She Became Distressed After I Stopped Being Restrained and Started Interacting with Others - Chapter 9

“…Shiori.”

As I called her name, I unconsciously tried to pull my fingers away. But Shiori gently tightened her grip, softly enveloping my hand.

“Just for a little while.”

Her calm voice quietly seeped into my heart.

If I didn’t refuse, I felt like I might simply let myself be carried away by her words.

“…But I…”

My words caught in my throat. I couldn’t forget Honoka.

Even for a moment, the thought terrified me.

Yet, holding onto this loneliness and anxiety, simply enduring it was unbearably painful.

“I wonder what Shiraishi-san is doing right now.”

“…”

Shiori’s words made my heart clench tightly.

I took out my phone and stared at the empty screen again.

Even though I knew no message would come, part of me still hoped.

Even though I’d decided to distance myself, here I was, still longing for her.

“No matter how long Nanase-san waits, Shiraishi-san might be talking to someone else somewhere else right now?”

Those words cut deep into my heart.

Honoka’s gentle smile might be directed at someone other than me. Just that thought made my chest grow cold. The warmth that should have been meant only for me might belong to someone else. I couldn’t bear it.

“…I know.”

I gripped my phone tightly.

“Then, just for a little while, why not turn your attention to me?”

Shiori’s voice was sweet, carrying a tempting lilt.

“I’ve grown quite fond of you, Nanase-san.”

Those words stirred something deep in my chest.

“You don’t know what Shiraishi-san is thinking, do you? If that’s the case, it’s a waste to keep worrying about her.”

Shiori’s words were strangely soothing, slowly melting away my resistance.

“I just want to help you feel a little lighter.”

Shiori’s hand gently brushed against mine again.

The motion felt as if she were carefully unraveling the knots in my heart.

“Hey, Nanase-san. Why don’t we spend a little time together now?”

“…Time?”

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be bad to take a detour somewhere to clear your head.”

I hesitated at Shiori’s suggestion.

The desire to return to where Honoka was clashed with the pull of Shiori’s words.

The two feelings wrestled inside my chest.

“I just want to talk with you a little more, that’s all.”

Shiori’s smile was gentle, yet it seemed to hide something darker beneath.

—Would it be okay to stay with Shiori like this?

Unable to find an answer, I quietly held my breath.

The classroom after school held only the two of us.

The evening sun streaming through the window painted Shiori’s profile in red.

The sight made everything feel strangely unreal.

“What do you want to do, Nanase-san?”

Shiori asked softly.

The truth was, I wanted to run back to Honoka.

But I…

“…I don’t know.”

When I murmured those words, Shiori smiled.

“Then maybe staying together to find the answer wouldn’t be so bad?”

At her words, though still uncertain, I gave the faintest nod.