Mari and Yuto arrived at the roof of the school building.
　Ichigo hadn't arrived yet.
　Yuto took a deep breath and walked to the center of the rooftop and turned around to stand right beside the floor that had been damaged by the poisonous arm.
　Mari grabbed his left arm with her right hand and slumped over.

''Mari....''

Yes.

'Let me get straight to the point ... did you see what happened here at lunchtime today?'

　Yuto only shifted his gaze to the damaged floor.

''........Yes.''

I see...

　Mari is still slumped over.
　Seeing that Mari's attitude, Yuto felt an indescribable sense of desolation.
　This discussion is not to blame Mari in any way.
　Because, apart from that, Mari did not do anything bad.
　And it's the same with Yuto. It's not like she was sneaking around and doing bad things.
　It's just that due to the peculiarities of his own family, Yuto had circumstances that he couldn't say, even if they were on good terms with each other.
　Yuto looked at Mari and searched for words.
　And Mari was also staring back at that Yuto without effort.

''........''

....

　Then, surprisingly, Mari opens her mouth before Yuto does.

''Yuto........''

Yeah?

　At Mari's question, Yuto turned his face to Mari.
　At this time, Mari looked at that Yuto intently and ruminated on what Yuto had told Ichigo earlier in the park near Jilin High School, that Yuto was a person with abilities, and also that there were some side effects when he wielded his power to the extreme.

'So what you said at the park... was true?

　Yuto's eyes widen for a moment, but he quickly returns to normal and places Mari in front of his body.

'....Yeah.

'So, is it possible that the people around you that you were talking about at the time will forget you?

Yeah it's true.

....

　Mari dropped her eyes again. What she really wanted to hear was confirmed now.
　Then, in her chest, Mari thought back to her interactions with Yuto so far.
　There were actually many times when Mari wondered why Yuto was so unconnected to the people around him. Even Ichigo, who could be said to be Yuto's only same-s*x friend, had suddenly distanced himself from Yuto when he and Yuto were in the third year of junior high school. Even Shizuka, who was good with people, had forgotten about Yuto, who was in the same class as her in the eighth year of junior high school.
　Today, Mari was shown a power that she didn't know about, a power that was far removed from that of an ordinary person, and until now, the uncomfortable feeling that Mari had felt about Yuto was all........connected.

　And at the same time, Mari now had a certain feeling that filled her to the point of making her forget these things. It was born from this lunch break when she was shown another form of Yuto that she didn't know herself, and this realization stuck in her mind and never left.
　It's.....

　Wasn't Yujin lonely?

　Now Mari didn't care about herself anymore. It didn't matter what anxiety, alienation, or loss she was feeling right now.
　Even if it was how Yuto felt about her right now........
　Masato is surprised to see Mari's eyes moisten and large tears flowing down Mari's cheeks.

''Eh!　Well, Mari-chan, hey!

　Mari stared at Masato in amazement, but she was disgusted by that insensitivity of hers until now.
　Mari could only stand in that place now by blaming herself.

'Yuto I'm sorry, I didn't realize it. I'm sorry, Yuto, I'm sorry, I couldn't believe your story. I couldn't do anything........for you, Yuto.......

'What are you talking about, Mari!　There's nothing for Mari to cry about!

　Yuto put his hands on both of Mari's shoulders, but Mari just shook without effort.
　It was true that for Mari, who had never once forgotten Yuto, she had more difficulty than others in accepting the uncommonness of Yuto's disappearance of existence from a person's consciousness. This was partly because Mari was so close to Yuto that she felt Yuto's presence so strongly.
　But more importantly, although she didn't have to notice the reactions of the people around him, it might have been uncharacteristic of Mari as far as not thinking deeply about it.
　Normally Mari had a wide perspective in her relationships, but when it came to Masato, she often looked at things in a one-sided way. In other words, Mari had a habit of looking at the relationship between Mari and Yuto alone.
　What was unlike for this girl might be that she was rather unaware of this habit of hers, which only showed up when it was that yuto.
　Mari looked at Yuto through her blurred vision.
　She could see that Yuto was looking at her with an anxious and worried look on his face. But to Mari, whose heart is weak right now, the kindness of that yuto looks like the kind of attention he shows to everyone.
　And as for it being directed at her, it's natural.........
　Yuto is kind to everyone in this way.
　But that Yuto showed a surprising reaction to Mari.
　Yuto sighed heavily.

