If caressing her head was enough to calm Fuyu down, this shouldve been over right away. Unfortunately, the girl kept a tight hold on the hem of my clothes as she maintained eye contact with me.

Watching the visible conflict flashing from her eyes, I opted to wait for the girl to make up her mind. She was probably in the process of making up her mind, right?

Thankfully, the wait was short. Fuyu exhaled through her nose before her lips parted.

However, the words that escaped from her mouth were different from my expectations.

"F-forget what I said, Onoda-kun. It's not your responsibility to clear my head. I I brought this upon myself." Fuyu lowered her head, hiding her shameful expression.

She revisited her decision, huh?

But if we returned like this, her performance for her match might be affected.

Dont say that. Youre only looking out for Akane. That much, I understand. I shouldve been careful.

Without removing my hand from her head, I moved it slightly to the back, pulling her close to me.

In this way, Her forehead pressed against my chest to support her shaky body. Maybe because her head was in turmoil, she didnt react to it and simply allowed her weight to transfer to me.

Of course, by doing this, it also put us in a position where I was partly hugging her. But I guess thats kind of irrelevant now. I mean, if someone came to this side and saw us here, theyd still think that we were a couple having a talk before this girls important match.

Lets see Yuuki-san, can you tell me how I can help? I believe its now my duty to do so. I cant bring you back like this.

As I said this, I started gently stroking her hair. Even if the effect of that should be minimal considering she already tied her hair tight into a ponytail, it still beats doing nothing.

Little by little, the tension on the girls shoulder had been lifted. She took another step forward, closing our distance further.

Fuyu then moved her head, shaking it from left to right before her solemn voice reached my ears, Uh-uh. Youre already helping me. This is enough.

I see Alright then. Tell me if youre ready to go back.

Un... Sorry for being this difficult, Onoda-kun. I just

Go on. Ill hear you out. If its bothering you that much, you should air that out than let it fester in your head. Im here to cheer for you. If, for some reason, my presence here brought you the opposite effect, Id be ashamed.

Well, I didnt expect her to recognize some of them. Back when she was tagging along with Akane, she probably saw me being intimate with some of them. I mean, thats how I was before whenever I would come to meet my girls.

Furthermore, during our first year in middle school or during the entirety of our second year, I was with Nao or Yae most of the time.

And thinking about it, considering she had already gotten close to Yae, it must be Nao who triggered this kind of reaction from her. Not only is she not from their school, but Fuyu is also seeing her for the first time in two years.

Fuyus grip on my hem tightened. Her shakiness abated a bit but shes still in a delicate state. If I make a rash move here like hugging her completely, she might just crumble like a stack of building blocks losing its foundation.

A while later, perhaps following my words, Fuyu finally resolved herself to clear her head of her doubts or questions that were piling up.

I listened to them one by one and answered truthfully.

Apart from the easier questions that didnt actually relate to the girls, Fuyu also sniffed my scent and caught the whiff of the cologne that my girls put on me earlier.

Yeah. I had to tell her that I sweated a bit and those girls helped conceal them. I thought she was going to ask why Akane didnt put the cologne on me but she surprisingly let it go.

Most likely, she could already guess how I would answer that.

In the end, Fuyu, slowly but surely, cleared out her doubts about me.

Still, the girl remained close to me. Also, my hand eventually settled on her back, caressing her gently in the hopes that she would be able to completely relax.

After a minute of silence, Fuyu brought up another question.

... Onoda-kun, you say you still consider them your close friends. Will you also cheer them up like this when theyre down?

Shes really trying her hardest to understand what kind of close relationship I have with them, huh? Or this was her way to find out if I also consider her one. Whichever the case, theres no reason for me not to answer.

If this will clear her doubt then its all worth it.

This might not sit well with you but yes, I will step up to cheer them up and clear their head. I cant help it, you know?

What do you mean?

I mean it as is. I cant stand to see any of you being down about something or the other. Even if Im the reason for it, I wont mind becoming your punching bag or tennis ball you can hit freely in order to clear your muddled head.

Thats kind of extreme, isnt it?

I dont know. It worked every time so

Ah. I see. Thats why you kept on being like this. Its too effective not to.

I dont know if she fully understood my answer but with the strain in her voice already almost nonexistent, Ill say that my method is still working.

Yes. That could be it. Is it bad? Should I change my approach?

Its fine as it is. You dont repair something that isnt broken. It still works flawlessly. And I can attest to that. Thank you

Fuyu lifted her head again. Seeing her clear eyes and satisfied expression with her lips stretched into a small smile, I couldnt restrain the urge to place my hand on it.

As soon as my palm gently landed on her cheek, my fingers moved to hold her endearingly. My thumb eventually found itself on her lips, stretching her smile further.

She was surprised at that, of course. But instead of taking my hands off of her face, the girl closed her eyes, seemingly trying to savor the sensation and heat coming from my palm.

Little by little, she grew more relaxed, and perhaps unconsciously, Fuyu ended up pushing herself closer, entering my embrace.

I reacted accordingly, supporting her back, ensuring that she wouldnt stumble if ever she flinched back once she became conscious of this.

Akane didnt have any problems with you being close to another girl yet here I am getting upset in her stead. You probably find it ridiculous, Onoda-kun.

Not really. Like I said, youre simply looking out for her. I admire you for that, Yuuki-san.

... This guy. You wont ever get mad at me, will you?

Well, if you do something worth getting mad for, maybe I will. But this I fully understand it.

Im starting to understand why Akane cannot forget about you. Fuyu opened her eyes and stared at me for a while before releasing a soft sigh. Then, with another step forward, her hands slipped from my side as the girl returned my embrace.

However, she only did it for a second before quickly taking a step back, separating herself from me.

Onoda-kun, lets go back. She said in her calmest tone possible as she tried to play it cool. Unfortunately for her, she couldnt hide the redness of her face.

In any case, I didnt point it out and simply nodded before the two of us started making our way back.

Is it a success? Absolutely. And perhaps, it even exceeded my expectations.