"IT'S NOT SOMETHING I can share. I want to keep certain things to myself."
Even though I was extremely interested in Ayanokōji-kun's past, I definitely understood that probing further would be rude.
"You better take a break to calm down."
That was true. My throat was incredibly dry, and fatigue was starting to set in.
"Yes, you're right..."
Following his advice, I picked up the cup of coffee I had completely forgotten.
The coffee I thought was still hot had cooled down much more than I had anticipated.
"It's gotten cold."
"It's gotten cold, hasn't it?"
When I absentmindedly responded, Ayanokōji-kun said something similar.
"Don't copy me."
"Please don't copy me."
It displeased me, so I replied as such. Somehow, however, the same words coincidentally overlapped again.
At that moment, the overlapping of words, what I had complained about just a moment ago, seemed strangely funny.
I ended up laughing.
He, before my eyes, also thought it seemed somehow funny and laughed a little.
"Eh—?"
"What's wrong?"
The expression on his face was the same as usual.
But the face he showed just before was, how do I put it, too fresh...
It made an unforgettable impression on my eyes.
I didn't know how to respond to his inquisitive question.
I just conveyed what I saw as it was.
"No... that... I just... saw you smile a little..."
"Huh? So, what's wrong with that?"
"It's just that I feel like I've never seen that expression on your face in the last two years..."
"How rude. I'm not a baby who's just learned to smile."
To smile, to express joy, was a common thing for someone to do. But the one in front of me wasn't just a 'someone,' it was Ayanokōji-kun.
These expressions seem out of place for him, so…
"You're right, it might've been a rare moment."
In response to my observation, Ayanokōji-kun pondered deeply for some reason.
"I wonder why I smiled. Would you know if you were the one who smiled?"
He wore a serious expression.
I couldn't have imagined someone asking so seriously about such a trivial thing.
At that moment, a sense of wonder sprouted within me.
Unexpectedly overwhelmed by the urge to look away from his straightforward eyes and question, I felt the impulse to run away.
"I... I wouldn't know either if you asked me with such a serious face."
So, I ran away. I had to follow my instincts and run away, listening to my impulse's command.
"So, it's not that something particularly funny happened, right?"
His persistent questioning continued. I had no choice but to forcefully end it.
"...As I said, I wouldn't know even if you asked me. Because of your strange thinking, I feel like a fool for laughing as well..."
I decided to go home after finishing my tasteless coffee. It tasted like water.
I didn't know the reason, but I must have been uncomfortable.
There was no doubt about it.