''You know, Mari, for now, I'll tell you the requirements that brought Mari here.

　Yuto let go of Mari's shoulder and scratched his own head.

'I just don't want you to tell anyone what you saw today. Well, if you say something like that out of the blue, you might think it's some kind of joke and no one will trust you.

What?

　Mari looked up at Yuto's words and the way he said them. It was clearly making fun of the fact that she hadn't believed what Yuto had said before.
　Then she saw that Yuto was looking at her with a nasty look on his face, and there was no mistaking it. It's an unusual expression for Yuto that Mari knows.

''I know ... I'm not going to tell anyone, ever.

'Yeah, please. If I said this to everyone around me, Mari would probably be called a chuuninji or something.

　I can tell by this statement that Yuto is rooted in this.
　It also means that he was too mad at her.
　Mari apologetically brought her eyebrows together in the shape of a c and wiped her tears.

''I'm sorry........Yuto. I.........''

Mari-chan, you're always so strict with me, always lecturing me about everything.

　Mari's face darkened further at this sudden and unexpected mention of Yuto, and her eyes dropped.

''I only gave up my win once at the dojo, but you ignored me for months. You didn't forgive me at all, even though I apologized to you many times.

　Mari's eyes widened and she looked up.

'That's it, Yuto!　Even though you are........stronger than me....... ........I'm sorry.

'You dumped me, and then you were just being normal, and it made me feel better. Honestly, there were times when I wished you'd just left me alone.

Oh, no...

And you know what, people say you're witty and ladylike, but I've never seen that in my life.　What?　I wanted to say to people, "You know, I've always been the same. You're always the same to me, and you're always so picky.

What?

　You're not going to tell me that?

"You came in late at night, didn't ask me for advice, just came in with a housewarming gift.

'Ah, at that time.......even you were crying and happy.......'

　Mari couldn't help but argue back, but she weakly sits on her ass, saying that she's not in that position now.

'You know, taking away that treasured book I tried to lend to Ichigo in middle school!　And I got mad at you for borrowing Ichigo's treasured book (featuring big boobs) the other day.

Yeah!　That's because Yuto brings those dodgy books to school!

　As expected, Mari is annoyed.

''Oh, by the way, it seems like you've been drinking a lot of milk lately, but it's not true that that would make your breasts bigger.

Na!

　Mari's face turns bright red and she backs away, aghast.
　Where did you get ... that?　But Mari's face passed through her mind as Shizuka's face passed through her mind.

'Mari, you can study and you don't even know that?　For the most part, that's not going to make my breasts bigger. Well I'm sorry to hear that.

　Glancing over, Yuuto shifted his eyes to a certain part of Mari.

''Nana!''

　Mari hugs her breasts to escape Yuto's gaze.

'Y-yeah, they're not that small, even now!

"Pfft.

　At Yuto's ridiculous attitude, Mari gradually wannabes while dropping her eyes to the floor, causing the veins in her temples to rise up.
　However, as if he didn't return such a state of mind, Yuto continued.

The first time you find out that I am really a gifted person, do you get depressed and cry on your own?　It's a real pain in the ass.

... (pfft!)

　A sound rang out inside Mari, as if some strings had been broken.
　Certainly not the way she thought her own previous attitude towards Yuto had been, but she didn't think she would be treated this way.
　Especially the chest thing.

(Because I thought you liked it when they were bigger... no!　(I just cared about it as a woman too!

　Mari's face gradually turned upward.

