"I agree..."
Riki turned to look at Nagasaki Sose, who was smiling with her foot on his. "All right, use the script if you want. But the photos... let's forget about those. I'm an honorable man, after all. I wouldn't do something like that."
"Oh, oh! Please come and give us pointers on our play. We'd love for you to come watch during the culture festival."
Nagasaki Sose muttered softly from beside him, "Even if you want photos, at least make them nice ones."
As Riki watched them act, Wakaba Mutsuki came over and sat beside him. In a soft voice, she asked, "Sakiko likes you, and Sose likes you too. Which one do you like?"
That's a pretty aggressive question.
Are you trying to desensitize me?
Wakaba Mutsuki lowered her voice. "You seem to like Sakiko more."
Nagasaki Sose, not far away, glanced sideways, then continued smiling and chatting with someone else as if nothing had happened.
"What's wrong, Sose-chan?" her classmate asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing. I just heard something strange." Nagasaki Sose waved her hand with a smile.
"Let's leave me out of it for now. Have you made up your mind?" Riki asked, changing the subject.
"Not yet. Sakiko said it's a decision for my whole life, so she told me not to decide too quickly," Wakaba Mutsuki said softly. "But I want to help Sakiko."
Do you want to create a world with Sakiko in it, too?
"It's right not to decide too quickly. This is too heavy a burden for a student, after all. And Sakiko didn't take it on because she wanted to." Riki said.
"Mm." Wakaba Mutsuki nodded slightly. She turned to look at Riki and suddenly said, "Riki is a good person."
"Mm... Huh?"
"Riki knows what I'm thinking." Wakaba