After not seeing each other for so long, Ai missed Ryuji a great deal as well.

  "I see!"

  Kaguya nodded, accepting Ai's expnation without much thought.

  It seemed reasonable enough.

  "But I wonder when Ryuji will have time!"

  Ai g Kaguya for a moment, and an idea sparked in her mind. Her eyes lit up as she spoke. "How about this, Miss Kaguya—I'll go find Ryuji-san and ask when he's avaible!"

  "Really? Would you do that?" Kaguya's eyes filled with hope.

  "Of course!"

  "Thank you so much, Hayasaka! You're the best!"

  With that, Kaguya hugged Ai tightly, her trust and gratitude palpable.

  "…"

  Ai found herself at a loss for words.

  She felt a pang of guilt—it wasn't solely fuya's sake but because she also missed Ryuji. Was she taking advantage of Kaguya's feelings?

  Wait, that wasn't quite right.

  Even if Kaguya were to meet Ryuji, her shy nature would likely make it impossible for her to say what she truly felt.

  By familiarizing herself with Ryuji, Ai could bridge that gap and help Kaguya ect with him.

  Yes, that was it.

  The more Ai thought about it, the more vinced she was that her as were justified. She was doing this fuya's sake.

  Kaguya, for her part, was entirely unaware of Ai's internal debate and tinued looking at her with grateful eyes.

  Ryuji's life ti its usual leisurely pace. Even when small interruptions occurred, they were harmless, trivial matters.

  Arisu, for instance, had been pting her approach to dealing with Ryuji but wasn't in a hurry. Rushing could create a bad impression, and that would defeat her purpose. Arisu wasn't oo make foolish moves.

  In css, Arisu found herself taking a closer look at her fellow students for the first time.

  Before, she hadn't paid them much attention, thinking there wouldn't be any reason to i.

  There was nothing particurly notable about them. They were just ordinary cssmates.

  That was until Arisu's gaze drifted to the back er of the room. There sat a girl with a gentle smile, gazing out the window as though longing for something, her eyes filled with a quiet sorrow, like someoaking in the world o time.

  "...?"

  Arisu might have been physically frail, but she was undeniably sharp and perceptive. One gnce was enough for her to uand the hidden meaning in the girl's eyes.

  But what could make a girl of her age look so desote?

  Soon, the bell rang.

  The girl stood up abruptly and stormed out of the .

  Arisu didn't follow, but her brows furrowed slightly as she watched.

  "What's this? Thinking of pig out a new pet?"

  Masumi, walking over, teased with a smirk.

  After spending so much time with Arisu, Masumi was well-acquainted with her peculiar is.

  "No, o is enough, and that's you," Arisu replied smoothly.

  "Tsk."

  Masumi rolled her eyes at Arisu, unimpressed. She'd heard the same thing many times and no longer bothered tue.

  "You'd better not get any ideas. This girl is different."

  "Oh? Tell me more."

  Arisu's i iqued, and she looked at Masumi expetly.

  "Her name's Shouko. Shouko Nishimiya. She's deaf, and from what I've gathered, she's beey isoted and excluded by the css."

  "Excluded, huh?"

  Arisu's lips curled into a slight, disdainful smile.

  "How predictable. The weak banding together only to isote their own."

  Bullied for being different? Shouko's story reminded Arisu of her own. From a young age, she had needed a e to walk, a symbol of her fragile health.

  Arisu herself had beearget of bullies at one point. But she used her sharp intellect to exact fierce, calcuted reveil no one dared to cross her again.

  It was how she'd earhe niame "Little Tyrant."

  So, was that why her eyes looked sned? Had she reached the breaking point after enduriless bullying?

  "Pathetic."

  To think of giving up entirely just because of bullying—Arisu found it cowardly.

  But after a moment of hesitation, she stood up and walked out of the .

  "Hey? Aren't we going to eat?"

  Masumi called after her, surprised. It was lunchtime, after all.

  Masumi had just unpacked her lunch, only to see Arisu heading for the door. She frowned in fusion.

  "e with me."

  "…"

  Masumi sighed. There were moments when she wanted nothing more than to throw her lunch straight at Arisu's face. Just because you're not hungry doesn't mean the rest of us aren't, she thought.

  But it was just that, a fleeting thought.

  With an exaggerated eye roll, Masumi put her lunch away and followed Arisu.

  As expected, Arisu headed straight for the rooftop.

  There, standing at the edge, was Shouko, looking out into the distah vat eyes.

  So, it was just as Arisu had suspected.

  Shouko was lost in thought, staring out at the horizon. For two days now, she had been pgued by nightmares after being cursed by Sadako.

  Finally, she uood why so many others couldn't bear it.

  The suffog fear of having just seven days left to live, it would have beeer if she'd died the moment she watched the cursed tape.

  Just as Shouko stood in silent despair, a voiterrupted her thoughts.

  "At this height, you'd probably die instantly if you jumped. But is that really what you want? If you have the ce to end it all, don't you have the ce to keep living a even?"

  ***

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