The afterglow of the setting sun has long been swallowed up by the night.
Kazehara Tetsu sat up from the bed.
He raised his hand to rub his swollen temples. He fell into a particularly deep sleep, and when he woke up, he had the illusion of not knowing what night it was.
"Huh..."
He let out a long breath, stepped on the slightly cool floor with his bare feet, and walked into the bathroom.
Turning on the faucet, the cold water hit his palms. He picked up a handful of water and splashed it on his face.
The coldness instantly stimulated the nerves on the face, dispelling most of the remaining sleepiness.
He raised his head and looked at the young man in the mirror with water droplets on his face and his eyes gradually returning to clarity. Kazehara Tetsu casually pulled the towel and wiped it, then turned and walked out of the room.
The corridor was quiet, and most students should be concentrated in the main activity area at the moment.
My stomach made a growling sound in protest at the right time.
The small amount of lunch is really difficult for boys who are in the growth period to last until late at night.
He didn't deliberately contact anyone, whether it was Sakayanagi Arisu or anyone else. At this point in time, he wanted to enjoy the purity of being alone.
Kazehara Tetsu slowly wandered to School Canteen.
It is not the peak dining period at this time, and there are not many people in Cafeteria.
He randomly ordered a pork chop rice set and found a seat by the window to sit down.
The pork chop was fried fairly crispy, wrapped in a sauce that wasn't too hot at this time, and tasted pretty good.
Kazehara Tetsu ate unhappily, and his eyes occasionally glanced at the dark Campus path outside the window.
After filling my stomach, I was replaced by the feeling of fullness of food, but this meal seemed a little greasy.
"Let's have something to drink."
He muttered to himself, stood up, picked up the plate, put it back in the recycling area, and walked out of the Cafeteria door.
The target of Kazehara Tetsu is a corner near the Dormitory area, where there are several Vending Machines.
Passing through the path with whirling tree shadows, a row of Vending Machines glowing white appeared in the field of vision.
However, it was not deserted there.
At the edge of the halo, stood a slender figure.
She was not choosing a drink, nor was she playing with her mobile phone. Instead, she leaned sideways, leaning half of her shoulder against the metal shell of the vending machine, and lowered her head slightly.
She was as quiet as a plant growing in the shadows. If the light of the vending machine hadn't stretched her shadow, it would have been difficult for people passing by to notice her presence at the first time.
Yamamura Miki.
This is the second time I met her at Vending Machine.
Kazehara Tetsu stepped lightly.
That figure seemed to be immersed in some unique world, unaware of external sounds.
She still maintained that posture until Kazehara Tetsu walked a few steps away from her.
"Still listening to this?"
The sudden sound broke the hum of the machine.
"Huh?"
Yamamura Miki's body trembled suddenly, like a disturbed little animal, and he almost bounced off the vending machine.
She turned her head in panic, and her pupils shrank slightly when she saw Kazehara Tetsu in her eyes that were always a little wandering.
"Maple...Kagihara..."
Her voice was very soft, trembling with fright, and her hands subconsciously grabbed the hem of her skirt.
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
He did not feel impatient because of the other party's overreaction, but walked past her and stood in front of the Vending Machine.
"I... didn't..."
Yamamura Miki lowered his head, staring at his toes, with a faint blush on his face, "It was me... I was too careless."
"The sound of this machine does have a special rhythm."
Kazehara Tetsu took out his mobile phone, swiped it in the sensor area, and pressed his finger on the "black coffee" button.
Clang.
There was a dull sound of falling cans.
"For people who like quiet, this kind of regular mechanical white noise can actually make people feel at ease. Am I right?"
He bent down and took out the can of cold coffee, turned around, and did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he leaned on the Vending Machine on the other side and pulled the tab.
Kazehara Tetsu raised his head and took a sip of coffee, the bitter and cold liquid sliding down his throat.
"Speak of it."
Kazehara Tetsu spoke seemingly casually, breaking the silence, "When you were at Cruise Ship, didn't you say you wanted to try to take the 'first step'?"
"Have you made a start?"
Kazehara Tetsu turned his head and his eyes fell on her face, "For example... making friends or something?"
For ordinary people, this is just a matter of small talk, but for Yamamura Miki, it is like a super difficult problem.
A bitter smile appeared on her face, and her originally bowed head was buried even lower.
"Although I want to change in my heart, I really want to strike up a conversation or join in everyone's conversation... It's like my body is frozen and I can't move at all."
This is an expected answer.
Long-term character inertia cannot be reversed by one or two psychological exercises.
"But..."
She seemed to have thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If you are... familiar with me, there is someone."
"Oh?"
"Yes...Morishita."
At the mention of this name, Yamamura Miki's expression became a little subtle, an expression of confusion and helplessness.
"But... I don't know if that's considered a friend, because... how do I put it..."
"It always feels like...Morishita and I are not on the same channel at all."
"Sometimes when I work up the courage to talk to her, her answers always... always make me don't know how to proceed."
Kazehara Tetsu couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this.
"If it's Morishita, then it's really not your fault."
"That guy's brain circuit is probably connected to aliens. It is indeed too difficult for normal humans to connect with her radio waves."
Hearing Kazehara Tetsu commenting on Morishita, Yamamura Miki was stunned for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a slight arc.
"I-is that so..."
She seemed to be relieved, "I thought... it was because I was too boring, so..."
"How come."
Kazehara Tetsu shook his head. He left the pillar he was leaning on and took two steps forward, closing the distance between the two.
"Quietness is not boring, Yamamura."
Yamamura Miki raised his head and looked at him blankly.
"And..."
Kazehara Tetsu shook the empty coffee can in his hand.
"If you want to make friends..."
He leaned down slightly, his eyes level with hers.
"As long as you want it, then I can be it."
Suddenly stopped for a moment.
Yamamura Miki's eyes widened little by little.
"Eh... Eh?"
After several seconds, she let out a short exclamation.
The blush on his face spread to his ears at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"I mean..."
She waved her hands incoherently and her eyes wandered in panic, "A person like me... an inconspicuous person like me... if I make friends with Kagihara... will be weird..."
"What's weird?"
Kazehara Tetsu did not back down because of her rejection, but went one step further.
He reached out his hand and gently rubbed the top of her messy head.
This sudden intimate action made Yamamura Miki completely frozen in place.
"Does making friends still need other people's approval?"
Kazehara Tetsu took back his hand and looked at her cute, dumbfounded look.
"Still..."
He tilted his head slightly and sighed pretending to be hurt.
"Yamamura actually hates me? Do you think it would be troublesome to be friends with someone like me?"
"No! No!"
Yamamura Miki shouted out almost reflexively.
"I... I don't hate Kagihara! Not at all!"
She explained eagerly, fearing that the other party would misunderstand her because of her hesitation, "It's just... it's just too sudden..."
"Then believe this."
"From today on, we are friends. Please give me your advice, Yamamura."
"Please... please give me more advice...Kazehara-kun!"