''I guess that's all I'm trying to say.......Yuto.

"...what?　Hi!

　Gingly, Mari's eyes shoot through Masato.
　Yuto's shoulders jumped up.
　I could see Mari's sharp eyes biting into Yuto, and this time Yuto backed away.

''Wow, even I'm not good at something. I know that I was causing you trouble. And yet, it's all in my own way...............thinking about Yuto!　I said I would be with you someday...

But, you know...

　Mari tried to say more words, but she couldn't.
　Because the Yuto in front of her was staring at Mari, and his expression was calm and mature.......and he was smiling. This expression.........I've seen this expression before, but it wasn't a smile that was.......warmer than that time, or rather, a smile that made it seem like someone else's problem.

'Mari-chan remembered me...................... What I just said, everything I said, I can feel it. What happened between me and Mari-chan has never been like it never happened.

!

　Mari's eyes widen.
　
　It's not the Yuto that she knew before when she received the confession, but the Yuto as the opposite s*x, with something added to that Yuto that made her look strong, strong, and yet receptive.
　

''Mari........I, you know, I was grateful to Mari, you know?　Thanks to Mari, my day-to-day life has never been....lonely....even once in the last stage...

　A gentle breeze flowed between Mari and Yuto, and Mari's chestnut-colored hair was lifted up in a puff of air.
　Mari's heart beat faster, and her well-formed face was dyed vermillion.

''So, Mari........don't apologize anymore, okay?　And no crying. I've already been given a lot of time by Mari, and that's everyday life, an irreplaceable time.

　Mari's time stopped at Yuto's words.
　Memories of what she and Yuto had been up to now flooded Mari's mind.

(I........didn't understand anything, did I? Yuto had changed so much........so much. Unbeknownst to me........nope, I was the only one who didn't see Yuto now. (Besides...................I knew that you were always a Yuto)

　The Yuto that Mari had seen in her dreams was there now.
　No, he was a little different from the ideal Yuto that Mari had in mind. Not a confident, powerful attitude. But it's not such a superficial thing.
　It is true that I feel a different Yuto than I did before. But no matter how far Yuto goes, he's still Yuto. It's still the same Yuto I knew from the moment I met him.
　Even though I was attracted to that Yuto and focused on him, I was the one who tried to fit him into the form I was obsessed with.
　Everything about Yuto seemed to shine brighter now, because he had changed himself... no, he was just able to follow his own heart honestly.
　Mari impulsively jumped into Yuto's chest.

''Yuto!''

'Wow!　Hey, Mari!

　Mari looks up at Yuto with a bright red face.
　Masato, who had never been this close to his childhood friend's face before, was surprised and disconcerted as he looked back at Mari as she jumped in.
　Yuto's heart jumped as he saw Mari's moist eyes looking up from below.

''Yuto.......I, Yuto.......Yuto!

　Yuto is unable to move at Mari's unexpected behavior.
　As if she had made up her mind, Mari tries to open her mouth.
　　And opened up.



　A few minutes before this discussion between Yuto and Mari, Ichigo was hurrying towards the rooftop to make an appointment with Yuto. Surprising the young lady who passed him, "Oh, sorry! I apologize and run up the stairs.

'Oh man!　I'm late because I'm having a great time talking to you ladies!　Right now, the poorly explained Yuto might be upset!　I mean, yeah?　What is it?

　Ichigo was just a short distance from the rooftop door when he saw a group of people pushing and sticking to the rooftop door.
　They were whispering something to each other.

''Mizuho-san, please don't push too hard.''
It can't be helped, Marion.
'You can't say that...'
Mmmm, Mari she stopped crying.
'Why are you here, Hualien-san?
"Just curious.
Get out of my way!
They're not people.

　Ichigo looked disappointedly at the faces of the girls who were pushing and hazing each other in front of him.

''........''

　Ichigo looked from behind the group to the doorway, wondering what it was like.

'So, how does it feel?　Mr. Marion.

