Morishita Ai stood in the doorway, those purple eyes settling quietly on the frozen little face of Sakayanagi Arisu, the ambiguous half-smile at the corner of her mouth growing a touch more pronounced.
She simply watched Sakayanagi Arisu—watched this genius girl who was normally so lofty and above everyone else, now standing utterly dumbstruck, unable to even get a word out.
Honestly, Morishita Ai rarely got to see Sakayanagi Arisu wear an expression like this.
And such an expression, worn on Sakayanagi Arisu's face, really did look rather delightful.
A rather nasty thought like this couldn't help but surface in Morishita Ai's heart—surely a result of spending far too much time around that fellow, Shikime Natsu.
"Sakayanagi Arisu, Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki have come to visit the sick today. Aren't you going to invite us in to sit for a while?"
Hearing these words from Morishita Ai, those purple eyes of Sakayanagi Arisu's twitched ever so slightly.
Only then did she seem to snap back from that dazed state, her lips parting slightly, wanting to say something—yet for a moment she had no idea what to say.
Her cheeks, already flushed from the fever, now took on an added layer of awkwardness and stiffness that was hard to put into words.
Still... Sakayanagi Arisu was, after all, Sakayanagi Arisu.
No matter how disappointed, no matter how stunned she felt inside, she would never lose her composure at a moment like this.
Sakayanagi Arisu drew in a deep breath, forcing her expression to look somewhat less rigid, then turned to the side, extended her hand, and made a gesture of welcome. As for what she truly felt—well, that no longer mattered.
"...Come in."
There was a hint of hoarseness in Sakayanagi Arisu's voice, though whether from her illness or from that disappointment she couldn't quite conceal, no one could say.
Morishita Ai, for her part, showed not the slightest reserve, striding straight into Sakayanagi Arisu's dorm.
Yamamura Miki, on the other hand, gave Sakayanagi Arisu a slight bow, then carefully cradling the bag in her hands, followed behind Morishita Ai as she went in.
Sakayanagi Arisu closed the door and, leaning on her cane, followed step by step behind the two of them.
It was just that... at this moment, Sakayanagi Arisu's condition was truly rather poor.
No—it would be more accurate to say it was even worse than before.
Her mind had already gone hazy from the fever, so much so that even thinking felt like a strain.
And now, after seeing that it was Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki who had come, rather than Shikime Natsu, Sakayanagi Arisu felt as though her brain had been struck hard by something, leaving her even dizzier than before.
That immense sense of contrast—plummeting from the peak of anticipation straight down into the valley of disappointment—left Sakayanagi Arisu utterly unable to gather her wits.
She walked over to the side of her bed and slowly sat down, those purple eyes staring somewhat vacantly ahead.
And then... Sakayanagi Arisu simply spaced out like that.
Sakayanagi Arisu just sat there at the edge of the bed, her whole being seeming to have lost its soul, even her gaze growing somewhat unfocused.
She didn't even notice that Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki had already been standing in her dorm for quite a while.
Watching Sakayanagi Arisu in such a state, a trace of worry couldn't help but surface in Yamamura Miki's eyes.
She glanced somewhat uneasily at Morishita Ai beside her, then looked again at Sakayanagi Arisu sitting at the edge of the bed, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something—yet unsure whether she should open her mouth.
Morishita Ai, on the other hand, showed no sign of impatience at all.
She merely folded her arms across her chest and stood off to the side at her leisure, those purple eyes carrying a glimmer of curiosity as she quietly observed Sakayanagi Arisu's reaction.
Finally... after several minutes had passed, Sakayanagi Arisu at last seemed to come back from that dazed state, her purple eyes blinking slightly.
Then she lifted her head, looking at the two people standing before her, and tugged a somewhat forced smile at the corner of her mouth.
"...My apologies. I was a bit distracted."
Sakayanagi Arisu's voice was still hoarse, and there was a weariness in her tone that even she herself hadn't realized.
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki hurriedly shook her head, then took half a step forward, her eyes earnestly regarding Sakayanagi Arisu as she softly asked.
"Sakayanagi-san, have you... have you eaten anything?"
Hearing Yamamura Miki's question, Sakayanagi Arisu was slightly taken aback.
Eaten?
Sakayanagi Arisu thought it over in her heart—it seemed... she really hadn't eaten dinner yet.
Ever since school let out, she had been leaning against the head of her bed, waiting—waiting for word from that fellow, waiting for that fellow to arrive.
She had waited and waited, only for what she got to be nothing but the silence of her phone, and... these two people before her.
"...Not yet."
Sakayanagi Arisu answered honestly, a note of indifference in her tone.
In any case, she had no appetite right now; whether she ate or not made no difference.
Hearing this answer, Yamamura Miki hurriedly lifted the bag she had been cradling all this time and spoke to Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Um... we brought some things, so Sakayanagi-san can have something to fill your stomach."
As she spoke, Yamamura Miki opened the bag and carefully took out the items one by one, setting them on the table by Sakayanagi Arisu's bedside.
