The most immediate consequence was that the girls were now a little afraid to knock on the next door.
It was then that Song Jia'er said she suddenly felt a bit unwell...
The girl took a deep breath.
She thought again of Song Jia'er wanting her to complete the battery-collection task alone...
Without proof, she didn't want to make wild guesses about anyone.
But even the mere possibility was enough to leave her feeling like she had a bone stuck in her throat.
She was so frustrated and miserable that she wanted to scream.
Thankfully...
The girl thought of Zhang Zhang.
Remembering how Zhang Zhang had bluntly rejected Song Jia'er's suggestion, she smiled faintly.
But then she remembered that Zhang Zhang had walked Song Jia'er home...
Her smile flattened again.
"Don't you think she's really annoying..."
The girl couldn't help complaining to the tree.
"...She's so annoying..."
The girl had never hated anyone this much before, not in all her life.
It had been quite a while since they left, but her mood still hadn't brightened.
She just felt so weighed down.
So miserable.
"Mm."
The orb bobbed in agreement.
"She's annoying."
"Right!?"
The girl's voice grew louder as soon as she got some support.
"She's really annoying, isn't she..."
With the tree's agreement, all the worry and hesitation in the girl's heart vanished.
She chattered on and on, telling the tree all sorts of things.
She talked about how unhappy she was with Song Jia'er, her vague fondness for Zhang Zhang, and...
To the girl, the tree was an excellent listener.
And the tree always acted as though they were on the same side.
Whatever she said, the tree seemed to feel it right along with her.
It would even join in