“This is a popular item at our school.”

She received a cup of hot chocolate from Maru. She was supposed to be relaxed by the warmth coming from her hands and the sweet smell, but she had no choice but to focus on Maru’s cheek in unease. It was red. There was a clear trace of her hand. She slowly reached out to touch Maru’s cheek and she sighed bitterly when she felt the skin that felt a little rough like it had rashes.

“Sorry.”

“About what? Oh, this?”

Maru pointed at his cheek and laughed. She couldn’t just take that laugh as a joke. She was immersed in acting with the sole purpose of concentrating. She became absorbed into the character and managed to act in a way that didn’t look embarrassing. However, from some time onwards, she was unable to control her emotions. As a result of that, she injured Maru. Even after she hit him, she did not realize that what she had done was not in the script. Only after the shoot stopped did she realize that her hand felt a little hot, and after looking at Maru’s cheek, which would hurt even more than her hand, she gulped.

“How’s the hot chocolate? The cafeteria lady manages the machine, and she puts a generous amount of powder in it. That’s why it’s better than the hot chocolate from most cafés.”

She kept looking at Maru’s swollen cheek. It had become...