Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The break room had been quiet the whole time, until a knock broke the silence.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Open up! Hurry!"
Ryuzaki Mom's voice came from outside.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A miserable coughing fit immediately erupted in the break room.
Then Amamiya Natsuki's voice followed:
"Wait a moment. I'll be right out."
After speaking, Amamiya Natsuki reached out and rubbed Miko's head. He took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to his teary-eyed childhood sweetheart next door.
"Thanks for your effort, Miko."
For some reason, Miko's pretty face turned so red it seemed ready to drip blood. She covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes, her expression so flustered and embarrassed that she looked as if she wanted to find a crack in the floor to crawl into. At his words, she could no longer hold back. She pinched Amamiya Natsuki around the waist and gritted her teeth.
"Don't you say that! This is all your fault!"
"It's my fault." Amamiya Natsuki set down the water and raised both hands. "I'll go out for a bit. Miko, get some rest. I'll be back soon."
"..."
When he opened the door and stepped out of the break room, he saw Ryuzaki Mom and Otherworld Miko standing outside.
"What took you so long?" Ryuzaki Mom eyed him suspiciously. "What were you doing in there, sneaking around?"
Amamiya Natsuki remained expressionless.
"I'm a high school student. It's normal for me to want a little privacy, isn't it?"
"Tsk." Ryuzaki Mom curled her lip in disgust. "It's been three minutes, and you're only just coming out... Wait!"
Ryuzaki Mom suddenly widened her eyes, as if she had thought of something.
"I haven't seen Miko at all. Could she be in the