After all, he was the person she liked.
But...
His next move hurt her all over again.
They were all classmates, and since they'd happened to run into each other, they decided to go shopping together.
Then, amid everyone's teasing, he bought Lele a gift.
Everyone laughed and joked around.
Only she stood far away.
Watching Lele's cheeks flush pink, she clenched the hand hanging at her side.
Her nails dug into her palm.
Why?
They were twins...
If... Lele weren't there...
Would he... have given her the gift instead?
Would she have been the one to receive his gift...?
If... Lele weren't there...
Why did Lele even exist?
The girl's lowered eyes grew dark.
Especially when she raised her head and realized the familiar figures had disappeared.
For a moment, the emotions inside her nearly burst.
Had they left her behind?!
No.
They'd never cared about her in the first place.
She was completely dispensable.
The girl wanted to cry.
And laugh.
People kept passing by.
She told herself:
She was going to leave.
She didn't call Lele.
Even though she knew that
as long as she called,
Lele would come get her.
But...
Why?
Why should she call?
Why hadn't they noticed she was gone?
She'd been standing here for a long time.
She couldn't bring herself to call them and act as if nothing were wrong, or pretend to complain about their "crime" of leaving her behind.
She couldn't.
Because she really cared.
And she really was upset.
She was also... really angry.
She forced herself to move.
She walked out of the mall.
The cool air-conditioning, lilting music, and slightly noisy voices all faded away.
In their place... came the scorching air and the ceaseless chirping of cicadas.
She kept her head lowered.