Yuka didn’t seem to think about leaving that kid alone.
Whether it was because of some sympathy or her occasional “prevention” strategy, Yuka brought that kid out.
She didn’t explicitly tell Sota to follow, but Sota trailed behind her. Nanami naturally followed Sota too, but Yuka didn’t stop her.
Up until this point, they had already been wrapped up in several incidents. They had seen Yōkai directly and had been chased by someone with a strange religion. When collaborating with Hagiwara-senpai, Yuka had also been of help.
Maybe that’s why Yuka hadn’t been as sharp-tongued with Nanami since then.
That didn’t mean she was being gentle, though.
It was only when Yuka took that kid out that Sota was able to see her eyes again.
And then it suddenly dawned on him. The eyes peeking through her hair were crimson.
Why hadn’t he noticed that yesterday? Perhaps it was because of the circumstances at the time.
Red eye color isn’t something you see every day—it’s not a common sight. Yet, how could Sota and Yuka, who were in the same class, not know about the existence of this girl? Why hadn’t any rumors circulated until now?
If she had been in the same class last year, wouldn’t they have run into each other in the hallway?
“Sota, Sota.”
Nanami, who had been walking beside him, tugged at Sota’s arm lightly and spoke up.
“Who is that girl?”
“Don’t you know, Nanami?”
“Well… um, it feels a bit weird to say ‘because she’s from another class.’”
Nanami is someone who has many friends even in other classes. If that girl were normal, it wouldn’t make sense for her not to have heard anything about her.
Could it be that the bullies had kept her hidden at the center of things? There hadn’t been any other kids bothering her in the classroom earlier. It’s hard to tell what the reality is.
Well, rumors don’t always reach completely different people. Even in the same class, one might only hear who’s seeing whom months later by chance.
“So, who is she?”
“…Actually, we don’t know each other’s names yet.”
“You were staring at her without knowing her name?”
Nanami’s gaze sharpened. It seems looking out the window at a girl would come across as strange in many ways.
“Well, there’s a story behind it.”
Should he tell the story? Sota pondered seriously and then shook his head.
He didn’t think that a kid being bullied would want to inform others about being bullied.
Though they hadn’t had a proper conversation yet.
Seeing Sota’s expression, Nanami didn’t press further but still kept a somewhat wary gaze.
*
Yuka took that girl to a family restaurant.
They deliberately chose a secluded table where there were almost no people.
Sota hesitated for a moment and then decided to join them at that table. Yuka didn’t explicitly say, “You can go” or “You don’t have to,” but she rarely got mad if Sota acted on his own.
The “rarely” did imply that it had happened, but at least it wasn’t this time.
When Nanami saw Sota sitting opposite Yuka, Yuka looked surprised, but she didn’t say anything else to Nanami.
“…….”
The girl Yuka had forced to sit was just sitting there with a blank expression. While her gaze seemed directed at Yuka’s face across from her, her eyes didn’t seem focused anywhere.
Yuka quietly observed the girl for a while.
During that time, a staff member came with the menu and handed it over. Perhaps not noticing the unusual atmosphere, the staff member didn’t show much change in expression.
Yuka ordered a reasonable amount of French fries and three drinks and again stared quietly at the girl in front of her.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
Yuka asked again.
Nanami, who was sitting next to her, looked over at the girl as if sensing something strange.
After coming this far, she expected some kind of response, but the girl hadn’t uttered a single word, which seemed odd.
“…….”
Seeing the girl not speak, this time Sota leaned slightly forward.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. We just want to talk to you.”
Actually, Sota hadn’t intended to bring her this far, but since they already had, there was no other way to say it.
Yuka was practically glaring at the girl, and Nanami had doubt written all over her face.
So perhaps the girl was simply too scared.
After all, she was the one being bullied. He wasn’t sure if she would be able to answer due to her soft voice.
The crimson eyes turned toward Sota. And she tilted her head slightly to the side.
Was she cocking her head in confusion?
“……Kurosawa.”
“Kurosawa?”
Yuka repeated that name, seemingly chewing on it, and tilted her head.
Sota already had quite a bit of trust in Yuka. After all, it’s normal to develop that kind of trust after owing your life a few times.
So he thought there might be meaning in her actions, but…the name Kurosawa wasn’t particularly special or rare. It was a last name that was fairly common, with several famous people sharing it; a film director, for example.
It seemed that just that name didn’t provide Yuka with much certainty.
“What’s your first name?”
Sota asked again gently. Nanami’s gaze flicked between Sota and the girl.
“…….”
The girl stared silently at Sota again and then answered quietly.
“Kotone.”
Kurosawa Kotone.
Neither the surname nor the first name was particularly unique. They were both names that anyone could easily consider ordinary, just like the other three people present.
Sota glanced at Yuka, who was sitting beside him.
Yuka fell into thought for a moment, and during that time, she picked up a French fry that the staff had left on the table and ate it. Then she subtly pushed the plate toward the girl and asked,
“Do you live around here?”
Yuka asked.
Had she started to let her guard down after looking at Sota? Or did she realize there was no malice in the gesture of offering food? The girl looked back at Yuka again.
“Nearby…?”
The tone of the response seemed as if she were asking what that word meant, but Sota thought that couldn’t be it.
Perhaps she was unsure whether it was nearby or not?
Depending on the person, “nearby” could mean “a walkable distance.” If it’s a 30-minute walk, students could just walk to school.
On the other hand, for some, a 15-minute subway ride could be considered close. But in that case, walking might take quite a while. If she was thinking to that degree, Sota felt specific questions were required to elicit a concrete response.
Maybe Yuka had also concluded this, as she frowned.
If the girl were somewhat average, Yuka wouldn’t need to play 20 Questions like this. But given that they were dealing with a kid who was being bullied at school, one couldn’t simply throw at her a barrage of harsh questions.
“What are you two doing?”
Nanami asked, looking incredulous.
“Why are you asking questions about someone you just met? Are you trying to follow her?”
“If necessary.”
Yuka replied, crossing her arms as she sat.
Kurosawa Kotone’s gaze dropped down.
This time, it was as if she had never seen French fries before; she simply looked down at them. Even though Yuka was eating right in front of her, it seemed as if she couldn’t even consider that they were for eating.
…How was she spending lunchtime? If she had gone to the store or the cafeteria, Sota might have noticed her from afar. While he didn’t know every kid’s name, seeing the same faces every day at the same time made it possible to remember them.
Though he didn’t go to the cafeteria daily.
“Why? Is it because of that stuff again?”
“…….”
Yuka’s gaze shifted back to Nanami.
“No, even if that’s the case, it could be different. You might accidentally run into strange people in a dark alley or stumble across a corpse lying around or something. But bringing a totally different girl here is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Yuka’s brow furrowed.
“So, you saw that every time it was dangerous. I dealt with it.”
“So you’re going to deal with this girl too? ‘If necessary?’”
At that, Sota looked at Yuka in surprise.
When Yuka says ‘dealing with’ usually refers to eliminating the threat.
And that elimination typically meant with a knife.
“…It’s not like she’s a threat.”
Yuka said, as if she were justifying herself. Perhaps it was because Sota’s gaze was on her.
“I just want to check on her a bit.”
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