a connection.
But Koharu Miura judged that she couldn’t “proactively” do that here.
For some reason, Kiyono Arisa was currently in a state where she was extremely wary of outsiders and rejected contact with others. She didn’t want anyone telling people about her singing in the Empty Classroom, she didn’t want anyone talking about her singing outside of school, and she couldn’t even return to the KTV she had just left…
Koharu Miura couldn’t help but feel that Kiyono Arisa was going through something bad right now, which caused her personal state to be poor and her attitude toward the outside world to be unfriendly. Was it because of the background story of the Game Plot? Or was it a special Event that only happened in this World?
Regardless, it was obvious that she was currently in a state of resisting contact with outsiders. In Arisa’s eyes, Koharu was just a mysterious girl she had happened to run into several times in a few days, and this time, Koharu just happened to find her lost item. Returning it should be the end of this contact, as there was no other reason for them to continue interacting after the lost property was returned.
If she forced an invitation for Kiyono Arisa to “do something” together at this moment, or tried to “pry into personal matters”… Koharu didn’t even need to think about it; she would undoubtedly be blacklisted in the girl’s heart.
Considering this, Koharu Miura judged that it was better to show an attitude of “going home now.” To have subsequent contact and conduct further investigations, she first had to ensure that the current Kiyono Arisa wouldn’t develop extra suspicion toward her. It was fine if she was just a passerby; no one pays much attention to every passerby around them. But if she was too eager for success now and became an “unusually” suspicious passerby… then it would be effortless for Kiyono Arisa to specifically guard against her.
If she was lucky, her proposal to leave might actually make Kiyono Arisa—
“Wait a moment.”
Just as Koharu Miura turned to leave, Kiyono Arisa’s voice came from behind her.
The corner of Koharu Miura’s mouth twitched slightly. Success. No, saying it like that made her feel like a villain. The girl stopped her pace, adjusted her expression into one of innocent curiosity, and then looked back.
“Kiyono? Is there something else?” Koharu Miura saw Kiyono Arisa standing in the shadow of the trees, hands hanging at her waist, clutching that Handbag. Because her head was tilted and she was looking at the ground, the gaze behind her Sunglasses leaked out slightly. She seemed somewhat hesitant.
“You…” Kiyono Arisa paused, seemingly struggling with whether or not to ask. But in the end, she spoke. “Last night, you saw me run out, right?”
“Yes, I saw you.” Koharu Miura nodded. She thought Kiyono Arisa was just asking casually, but then she noticed the chestnut-haired girl’s state was a bit off. …Her legs were trembling.
Koharu Miura furrowed her brows. “What is it? Did something happen last night?”
“Then… did you see anything else?” Kiyono Arisa asked again.
“Anything else? What do you mean?”
“For example… after I ran out of the KTV, was there anyone chasing me? Or were there any strange people following in the direction I went?” Kiyono Arisa’s voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible trembling.
Koharu Miura looked at her paranoid state and suddenly understood. Last night, even though Arisa was just going to get a drink, she had wrapped herself up tightly. Even though she had only stayed in a private room for a while, she had fled in panic as if she had seen a ghost when she came out. Now she was asking if someone was chasing her.
At the time, Koharu thought she was just being overprotective of herself or felt that she was too famous as an idol, so she acted like a big star whenever she went out. But now…
“No, there wasn’t.” Koharu Miura shook her head. This was the truth; she hadn’t noticed the kind of person Kiyono Arisa was describing. “The Street was very empty then. I don’t think there was anyone on the Street outside the KTV specifically chasing after the direction you went.”
“…Is that so?” Hearing this answer, Kiyono Arisa didn’t seem to relax much. Instead, her brow furrowed even tighter. “They didn’t follow me into the shop…”
Koharu Miura watched her knitted brows and thought to herself that this was bad. Ah, this situation. Is Kiyono Arisa being stalked by a sasaeng fan?
“Kiyono, are you… in some kind of trouble?” If she was really being stalked by a fan, that was a major issue. In a Text Adventure Game, this would basically be an early problem to be solved in a Heroine’s Personal Route—an Event on the level of the Main Route.
However, after Kiyono Arisa’s body stiffened abruptly, her tone remained a forced show of composure. “…It has nothing to do with you.” Her tone of denial was stiff, as if she were hiding something. “Don’t make blind guesses.”
“…I see.” Koharu Miura did not expose her. Saying “it has nothing to do with me” essentially meant “that’s exactly what’s happening.”
“Are you planning to go back…?” Seeming unwilling to continue the topic, Kiyono Arisa spoke.
“Ah… yes.” Although she was very concerned, Koharu had no choice. She had to act as if she didn’t care about Kiyono Arisa right now. She couldn’t let Arisa be wary of her; otherwise, she would have no way to intervene in her life and the mysteries surrounding her.
Upon hearing this, Kiyono Arisa pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her bag and handed it over. “This is for you.”
“This is…?” Koharu Miura took it and glanced at it. It was a concert ticket. However, it wasn’t for a large stadium, but an entrance ticket for a live house. Printed on it in beautiful script was—Sugar Starlight Anniversary Live.
“This is…” Koharu Miura looked at Kiyono Arisa in surprise.
“I won’t be able to see it anyway, so the ticket is useless to me. If you’re willing, go take a look.” Kiyono Arisa looked away, staring at a tree trunk through her Sunglasses. “Consider it my thanks. I don’t like owing people favors.”
Koharu Miura looked at the ticket in her hand, her heart filled with a mix of emotions. “Will you be going?”
“Didn’t I say I wouldn’t be going?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Koharu Miura paused for a moment before continuing, “I meant, on stage. Kiyono, will you be performing on stage?”
“……”
Kiyono Arisa immediately fell into silence. Did she not expect me to recognize her as a member of the group? Koharu Miura wondered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Isn’t this a live house? Why would I be performing?” Just when Koharu Miura thought she wouldn’t answer, Kiyono Arisa suddenly whispered a sentence.
“…Huh?”
“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kiyono Arisa suddenly became a bit fly-blown with shame. “This has nothing to do with you! If I give you the ticket, just go. If you don’t want to go, throw it away! Why are you asking so much!”
Having said that, as if to hide her loss of composure, she turned and walked toward the small path on the other side of the Small Forest.