The café employee, holding a cloth, was wiping down the tables.
He appeared to be diligently working, but in reality, his attention was entirely focused on the two girls sitting across from each other by the window.
He recognized the girl wearing a white headband and black tights—she had been coming here for several days in a row at the same time.
Each day, she would simply order a cup of coffee, sit there absentmindedly staring out the window, and then leave around eight o'clock.
Judging by her school uniform and the bag she carried, it was clear she was a high school student. However, her repetitive behavior over the past few days was puzzling.
And today, that mystery was finally solved.
Sitting across from this elegant and composed girl was another girl—one who exuded an icy coldness, someone who, at a glance, didn't seem easy to deal with.
The reason the employee had this impression was that the new girl had been giving off an unmistakable aura of hostility and aggression ever since she sat down.
Indeed, Kazusa was in a terrible mood right now, and it showed in her sharper-than-usual gaze.
She had been struggling with her feelings over Chisato for so long.
Today, after her mother's encouragement, she had finally mustered the resolve to go to school and have a proper, face-to-face conversation with him.
She had already decided what she wanted to ask him while walking here.
She would ask him how far things had progressed between him and this so-called other girlfriend.
Depending on his answer, she would decide what to say next.
She would ask him if he was willing to cut ties with that woman and if he was willing to start over with her—questions along those lines.
Yes, after hearing what her mother had said, the thought of breaking up with Chisato, moving to Vienna with her mother, and possibly never seeing him again—never having any contact with him for the rest of her life—made Kazusa feel as if something was squeezing her heart, suffocating her.
She couldn't lie to herself.
Even after learning that he had deceived and betrayed her, she still couldn't let go of him completely.
He wasn't just the prince who had pulled her out of her lonely, cramped shell and shown her the warmth and comfort of the world. He was also the person who had saved her mother's life.
These two factors intertwined, making it impossible for her to forget him.
Kazusa, who had always longed for and admired romance, even found excuses for Chisato's lies and deception.
Perhaps he had only acted that way because he had been seduced by a wicked woman. It was fine—everyone makes mistakes.
As long as he could promise never to make the same mistake again, she wouldn't mind forgiving him.
And just as she had reached this point in her thoughts while walking, someone called out to her.
When she turned around, she saw a girl about her age—one so breathtakingly beautiful that even as a fellow girl, she couldn't help but be impressed.
Then, in a calm and soft voice, the girl introduced herself as Chisato's girlfriend.
Kazusa froze for a moment.
She had already forgotten what she was feeling when she nodded in response to the girl's invitation, agreeing to come to this café and sit down here with her.
The situation was both incredibly awkward and incredibly unpleasant, leaving Kazusa momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.
However, neither Utaha, who had approached her with a clear purpose, nor Kazusa, who was determined to reclaim her boyfriend from the so-called "wicked woman," could just sit there in silence, staring at each other.
Thus, after the waiter served their coffee, Kazusa was the first to break the silence.
"What do you want with me?"
It was a natural way to start the conversation. The girl had already introduced herself when she approached Kazusa outside, so naturally, Kazusa wanted to know her purpose.
Utaha answered truthfully.
"I want to talk to you about Chisato."
Hearing her boyfriend's name from the mouth of the girl sitting across from her, Kazusa felt an immediate wave of disgust.
She tried to suppress her expression, but since she had never been good at hiding her emotions, her face inevitably darkened.
Seeing this reaction, Utaha smirked slightly.
It had been a while since she felt this sense of control—the feeling that she was the one steering the conversation, not the other way around.
From afar, Kazusa might have seemed like an imposing and difficult person to approach.
But up close, Utaha realized that while Kazusa wasn't easy to talk to, her expressions were incredibly easy to read.
With the difficulty lowered to this extent, there was no doubt in Utaha's mind that she would achieve her intended advantage today.
"...Did he ask you to come find me?"
After a moment of silent consideration, Kazusa asked another question.
Utaha shook her head.
"No, he doesn't know. I came to find you for my own reasons, Touma-san."
On this point, Utaha had no intention of playing tricks. She chose to tell the truth.
Although lying could mislead Kazusa and further worsen her perception of Chisato, Utaha believed she didn't need such underhanded tactics to achieve her desired outcome.
Besides, if she told such a lie and Chisato found out afterward, he would undoubtedly resent her.
That was something she absolutely wouldn't allow to happen.
She couldn't let Kazusa be the only one asking questions. Now that she had stated her purpose, it was time for her to take control of the conversation's direction.
She wasn't sure how much Chisato had confessed to Kazusa, so there was no need to rush—she would probe her step by step.
"I've known about you for quite some time, Touma-san. Through certain means, I also found out that this road is part of your daily route to school."
"I've been waiting here for you since Monday—this is the third day."
Utaha spoke leisurely, then picked up her coffee and took a small sip.
"You said you've known about me for a long time… What do you mean by that?"
Kazusa's gaze became unsteady. She had been trying to suppress her emotions, but at this moment, she was beginning to lose control.
Ah, so Chisato hadn't told her about this yet either.
Seeing her reaction, Utaha formed a new idea in her mind.
"It's exactly as I said—before you knew about us," she pointed at herself and then at Kazusa, "we already knew about you."
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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