A few minutes earlier.
Upon receiving a call from Agnes Tachyon that she had found a solution, Manhattan Cafe hurried toward the research lab.
While passing through a corridor, she felt a sudden thud on her head. In the blink of an eye, a coarse rope wrapped tightly around her, and the next moment, she was hoisted into the air, flung over someone's shoulder.
While still stunned by the fact that she'd been kidnapped right inside the school, she was already being tied to a chair.
When the hood was finally pulled off, Manhattan Cafe found herself in the middle of the training field, surrounded by classmates all watching the spectacle.
It's over…
It's all over.
Her heart sank like a stone.
She never expected to be ambushed on her way to find Agnes Tachyon, nor did she imagine Gold Ship could move so swiftly, leaving her no chance to react.
The binding technique felt practiced, almost refined—by the time Cafe realized what was happening, she was already completely immobilized.
Then Gold Ship reached toward her, and a voice echoed once more across the training grounds.
"That's right! The prize for winning this race is—Manhattan Cafe!"
With a hand gesturing toward Cafe, presenting her to the crowd, Gold Ship announced loudly.
Screams and cheers erupted throughout the field.
"Gold Ship…"
"Hey, Cafe-chan, how're you feeling? Any dizziness or discomfort? I've gotta hand you over to the winner safe and sound, after all."
Completely oblivious to how outrageous her actions were, Gold Ship teased her lightly.
"What on earth are you doing? Untie me right now…"
Cafe was starting to get angry.
This girl had not only ignored her wishes, forcibly brought her here and put her on display in front of everyone, but was now introducing her like some sort of trophy.
Even with Cafe's generally calm temper, she was reaching her limit.
"Of course, of course. After all, you're involved too, aren't you? I just brought you over to speed things up a bit. Just hang tight for a moment, okay?"
Surprisingly, Gold Ship actually began untying the ropes.
Once free again, Cafe rubbed her sore arm where it had been twisted.
She had no intention of sticking around for this ridiculous farce.
Whether it was Narita Brian, or Green Grass… these people always just pushed ahead with things on their own.
Manhattan Cafe had never asked to be part of this absurd competition.
I'm leaving…
No matter what anyone thought, she was going to walk away.
"Is that really okay, Cafe? Look over there."
Sensing her intention, Gold Ship pointed toward the training track.
Three girls stood before the starting gates, doing their final warm-ups.
Noticing the two of them looking over, Green Grass straightened up and waved toward Cafe from across the field.
"They're all ready to go. Are you really just going to leave, Cafe, without a care for these people fighting to win this race—for you?"
It's not like I asked them to…
Though thinking that might make her seem heartless, it was the truth.
From start to finish, this whole situation had nothing to do with her.
By the time Cafe had noticed anything, things had already escalated to this point.
The race, the confessions… especially Admire Vega's confession.
Honestly, Cafe's feelings were complicated.
Her feelings toward Admire Vega were just those of an ordinary classmate. Even though sometimes, Admire Vega would show a special side, drawing subtly closer with a different kind of attitude…
From beginning to end, Cafe had never seen her in that light.
That kind of light… someone who could go beyond friendship, or someone to entrust the rest of her life to.
If the point of this race was to become friends with her, Cafe would gladly accept. But clearly, these people wanted something more!
Manhattan Cafe felt her own orientation was pretty normal. When she looked at her classmates, she never had any desires mixed in. So facing Admire Vega's straightforward feelings left Cafe truly at a loss.
She didn't want to accept, but she didn't want to outright reject either.
If she made her stance clear, they probably couldn't even remain friends.
Why did you have to say it…
She didn't dislike Admire Vega. She could sense that beneath that icy exterior was a tender heart. But she certainly didn't have strong feelings of affection either.
To Cafe, Admire Vega's feelings for her felt somewhat inexplicable.
One day, her attitude had done a complete one-eighty. Another day, she'd suddenly climbed into her bed, pulling two people who'd barely interacted right up close.
Too fast…
It was like going from acquaintances who only nodded hello yesterday to intimate partners today. That kind of leap was too much for anyone to accept!
Of course, that example referred to Admire Vega.
What confused Cafe even more was Narita Brian.
Why was Narita Brian involved in all this?
To make a comparison, she and Narita Brian were like parallel lines—no intersection, and there never would be.
Even so, Narita Brian had challenged Green Grass, claiming she wasn't fit to stay by Cafe's side.
What?
When she heard the reason, Manhattan Cafe wondered if she'd misheard.
What does that even mean…
No matter what, Green Grass was a senior who looked out for her. Sure, sometimes her behavior was a bit out there, but among the three, Green Grass was the one Cafe interacted with the most.
Besides often receiving her help during training, Green Grass had also assisted her in plenty of other activities.
So Cafe held a good deal of gratitude toward this caring senior.
Still, that gratitude was just that of a junior toward a senior—not anywhere close to pledging her life to someone.
It wasn't like that at all—she and Green Grass weren't in that kind of relationship!
How did things get like this…
Gazing distantly at the three of them, Manhattan Cafe felt a swirl of emotions. Turning and seeing Gold Ship's smug expression only stoked her irritation.
Things escalating to this point definitely had a lot to do with this one spouting unfounded nonsense!
When did I ever say I had that kind of relationship with them!
And when did I ever… huh?
Suddenly, Manhattan Cafe's heart dropped.
When…
Come to think of it, not long ago, when Gold Ship had come to her about "her secret," Cafe had mistaken it for a 'friend' matter. After learning Gold Ship's real meaning, she'd glossed over it with vague words and let the misunderstanding slide.
Now it seemed Gold Ship had taken that and run with it as the truth.
Thinking back to that, Manhattan Cafe's head spun.
I should have cleared up the misunderstanding and stopped her right then…
But her attention had been entirely on steering Gold Ship away from the 'friend' idea.
Now it was too late for regrets. Things had developed far beyond what Cafe could stop.
"I'm leaving…"
Cafe knew this felt like a betrayal to Green Grass and the others, but she really couldn't keep playing along with this charade.
"Is that so." Watching Cafe's resolute decision to leave, Gold Ship raised the microphone.
"Then let's welcome our special guest commentator—Agnes Tachyon! She'll be kindly providing commentary for this race. Everyone, a round of applause!"
Amid the cheers of students who seemed to relish the chaos, Agnes Tachyon stepped out from the crowd.
Her dark red eyes met Cafe's confused and uncertain gaze.
"Hey, Cafe." She raised a hand in greeting.
"Go back to your seat. I'll help you sort this mess out."
A meaningful smile spread across her pale face.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.