「Are you sure you don’t want to go home, Shiori?」

         Maika asked from across the table, setting her phone down and looking at me.

         「Yeah.」

         I knew it would be best to head back as soon as possible. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet.

         On Monday, I’d run away because of the awkwardness left over from Sunday. But now, it was different. The longer I stayed away, the harder it became to face Sendai-san.

         「The person you’re fighting with is probably really worried about you, though.」

         「Yeah, I know.」

         I’d gotten another message from Sendai-san today, asking when I’d come home. She’d been sending me so many texts, all of them full of worry. Each message filled me with guilt, constantly reminding me that I should go home. And yet, part of me couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing while I was gone. Probably going to class, talking with friends, living her life as usual. I told myself that was for the best, but still, a part of me wished she’d do something out of the ordinary—like skip work for the day.

         I hated myself for wishing for that. I hated that I still couldn’t find the courage to go home, that I was burdening Maika by staying here, and that I was turning into a nuisance to her, too.

         「You still don’t feel like going home? Was it really just a normal fight?」

         Maika asked, her gaze steady on me.

         「Yeah, it was.」

         I said, spinning another lie to protect the one before it. The lies were piling up, and I felt like I was drowning under their weight. Thinking about everything I’d already lied to Maika about, and all the lies I’d probably have to tell her in the future, I knew I should at least come clean about one thing: that Sendai-san was my roommate.

         「Shiori.」

         「What is it?」

         「… Do you have anything you want to tell me?」

         Maika’s voice had turned unusually serious.

         「No. Why?」

         I sipped my orange juice, hiding behind yet another lie.

         「No reason. Well, anyway, you need to make sure you and your roommate work things out somehow.」

         「Okay.」

         I knew this couldn’t go on. If I kept dragging my feet like this, my relationship with Sendai-san would crumble. Back in high school, she’d always been the one to close the distance between us, even after I dumped popcorn and soda on her, and even when I pushed her out of my apartment after she tried to kiss me. Sendai-san had always forcefully tried to close any sort of distance I tried creating between us.

         But this time, it was up to me to close that distance.

         It’s too late to do it today, so I’ll do it tomorrow, I thought to myself.

         I took another sip of my orange juice as I held my phone in my other hand. I wanted to type a message saying, “I’ll be back tomorrow,” but my fingers wouldn’t move. While I hesitated, the doorbell rang, and Maika stood up.

         「Oh, they’re here. I need to step out for a bit. Mind waiting here for a bit, Shiori?」

         Something felt off about Maika’s words, like she’d been expecting this.

         It shouldn’t have been a package delivery, not this late.

         「… Is that your friend?」

         「Well, they’re not my friend yet.」

         So not someone who was her friend now, but maybe could be later down the line. I couldn’t imagine who that might be. And whoever it was didn’t sound like they were close enough friends with Maika to just show up this late at night.

         Maika’s place was mostly open, so if I shifted my body just a little, I could see the entrance from where I sat. I leaned over, curious about who she was talking to—then froze when a familiar voice reached me.

         「It’s fine. I won’t stay long.」

         I shot to my feet.

         The person at the door was the one I most wanted to see—and least wanted to face.

         「Well, it’d be a nuisance to the neighbors if we talked out here. Why don’t you come in?」

         「… In that case, pardon my intrusion.」

         Why?

         How?

         There’s no way. She shouldn’t be here.

         My hands and feet went cold.

         「I came to pick you up, Miyagi.」

         Sendai-san said, smiling brightly.

         「― Maika…」

         I couldn’t make sense of what was happening and turned to Maika, who had let Sendai-san in like it was the most normal thing in the world.

         「I ran into Sendai-san at school today, so I invited her over.」

         「… Huh?」

         Nothing made sense.

         How had they met?

         What had they talked about?

         How had it come to this?

         I had no idea what to say. One wrong word could reveal secrets that were meant to stay buried. In fact, Sendai-san showing up here probably meant at least one of those secrets was already out.

         I had no idea how it had happened or what had led to this moment, but the most logical conclusion was that our connection was no longer a secret. I wanted to make a break for it, but Sendai-san and Maika stood between me and the entrance like human barricades.

         「You weren’t coming home, so I went to your university to look for you. I ran into Utsunomiya there, and that’s how I ended up here.」

         「You just “ended up here,” huh…」

         This whole situation was a nightmare.

         It felt like someone had flipped a switch in my brain. I couldn’t think properly or process what was happening right in front of me.

         「Sendai-san told me she was looking for you, so when she spotted me, she came over and I invited her here. You two really need to talk things out.」

         Maika said, like it was no big deal.

         I tried to piece together what they were telling me, but nothing made sense. All I could grasp was that two people who should never have met had somehow ended up talking to each other.

         「… Maika, you didn’t tell me Sendai-san was coming over.」

         「That was my idea. I told her not to say anything. If you’d known I was coming, you would’ve bolted, right, Miyagi?」

         She was absolutely right. If I’d known Sendai-san was coming, I would’ve been long gone. Even now, all I wanted was to get out of here. It was so typical of Sendai-san to read me that well and then conspire with Maika to keep me trapped. I had no idea what or how much Maika had heard from Sendai-san, but I’d always planned to be the one to tell her everything myself.

