Chapter 138: Like a Raging Torrent (Revival!)

Even across a considerable distance, Koharu Miura could recognize that the figure rushing out from behind the door where the shouting originated was none other than Arisa Kiyono herself.

The reason was simple — the way she ran out was identical to the panicked, wretched state Koharu Miura had seen her in that evening at the KTV as she fled the private room.

However, the situation was slightly different this time.

‘…’

Though her attention had initially been drawn to Arisa Kiyono just by chance, Koharu Miura froze in place once she realized where Arisa was heading.

She stared at Arisa, unable to think of how to act for a moment.

Koharu Miura, Yui Hori, and the other girls had been walking casually along the corridor from the entrance — their path was naturally the reverse of the exit.

Therefore, Arisa Kiyono, who intended to flee…

— that girl wearing a gray hoodie and trousers was running directly toward Koharu’s group.

‘…’

‘I can’t avoid her. Should I turn around?’

‘I can’t let Arisa see me… Ugh.’

‘If she realizes I saw her in that kind of conflict, her guard against me will definitely go up another level.’

‘Running away is impossible now, so I can only…’

Koharu Miura quietly shifted her steps and turned her body slightly to the side.

‘It should be fine like this.’

The figure in the hoodie did not stop. Arisa Kiyono kept her head down, rushing toward the venue’s exit as if someone were chasing her.

Koharu Miura tensed her body nervously, waiting to safely brush past her and then let Arisa run away.

Just as Arisa Kiyono was about to pass the girls, a sudden change occurred.

‘—!’

Seeing Arisa Kiyono’s height suddenly drop in front of her, Koharu’s expression faltered.

Did she trip over her own feet…?

Being the closest to Arisa, Koharu instinctively reached out.

“Be careful!”

“…”

Thus, in the next moment, the gray figure barely managed to avoid falling with Koharu’s support.

But time also stopped in that second.

Arisa Kiyono’s footsteps came to a jarring halt on the ground.

Even though she had almost fallen, her eyes were not on the floor.

She raised her head, and her tear-stained eyes, hidden in the shadows, locked directly with Koharu’s gaze at that moment.

Staring into those eyes, Koharu’s mind went blank.

“…”

Arisa Kiyono squeezed a small sound through her teeth, but the volume was so low that Koharu couldn’t hear it at all.

In fact, Koharu didn’t know what to do anymore.

Surely, she had been recognized.

‘To explain why I’m here now, how should I even begin?’

Just as Koharu’s mind began to think after her instinctive action, Arisa’s gaze had already shifted to the girls standing beside her, who were staring at the scene in confusion.

Then, she looked toward the door leading to the street outside.

“Get lost.”

Arisa Kiyono did not offer any thanks.

Her emotions, which had shifted from anger to a sense of survival after the near-fall, cast aside any thought of gratitude at this moment.

Arisa violently shook off Koharu’s hand with enough force to make her stumble.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she ran off again.

…

“Ugh —”

“Koharu!”

Her friends immediately supported Koharu, while Yui Hori even chased after Arisa for a few steps, shouting a few words.

But neither Koharu nor Arisa paid any attention to the reactions of Yui and the others.

Koharu’s gaze, like her friends’, had been drawn away by the girl who had suddenly appeared.

But in the next moment, she realized something and hurriedly shifted her gaze toward the door that was still open.

Behind the door that hadn’t closed yet, several girls in casual clothes could be seen sitting in the room.

“—!!”

They were still complaining about something when the door was suddenly pulled shut — someone in a blind spot had quickly isolated the inside of the room from the outside to prevent the sounds of the argument from leaking out.

Now, silence fell over the wide corridor again.

There were some staff members and idlers who had been watching the scene just like Koharu and the others.

But seeing the door close, everyone retracted their gazes and went back to their own business.

Suddenly, only the group of young girls remained frozen in place.

“…What was that? A fight?”

“Eh, looks like a band.”

“…I heard that girls’ bands are prone to fighting anyway, and they break up easily. It makes people cry or even kneel.”

A moment later, Yui Hori, Yuzuki Yasuda, and Mio Sato each spoke up.

After all three of them regained their composure, Koharu’s gaze turned back toward the exit.

The way Arisa Kiyono had glared at her seemed to replay before her eyes.

That look… it was exactly like someone driven into a corner, filled with resentment and despair when the last straw that would crush them appeared before their eyes.

“Koharu? What’s wrong? Your hands are shaking…”

Yui Hori’s voice sounded in her ear.

Koharu suddenly jerked her hand back from her friends’ support as if she had been burned by fire.

“?”

“?”

“Koharu?”

“…Ah, sorry, I think it was static electricity.”

“Ah, it was definitely Yui’s sweater.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“Because you’re wearing a sweater. Isn’t that obvious?”

“No, Yuzuki, you’re wearing one too…”

The banter between her friends eased Koharu’s tensed nerves. Since they were no longer focused on her, her mental pressure decreased significantly.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the agitation in her mind.

‘Stay calm.’

If she chased after her now, Yui and the others would definitely follow.

Although she had been recognized by Arisa… she couldn’t just go and apologize right away.

It was uncertain if the other girl would even accept it. Once her friends found out she knew that girl — and discovered her identity as the big star ALISA…

Then her troubles would come crashing down like a tidal wave.

Yui and the others didn’t know all these inside details. If they pestered her to introduce them to Arisa, she would be in a bind whether she complied or refused.

‘I have to hide it for now.’

As for Arisa… she could only hope there would be another chance to make contact in the future.

“Ahaha, that person just now… ran so fast. They almost hit me and gave me a fright.”

Koharu spoke somewhat deliberately, joining her friends’ conversation.

“Hey, hey, hey, you girls over there.”

Just then, a man walked over with a walkie-talkie in his hand.

Though his tone wasn’t aggressive, it carried an unquestionable sense of dismissal. “You girls are from outside, right? It’s internal renovation time right now. We’re not open for visitors.”

“Go home and do your homework once you’ve finished your drinks.”

“Oh, Uncle, we just wanted to take a look…” Yui Hori was about to say something, but she was frightened back by the man’s glare.

“Leave now. If you dawdle any longer, I’ll call security.”

“Tsk, how boring.”

Yui pouted and turned her head in disappointment. “Koharu, Mio, Yuzuki, we have to go back.”

Encountering this development, Koharu actually felt a sense of relief in her heart. “A place like this… it really does feel a bit unsettling. We should head back.”

Acting more eager than anyone else, Koharu took the lead toward the stairs leading outside.

But she didn’t plan on going home.

‘I have to separate from Yui and the others first,’ Koharu thought to herself.