manga artist Kirito

"Probably... maybe?"

The boy from Kirito fell into deep thought. Like Li Shunsheng, Kenshin, and... Ryunosuke, although the former two were students at the dojo and the latter was his childhood best friend, shouldn't they also be considered friends? Plus, there are classmates at school I can talk to, so I should have quite a few friends, right?

But honestly, talking about how many friends you have is always so awkward!

"Well, dinner will be ready soon, wait for me a bit."

Alice smiled and nodded, as if she had guessed that Kiritani-kun would react this way.

Many years have indeed passed, but Kiritani-kun hasn't changed much with the passage of time. If nothing unexpected happens, he should still be the same as before, focusing most of his attention on kendo practice and not paying much attention to social interactions. So... there are good things about him, but there are also many bad things about him.

But it's okay, I'm back now, aren't I?

...Hmm, not surprising, not surprising. Logically speaking, a handsome, cute, and likable boy like Kirigaya-kun should be popular. The fact that he has no friends must be because Kirigaya-kun is too lazy to socialize.

With a smile, Alice clenched her little fist and sprawled on the sofa, grinning foolishly. Isn't this even better?

Before long, Kiritani-kun carried the dishes out of the kitchen and called Alice, who was lost in thought, to wash her hands and eat.

After they sat down, Kiritani prepared food for Alice, asking, "When are you planning to leave again this time?"

With a sweet and sour tomato slice in her mouth, Alice looked up at Kiritani-kun and shook him vigorously, mumbling, "No... I'm not going anywhere."

With a strange expression, Kirigaya raised an eyebrow slightly, "...Staying in Chiba?"

After swallowing the scrambled eggs with tomatoes in her mouth, Alice licked her lips and said, "Yeah, I'm not going back."

"Did you transfer back to Chiba from abroad?"

"Yes, I've learned everything I needed to learn during my years in England. Looking back, it doesn't seem like there would have been much of a difference if I hadn't gone with my parents..."

With her eyes lowered, Alice showed a hint of loneliness. "We made a promise at the beginning, and now I've been away from you for so many years..."

"That's hard to say. Where do you live now? After dinner, I'll take you for a walk around the area, and then I'll take you home... Oh right, which school did you transfer to again?"

"Kiritani-kun really has a lot of questions."

Alice smiled. "It's at Enoshima Academy. I won't be going back tonight."

Enoshima Academy... Isn't this the school I'm at?

Kiritani-kun twitched the corner of his mouth because he had noticed something important.

"Not going back? You can't exactly stay here with me, can you? I do have extra rooms, but Suguha only stays here occasionally on weekends, and I don't clean them at other times..."

"You don't need to worry about that. I can sleep in the room or on the sofa."

"……also."

Seeing Kiritani nod, Alice's smile instantly brightened. If she revealed now that the apartment next door had already been rented, wouldn't that lower her standing? Even if it didn't lower her standing, wouldn't she have a good reason to stay here? Hmm, suddenly I feel so calculating…

Continuing this simple conversation, even though the two haven't seen each other for many years, hasn't created any distance between them due to time. On the contrary, their feelings and understanding have become even deeper than before.

After dinner, Alice leaned lazily on the sofa watching the news, typing out a series of messages at an incredibly fast pace. She instructed Tenjouin Saki to tidy up the already furnished house next door and bring all the luggage over to Kiritani-kun's place. Meanwhile, Kiritani-kun was still washing dishes in the kitchen, completely unaware that his house was about to have an extra guest... and one who would stay for a long time, or even permanently.

Alice took a small sip of tea, a look of enjoyment on her face. Both she and Kiritani had been learning kendo since childhood, and tea ceremony was, after all, the core of kendo, so they were truly superb at brewing tea!

Thinking about life in England, my parents are always busy with work and rarely come home for meals. The house is indeed very large, but most of the time only the maids are walking around, and the feeling of emptiness... It not only makes me feel lonely, but even a little scary. Perhaps it got a lot better after my mother hired Tenjouin Ryouki from the Top Butler Association. At least there is someone to talk to...

However, it's really not as good as it is now.

Well, all that longing brings is this gentle warmth. There are no particularly special surprises or words that are too emotionally stirring, but this ordinary yet warm feeling is exactly what I want!

Ha! What an idiot, little Tongtong...

You haven't forgotten, have you? Our promise?

Turning her head to look at the boy who was smiling, wiping the water from his hands with a towel, and slowly walking out of the kitchen, the girl smiled gently.

We made a promise, you know, to walk together to the end of our lives. You'll keep your promise, right?

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