What should I do? Should I tell her what happened earlier? Even if I lie to her, she would see through it. But as much as possible, I wanted to keep what happened a secret. I wouldn't want to drag both Chiaki and Daichi into this mess. I'll tell her, but I'll leave the details out.

"Uh... Yes..."

"What happened back there?" Chiaki asked.

"The thing is... Rina... Rina already has a boyfriend."

"Eh...?"

It seemed like Chiaki was at a loss for words. Well, I don't blame her. I was also shocked when I found out that she was already dating someone. It was a painful experience, and even now, the pain still echoes within me.

For a couple of minutes, awkward silence enveloped the room. What could Chiaki be thinking right now? Is she disappointed? or perhaps even angry? Even if it's the latter, I couldn't oppose it.

Thinking about it, I didn't pay much attention to them six years ago, when I planned to go to a university. I just went on and decided without even asking them. But even so, they still came with me here in Tokyo. I was too focused on my delusions that I neglected them.

"I won't ask you about the details. For now, try to collect your thoughts. But I would like to hear them later. I want to try and help you with this. And if you think that I shouldn't be involved, I'll force the words out of your mouth."

"Ah... I understand..."

So, she isn't mad? Chiaki is genuinely worried about me. But her ability to read my intentions is scary. And I'm sorry for those thoughts a while ago, Chiaki. My overthinking got the best of me.

Even with all my stupid decisions, these two stayed by my side. And even now, in this predicament, they're here with me. Well, maybe not Daichi, but you get the idea. But I also can't forget about Ayano-san for her help earlier. I couldn't predict what would have happened if she hadn't intervened.

But even so, that still doesn't change the fact that I've lost my primary purpose. Of course, it would be unbecoming of me to chase someone who already has a boyfriend.

Argh! My thoughts were disorganized. I didn't know what to do anymore, but I saw a bottle of alcohol by the nightstand. Maybe if I were to drink it, I could at least relax for a moment. Just as I was about the grab it, Chiaki snatched it away from my reach.

"Don't! It won't solve anything!"

"Just give it to me!"

I shouted at her without hesitating. I was clearly not in my proper state.

"No! As I said, it won't do anything good!"

"Then what do you think I should do?! Go out and pretend like it never happened?! If you think there's a solution for this, then tell me!"

My mind couldn't handle it anymore. I snapped at Chiaki, who was trying to help me.

"I... I don't know any solution, but drinking won't solve anything."

When she spoke, it wasn't like earlier. She was scared. Her body was shaking, and it almost seemed like she was about to draw out tears. But she didn't run away. She just stood there trying her best to help me.

"I'm sorry, but leave me alone for now. I'll go cool my head outside."

"Kota..."

I left the room, leaving Chiaki and the sleeping Daichi. I went to the empty balcony up on the second floor of the building. When I got there, the busy street below welcomed me with the noise of vehicles. It was not an ideal place to be in to relax. Then I remembered the theater room a while ago. It was the perfect place to gather my thoughts since it was silent and isolated.

I got to the entrance of the theater room. There wasn't anyone around, so I just went inside. As I got in, I sat in one of the chairs in the middle. I could finally take a break from all those noises. And for the following hour, I just sat there in the darkness of the theater room. But then I heard the door clattering behind me. Someone was trying to open it.

I just sat there as they opened the door. I don't really have any reason to hide. As the door opened, three people entered. Suzuki-san, Hayashi-san, and Rina?!

"So, this is the theater room-- I...Inoue-san? Is that you?" Suzuki-san asked.

Ah, I'll have to play along.

"Ah, yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh... I'm sorry, I just got curious and entered here."

"Well, would you like to watch a movie with us?"

"Uh... Sure."

Ah, now, I'm in another problematic situation. I would've been fine if it were other people, but Hayashi-san and Rina are both here. The timing couldn't have been worse. The people I didn't want to think of for now are right here in front of me.

"Hello, Kota-san," Rina said as she smiled and waved at me.

"Uh, hello, Rina, it's fancy meeting you here."

"Well, Ren-chan wanted to watch a movie because he said he was getting bored. How about you? Uhm, weren't you with your little sister? Where is she?"

"She told me she had an upset stomach, so she went home earlier."

"She must have eaten a lot then."

"Okay, I finished setting up! What movie do you guys want to watch?" Suzuki-san asked from the other side of the room.

After an awkward time choosing what to watch, we finally decided on one. I don't know what the story is about, but Suzuki-san said it was about romance. The genre that I wouldn't want to watch right now!

The movie ended, and the plot couldn't have been worse. The main characters started off as childhood friends who made a promise, then somehow the girl went somewhere far, and in the end, they meet again and got married. And now, I end up getting weird feelings throughout the entire movie.

As I stood up from my seat to get something to drink, Hayashi-san called out to me.

"Inoue-san, I want to have a chat with you..."

[AT: Fun fact I wrote this chapter while I was having a headache. And one more thing try joining my discord https://discord.gg/7E75M6CfkJ.]