“… Even if I’m afraid, there’s no other way.”
Koharu Miura gripped her phone tightly and steadied her nerves.
Although she was quite worried about how things were developing, now was not the time to stand still.
At the very least, no matter how much she resisted, she couldn’t ignore Souya Kanzaki’s message now.
Sitting on her bed, Koharu clicked on the message from the account nicknamed SSS on LIME.
[SSS: Good morning, Miura. Sorry to disturb you on a Sunday morning.]
[SSS: I have some new discoveries that I feel I need to share with you right now.]
[SSS: They concern that anonymous report letter. I’d like to talk to you in person. I am currently at the Student Council Room at school.]
[SSS: If you’d rather wait until you come to school on Monday, that’s fine too. I’ll wait for your reply.]
For some reason, just looking at the messages Souya sent made Koharu feel uneasy.
‘She was afraid Souya might have discovered something.’
She hadn’t been this concerned when she was just playing the game. But the more she interacted with Souya Kanzaki in this world, the more she realized it.
‘Souya Kanzaki is the perfect protagonist.’
Even in the real world, he would be a man of action with a powerful sense of responsibility, top-tier intelligence, and a gentle nature. He was someone who treated his friends incredibly well.
When he said he had “new findings,” it was absolutely not some baseless guess.
He must have actually discovered something.
But…
Koharu felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of anxiety.
‘What could it be?’
There shouldn’t have been anything left to find regarding the report letter itself.
She had even looked through those letters while he was with her and couldn’t identify any distinguishing information.
With Souya Kanzaki’s abilities in the Student Council, what else would he go out of his way to investigate?
The girl couldn’t help but feel a sense of powerlessness again.
Souya was too sharp, too upright.
He was accelerating toward the truth that could push her into the abyss.
The moment from her dream, when she was pushed onto the road, exploded in her mind once more.
With Souya’s intuition, if he really looked into the livehouse, the idol group, and Arisa Kiyono, it was entirely possible he might meet Arisa ahead of schedule.
‘This would influence the plot much more directly than his conversation with Haruka Kondo. It would mean Souya Kanzaki and Arisa Kiyono meeting before they were supposed to.’
Thinking of this, Koharu suddenly threw off her blankets and nimbly climbed out of bed.
“… No, I can’t wait until Monday.”
On a rest day like today, there were only a few club activities at school. People like Haruka Kondo who had to go in for training were in the minority.
If both of them went to school at a time like this, given their relationship, they would definitely run into each other. They might even end up getting food together.
Because Haruka would invite him, and Souya would have no reason to refuse.
‘Waiting even one more day will only make me more anxious, but today…’
Koharu thought about the lunch she had just promised her mother.
Since she had already agreed to eat with her parents, she would definitely have to go out at noon. That meant if she wanted to go, she could only meet Souya in the afternoon.
The timing wasn’t the issue; that wasn’t what she was worried about.
The tricky part was the variable known as Haruka Kondo.
By the afternoon, the Athletics Department’s training would mostly be over. That was around the time Haruka would go to the Student Council Room to find Souya or meet up with him.
If she was halfway through a conversation with Souya in the Student Council Room and Haruka walked in, she would see them discussing those so-called “dangerous matters” with serious expressions.
Then, the lie she had woven at the KTV about being perfectly fine would instantly crumble.
Haruka would realize that she had lied.
Haruka would realize that she was truly facing some kind of danger.
With Haruka’s temperament, once she realized she was being kept in the dark like a fool, she would most likely force her way into the situation.
The scene would spiral completely out of control. The conversation between the three of them would turn into a tangled mess, and she would lose all control over the situation.
Koharu looked silently at the glowing screen of her phone.
Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but the one that remained was the system’s cold warning — if the plot continued to twist, she would likely lose the chance to return to reality forever.
Actually… there was no way back. She already knew that.
Koharu let out a self-deprecating chuckle, the sound echoing lonely in the empty room.
The option to “wait it out” had been erased from her dictionary the moment she decided to intervene in the Arisa Kiyono matter.
The progression of the plot was like leaves caught in the wind. She could only chase after them to prevent them from drifting somewhere she couldn’t see, but she had no way to catch them.
If the leaves were swept into the depths of an alleyway out of sight, she too would be buried under the inescapable ruins as the plot collapsed.
“… I must go today.”
Even if she had to face Haruka’s suspicions, she had to clarify those new findings Souya had gathered today — and stop him from investigating any further in that direction.
“As long as I can protect Arisa Kiyono’s secret and keep the main plot from deviating…”
Koharu took a deep breath, as if she had made a firm decision, and walked over to the mirror.
The girl in the dressing mirror had slightly messy long hair, but her bright eyes now flashed with a stubborn determination — the only trait that didn’t match her delicate appearance.
“— This isn’t a game anymore.”
She spoke softly to her reflection, her voice faint but firm.
Koharu began to change out of her pajamas efficiently.
First her underwear, then a slim-fitting knit sweater.
She chose a light beige long skirt that didn’t look too flashy but still had a casual, everyday style.
‘I feel bad for Mom and Dad, but during lunch, I’ll just have to act as well-behaved as possible, find an excuse to finish quickly, and leave.’
As she fastened the buttons on her skirt, she rehearsed her first words to Souya in her mind.
‘If I really do run into Haruka in the Student Council Room, what kind of expression should I use to face my childhood friend’s scrutiny?’
This was a dance on the edge of a knife.
Koharu sat at her vanity, picked up a comb, and brushed her long hair one stroke after another — she was already used to doing this.
The strands slipped through her fingers, making the hair that had become dry from her long sleep smooth once again.
Looking at the girl in the mirror who was gradually becoming “flawless,” the corners of Koharu’s mouth curled up slightly.
She set down the comb and stood up.
A few minutes later.
From the genkan of the Miura family house, a young girl in the prime of her youth stepped out.
Koharu gave the hem of her skirt one final adjustment, took a deep breath, and turned to close the door. She left the small path in front of her home.
She had made all her preparations to face that Sunday afternoon, which was full of unknowns yet had to be confronted.
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