A long night had already passed, but plenty more time underh the moon still remained. The four teenagers regrouped after the long run. Yumi apologized profusely to Fumiko and Seiji for her as. Fumiko quickly accepted and dismissed Yumi’s o apologize for the i. Seiji gave in after Fumiko gred at him to stop sg Yumi. While he didn’t seem to be upset with her, a remaining sense of something b him lingered.

  Yumi was simply gd to have everyone bad nothing bad happened because of her inability to trol her powers. All of them tiheir march to where the Atnteans held Yori. None of them felt in the mood to rest further. Their breaks before were ated by Yumi. ‘I’ve been slowing everyone down…’ Her versation with Chiharu distracted her from the core problem. It still g her like a bug bite on the back of her neck, invisible and difficult to reabsp; It was always unsatisfying aered.

  A few minutes after their walk began, Fumiko, who held back a little, he position of Chiharu in their group. ‘She’s closer…’ She looked over at Seiji tht, judging them. ‘She’s still the same distance from him, but something’s different…’ The distance Chiharu had always remaihe same distance from everyone. Fumiko only had seen her get closer with Saki, even though it looked like she had mixed feelings. She felt a little ge in the way Chiharu acted. ‘I wonder what happened between them… I’m happy to see her ag a little more fortable with someone, but she’s still too distant…’ The thoughts running through her mind made her curious.

  She didn’t immediately realize it, but her feet began to outpace Seiji. When she came close to Chiharu, it left her in an aosition. While she wondered in curiosity, she didn’t pn for the step. She felt nosy, but didn’t actually want to show it. The personality of Chiharu, she knew, would react poorly to unwanted approaches. Even on the ship, Fumiko tried to improve their retionship, but she only got brushed away. ‘I thought at first, being the you in the group made her feel out of pce, but that’s not the case with her.’ Fumiko bed her fihrough her waist length hair sidering her a.

  Unfortunately, Chiharu’s awareness was very high. She immediately noticed the differen location of Fumiko. While she didn’t make a ge in her body, she did speak to Fumiko behind her. “Is there something you want?”

  “Ah?!” Fumiko jumped back a little, startled by Chiharu. She didn’t try to be sneaky, but she didn’t think that she made any sounds. ‘…scary girl…’ However, her yelp drew the attention of the others. They looked at her fused and ed that something happened. She filed her arms flustered by her failure. “Everything’s fine!” Another moment of uainty passed before they gave in to her auro normal. Her failure made Fumiko sigh.

  Not tent with the oute, Chiharu tilted her head a little back at Fumiko. “You didn’t ahe question.”

  “…well…” The feeling of being put on the spot and the sideartial gre ruined any ce that Fumiko had to form a sentenbsp; She regretted approag with no pn in mind. She wao tie up her curiosity and stuff it doe to disappear forever. “…it’s nothing,” she managed before stepping away.

  Chapter 136 – Approag a Settlement

  Unknown to Fumiko, a reason drove Chiharu’s position in the group. After all of the debating that the two had in private, some things only became more muddled for her. She still had questions. The love-struck girl bothered her. Chiharu didn’t feel satisfied with the oute, especially with the unnecessary talk of friendship. ‘I don’t hat weakling’s help… He’ll just get in the way…’ She quied her step to e beside Yumi.

  Yumi became more familiar with the presence of Chiharu after their talk. It made her more aware of her approach, that it didn’t surprise her to see her out of the er of her eye. “Hi, Chiharu! Is something wrong? You normally keep to the back.”

  Chiharu restrained a verbal tick from esg her lips. It left her a little unhat someone so inexperienced and fragile noticed her with ion. Chiharu worked for tireless years to refine such awareness. The girl was gra with the slightest amount of effort. ‘…damn powers from that weakling…’ Yet ahing that she hated.

