Too Late, Bye-Bye

"You mean the one above?"

"That..."

Before Gojo Satoru could finish, Ibuki Mio cut him off directly.

"Pervert! That's not what I meant!

And how do you know the one above is black!?"

"It's black?

I was about to say I hadn't seen that one."

Realizing she'd let something slip, Ibuki Mio's face flushed even redder, her eyes looking like they could devour him.

"You remember this!

Next time I wear Safety Pants, I'll beat you to death!"

With that, she clutched her skirt and ran off quickly, but behind her came Gojo Satoru's smug shout.

"I'll keep the black and white colors clear! Don't you worry!"

Teased like that, Ibuki Mio nearly tripped. She turned back, red-faced, glaring at Gojo Satoru as she said, "If you ever end up in my hands, you're in for it!"

Without waiting for his reaction, she ran off this time, afraid he might say something else shameless if she lingered.

'Is someone looking for me?'

Walking toward the Changing Room, he sensed footsteps following from behind. A familiar person.

He waited in place for a moment.

Kamuro Masumi, her eyes a little red, came before Gojo Satoru.

The atmosphere felt off.

Before he could even greet her, her questioning came first.

"Who was that girl called Xiao Mako just now?"

Seeing her serious expression, Gojo Satoru didn't plan to tease her and answered honestly.

"Her? She's my childhood friend, and now my girlfriend."

'He accepted it?'

Hearing him state the truth so bluntly, Kamuro Masumi still found it hard to believe.

Hadn't it been so long since they'd seen each other?

Wasn't she the one who most wanted to meet him after coming to school?

Just because of a childhood promise?

"Why?"

Before he could answer her question, a barrage of follow-ups came pouring out. Kamuro Masumi shouted, her voice choked with tears.

"It was me first, wasn't it?

The hugs!

The kisses!

All of that was me first, wasn't it?!

Just because she's your childhood friend?!

How long has it been since you two saw each other?!

If you hadn't come looking for her back then, she wouldn't even know you were at this school!

What right does she have?!"

"But wasn't it you who kept refusing to acknowledge the relationship?"

!!!

Hearing this, Kamuro Masumi fell completely silent.

Right. It seemed like she was the only one resisting all along!

He had been looking for her; it was she who kept avoiding him. He had never denied the relationship between them!

She had been the one moved by her own feelings, thinking she'd accept him once she settled into Class A.

From the start, it was she who denied the relationship!

Only herself...

Seeing the other person fall silent, Gojo Satoru realized he had said the wrong thing.

"Shinsuke."

He wanted to step forward to comfort her, but the hand he reached out was dodged.

Seeing her take half a step back, he knew this time the problem was serious.

"Don't come near me. After all, you're already Amikura's boyfriend."

"That has nothing to do with this right now. You're clearly in a bad state."

He tried to approach again, but this time she shouted outright.

"I said don't come near me!

Leave me alone!... Don't!

Just stop bothering me."

Her voice trailed off on the last line.

"Masumi."

He still intended to move forward, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Stop it!"

After saying that, Kamuro Masumi walked right past Gojo Satoru, intending to leave.

"It's not what you think! Just hear me out!"

Realizing things would be irreparable if this continued, Gojo Satoru grabbed her and held her tight.

But clearly, Kamuro Masumi was in no mood to listen anymore.

She struggled hard, but couldn't break free. Giving up, she said in a low voice.

"Don't be so gentle with me.

After all, I'm an idiot.

If you're gentle with me, I'll misunderstand."

"Masumi, actually I..."

"Satoru, I'm Kamuro.

Not Amikura."

Hearing this, Gojo Satoru's body stiffened, and he loosened his embrace.

Kamuro Masumi stepped out of his arms, walked forward two paces, turned around, and reminded him softly.

"It's too late. Bye."

Lying in bed, she covered her eyes with her hand.

But tears still seeped out.

Fragments of memory kept flashing through her mind.

All along, she had been too spoiled, using a self-aggrandizing way of loving, thinking he would understand.

So she always forgot to tell him just how much she really liked him.

But only when she knew they had to part did she realize this, only then did she think about confessing her feelings—wasn't that futile?

"Someone like me really isn't cut out for relationships!"

As she kept thinking, her phone vibrated.

She looked at it excitedly, but then suddenly remembered he didn't seem to like contacting her by phone.

Sure enough, it wasn't a message from him, but a transfer.

Income: 3,025,500 points

Note: Gojo said to just transfer the ball game prize to you.

'What does this mean?'

Why would he give the prize to her?

Weren't they already over?

No, it was more like it had never even begun.

"How does Yume-chan feel about Satoru-kun?"

Sitting in the Cat Cafe, utterly bored, Amikura Mako asked Kobashi Yume across from her.

Caught off guard by the sudden question.

Thinking it was about what had just happened, Kobashi Yume quickly explained, afraid it might affect their friendship.

"I'm not in love with Gojo-kun! I just froze for a second because it was the first time a guy hugged me!"

Seeing how flustered she was, Amikura Mako found it a little amusing—she hadn't even been concerned about that.

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on Satoru-kun."

"Th-this... how should I put it?"

Seeing her still hesitating, Amikura Mako pressed on.

"It's fine, just say what you think. I want to hear someone else's perspective on him."

Knowing her best friend wouldn't let it go if she didn't speak up, she decided to just be direct and say what was on her mind.

"Gojo-kun is a really impressive person, isn't he?

Even though he doesn't seem to have many friends, it's not like he's being isolated—it's more like he's the one isolating everyone else.

And he's really handsome, with a great build, and he seems top-notch at sports.

He's also sharp—I heard he got perfect scores across all subjects on the tests.

Honestly, the only flaw about him seems to be his personality.

But when he's with Mako, he's gentle, and he deliberately changes his attitude to get along with you, always going along with what you want..."

Kobashi Yume seemed to hit some kind of switch, chattering on endlessly.

Seeing her best friend praise her crush so highly, Amikura Mako's smile grew harder to hide.

But noticing she didn't seem to be stopping, she teased her with a question.

"So, do you like him?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kobashi Yume answered instinctively.

"I guess I do."

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she snapped back to reality and quickly added.

"I-it's just a little bit of fondness!

Not that kind of like!"

Seeing her flustered again, Amikura Mako replied with a smile.

"Yume-chan is so easy to read!"

And Kobashi Yume, blushing again, lowered her head and chose silence.

After all, admitting to liking your best friend's crush right in front of her was just too weird.

Amikura Mako didn't say anything more, but the smile never left her face.