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Before long, Andrew and Mahiru Shiina arrived at the place where Asada Shino was renting.
It was in a pretty remote neighborhood, and the rent was about as cheap as it could get.
"You guys wanna come up for a bit?" Shino hesitated as she looked at the two of them near the stairs.
Mahiru shook her head. "Maybe next time. I've gotta head back and cook."
She could tell Shino was feeling embarrassed. Right then, Shino's face showed a bit of insecurity again.
Her room was probably really tiny, and she was afraid that if Andrew and Mahiru saw it, they'd think less of her or start judging her.
Shino let out a small breath of relief at Mahiru's answer… but she also looked a little down.
It was hard not to feel self-conscious in front of a girl as bright and put-together as Mahiru.
But deep down, she still wanted to be accepted. She wanted to have someone like Mahiru as a friend.
That's why she'd worked up the courage to open up to them a bit—by inviting them up.
At the same time, she was scared. Scared that once they saw her cramped and shabby place, they'd look at her with pity or disgust.
Shino had always been sensitive. She'd been singled out for so long, treated like a criminal, stared at like she was some murderer by everyone around her.
Eventually, even she started to believe she was some kind of lowlife "killer."
Now that she'd finally met two people who treated her kindly, she couldn't help but overthink everything and get stuck in that push-and-pull of doubt and hope.
Andrew could tell she was feeling uncomfortable too. He sighed and asked her seriously:
"Shino, let me ask you something. Do you know a guy named Kyōuji Shinkawa?"
"Huh? Shinkawa? Yeah, I know him. He's a friend of mine from school."
Actually… he might be her only friend.
"Why are you asking about him? Did something happen to Shinkawa?"
Shino looked confused.
Andrew replied calmly but seriously, "He's fine. You're the one in danger."
"Remember those three scumbags who were trying to shake you down yesterday? I chased them off. After I questioned them, they told me that the thing about you shooting a robber when you were a kid—the one who leaked that info online—was Kyōuji Shinkawa ."
"If he's still calling himself your friend, he's definitely up to something shady. You need to be careful."
"It's best if you stay away from him from now on."
Shino froze.
She never saw that coming.
The one person who had stayed by her side while everyone else pushed her away—he was the one who ruined her life in the first place?
Thinking about how she'd trusted him, treated him as a friend all this time… she felt like a complete fool.
Her eyes started to well up.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she bowed deeply to Andrew.
"Thank you. Thank you for telling me, Andrew. I think I know what I need to do now."
Andrew nodded and pulled out his phone.
"You say that, but after seeing you stay silent when Kurata was bullying you, I just can't stop worrying."
"So let's exchange numbers. If anything ever happens, call me right away. I'll come help you."
Hearing how much he cared, Shino's face flushed, and she gave him a slightly sulky look.
"You really think I'm that useless…? But still… thank you. Please, let's exchange contact info."
After swapping numbers, Shino stood there, watching Andrew and Mahiru walk away together.
She looked at the two of them walking side by side and couldn't help feeling a little envious.
So… they're really not dating?
Then why do they act so in sync…?
…
Back to Andrew—
After they left Shino's place, Mahiru puffed out her cheeks and walked silently beside him.
She was clearly sulking.
Andrew boldly reached out and grabbed her hand.
Mahiru blushed instantly and turned to glare at him.
"What are you doing?"
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, eyes darting around nervously in case anyone they knew saw them.
Andrew rolled his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm protecting you, duh."
"You didn't hear what the manager at Saionji's shop said? There's been a killer on the loose lately."
Mahiru pouted a little, but she let him hold her hand.
Still, she couldn't help but remember the way Shino looked at Andrew earlier… and a weird, sour feeling bubbled up in her chest.
So she muttered, "You and Shino seem pretty close."
That made Andrew grin.
Little angel Mahiru was getting jealous—that meant she cared about him.
Definitely a good sign.
"Pretty sure you two are the ones who got close real fast. Didn't you shake her hand right after meeting her? Mahiru, you're my angel, okay? You're only allowed to be sweet to me. No being nice to other girls or boys!"
Mahiru burst out laughing.
She was the one getting jealous over his thing with Shino, and somehow he flipped it and started accusing her of being too nice to other girls.
Seriously?
Just comforting a fellow girl with a handshake—was that really worth getting jealous over?
She grumbled to herself inside but kept a straight face and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not your angel."
"Oh? Then who do you want to be?" Andrew teased. "Mahiru, you're not sleeping tonight."
"W-What do you mean by that?!" Mahiru's face turned bright red. Her mind went straight to certain… images, and she panicked.
"What else would I mean?" Andrew sighed and patted her head gently.
"I ran into Shino when I was out buying groceries yesterday. Like you heard earlier, when I found her, she was being harassed and extorted."
"Three full-grown guys, calling her a murderer, waving toy guns in her face, stealing the money she earned from part-time jobs—then calling it a 'loan' like it's no big deal."
"Mahiru, how can people be this awful?"
Mahiru frowned at that. "I don't know… but still… hmph, you're not exactly a good guy either!"
He just said he wouldn't let her sleep tonight!
What a jerk!
"Haha, sure, I'm a bad guy. But at least I don't go around blackmailing girls. Compared to those creeps, I look way better, right?"
"Hmph, as if! You really have the nerve to call yourself a 'bad guy' with pride? You're seriously shameless!"
Mahiru shot back at him, then sped up her pace.
But… she didn't let go of his hand.
It was already past 9 p.m. She figured he was probably starving, so she wanted to hurry home and cook something.
Besides, he explained everything about how he met Shino. What was there to be jealous about anymore?
She's the one holding his hand now—Shiina Mahiru.
…Still, no way she was pulling an all-nighter.
She had to get up early tomorrow to cook.
"..."
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