CH 217

“… I hear a beautiful sound.”

The words Kururi Kurumizawa suddenly heard were confusing to her.

“Wh-What are you talking about? I don’t hear any sound.”

“You can’t hear anything. You wouldn’t hear it, because I have very good hearing.”

She had an innate sense of hearing and often used “sound” to describe all of her perceptions.

The rhythm of breathing, heartbeats, the sound of clothes being rubbed, the intonation of words, and so on.

Starting with such physical sounds, she would also use sound to express feelings, atmosphere, affinity, etc.; In other words, her sixth sense.

“Beautiful is your sound,… I hear a clear, transparent, cool tone.”

“…What’s wrong with that?”

Kururi Kurumizawa was confused.

She was about to put a love letter in Kotaro Nakayama’s shoebox when she ran into Shiho Shimotsuki on the scene, or so she thought, but she was invited to the back of the school building, and now she was being told a weird story.

Shiho was in control of the conversation the whole time, and she was pushed around.

Shiho Shimotsuki’s conversation just jumped all over the place.

It was hard to keep up with her.

It would be rare for a person to be able to chat happily with such a person for a long period of time – so much so that it would be natural for her to think that Shiho Shimotsuki has a strange way of conversing.

“I mean, I, you know, it’s not that I hate you.”

“If you didn’t hate me, you wouldn’t be so hostile, would you?”

“… Peeled off? Am I being peeled like an onion?”

“……”

Once again, she gets sussed out. No, actually Shiho was just being silly and did not intentionally change the flow of the conversation, but anyway Kururi Kurumizawa was having a hard time.

Although she wanted to engage in a grueling encounter, the conversation did not click at all.

Kururi Kurumizawa frowned at the peculiar pause.

“Umm… you don’t hate me, do you? Then I wanted to tell you not to stare at me so much.”

“Oh, so that’s what you meant. I understand. Anyway, I wanted to say that I don’t hate you, but I am angry with you.”

“Angry? Why?”

This time, on the contrary, Kururi Kurumizawa tried to play dumb.

She somehow tried to take the reins of the conversation. … Shiho Shimotsuki was a silly girl, but she was no fool.

“You tried to hurt Kotaro-kun.”

This time, she was straight to the point, and she was telling the truth.

She dismisses Kururi Kurumizawa’s words, refusing to allow herself to be fooled.

“Don’t try to use him as a reason to give up. That’s cowardly.”

“… Cowardly? What do you mean? I was just trying to confess my feelings to Nakayama, and you have no right to complain about that.”

The words of complaint are the same as selling words.

Kururi Kurumizawa still tries to dodge Shiho’s words.

But Shiho, who knows everything, would never allow such an act.

“I wouldn’t be offended if you just confessed to him. But you don’t want to confess and have a relationship with him. You’re just trying to put your feelings for him to rest by deliberately getting rejected, and I don’t see how that’s not cowardly.”

She spun her words like she was trying to make a scene.

Then, just to stay, … Shiho Shimotsuki mentioned that person’s name.

“You want to cut off Kotaro-kun because you’ve fallen in love with Ryuzaki-kun, correct?”

“…!?”

Kururi Kurumizawa’s eyes widened at the fact that this was known.

She couldn’t fool around anymore.

“Why, why do you…!”

No one else knew about it.

Even if it had been detected, it would only be by Ryoma Ryuzaki, the object of her love, and no one else would have known about it.

Yet, Shiho Shimotsuki, who is only a third party, knew about it.

It is no wonder Kururi Kurumizawa is astonished.

“I know, because I have good ears.”

Shiho replied with a frightening smile.

“I can see right through you.”

Her ears twitched cutely and she smiled, …but the depths of her eyes were not smiling at all…