Lonely Rock for the Blind.

Yamada Ryo's steps were unsteady.

Then, following the swaying of the moving tram, she sat down next to Nekoyashiki Haru.

Click-clack-clack-clack.

"Is that a voice in your head?"

Nekoyashiki Haru smiled.

"No."

Yamada Ryo shook his head.

"what is that?"

Nekoyashiki Haruto asked.

"I do not know."

Yamada Ryo continued to shake his head.

"Ok."

Nekoyashiki Haru shrugged.

Then he lowered his head and waited quietly for the tram to arrive at the station.

"... "

Yamada Ryo also lowered his head.

Silence fell over the tram.

It was as silent as a summer field that had been suddenly startled.

However, they will soon start making sounds again.

Then Yamada Ryo raised his head.

"Cat-kun."

"Ah."

Nekoyashiki Haru gave a soft reply to indicate that she was listening.

Are you in a hurry?

"…What?"

Nekoyashiki Haru was confused.

Do you feel anxious or uneasy?

Nekoyashiki Haru was slightly taken aback.

"...Why should I feel anxious and uneasy?"

"Because, things have come to this point."

Yamada Ryo climbed onto the chair.

Golden, shimmering eyes approached purple, fragmented pupils.

"You haven't fallen for them yet, have you?"

"?!"

Nekoyashiki Haru's purple, fragmented eyes widened.

"Why aren't you talking, Cat-kun?"

Yamada Ryo sat back down in his seat.

"Am I right?"

"... "

Nekoyashiki Haru lowered her head.

The crackling sound is still going on.

Nekoyashiki Haru's thoughts seemed to be affected and become chaotic as well.

Why is Ryo asking these questions now? Why does Ryo think I'm making her uneasy?

A jumble of emotions raced through my mind.

He looked up and listened to Yamada Ryo's breathing beside him.

"... "

He opened his mouth, but Nekoyashiki Haru didn't say anything.

It felt like my throat was blocked.

In the end, the boy could only admit it in a trembling voice.

"…Um."

He did not deny it.

"I like them, but it's not the kind of liking they expect."

"... "

"I can feel the youthfulness and girlishness, but I just can't seem to respond to the kind of affection they expect."

Nekoyashiki Haru raised her head.

"So you feel uneasy?"

Yamada Ryo lowered his head and said.

Uneasy about not being able to like them.

"I'm uneasy... I'm uneasy because I'll disappoint them."

Nekoyashiki Haru held her hands, feeling a little lost.

"But... everyone's happy right now, so..."

"What about later?"

Yamada Ryo looked up at Nekoyashiki Haru.

"after?"

"Yes, you're happy now, but will you be happy in the future?"

"... "

"You're afraid you won't meet their expectations, and that makes you feel uneasy and anxious. Cat, you're too indecisive with them."

"... "

buzzing...

The lights outside the tram dimmed.

A dim, old-fashioned light shone in from the window, casting the silhouettes of the two people onto the wall.

You're afraid they'll be sad.

"I…"

"If this continues, you'll eventually force yourself to like them, won't you?"

"... "

"Because you don't care about yourself at all, which is obvious from your daily life."

"... "

"The feeling of ambiguity is unpleasant, isn't it? Do you internally condemn yourself, thinking, 'Ugh, why am I stringing them along like this? What a jerk! So awful! Making girls chase after me!'"

"They're not feeling well either..."

Nekoyashiki Haru clenched her fist.

"Yes, you'll definitely think that way, because that's the kind of person you are. Even before anyone else has complained, you start to condemn yourself internally."

Yamada Ryo smiled.

“I have been watching you, analyzing you, and understanding you, so I can feel your unease.”

Yamada Ryo took Nekoyashiki Haru's hand and gently placed it on his face.

"It's a little hot, isn't it?"

"cold?"

"It's not because of a fever, it's because of you that the temperature is generated."

Yamada Ryo came closer.

Nekoyashiki Haru instinctively wanted to leave, but was immediately pulled back by her clothes.

"You really, really are someone who is very afraid of the future."

Yamada Ryo felt Nekoyashiki Haru's hand, then climbed onto Nekoyashiki's legs, and then said with a smile.

"...Let you cool off first..."

Haru Nekoyashiki wanted to let the creature that had climbed on her cool down first.

The sense of unease... continued to spread over time.

“I’m not that gentle. You might allow me to run away, but I won’t allow you to run away.”

Yamada Ryo stared directly into Nekoyashiki Haru's purple, fragmented pupils.

Then, she placed her hand on Nekoyashiki Haru's cheek.

Yamada Ryo leaned close to Nekoyashiki Haru's ear and whispered, "I'm asking you this."

"You must be tired, scared, and uneasy. I can see it all. I see it more clearly than any of them, during band practice and when we're playing around."

"cold…"