After parting ways with Matsumura, Fukawa went straight back home.

The house she rented was not too big, and it was more than enough for one person to live in. When she moved out of the apartment provided by the management for the first time, she invited Eto, Shiraishi, Hashimoto and Matsumura to celebrate together. In fact,

There was nothing to celebrate, it was just a moving party. There was not much work at that time, so it was easier for everyone to get together.

When I was in school, I was particularly afraid of being lonely. I would take my friends with me when I went to the bathroom, for fear of being alone. Fukawa has an easy-going personality and is good at dealing with interpersonal relationships, so he is always surrounded by a bunch of friends. He inevitably has to take care of them.

Occasionally she would be burdened by favors, but at that time she was in pain and happy.

I always feel at ease when I have someone by my side, as if no matter how big the difficulty is, I can solve it with the help of the people around me. However, in fact, many problems need to be faced by myself.

After living alone for a while, I gradually started to get used to it.

Fukawa sat on the bed, pulled the pillow and hugged it to his chest, looking at this room that was not cute and warm with some sadness. He was thinking about all kinds of things.

At this time, Matsumura sent a message thanking her for accompanying her today.

Fukawa quickly replied that next time he goes to get the bracelet, let's go there too.

The other person sent an emoji that was moved and crying, "Maimai is so great."

Fukawa just smiled.

She does not feel that her kindness is accommodating or flattering. It would be great if she could also benefit from the tenderness that soothes the pain of others.

Unfortunately, this is just an ideal.

Fukawa had a dream. No, Fukawa couldn't decide whether she should call it a dream or not. Because it was something that really happened when she was in school.

In junior high school, Fukawa was always surrounded by girls in the class. Even though she didn't speak a lot of the time and just listened quietly to other people's conversations, they were willing to stay with Fukawa. At that time, there was a girl with a slightly gloomy personality.

Fukawa was very concerned that she always stood quietly at the outermost position of the circle and rarely intervened in the conversation.

Fukawa remembered that she liked to sit in her seat and read quietly. She rarely talked to others. Her grades were average and her eyes were particularly beautiful, but she hardly looked at others.

Fukawa and her met in physical education class. The teacher randomly assigned her to a group. They talked about some content. Fukawa couldn't remember clearly, and it might not be important. Since then, girls sometimes took the initiative to talk to Fukawa.

Most of the conversations he made were polite greetings. Maybe they had a special meaning to that girl. Unfortunately, Fukawa didn't pay much attention.

Finally, one evening, when Fukagawa completed the club activities of the art club that day, when he went back, he found a girl standing at her shoe cabinet, waiting for her.

Fukawa called her name with a smile as usual, but the other party looked at her complicatedly and said.

"Mai, you have never regarded me as a special being, have you?"

Fukawa was moved by her warm but gradually losing warmth in her eyes.

Special existence? What is that?

It was just the sight of the girl smiling at her and then turning away that made Fukawa panic. After that, the girl still greeted her and could say a few words, but there was a subtle distance.

When Fukawa woke up, it was dark outside the window. It turned out that she accidentally fell asleep on the bed.

She rubbed her eyes, wondering why she was dreaming about these things.

Fukawa is not an idiot. The girl may have fallen in love with him. Although she would not reject or resist at the time, it was difficult for her to understand. Looking back now, I feel a little guilty. If I could have cheered up more at that time, I would have used appropriate words.

Go and comfort the other person, maybe you will feel much better now.

But what kind of tenderness is the most appropriate?

Even if you create an illusion where no one will be hurt, the hurt you suffer after the colorful soap bubble bursts may not be much easier to bear than if you face the cruelty of reality from the beginning.

——

A few days later, Fukawa accompanied Matsumura to retrieve the bracelets. They were still greeted by the cold girl wearing glasses.

On the way back, the two of them sat down in a drink shop, and Matsumura thanked Fukawa for the invitation.

"In May, Mai and Nanamin and I came to this store. At that time, Sayuri, you didn't come because you had a stomachache. Do you remember?" Fukawa said.

Matsumura bit the straw and nodded gently.

"Did something happen?" Fukawa asked, "I'm really worried about Sayuri. I hope you won't keep it to yourself if something happens."

