"Good morning, Sawamura-san!"
"Good morning, Mirei-san."
The next morning, when Eriri and Wakaba Hiiro entered the classroom one after the other, Mirei Shinohara, who had been waiting inside for some time, happily came forward to greet Eriri.
Just like the previous morning, Mirei didn't greet Wakaba Hiiro at all. Instead, she shot her a covert glare before focusing all her attention on Eriri.
Wakaba, naturally, ignored Mirei's existence entirely. Upon entering, she went straight to her seat without so much as glancing her way.
"Mirei-san, I'm surprised you managed to make it to school today. I thought you might've spent the whole night unable to sleep from eating so much yesterday~"
As Eriri settled into her seat, she gave Mirei a once-over. The rounded belly Mirei had sported last night from overindulgence was now flat again. Still, even without using her sensory abilities, Eriri could tell Mirei wasn't in top form.
"Of course not! I'm only seventeen—my digestion is amazing," Mirei replied, feigning calm.
In truth, things had played out just as Eriri guessed. Mirei hadn't recovered much at all after going home the night before and had spent the whole night tossing and turning.
By morning, her digestion had improved enough for her to move around, but she was weighed down by exhaustion from a sleepless night. Not wanting to miss a chance to see Eriri, she had resisted the urge to call in sick and dragged herself to school.
Seeing her stubbornness, Eriri didn't call her out. Instead, she lightly patted Mirei's arm.
After two days of interaction, Eriri had warmed to Mirei just enough to grant her a small favor—a temporary buff. It wouldn't erase her fatigue outright but would seal it away until after classes ended.
When the seal lifted, the fatigue would hit her twice as hard, but it would be enough to get her home safely first. After that, she could sleep until morning.
"What is this…?"
Mirei was puzzled to feel her drowsiness vanish in an instant. Moments earlier, she had been struggling to keep her eyes open; now, she felt alert and energetic—as if she could run five kilometers without trouble.
"Could it be…"
Recalling Eriri's pat, Mirei instinctively linked her sudden energy to Eriri's touch. But in her understanding of the world, supernatural powers didn't exist. She simply assumed the contact had made her unusually excited, and excitement was known to keep people awake.
With that reasoning, she decided not to overthink it. She figured the drowsiness would return once her excitement faded and even prepared herself to doze off in class.
But reality proved her wrong. Throughout the entire day, she remained wide awake and absorbed every lesson without missing a single point.
Faced with this inexplicable outcome, she thought about it briefly, then shrugged it off, deciding she must simply be gifted.
But the moment the final class's dismissal bell rang, a familiar wave of drowsiness flooded Mirei Shinohara's mind. At first, it was faint, but she could feel it growing stronger with each passing moment.
Just then, Eriri's voice rang out.
"Mirei-san, are you joining us for games again today?"
Mirei instinctively wanted to say yes, but the heaviness in her body quickly interrupted her. She knew that if she stayed, she'd soon fall asleep whether she wanted to or not.
The last thing she wanted was to nod off mid-game and spoil Eriri's fun. So, despite her reluctance, she forced herself to refuse.
"Sawamura-san, I'm suddenly feeling sleepy. I think I'd better go home early and rest, so I can't join you today…"
"I see. No problem. Let's meet again tomorrow then."
"Mm, see you tomorrow!"
Dragging her tired body, Mirei reluctantly left the classroom. Just after she stepped out the back door, two of her closer friends exchanged a look and quickly followed.
Because of Eriri's recent transfer, Mirei hadn't been spending time with them these past few days, not even during breaks. They wanted to seize this chance to ask what was going on—and maybe get tips on how to approach Eriri themselves.
After all, they'd tried imitating Mirei's approach in hopes of befriending Eriri, but none had succeeded.
Not long after Mirei left, Eriri stood and looked over at Wakaba Hiiro.
"Wakaba-san, let's head home too."
Wakaba nodded silently, picked up her bag, and followed Eriri out of the school.
A few minutes later, as they walked along the station street, Eriri suddenly stopped and took Wakaba's right hand in her left.
