“What should we sing…?”
“Yeah, what should we sing.”
“Why are you looking at me… just pick whatever you want to sing first. I’ll let you go ahead.”
“Kondo! That’s so touching…”
When Koharu Miura followed them into the booth, the girls had already begun picking songs. Seeing the crowd huddled together, Koharu Miura leaned into a corner of the leather sofa.
After sitting down, she unconsciously looked over at Yura Yui and the others, who were handing the song-selection tablet to Haruka Kondo.
It was truly hard to believe.
In the past, she never would have imagined Haruka Kondo playing along with Yura Yui and the rest.
Originally, because Koharu and Sou Kanzaki had intruded upon Haruka Kondo, the relationship between Kondo and Koharu’s friends should have been extremely strained.
But now, they could interact so peacefully.
As long as they talked things out and the conflict was resolved, people who were originally at odds could become friends.
“Come on, come on, Koharu! I picked this one for you!”
Just then, Yura Yui leaned over and shoved the microphone into Koharu Miura’s hand. “Hurry, hurry! The accompaniment is starting!”
Koharu Miura instinctively glanced at the screen displaying the lyrics.
“No, I don’t know this… I’ve never heard this song before.”
“…Eh, what?”
To her surprise, the girls immediately looked at Koharu Miura with expressions that said, ‘What is this girl talking about?’
“This is a song by the most popular idol group from when we were kids. How could you have never heard it?”
“Is it that much of an exaggeration? It’s not that bad, is it?”
“No, it really is.”
Even Haruka Kondo chimed in. “It was playing on every street corner… Miura, were you living abroad back then or something?”
“It wasn’t like that — “
Knitting her brows and squinting, Koharu Miura weakly refuted.
‘Never mind a song from ten years ago, I might not even know a hit single from six months ago in this game world.’
Even if she had heard it, it would have been as background music in the game.
Making an excuse to slip away, Koharu Miura moved to the side of the booth, giving the central spot to Yui Hori and the others.
Watching the girls sing, the sound from the speakers in the booth was deafening.
Yui Hori was a natural mood-maker. She picked a bunch of fast-paced anime songs and dragged Yuzuki Yasuda onto the narrow aisle to perform ridiculous dance moves. Mio Sato was responsible for methodically operating the song machine, occasionally humming along during the choruses.
In this noisy environment, Koharu Miura actually felt at ease.
At least she could confirm that there was no one to watch out for in this enclosed space.
Whether the person tracking Yerisa Kisono was also tracking her… she didn’t need to consider that in this room.
Because unless they could turn invisible, they definitely weren’t here.
“…”
Thinking about these things, Koharu Miura unconsciously pulled out her mobile phone.
Still no new messages.
‘I wonder how Sou Kanzaki… and Arisa Kiyono are doing.’
Lifting the cup beside her, Koharu Miura took a sip of orange juice.
The cold liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn’t calm the doubts rising in her heart.
Once KTV was over, should she call Arisa Kiyono or send a message to ask if she had noticed any suspicious individuals this afternoon?
Because she was immersed in her thoughts, Koharu Miura didn’t notice someone approaching her.
” — Hey, Miura.”
A voice rang out nearby, cutting through the music blaring from the speakers and reaching Koharu Miura’s ears.
“!”
Koharu Miura snapped back to her senses.
At some point, Haruka Kondo had sat down beside her.
By now, Haruka Kondo had taken off her athletic jacket and was only wearing a white t-shirt, making her physique look lean and well-proportioned.
She didn’t look at Koharu but instead stared at the lyrics scrolling on the screen. She propped herself up with one hand on the sofa cushion and held an unopened can of soda in the other.
“Kondo?”
Koharu Miura nervously shifted to the side. “Do you want to sing? I’ll go pick a song for you.”
“No, I just sat down to rest.”
Haruka Kondo turned her head. Her eyes, which usually had a sharp gaze, actually seemed somewhat deep under the dim, multicolored lights.
She stared at Koharu Miura, her tone having lost the tsundere defensiveness she’d shown at the entrance.
In its place was a cautious seriousness.
“Even though we’ve reached a sort of silent understanding…”
Haruka Kondo’s voice was very low, audible only to the two of them.
” — We haven’t talked about Sou even once since then.”
Eh?
Koharu Miura was stunned.
That was true, but…?
Why bring up Sou Kanzaki all of a sudden?
“Ah… Kondo, are you worried about it?”
“I’m not interested in your private social life.”
Haruka Kondo cut her off directly.
She placed the soda can on the table with a soft clink.
“I’m only asking simply because the other party is Sou.”
Haruka Kondo turned around.
Her expression was much calmer than when she had been confrontational.
Yet, Koharu Miura felt that the current Haruka Kondo was even more intimidating.
“Miura, I’ll be straight with you.”
Haruka Kondo’s eyes were fixed on Koharu Miura. “Although outsiders might think you’re just introverted and that your recent behavior is just a bit mysterious…”
“But the way you act in front of me, including in front of Sou, is different from how you act around others.”
“If you really were just a coward who feared causing or encountering trouble, you wouldn’t have told me to my face that you had feelings for Sou.”
“Knowing that saying such a thing would make me harbor a grudge against you — a coward couldn’t do that.”
…Ah.
While she felt that Haruka Kondo wasn’t wrong — she did have her own little schemes when facing those two, which influenced her attitude and specific actions — what was the point of saying all this?
“Kondo, why are you telling me this…?”
“Miura, ever since the last time we went to KTV, I’ve felt that something wasn’t quite right with you. You looked like you had a lot on your mind, as if you wanted to relax but didn’t dare to.”
“That was just some family stuff…”
“And it’s lasted until now?”
Haruka Kondo wasn’t fooled at all. Instead, she asked a counter-question that Koharu Miura couldn’t refute. “You have the exact same look now. In fact, it’s even more obvious than it was then.”
“I…”
” — Are you caught up in something you shouldn’t be?”
Koharu Miura immediately fell silent.
She looked at Haruka Kondo, her brain spinning at high speed as she tried to find the right words to say in this situation.
How much did this heroine actually know?
Had someone told her something, or was she simply guessing?
“Your relationship with Sou will most likely keep getting better.”
A trace of complex emotion flashed in Haruka Kondo’s tone. “As long as Sou is dealing with friends or people he values, he’ll want to protect them no matter what happens. He won’t let them get hurt.”
“While that attitude makes him seem gentle to everyone, he is actually an extremely stubborn and perceptive person.”
” — If you’re trying to use him, or if you’re trying to do something dangerous through him, I advise you to stop now.”
Koharu Miura’s eyes widened.
The gaze she directed at Haruka Kondo was full of disbelief and denial. She was just short of shouting ‘I’m not using Sou.’
Though she was indeed interfering with the plot, she had no intention of using Sou Kanzaki for anything dangerous.
If anything, for the sake of her own safety, Koharu Miura wanted Sou Kanzaki to live as safely as possible — ideally without getting into a relationship.
“I’m not doing anything like that — “
“I hope you aren’t.”
Haruka Kondo straightened up and crossed her arms, her gaze turning indifferent again.
“But if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean no one can help you with your problem?”
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