"Hmm~ Hmm~"
For some reason, Chika felt that she had slept more peacefully today than any other day.
I don't know what's wrong with the bed today. It feels a bit hard.
But it smells really nice.
She rubbed her face against the hard surface out of habit, then reluctantly opened her eyes.
"???"
But the first thing she saw wasn't her bed, it was someone's neck. Looking further up, she could see whose neck it was.
Amamiya!?
Chika's eyes widened, her expression shifting slowly from astonishment to surprise, then to confusion, and finally settling into a playful smirk before turning into a look of contemplation.
How did I end up in Amamiya's arms?
She couldn't quite grasp the situation, so she tried to recall what had happened before she fell asleep.
She remembered that after getting the diary, she read Ren's entry and received her first chance to draw. She got a bottle of magic potion.
Suddenly, as the lingering drowsiness faded, her lost memories slowly began to return.
The horrifying memory came flooding back like a maggot clinging to her bones. The wave of terrible recollection overwhelmed her, nearly suffocating her.
Yes! That's it!
That horrifying memory had resurfaced.
Her heartbeat quickened, her blood pressure rose, and her body began trembling slightly from the overwhelming emotion.
She remembered that, at that time, it felt like her entire world was crumbling.
But just as she was about to break, she felt a trace of warmth return to her body, and her voice, which had been too weak to speak, gradually regained strength.
She knew someone could save her, as long as she called out his name.
All the suppressed memories awakened at that moment.
She remembered that after calling his name, she entered a strange place. There, she saw Ren, and her shattered world began to piece itself back together.
Even now, just thinking about it made cold sweat trickle down her back. But her wildly beating heart slowly calmed when she remembered Ren.
That inexplicable sense of security made her relax.
Although she still didn't fully understand what was going on… it was fine.
Chika didn't dwell on why she was in Ren's arms anymore. At this moment, the feeling of security made her feel completely at ease.
As for that horrifying memory, she didn't think she'd forget it anytime soon.
As long as Kaguya didn't find out, everything would be fine.
Chika thought carefreely.
Just as she was about to close her eyes and go back to sleep, a stiff cough made her frown. She turned toward the source of the sound, annoyed—and then froze like a cat caught red-handed stealing fish.
There stood Kaguya, her face filled with resentment, eyes burning with barely concealed jealousy and bitterness.
And behind her, Hayasaka stood expressionless as usual, but there was a clear glint in her eyes—the joy of watching drama, mixed with a tinge of envy.
"???"
Chika, who had just been frightened, suddenly felt like the world had changed. At this moment, she felt as though she could see everyone's emotional shifts and the thoughts behind them.
"What are you staring at, Fujiwara?"
Kaguya was practically seething with jealousy.
She had just started dating her boyfriend, and already he had to hug another girl to calm her down. She understood why, and the girl he hugged was her friend, so she couldn't even throw a fit.
Just like she had said before, she could accept the complicated and special relationship between them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get jealous just by standing by and watching.
She would still be jealous. She would still get angry when it was called for. In fact, her jealousy might even be stronger than before.
"Huh?"
Chika was stunned as she looked at Kaguya. She could clearly see Kaguya's conflicted emotions and her intense jealousy.
"Since you're awake, shouldn't you be getting off Ren?"
Only then did Chika realize she was practically lying across Ren's lap, her body nestled against his arms, and her head almost buried in his shoulder.
No wonder the first thing she saw earlier was a neck.
No wonder the bed felt so hard...
She curled up instinctively, even her bare feet were resting on Ren's legs.
Imagining how she must have looked, Chika's face instantly turned pink.
She could accept sleeping in Ren's arms, but not being stared at like this.
She quickly pushed off of Ren using his shoulders.
"Hehe~ Sorry, Kaguya. I stole your Ren."
Chika jumped down and turned to Kaguya with a flushed face and a playful grin.
"...Well, it's not like he was mine to begin with."
The way Chika said "your Ren" was oddly satisfying to Kaguya.
"Really? But the way Kaguya addresses Ren has changed, hasn't it? Just like how Ran and Sonoko did back then."
"And when Kaguya saw me sitting on Ren, she was really jealous. That kind of expression... I've never seen you make it before."
Kaguya froze and subconsciously touched her face. Did she really show that kind of emotion?
"Yeah, it was pretty obvious. It's the first time I've ever seen Kaguya so jealous."
As she spoke, Chika's face bloomed with a radiant smile.
"So, Kaguya is acting so jealous because Ren responded to your confession, right?"
"!?"
"Pfft~ I got it right. So, does that mean Kaguya and Ren are officially dating now?"
Faced with Chika's teasing smile, Kaguya couldn't keep up her calm façade anymore.
"Fujiwara, what nonsense are you saying!?"
No matter how hard she tried to play it cool, all of Kaguya's emotions were clearly visible in Chika's eyes.
"Hmm~ Jealous Kaguya is so cute~"
"!?"
That one sentence completely shattered all of Kaguya's mental defenses.
"A-Anyway! Get up already! I-I'm going out with Hayasaka!"
Unable to endure Chika's teasing stare any longer, Kaguya turned and grabbed Hayasaka before storming out of the room with her.
(To be continued.)
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