Wakamada-san!　No, I'm not sure...

Let's see...

　Ichigo listened to the conversation as he checked on Yuto and the others.

'Wow, it's rare to see Shirasawa-san like that. He's very depressed, huh? Oh, Masato is complaining to Mr. Shirasawa, this is also unusual.

　Marion turns her head at Ichigo's reaction.

''Hakamada-san, what kind of relationship do those two have?　Well I heard we were childhood friends, but....

'Do you mind?　Mr. Marion.

'Oh!　No I don't mind if it's intrusive.

No, well, I'd say it's exactly as you see it. Looking at it from the side, it was like a picture of a brilliant, big-headed girl and a good-natured, selfless man who got along better than he expected.

'Oh really but is that all?'

　Seeing Marion's anxious face, Ichigo smiled bitterly.

''Haha, holy shit.......when did you get to Yuto too? Yeah, later, let's tighten it up.......no, let's kill him.

Oh, what?　That's not what I meant...

　Ichigo observed Marion's ears reddening with amusement, and then turned his attention to Masato and Mari, whom he could see through the doorway.

'Well, the longer we've been together, that's right, there's been a lot going on. Even the adolescent-like ones.

　Marion is momentarily relieved by Ichigo's story, but drops her eyes as she listens with a serious face.

''I see........you've known Yuto-san for a long time......Shirasawa-san....

Yeah?　Marion, my theory is that time has nothing to do with the relationship between a man and a woman. If you say that, it's all about the first time, or rather, the sum total of all the lovers who met each other earlier, right?　But a lot of couples out there don't do that, do they?

'What?　Oh, of course!

'Yes, the important thing between a man and a woman is...'

So what's the big deal?

　Marion giggled and pulled Ichigo's ears closer to her.
　And then........Mizuho and Nina's ears perked up as they were actually listening to Ichigo's story.
　Karen was focused on Masato and Mari, and seemed uninterested in what Ichigo was saying, and

Distance!　The distance between the two of them.

'Distance.......distance of the mind.......?　I see!　You can talk about anything and everything you want to without hiding anything!　That's right!　It doesn't matter how long we've been together, if we don't have a heart-to-heart, then it certainly doesn't matter how long it takes.

　Marion gave a radiant smile and clasped her hands in front of her chest. And she sincerely thanked Ichigo for the valuable story he had told her. Marion also had virtually no male friends of her own age, so it was really nice to hear from Ichigo's male side.
　However, Ichigo looked at Marion, who was shaking with emotion, as if she were looking at a strange creature.

'What?　What are you talking about?　Mr. Marion.

'What?　Isn't it?!

　Likewise, Mizuho and Nina, who thought they'd heard something good, were also aghast.
　While looking forward.

''Haha, totally Marion-san......... The distance we're talking about here is........''

It's a physical distance...

　Karen interrupted, looking forward, as if to say it was a matter of course.

''Oh?　Exactly!　Specifically, the distance between our bodies from each other!　You know exactly what I'm talking about!　Hey, girl!　........who?

'Nah!　Buh-uh, physical?　Ka, the body...?

　For a moment, Marion didn't understand the meaning of what Karen and Ichigo were saying, but her face immediately turned bright red. And then........she unconsciously hugged her own body.
　Then Ichigo began to speak passionately, as if a switch had been flipped.

'How can I care about such an uncertain, unmeasurable thing as the distance between our hearts!　Only how far you allow yourself to get close to that girl!　Look at the physical distance between couples and non-couples, men and women!　So, I ask you, Mr. Marion, what if a man who doesn't give a d*mn comes up to you?

Oh, no, that's not good.

You bet!　Then, Marion, who would be able to get into that very close physical proximity!

Woohoo!　I don't think so....

　Marion's eyes are scared of Ichigo's eyesight, Marion's eyes are teary.

''Huh ... that opposite s*x that just popped into my head is the one who can get close to Marion-san!　When that guy approaches, Mr. Marion doesn't refuse to come closer.

