Zoo

After about ten minutes, the three girls finally finished praying and came back excitedly.

"There's a little shop over there selling amulets. Shall we go take a look?" Kushida Kikyo said, tugging on Ichinose Honami's arm.

"Sure, let's go see."

Ichinose Honami nodded with a smile, then turned back to call to the others. "We're going to look at the amulets in the little shop nearby. Do you want to come?"

Kanzaki Ryuji nodded. "I'll go with you."

Kazehara Tetsu spoke up. "I'll pass. I'll wait here."

Ichinose Honami did not press him. "All right, we'll be back soon."

With that, she led Kushida Kikyo, Yamashita Saki, and Kanzaki Ryuji toward the nearby shop.

Before long, they disappeared around the corner.

Only Kazehara Tetsu, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Horikita Suzune remained beneath the tree.

After a long silence, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly tilted her head slightly and looked at Kazehara Tetsu.

"You don't like this place?"

She asked carefully, as if it were only a casual question.

Kazehara Tetsu paused, then turned to look at her.

"Yeah."

"Why?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked again.

"No reason. I just hate it."

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at his profile for several seconds, then nodded lightly without asking anything further.

It was as though she accepted his explanation—or as though she had thought the same thing all along.

The two fell silent again, standing side by side as they looked out at the snowy scenery in the distance, each lost in their own thoughts.

More than ten minutes later, the others finally returned, chatting and laughing.

Kushida Kikyo carried several small bags in her hands. One look was enough to tell she had bought plenty.

She excitedly showed everyone what she had bought, her face full of happy smiles.

"Shall we go to the Zoo next?"

Ichinose Honami