"You, you, you, you, you, you, are you an idiot?!"

Blushing, the apricot screamed a few decibels higher than usual.

"Apricot calm down."

Covering one ear, I persuaded her.

"How can you be calm!"

"Seeing that you are so excited, do you really like it!"

Before he could speak, he was suddenly pinched by Xing's hand.

"Hahaha, Izumi, you're saying something very interesting," Apricot's face slowly approached, and although there was a smile on his face, it was not a smile at all, "Do you need me to help you tie a knot in your tongue and stuff it back?" ”

Hey, hey, hey! Miss Xing, you're saying terrible things! And how did your eyes become swirling, are they so chaotic!

"Or do you need me to choke you by the neck until you can't make a sound?"

While saying terrible words, Xingbian squeezed my face together with both hands, let go and squeezed together.

"Silence, silence! Oh Mohaha tash! (Calm down!) Let's talk! ）”

Ignoring the pain on my face, I hurriedly spoke out to stop Xing's more and more dangerous momentum.

"Increase, oh, don't be astringent, shhh (Anyway, how about we calm down first!) ）”

"What are you chirping about?"

"Hahata shhhh (Let's talk about it!) ）”

I was not discouraged and continued to work hard to persuade the apricot.

"Poof!" After staring at me for a few seconds, Apricot suddenly lowered her head and let out a laugh, "Izumi, your face is so strange, it looks like Mr. Octopus." ”

"Flowers! Hey no shhh Don't let go yet! ）”

I don't want to think about why I'm being pouted like an octopus, it's not like you've been pinching my face!

"If I keep listening to your lame homophonic words, even I can't help but laugh."

Letting go of her hand, Xing covered her stomach and laughed.

"Didn't you laugh as a result?!"

"No way, who made you so funny."

"Whose fault are you?"

Rubbing my reddened cheeks, I lifted my chair and stepped back, keeping a meter away from the apricots.

If you get pinched in the face or something, forget it.

"Is this my fault? Who asked Izumi you to ask strange questions. ”

puffed up his cheeks angrily, and hummed goodbye.

"What's strange, didn't I just ask if you like Okazaki!"

The head is off.,I dodged the book from the apricot with a slight deviation.。

"Tsk, if it's not a commonly used dictionary, there will be mistakes."

The eldest lady who had committed the atrocity just now was still unhappy and smacked her lips.

"What are you trying to do to the wounded!"

And that's the infirmary's manual! It's not as thick and hard as a dictionary, but it hurts to be hit!

"Who told you to say so much!"

It's my fault?!

Trying to calm my brain down, I took a deep breath.

"Apricots."

"Why, what?"

Apricot glared at me warily, like a frightened kitten.

"I've seen it from a bystander's point of view until now, so I'm just speculating," scratching my head, wondering what to say, "I apologize to you if I'm mistaken." ”

“……”

"If you don't speak, I'm not mistaken, right?"

"What... What..."

"Honestly, you like Okazaki, right?"

When the words came out, to be honest, even I felt strange.

It's strange that I'm chasing after him, but if it's usual, I'll definitely avoid it.

Sure enough, is it because of the unyielding mentality of the apricot bar?

But now that it's all about this, it's no longer good to say anything hahaha and be embarrassed to change the topic, so I can only ask hard.

"You, you, what are you talking nonsense?!"

"After all, just like you asked me before, you can just say you don't like it as usual, why do you turn around and avoid answering?"

"Who, who avoided it! Since you want to hear the answer so much, I'll tell you, I didn't... I didn't like it—"

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer, it's my fault."

Before Apricot could speak, I interrupted her.

If Apricot really likes Okazaki, but forces her to deny the person she likes from her mouth, it's too much and not interesting.

"I didn't think much of it before, but now that I think about it, your attitude towards Okazaki is obviously not like that of other boys."

"That's not the case! Although I can talk to other boys, I still have the best relationship with the three of you, even if there is a little difference, it's not surprising, isn't it! ”

"That's not the case, compared to other people, do you obviously care more about Okazaki?"

Looking directly at Xing's gaze, although I don't know how many times I shouted to stop and shut up, my mouth didn't seem to be mine, and the voice came out uncontrollably.

"Sometimes Apricot will look at Okazaki from afar, and that look is like..."

"Don't ————!"

As if to cover up my words, Xing shouted loudly.

Xing clenched her hands and stood up, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she was desperately enduring something.

"Apricot...?"

I didn't expect Xing to have such a big reaction, I looked at her in a daze.

"What... Nothing. ”

Noticing her gaffe, Xing bit her lip with a look of chagrin. "But you just..."

"Please, Izumi... Please..."

Frowning tightly, Apricot spoke in an almost pleading tone.

is not as energetic as in the past, but now she is like a wounded person who is about to be defeated in the next second.

Apricot... Have you been pushed to this point?

Biting my lip, I felt remorse for my badness.

“… Don't you want to break it too? ”

Looking at such an unusually fragile apricot, I spoke for a long time.

“……”

Apricot's lips trembled, unable to speak.

I couldn't find an answer, and I didn't know where to look.

Just a confused and uneasy look on his face.

"That's right."

But silence is the best answer, and I think I've got it.

Lower your sleeves and buckle them, stand up and put the medication and bandages back in place.

"Thank you for helping me bandage, it's better to go back quickly, if it's too long, everyone will be worried."

I walked to the door of the infirmary, turned my head and nodded at Xing.

That's it, stalking is what I hate the most.

"Wait..."

When the hand touched the doorknob, the corner of the garment was grabbed from behind.

"What's wrong?"

Just as I was about to turn around in confusion, Apricot stopped me.

"Please, don't move yet."