....!

　Marion, who is full of it.
　For some reason, Mizuho and Nina's ears are red in front of them.

'It's not an exaggeration to say that men work hard every day to close this distance, to be allowed to get even an inch closer!

　A quick snap, and the power in his eyes gets even more caged.
　At that time, Hanaren gives a wry smile.

''And this is something women can use....''

"!

　Mizuho and Nina look at Karen in surprise.

''Well sometimes there are some tough girls who deliberately make you look at that distance the wrong way. However, this is called bargaining. A lot of guys get fooled by this, but you have to figure out which girls you can get into that distance and which ones you shouldn't!

　Marion was amazed at the knowledge that came in that she hadn't thought about.
　Mizuho and Nina's ears are twitching.

''After going through these harsh conditions, the final goal of the man and woman is...''

　Marion gulped at Ichigo's word final, and Marion cleared her throat.

'.........zero distance.'

Zezeze, zero!

　A lot of steam comes out of her head and Marion flattens on the spot with no effort and her buttocks hit the floor.
　In front of her, Mizuho is red from the neck up, and Nina is covering her face with her hands.
　Then Karen, who occupied the center of the front row, cowered her shoulders and sighed.

''But even though the women are secretly OK with it there are many lousy men who won't come within striking distance.

'There!　Not just that kind of herbivore, but someone who hangs around in the meadow without knowing which grasses are edible!　It's utterly deplorable.

"!

At times like that, when you're at a standstill there are times when a woman must go into battle of her own accord.

　Marion's eyes are as big as this at what Hualen says.
　Ichigo nods yes, and crosses his arms.

'Well basically the guy has to close that distance. But sometimes even the girls have to make a move, right? Well, I've always wondered how much work a man has to do in order to get a girl to go that far.... If you can go through that, you're a man....

'Oh, Mari ... jumped into my chest.

　Hualien's inchoate report.

''Huh?''
What?
Yeah?
What did she just say?

　A moment of silence.

''Hah!　What the hell?!

　As soon as Ichigo called out, everyone gathered in the doorway.
　The four of them gathered at one point from behind and to the side of Hualen with such vigor that everyone's posture became unstable.

''Hey, what the hell!　Why are you in that mood!
Oh, that's not good!　That expression on Shirasawa-san's face!
When did this happen?

Mari ... moved into a confessional position. And zero distance combined.

　Hualien's play-by-play.

'Nah!　And we have to stop it!　Marion!
Well, what's to stop me from doing that?　A reason to stop!
This is the Japanese zero-distance...

　Beside the girls who were extremely flustered, the one who checked this situation of Yuto and Mari and revealed the most anger was.......Ichigo.
　Ichigo pulls his body and lets out a voice that seems to be squeezed out of the bottom of his stomach.

''Don't be silly!　It's you!　He's a million years away from becoming a man!　No, you can't be before me!

You're being honest...

　As if Karen's tsukuri was of no concern to them, Ichigo tries to make his way to the door from the back of the line, and everyone is caught up in Ichigo's forceful move.
　As a result, the door opens with a bang.

'I'm not going to let you!　Yuto!
'Oh!　Hey!　Hakamada-san!
Ouch!
Yeah!
It's a shame ... I would have liked to see more of it.

　The ones who came out to fall down were Nina, Mizuho, Marion, Karen, and Ichigo....
　Mari and Yuto stiffen at the sudden rush of people jumping in.
　But Mari comes to herself in a huff and moves away from Yuto.
　And then Ichigo, who quickly regained his poise from among those faces and took a step forward, said.

''You don't even know what grass you can eat, just plucking the grass, you 'weedwacker'!　I'm not going to let you just jump over me here!

What are you talking about?

　The girls who came out with Ichigo also stood up and all nodded widely.

''What agreement!''

　There was no one to answer Yuto's question.
　And behind Yuto was Mari, who was so embarrassed that she looked around with her head in her hands and her ego was about to collapse....