The last rays of the setting sun vanished completely from the horizon.
Yaeno Muteki stood alone in the darkening corner for a long time before finally taking heavy steps back to the dormitory.
When she pushed the door open, Myriad Dreams was sprawled in her chair as lazy as ever, seemingly humming a tuneless melody to herself.
"You're back, Muteki," Myriad Dreams greeted casually, not noticing anything unusual about her roommate.
"Yeah," Yaeno Muteki replied in a low voice, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward Myriad Dreams.
She looked at those eyes— the same ones that had been chatting and laughing with Seiun Sky just moments ago, now staring aimlessly at the ceiling— and felt as if her heart were being quietly wrenched.
'Why... is it Seiun Sky-san?'
Once the thought arose, she could no longer suppress it.
After training, Myriad Dreams would take the initiative to find Seiun Sky for fishing.
Before races, she would joke around easily with Marvelous Sunday.
She could even chat for ages by the swings with the unassuming Rice Shower.
But what about her?
She was the one closest to her, the roommate sharing the same room and living together day and night, yet she always seemed to be kept behind a transparent wall.
Myriad Dreams would call her "Muteki," would accept the pastries she made, and would even gift her precious trophies after races... but beyond that, there seemed to be no further move.
Myriad Dreams had never once invited her to do anything, whether it was leisure outside of training or just a simple walk.
'Am I... really that lacking in appeal? Or is it that, without me knowing, she actually dislikes me?'
The thought brought a wave of panic and... grievance to Yaeno Muteki.
She had always been resilient, focused on the martial arts and running, rarely worrying about interpersonal relationships.
Yet, in the face of Myriad Dreams, her heart— once as hard as a diamond— had become exceptionally fragile and sensitive.
"Myriad Dreams," she finally couldn't help but speak, her voice lower than usual.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Myriad Dreams turned her head, looking at her with confusion, only now noticing that Yaeno Muteki had been standing silently near the door instead of going about her business as usual.
Yaeno Muteki took a deep breath, forcing herself to walk calmly toward Myriad Dreams, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil.
She looked directly into Myriad Dreams' eyes, with a hint of subtle stubbornness and pleading, and asked:
"Myriad Dreams... why have you never invited me?"
"Eh?" Myriad Dreams froze, clearly not understanding where the question was coming from.
"You can invite Seiun-san to go fishing, you can eat ice cream with Marvelous Sunday-san, you can chat and go out with so many people so easily..."
Yaeno Muteki's voice gradually took on a sob that even she didn't realize was there.
"But what about me? We live in the same room, we are the people closest to each other, so why... have you never thought of inviting me to do something together?"
She clenched her fists, as if interrogating a gross injustice.
Her eyes were a mix of confusion, loss, and a long-standing sadness from being neglected.
"Do you think being with me... would be boring? Or do you actually... not want any contact with me outside of training and racing?"
As the question left her lips, the air in the dorm seemed to freeze.
Yaeno Muteki held her breath, waiting for Myriad Dreams' answer, her heart filled with trepidation.
She had completely exposed the knot she had hidden in her heart for so long.
At this moment, she was no longer the steadfast martial artist, but just an ordinary girl afraid of being distanced by someone important to her.
Myriad Dreams was completely stunned.
She looked at Yaeno Muteki's eyes, usually so firm, but now glistening with tears and unease, and was momentarily speechless.
She never expected that her casual behavior would lead to such a deep misunderstanding and sorrow.