  However, her presence did demand a response. Chiharu wanted her questions answered. She wao see the picture clearly. Her eyes slid over towards Yumi, while keeping her body forward. “There’s something that you never answered.” Chiharu acted as though she o keep looking natural and uninterrupted, like their topic was secret.

  The strange response from Chiharu introduced her own curiosity for Yumi. She tilted her head over to her, but kept walking forward. “Oh? What is it?”

  “You never answered my question. Why are you doing all of this?”

  “Huh?” Yumi turned her eyes away in thought ba everything that they talked about. “I’m pretty sure I already told you.”

  “I’m not talking about that,” she rebutted, though still remaining painfully vague.

  Hahe abstraswer, Yumi felt like they were having two different versations. It felt like Chiharu spoke with someohat kly what she said. Yumi felt distant and divided from it. “That?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s that?”

  A sigh charged out of Chiharu’s lips. She mao keep her features under trol, but directed her pierg gaze further into Yumi. “Are you really this dumb and you just atelligent?”

  “Yup, I’m stupid!” grinned Yumi. She leaned over at Chiharu with an expression that would have done Yuki proud. “It’s all just an absp; My brother’s the smart one.”

  Chiharu tried to ighe proximity and attitude, while forced to look at her so close. “Are y to mock me now?”

  Yumi pulled back away, looking a little pleased with herself. “Just softening the mood a little.”

  “I think the weakling’s starting to influence you.”

  “You think so?” she asked, already starting to blush.

  “I wasn’t giving you a pliment.”

  “It’s fine!” After Yumi settled out from her excitement, she leaned ba at Chiharu. “By the way, you keep calling Yuki weakling. Why don’t you call him by his name?”

  Turning away quickly, Chiharu made the best of the closeness. “I don’t bother with those that are weak,” she stated in a grave tone.

  “But Yuki isn’t weak at all!”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Yuki’s the stro in the group. What about the others then are we all weak to you?”

  The ered feeling that Yumi easily brought on came babsp; She hated such questions and how easily it occurred. “It’s a different type of weak.”

  “Oh? So you don’t think he’s weak!”

  “Of course, he’s weak!” Chiharu leaned a little caught up with Yumi’s words. At the edge of the words, she found herself in a position she despised. She pulled herself ba to chebsp; Out of the er of her eye, she saw the fused stare of Yumi at her. Her st statement fell easily into a paradox. The meanings lost their signifibsp; In the end, Chiharu sighed once more. “You’re straying from the inal topic.”

  Yumi pulled back to rest at a straightened walking stanbsp; “Huh?”

  “My question.”

  “ht! But I already answered that!”

  The repeated answer in annoying airheaded fashion made Chiharu want to fall over, but she resisted. It threatened her bance dealing with Yumi. Her as still did not make any seo her. ‘She’s being unusually absentminded. What’s with the ge?’

  In the rear of the group, Seiji and Fumiko carried on in silenbsp; However, Fumiko watched the twoing bad forth. She didn’t uand most of what they said, as they didn’t get too loud. The occasional shout or excited word came through, but it wasn’t her iion to spy on them. Chiharu still had difficulty with her. It made it feel a little more at ease to see them. “They look like they’re getting along,” she eo Seiji. It still fused her a little what happened between them in the short time they were away.

  Seiji held his arms crossed for the st few minutes. He remained in the position sihey started walking. A slightly furled brow also seemed permaly taped to his forehead. “They look like they’re fighting to me. I don’t think that they’re getting along.”

  Fumiko shook her head lightly. “Arguing be a sign of getting along as well, especially in Chiharu’s case.”

  “Eh? That brat?” The thought of Chiharu made Seiji’s eyebrows wrinkle further.

  “Chiharu keeps at a distah everyone. She also limits her iions. But she approached Yumi and is carrying on a versation. Even if they might be fighting, it’s an important sign for her.”

  “I think you’re thinking too damn much of things.”

