"I-I asked. I went ahead and asked."
Yui wore a calm, unbothered face on the surface, but inside she was strung tighter than a bowstring.
Just now, after picking out the amulet, she'd kept her eyes on Mio — and noticed that, at first, Mio had looked like she wanted to say something, only to hold it back.
From everything she knew about Mio, she was clearly about to tease her on reflex, the way she always did — but had stopped herself.
Which was strange.
Could it be that Mio felt teasing her just now would somehow end up affecting her too?
If that was the case, then could Yui take it to mean Mio had already picked up on her feelings — and was deliberately steering clear of anything romantic because of it?
It was precisely because all of that ran through her head that Yui couldn't stop herself from asking.
Mio, who'd had no idea Yui would come at her this directly, fumbled for a second, unable to land on a decent excuse, and it left her a little flustered.
It took her a good while to answer, voice quiet. "Th-this kind of thing doesn't really need asking, does it? You picked that kind of charm, Yui, so obviously it's because you want to fall in love~"
"And here I thought you were going to ask whether I've got someone I like~"
Faced with Yui pressing in step by step, just as Mio was at a loss for how to respond, Mashiro suddenly tugged at her sleeve. "Mio, I picked mine."
Mio took a look — same one Yui had chosen. What she was trying to get across went without saying.
Still, Mio played innocent, took out her wallet to pay, then steered the two of them off toward the rest area — buying herself a little time in the process.
Once they reached the rest area, Mio cleared her throat. "You two rest here for a bit. I'm going to go grab us something to drink nearby."
With her keen powers of observation, Yui picked up sharply on the fact that Mio had just been deliberately dodging her question — which only cemented her hunch all the more.
Mio had definitely already caught on to the way she felt.
To pick up on it and pretend not to notice... was that because Mio didn't like her?
No. If Mio truly didn't feel a thing for her, then knowing her personality, she'd have come out and set the record straight the moment she realized it. And if Mio truly didn't feel a thing for her, she'd never have kissed her back then.
Since she'd already been found out, there was no more need to tiptoe around it.
Meanwhile, having walked out of Yui's line of sight, Mio quietly let out a breath of relief.
She had no idea what had gotten into Yui today — she'd turned downright aggressive out of nowhere.
It had nearly caught a completely off-guard Mio flat-footed.
Mio was still mulling over how to answer Yui's question in a bit when she suddenly felt someone bump into her. Thankfully the impact wasn't much — it only knocked her into a small stumble.
Steadying herself, Mio turned around to find an adorable girl in a kimono.
Isshiki Iroha.
"Sorry, I was so busy taking photos I wasn't watching where I was— hm? Senpai?!"
Iroha hadn't even finished her apology before she realized the person she'd run into this time was, of all people, the white-haired senpai she'd run into once before — Shirai Mio.
To manage to crash into the same person twice, Iroha honestly didn't know what to say.
Had her prayers just now actually worked?
But no, that didn't add up — the wish she'd made was for a romantic chance encounter.
That said, in all fairness, this white-haired senpai really was gorgeous. In a certain sense, you could count this as romantic, too.
If she were a guy, she might well fall for this white-haired senpai at first sight.
Even though she'd already recognized her, Mio still put on a show of thinking it over before speaking. "You're Isshiki Iroha, right? The one who crashed into me last time."
Iroha let out a couple of dry laughs. "Sorry, it's me again. I really didn't think I'd run into Senpai here — could this be the fabled thing they call fate?"
"I didn't expect to bump into you here either, kouhai — and in pretty much the exact same way as last time, no less."
To dodge a lecture, Iroha mulled it over briefly, then asked, curious, "Are you here on your own today, Senpai?"
"No, I came with friends."
"A boyfriend?" Iroha's eyes sparkled with curiosity. If the white-haired senpai had a boyfriend, what kind of guy could possibly measure up to her? She couldn't picture it, anyway.
Mio gave a little shake of her head, then smiled, eyes crinkling. "A girlfriend, actually~"
"Ehh?!"
Even Iroha couldn't help being startled at Mio's answer.
It wasn't that she was shocked Mio had a girlfriend, though — it was that Mio would just tell her something like that.
If anything, a girl like this white-haired senpai might be better suited to a girlfriend. Easier on the eyes, too.
Ahem.
"Is it really okay for Senpai to be telling me something like that?"
"Don't tell me my kouhai actually fell for it? I was just joking around~"
"Eh~"
Watching the delighted grin on Mio's face, Iroha puffed out her cheeks in a pout. She was usually the one doing the teasing, and now here she was, getting teased instead — when had she ever had to put up with this kind of treatment?
Just as Iroha was plotting how to fire back, Mio suddenly held a can of something to drink out in front of her. "As an apology for tricking my kouhai, let me treat you to a drink~"
"Does Senpai think I'm the kind of girl you can buy off with a single drink?" Even as she said it, Iroha took the can Mio held out.
"If a drink won't cut it, then I suppose all that's left is to offer myself up to you. How about I be your girlfriend, kouhai~?"
At Mio's words, Iroha nearly sprayed out the mouthful she'd just taken. Once she'd managed to swallow it down, she drew a deep breath, then fixed Mio with a stare. "Well, since Senpai's gone and said as much, it's not like I couldn't give it some thought."
"Then you'd better think it over carefully. I should be heading back, too. Watch where you're going next time, all right?"
"Got it~"
After seeing Mio off, the corners of Iroha's mouth tugged into a faint little smile. Back when she'd run into her before and gotten lectured, she'd taken this white-haired senpai for the serious, stern type.
She wasn't great at dealing with that sort of person, which was why she'd never reached out even though she had her contact info.
This encounter had given her a deeper read on the white-haired senpai.
She kind of felt like the two of them were a little bit alike.
No, wait — she wasn't nearly as much of a yuri girl as the senpai was.
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