285: Utaha’s Invitation

Returning to the living room, they watched a special feature on adorable marine animals for a while. 

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Iroha rummaged through her bag, pulled out her wallet, and eagerly volunteered,

"I'll go downstairs to buy some ice cream."

Their apartment was located in the city center, so there were plenty of convenience stores just a short walk away.

"I'll go with you."

It was the middle of summer, the hottest time of the afternoon when the sun was at its peak. 

Yui felt bad about making her junior run errands while she just sat here enjoying the results.

Iroha shook her head.

"No need. I can handle something this small by myself. Besides, I could use some fresh air."

Yukino, sipping her tea, silently glanced at the air purifier running in the corner of the living room.

Just as Yui was about to say something else, Yukino spoke first.

"Then we'll leave it to you, Isshiki-san."

"Absolutely, leave it to me!"

Iroha cheerfully made an OK gesture.

"What flavors do you want, Yukinoshita-senpai, Yuigahama-senpai?"

"Hmm... nothing in particular, as long as there's no alcohol."

"Same for me."

"Got it! I'll be right back."

Iroha turned and walked toward the entrance, pulling up the heels of her small leather shoes and lightly tapping her toes on the floor.

As the front door opened and closed, Iroha left for now.

"Yukinon, is it really okay to let Iroha go alone? It kinda feels like we're making her do all the work..."

Yui looked a little worried. She was a sensitive girl, someone who had once tried too hard to fit in and ended up overly accommodating others.

Although that had improved a lot after becoming friends with Yukino, she still had a tendency to overthink things.

"I know what you're worried about, Yuigahama-san. But there's no need. Isshiki-san offered to do it herself; no one forced her. So it's fine."

Yukino's calm and certain tone eased some of Yuigahama's unease.

"But I still feel kinda bad... I was the one who said I wanted ice cream."

"Don't worry about that either. Buying ice cream for you is just a side thing. Isshiki-san might have something else she really wants to do."

"Something else she really wants to do... Ah!"

Hearing that, even Yui—who wasn't the sharpest—finally realized something.

It was right here, after all, that Iroha had once asked them for advice about love.

…

Iroha's thoughts were both simple and complicated.

On one hand, she believed that the reason so many girls willingly surrounded Chisato was because he must have used some shady tactics in private—whether it was deception or coercion.

And what she needed to do was expose this scummy side of his, both to vent her own frustrations and to let the light of justice shine on the world.

But at the same time—

His obvious distance from her, the way he deliberately kept her at arm's length, left her feeling restless and frustrated.

For the past few days, she'd been trying hard to suppress these inexplicable thoughts.

But she couldn't.

Her actions refused to be governed by reason. Every time she had a free moment, she'd tap on his social media profile and stalk his activity feed without even realizing it.

Iroha felt like something was seriously wrong with her. But in her current state, there was no way she could self-diagnose or fix it.

And because of the nature of the situation, she couldn't tell anyone about it either.

So all she could do was keep it bottled up inside, letting those conflicting emotions twist and ferment within her, growing thicker and harder to untangle.

And just now, at Yukinoshita's house, it seemed like the past two days of torment had finally pushed her to the limit.

So she made an impulsive decision—

Who cared about the outcome? Overthinking things for half a day wasn't her style anyway.

Back when she'd had a crush on Hayama-senpai, hadn't she gathered every bit of information about him in just one day? 

The very next day, after making all her preparations, she'd joined the soccer club as its manager to formally get close to him.

Yeah…

No need to sit around overthinking things. Just act first.

If something unexpected happens, she'll deal with it then.

That's what she was good at.

Taking the elevator down, she picked out a few different kinds of ice cream, paid, and asked the cashier for an extra bag. 

She separated the ice cream into two bags and carried them in each hand.

Stepping out of the convenience store, Iroha took out her phone and sent a message to Chisato.

[Senpai, I'm at my senpai's place for a study session. I bought a lot of ice cream, so I'll bring some to your place too.]

After sending it, the chat showed "unread."

That was within her expectations. After all, no one stares at their phone 24/7.

By the time Chisato saw the message, she'd probably already rung his doorbell.

And the reason she sent it in advance was to give herself an excuse in case he got annoyed by her showing up unannounced.

It was kind of like what Eriri and Utaha had done when they visited him at the Starry Performance Hall.

Entering the elevator, she pressed the button for the correct floor and soon arrived at the apartment labeled "Suzumiya."

Just then, her phone vibrated—a new message.

Iroha smirked, deliberately ignoring it. She rang the doorbell first, then checked the message.

[Thanks for the thought, but I'm not home right now.]

Huh? He's not home?

Iroha frowned, then let out a long sigh.

If that was the case, there was nothing she could do.

She turned around, about to head back to Yukinoshita's place—

Click.

The door lock turned, and the door opened.

Hearing the sound, Iroha looked back.

Standing there was Utaha, wearing a silky nightgown, her face still carrying traces of drowsiness. 

But her sharp, playful gaze was crystal clear.

For a few seconds, the two of them locked eyes.

Then Utaha chuckled.

Releasing the doorknob, she fully opened the door.

With her left hand, she pulled her nightgown's neckline slightly closed while taking a subtle step back.

"Why don't you come in and have a seat, Isshiki-san?"

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