"Hold on, Wakaba-san—how about we head home a bit later?"
"Is something the matter?" Wakaba asked, puzzled.
"Let's explore the shops around here. Judging by the look of you, I bet you've never really browsed this area, right?" Eriri said confidently.
Wakaba lived the life of a classic shut-in: home and school, with occasional trips to the supermarket to restock necessities. She didn't deny it and simply nodded.
"That's true. But I'm not interested in that sort of thing. I'd rather go home and play a few rounds of games."
"No, no, Wakaba-san, that won't do! You're a high school girl in the prime of youth—shopping is essential~"
Eriri lifted her flawless right index finger and waved it playfully before Wakaba's eyes.
"Games will always be there. Taking some time to browse the shops is a nice change of pace too~"
Glancing at the hand Eriri still held, Wakaba didn't object further, silently agreeing to her proposal.
And so, hand in hand, they began a brief shopping trip.
The bustling station street wasn't home to a massive shopping mall, but it boasted no shortage of shops for food, drink, and entertainment.
Naturally, clothing stores of all kinds lined both sides of the street.
Eriri's first stop for Wakaba was a high-end women's fashion boutique.
Seeing the clothing displayed in the glass window, Wakaba Hiiro didn't think much of it. She assumed Eriri was here to shop for clothes, and her role was simply to accompany her.
Without hesitation, she followed Eriri through the boutique's glass doors.
Their entrance naturally caught the attention of several people inside. But once their eyes landed on the pair, they found it impossible to look away.
This strange reaction quickly spread, and within seconds, every customer and sales associate had fallen silent, the boutique filled with a brief, stunned stillness.
The cause, of course, was Eriri. Her beauty was overwhelming and undeniable.
Wakaba Hiiro was stunning in her own right, but compared to Eriri, there was still a gap. Though people were briefly captivated by Wakaba's beauty, it wasn't enough to make them lose composure the way Eriri's presence did.
Many never even shifted their gaze from Eriri to notice Wakaba.
Shoppers lost interest in browsing entirely, instead imagining how breathtaking Eriri might look in clothes even more beautiful than her standard school uniform.
The young female staff members were no exception. As soon as they snapped out of their daze, they rushed toward Eriri and Wakaba, some abandoning their current customers to do so.
"Welcome! Is there anything we can help you with?"
"You're both so beautiful—would you like me to help you pick out our newest styles?"
"Let me guide you! I can even get you the biggest discount we offer!"
They vied for Eriri's attention, each hoping she would choose them.
But Eriri's next words disappointed them all.
"Sorry, I think we'll browse on our own. If we need help, I'll call you."
She hadn't brought Wakaba here for a guided shopping experience. Her goal was simple—to treat Wakaba as her personal dress-up doll for a while. Extra people would only get in the way.
"Alright then…"
Though clearly crestfallen, the sales associates respected her decision, bolstered by the quiet pressure emanating from her presence. They gave up on following her closely, though they still watched from a distance.
Eriri led Wakaba to a rack of dresses and began browsing immediately. She didn't take long to pick out a sweet, waist-fitted dress in a soft apricot shade.
"Here, Wakaba-san—go try this on in the fitting room."
Wakaba didn't take the dress. Instead, she stared impassively into Eriri's eyes for several seconds before slowly shaking her head.
"There's no need. I have no intention of buying clothes. You should choose something for yourself."
She understood exactly what Eriri was thinking. Their body types were different, so trying on clothes for each other made no sense.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. We don't have to buy it—just try it on. It won't hurt anything."
Before Wakaba could protest again, Eriri shoved the dress into her arms and firmly pushed her into a fitting room from behind.
The customers and staff watching nearby were visibly disappointed that it wasn't Eriri herself trying on clothes.
Normally, trying on a dress would take just a few minutes. But nearly ten minutes passed, and Wakaba still hadn't emerged.
Eriri hadn't bothered to use her sensory powers, so she had no idea what was going on inside. Finally, impatient, she strode straight into the fitting room.
There she found Wakaba Hiiro sitting on the floor against the wall, a novel in her hands, calmly reading.
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