"Nya? Who are you? Why are you looking for him too?" Nekomata asked the red-haired girl in front of her, tilting her head in confusion.
Koleda, who had adored cute creatures since childhood, found herself swallowing nervously as she watched Nekomata make such a charming pose.
The girl was absolutely adorable, and Koleda fought the urge to scoop her up and pet her head.
"Ahem, sorry. I happened to overhear you talking to yourself, and you mentioned someone I know. You see, Wise and I were just together... we were on a date."
Koleda's face went red as she got those last words out.
Nekomata's eyes widened in shock at the revelation, though she quickly shook her head in denial.
"It has to be a coincidence, right? Wise made plans to spend today with me too... nya?!" Her voice suddenly rose as realization struck her.
The same dreadful understanding dawned on Koleda. After the two exchanged information about Wise, the last trace of doubt vanished from their minds.
"That bastard Wise... I was genuinely concerned when he left so suddenly, and this is what he was doing?!" Koleda's voice trembled with fury.
Having experienced her father's sudden departure, she had become painfully sensitive to the thought of being left behind.
And now Wise actually dared to make time for another girl while supposedly on a date with her?
That was unacceptable. He would not get away with it.
The way her teeth ground together made Nekomata glance at her nervously. But behind all that anger, there was a small, aching sadness she couldn't hide.
'Why did you do this to me, Wise? Did I do something wrong? Am I not important enough in your heart? Are you going to leave me behind just like my Father did?'
At the thought, Koleda pressed her lips together and clenched her fists tightly.
Seeing this, Nekomata was taken aback. She was upset about Wise's decision as well, but when she noticed Koleda's furious yet nearly tearful expression, she realized that Wise must not have told her about the others.
After struggling with her emotions for a moment, Koleda steadied herself and turned toward Nekomata.
"You…"
"Nya?!"
The sudden address caught Nekomata off guard, her thoughts immediately spiraling toward the worst possibility, that she had been mistaken for some kind of homewrecker and was about to get beaten up.
Fortunately, nothing like that happened. Koleda just asked with a shaky voice if she wanted to go find Wise together.
She was gonna track him down no matter what and get to the bottom of this.
As for Nekomata, from her appearance alone, she seemed like another innocent girl who had been deceived.
Plus, it probably wasn't just the two of them. There might be a bunch of other clueless girls who fell for his act. That thought just made Koleda even angrier.
Witnessing her fury, Nekomata kept her mouth shut and gave a meek nod of agreement. Her submissive response, however, only convinced Koleda further that her assumptions were correct.
Meanwhile, on Anby and Ellen's side, they had walked toward a more secluded spot to continue their tense standoff when Anby's phone suddenly began to ring.
Anby frowned slightly, then took out her phone from her pocket and found a message from Nekomata.
The messages weren't anything complicated, just questions asking if she was at the Carnival too, if Wise was her date, and a bunch of other things along those lines.
That caught Anby off guard for a sec, but she figured it out pretty quick. Obviously, Nekomata was dealing with the same mess they were.
After realizing this, Anby didn't make a fuss. She quietly turned off her phone, then looked at Ellen in front of her again.
"So... how far have things gotten between you and Wise?"
"Huh?"
The unexpected question left Ellen's lips parted in bewilderment, an expression mirrored perfectly by the three friends observing nearby.
They all thought the other party was preparing to launch a verbal attack, not that she would ask such a question.
After all, Anby herself might not have realized it, but to the other three, her words sounded completely like a provocation.
Still unaware that she had said anything wrong, Anby noticed Ellen's silence and assumed she had not been clear enough.
So she decided to be more direct.
"Have you and Wise slept together?"
"Wha— what are you t-talking about?!" Ellen stammered.
"No? Then a kiss?"
"You..."
"Not that either? So just held hands?" Anby's calm tone only seemed to fuel Ellen's anger.
"...Yes, so what are you trying to say?" Ellen's tone turned heavy, and her gaze at Anby sharpened into something almost murderous.
She had begun to feel as though she had somehow lost, and that realization made her incredibly furious.
After hearing Ellen's response, Anby simply shook her head. She hadn't meant anything by it.
Honestly, she had just been thinking that given Wise's capabilities, the lack of progress over such a long period seemed strange.
This girl named Ellen must be quite the challenge. Considering how long it had been since they had last crossed paths, the current situation made more sense.
However, neither the three close friends nor Ellen had any idea what Anby was actually thinking.
In their eyes, her expression looked like the victor's quiet pity toward the loser after delivering the final blow.
"Hey, don't go too far!"
Ruby stepped up right away, standing in front of Ellen protectively. There was no way she would allow her best friend to be pushed around like that.
Monna and Lynn followed without hesitation, standing firmly at her side. Even so, Ruby did most of the talking, while the other two supported her in silent agreement.
"It's very rude to come up and ask so many questions, you know? Besides, you keep asking Nom Nom Sh... I mean Ellen, all these questions. What about you? How far have you progressed with that guy?"
"Yeah, exactly! Especially with that cold attitude of yours."
"Uh, she... yeah, they're totally right!" That made Ruby and Lynn both look at Monna at the same time, which got her all flustered.
Then the three of them turned back to look at Anby, who seemed pretty lost. She genuinely had no idea what she'd done to offend them.
Those were just regular questions, and what cold attitude? She was always like this.
However, her stunned expression was taken by the three best friends as nothing more than a paper tiger being exposed, someone irritated and guilty yet too afraid to respond.
Even Ellen began to think the same, wondering if Anby's relationship with Wise had not progressed any further than her own.
Unfortunately, they were proven wrong. Just as the three best friends were about to press their advantage, Anby spoke.
"Yes, we've slept together."
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