"Cough, cough—"
"Yutsuki, are you okay?"
Supporting the soaking wet Yutsuki, Tohka asked worriedly.
"Well... feeling a bit better."
Wiping the water droplets from her face, Yutsuki's complexion improved slightly.
"Alright, Tohka, I can walk on my own from here."
"Eh? Don't push yourself. I have plenty of strength, carrying you to the lounge is no problem at all."
"Thank you, Tohka. But it's fine. It's your turn to date Shido next. It would be bad if your pretty dress got dirty because of ."
"But..."
"I'm really fine. Sorry for causing you trouble."
Seeing Tohka still looking worried, Yutsuki smiled bitterly and shook her head. Removing her arm from Tohka's shoulder, she swayed unsteadily for a mont before planting her feet firmly.
"See, I'm perfectly fine, right?"
"Umu..."
Still a bit uneasy, Tohka stared intently at Yutsuki. Only after confirming that the other party really wasn't putting on a brave front did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"I understand... Then, at the very least let walk you to the lounge over there."
Hearing Tohka's words, Yutsuki hesitated slightly.
She originally planned to say there was no need to worry, but seeing Tohka's resolute attitude showing no intention of backing down, Yutsuki sighed and obediently accepted her goodwill.
"It's just past ten right now... Alright, I'll leave it to you then, Tohka. Honestly, my legs still feel a bit weak."
"Umu!"
Slowly supporting Yutsuki to a nearby lounge, Tohka placed her on a bench and walked over to the vending machine.
"Yutsuki, do you want sothing to drink?"
"Ah... Hot coffee, please. Try not to pick one that's too bitter."
Yutsuki hugged her shoulders, trembling slightly as she answered. She didn't notice it at first, but now the soaked clothes seed to be absorbing the surrounding heat, making her feel quite cold.
"Got it, then I'll choose juice. Um... coffee, coffee—"
Inserting the pocket money Kotori gave her earlier into the coin slot, Tohka looked at the nu on the screen in confusion. After pressing the buttons, two cans of drinks dropped out with a clunk.
"Sorry, Yutsuki, I haven't really drank coffee before, so I didn't know which one isn't bitter."
"It's fine, I don't mind."
Taking the black can of coffee labeled "Espresso" from Tohka's hand, seeing Tohka's guilty expression, Yutsuki knew she didn't do it on purpose and wasn't angry.
Popping open the tab, the bitter, hot coffee rolled down her throat into her stomach. A warm sensation gradually filled her entire body, bringing Yutsuki significant relief.
"Ah... finally feel alive again."
Her shoulders slowly relaxed. Recalling the foolish thing she accidentally did earlier, Yutsuki herself felt speechless.
Actually, what Reine said wasn't that big a deal. As long as Shido's heart throbbed successfully, no matter when it happened, it was a good thing for her. It would have been the worst-case scenario if Shido's heart hadn't throbbed for her from beginning to end.
However, having just used "I had no choice because it was to save Shido" as an excuse to console herself, getting ruthlessly slapped in the face by Reine's reply the next mont caused her brain's temperature to rise uncontrollably and crash. In a mont of confusion, she just...
(Ah... my lifelong reputation, I really want to forget it...)
Recalling the tragic state of affairs back then, Yutsuki couldn't help but clutch her head in frustration.
"Uh, um... Yutsuki."
Suddenly, Tohka's voice snapped Yutsuki back to reality. She noticed that the usually innocent and cheerful girl in her mory was feeling down, looking at her with an expression that seed to want to say sothing but held back.
"What's wrong, Tohka? Did you run into so trouble?"
Could it be she's at a loss for how to make Shido's heart throb? Yutsuki guessed.
It wouldn't be surprising. Being the last person, it's inevitable to feel the weight of success or failure resting on one's shoulders. Feeling anxious and pressured about whether one can perform well is a common occurrence.
Taking a sip of coffee, Yutsuki patiently waited for Tohka to organize her words while thinking of encouraging things to say.
