263: Anxiously Waiting for His Message
Because he had specifically sent Kazusa home, by the time he waited for Chisato to return to the apartment, it was already approaching ten o'clock.
Utaha and Eriri were both sitting on the sofa in the dimly lit living room, where the TV was playing softly.
As soon as Chisato entered, they stood up in unison, as if they had a tacit understanding.
Eriri reached out to take the late-night snack he had brought back from the store, along with the school bag slung over his shoulder, while Utaha quietly approached from behind and took off his jacket.
Chisato, who was not accustomed to this kind of treatment, felt a bit strange.
Just as he was about to say something to ease the awkwardness, Eriri spoke up first.
"Dark Wing is fine. I just fed it some food, and it's fallen asleep."
As she spoke, she glanced at the vertical air conditioner where Black Wing was lying, sleeping soundly.
When Chisato came back, it had only opened its eyes slightly before closing them again.
"Thank you, Eriri and Utaha," Chisato said gratefully.
Eriri shook her head. "Don't mention it. I like it very much and have already considered it part of my family."
Utaha snorted in dissatisfaction, criticizing Eriri's comment. "So I'm just incidental, right?"
"Stop using such words," Chisato interjected.
He had an idea of what had happened after they left the store with Black Wing, knowing how Eriri had talked on her mobile phone while there.
Still, he felt it necessary to express his concern, particularly for Eriri and Utaha.
He walked over and playfully teased Black Wing for a while, and the creature responded by flapping its wings a few times to show that it was completely fine.
There was an understanding between master and pet.
After chatting for a bit, Eriri and Utaha stood up to leave simultaneously. Neither planned to stay the night.
Eriri, whose family was very strict, had taken Utaha along as a shield, but she still had to go home at night.
As for Utaha, she hadn't returned home for several days. Though her parents wouldn't say it outright, they must have been worried about her.
Chisato went downstairs to see them into a taxi and took a shower upon returning.
He heated the late-night snacks he had brought back in the microwave. Just as he finished, Eriri and Utaha both sent messages home.
So far, today's biggest crisis had been relatively well managed.
Reflecting on everything that had happened, Chisato felt extremely tired.
The events of the day served as a reminder that things were not as simple as they once seemed.
After establishing a relationship, there were still many concerns, and he didn't have much time to take things slowly.
Around eleven o'clock, as Chisato bent over his desk to finish his homework, he heard his cell phone vibrate.
He thought it was a message from Kazusa or Hitori, but when he checked, he was surprised to see it was from Iroha.
The message was simple:
[Senior Suzumiya, are you asleep?]
…
In the room with the lights off, Iroha rolled the thin blanket around her body and huddled in the corner of the bed against the wall.
Thump, thump, thump…
Her heart was pounding with excessive nervousness.
Just a moment ago, she had hesitated for a long time, finally convincing herself to grit her teeth, close her eyes, and send the message she had been composing for nearly half an hour.
However, right after sending it, instead of feeling relieved, she felt a wave of regret wash over her.
During the time she had hesitated, it had unknowingly become almost eleven o'clock.
From any perspective, this was too late.
It was hard to imagine two people who were not well-acquainted having a conversation at such an hour.
She felt a little disrespectful sending a message at this time. Would the other person think she lacked boundaries?
Also, did her message seem a bit silly? In this day and age, who still starts a conversation like that?
Before sending the message, everything had seemed fine, but after hitting send, she suddenly felt anxious about how it would be received.
Iroha held her phone tightly with both hands, contemplating whether she should forget it for tonight or retract the message and devise a better approach for next time.
Then, a small "read" notification appeared behind her message on the screen.
Sure enough, he hasn't slept yet! He saw my message so quickly!
How would Suzumiya-senpai react?
It shouldn't bother him; after all, he saw the message right away. He likely wasn't sleeping or doing anything else; he might be leaning against his bedside scrolling through his phone just like her.
How would he reply to me?
It shouldn't bother him, let alone make him feel bored. After all, their conversation that day had gone quite well...
Even though the current situation wasn't face-to-face, Iroha still found herself holding her breath involuntarily. Her bare feet brushed against each other, her toes pointed downwards as she curled up slightly, clutching the lovely light pink sheets.
Chisato didn't make the anxious girl wait long. After a few dozen seconds, Iroha's phone vibrated with a short reply.
[Not yet.]
The response was very formal, accurately answering Iroha's question but carrying a vague coldness that felt distant.
However, Iroha didn't notice the sense of alienation hidden in those three short words. The situation was going as smoothly as she had hoped.
This realization sent her heart racing excitedly, as if she had just finished running 100 meters. Secret excitement and nervousness enveloped her, leaving no room to think about anything else.
[Sorry to disturb you so late. It's just that I still haven't figured out some things regarding my situation with Suzumiya-senpai.]
[If it's convenient, could we meet again like last time? I believe those things can only be explained clearly in person.]
After typing these words with a gentle breath, Iroha double-checked them. Once she was sure everything was correct, she clicked send with an uneasy heart.
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