Shinozuka Suzu could not hide her irritation.

It was a recent incident with Ichikawa Aoi, whom she (selfishly) regarded as an enemy.
When Suzu packed up with Aoi, who was acting strangely, she was told by her that she had broken up with Youta.

Suzu realizes that there is something wrong with even her words. Suzu then proposes to make up with him.
In retrospect, she didn’t even know why she made such a proposal, which was a rare instance of sending salt to the enemy, but in the end, even that was rejected.

“It pisses me off.”

She is still angry when she remembers it now.

Suzu murmured in a potty voice.
Looking toward the corner of the classroom, She saw Aoi reading a book by herself.

And the same could be said for Youta.
She also understood why Youta had been in such low spirits recently.

Perhaps it is normal to feel down after being dumped, but seeing him woozy, She wondered where he had gone from the way he was when he and I had our altercation.

“You seem to be in a bad mood, Suzu chan.”
“Yeah, I’m in a bad mood.”
“……What’s going on?”

Hitomi, who had said this to her so openly, was at a loss for words for a moment.

“What does Hitomi think of Ichikawa?”
“Ichikawa san? What does Ichikawa san have to do with this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Look.”
“Eh! Suzu chan!”

Suzu beckoned Hitomi to her and hugged her directly.

“Fuu. It’s a nice touch. When I’m stressed out, this is what I need.”

“Wait….that’s….”

She then buried her face in the plumpness.

◆

Suzu decided to kill some time after school. She did not have any particular plans, but she somehow did not feel like going home.

“Ah, I have much free time.”

After school, Youta also went away quickly.
Hitomi is not here either, as she has some business to attend to.

I wandered around town, but it was kind of tasteless being alone.
Although Suzu has been confined to the house all this time, even then she liked to go for a walk.
It was a good way to organize her thoughts.

“Heyy, you..”

Sometimes she feels as if someone calls out to me from behind, but she brushes past them as if they are not even in her ear.

In the end, the day was over without finding an answer to why I was so irritated with Ichikawa Aoi and with Youta.

“Idiots. Why do I have to think so much about that guy ……, what was that?”

As I muttered this, I saw a familiar face emerge from the family restaurant.

“Youta and ……the good looking woman?”

Suzu follows their trail so as not to be discovered.
Soon after, they parted when they reached the station.

“Heyy”
“…… Whoa!”

“What a lame voice”

As Youta looks away from Aki, a voice suddenly calls out to him from behind, and he raises his voice in a very pathetic manner.
Hearing this, Suzu immediately laughs in derision.

“What is it, Suzu?”
“What, I’m not good enough?”
“No, it’s not that bad. It’s just that I’d be surprised if you showed up out of the blue.”
“Ohh, I see”

Youta is puzzled by the cold response after having spoken to her himself.
If it had been the usual Youta, he would have made some kind of a tsk tsk.

“What’s wrong with your mood?”
“You broke up with that woman?”
“Tss”

The question that Youta fired was ignored and he was hit back with a question as well. On the most painful topic of the moment.

“I’m right on the money with that response.”
“…… Well. You heard from Ichikawa san?”
“Yeah. That sucks.”
“Yes.”
“…….”

Suzu frowns at the fact that this is not the reaction she was expecting.
If it were Youta as usual, he would have said something back.

But now, in the midst of his heartbreak, She thought he would just reply without energy.

(Why are you smiling so goofily? You’re disgusting.)

Frustration also grows over the fact that the response is not the expected one.
Suzu doesn’t understand why she is so frustrated with Youta as well.

“…… you got dumped and you don’t look fine.”
“Do I look well? I’m just plain depressed.”

I try to be sarcastic, but it doesn’t get through to Youta now.
It would be a lie to say that he is not dragging it out even now. However, Youta, who had set his sights on what he needed to do, had no intention of dwelling on it any longer. Hence the smile on his face.

“Hmph, Then you should have cried out more plaintively!”

Suzu, who has no way of knowing such a thing, lashes out with unreasonable anger.

(What’s the matter with you? Are you saying you don’t care about Ichikawa anymore? That’s the extent of your feelings for her?)

I was angry at him for being so stubborn, but I was also angry at him for being in a giving up mode like that.

In fact, it is due to a misunderstanding by Suzu.

(Why are you suddenly so pissed off ……?)

Youta himself, who is being yelled at due to a misunderstanding, is naturally baffled, unable to understand the meaning of his anger.
However, he soon realize.

(Oh, maybe ……)

“Are you comforting me?”
“………….!? H-Haa!? W-Who are you to be consoled by me?”
“That’s why you called on me, right?”
“I’m not saying I’m worried or anything! It’s definitely not that!”

Suzu was impatiently denying it, but it got to the heart of the matter.

Aoi is in fact in love with Youta, but he deceives himself about it.

And Youta, unaware of this fact, is depressed and smiles as if he has given up.

In Suzu’s eyes, they looked like that.

(I can’t watch you do that!)

Yes, Suzu was worried about them.
However, Suzu, who had never worried about anyone before, was unaware of this unfamiliar emotion.
But because of her clumsiness, he had become a means of venting her anger.

“I-I approached you…… yes! I was just wondering what you had to say to that hot chick! yes, what did you talk to her about? Don’t tell me you’re going to try her next just because she dumped you?”
“…… I’m sorry you had to hear that. I was just asking for advice.”
“Hee. Consultation. Consultation. …… what did you talked about?”
“What? Nothing.”
“So you can’t tell me?”
“I mean, do you really care about me that much?”
“Hey !?”

She was countered again, and her face was hot.

“No, I’m not! I just don’t like the fact that I keep losing to her! And you!”
“Me?”
“That’s right! I’m not at all happy that I’m getting engaged to you under such a generous situation!”
“No, we’re not getting engaged.”
“Whatever! I don’t like you or that woman! If that’s what you guys want, I’ve got an idea!　You’re in for a treat!’

With that, Suzu said just what she wanted to say and left.

“What the heck is this ……?”

And Youta, who was left behind, looked away from Suzu’s back, scratching his cheek.