Actually, Yuka was somewhat confused.
Was the only reason Sota hoped she wouldn’t touch that girl really just that?
Of course, Sota was such a nice and clueless guy that he probably had no intention of that at all.
“…….”
Thinking back, it was Sota who first spoke to her when she was sitting alone in class with no intention of making friends. He had a way of drawing people in around him, purely out of kindness, without any ulterior motives.
Maybe this feeling was what Nanami felt when she first saw Yuka.
……No, Nanami didn’t have a background like Yuka’s. Just another popular girl among the boys at school. That was Nanami’s impression.
So, there was no reason to be wary of a girl she had never seen before, like Yuka. The only reason Nanami was overreacting towards Yuka was simply because Yuka sat right behind Sota, and they could easily chat whenever.
And because of that, it allowed Nanami to have no prejudice against a girl named Kurosawa Koto Ne.
“Hey, is there anything you want to eat?”
“…….”
As Nanami grabbed her own arm and spoke, Kurosawa Koto Ne quietly looked up at her.
“……Um…….”
Seeing Koto Ne’s refusal to answer a question that needed a response, Nanami glanced at Sota.
And Yuka found that behavior frustrating.
Not knowing what kind of being the other was—No, even though Yuka had already informed them, it seemed Sota and Nanami were determined to take Kurosawa Koto Ne along.
Even now, that girl was taking the initiative to approach them.
Outwardly, there didn’t seem to be any major issues.
But really, Yōkai are like that. Unless you have an instinctive ability to recognize a Yōkai like Yuka, you wouldn’t understand the environment set up for hunting people.
Especially now, it’s even worse. The opponent might not even be a Yōkai, but a human. The malice of a person can be much scarier than the beast-like nature of a Yōkai.
And as for Kurosawa—
“……Should we go to the place we went last time?”
After a moment of thought, Sota said that, and once again, the place the three of them were heading to was the family restaurant.
Despite Yuka’s various thoughts, she had no strong argument against Sota and Nanami’s intention to be friends with the abused child, so in the end, she had no choice but to follow those two into the restaurant.
*
“Let’s order something different today.”
Sota said.
“Last time it was French fries, so today…… how about something sweet? Ice cream?”
“Isn’t that fine? I don’t think there’s anyone who dislikes ice cream.”
Nanami replied happily.
Once again, Nanami and Sota sat opposite each other, while Kurosawa Koto Ne and Yuka sat across from them. Last time, Yuka had called Koto Ne over to interrogate her, so this setup was a bit different today.
“…….”
Kurosawa Koto Ne stared intently at Yuka, who was crossing her arms while facing her. The gaze felt strangely uncomfortable, so Yuka tilted her head slightly to the side.
“Yuka, what about you?”
Sota asked gently.
Feeling a bit awkward for not ordering anything in this atmosphere, ultimately Yuka gave up staring out the window and ordered the same ice cream.
After a brief quiet moment, four ice creams were brought to their table.
But nobody immediately dug into their ice cream.
All three of them were staring at the corner where Kurosawa Koto Ne sat.
That girl showed no signs of movement. Just like last time when she didn’t move an inch at the sight of French fries.
“Okay.”
The first to move before Sota was Nanami.
Grabbing the small spoon that came with the ice cream, she handed it to Kurosawa Koto Ne.
Kurosawa blinked once and then looked at Sota.
Was she seeking permission or something?
Looking back, Sota hadn’t considered that she wouldn’t need to pay. They took the kids’ money to such an extent last time that she wasn’t completely broke, but asking her to pay for her portion in a situation like this felt a bit unreasonable.
She might dislike this, or maybe not. There are people in the world who dislike ice cream just because they dislike cold things.
Sota deliberately took his time scooping the ice cream and putting it in his mouth. The vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup was quite delicious. To be honest, it wasn’t particularly exceptional, but more like a taste you could find anywhere.
But as Sota absorbed the taste, he noticed Kurosawa Koto Ne staring at him, and she clumsily moved the spoon to scoop a small amount of ice cream.
Then she brought it to her mouth.
“…….”