Yamamura Miki introduced the things she'd brought one at a time—these were basically all bought from the convenience store.
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze fell upon that food, and a flicker of complicated emotion passed through those purple eyes.
"Thank you both."
Sakayanagi Arisu spoke slowly. Had it been her former self, saying such words of gratitude would still have been rather difficult.
Now, perhaps because of her illness, saying it came far more naturally.
"The most important thing is for Sakayanagi-san to rest and recover properly."
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Only... Sakayanagi Arisu still couldn't quite figure out why the people who had come to visit her today would turn out to be these two, who normally had practically no interaction with her at all.
As Sakayanagi Arisu thought this over in her heart, those purple eyes couldn't help but dim slightly.
If these two had come over... then, what about Shikime Natsu?
That fellow... where was he?
Images couldn't help but surface unbidden in Sakayanagi Arisu's mind.
That fellow Shikime Natsu—he couldn't possibly still be off playing around with one of his girlfriends, could he?
Someone like... Sakura Airi?
Or perhaps Kamuro Masumi?
Or maybe Shiina Hiyori?
Or someone else entirely?
But no matter who it was, the mere thought of that fellow Shikime Natsu right now being together with one of his girlfriends, laughing and chatting, or even... even doing those shameless things.
And what about her?
She was all alone in this cold, deserted dorm, running a fever, dizzy and lightheaded, without even having eaten dinner—all just to wait for that fellow to come and spare her a single glance.
And the result?
The result was that fellow didn't come at all.
The moment she thought of this, Sakayanagi Arisu felt utterly awful.
Here she was, sick, while that fellow Shikime Natsu was out there enjoying romance and revelry?
Even if this illness was of her own making—even if Sakayanagi Arisu had chosen to fall ill herself—still... in Sakayanagi Arisu's heart, she felt quite discontent.
After all, when other classmates fell ill, Shikime Natsu would personally go to check on them.
No matter who it was, as long as they were sick, that fellow would always make the time to go and pay a visit.
Even for people he was only on ordinary terms with, he wouldn't treat them any differently.
But... when it came to her turn, well now.
That fellow Shikime Natsu simply wouldn't come.
So this was how she was being singled out, was it?
Sakayanagi Arisu thought resentfully in her heart, and a trace of grievance and unwillingness couldn't help but surface in those purple eyes.
She, at least, was someone who had no small amount of interaction with Shikime Natsu. At the very least... at the very least, back in that little cabin on the Deserted Island, she had spent so many nights together with that fellow.
Even if, in name, there was no special relationship between them, at the very least they counted as fairly familiar classmates, didn't they?
But that fellow?
That fellow hadn't even sent a single message!
The more Sakayanagi Arisu thought about it, the angrier she got. Her little face, already flushed from the fever, now took on an added flush of red born of her anger.
She drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm her emotions.
Then... Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze fell upon Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki.
These two people were now standing in her dorm.
Although they meant well, having come to visit her, still...
Sakayanagi Arisu really wasn't in any mood to exchange pleasantries with them.
Besides, since even Shikime Natsu hadn't come, then these two coming over served no purpose whatsoever.
It would be better to let them leave sooner, and let herself be alone.
As Sakayanagi Arisu thought this over in her heart, she was just about to open her mouth, considering how to get rid of Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki and have them leave as quickly as possible.
However, before Sakayanagi Arisu could even speak, it was Morishita Ai who spoke first.
A glimmer of light flashed through those purple eyes of Morishita Ai's, her expression not changing in the slightest. She looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, then in a rather flat tone slowly spoke up.
"Mm, seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu is nothing serious, then Yamamura Miki's and my visit ought to be just about over."
As she spoke, Morishita Ai turned her head and said to Yamamura Miki beside her.
"Leave the things here. We're going."
Hearing these words from Morishita Ai, Yamamura Miki was slightly taken aback, her eyes glancing back and forth between Morishita Ai and Sakayanagi Arisu, then she nodded.
"O-Okay."
Yamamura Miki carefully arranged the food on the table, then set the bag by the bedside, making sure Sakayanagi Arisu could reach it conveniently.
Having done all this, she returned to stand back beside Morishita Ai.
"Well then... Sakayanagi-san, please take good care of yourself."
Yamamura Miki turned around and glanced once more at Sakayanagi Arisu as she spoke.
Seeing this, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief in her heart.
She truly hadn't expected that Morishita Ai would so proactively suggest leaving.
If that was the case, then it happened to suit her wishes perfectly.
After all... she had been thinking about how to broach the subject of having them leave in the first place.
Now that Morishita Ai had brought it up on her own, it spared her the trouble of having to say it herself.
Sakayanagi Arisu slowly rose from the edge of the bed and followed behind the two of them, preparing to see them out.
Although the visitors had only stepped into her dorm for what amounted to less than ten minutes, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't dwell on it too much.
After all, they weren't the person she had been waiting for in the first place.