"Yes, I see."

Turning back to the side facing the door, I nodded.

"So, Xing, are you trying to say anything about holding me?"

“……”

The man behind him did not answer.

After a painful silence...

"Because you can't..."

"Huh?"

A faint but very clear voice came from behind him.

"I can't like Tomoya... Starling likes Tomoya, and I've already decided to support her silently as a supporter of Starling..."

Apricot's voice was a little nasal.

"As long as you talk to Starling, Starling will be able to..."

"Nope! That kid was gentle, and I... I'm afraid..."

The corners of the clothes are pulled a little stronger.

"Are you afraid of being rejected by Okazaki?"

“… I'm really scared... I'm afraid that if I get rejected, I won't even be able to chat as friends. ”

"So I thought, instead of that, I might as well be friends all the time..."

"So... We're still good friends..."

Listening to Apricot's slightly sobbing words, I listened quietly to her talk.

"Ahaha... Stupid, isn't it? ”

Apricot poured out self-deprecating words as they tore their wounds apart.

I took a slow breath to calm my mind.

"Apricots."

Without warning, he turned around.

"Ahh Didn't you say you couldn't turn it around?! ”

With wide eyes, Apricot's face was wrinkled.

"It's all a big cat."

I opened my mouth, and finally made a sound as if I was squeezing toothpaste.

I don't know if my brain circuit is blocked, but the first sentence that came out was this.

It's a real failure, and I obviously want to say a handsome word to cheer up Xing.

"Hmm! Shut up, shut up, I didn't cry, it was the trichiasis that pierced my eyes! ”

But fortunately, Xing didn't get angry, but wiped the tears from her face in a panic and retorted unconvinced.

It's really stubborn, obviously there are tears in his eyes.

I looked down at the woman in front of me who seemed to be about to break.

Stretched out the uninjured hand and put it on her head, rubbing her hair vigorously.

"Ahh

As if she didn't expect me to do this, Apricot let out a small exclamation.

"yes, you're stupid."

I didn't intend to stop, but the force became heavier.

"Very stupid people, there are obviously easier options, but they have to take the hardest road."

A wry smile appeared on my face, and I looked at her helplessly.

Although the affection for Furukawa is not as deep as that of Apricot for Okazaki, it is still conceivable that a person can still bear the hardship of a longing.

"Just... It's not..."

"No, you are! And it's even dumber than expected. ”

Interrupting her, I nodded affirmatively.

"But I don't think you're stupid, it's just that you're too gentle."

Looking at Xing's stunned expression, I withdrew my hand and smiled.

"There are too many worries, too many worries, but it is precisely because you think about everyone that you are even more afraid to take that step."

Afraid of being rejected by Okazaki, afraid of being hated by starlings, afraid that everyone won't be able to get along like before in the future, obviously you usually get along with everyone with a smile on your face, and you are actually alone and silently carrying such heavy troubles?

"I'm not as good as you say, I'm mean..."Big tears flowed down her cheeks, and she hurriedly wiped them off with the back of her hand, "Really, I didn't cry, it's eyelashes-"

"It's a tribution," I took her words with a wry smile, and I sighed sincerely, "Xing, you are really strong." ”

"I... I'm not strong at all, I'm just a coward," lowering her head, Xing shook her head sadly, grabbed her arm, and the tremor in her shoulders was even more obvious than just now, "Because I didn't dare, I hid behind the starling, and made an excuse that it was to match the starling and Pengye, and gave them weaving opportunities again and again, in fact, it was just my unilateral hope to find an excuse to stay by Pengye's side, and selfishly hoped that Pengya would not be snatched away by other girls!" ”

From the apricot white fingertips, it can be seen how much strength she used and how much determination she used.

"Disappointed, right? Even I didn't think I would be such a bad person. ”

Apricot looked up at me with a self-deprecating smile.

"No, it would be a lie to say that you weren't scared, but I think you're pretty ordinary."

Without even thinking about it, I replied truthfully.

"Liar! You obviously said you were scared! ”

"No, no, no, what I said scared merely, I didn't expect you to have such a girlish side."

"It's obviously all in this atmosphere... You want to be beaten, don't you? ”

"Always, anyway, and no matter who you are, you don't want the person you like to be with someone else, right?"

Indeed, as Xing said, my speech was very inconsistent, and I hurriedly changed the topic back.

"Hmm..."

"Although I haven't been in a relationship, of course I want to have him exclusive to the person I like, isn't that weird?"

Scratching my head, I asked, confused.

“… No, even though it's also... But..."

"Apricot," I said, bending down to look her into the eyes, "we're still young." ”

"Huh?"

"Because I'm young, I still have a lot of time, and although I don't have the courage now, I will definitely muster up the courage to take that step one day, so..."

After a pause, I smiled softly as I looked at her shoulders, which had calmed down and not trembled.

"Don't cry, although you can't do it now, but tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, someday after tomorrow, you will definitely be able to do it."

"No, no... I can't do that..."

"If you can't make up your mind alone, then come and talk to me," I smiled at myself, "aren't we friends?" ”

"Ahh

Glaring at Shang Xing's blank gaze, I continued:

"No one knows what the future holds, as long as we can be satisfied with no regrets when we are old and look back on our youthful days, that is enough."

"Regrets..."

Snorting, Apricot muttered my words in a crying and hiccup voice.

"Anyway, that's it, whether you want to show your heart to Okazaki in the future, or continue to support Starling's relationship, I'm willing to help you."

That's right, although I don't know what Apricot will choose in the end, but at least... I hope to give her a support now.

Looking at the tears in the corners of Apricot eyes, I pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

"How about wiping this cat-like face first?"