On the way to the Keigunen Private Academy laboratory.
Under Unohana Chiyo's rather embarrassed gaze, Su Yuzu hugged the woman's arm.
The young girl's gaze occasionally swept across the glass on both sides of the street or the convex mirrors at the intersections, watching Soga Yura's distorted expression in the mirrors... looking aggrieved, like a bullied little wife.
Then, she hugged Unohana Chiyo's arm a little tighter.
Feeling the girl's youthful and ardent body heat, Unohana Chiyo whispered in Su Yuzu's ear, "Yuzu..."
"That is your sister, after all."
Unohana Chiyo, who had basically been 'alone and helpless' all along, understood that feeling of loneliness better than anyone.
She didn't want to see sisters, who clearly could get along well, hurting each other. Unohana Chiyo still hoped the sisters could be harmonious.
"Ahhh... I know, I know." Su Yuzu held Unohana Chiyo's hand and gently rubbed the woman's palm.
It was quite interesting. Despite bearing the name of a 'Death Squad' member, Unohana Chiyo's palm was so soft it didn't have a single callus.
If not for being able to view Unohana Chiyo's Operator Index, and having seen Ms. Unohana Chiyo manipulate metal—and shout directly at her for the sake of a hundred years' salary, "Little Yuzu, just come at Teacher!", "Teacher is very durable*," and things like that... Su Yuzu might have truly believed that Unohana Chiyo's character setting was just a gentle and glamorous, yet always forced-to-be-sickly PE teacher.
Hmm... a sickly PE teacher.
But speaking of which... a hundred years of salary. Her former self probably would have found it hard to refuse too. Especially when the target was her own cute student. Director Saionji really had boldness.
Having her palm gently caught by Su Yuzu, Unohana Chiyo's footsteps suddenly became somewhat uncoordinated.
Behind the two of them.
If looks could kill, Soga Yura, who was clutching her handkerchief tightly with teary eyes glaring at Unohana Chiyo, would have probably killed Unohana Chiyo a thousand or ten thousand times already with her gaze.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'
If at the beginning she felt moved that the woman was persuading Yuzu to get along with her, watching the way Yuzu comforted that woman made Soga Yura's eyes turn red.
Su Yuzu glanced at Soga Yura in the intersection's convex mirror, who looked like she would cry in the next second.
She stopped at the entrance of a dessert shop on the street side.
"Hello~"
"I'd like four..." After hesitating for a moment, Su Yuzu held up her finger again, "No~"
"I'd like ten daifuku."
The number of girls who might appear by her side at any time was increasing. Su Yuzu had to make full preparations in advance.
The extra daifuku could totally be put into the [Material Inventory]; bringing them back to the dormitory to feed Zero later would also be excellent.
To be honest, last night, after discovering that Zero's Favorability gifts were things like [Common White Flower found everywhere] and [Apple of Average Freshness]... and that the girl's feedback after eating the crepe was actually [Gratitude], Su Yuzu suddenly felt that the girl seemed quite pitiful.
Then—
Under Soga Yura's gaze, which was like a pitiful puppy that simply couldn't be pulled away from Yuzu, Su Yuzu handed the first daifuku to Soga Yura.
Even though the girl deliberately put on an act of 'I don't really care to eat this,' Soga Yura, as if she hadn't seen that at all, happily took the paper box from Su Yuzu's hand, almost cautiously.
'She has me in her heart!!!'
Just as arrogant and aloof as Soga Yura appeared when she rejected all of Yuzu's gifts and greetings back then, Soga Yura's posture before Su Yuzu now was just as low and pitiful.
Sakura Mai looked at her best friend.
She couldn't help but sigh in her heart... was it necessary?
If she had known she couldn't endure that loneliness and exclusion, why did she hold her posture so high back then? She lost all initiative in one fell swoop.
"Sister Mai~" The girl, smiling beamingly, handed another mango daifuku to Sakura Mai.
Sakura Mai, who was just lamenting in her heart, immediately put on a smile and took the paper box from Su Yuzu's hand.
'Sister Yuzu has me in her heart!!!'
Soga Yura looked at Sakura Mai.
She knew 'clearly' what this guy was thinking just a moment ago, but look at the result, look at the result~
As if anyone could refuse her Yuzu.
The more Soga Yura thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Inside [Operator Development], the Soga Yura Q-version chibi let out a 'woo' sound, tears about to burst out again.
If she could go back to the past, Soga Yura really wanted to grab her former self by the collar and shout, "Look at what you were protecting!"
"Who was the person hurting Yuzu!"
By the time the girls arrived at the laboratory, it was already nine in the morning.
Director Saionji stood there with a serious face. Beside her was Mihou Sakai, who had already changed into casual clothes but still wore monitoring collars and bracelets on her neck and wrists.
The girl's pale green eyes lit up the instant she saw Su Yuzu. "Senpai..."
Then they dimmed hesitantly.
Just as Director Saionji had said, inside Mihou Sakai's heart, there was already an invisible threshold, a hurdle that was hard to cross because she had undergone Aberrant transformation twice.
The person shackling the girl was herself.
"Little Mihou~~~" Su Yuzu reached out and rubbed the girl's neatly arranged hairstyle into a mess. "This is a gift I brought for Student Mihou."
"It's daifuku."
"I just don't know what flavors Student Mihou likes."
"Student Mihou's little sister has a share too!"
"I bought a lot, don't be polite."
Mihou Sakai looked up at Su Yuzu's smiling face.
Just seeing that smile, she felt as if she were being healed.
Mihou Sakai thought of Director Saionji's enlightening words.
If you like someone, you must chase them bravely. Inferiority and self-isolation will only make the light belonging to you drift further and further away.
Especially... when her light was already so outstanding to begin with.
"Than..."
"Thank you, Senpai." A voice that was almost a mumble.
Before Mihou Sakai could finish speaking, she felt herself fall into a soft embrace. Su Yuzu hugged Mihou Sakai, her chin pressing against the girl's neck.
"Really..."
"Why do you look so listless?"
"Did someone bully Little Mihou?"
"No... no..." Listening to the soft breeze blowing by her ear, Mihou Sakai nervously took the bag containing the daifuku from Su Yuzu's hand.
She looked behind Su Yuzu.
That girl who had an almost identical appearance to Senpai Yuzu, Senpai Yuzu's sister... was looking at her with a strange gaze.
Soga Yura looked at Yuzu comforting another girl.
Her Yuzu was very dazzling.
Although she wanted to say she was envious, watching her Yuzu comfort the injured girl so gently, she indeed felt a sense of pride.
She wanted to puff out her chest and say that was her Yuzu.
But... but... she couldn't puff it out at all.
So sour.
It really was still so sour.
Even if she was proud of Yuzu, she still felt so sour; her heart was so sour that tears were about to fall.
Embracing Mihou Sakai, Su Yuzu looked at Director Saionji standing behind Mihou Sakai.
After hesitating for a moment, "By the way, Director Saionji."
"I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Just as well." Saionji Sagara nodded. "I also have something I want to discuss with you."
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