The silence during lunch was cut short by a direct question.

"Do you have some unfinished business with Nyx?"

Aoi didn’t raise her voice or change her tone. She simply placed the question on the table as naturally as she had set down her tray.

Takeshi looked at her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because that goodbye sounded like you were going to see each other later."

It wasn’t an accusation, just an observation, but the problem was that it was a correct observation, Aoi knew it, and Takeshi knew that she knew it.

Takeshi opened his mouth to answer.

’Damn... I think the best thing is just to tell her the truth...’

At that moment, the chat appeared.

[WARNING. If he tells her the truth right now, Aoi’s sanity could drop and this could go very bad very fast]

[I’m predicting zero sanity before they even finish lunch]

[Telling her the truth = blade to the throat before dessert, I stand by that theory]

[Takeshi THINK before speaking for once in your life]

Takeshi closed his mouth.

Aoi tilted her head slightly.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

Said Takeshi.

"I’m thinking about how to explain it."

At that moment, he took the chance to check Aoi’s stats.

[MIZUHARA AOI]

[Life: 100%]

[Sanity: 81%]

[Trust: 80%]

"It shouldn’t be that complicated to explain."

[Trust: 78%]

"It’s not that it’s complicated... it’s just... I want to explain it properly."

Aoi looked at him silently for a moment. Then she turned back to her tray and cut something with her fork. That gesture meant she was waiting for an answer.

[Trust: 75%]

Takeshi weighed his options.

If he told the truth, according to the chat, this could end with Aoi at zero sanity and a sword in her hand before he could finish a second sentence.

The other option was saying something that wasn’t technically a lie.

The problem was that Takeshi wasn’t particularly good at building those middle-ground versions under pressure, and Aoi was very good at noticing when something didn’t quite add up.

[He’s taking too long to answer. Aoi already notices]

[Trust is probably dropping in real time lmao]

[Takeshi say something, anything, literally whatever]

Aoi set her fork down on the tray with a small, precise sound.

"Takeshi."

[Trust: 70%]

"Y-Yeah."

[Trust: 68%]

"You’ve spent almost a minute without answering a question that shouldn’t require that much time."

[Trust: 65%]

"I-I know."

[Trust: 60%]

"It’s good that you know that..."

[Trust: 55%]

Takeshi said nothing because Aoi was right. Prolonged silence in response to a direct question communicated exactly what he was trying not to communicate.

[Trust: 50%]

He looked at Aoi, and she returned the look with an expression that wasn’t anger, but something that came before anger.

[Trust: 49%]

Aside from the drop in trust, Takeshi noticed that something about her had changed, like the position of her shoulders, the way she held her fork, and the rhythm at which she ate, which had slowed to almost a complete stop.

[Someone do something because this is getting insanely tense]

[Takeshi still isn’t saying anything concrete, this is not ending well]

[You can tell the stream is losing its mind over this scene]

"Nyx texted me this morning."

Takeshi began.

Aoi waited.

"She sent me the location of a place where we were going to meet after school to go over something related to magic."

The sentence came out reasonably controlled.

Aoi didn’t respond immediately. First, she took a drink of water and set the glass back down on the table.

"Something related to magic?"

She repeated.

"Yeah, she’s been helping me with the basics for a while now. I told you before, don’t you remember?"

"I know she helped you in the library, but I didn’t know that was still going on."

"It’s continued informally..."

Aoi stared directly at him.

[Trust: 47%]

"And that place you’re going to has something to do with the magic class?"

Takeshi held her gaze.

"It’s where we’re meeting beforehand."

Technically, it was possible to interpret that answer as the restaurant being the meeting point before something related to magic. It was an interpretation that required a certain willingness to accept it, but Takeshi wasn’t sure Aoi had that willingness at the moment.

[That’s the most twisted thing he’s said so far]

[Technically not a lie. Technically.]

[Aoi is analyzing that answer like it’s a geometry problem]

Aoi said nothing for several seconds. Takeshi used the silence to eat something because he needed to do something with his hands other than remain completely motionless.

"I don’t buy it."

Said Aoi.

"I know, it’s hard to process..."

’What the hell am I even saying...’

"Then explain it better."

"I already explained the situation."

Aoi rested her elbow on the table and held her chin with her hand while looking at him, which meant she was thinking more calmly than she appeared to be, which wasn’t necessarily better than if she had been openly upset.

"So it’s just a magic lesson?"

Asked Aoi.

"Yeah, of course it’s a magic lesson."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

Aoi looked at him for a long moment. Takeshi didn’t look away because looking away at that exact point would have been a fatal mistake.

[Does she believe him? She does not believe him]

[Aoi’s expression says everything]

[Takeshi praying for the bell right now]

Aoi lowered her elbow from the table and picked up her fork again.

"Fine."

Takeshi said nothing.

"But if there’s something else you’re not telling me..."

Aoi continued without looking up from her tray.

"I’m going to find out anyway... and nobody will be able to save you."

It was a statement and a threat in the most direct sense. She said it like someone describing something they considered an inevitable fact, and Takeshi had no solid reason to contradict her at that point.

"Understood."

Takeshi replied after swallowing hard.

The cafeteria continued with its usual background noise. Neither of them spoke for the rest of lunch, and then the bell rang.

Aoi picked up her tray and stood with the same orderly movement as always. Takeshi did the same. They walked back toward the classroom wing through the main hallway, and Aoi didn’t bring the subject up again.

Takeshi walked beside her thinking he had bought himself time, but he hadn’t solved anything.

Aoi hadn’t fully believed him, and he knew it.

After school, he was still going to the restaurant with Nyx anyway, which meant the time he had just bought came with a very specific expiration date.

’Good.’

Takeshi thought as he entered the classroom.

’At least nothing’s blown up yet.’

That would have to be enough for now.