Sota, Nanami, and even Yuka were all watching Kurosawa Koto Ne’s actions with a bit of tension.
Sufficient time passed for the ice cream to melt in her mouth, and Kurosawa Koto Ne blinked.
She didn’t say anything special or show any greater expression of emotion, but then her spoon was pulled out, and her hand mechanically moved to scoop another spoonful of ice cream.
And she brought it to her mouth.
Just a mundane action, yet strangely, it drew the attention of the three.
Nanami looked at Sota.
And Yuka looked at Sota too.
The emotions reflected in both of their eyes might have some slight differences when examined closely, but largely they shared the thought, “Doesn’t she seem a bit pitiful?”
Even Yuka, who had been observing Kurosawa Koto Ne, couldn’t tear her gaze away.
In the end, Kurosawa Koto Ne finished all the ice cream that day without leaving any behind.
*
Sota couldn’t play with Kurosawa every day until late at night because of his part-time job.
But Kurosawa came to find Sota every day.
At first, her face showed no expression, so he hardly noticed, but once he caught sight of the three of them glancing back at him from a distance, perhaps it meant that Kurosawa recognized Sota’s vicinity as a ‘refuge.’
A place where she wouldn’t be bullied by others if she was nearby.
Much like the barrier Yuka had drawn before.
Buying ice cream wasn’t very difficult, but regardless, it seemed that the situation concerning Kurosawa was slightly complicated, and Nanami and Yuka’s wariness still lingered.
Or maybe Nanami and Yuka were using Kurosawa as an excuse to play with Sota.
Usually, the four of them would spend some time in the family restaurant they always visited and then part ways. Kurosawa’s usual choice was chocolate ice cream.
In fact, it wasn’t so much that Kurosawa chose it herself, rather she only got what she had eaten before at the fastest pace.
Yuka’s reactions had somewhat softened, and Nanami hardly showed any wariness towards Kurosawa anymore. It makes sense as Kurosawa had never shown any signs of crossing any lines.
“But hey, about those kids…”
One day, after sending Kurosawa home first, Nanami quietly said, glancing at her retreating figure.
“Have they stopped bothering her since then?”
“Not sure.”
Sota pondered for a moment before replying.
“They might still be being annoying, but at least they wouldn’t harass her after school. They see us go home, right?”
“…….”
Yuka quietly watched Kurosawa’s retreating figure.
Although her expression was still a bit complicated, the fact that Sota’s going around with Kurosawa was no longer something she opposed indicated that she had somewhat accepted that the girl wasn’t a bad person.
But Sota also understood.
That spending every day with Kurosawa like this wasn’t a complete solution.
However, none of the three of them had figured out a proper method yet.
They still had plenty of time to think it over.
Sota thought this way. It had only been a week since he met Kurosawa, so wasn’t it a bit unreasonable to expect a complete solution right away?
Whether it be to tell the adults, or to teach Kurosawa herself how to protect herself.
He decided to think that over a bit more.
*
And then the following Monday.
Kurosawa didn’t come looking for Sota. Not during lunchtime, nor after school.
As much as Sota was concerned about that fact, it seemed Yuka was a little concerned too. It was only natural to notice if a child who was bullied and someone you saw every day was suddenly absent.
“Hey, have you seen Kurosawa?”
“Kurosawa? Oh, Sadako?”
Sota asked one of the kids in Class B, but she only shook her head. Hearing the name “Sadako,” Yuka’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but that didn’t interrupt Sota’s conversation with the girl.
“No, I haven’t seen her today.”
“Really?”
As Sota tilted his head and shifted his gaze, noticing something, he asked again.
“By any chance, do you know about the other three who were bothering Kurosawa? They seem to be gone too.”
“Um…… I’m not really sure? And what do you mean by ‘bothering’?”
“……It’s nothing. Thanks.”
Sota said that and turned around.
“……Are you going to look for her?”
Yuka asked pointedly.
“Do you know where she is?”
But Sota shook his head at that, yet speeded up his pace slightly.
Yuka sighed as if exasperated and then followed Sota from behind.
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