"Ah, um—"
After a long while, Tohka seemingly finally made up her mind. She looked up at Yutsuki and spoke.
"Did you and Shido kiss just now, Yutsuki?"
"Pffffft——!"
The coffee she was just about to swallow instantly sprayed out. Fortunately, Yutsuki turned her head away at the last second, otherwise, she would have completely ruined Tohka's dress.
"Cough, cough—"
"Yutsuki, are you okay!?"
Tohka instantly paled and asked in shock, hurriedly patting Yutsuki's back to help her catch her breath.
"I-I'm fine..."
"I'm sorry! I'm truly very sorry! I accidentally bumped into you guys while looking for you, I didn't an to peek. I've been wanting to apologize to you just now, if you're angry, Yutsuki..."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Sitting up straight abruptly, Yutsuki shook her head desperately, interrupting Tohka.
"Tohka, listen to first."
Taking a deep breath, Yutsuki looked directly into Tohka's eyes. Seeing those athyst clear eyes filled with bewildernt and unease, Yutsuki felt a deep sense of guilt.
"It was just a misunderstanding! Shido and I, although it looked like we were kissing just now, we actually weren't!"
"Eh? Um—It looked like a kiss? But it wasn't actually a kiss? Then what was it?"
Seeing Tohka looking utterly confused, Yutsuki hurriedly tore off a piece of clear tape from the hem of her skirt to explain to Tohka.
"It was this. I hid clear tape inside the folds of my skirt, and used it as a block when we kissed. So it wasn't a real kiss, just a fake one put on specifically to make Shido's heart throb. It wasn't real!!"
"I-I see."
Under Yutsuki's desperate explanation, Tohka finally understood the whole story.
"Sorry, Yutsuki. I didn't understand anything and arbitrarily misunderstood you..."
Tohka lowered her head in guilt.
"No, the fault is mine. I did sothing confusing. I'm really glad you were willing to listen to my explanation."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Yutsuki answered with a bitter smile.
Honestly, she was almost scared into breaking out in a cold sweat. Thank goodness Tohka is an understanding girl.
"..."
Tohka didn't speak. Silently pursing her lips, she lowered her head and stared quietly at the can resting on her knees.
"Ugh... Yutsuki... when I saw you and Shido kissing, for so reason... my chest... really hurt..."
"Ugh—!"
"I know helping Shido is the most important thing, and the reason you did that, Yutsuki, was entirely to help Shido. But at that mont... I was so afraid I couldn't even make a sound... It felt like sowhere in my mind kept saying, this isn't real, why isn't it standing in front of Shido?"
"Uh—"
"Just now, when I heard you say it wasn't a real kiss, Yutsuki, for an instant, I was incredibly happy. From the bottom of my heart, I thought... thank goodness they didn't kiss..."
"Ah..."
"Whether it's Shido or Yutsuki, you are both the people I like the most. B-But—even though that's true, I still couldn't control such terrible feelings from surfacing. I really hate this, I hate myself for being like this. Just... why did it turn out like this? Yutsuki... Eh? Yutsuki, Yutsuki, what's wrong?!"
Looking at Yutsuki, who had fallen to her knees at so point, Tohka asked in a panic.
"Ah... my stomach, my stomach hurts so much..."
Yutsuki clutched her stomach with a pale face, letting out a groan.
"S-Sorry... it's all because I said weird things..."
"No... it's fine... it's not Tohka's fault..."
Seeing Tohka so anxious she was about to cry, Yutsuki waved her hand with a dry laugh, indicating it was fine.
Honestly, if the other party was just joking around, Yutsuki wouldn't have felt much. On the contrary, it was precisely because the innocent and naive Tohka said these things that Yutsuki took a heavy, direct hit.
Especially hearing Tohka say this right after she had just confessed to Shido... Ah, this is bad, my stomach...
"Phew... phew..."
Forcing herself to take a few deep breaths, Yutsuki finally recovered.
