Karin looked at Leo, who had sat back down beside her, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Leo, are you leaving?"
"Yeah. You heard just now. I'm going to Washington as an exchange student, so I may have to leave for a while."
"But why you? Out of all those people, why did they choose you? What am I supposed to do if you leave?"
Karin looked thoroughly unhappy as she reached out and grabbed Leo's arm.
"Leo, how about staying here and going to school with me? I feel like you're the only one I can chat with. The other students are so boring."
Leo looked at the girl before him, smiled, and gently patted her on the head.
"You should try making friends. Isn't that why you came to school?"
Karin slumped onto the desk, growing somewhat depressed.
She remained unhappy and listless for the entire day, right up until school ended.
Amid the crowd of students leaving school, Walker still came over to Leo's side. Looking at the boy before him and thinking about what had happened the previous night, he still found the change difficult to accept, even after an entire night had passed.
That evening, his father had even come to his room to talk with him for a long time, all of it concerning his views on Leo.
His former self-righteousness had completely vanished. He was filled with curiosity toward this boy, and even a little fear.
"How did it go? What did your father decide?"
Leo looked at Walker and asked him casually.
"Oh... oh, he's still thinking about it. Still thinking."
"Leo, um, where's Mike? Did you..." Walker lightly drew a finger across his neck.
"I sent him to Africa. He should be able to survive."
Leo said it casually, and Walker nodded blankly.