She rubbed the corners of her eyes. Dry. So she sat blankly on the bed, not knowing how much time had passed, until the second alarm went off.
Getting dressed and washing up were ordinary tasks, but unlike her peers, whose parents took care of them, she had to make her own breakfast.
She hurriedly made breakfast while distracted, then chewed it slowly. It was burnt.
She glanced at the clock in the living room. There was clearly no time left to make a bento for lunch, so she had to give up on the idea. With a sigh, she headed out.
Her mood was a little off today, and even her luck seemed bad. The instant the elevator doors opened, an acquaintance stood right in front of her.
"Blonde? Alice?"
The name she casually said in a questioning tone made Yuria laugh.
"I never expected you to live here too."
"Yeah. You too."
Yuria wasn't in the mood to talk, so she merely glanced at the other girl's clothes. She had already changed into her school uniform.
"What happened to those cheap clothes you were wearing?"
"I threw them out."
Kaishoku Shugaku said it offhandedly.
"They weren't what I wanted to wear in the first place."
Yuria didn't ask why. She figured she wouldn't get a clear answer anyway. She simply looked at Kaishoku Shugaku, who seemed to have nothing more to say, and inexplicably felt a little unsettled.
"Aren't you going to ask why I live here?"
"I don't care."
At that question, the girl merely looked at her with a laugh, then suddenly wore a teasing expression.
"You think I'm interested in that? No, I'm not. Living in the same place doesn't mean people are of equal standing."
As Kaishoku Shugaku spoke, she put particular emphasis on