Forget About Salted Fish

　　The bonfire was successfully lit, and the party officially started.

　　Returning to the class meeting place to show up, rejecting the students who wanted to have dinner with her, Ichika wandered between the long tables filled with food. She didn't hate the students who wanted to hang out with her after all. This is a buffet meeting.

　　Thinking of this, she looked around, looking for Shinichi and wanting to have dinner with him.

　　There is no particular reason, just follow the desire in your heart and just want to do it.

　　It's such a great thing to be able to eat with someone she likes.

　　But after wandering around for a long time, she only encountered a monster full of flesh in the end.

　　"Ichika? What are you looking for?" Itsuki looked down at her empty hands.

　　"...It's okay, you keep eating, eat happier."

　　Ichika forced a smile, not looking at the dinner plates piled like a hill with various foods, for fear that she might not be able to eat later.

　　Gosh, it's only been a few minutes since the meal started... Why are there gluttons in their family?

　　So as not to interrupt her most important meal, Ichika was about to turn around and leave, but Itsuki stopped her at this point.

　　"Right, this is for you. Miku chose it for you. She said you liked it."

　　Hearing Miku's name, Ichika's heart tightened, and she looked nervously at the items Itsuki handed over.

　　(I haven't been able to find Shinichi-kun in the first place, so maybe...)

　　Luckily, it wasn't something as scary as her "favorite" finger or her "favorite" head, so Ichika was relieved.

　　It's just salted fish, her favorite food.

　　"Tell her thank you for me." Ichika took the plate with a smile, but Itsuki pointed at a corner of the square "She's over there, you go and tell her yourself, I'll find something to eat. "

　　(Aren't you getting enough?)

Itsuki turned around and continued walking around the table with a plate full of food.

　　"What kind of monsters did we raise..." Sighing, Ichika looked at the location Itsuki had just pointed out, her expression hesitant.

　　"Miku..."

　　Ichika looked at the salted fish in her hand, and she was determined.

　　With a determined face, Ichika took the salted fish and stepped out.

　　△

　　In a corner of the square, there was a row of benches beside a flower bed.

　　There was a distance from the bonfire, and next door was a gloomy grove. The atmosphere wasn't very romantic, so there weren't many people eating and chatting here.

　　Ichika quickly found Miku who was sitting on the bench, holding a rice ball and biting into it.

　　"Why stay here alone, won't it be boring?"

　　Miku raised her head, and answered calmly.

　　"The atmosphere is too lively, I'm not used to it."

　　Ichika sat beside her and leaned on her shoulder.

　　"Then it's better to come to such a dark dining place?" Ichika leaned forward and took a bite of her rice ball, deliberately frowning, "Smells scary, bad."

　　"I don't let you eat either." Miku then asked, "Aren't you too? You don't even think it tastes good, and you still bring salted fish here."

　　Ichika was surprised: "Eh? Weren't you the one who asked me to come?"

　　Miku asked suspiciously: "I want to eat here alone, why did I ask you to come?"

　　"Then this salted fish... Not given to you?" Ichika widened her eyes.

　　Miku nodded with a confused look on her face.

　　Looking back now, when Itsuki handed over the salted fish, it didn't seem like she was looking at her directly at all, and she looked away guiltily, avoided her gaze, and turned and left after handing over the items.

　　Ichika feels that she has found the truth.

　　But, why did Itsuki do this? Leave her and Miku alone.

　　"Ichika." Miku said, "Forget salted fish, I have something to ask you."

　　Ichika suppressed his beating heart. Even though the development in the middle was a bit strange, but when she was alone with Miku, these things would definitely be eliminated.

　　She was already mentally prepared, even if she didn't know what she could answer, she had to find a way out of the entanglements and troubles in her heart today.

　　"You... Actually want to monopolize Shinichi, right? That's why… You said that to me."

　　Ichika was silent, she didn't expect Miku to ask this first.

　　But this was to be expected, after all, when she came down from the mountain, she felt that Miku had found out the truth.

　　Clumsy lies can't be hidden for too long, bad acting skills can't fool too many people.

　　"Miku, I just..."

　　Opening her mouth, she was about to blurt out a veiled reply on reflex, but she immediately stopped.

　　In that case, wouldn't it be the same as before?

　　Miku had the audacity to ask, why couldn't she have an honest talk with her?

　　"...Yeah, you guessed it."