24 It hurts

"She probably got close to you because she has ulterior motives. Girls like that are the worse. She recently had an older boyfriend, too and her relationship with the guys in Nanairofeather is questionable. Mamoru-kun, that girl is only stringing you along. You can't let yourself get tricked by her any longer. If you're with me, you will receive more-"

Mamoru cuts the girl off as he slams his fist against the wall causing a small crack to form. "Are you done? I think you need to get your eyes checked. Are you not the one with ulterior motives? You think you know me? Hah. Even if it wasn't for Ki, I wouldn't bother with that crappy entrance exam. What I want the most is for her to smile. I want to be by her side to see that happen."

"But she-"

"Don't act like you know me or even her. You don't know anything."

Sumire stopped herself from crying. How can he be this foolishly honest? This is too much, Ru; please don't do so much for her. But even if she said this to him, she knew what he would say. Her thoughts broke off when somebody grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

It was Ru; he looked at her, surprised but immediately wiped her tears.

"Are you okay, Ki? It's alright. I won't let anybody bad mouth you like that ever again."

That's not the reason she is crying. She already knows what people think of her. No matter what she does, if somebody dislikes her, she won't be able to change their mind. Once people are fixed on a certain image, it is difficult to change their minds. That is human nature.

The reason for her tears is knowing that there is somebody out there who cares so much for her.

The girl who confessed to Ru looked at the scene livid. "Look what she is doing now. She is doing the whole crocodile tears act! She acts like she doesn't like you, but she intercepts all your confessions."

No, no. It's more like she runs away from girls who try to use her to confess to Ru.

"I have sent you plenty of letters in the past, but you never got them until now. Isn't it obvious she has been stealing them?"

What on earth is this girl saying?

"Ibuki-san, you are too unfair. It's not just with Mamoru-kun too, but you hog the guys in Nanairofeather. Do you not know how many girls' hearts your breaking? They are idols; they cannot belong to one person. But you don't share."

Hah, she is tired of listening to this. Sumire pulled away from Ru. "Alright."

"Are you admitting it?"

"You can think whatever you want about me. However, I cannot tolerate you insulting them. If you want to treat people as possessions, be my guest, but do not drag them into this."

"I--" She seemed startled but quickly retorted back. "That's not the point. You're the one stringing people along."

"Even if your far-fetched delusional story is true, those guys choose to remain by me. This is their choice. You have no say in what they do. I am not forcing them to stay."

Rather she has told them plenty of times that they could leave her if they wish. But they all told her they would never leave.

'Without you, our dream wouldn't be possible; we can't walk on this road without you.'

They are all so foolish, and the biggest fool is Ru. They know how difficult she is, and yet they have stayed.

"Sorry for interrupting Ru. You can finish things here." Sumire quickly turned away and ran off before Mamoru could say anymore.

Why does this always seem to happen to her? No matter how much she wants a peaceful life, some people do not wish for her to do so. Then where does that leave her? Is she supposed to accept their words and become a villainous woman?

Sumire eventually stopped running and watched the rainfall on the grounds. It suddenly started raining. She doesn't have an umbrella. Sumire sighed deeply, but it would be bad if she returned inside now. Ru is probably searching for her inside. Right now, she does not want to face him.

More and more rain kept on falling. Every time she tried to catch it. It would disappear into a puddle straight away. Running off like that, really, what was she thinking? Did she have to make it so dramatic like that?

But countering that girl's words already took a lot out of her. She dislikes confrontations more than anything. She does not want to deal with people who use such poisonous words daily.

Sumire recalled Ru's expression and exhaled deeply. What was she really doing? 'I don't want to make him worry about me even more than he already does.' But to say she wasn't happy would be a lie. She felt incredibly happy hearing that he would prioritize her being happy.

The lesson had probably ended by now, and her gaze landed on her now drenched phone. This won't do anyone any good.

Nao's probably worried about her; no, it's a high guarantee that he's worried. Before her phone got wet, she barely managed to read the words that were on the screen but saw three letters knowing that it would be him.

She recalled her exchange with Masaru-senpai. Yuhi, Yuhi is in Star town. If she calls him using the number Masaru-senpai gave her, then she will most likely reach him. But if she were to do that, Ru's face came to mind. Perhaps Ru, towards her-

Sumire frantically shook her head. It's not possible, right? He only treats her like a good friend. Sure he worries more than necessary, but the only reason for that is because he is one of the few who knows about her problems. At least that is what she thought, but his reaction whenever somebody hurts her and his words.

Running off like that was foolish of her. She ought to have stayed and walked away with Ru. She can't evade situations like this forever. The reason for Ru's spike in popularity is something she does not understand yet. But, eventually, it will get out of control.

When it does, she will have to confront those people with poisonous words. Sumire heard a ringing sound in both her ears as several voices overlapped. She hunched over to the other side, ready to throw up.

Whenever she feels anxious, she ends up in this terrible state. 'My stomach hurts. I just want to crawl somewhere and hide.' If she could find a hole that would allow her to escape even for a moment, she would stay there forever.

Unfortunately, something that convenient does not exist.