5.2
The big Christmas tree that should’ve been adorning the entrance had already been removed.
As she gazed at the empty space, Karuizawa showed a melancholic expression.
“Haah—”
A heavy sigh slipped out unintentionally.
Satō, who had just arrived at the meeting place, heard it from behind Karuizawa.
“Kei-chan, did you wait long?”
“Ah, Maya-chan. No, not at all. I just got here too.”
Having fully recovered on the 28th, Karuizawa had invited Satō to hang out.
As she had explained to Ayanokōji, she had relied on Satō's help many times during her bout with the flu.
Satō had provided her with anything she needed, regardless of the time.
She replied promptly to any messages when she was feeling lonely.
She even listened to the painful feelings that Karuizawa wanted to express to Ayanokōji so many times but couldn’t.
And she happily accepted Karuizawa's sudden invitation without any dismay.
“Sorry for inviting you out of the blue.”
“It's totally fine. I'm just glad you're feeling better. I'm really happy for you.”
“Thank you. But isn't this too much fuss over just the flu?”
“It can be serious for some people, you know.”
Satō held Karuizawa's hand and joyfully celebrated her recovery like a child.
“I might be overstepping my bounds, but... did you properly tell Ayanokōji-kun that you're better now?”
“Yeah, I told him this morning. We also agreed to talk about the promise we couldn't fulfill on Christmas night.”
“Oh, that's great, isn't it?!”
Although Satō jumped to the conclusion that everything was resolved and they had made up, she quickly withdrew her smile upon seeing Karuizawa's uneasy expression.
“We might be able to keep our promise to meet, but... I don't know about anything beyond that.”
“What do you mean…? It was just a little fight, right?”
From what Satō had heard, it didn't seem like an issue as serious as the people involved claimed it to be. If anyone was at fault, it was Ayanokōji.
However, there was another issue that had been lingering on Karuizawa's mind for some time.
“Kiyotaka might actually have started to like Ichinose-san.”
Falling in love with someone else.
Karuizawa had been continuously pondering this worst-case scenario while she was feeling under the weather.
“No, no, no, that's absolutely not true. Don't worry, okay?”
“...Yeah...”
With her answers returning to normal, Satō was relieved to confirm that her words were reaching Karuizawa.
At the same time, she regretted digging her own grave and, unable to take it back, desperately tried to change the subject.
“It-it’ll be New Year's soon, right? Time flies, doesn't it?”
The Christmas tree had been removed. The decor was already set for New Year’s.
“Yeah, I guess... I really wanted to see the Christmas tree.”
“Uh...!?”
Karuizawa, still clinging to her lingering regrets, remained still, gazing at the spot where the tree had been.
They were supposed to decorate the tree on the 24th and take a commemorative photo together while the ornaments sparkled.
Having dug her own grave yet again, Satō pulled at her own cheek.
“Well, there's always next year, right?”
“Yeah... Yeah, that's true.”
Next year. It was impossible for Karuizawa to think about something a year ahead at this time.
Even tomorrow's prospects were unclear, shrouded in darkness.
While Karuizawa kept her gaze fixed, Satō repeatedly glanced around their surroundings.
She wanted Karuizawa to cheer up—that was her top priority. But Satō also had another goal in mind when she readily agreed to hang out with her: a chance encounter with Ayanokōji.
If they hadn't resolved their issue yet, it'd be difficult for them to intentionally meet up. So, she decided to leave it up to fate.
Thankfully, they had already arranged to meet up tomorrow, but it wouldn't hurt for it to happen even sooner.
She thought that, as long as Ayanokōji could cheer her up, it wouldn't matter if he was her boyfriend.
All that remained was for the two of them to meet up spontaneously in the midst of their shared time together.
In that scenario, Satō hoped to smoothly facilitate their reconciliation, creating an ideal outcome.
However, it was always tricky to meet up when they actually wanted to.
Satō thought to herself, if Ayanokōji knew that she was hanging out with Karuizawa today, he may have wanted to avoid showing his face.
The evidence was right in front of her—Karuizawa didn't even show a hint of trying to find her boyfriend.
It didn't seem like malice, but rather an act of consideration so as not to interfere with their day out.
If a chance encounter seemed unlikely, then it'd be up to Satō to stay strong.
“Come on, let's forget about all the unpleasant stuff and have fun!”
In a do-or-die spirit, Satō firmly grabbed Karuizawa's shoulders.
Seeing Satō's eyes full of determination to encourage her friend, Karuizawa reflected upon herself.
She had called out her best friend to express her gratitude, yet she'd ended up worrying her once again.
At this point, it would be unclear why she even invited her in the first place.
“That's true.”
Karuizawa decided to put on a brave face, at least for now.
She was a truly good friend—her best friend—whom she met after fleeing to this school.
While treasuring the warmth of their friendship, she held out her hand.
Satō didn’t initially grasp the meaning behind it, but she quickly understood her intentions upon seeing Karuizawa's smile.
She grabbed the offered hand back, and the two held hands.
Their fingers were still cold, so they laughed it off as they compared their frigid hands to each other.
It wasn't the first time they held hands in the spur of the moment.
It also wasn't the first time they reluctantly went along with it, feeling somewhat embarrassed on the inside.
Even now, there was a feeling of shyness between them.
Yet, their feelings were connected.
To an outsider, it may seem childish, or they might fantasize about some kind of romantic feelings between the two.
But they were just best friends, wanting to hold hands simply because they wanted to show their connection.
No more, no less.
There was a certainty between the two that they wouldn't be bothered by the noise around them just for today.
“He, he, he. I will make you forget about everything.”
“Ah, how scary!”
A world just for the two of them.
Karuizawa and Satō decided to spend the whole day enjoying themselves at Keyaki Mall.
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