"So,"
Seeing that Sakiko really seemed about to get angry, Kamijou Mutsuki finally turned serious.
"What exactly did Sakiko-sensei come to see me for?"
"Seriously, what kind of weird title is Sakiko-sensei anyway?"
This was something she'd wanted to complain about for a long time.
"…Forget it."
But looking at the smiling boy in front of her, she let out a soft sigh and decided not to dwell on it.
"Anyway, about what happened earlier…"
The girl slightly turned her head away, as if trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, looking a bit embarrassed.
"…Thank you."
In the end, she still said it out loud.
"What did you say? How am I already dreaming before I've even gone to sleep?"
It wasn't that he was deliberately teasing her—he genuinely hadn't expected to hear those words from Sakiko-sensei.
"I said thank you!"
Kamijou Mutsuki's reaction clearly got to Sakiko; her fair face flushed bright red.
"What kind of image do I have in your mind?"
"Is it really that unbelievable for me to say thanks?"
"Isn't it? The high-and-mighty Miss Sakiko?"
"I am not high-and-mighty!"
Hearing that judgment again while fully sober, Sakiko-sensei immediately frowned, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Anyway… about Tomori—thank you."
There was a trace of self-reproach in her voice.
"If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be hurting her."
"My choice back then… really was too self-righteous."
"So you're planning to make up with Tomori and the others? Go back to how things were before?"
Hearing this, Kamijou Mutsuki raised an eyebrow slightly.
Could it be that Soyo's long-pursued goal had been achieved by him completely by accident?
"You know my situation,"
However, after hearing his words, Sakiko—unsurprisingly—furrowed her brows.
"We can't go back to the past anymore. That's not something I get to decide."
"I'll do everything I can to make it up to Tomori, but that's all I can do."
"Have you ever thought about telling Tomori about your current situation? I believe they'd understand."
"My business has nothing to do with them!"
This time, it was as if he had struck a sore spot—Sakiko became agitated instantly.
Although Kamijou Mutsuki's song had already hinted at quite a bit about her situation, some things were different when left unspoken versus being openly stated.
And if she were the one to say it herself, to Sakiko-sensei, that would be no different from begging for sympathy.
You had to know—back when she was still in CRYCHIC, she had always occupied the position of leader, the one others relied on.
For her pride, that was something she absolutely could not give up.
"There's no need to tell them!"
As expected, Sakiko was still Sakiko—the stubborn girl who valued her pride more than her own life, hurting others and herself in the process.
Just a single song was obviously not enough to completely change her.
So tell me—do you really think Tomori needs your "making it up to her"?
Have you ever thought about what she actually needs?
You really are someone who thinks about nothing but yourself.
"Mm, as long as you think it's fine."
In the end, Kamijou Mutsuki didn't say the sharp remark that would have provoked the girl. He simply replied with a smile.
"..."
That vaguely dismissive answer, like he was humoring a child, sparked an inexplicable irritation in Sakiko's heart.
But she clearly had no intention of starting an argument. Since she'd already said her thanks, she turned, ready to leave.
Just then, a knock suddenly sounded from outside.
"Mutsuki, can… can I come in?"
Mm—it was Tomori's voice.
Why is there another person?
Kamijou Mutsuki didn't think much of it, but Sakiko panicked instantly.
After all, look at the situation: dead of night, pitch black outside, a man and a woman alone in a room—and they were even wearing pajamas.
If this got seen, it would definitely be misunderstood!
Just imagining Tomori seeing such an ambiguous scene made her heart race with panic. And seeing Kamijou Mutsuki casually about to open the door as if he didn't care at all made her blood pressure spike.
Seeing that his hand was already on the doorknob, her thoughts in chaos and not wanting to face Tomori under these circumstances, the girl instinctively dove into the nearby wardrobe.
Watching Sakiko-sensei's baffling move, this time it was Kamijou Mutsuki who was full of question marks.
If it were Rikki and the others, sure—but Tomori?
Even though their situation was indeed a bit ambiguous, with Tomori's airheaded personality, how could she possibly misunderstand?
All it would take was a simple explanation, and there wouldn't be any problem at all.
Sakiko-sensei was completely doing the classic "drawing attention by trying to hide it"—she basically cornered herself.
"Mutsuki?"
Seeing Kamijou Mutsuki open the door and then say nothing, instead staring into the room, Tomori couldn't help tugging lightly on his sleeve.
"…Come in first. We'll talk inside."
Kamijou Mutsuki shifted his gaze back to Tomori and motioned for her to enter the bedroom.
As for Sakiko-sensei…
Kamijou Mutsuki felt it wasn't really necessary, but as long as she was happy, that was fine.
"So, Tomori, what did you want to see me about?"
Only now did Kamijou Mutsuki seriously look at the Tomori in front of him.
Although Tomori usually looked airheaded, she actually had quite a presence—at least more than Sakiko-sensei. And the pure white pajamas she was wearing now made that even more obvious.
Combined with that blank, almost paper-like innocent expression…
Crap, the stars are acting up again!
"I wanted to… thank you, Mutsuki."
Tomori, who had basically delivered herself to his door, didn't seem to realize it at all, and instead spoke with a very serious expression.
"…Did I do anything that would deserve thanks from you?"
Although Kamijou Mutsuki rarely went out of his way to restrain his desires, he still felt that deceiving a child wasn't a good thing.
What's more, Sakiko-sensei was still watching from inside the wardrobe—if he really tried to do anything, he'd probably be judged on the spot.
So, unlike how he'd acted with Anon before, Kamijou Mutsuki didn't directly voice any personal desires.
"If it weren't for you, Mutsuki… Sakiko wouldn't have… been like that."
However, after hearing his question, Tomori's gaze dimmed slightly as she lowered her head.
"Ever since leaving CRYCHIC, Sakiko has been… avoiding me."
"It felt like… she hated me."
"I kept thinking… maybe I really did something wrong."
"That's why… everything ended up failing like this."
"This was never your fault."
"But it was because of you, Mutsuki, that I understood."
Hearing Kamijou Mutsuki's words, Tomori suddenly lifted her head and met his eyes directly, without any hesitation.
"Sakiko… doesn't hate me."
"I don't know what saki-chan… has been through."
"But she just doesn't want to hurt us."
So that's how Tomori sees it?
Hearing Tomori's words, Sakiko, hiding inside the wardrobe, felt her emotions instantly grow complicated.
......................