Honestly, although she could still feel a faint throbbing pain in her stomach, Yutsuki knew she had more important things to do right now than worry about her stomachache.
"Tohka..."
Yutsuki opened her mouth several tis, wanting to comfort the other party, but every ti the words reached her lips, she involuntarily swallowed them back.
—What's wrong? Looking like this doesn't suit Tohka at all.
—A smile suits Tohka the best.
—Shido definitely wouldn't want to see Tohka crying either.
Those words are all bullshit!
Rather than comforting, they felt more like shackles.
Indeed, Tohka is a cheerful, obedient, and cute girl. But that doesn't an she doesn't worry, doesn't agonize, and doesn't cry.
She just didn't want to make others worry, didn't want to beco a burden to others, and didn't want people who were already exhausted to fuss over her. That's why she hid all of this in her heart and greeted everyone with her brightest smile.
Yatogami Tohka isn't so vicious and brutal Spirit, none of them are. She is just an ordinary girl going through puberty.
Ryougi Yutsuki always thought she understood this clearly, but looking at it now, it was rely her own arrogance.
Humans are emotional creatures. So even if reason tells them what is right and what is wrong, the emotions accumulated and suppressed in the heart will eventually erupt uncontrollably like a geyser.
This is the sa for both Tohka and Shido.
(What exactly should I say?)
Yutsuki pondered distressingly.
If she just wanted to gloss over it, it would be very easy. But she couldn't bear to let Tohka remain confused and distressed over sothing so pure.
(Or rather, if she doesn't have a correct understanding of this kind of thing, a natural airhead might accidentally turn into a yandere.)
Trying to imagine the scene of Tohka going dark, cold sweat broke out on Yutsuki's forehead.
Yutsuki sighed, stood up, and patted Tohka's head.
"It's fine. You don't have to hate yourself."
"...Yutsuki?"
Tohka looked at Yutsuki in confusion.
"You just like Shido too much. So much that you want to be with him. It's as simple as that."
"Like...? But, I really like Yutsuki too, and everyone else. Ugh—Although I really resent Tobiichi Origami, if I had to say, I still like her. It's just that this seems different from liking Shido..."
Unable to understand the difference, Tohka scratched her head in distress.
"Special liking?"
"Mhm, mhm! That's it, special liking!"
Tohka hurriedly nodded.
"That's how it should be. No matter who it is, everyone has a unique existence in their heart. That's what you call a special liking. Actually, a person who likes everyone equally—that's the one whose head isn't screwed on right."
Yutsuki answered with a slightly teasing tone.
"Then... Yutsuki, do you have a special liking for Shido too?"
Tohka couldn't help but ask curiously.
"...Mhm. I suppose my liking is the sa as your liking, Tohka."
After a mont of silence, Yutsuki didn't deny it and gently nodded.
"So, I can tell you with absolute certainty that this isn't sothing terrible. It's a very precious feeling. Tohka, try to face it head-on, and then ask it what you truly desire."
"What I truly desire..."
Following Yutsuki's advice, Tohka closed her eyes, placed her hands over her chest, and silently murmured in her heart.
"I... want to be with Shido. I want Shido to always stay by my side..."
Slowly opening her eyes, Tohka answered solemnly,
"And, I also want Shido to be happy."
In an instant, Tohka felt suddenly enlightened. This feeling and the desire to help Shido were closely connected, and she miraculously understood this in her heart.
Looking at Tohka like this, Yutsuki gave her a gentle push on the back as if relieved.
"Then, I'll leave Shido to you next. Is that okay, Tohka?"
"Umu! Leave it to ! Thank you, Yutsuki!"
After giving an energetic reply, Tohka set off with full motivation.
"Phew——————————————————————————"
After watching Tohka leave, Yutsuki let out a long sigh of relief, as if her entire body was falling apart.
"Alright, next I'll change out of this soaking wet dress... and then, go to the infirmary to find so stomach dicine..."
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