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Second day of Golden Week holidays, Soubu High School 9 3/4 Clubroom.
"Ah…"
Yuigahama Yui, still wearing her uniform despite it being a holiday, pushed the door open and found someone already inside: "Chihaya? Why are you here…"
"Because there's nothing interesting to do at home, and I feel more at ease here."
Asagumo Chihaya, who was warming a cup with hot water, showed a polite smile: "And you, Yui?"
"I'm pretty much the same. It's probably that saying, 'habit becomes supernatural'!"
Yuigahama Yui also nodded.
"That's a truly impressive habit. But I remember you, Yui, should have many friends. It's a rare Golden Week holiday, aren't you going out to play with your other friends?"
Asagumo Chihaya asked curiously.
"Ahaha…"
Yuigahama Yui scratched her face: "Maybe I've been coming here too often lately. Yumiko is a bit sulky, so it's better to keep a little distance until she calms down."
"I see. Indeed, rather than trying to please others, choosing a place where you can relax more is better for mental health."
Asagumo Chihaya nodded.
"It's not that bad, really. I still really like Yumiko. It's just, how should I put it, the atmosphere, or the unwritten rules, in those small circles, doesn't everyone have their own place? I'm clumsy and not particularly good at studying, so at least I have to provide a happy atmosphere for everyone! That's right, the atmosphere group is also very important…"
Yuigahama Yui waved her small fists, as if to add some persuasiveness to her statement.
"Are you, Yui, also trying to provide an atmosphere now?"
Asagumo Chihaya asked abruptly.
Yuigahama Yui's movements stiffened, and her expression became slightly unnatural: "I, I'm sorry…"
"Yui has nothing to apologize for. I didn't mean to blame you. In fact, everyone having so much fun here is partly due to you, Yui. If it weren't for someone as kind and gentle as Yui, at least Senior Ruri wouldn't have opened up so easily."
Asagumo Chihaya showed a gentle expression: "However, if Yui could put down her mask here, and not force herself to make everyone happy, even just a little, if she could relax and show her true self, then both I and Takuma-kun would be even happier for it."
"Chihaya-chan! Love you!"
Yuigahama Yui tearfully hugged Asagumo Chihaya, who gave a helpless smile.
"Yui, it's quite impressive that you can say such things so easily, in a way."
"Ah, I accidentally... But I really do like Chihaya-chan, of course, it's just the kind of liking between girls, not the kind where lilies bloom in the background."
Then Yuigahama Yui curiously looked at the girl in her arms, who usually seemed gentle and elegant: "By the way, someone as amazing as Chihaya, doesn't she have her own little group?"
"I'm not really interested in that kind of thing. But as long as your grades are good, everyone in the class won't be too distant, and they'll try to invite me out when they go out to play occasionally."
"Speaking of which, Asakura-kun doesn't seem to join any circles in the class either. Is that how all honor students are? The social methods of honor students are completely unreferenceable for a common person like me..."
Yuigahama Yui sighed.
"If you don't mind, could you let go of me? I'm preparing to make tea, and it wouldn't be good if the hot water hurt you."
Asagumo Chihaya said softly.
"Ah, I'm sorry."
Yuigahama Yui quickly let go of Asagumo Chihaya, who then breathed a sigh of relief—although the word 'majestic' couldn't be used to describe her, compared to her just-budding lotus, Yuigahama Yui was already quite substantial, and being suddenly hugged indeed made her feel a bit breathless.
And it would subtly cause spiritual damage...
"Chihaya-chan, do you use this kind of transparent glass cup for making tea? It feels quite rare. I thought you would definitely use those high-class-looking teacups."
"Because I'm practicing making artistic tea today. Are you interested, Yui?"
"Yes, yes! It's my first time drinking artistic tea. What kind of tea is it?"
Asagumo Chihaya kept her in suspense and didn't answer directly, but continued to warm the teacup with a faint smile.