  Hearing Seiji made Fumiko giggle a little. “Not straightforward enough for you?” She gnced over at him and caught him turning away. “Well, it does go both ways. It seems that Yumi’s beore rexed as well. It’s pretty clear why she came along, but she still isoted herself. She’s been using her brother as insution from everything. Without him, she’s exposed.”

  “Tch!” Seiji grumbled at all of the introspective talk . His arms tightened up around his chest ag like a defense. “Doalking like a shrink?”

  A dangerous thread exposed itself to Fumiko. She ig previously, but couldn’t help poking something that she khat she shouldn’t. “Are you still upset that a frail girl like Yumi’s faster than you?”

  Sounding like a branch breaking, Seiji snapped and turo face Fumiko. “Who the hell would be upset over something like that?!” He stopped walking and tightened his hands into fists, though not actually pnning to use them.

  Fumiko expected such a rea, givihe preparation not to be startled by his aggression. “You know if you overreact it only makes it easier to read you.” She gnced over to the front of them. Yumi and Chiharu looked back at him. “Also, it seems you’ve gotten unwatention.” He didn’t immediately uand her words, but her finger pointing ahead of them redirected his eyes.

  Once he figured out what his as caused, Seiji straightened up. While he forced down his embarrassment, he pyed everything off as if nothing happened. A feard moments passed before everyone silently seemed to agree on ign the matter. Fumiko and Seiji resumed their even pa the back.

  Ba the front, the two’s interruption had beeimed, for Chiharu. They got off on a ta and she found herself pying to the pace that Yumi set. It bothered her that she got distracted from the matter. She only wanted a satisfying answer and then to be left in peace for the rest of the walk. “ you return back to answering the question?”

  “Huh? What question?” asked Yumi.

  The shallow formation of an angry vein slowly began to surfa Chiharu’s forehead. She reigned herself ba before it went out of trol. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

  Yumi smiled, appearing i, while quietly agreeing with Chiharu’s statement. “But it’s been a while since I got to talk to a girl the same age as me about things like this.”

  “We aren’t the same age! I’m in middle school.” Chiharu felt at the end of her rope. Every traihread in her core was threatened by the as of the girl. It dangerously teetered on the brink for Chiharu. Easwer worked tirelessly on her o undo them. She didn’t know how much lohat she could st against the barrage. Chiharu exercised her hands by tightening and rexing them to focus her energies away. Her calm ter held too many vibrations. It didn’t make any sense. She needed more answers. “Why are you ag differently?”

  “Hmm?” Yumi tilted her head over at Chiharu, a little fused. She didn’t make plete eye tact.

  “You’re not this flippant. You’re ag like how that weakling acts.”

  The smile dropped from Yumi’s fabsp; She pulled her head ba and straightened out. Her stature altered and fell in lih the sudden ge in atmosphere around her. Yumi pced her hands behind her bad looped her fiogether to tie them off. “You’re right. Is it a little too forced?”

  All of the ges caught Chiharu a little off guard. She narrowed her eyes trying to read everything that Yumi did. The new position that Yumi took only fused her further. She found more things that made no seo her. “What were y to do?”

  Yumi lifted her head up to the stars in the night sky. It made her mind run through the memories of the evening she had with Chiharu. “I guess it was an ao your question.”

  “Eh?”

  “I guess that’s a little vague, huh?” She pulled her gaze back down to the dark pins that surrouhem. Her eyes moved to her side looking at Chiharu. “Revenge for your ambiguity from early.”

  Chiharu raised her eyebrow a bit, marking her fusion. It took her a few moments to filter through finally uanding everything to Yumi’s meaning. “You did all of this because of that?”

  “No, I think you’re missing the point,” ughed Yumi. She pointed her sights fain. “The vagueness, not the question. But I was answering your question.”

  “How is all of that an answer?”

  “Because I want to ge myself!” Yumi turned her head back to Chiharu to meet her fully. Her features emitted the determined resolve of her choibsp; “That’s my answer.”