"Sora, hurry up and talk. What exactly did you guys do?"
"We were studying hard in the library, while Sora was out having a secret meal... so mean!"
"..."
Faced with Elf's questioning, Sora remained composed. He opened his schoolbag, took out a box of matcha-flavored biscuit sticks, pulled one out, and offered it to Elf:
"Open your mouth."
What do you mean, 'having a secret meal behind your back'?
We're not even dating, you completely don't have the right to say that, alright!
"Ah..."
Yamada Elf subconsciously tilted up her small face and parted her pink lips.
"Don't talk while you're eating."
Sora complained as he offered a biscuit stick to Angel-sama.
"Mahiru, your biscuit stick."
"Thank you, Sora-kun."
Angel-sama's voice was gentle. She didn't refuse and reached out to take a biscuit stick.
She had previously received a message from Sora, knowing he went to help Kuroneko buy eye drops, so Mahiru didn't have a belly full of suspicions like Elf.
Sora turned his head and looked at Tiara beside him:
"Basori-san, have one."
"Eh?"
Tiara widened her eyes in surprise. She didn't expect him to offer her a snack and hurriedly waved her hands:
"I-I won't eat it."
Although she wanted to eat it, Tiara had thin skin and was too embarrassed to accept.
"There's enough for everyone." Angel-sama tilted her head to look over, her voice soft.
"Tiara should also have a biscuit stick."
"T-Then okay..."
Tiara weakly agreed.
When facing Mahiru, Tiara always felt somewhat lacking in confidence. This was probably the oppressive aura a struggling student feels when facing a top student.
Basori Tiara blushed and quickly pulled out a biscuit stick:
"Thank you, Mahiru-san."
The corner of Sora's mouth twitched slightly, unable to resist complaining:
"I'm clearly the one who offered the biscuit stick, why are you thanking Mahiru?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
Basori Tiara hurriedly apologized with a red face:
"I forgot... Thank you, Izumi-kun!"
"It's too late to apologize now." Sora's tone was faint.
"My wounded heart is already full of holes."
"Eh?"
Tiara instantly became nervous:
"Then... then I'll go buy snacks to compensate Izumi-kun?"
"Sora-kun, don't bully Tiara." Angel-sama glared affectionately with her bright eyes.
"Hurry up and study."
"Ah..."
Yamada Elf tilted up her small face again and opened her mouth, like a pet waiting for its owner to feed it, having completely forgotten about interrogating him regarding the 'secret meal':
"Sora, I want more."
"..."
After finishing the two boxes of biscuit sticks, their study session also concluded. The group left the library and then each went home.
The next few days passed in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday.
7:30 PM.
Sora and Mahiru got on their bikes and headed to the lakeside park to continue their training.
The two didn't run for a long time today. After running two kilometers around the lakeside path, Shiina Mahiru stopped, panting slightly:
"Sora-kun, let's stop here for today. Tomorrow is the Sports Festival. Resting well tonight and conserving our energy is more important."
Sora nodded:
"I'm a bit thirsty, want to go buy a drink?"
"Okay."
The two arrived at the vending machine. Sora bought a bottle of green tea, while Mahiru bought a bottle of Ramune.
While drinking his beverage, Sora's gaze casually drifted towards the restroom not far away. The memory of their first night running by the lake suddenly surfaced in his mind—the image of the other Angel-sama during the time rewind, taking the initiative to kiss him at the restroom door. His gaze involuntarily shifted to Mahiru.
Having just finished her Ramune, Angel-sama's lips were pink, moist, and crystal clear, exceptionally beautiful and alluring.
"Sora-kun?"
Noticing his gaze, Shiina Mahiru tilted her head slightly. The girl's high ponytail swayed gently behind her back, brimming with vitality.
"It's nothing."
Sora quickly averted his gaze.
"Mmm..."
Angel-sama pursed her pink, moist lips, following Sora's gaze towards the public restroom not far away. A faint blush quickly rose on her pretty face, clearly having guessed the truth.
"Shall we head back after we finish our drinks?"
Sora suggested, his expression normal.
"It's still early..." Shiina Mahiru raised her right hand, gently tucking the stray hair by her ear. Averting her slightly reddened face, her voice was soft, "We've been running for almost half a month, but we haven't ever properly appreciated the night view of the lake. Shall we sit for a while before going back?"
"Then let's sit for a while."
The two walked to the lakeside and found a deserted bench to sit down.
The lake reflected the various neon lights from the distance, looking shimmering and exceptionally beautiful.
"There's a moon tonight." Shiina Mahiru tilted her pretty face up, looking at the sky above.
"It's a pity we can't see the stars in the city."
Sora looked up at the sky:
"It really has been a long time since I've seen the stars. I remember when I was a kid, there were super many stars in the sky."
Angel-sama's eyes reflected the lake light and moonlight as she murmured softly:
"Compared to the boundless universe, human beings are truly an unbelievably insignificant existence. That's why I often feel that every encounter in life is a miracle that must be cherished."
Hey, hey, you're actually pondering the universe and human life, that's a philosopher's job!
As they were talking, a family of three happened to walk past.
A human toddler, just learning to walk, waddled unsteadily, carefully held by its parents. Its laughter quickly caught Angel-sama's attention.
Mahiru pursed her pink lips, silently watching the family of three walk away, a look of despondency involuntarily appearing on her pretty face.
Most parents in the world only have eyes for their children.
But there are always some parents who are unfit...
Seeing the lonely expression on Mahiru's face, Sora remained silent for two seconds before suddenly suggesting:
"Mahiru, do you want to go see the stars?"
"Eh?"
Shiina Mahiru looked up in surprise.
Sora stood up: "I know a place where you can reach out and touch the starry universe."
"There's a place like that in the city?"
Shiina Mahiru widened her beautiful eyes, her tone somewhat disbelieving.
"Follow me and you'll see, Mahiru."
"But it's already past eight o'clock, and the Sports Festival is tomorrow..."
"Don't worry, it won't take long. We'll definitely be home before ten."
"That's good."
Shiina Mahiru pursed her pink, moist lips, stood up, and followed him.
The two left the park, got on their bikes, and set off towards an unknown distance.
The evening breeze was cool.
It felt exceptionally comfortable blowing against their bodies.
Angel-sama's eyes were bright as she rode her bike behind Sora. Although she didn't know the destination, she didn't have the slightest worry in her heart. Instead, she held a faint sense of anticipation.
Is this what they call a spontaneous trip?
For Mahiru, who always played by the rules, not making plans in advance and heading towards an unknown destination in the night on a mere impulse made her feel exceptionally subtle and novel.
The journey was silent.
Twenty minutes later.
Sora parked his bike, turned off his phone's navigation, and looked at Angel-sama behind him:
"Mahiru, park the bike here."
"Mmm..." Shiina Mahiru tilted her pretty face up, curiously looking at the building in front of her.
"A planetarium?"