She Became Distressed After I Stopped Being Restrained and Started Interacting with Others - Chapter 30

When I entered the classroom, I headed toward my seat.

After placing my bag on the desk, I casually pulled out my chair.

“…Good morning.”

At the unexpected voice, I turned my gaze toward it.

It was Shiori.

She was standing right beside my seat, staring intently at me.

I nodded lightly and returned the greeting, “Good morning.”

I intended to leave it at that, but Shiori kept looking at me with a somewhat strained expression.

“…Yuna-chan, that.”

As she spoke, Shiori pointed at my neck.

For a moment, I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant.

But I quickly realized what she was referring to.

—Ah, the mark.

The spot where Honoka had pressed her lips repeatedly this morning.

The lingering warmth on my neck.

I gently traced the spot with my finger and replied as if it were nothing.

Shiori’s expression stiffened for just an instant.

“Is that from Shiraishi-san…?”

Her tone was slightly probing.

I had no intention of hiding it, so I simply nodded and said, “Yeah.”

The moment she heard my reply, Shiori’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Her lips tightened for a split second before returning to her usual calm expression.

“…I see.”

Shiori responded briefly, lowering her gaze as if deep in thought.

“…Yuna-chan, you said it before, right? That you’d keep your distance from Shiraishi-san.”

At those words, I blinked.

It was true—I had said that. Shiori had suggested it, and I had agreed.

But that choice was to avoid restraining Honoka.

The goal wasn’t to drift apart.

“Yeah, I did say that before.”

I nodded slowly.

“…Then, what’s this?”

Shiori tilted her head slightly, pointing at my neck with her finger.

Her eyes were calm, tinged with an observant quality.

I didn’t flinch and simply replied, “It’s nothing.”

Shiori’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“…Nothing?”

“Yeah. I just thought that stopping the restraint didn’t mean I had to keep my distance.”

When I said that, Shiori narrowed her eyes slightly.

“…Hmm.”

She let out a short breath and stared at my face as if weighing something.

But I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

I find this side of Shiori a little strange.

She’s the one who started talking to me when I was being distant, and she’s the one who gave me advice. It’s all a bit unusual.

But since it’s nothing bothersome, I didn’t pay it much mind.

“Well, if that’s what Yuna-chan thinks, it’s fine.”

Shiori quickly softened her expression and smiled as usual.

Seeing her face, I simply replied, “Yeah.”

I thought the conversation was over, but—

“But don’t you think you should give yourself a little more leeway?”

The moment Shiori said that, I paused.

“Leeway?”

“Yeah. Yuna-chan, it seems like you’re not restraining Honoka-san as much as before… but isn’t this still a form of restraint in the end?”

Her fingertip gestured as if tracing the mark on my neck.

At that motion, I furrowed my brows slightly.

“It’s not like I asked for it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

As I recalled Honoka, a natural smile spread across my face.

The way she reluctantly pressed her lips to my skin this morning.

Her voice, tinged with loneliness, murmuring, “Just a little longer.”

Remembering all of that, I simply said, “It’s fine.”

Shiori looked at me as if she wanted to say something more, but she didn’t press further.

“…I see.”

She murmured quietly and offered a faint smile.

But that smile was somewhat ambiguous.