[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 188
Out of Sync
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 188
Out of Sync
A residential neighborhood in a suburban area with easy access from the city center, part of a redevelopment zone.
Inside an ordinary house located right there.
Airi was sittin' in front of a low table, a smartphone in one hand and an open planner spread out, her brow furrowed.
"Since I'm pretty much done with the fall photoshoots for today... ...once tomorrow mornin's meetin' is out of the way, I wonder if I can get a decent break? ...I wonder if Momocchi-senpai remembers tomorrow?"
Starin' hard at the work Airi'd already knocked out and her upcomin' schedule.
Checkin' both her smartphone and planner, makin' sure nothin' slipped through the cracks.
Eventually, after sortin' out her schedule, Airi threw both arms up in a lazy stretch, flopped back against the edge of her bed, and rested her head on it.
Airi was completely makeup-free.
Though Airi had well-balanced facial features, she lacked the glamour you'd see splashed across magazine pages, givin' off a more innocent, modest vibe instead. But combined with her brightly dyed hair, it created a mismatched, conflictin' impression.
Speakin' of mismatched, the textbooks and reference books lined up neatly on Airi's bookshelf right next to fashion magazines meticulously sorted by special edition feature, or the practical, no-frills stationery on her desk sitting right alongside colorful cosmetics, probably gave off that same vibe.
With a soft sigh, Airi let her gaze drift toward the two school uniforms hangin' over the bed.
One was the stylishly designed uniform of the high school Airi currently attended, famous for havin' a ton of celebrity students enrolled.
The other was a plain, drab, navy-blue blazer without a single standout feature—the uniform for the local public middle school.
It was somethin' Airi'd graduated from long ago with zero chance of ever wearin' again, but to her, it served as both a constant reminder and a good-luck charm, so she always kept it right where she could see it.
"...What on Earth am I even doin'?"
Airi's self-deprecatin' mutter drifted through the room like a lost soul and faded away.
Airi fiddled with the smartphone in her hand and opened up a certain image file.
Displayed on the screen was a gloomy, drab-lookin' girl.
A frumpy hairstyle that hid not just her eyes but most of her face, paired with an unpolished uniform worn strictly to stay within dress code. A girl with an expression totally lackin' in self-confidence, the kind who would just blend into the background as invisible air in the corner of the classroom.
That was Airi back in the day, before she ever crossed paths with her benefactor, Momoka.
Recallin' those times, Airi narrowed her eyes with an unreadable expression.
Right then, Airi's smartphone gave a subtle buzz as the screen switched to an incomin' call. It was from Momoka.
The timin' was so spot-on that Airi blanked out for a split second, blinkin' a few times before snappin' back to reality and frantically tappin' the screen.
'Yahoo, Airin.'
"Momocchi-senpai? What's up?"
'Well, um, y'know, about tomorrow, we've got that meetin', right?'
"Yeah, we do. I'm just relieved you actually remembered, Senpai."
'Um, how do I put this... ...since the office is pretty close to the City, I was thinking maybe we could drop by on the way back, or somethin'?'
"Huh, I mean, that's totally normal and I don't mind, but..."
Airi tilted her head, her voice laced with suspicion. She sounded like she was beatin' around the bush.
Normally, Momoka would just unilaterally say, 'Airin, stoppin' by the City on the way back tomorrow, k thx,' and hang up right then and there. Clearly, somethin' was up.
'...'
"..."
A silence hung between them, as if each were tryin' to probe the other's inner thoughts.
Eventually, perhaps resignin' herself, Momoka let out a groan of 'Ugh~' and hesitantly began to weave her words.
'Um, looks like Kazuki's headin' to the City with some buddies, too.'
"That is..."
This time, it was Airi who choked on her words.
Sure, Airi had the desire to see Kazuki.
However, precisely because Airi knew how things used to be, she hesitated to intrude on Kazuki gettin' along all buddy-buddy with his buddies now.
So, Airi was about to say that she'd rather sit this out, when—
'And apparently, the girl Kazuki confessed to and got rejected by is in that group, too.'
"Eek!?"
And Airi caught her breath in shock.
Author's Notes:
And with that, Part 5 Sub-Part 3 comes to an end!
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