As Sakayanagi Arisu thought this in her heart, a faint trace of disappointment once again surfaced in those purple eyes.
The group reached the doorway.
Sakayanagi Arisu extended her hand and grasped the doorknob, preparing to open the door and see her guests off.
But it was at this very moment that Morishita Ai suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She didn't turn around; she merely tilted her head slightly, that exquisite profile taking on a certain air of mystery in the glow of the corridor lights.
Then, Morishita Ai spoke.
"By the way, Sakayanagi Arisu."
"To hesitate is to be defeated."
Hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu was slightly stunned.
A trace of confusion surfaced in those purple eyes.
To hesitate... is to be defeated?
What was that supposed to mean?
Morishita Ai, however, paid no heed to Sakayanagi Arisu's confusion, and continued on of her own accord.
"Sakayanagi Arisu, if you want to seize an opportunity, then be more forceful."
There was a note of seriousness in Morishita Ai's tone, those purple eyes turning slightly to the side and settling upon Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Otherwise... you'll only ever be a loser."
A loser?
Hearing this word, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but knit her brows slightly.
This fellow Morishita Ai... what on earth was she talking about?
Just outright calling her a loser?
And that "to hesitate is to be defeated"—
Although Sakayanagi Arisu had known long ago that she was on a different wavelength from Morishita Ai.
That fellow was always saying strange, peculiar things, dressing herself up with all sorts of odd settings and personas...
In the past, whenever Sakayanagi Arisu heard such remarks, she basically just chose to ignore them.
After all... trying to take this fellow Morishita Ai seriously was truly a rather colossal waste of time.
But even now, Sakayanagi Arisu still felt she couldn't get on Morishita Ai's wavelength.
What was all this even about?
What did "to hesitate is to be defeated" mean?
What did "be more forceful" mean?
What did "loser" mean?
Sakayanagi Arisu felt quite confused within, her brows knitting even tighter.
However, Morishita Ai had no intention of explaining any further.
She merely curved a meaningful smile at the corner of her mouth, then turned her head back around and walked toward the doorway.
Yamamura Miki fell into step behind Morishita Ai as well.
Just as the two of them were about to step out the door, Morishita Ai stopped once more.
She didn't turn back; with her back to Sakayanagi Arisu, she simply spoke up faintly.
"That concludes the advice of the great Morishita Ai."
There was a note of mystery in Morishita Ai's voice, along with a hint of something impossible to fathom.
"I do hope Sakayanagi-san... will have a bit of insight."
Having said this, Morishita Ai lingered no longer, striding straight out of Sakayanagi Arisu's dorm.
Yamamura Miki hurriedly followed after her.
The figures of the two soon vanished at the end of the corridor.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood in the doorway, those purple eyes gazing in the direction the two had departed, her brows still tightly knitted.
That fellow Morishita Ai... what on earth had she been talking about?
What advice?
What insight?
Sakayanagi Arisu turned those words Morishita Ai had just spoken over and over in her mind, yet no matter how she tried, she couldn't make any sense of them.
What sort of advice was this even supposed to be?
Could it be that Morishita Ai thought she was being too hesitant in how she handled some matter?
But... what was there for her to be hesitant about?
Sakayanagi Arisu thought it over, and the face of that fellow Shikime Natsu couldn't help but surface in her mind.
Then, she shook her head.
No, impossible.
When it came to doing things, she, Sakayanagi Arisu, had always been deliberate and calculating, weighing everything out—when had she ever hesitated?
As for being "more forceful"...
Sakayanagi Arisu truly couldn't figure out just what Morishita Ai was hinting at.
Never mind.
Sakayanagi Arisu sighed in her heart and decided not to dwell any further on Morishita Ai's baffling remarks.
In any case, she had never once managed to get on that wavelength-type girl's frequency.
Rather than waste time here puzzling over the meaning of those words, she might as well go back and lie down.
Thinking this, Sakayanagi Arisu reached out to close the door.
But it was at this very moment that a figure suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor, and was drawing closer this way.
Sakayanagi Arisu was slightly startled, and the motion of her hand couldn't help but come to a halt.
She lifted her head, those purple eyes looking toward that figure.
In this instant, Sakayanagi Arisu felt her heartbeat, in this very moment, quicken uncontrollably by a few beats.
That figure drew closer and closer—and it really turned out to be that fellow Shikime Natsu. That fellow had actually come after all?
She hadn't even intended to hold out hope for this fellow Shikime Natsu to come, and she never expected that this fellow would actually show up. It was truly quite unexpected.
It was at this moment that Shikime Natsu had already walked up right in front of her.
Shikime Natsu looked at Sakayanagi Arisu before him, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curve into an ambiguous half-smile.
And Sakayanagi Arisu, too, quickly composed her facial expression, her face once again taking on a few traces of a teasing, unhurried smile, her chin lifting slightly.
"Ara~ I never imagined Shiki-san would come to visit me as well. This really is quite the pleasant surprise."
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