Tokyo on Christmas Eve was different from usual, dazzling lights everywhere.
In a park near the student apartments, Qigong Shiori sat curled up on a bench.
She didn't know what she had been thinking just now. By the time she came back to her senses, she was already here.
Jealousy not only made her feel guilty, but also awakened the inferiority buried deep within her heart.
The conviction she once held—that she would become someone capable of protecting Yuuka—had been ripped away like a fig leaf, and Qigong Shiori was terrified.
She couldn't imagine how Yuuka would react if she learned her true thoughts. She only instinctively wanted to run away.
As long as she left, Yuuka wouldn't know about those dark thoughts she'd just had. As long as she left, she could avoid thinking about facing Yuuka for a while.
But what use was that? In the end, it was nothing more than self-deception...
Qigong Shiori raised her head and looked at the star-filled night sky.
"Back to being alone again... Just as I thought, someone like me doesn't deserve friends."
Maybe this was for the best. After some time passed, she would keep her distance from Yuuka.
After all, during the time Yuuka had transferred away, she had already gotten used to living alone.
"Being alone isn't scary at all..." Qigong Shiori murmured, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
Why was she so uneasy? She should have been used to it by now...
The night wind howled past, lifting Qigong Shiori's golden hair and wrapping her body in a trace of chill.
Yet Qigong Shiori didn't move, letting her hair scatter in the wind. More than the cold, she feared being alone.
It would have been fine if she had never met Yuuka again. But