Yuigahama Yui watched her movements, and her originally somewhat chaotic state of mind mysteriously calmed down.
She felt that she seemed to understand why 'tea ceremony' became an art.
"I wonder if Ruri-chan will come here today."
The girl casually brought up a topic.
"Ruri-senpai still has two younger sisters to take care of, so her long vacation is probably not as leisurely as ours. She probably won't have time to come here."
Asagumo Chihaya responded leisurely.
She placed the tea leaves, which had been steeped once to remove the astringency, into the glass cup, and then placed a dried flower bud on top. The girl poured hot water into the cup with the gentlest possible movements.
Then Yuigahama Yui's eyes widened as she watched the once lifeless flower bud seemingly come back to life, slowly unfolding its petals under the effect of the hot water, on the tender green, grassland-like new tea leaves.
Although it was just a scene lasting a few minutes in a small glass cup, it inexplicably gave the girl a feeling as if she was observing another world, experiencing the long time it takes for a flower to bloom.
"Amazing! Is this artistic tea? Regardless of the taste, it looks so impressive just by looking at it!"
Yuigahama Yui exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, the taste is just ordinary green tea with a hint of floral fragrance. It is said that amazing artistic tea can even brew the taste of spring. I'm still far from qualified to brew it for others."
Asagumo Chihaya said modestly.
"It's already amazing enough! I think you could even sell it! Who exactly are you brewing tea for, Chihaya-chan, that you need to be so strict...?"
Yuigahama Yui took a sip, stuck out her tongue because it was hot, but still exclaimed that it was delicious.
"...Let's talk about something lighter, like your midterm academic test scores, Yui."
"It's not light at all, it's so heavy that I'm about to run into Napoleon's mouth to escape reality..."
Although it was clear that Asagumo Chihaya was changing the subject, the understanding pink-haired mochi didn't expose her. After carefully sipping a few mouthfuls of tea, she let out a satisfied sigh, her eyes looking quite vacant: "I wonder if Asakura-kun is doing well now."
At her words, Asagumo Chihaya also showed a worried expression. Her coming to the Clubroom was partly due to her concern for Asakura—after all, not long after Asakura arrived at Mount Kumotori yesterday, she couldn't get his GPS information anymore. Even trying to contact him by phone only resulted in a reply that he was out of range and unreachable.
Even if she wanted to help, if the strange tale about Mount Kumotori being malicious towards women was true, she probably couldn't help at all and would only cause trouble for him.
"I hope it's just bad signal on Mount Kumotori..."
Finally, Asagumo Chihaya could only say that.
At this moment, the sound of a door opening came from the entrance of the Clubroom.
"Excuse me."
Then, a petite girl slowly walked in.
"Isn't this Kaju-chan~ Long time no see!"
Yuigahama Yui ran over like a golden retriever and hugged her.
So Asagumo Chihaya watched Nukumizu Kaju's expression change from a gentle smile to a heartbroken sorrow, and then to an ashen look due to suffocation.
"Alright, although Kaju-chan doesn't show up much, you don't need to be this excited, do you?"
Asagumo Chihaya pulled Yuigahama Yui away.
This person clearly wasn't this unreliable before.
Wait, could it be because I let her unleash her true nature just now?
Looking at Nukumizu Kaju's expression, as if she had survived a disaster, Asagumo Chihaya decided to bury everything in her heart and pretend not to know anything about it.
"Kaju-chan, are you here to play with us today?"
Yuigahama Yui asked happily.
"Not really. I heard that Asakura-senpai was going to explore Mount Kumotori... Because it sounded a bit familiar, I was a little curious and did some research. I found out that I have a classmate who used to live near Mount Kumotori. According to her, there are actually many strange tales circulating around Mount Kumotori that haven't been recorded online. The most famous one..."
Nukumizu Kaju said seriously: "...Chihaya-senpai, Yui-senpai, have you heard the story of the Kamado family in Taisho Year Two?"
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