A secluded street far from the city center, a small privately-run coffee shop.
The four club members who had come from the family restaurant sat at a square table near the corner. Their ordered coffee and desserts had already been served, but none of them was in the mood to taste them first.
The shop was playing soothing, poetic classical music - the well-known Air on the G String.
The beautiful melody that could normally make fatigue and sadness vanish into thin air had no effect at this moment. The relatively peaceful atmosphere of the shop became even heavier after the four customers took their seats, gradually materializing with time until it reached a somewhat oppressive level.
Seeing this, the shop owner couple turned their phones, which had been playing TV shows aloud, to silent mode, their cautious demeanor like rabbits waiting for a python hunting in their burrow to leave.
Today was supposed to be just a normal club dinner outing, the same as always - so why had it turned out like this?
Thinking about how his ugly display of anger and table-slamming over Iizuka Takeya's few words at the family restaurant had been witnessed by the three people beside him, Aki Tomoya felt too agitated to think clearly.
That feeling of being led by the nose and humiliated by the other party had made his mentality explode, and he still couldn't calm down.
Because of this mentality, he had developed even more extreme thoughts.
Why did you three just watch me being mocked without helping me speak up in the middle? We're companions from the same club, aren't we?
...
"Rinri-kun, let's begin."
Kasumigaoka Utaha broke the silence with her words.
Her cool voice made Aki Tomoya, who had been staring with an uncertain expression, shiver all over.
Begin...
Ah, right, they had come out today to discuss game development matters.
"Ah, yeah..."
Aki Tomoya forced an extremely ugly and strained smile.
He tried hard to return to his usual state, but after multiple attempts proved futile, he chose to give up.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai... let's just forget about today."
"Aki-kun..."
Kato Megumi's soft call, with little presence as always, still showed no expression that would reveal her true thoughts, but concern could be heard in her tone.
However, this approach didn't have much effect. Aki Tomoya's mood remained low.
"Sorry, my mind is a bit confused. Let's discuss the game matters tomorrow at the school club instead."
Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, glanced at Eriri beside her, and after seeing that she had no intention of speaking, made a decision.
"In that case, after we finish our coffee, let's call it a day. We'll discuss the specifics tomorrow at the school club."
She picked up her coffee and spoke normally, acting normally with the same demeanor as always, as if what had happened before was of no consequence.
"If there's nothing urgent, I'll head back first today."
Eriri waited quietly for a while, and seeing that no one wanted to start a conversation, slowly stood up.
"Wait, Eriri!"
Aki Tomoya called out to Eriri as she stood up.
"Is there something else?"
"Well... you see, since everyone rarely comes out together, wouldn't it be nice to just chat casually?"
Aki Tomoya smiled apologetically and carefully.
"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night and want to go back early to catch up on sleep."
Eriri simply and decisively shook her head, declining.
"Well then, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Kato Megumi, tomorrow..."
"Wait, Eriri! Don't you think you should explain something?"
Seeing his childhood friend's cold attitude toward him, and remembering how she had blushed when Murakami Yuu gently tapped her head with the menu earlier, Aki Tomoya couldn't help but feel angry, his tone full of confrontational intent.
Eriri was stunned, and seeing his expression, she laughed in extreme anger.
"Hah?! What do you want me to explain?"
Earlier at the family restaurant, when Aki Tomoya had described their relationship in a way that could easily cause misunderstandings, that action had already made her quite dissatisfied.
Over time, this resentment had mostly dissipated in her heart, and she had originally endured it, but with Aki Tomoya's words igniting it, the emotion that had nearly vanished came surging back to her head.
"Everyone, it's better not to fight."
Kato Megumi softly mediated from the side, taking on the role of conflict resolver.
Aki Tomoya immediately realized his mistake, breaking out in cold sweat as he looked at Eriri's unfriendly expression.
He realized that his questioning just now had been inappropriate - it was an impulsive statement driven by his inner irritation. He quickly softened his tone.
"Sorry, Eriri, I didn't mean that..."
"Then what did you mean? Go ahead and tell me what you want me to explain?"
While Aki Tomoya wanted to retreat, Eriri showed no intention of backing down, pressing forward step by step.
Kato Megumi felt helpless on the side and could only turn to Kasumigaoka Utaha for help.
"Sawamura-san, Ethics-kun is just a weak-legged shrimp who can't grasp the current situation. Bullying him won't give you any sense of achievement."
"Who's bullying him? He's the one who brought this up!"
Eriri's momentum remained undiminished, though she directed some of it toward Kasumigaoka Utaha, which relieved some pressure on Aki Tomoya, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
He considered remedial measures, thinking about his childhood friend's personality, and based on past experience, quickly spoke up.
"Sorry, I'm just a bit worried about Eriri, so..."
"Worried about me?"
He was interrupted.
"Yes, exactly. That Iizuka Takeya claims to be a 2D enthusiast, but he's actually just a complete bad guy. His target was decided from the beginning - to get close to Kato-san. This kind of frivolous guy who confesses on first meeting is obviously no good person."
Seeing Eriri's expression soften slightly, Aki Tomoya thought his reasoning was working and became increasingly excited.
"They say birds of a feather flock together - people of similar character choose to gather together. So Eriri, it's best to have less contact with this kind of guy and the people around him in the future, otherwise some unexpected dangerous incidents might occur..."
It was Kato Megumi tugging at the corner of Aki Tomoya's clothes that made him notice the cold smile hanging at the corner of Eriri's mouth.
"Who I associate with is my own freedom. I don't need others to teach me what to do."
"No, Eriri, I don't mean that, it's just advice as a friend..."
"I appreciate the good intention, but please don't say such things in the future. It's easy to make people angry. I'm going back."
Eriri stood up and walked straight out of the coffee shop with an expressionless face.
"Eriri, wait..."
"Rinri-kun!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms and interrupted, her closed eyes slowly opening to reveal complete exhaustion.
"Don't bother Sawamura-san anymore now. She's already lost patience with you."
"But..."
"Let's both calm down."
Looking at Aki Tomoya, whose mouth was slightly open as if wanting to say something but then slowly sitting down dejectedly.
Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a light sigh.
The worst way to handle it, Ethics-kun.
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