Chapter 136: A Dramatic Turn That Somehow Felt Inevitable

“If you’re in such a rush to find her, you should probably ask the homeroom teacher or go check her home. We honestly don’t know anything else.”

As if unwilling to discuss Arisa Kiyono further with Koharu Miura, the girl who had been approached waved her hand impatiently.

“…Thank you,” Koharu Miura replied instinctively.

The two girls nodded and walked past her.

Koharu could only watch as they left, laughing and chatting, their conversation completely devoid of any concern regarding Arisa Kiyono.

‘If Arisa Kiyono keeps skipping school, my plan to build “familiarity” by bumping into her won’t work.’

From that perspective, the only action left to take would probably be…

Recalling the entrance of that livehouse, Koharu’s brow twitched.

‘Escaping won’t solve the problem.’

Even if it made her anxious, she had to try.

‘If I can’t see her at school, I will just have to try my luck at that sketchy place.’

……

It was Friday afternoon, just before school let out.

With the holiday starting tomorrow, the students’ minds had already drifted out the windows.

Koharu Miura was no different.

In the days since learning that Arisa Kiyono wasn’t coming to school, Koharu had tried her luck every day.

However, her luck wasn’t that good.

‘Since I can’t find her at school…’

Then she would do exactly as she had planned.

“……”

Koharu stared out the window, but in her mind, she saw the entrance to that livehouse.

……

*Riiiing—*

The school bell rang, and the classroom immediately became noisy.

“Phew, finally free!” Yui Hori turned around, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Hey, Koharu! Mio says that French crepe shop in front of the station has a half-price deal today—”

Even as she was being spoken to, Koharu didn’t hear a word Yui said.

Her mind was racing, calculating what she should say if she saw Arisa Kiyono to prove she hadn’t gone there specifically to see her.

“…Koharu? Koharu!”

Yui waved her hand in front of Koharu’s eyes.

“Ah?”

Koharu snapped back to reality, meeting Yui’s expectant face.

“Oh, that…”

Almost reflexively, Koharu offered an apologetic smile. “Sor—Sorry… Yui. I have some private matters to attend to… I don’t think I can go with you guys today.”

“Eh?…”

Yui Hori pouted, her voice trailing off in disappointment. “I feel like you’ve been so mysterious lately, Koharu.”

Koharu’s expression remained unchanged, but her eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.

‘Why are they so sharp? Am I being that obvious?’

“Yeah, exactly,” Yuzuki Yasuda added, leaning in.

“Alright, don’t pry into her private life,” Mio Sato cut in, giving Koharu a way out.

“Sorry, everyone.”

Koharu avoided Yui’s inquisitive gaze. “Next time, I’ll definitely treat you all to make up for it.”

“Fine.”

Yui Hori waved it off. Although disappointed, she didn’t seem suspicious. “Make sure you go home early then, Koharu.”

“Yeah, I’ll be careful. See you tomorrow.”

Koharu picked up her student bag and hurried out of the classroom with her head down.

Guilt simmered in her chest, but Koharu knew she couldn’t tell her friends about those things yet.

She couldn’t—and wouldn’t—drag them into this.

This was a problem that belonged to her alone.

……

By the time she stepped onto the streets of Sakuragicho for the second time, the setting sun was casting long shadows over the buildings of 3-chome.

Wearing her neat school uniform, Koharu Miura stood out prominently among the crowds of working adults.

Still unable to get used to the feeling, Koharu tucked her chin and walked quickly along the walls of the shops toward her destination.

The closer she got to the livehouse called StarrySound, the thicker the unusual atmosphere in the air became.

At the entrance to the alley leading to 3-chome, she once again saw those people with telephoto lenses and gloomy expressions.

Men and women gathered in small groups of two or three, talking occasionally.

Even just this was enough to make one feel quite uneasy.

“……”

‘Don’t back down.’

Koharu took a deep breath and gripped the straps of her student bag.

However, just as she was about to cross the last intersection and reach those doors—

“—That’s why I said it! The shops I recommend are never bad!”

A voice that was extremely familiar—and one that should not have appeared at this moment—suddenly sounded behind Koharu.

“—?!”

Koharu’s body instantly froze.

The footsteps behind her were getting closer, and Koharu hurriedly lowered her head, looking as if she were trying to avoid being seen.

The footsteps belonged to three people, and the leading voice belonged to that familiar, lively girl.

‘Why? Is it really such a coincidence?’

It was Yui Hori, Mio Sato, and Yuzuki Yasuda.

The moment she realized this, Koharu found herself unable to even run away.

‘They’ll definitely notice me. I just have to pretend to be a passerby… and see if I can avoid being recognized.’

These past few days, luck had simply not been on Koharu’s side.

The three girls wearing Starlight Academy uniforms slowed their pace as they passed Koharu.

Koharu kept her head down, trying her best to act like an unrelated passerby—but she could clearly sense the three of them stopping and their suspicious gazes.

‘Is my disguise not going to work? I thought I did a pretty good job—’

“—Ko! Haru!!!”

…It was all over.

By the time Yui Hori shouted Koharu Miura’s name, the girl had already closed her eyes.

……

“Ko— Koharu? Why are you here?”

Mio Sato also looked surprised.

Yuzuki Yasuda studied Koharu’s restless and uneasy appearance meaningfully, then looked at the basement entrance not far away across the street.

“Koharu, in the classroom just now… didn’t you say you had something to do at home?”

Yui Hori rushed over.

“Koharu said it was a private matter, not something at home,” Mio Sato corrected.

“Oh, is that so?”

Even as she asked, Yui didn’t care about that right now. Her tone was full of the excitement of discovering a secret. “You actually snuck off here all by yourself?!”

“Well… I…”

‘Think!!’

Koharu wished she could come up with a perfect excuse immediately.

Then, it came to her.

In this critical moment, Koharu thought of an excellent excuse.

Even if it made her look a bit manipulative, maybe only this kind of tactic could make her situation a bit easier.

“I… I actually…”

Koharu took a moment to compose herself, then lowered her head and put on an incredibly sad expression.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice took on a noticeable sob. “So—Sorry, I…”

“Because…”

“In my heart, I was really envious of the things Yui said… I really wanted to come and see what kind of place it was, the place Yui likes that’s full of energy.”

She looked up, her eyes shimmering.

“But I’m too cowardly… I thought if I came with all of you, I would definitely act clumsy and childish, and I’d ruin everyone’s fun.”

“That’s why I thought I’d just take a quiet look by myself, and if it was too scary, I’d just go home… I—I was only thinking that…”