“Eh? A fight? Me?”
Xiao Chun Miura hid behind the wall, not daring to peek out yet, but she could clearly hear another girl’s voice and Kanzaki Sou’s voice coming from the same direction.
And that voice sounded very familiar—just a bit gentler than what Xiao Chun Miura was used to.
Xiao Chun Miura pressed her lips together.
If she poked her head out, she’d probably be seen.
But she still wanted to confirm the situation—there it was.
She took out her phone, smoothly opening the familiar app interface and starting the camera.
Then she crouched down, stretching her phone past the base of the wall from below.
The image on the phone was a bit unstable, and for a moment the out-of-focus lens only caught two silhouettes.
“Hey~ Sou-kun, why do you say that? Did I do something to seem upset?”
Then, as that familiar girl’s voice came through, the screen cleared automatically.
On the other side of the boy’s familiar back, the face of a girl with chestnut-red curls peeked out.
As expected, that back belonged to Kanzaki Sou, and the voice was Kondo Haruka.
Xiao Chun Miura’s expression grew serious.
In such a quiet corridor, the chances of two people just passing by and running into each other were slim.
Did they come here on purpose to talk privately?
“At first, I wasn’t sure. Rather than say you looked upset, it’s more like I just had a feeling.”
Kanzaki Sou spoke with his back turned.
“Sou-kun, you care about me that much? Even if you’re just guessing, you still say things like this, haha—”
Kondo Haruka’s lively laughter echoed.
And then, in the next moment, it was cut off.
“Haruka, if you really weren’t upset, you wouldn’t react this way.”
Even hiding behind the wall, Xiao Chun Miura’s shoulders flinched at Kanzaki Sou’s words.
That line pierced through pretense like a sharp needle, easily pulling aside a veiled illusion.
The girl, who was also deceiving Kanzaki Sou for her own reasons, couldn’t help but think, “If it were me being questioned like this, what would I do?” and felt a genuine sense of fear.
Usually, when the male lead says something like this, it’s supposed to be a key phrase that makes the female character feel “the other person really cares about me.”
Only someone who truly cares and understands can sense something is off, even when the other party insists “it’s nothing.”
When such words come from the childhood friend you care about, if Xiao Chun Miura were in Kondo Haruka’s place, hearing Kanzaki Sou speak like that would surely bring happiness.
After all, it’s proof that the precious childhood friend is truly paying attention to her feelings.
…But she wasn’t Kondo Haruka.
***
Xiao Chun Miura felt no joy at all, only a vague sense of discomfort she couldn’t put into words.
Why?
Was it because the one being spoken to wasn’t herself?
Or was it because she realized just how close Kanzaki Sou and Kondo Haruka were, making her feel threatened, causing an involuntary, sinking unease?
Haha, Sou-kun, you’re so sharp at times like this—even though you never were before.
After a brief silence, Kondo Haruka spoke up too.
“So, why is that? Is there anything I can help with?”
It was Kanzaki Sou’s turn to respond.
But Kondo Haruka didn’t answer his question, as if something was holding her back.
“Haruka, if it’s something that doesn’t concern me, it’s fine if you don’t tell me. I believe you can handle it yourself.”
“But if it does involve me, even if I can sense something’s wrong, if you won’t tell me—”
“Then we can’t solve the problem.”
As if sharing the same silence as the girl with chestnut-red curls, Xiao Chun Miura found her body tense.
She focused intently on the phone screen peeking past the wall, waiting for Kondo Haruka’s next words.
Xiao Chun Miura could feel it—the atmosphere between the two was very off.
…If it were something trivial, with Kondo Haruka’s personality, she would have already blurted out what bothered her to Kanzaki Sou.
…Why bother being so secretive now?
This wasn’t like the usual Kondo Haruka at all.
It had to be something truly important, so important that if she brought it up to Kanzaki Sou, things might change.
So even though she realized Kanzaki Sou could sense her odd mood, when directly questioned, she still stayed silent and evasive.
Noticing this, Xiao Chun Miura grew more nervous.
Something Kondo Haruka couldn’t say in front of Kanzaki Sou, something that concerned her.
–That could only be something related to Kanzaki Sou himself.
“…I don’t understand.”
Then, amid the heavy silence that spread like a tangible weight, Kondo Haruka’s low murmur filled the quiet space.
“What do you mean?”
“Sou-kun, will you be participating in the Sports Day?”
But rather than continue with the cryptic “I don’t understand,” Kondo Haruka shifted the topic to the upcoming Sports Day.
–The very Sports Day Xiao Chun Miura was most anxious about.
“…..Ah, I will. I think I’ve already decided which event to join.”
Eh?
Xiao Chun Miura’s body gave a small jolt.
Already decided which event?
From the way Kanzaki Sou said it, it sounded like he hadn’t mentioned it to Kondo Haruka yet.
–Could it be?
“Is it about that idea I brought up? Is Kanzaki Sou thinking of agreeing to sign up together?”
…The thought popped uncontrollably into Xiao Chun Miura’s mind.
“I see.”
It was Kondo Haruka’s voice.
Nervous, Xiao Chun Miura quickly brought her phone back out from her chest and aimed it again.
“Mm…Sou-kun, you never told me what event you planned to join.”
“—To begin with, it’s not even time to officially register for Sports Day yet. Before that, everyone just checks preferences.”
Kanzaki Sou explained.
“Speaking of Sports Day…is there an event you want to join?”
“Since the school posted the list of events, with your skills you could easily place in a few, right?”
“There should also be some group spots for the class—”
“—Sou-kun.”
Kondo Haruka suddenly cut off Kanzaki Sou’s voice.
You said you’ve already decided which event to join, but there’s also an event I want to try.
“Isn’t that good? With your ability, unless your competition is a pro athlete, you’d easily get a top spot in any event.”
“That’s not it, Sou-kun.”
Kondo Haruka interrupted Kanzaki Sou’s calm and gentle voice once more.
“…..Yeah, for those Sports Day events, I’ve already had enough, Sou-kun.”
“I’ve placed in those events ever since I was little—it’s lost its excitement.”
The voice of the red-haired childhood friend sounded strangely calm.
“I want to try something I’ve heard is unique to this school, a fun event.”
“—The two-person ‘Borrowed Item Relay’…can I sign up with you, Sou-kun?”