In the corridor, Nishino held the pendant in his hands, thinking that this is really not my style, and Xiaoxiao and the others would be surprised.

It's not that she deliberately stopped Weiyang Nai because she had a good relationship with Wu Geng, but that expectant look in her eyes made Nishino uneasy.

That natural and perfect smile is the last time it should appear.

Nishino pushed open the door to the practice room. As expected, there were still many second-year students left here. Everyone was startled by Nishino's sudden appearance.

Nishino frowned and glanced around, but there was no figure of Weiyana in the room.

"kii-chan."

"Ah, yes."

Kitano subconsciously stood up straight and responded. Then he realized, eh? Why am I so nervous?

"Where is Houli-chan? Isn't she with you?"

Kitano scratched his head and looked at his companions in confusion.

"Didn't she go back with you and Nishino-san? She said she was invited by Wu Geng-senpai."

Nishino was stunned, Weiyang Nai's appearance appeared in his mind again. She smiled and refused Wu Geng's invitation. Is the expectation in her eyes that she wanted Wu Geng to see through her lie? She said, "Wei Yang Nai, are you trying to be brave?" and then became tough.

He pulled her away with him.

But... this won't work. Xiaoxiao doesn't have special powers. She's so gentle that people can't help but want to get close to her for warmth, but she's also heartless enough. If you rely too much on her, you'll get hurt one day.

.

Nishino was speechless. She stood there with her head lowered, the anxiety in her heart appearing and disappearing intermittently.

"Nishino-san." Zhongyuan called her name.

Nishino looked back and saw Zhongyuan walking over, followed closely by Ikuta.

"I just met Houli-chan outside the bathroom."

Nishino knew what she meant, but was it really okay for him to go there now? If it was for comfort, maybe it would be better to change to the fifth watch. She squeezed the pendant in her hand with a little force.

"Want to go?"

Nishino looked up at Zhongyuan, who stared into her eyes and spoke seriously.

"Nishino-san, do you want to go?"

"I……"

Her body reacted before the sound came out, and she nodded unconsciously.

"Then go." Zhongyuan said with a smile, "kii-chan and the others will be here waiting for Houli-chan to come back."

"Well, we will wait here." Kitano responded subconsciously, and then tilted his head. Huh? What are the seniors talking about? Ninnai patted her head.

Nishino thanked Zhongyuan in a low voice and left the practice room.

"Nishino-san has changed a lot." Zhongyuan murmured.

"Really?" Ikuta crossed his arms and had doubts about Zhongyuan's words. Then he looked at Zhongyuan beside him and thought to himself, "Hikaka, just don't change anymore."

——

Nishino carefully checked the stall in the bathroom. It was empty, and Weiyana was not there.

She turned her attention to the men's room next door, could it be...then shook her head. What was I thinking? No matter how sad Houli-chan was, she wouldn't hide there.

But...what if...

Nishino is in a dilemma.

At this time, she noticed the escape passage at the end of the corridor. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped towards it.

Pushing open the heavy and slightly stagnant door, he saw Weiyang Nai sitting bent in the corner. Hearing the sound, he slowly raised his head, "...Nishino-san" and then buried his head in his arms again.

Nishino stopped in his tracks.

Sure enough... She thought that Xiao Xiao should be the one to handle it.

Why did she act so out of character? She regretted it a little.

"...Why...why did Nishino-san come..."

Nishino's heart tightened. Looking at the juniors huddled up in front of him, Nishino finally understood the meaning of the anxiety in his heart.

In the fitting room, the pain and pressure caused by my vain attempt to digest myself seemed to be superimposed with the Weiyang Nai in front of me. However, Wu Geng who opened the door at that time was replaced by the current self.

That's why I feel so resentful towards Houli-chan's aggressive attitude... because at that time, I was using the same defensive posture. I didn't want others to notice my inner weakness, but I was also secretly expecting someone to remove me from the situation.

Save yourself from this depressed state of mind.

Nishino opened his mouth and took a step forward as if to encourage himself.

"Would it be better to come here instead, Xiaoxiao?" she said.

Weiyang Nai was silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, "I don't want Wu Gengsang to see me look like this..."

"But you still hope that Xiaoxiao can notice your painful mood."

"..."

Weiyang Nai's body trembled, but she just tightened her arms silently.

Are you too impatient? Nishino thought.

"Sorry..." She apologized in a low voice, and then walked to Weiyang Nai.

"Did Houli-chan lie? Everyone in the second period is still waiting in the practice room and they haven't gone back yet."

"..."

"Do you want me to stay with you a little longer?"

"...The pendant," just when Nishino thought Weiyang Nai was about to hold on and stop talking, she suddenly said, "The pendant...is lost."

Xiye breathed a sigh of relief. If Weiyang Nai insisted on not communicating with her, there was nothing she could do. Xiye put away his skirt, squatted in front of Weiyang Nai and released his hands.

"This is it, I picked it up."

Weiyana looked up and when she got closer, Nishino noticed that the other person's eyes were red, but she didn't cry. She just bit her lip and said with a smile, "Thank you..."

Sure enough...it looks a lot like me...

Nishino's heart was touched, as if she was looking at herself who was defeated for the first time. She stretched out her right hand and gently touched the top of Weiyana's head, "...you're welcome."

Weiyang Nai opened her eyes slightly, and then smiled as if she felt reassured.

"Nishino-san is just like Wu Geng-san, he has a nice smell..."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Nishino's hand gently rubbed Weiyana's head, as if stroking a kitten, "When I heard Xiaoxiao say that the pendant was Asuka-chan, I felt really bad."

"Um……"

"But Xiaoxiao said it unintentionally. As for her, what should I say...she doesn't really care about this..."

"……Um."

"It's very sad that you didn't make it to the selection, and you still have to say things that you don't care about. Everyone feels the same way, Nakamoto-san, Yuri, Hina, Chiharu..."

Nishino is not good at comforting others. She has very few such experiences. Thinking about it carefully, she has been comforted by others more often. So she was at a loss for words after just two or three sentences. At this time, she was a little envious of those who were kind to others.

Fifth update. If Xiaoxiao is here, she will definitely be better at handling these situations. After all, she has a lot of experience.

Thinking about it this way, I felt awkward in my heart. This kind of "goodness" in Wu Geng was not a good thing for Nishino.

However, it is still possible to accompany Weiyang Nai Nishino, just like he was with her at Wu Gen.

Nishino sat next to Weiyang Nai and leaned against the wall. Looking at Weiyang Nai's weak shoulders, he hesitated again. Should he hug her? It would be a little abrupt. But when he thought about it, he would probably be generous.

After doing these actions, she suddenly felt inferior to her cautious words and deeds.

If I am still holding back and holding back, then what is the difference between me and myself who was hiding in the fitting room and waiting for others to rescue me three years ago.

Nishino took a breath, and her face turned a little red. She stretched out her arm tremblingly, paused on Weiyana's shoulder, and finally put it on with determination.

"Nishino...san?"

Noticing the extra touch and weight on her shoulders, Weiyana looked up at Nishino in surprise.

"It's okay." Nishino exerted his arms slightly.

Doing behavior that is not in line with your own character does require more energy and strength, but you can't back down here.

"It's okay, Houli-chan. I will stay with you. It doesn't matter if it's an hour, two hours, or even a whole night. We can talk about horror, horror movies, ghosts, murderers, whatever the topic is. So, call me
Chapter completed!