"It's nothing," she looked away, "I was just a little hurt after reading comments criticizing me on the Internet some time ago. I have a low self-esteem originally, and I feel a little tired trying to force a smile. But I have adjusted recently, Mai Mai.

You don’t have to worry.”

Fukawa glanced at her and hesitated to speak.

"...Do you still remember our trip to Kamakura last year?"

Matsumura said nothing.

"At that time, it felt like a school trip. I stayed in various streets, ate and drank freely, and took a bath in a hot spring hotel at night. Maiyan suddenly said that she wanted to play table tennis, but she lost three games in a row to Nana Min, a beginner. At that time

You laughed until you lost your strength, and you kept clapping your hands wildly next to you. You were so crazy that you stayed up in the middle of the night, and the pillows in the room were thrown everywhere. Sayuri, we have been together for almost two years, but because of the bad words on the Internet, you are

They won’t deliberately avoid us…”

Matsumura drank most of the drink in the glass in one breath. She stretched out her arms on the table and straightened her fingers, like a cat stretching its body. After that, she leaned on the back of the seat, biting her lip, and kept staring.

On the straw in the drink cup, it moves back and forth in circles.

Fukawa waited quietly for her to finish this series of actions without interrupting. He just watched silently.

I've seen Matsumura with a playful and smiling face too often, and it's indeed rare to see him looking shy but troubled at this time.

"Now, let me ask you, Mai Mai."

"Well, you say."

"Don't you think Maiyan and Nanamin are playing too intimately?"

Fukawa paused while holding the straw, and then sipped the lemonade in the cup as if nothing had happened. It was astringent and a little bitter.

"The two of them spend time together whenever they have time, but their rest times overlap. They often go shopping together, have dinner dates, etc. When I'm with them, I always feel like an excluded person.

Can you understand? The feeling of being the last one among good friends."

Fukawa...of course I can understand.

She thought she was overthinking it, but it seemed that was not the case.

Shiraishi's attitude towards Hashimoto, the two of them seem to talk about everything. Fukawa and Shiraishi Hashimoto have a good relationship, but when the three of them get along, she always feels left out and alone. She doesn't want to get too involved.

to think about.

"It's just an illusion..." Fukawa smiled, "Sayuori, you think too much."

So do I.

"It's definitely not an illusion." Matsumura sighed. It seemed that she was not worried about the alienation she felt outside Shiraishi Hashimoto for a day or two.

"I remember Sayuri, Mai was helping you on the day of your final selection, right?" Fukawa heard what Eto said, but she didn't explain it in detail.

"During the final selection, I was the one who approached Mai Xian to talk to her. Although she looked very nervous and didn't respond much, I thought she didn't like others talking to her casually, so I didn't continue." Matsumura said, "Then

On the way back, I happened to be at the Nogizaka subway station, and I was hit on by someone who looked like a college student. He was dressed very flirtatiously. I'm not very good at dealing with this kind of situation. I thought there are so many people in Tokyo trying to hit on you.

But I couldn't say no properly. Those boys thought it was a joke, so they were even more reluctant to leave. I was so angry that I wanted to throw the bag on each other's head, but I could only stand stiffly and giggle..."

"and after?"

"Later, Maiyan came, and I just met her eyes. She didn't hesitate, she came over directly, took my hand, dragged me away, and said, 'This is my friend, let's go together.

Yeah, the boys were very sensible and didn't follow me again."

Matsumura's fingers gently fiddled with the straw.

"Maimai. I didn't care much about social interactions when I was in school. I didn't know how to put on makeup or dress up at that time. I liked watching anime and I rarely had friends I could talk to. That's why I was rescued by Mai-like holding hands.

It’s one of my countless precious memories. Being treated like that by Mai, who is so gentle and handsome, it’s not too much to think that she is my best best friend in my heart.”

Then, she changed the topic and smiled sadly.

"It's just that maybe Maiyan just regards me as an ordinary friend... Once she thinks like this, she feels very lonely and awkward when we are together, and she always avoids her subconsciously."

For some reason, Fukawa's first thought was of the girl standing at the shoe cabinet in his memory, smiling sadly. Had he ever made her so troubled?

Fukawa crossed the table and gently covered Matsumura's hands with his hands.

"Let's go on a trip together. After the nationwide tour, we can go to Kyoto, Okinawa, Karuizawa, or anywhere. Let's go out together again."

"But……"
Chapter completed!