Volume 25 Chapter 7 Part2 (1/2)
As she walked along the hall leading to the shoe boxes, Touko spotted so the other way that had also finished their preparations to leave for the day
”Oh?”
It was her normal voice, so this was neither a dream nor a phantom She walked over to the enyou”
In this way, fukuzawa Yumi-sama came to a stop in front of Touko, like a miracle
(What is this?)
Touko smiled bitterly
She thought she'd finally rid herself of that ghost chasing after her, but now they'd run into each other here It caught her off guard
But, thinking back, Noriko had left her with the hint that there was no h, even with that hint, she couldn't have predicted this exact outcome
Yumi-sama was by herself Neither her onee-sama, Sachiko-sama, nor her classmate shi+mazu Yoshi+no-sama ith her She'd just randomly decided to head home on her own
”Gokigenyou”
Touko smiled sweetly That sort of expression was her specialty
”Are you heading home now, Touko-chan?”
”Yeah”
Touko thought that was a rather idiotic question to ask so But, in truth, Touko was the idiotic one
”Then let's go together”
Yumi-sama said
” … Uh”
They were right next to the shoe lockers and she'd said she was heading home At this point it was too late toat different ti she had to buy from the school shop
The first- and second-year lockers were in different locations, so if sheshoes there was a chance she'd get away
But ould happen if she did that? It would just be co her idiocy
The i down the path past the library was too ridiculous
Touko resigned herself to her fate and started walking
She waited at the entrance doorway until Yumi-sama finally arrived
”Sorry for keeping you waiting”
Indeed, she'd been kept waiting For a lot longer than it would typically take to change one's shoes
”Let's go”
”Okay”
Touko looked back in the direction from which Yumi-sama had come She couldn't see anyone that Yu to
”You know”
Walking half a step ahead, Yumi-sama mumbled
”I wanted a chance to talk to you alone, Touko-chan But I didn't kno you would feel about that I've been holding back froht cause problems for you”
Yumi-sama looked back over her shoulder at Touko
”So, I'm overjoyed that we ran into each other just now”
At that ht crossed Touko's ive Touko a chance to run away
Touko eyed the path they alking along Running as hard as she could, it would take her about this long to cover the distance from the entrance way to the corner of the library
So this girl would have been fine if Touko had run off Probably
(Or maybe she'd have preferred I ran)
That wasn't right
The smile she'd had when she said she was overjoyed they met had not been fake
First of all, if she hadn't wanted to walk home with Touko, she wouldn't have asked when they'dso circuitous
No et an answer Touko gave up and asked a question:
”What did you intend to say to me e met?”
It was the first tiether since last Christmas
Back then, Touko had been agitated by the sudden offer of the rosary and harshly rejected Yumi-sama
Touko had resigned herself to hearing a couple of complaints about this now that there was no-one else around
However
”What indeed? I don't know There wasn't anything I explicitly wanted to say, it was just a vague feeling It's like, there's so many boxes to open, I don't knohere to start”
Yuue as she'd described, containing nothing even slightly relevant
”Anyway, you kno you call out to your friends, even if you have nothing specific to talk about? It's like, well, since you're here, but then you try and think about why you want them to stay, and you don't know”
She didn't know?
A short tio, Touko had succumbed to that same emotion when she called out to Noriko
So did thatthe same way towards Touko that Touko had felt earlier?
They turned the corner past the library
”Touko-chan”
Yumi-sama opened a box and presented the words inside to Touko
”My bad for putting you on the spot”
But Touko had no idea what she was being put on the spot about
What had Yuy? Shouldn't Touko have been the one saying ”My bad” Of course, with Lillian's strict seniority syste as informal as ”my bad” to a senior
”I didn't think about it I offered youabout it There were a lot of things I should have thought about - your feelings, whether it was the right circuot carried away by my own emotions So it's only natural that you were shocked”
So that hat led Yus, then she couldn't be said to have ress at all
Because, right now, Yu Touko at all If she had thought about it, she would know that Touko would rather not have this conversation
”So, this has been an apology Next I' to make a proposal - can we return our relationshi+p to hoas prior to Christmas?”
”Huh!?”
”I hate this aard relationshi+p we have now Ah, but don't worry, I'reet each other warmly if we passed in the corridor? Or stop and have a pointless chat in the hallway? Ah, right Could you coain - ”
”I don't understand what you're thinking”
Touko cut in, unable to stand this optimistic ”proposal”
”Why are you so indulgent of an underclassman who rejected you?”
”Indulgent? That's not it”
Seeing those blank eyes looking back at her, Touko e Why was it that conversations would go like this when they shared the sae?
”First of all, ould you even considerthis fool your petit soeur?”
That hat Touko had wanted to ask when she was offered the rosary But she'd been afraid of the answer, so she'd sed the question
”Can you stop de yourself like that?”
Yuhtly
””This fool” is just fine for this fool”