         — Not that I’d ever figured out when that would be.

         「I’ll explain everything once we get home, so just come with me for now, okay?」

         Sendai-san said, still with a smile on her face.

         I knew I should go home, but my brain felt like it was lagging three steps behind. While I stood there frozen, Sendai-san walked over and grabbed my arm.

         「I—」

         I almost snapped at her in my usual harsh tone, but I swallowed the words. We were in Maika’s apartment, and she was watching everything. I couldn’t risk letting her see how I normally pushed Sendai-san away.

         「Let’s not just stand around. How about we all sit down and talk?」

         Maika’s calm voice cut through the tension as she took a seat.

         「Also, Shiori, you’re awful. You lied to me about living with a relative.」

         Her tone was gentle despite the accusation.

         「And back in high school, you told me you and Sendai-san weren’t close. That was a lie too, wasn’t it?」

         「… I’m sorry.」

         It seemed that Maika had found out that Sendai-san was my roommate. I wanted to know what else Sendai-san had told her, but considering all the lies I’d been spinning, apologizing seemed like the only place to start. I felt like I should keep apologizing, but having my lies exposed like this—and seeing someone who definitely shouldn’t be here sitting in Maika’s living room—left me completely speechless.

         「Well, I’ve got a million questions for later, but right now, why don’t you both sit down?」

         I couldn’t argue with Maika, so I did as I was told and sat down. Sendai-san took the spot diagonally across from me, and Maika cleared her throat.

         「Anyway, you two need to make up with each other. Right here, right now.」

         「What?」

         The sudden topic change caught me off guard.

         「Don’t “what” me. Shiori, you said you and Sendai-san had a fight, didn’t you?」

         Maika asked, as if double-checking with me, and I nodded, remembering the lie I’d told her.

         「I asked Sendai-san to come over so you two could work things out. So talk it through, do whatever you need to do, shake hands, and then head home together.」

         「Wait, what? Shake hands?」

         This time, Sendai-san was the one who sounded confused.

         「You don’t have to literally shake hands, but I want you both to leave here on good terms. It would be kind of awkward if Shiori stayed another night.」

         Maika smiled as she looked at me.

         Somehow, the mood had turned strangely peaceful, which should’ve made me feel better, but instead I felt like I was walking on thin ice, like one wrong move would shatter everything.

         「Take as long as you need to talk. Should I get you something to drink, Sendai-san?」

         「Thanks, but I’m planning to leave soon. I’ll just have whatever Miyagi’s having.」

         「I’m not sharing my drink.」

         I said firmly and pulled my half-empty glass of orange juice closer toward me, but Sendai-san reached over anyway. “I only want one sip,” she said, drinking from my cup like it was the most natural thing in the world. Usually, I would’ve complained, but I couldn’t make a scene in front of Maika, so I held my tongue.

         「Still, I didn’t expect you to be so pushy, Utsunomiya.」

         Sendai-san said, setting the cup down and looking at Maika.

         「I’m usually not, but this situation called for it. There’s way too much I don’t know, and I’m completely lost. And I know I’m the one who invited you here, Sendai-san, but this whole situation feels so surreal. If you’d told my high school self that the three of us would end up hanging out at my place like this, I never would’ve believed it.」

         「Nobody could have seen this coming.」

         「Right?」

         Maika agreed with Sendai-san, and I wanted to bury my face in my hands. The whole scene felt so absurd. Even though my own lies had caused this mess, I didn’t want to watch it unravel before my very eyes like this.

         「Miyagi, let’s just go home. If there’s anything you want to talk about, we can do it there.」

         I found the peaceful yet extremely awkward atmosphere almost unbearable, and yet, I still couldn’t bring myself to go home with Sendai-san.

         「You can stay over if you want, Shiori. But be warned—if you do, I’ll be bombarding you with questions until sunrise.」

         「Well, you heard her. What’s it going to be, Miyagi?」

         Faced with two impossible choices, I felt Maika’s gaze on me as I finished the last of my orange juice.

         「… I’ll go home with you.」

         I said, knowing there was really only one option.

         Sendai-san stood up.

         「Thanks, Utsunomiya. You really helped me out.」

         「Don’t mention it.」

         Maika handed me my bags, and I stood up as well.

         「We’ll be leaving, then. Can we still keep in touch?」

         Sendai-san asked in a friendly tone.

         「Sure.」

         Maika responded, matching her friendliness.

         I couldn’t tell whether the two of them were planning to become real friends or if it was just something superficial, but I was annoyed. It felt like Maika had just stolen Sendai-san from me, and at the same time, it felt like Sendai-san had just stolen Maika from me, too.

         Feeling uneasy, I accompanied Sendai-san to the entrance, where she thanked Maika once more before slipping on her shoes.

         「Thanks for putting up with me and sorry for staying over for so many days.」

         I said to Maika.

         Sendai-san stepped outside first, and just as I was about to follow her out, I felt Maika’s hand grab my bag.

         「Shiori, I won’t ask about it today, but you have to tell me later why you’re living with Sendai-san.」

         That was the question I’d been dreading.

         But I knew it was inevitable. There was no way she wouldn’t ask.

         「… Okay.」

         I replied, forcing the answer out of my throat, and stepped outside.

---

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