Then we started eating.
Rino-chan kept quiet and didnât even touch her chopsticks.
The reason was because Mikoto was next to her.
âI donât approve of you, okay? Hmm?â
She kept glaring at Rino-chan like this.
I stood up and pulled Mikoto away from Rino-chan.
âStop it! I donât approve of it! I donât accept this new woman!â
âI thought you approved Eda!â
âI, itâs okay Nee-san!â
Shirota and Mia were talking, not paying any attention to us.
Eda, who was looking at me, was not going to say anything.
âIn the first place, your opinion doesnât matter!â
âWhy not!? Iâm also Koumeiâs girlfriend! I have the right to refuse!â
âMia is the only one who has the right to refuse!â
âDiscrimination! Intra-girlfriend discrimination!â
Intra-girlfriend discrimination. A new word was born.
Somehow I managed to pull Mikoto away from Rino-chan and I took her to Eda.
âPlease do something about this idiot.â
âDonât call me an idiot! Koumei is the idiot! Baaka!â
âMikoto, be quiet.â
âYes.â
It was the voice of a crane.
Mikoto unconditionally obeyed Edaâs words.
No, what happened, really.
When I returned to my seat, I said to Rino-chan, who was sitting next to me.
âIâm sorry, her name is Mikoto, sheâs my childhood friend.â
âAhâ¦..Thatâs why you were so close.â
âAre we close?â
Rino-chan finally picked up her chopsticks.
Mikoto, who sat beside Eda, became terribly demure and quiet.
Shirota and Mia were chatting happily.
âIâ¦.â
Rino-chan suddenly said.
I was the only one who was listening.
âI donât think I can compete with themâ¦.â
âEh?â
âMia-san, Shirota-san, Eda-san and Mikoto-sanâ¦â¦â
Rino-chan said that she came here to declare war.
But when she saw the four of them, her will seemed to have faded away.
âI lost before I even fought.â
âThen why donât you just try to fight them?â
I heard Miaâs voice.
It seemed that she heard what Rino-chan said.
She seemed to know why Rino-chan was here, as Shirota had explained.
âItâs a strange relationship, but Iâm sure itâll be fun.â
âYes?â
After carefully setting down her chopsticks, Mia smiled at Rino-chan.
âI was confused at first, but now I like it a lot. Iâve been able to make friends with Mikoto-chan and Shirota-san. I also made up with Eda-san.â
âBut youâre Okutani-sanâs girlfriend, right?â
Before I knew it, everyone was listening to what Mia and Rino-chan had to say.
I nodded and Mia laughed even more.
âYes, everyoneâs Koumeiâs girlfriend.â
âIf then, you want to be the only one for him, you want him to only look at you, that kind of thing!â
âYes.â
Mia looked me straight in the eyes.
There seemed to be no lies in her eyes.
âBut as much as I want him to only be mine, or as much as I want him to only look at me, itâs more than that. I think the relationship I have with everyone here is also important.â
âIâ¦â¦I donât understand.â
Rino-chan shook her head, still unsure of what to say.
âMaa, usually, yes. But since we got to know each other like this, and since we like the same person, donât you think we can get along?â
ââ¦..get along?â
âI think itâs a shame to decide the outcome first.â
The words that Mia said had a mysterious power.
I have no intention of discriminating against them.
However, Mia was still a very special person to me.
âI donât know whatâs going to happen. Bad things may happen as a result. But something good might happen as well.â
âThatâs right, butâ¦.â
âI think that if you decide ahead of time that things wonât work out, then thatâs how it will turn out.â
At last Rino-chan became silent.
Smiling like a honeycomb, Mia said.
âTo sum it upâ¦. I want to be friends with Rino-chan too.â
Rino didnât answer at all.
It was Eda who unexpectedly broke the silence.
âThank you for your kind words, Kurusu-san.â
âIâll take it as a compliment.â
No matter how you look at it, Eda was probably being sarcastic.
Mia replied sarcastically.
Just when she said we should get along. The two of them create a delicate atmosphere.
I canât imagine what the future holds.
âThen, hereâs my proposal.â
The beautiful woman in the kimono straightened up a bit.
âOn summer vacationâ¦. Letâs go out with all the people here.â
âGoing out?â
Shirota curiously looked at Edaâs face.
Smiling at her best friend, Eda looked at Mikoto next to her.
âMikoto-san, please explain.â
âYes.â
My childhood friend, who got tamed by Eda, stood up.
âFor some time now, Nee-san has been planning a summer vacation getaway for all of us.â
For a long time. Itâs like revealing that they have known each other for a long time. However, there was no one who would poke fun at them now, and it seems that they had no intention of hiding it.
âSo, weâre going to borrow my sisterâs familyâs villa at Mt. Omuro for a three-day, two-night trip.â
âEh? Staying overnight?â
The one who sounded troubled was Shirota.
Iâm sure sheâs worried about her club activities.
âDonât worry, Yotsuba. Iâll fit it into the softball teamâs schedule.â
Eda immediately replied.
Mikoto took over.
âAnd with that, everyone! Iâm looking forward to getting along with you!â
It seems that Mikotoâs character is collapsing more and more.