"…There she is."
Just as my apartment came into view, I noticed a figure standing in front of my room.
Long brown hair.
It was Beni.
"Hey."
"…Where did you go?"
"Ah, no, I was just wandering around."
"I see."
She was sitting right in front of the entrance, glaring at me. I felt a little awkward. It's not like we're dating, and it's not like we had any plans today, so where I went or what I did shouldn't matter to her. Even if I honestly told her I was at the arcade with Yumekawa, there's no reason for her to get mad at me… right?
"Well, whatever. Hurry up and open the door."
She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't ask any more questions.
Once I opened the door, she went in ahead of me and headed straight for the bathroom.
I sat down on the bed and remembered the prize I'd won earlier, still in my pocket.
"…What should I do with this?"
It was a cute, chibi-style rabbit design. Pretty standard. Since I'm not interested in these things, I've never really understood why people want them.
"I've got to give her that one today."
I looked over at the stuffed animal still sitting in the corner of the room. Then, I gently hid the keychain by the pillow.
◇
"…"
Today, as soon as we were done, Beni turned her back to me and started fiddling with her phone.
Just like the first time… No, back then there was an awkward tension between us.
But today felt a little different.
…Is she angry?
"Hey."
"…What?"
"Are you in a bad mood?"
"Not really."
Even when I tried to talk to her, I only got short, flat replies.
"…Are you mad because I kept you waiting?"
When I hesitantly asked her beautiful back, her shoulders flinched slightly.
"…I'm not mad."
"Then why are you so—"
"I'm not mad."
"…Hey, take that stuffed animal home with you."
At that, she glanced back and shot me a glare.
"What's that? Trying to butter me up? If so—"
"That's not it. You were sleeping while hugging it the other day, right? I can't exactly give that to the store manager's girlfriend."
"…Oh, I see. Well, in that case, you take responsibility."
She turned her gaze back to her phone.
I casually peered over her shoulder, wondering what she was looking at so intently. On the screen was an online store page.
A Lover Rabbits keychain.
The same one I'd just won.
"Do you like those?"
Before I could stop myself, I asked. "Hey, don't look at my phone without asking," she said, turning around while hiding the screen.
"Ah, sorry. I just…"
"It's not like I want one or anything. I was just looking because they're popular at school."
"Oh, I see. So, do you think they're cute?"
"…Well, kind of."
The way she suddenly answered shyly made my heart skip a beat. Well, it didn't seem like she completely hated it.
"…I have one. I'll give it to you. Here."
I took out the keychain I'd left by the pillow. Her eyes widened. Then, just as she reached for it, she pulled her hand back and narrowed her eyes.
"…Why do you have that?"
"Ah, no, that's… It was the other day, when I went to the arcade with Yumekawa—"
"Liar. This just came out yesterday."
"Oh, really?"
"Hmph, it's not like I'm going to pry into what you were doing or who you were with. But stop telling such lame lies. It's annoying."
Without taking the keychain, she turned her back to me again.
"…I wasn't trying to hide it. It's just that today, Yumekawa invited me out."
"I see. You two are close."
"She just asked me to win one for her. I happened to get two, so I brought one home."
"You're not going to put it on anything?"
"I don't need it. So, well, it's kind of like leftovers, sorry, but if you don't mind…"
Before I could finish, she turned back around. This time, she slowly took the keychain and said, "If you don't want it, I'll take it." Then she placed it by her own pillow.
After that, she turned her back to me again and started looking at her phone. I didn't know what to say to her.
Before I knew it, I had drifted off while absentmindedly looking at my own phone.