(Mafuyu told him everything...)

(I can only imagine how scary that must've been for her.)

(But she didn't run from her dad. She worked up the courage to tell him the truth.)

(I also wanna move forward...)

(I kept running and running until now...
That's how I ended up where I am.)

(I've been clinging to what Ena said...)

(But...)

(I want to tell them...)

(This time, I'm going to face it head-on.)

*Nod*

(If I'm really going to do this, I should tell Ena first...)

(Because she's been waiting all this time.)

(I should ask to see when we can meet up...)

...

No, I'm done running...

No running... Not this time...!

Oh...

(I can barely type... My hands are shaking like crazy...)

(Calm down...
Just type your message out one letter at a time.)

Okay...

(All that's left is to hit send...)

(Hit send and...)

...

No... I just...

...

(Ena... The others...)

(They won't reject me...)

(I mean, they're all really nice... And they understand the meaning of real pain...)

(I know that, but...)

Alright, since we've agreed on how I should proceed with the demo, let's call things here, shall we...?

Okay.
Oh, my shoulders feel kinda sore today, so I should probably stretch them before I go to bed...

That's a good idea, since it sounds like you haven't been exercising...

Hey, I have been exercising...!
Didn't I tell you that I've been going on walks with Kanade?!

Seldom, not often...

Urgh... Yeah, maybe not that often...!

*Sigh*
Just when I was beginning to think that you've been feeling better lately, you start snapping back at me.

Haha!
But I like this banter since it's a nice whiff of what we're used to♪

Oh, speaking of which...

Is it just me, or does something smell like one of those food stalls they have at festivals...?

Huh?

Oh, you're right...

Hmm... What's this smell? Some kind of sauce?

Did one of you bring some food over today?

Umm...

I think it's me...

Ena?

You know how our school's festival is coming up? My class is doing a grilled squid stall, and we've been practicing how to make it in the home ec room recently.

Huh...?

The school festival...
It's already that time of year?

You're going to be participating, Ena...?

Hmm... Yeah, I've been thinking about it.
The events I've been helping out with recently have all been fun, and I heard that Mizuki's class is doing something interesting...

Oh, really?

Oh... Y-Yeah!
We're turning our classroom into an escape room!

You have to solve a bunch of riddles hidden throughout in order to get out!

Oh, that does sound interesting...

See what I mean?
And last year's festival actually seemed pretty fun too, so I figure I could participate this year.

Gotcha...

(Ena's gonna be there...)

(But if she's there...)

...?

(Hm? What was that just now...?)

...

(MEIKO...?)

Though, I'm starting to wonder if it's such a good idea.

Huh?

I realized today that grilling squid isn't as easy as it sounds. Plus, the smell ruins your clothes.

I'm also working on a bunch of assignments for art class right now, so I don't really have much free time...

So I guess I'm holding off on deciding whether to go until like the day before.

Okay...

In that case, let me know if you're gonna be there! I wanna try the grilled squid you make...!

Alright, will do.

(Ena might come to the festival.)

(If she does, she might end up hearing about me...)

(But what else is new?)

(The possibility's always been there...)

(There's even been a part of me that says it'd be just as well... And I've been stuck with it for this long.)

(But... But now, I...)

(I really don't want things to turn out that way...)

(Which means...)

...

(If she decides to come...)

(Then I'll tell her.)

(If she really is coming...
Then I have to tell her before that.)

(And if she doesn't come...?)

(No, I have to tell her eventually...)

(She needs to hear it from me.)

...