"Is that so?" Being remembered was a good thing, but Rumi Tsurumi's statement—cold, yet not quite cold—made Hayato Hayama feel as if he were facing not Tsurumi, but Yukino Yukinoshita. He was lost...
That was because Yukino Yukinoshita had been the mistake of his life. Back when most people had rejected Yukinoshita, he had not chosen to stand by her. Instead, he had gone along with the majority. Though he had not rejected Yukinoshita himself, and Yukinoshita had simply ignored him, when all was said and done, he had still backed down!
How was someone like him supposed to face a child who resembled Yukinoshita so much?
"Even though you've done a lot..." Rumi Tsurumi said, "you still look like an idiot..."
"I..."
"You think coming over to join my activities was for my own good?"
"..."
"Heh. In those idiots' eyes, you coming over to join my activities only made it seem like I was acting cute again..."
"I wasn't..."
"Maybe you didn't mean it that way, but what you did has already given everyone else that impression..."
"..." Hayama did not know what to say. Still, he said, "C-Could you let Tobe go first?"
"Why should I? Just because he's your friend?"
"I..."
"Didn't he say I was nothing more than a mere elementary schooler?"
"..." Well, forget Tobe—even Hayama had thought that before. She was just an elementary schooler. Once high schoolers like them got serious, what could she possibly do?
But looking at Tobe lying on the ground, too ashamed to speak, Hayama fell silent.
"Looks like you do understand after all..." As Hayama remained silent, Rumi Tsurumi spoke again. "I can let this guy go..."
As she spoke, she pointed at Tobe, whom the short-haired girl had under her foot.
"Hm?" Hayama froze upon hearing