Mikihiko finally showed his face in the classroom after the second period ended. It wasn't a late arrival; he had simply been in the care of the infirmary.
"All good now?"
"Tatsuya... I resent you."
"Hey now, that's not very peaceful."
"Let me at least voice a little resentment. Do you have any idea how much my stomach hurt after that...?"
As he spoke, he rubbed his belly. He must have been recalling the phantom pain of the ordeal.
"Saegusa-senpai just kept smiling silently—smiling! And Erika was obviously in a bad mood and wouldn't say a word... I had to keep talking all by myself. That feeling of spinning my wheels was absolute torture..."
"Did Juumonji-senpai say anything?"
"Do you really think that person would comment on such trivial details?"
"I see."
Tatsuya found himself convinced; both Mayumi's and Katsuto's behaviors were entirely "in character."
"Um... I don't really understand what happened, but it sounds like you had a hard time."
Mikihiko seemed slightly healed by the genuine sympathy Mizuki offered.
"Oh right, I have a message for you from the school nurse, Dr. Yasura, Tatsuya."
"...I don't really need to hear it, do I?"
"I think so too, but if I don't pass it on, it'll be awkward the next time I go there, right?"
Since Mikihiko had a point, Tatsuya reluctantly agreed to hear Ayami's message.
"Let's see... she said, 'I want you to come to the infirmary once in a while.' Were you and Dr. Yasura close, Tatsuya?"
"We are acquainted, but in terms of visit frequency, surely I've been there fewer times than you, Mikihiko..."
Given Mikihiko's recent streak of infirmary visits, the number of times he had seen the school nurse, Ayami, was likely proportional.
"Anyway, I've delivered the message."
With that, Mikihiko took his seat and, just like Erika, collapsed onto his desk. The only difference was that unlike Erika, he would wake up when class started.
"...Will Erika-chan be okay?"
"You're the one who will likely have a hard time later, Mizuki."
"Eh!?"
Mizuki let out a loud voice at Tatsuya's prophetic remark. At that moment, she never imagined it would actually happen...
Lunch break arrived, and Erika finally resurrected. And the moment she woke up, she began venting to Mizuki.
"Are you listening? Until then, it was just one running away, but suddenly it increased to three. Don't you think that's unfair?"
She seemingly had enough discretion to realize that discussing such things in the cafeteria, where anyone could be listening, was a bad idea. Instead, Erika had dragged Mizuki into an empty classroom without even grabbing lunch.
"Um, I suppose so. (Wait, do you count Vampires as 'one animal, two animals'?)"
Mizuki barely understood that Erika was talking about the Vampires, but in truth, she didn't quite grasp why Erika was angry. She simply nodded, swept along by Erika's momentum.
"...More importantly, let's go to the cafeteria quickly. Lunch break is going to end."
"I'm not really that hungry."
(Haa... I guess it can't be helped.)
Mizuki wanted to point out, "That's because you've been sleeping all morning," but she felt that saying so might make Erika sulk beyond the point of no return. Being timid by nature, Mizuki decided to give up on lunch.
(Today's curriculum doesn't include PE or any physical practicals, so skipping one meal should be fine.)
Convincing herself of this, Mizuki asked Erika the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"Hey, Erika-chan. Why are you fighting with Tatsuya-san?"
"W-What are you talking about, Mizuki? We aren't fighting. I said we aren't, so we aren't."
Erika shook her head and hands vigorously in denial. The long ponytail she had been growing out since spring bounced pyon-pyon in time with her movements.
"You don't have to panic like that... I don't think you did anything to Tatsuya-san. Even if you went a little overboard, Tatsuya-san would just laugh and let it slide, right? So if you were the cause, there's no way it would turn into a fight."
"T-That's... I can't tell if you're praising me or insulting me..."
"I'm neither praising nor insulting you. It's just a fact."
Cut down swiftly by Mizuki, Erika looked somewhat unconvinced but proceeded to explain the cause of the awkwardness with Tatsuya. The reason was that Tatsuya had been cooperating not just with Erika's team, but with Mayumi's team as well—something Erika had interpreted as "two-timing," which made her angry.
"Remembering it makes me feel embarrassed all over again... What's with that sigh? It looks like you want to say, 'I'm utterly appalled.'"
"Not utterly, but yes, I am appalled. In the end, aren't you just being stubborn and wallowing in self-loathing? ...I believe that's what they call 'wrestling with oneself.'"
"Gah! Mizuki's merciless words are gouging out my heart~"
"I'm being serious here."
"...I'm sorry."
To Mizuki, Erika seemed to shrink physically, if only in spirit.
"I'm not saying 'don't chase those who leave,' but if he thinks you're avoiding him, he'll just leave you alone forever, you know? Tatsuya-san already has so many women around him who care for him. You have to at least keep yourself in his line of sight. Miyuki-san alone is a formidable opponent. I can guarantee you this: Tatsuya-san isn't worrying about the things you're obsessing over at all. Being self-conscious is just a loss for you, surely."
"That sounds... likely..."
"Ah, just as I thought, you didn't bring anything."
Almost at the exact moment Erika resolved herself upon hearing Mizuki's point, Mikihiko entered the empty classroom.
"Miki? Did you need something?"
"Here, Erika. Carrot tuna potato. And Shibata-san, you wanted an egg sandwich, right?"
He pulled sandwiches from a plastic bag and handed them over.
"Eh, why?"
"Ah, thank you very much."
"You're welcome."
This was the reply to Mizuki.
"Don't 'why' me. Even if you're sleeping, you get hungry if you don't eat at least a little, right?"
"That's attentive of you, Miki."
"This is a care package from Tatsuya. He gave them to me saying, 'Since it seems I am being avoided.'"
"It seems you haven't been forgotten..."
"But you have been left alone already..."
Hearing Mikihiko's answer, Erika and Mizuki looked at each other. Suddenly, Erika stood up.
"W-What?"
"If that's how you want to play it, I have my own ideas, Tatsuya-kun. I absolutely won't let you treat me like air!"
"...Even though you run away when he actually pays attention to you."
"Miki, did you say something?"
"Nothing. I just said you should eat quickly."
Mikihiko answered without making eye contact as he took out his own portion. As expected of a childhood friend with a long history together—though he occasionally stepped on a landmine, he knew exactly how to handle Erika.
She is growing too, in her own way...
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