The little girl had vaguely noticed over the past two days that the mushroom-haired girl was paying attention to her.
But she hadn't cared.
The mushroom-haired girl was an outsider in their class.
Whenever anyone spoke to her, their classmates would jeer.
She didn't want to become the target of their jeers.
Besides, she also held a bit of a grudge against the mushroom-haired girl.
That day, she'd taken such a huge risk and worked up the courage to stand up for the mushroom-haired girl...
And yet...
The mushroom-haired girl had just stood there, dazed.
She'd even seemed a little cold.
She hadn't so much as thanked her...
It wasn't as if she'd helped someone expecting a reward...
At the time, she'd just blurted it out in a moment of impulse.
If she'd had even a second to think, she probably wouldn't have had the courage to step forward.
But she wasn't asking for a reward.
Was a simple thank-you too much to ask?
And...
Was that how the mushroom-haired girl treated someone who'd helped her?
She didn't have to be all that warm...
But at least she should have made her feel...
That the mushroom-haired girl was truly grateful for her coming to her aid...
That her kindness had been worthwhile.
But the mushroom-haired girl had acted no differently from how she always did in class.
It was as if the little girl hadn't just stood up to several boys for her under tremendous pressure...
It was entirely possible that, because she'd stuck her nose into things, those boys had put her on their list too...
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The little girl had no intention of speaking to the mushroom-haired girl.
She never wanted to speak to her