"..."
For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Mikana looked quite surprised, while Goto Jun and the others looked as if they had been caught doing something bad. All three lowered their heads and stayed silent, not daring to speak.
What was going on here?
Fang Zheng was rather interested when he saw this, but he knew this was not the time to ask, so he clapped his hands.
"Alright, Jun, Kohime, Sora, go check your instruments and make your final preparations before the performance."
"Ah, okay..."
Momijidani Kohime had none of her usual forcefulness at the moment. She merely replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, then grabbed Kinjo Sora and Goto Jun and fled as if flying. Only after watching them leave did Fang Zheng turn his gaze back to Mikana.
"Classmates?"
"Mm... We're in the same class."
Mikana's expression was complicated as well.
"I never expected the people you mentioned would be them, Brother."
"Do they not get along with their classmates?"
"It's not that they don't get along..."
Mikana seemed troubled as she spoke.
"How should I put it... The three of them are always together and never interact with anyone else. I've tried to help them fit into the class, but... it's difficult."
"I see."
Fang Zheng nodded upon hearing that. At last, he understood why Goto Jun and the others had been unwilling to invite their classmates to the concert.
It was easy enough to understand. People naturally formed groups, especially people like Goto Jun, Kinjo Sora, and Momijidani Kohime. They had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. Their relationship was inherently unusual, much like the discussions society often had about single-parent families, claiming that such children differed from children raised in ordinary two-parent households.
Fang Zheng understood that