"Mmm..."
When Mio opened her eyes, the light made her frown slightly. A soft murmur escaped her nose.
After her eyes adjusted, she slowly opened them fully and realized she was lying down. Then she looked to the side...
"Hah!"
She instantly woke up, sat upright, and hurriedly backed toward the corner in alarm.
"Ah! She really woke up!"
Yui looked at the awakened Mio with amazement, then turned an admiring gaze toward Ritsu.
Kotobuki Tsumugi blinked in surprise as well, her thick eyebrows full of curiosity.
Ritsu folded her arms across her chest and grinned proudly.
"Well, Mio and I have been together since we were little. I'm not bragging, but I know Mio like the back of my hand. Whether it's when she'll wake up after fainting, what size clothes, pants, and bras she wears, her measurements, and..."
"Shut up!"
Blushing furiously, Mio rushed over and covered Ritsu's mouth. Then she nervously glanced around the room.
Finally, her eyes landed on Sato, who was calmly sitting in the distance drinking tea.
Seeing that he didn't seem to be paying attention, she couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. However, the redness on her face remained.
Then she remembered the culprit behind all of this...
Whoosh!
Her gaze filled with killing intent as it locked onto Ritsu.
Ritsu sensed the icy hostility, but instead of reacting, she let out a regretful sigh.
"Sigh, I originally found a way to keep you under control, but now..."
Melancholically, she picked up her phone.
The photos had all been deleted cleanly, causing her to pout.
That could have been an anti-Mio Noble Phantasm!
Its destructive power would have been max level!
Although Mio's face was still full of murderous intent, she couldn't help becoming interested in Ritsu's words. Her brows furrowed slightly as a bad feeling rose within her.
Had... something happened just now?
"Actually... I took a picture too."
At that moment, Yui suddenly glanced cautiously toward Sato, then scratched her head awkwardly and pulled out her phone, sticking out her pink tongue.
"Hm?!"
Both Mio and Sato looked up simultaneously.
Mio's brows furrowed even tighter as she said coldly,
"Yui, what picture?"
Sato, meanwhile, gave Yui a long look.
The gloomy stare made Yui feel guilty and frightened, causing her to instinctively snuggle closer to Kotobuki Tsumugi.
So this little airhead had been hiding her true nature all along.
Sato was genuinely surprised.
"Um... well..."
Yui trembled and stammered, unable to get the words out, embodying guilt and weakness to perfection.
"It's just a picture of you and Sato."
The rich girl stood beside her with a gentle smile, her thick eyebrows slightly raised as though radiating delight.
A picture of me and Sato?
Mio looked confused as she glanced at Sato.
When had I ever taken a picture with him?
Sato remained silent.
Suspicion gradually appeared on Mio's face. Climbing down from the table, she walked toward Yui.
"Yui, let me see it."
"Eh?"
"What do you mean 'eh'? Give it here."
Mio took the phone from Yui and opened the gallery.
The moment she saw the photo, she froze.
There were only two figures in the image, both shown from behind.
The handsome young man stood with his back to the camera, leaving only a tall and straight silhouette.
In his arms was an unconscious girl.
That girl was herself.
Her dark hair cascaded down from between the boy's arms like a beautiful violet waterfall.
The overall tone of the photograph was gloomy.
Yet on one side, a window stood open. A faint light hidden behind the heavy clouds streamed in, leaving stark gray-white streaks across the room.
That light also fell upon the two of them.
Gloom.
Despair.
Sorrow.
The image looked like a young hero had charged through countless enemies to rescue the girl he loved, only to arrive too late...
Mio stared blankly, her lips slightly parted.
This was her and Sato?
But... when had this been taken?
She quickly realized it must have happened while she was unconscious.
Pressing her lips together, Mio looked up at Sato with a complicated expression.
Sitting in the distance, Sato shrugged.
Holding an elegant teacup, he calmly replied,
"Ritsu told me to carry you over there. I didn't do anything weird. Tsumugi can testify."
Of course Mio knew he wouldn't do anything like that.
But...
It still felt incredibly embarrassing!
The tips of her ears turned a crystal-clear red.
This was the first time she had ever been in such close physical contact with a boy.
Most importantly...
It had been a princess carry!
The clubroom suddenly fell silent.
Ritsu's heart skipped a beat.
Feeling a little guilty, she secretly glanced at Mio a few times.
She hasn't said anything for this long. That's not like Mio at all.
Don't tell me...
She's actually angry?
Just as Ritsu was secretly observing her, Mio noticed Ritsu's gaze and became aware of her own distraction.
She took two deep breaths and forced a stern expression onto her face.
"Hmph! I'm deleting this picture!"
She began operating Yui's phone.
However, just as she selected the photo and was about to press delete, she hesitated.
Then, almost imperceptibly, she glanced upward.
After confirming that nobody could see what she was doing, she quickly opened LINE on Yui's phone, found the contact marked with her own name...
Send.
Delete chat history.
Return to gallery.
Delete photo.
The entire process was completed in one smooth sequence.
Her face was flushed red.
Mio had never imagined she could perform such a series of actions so quickly.
When everything was finished, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Here."
She handed the phone back to Yui.
Aside from her slightly reddened cheeks, no one knew what she had done.
Meanwhile, her gaze drifted past the people in front of her and landed on the figure sitting in the distance.
Subconsciously, she pressed her lips together.