"S-Sam, wait a second!"
Krista abandoned her dinner and hurriedly chased after Sam.
But he didn't even glance back, walking leisurely toward the training grounds as if he hadn't heard her.
Krista called his name several times, but he ignored her completely.
After trailing behind him for a while, she finally grabbed his arm.
"Sam! Just listen to me for a second!"
Only then did Sam roll his eyes toward her.
"What?" he asked flatly.
Krista hesitated for a moment before carefully starting to explain.
"The truth is… I didn't actually mean it when I said I hated you…"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah… The other girls were pressuring me, asking about us, and I just… blurted it out in the heat of the moment…"
"Oh, so it was just something you said in the heat of the moment, huh?"
"...I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it like that."
Sam narrowed his eyes slightly.
He stared at Krista in silence for a moment before finally speaking in a low voice.
"I see. So it's okay to insult the friend who helped you, just because you were flustered."
"H-Huh…?"
"Well then, I guess I'll just badmouth you a little in return."
"Wait, hold on, Sam—"
"Oh, but of course, I wouldn't really mean it, so don't get mad."
With that, Sam turned away and started walking again.
Krista was left speechless, staring blankly at his retreating figure before quickly hurrying after him.
She kept following him, repeatedly apologizing—telling him it was a mistake, that she truly felt sorry.
But Sam didn't acknowledge her even once.
At first, she had only felt guilty.
But as she kept chasing after him, pouring out apology after apology while he continued to ignore her completely, a different emotion began to rise in her chest.
She had apologized so many times. If he was mad, he should just yell at her or forgive her already.
But acting like she didn't even exist?
That was just plain rude.
Krista had been trailing behind Sam for so long, but at some point, she just stopped in place.
Her clenched fists trembled as she tried to suppress the whirlwind of emotions inside her.
"...Are you finally done following me?"
Only then did Sam turn around and speak.
Krista, who had been chasing after him the whole time, now stood there with her head hung low.
"...That's just too much," she murmured.
"What?"
"...You're really… seriously—"
Her voice was so quiet, almost muttering, that he couldn't make out what she was saying.
Sam frowned and asked again.
"If you have something to say, say it properly. What?"
"You're seriously too much!"
Krista's head shot up as she shouted.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, frustration clear on her face.
"I've apologized this much! If you're mad, then just yell at me or forgive me already! Why do you keep ignoring me?!"
"You always do this! You only say what you want, but the moment I try to say something, you just walk away!"
Her original intention was to apologize, but before she knew it, she was venting every frustration she'd ever had about him.
Sam blinked, wondering how she had so many complaints when they barely even talked.
"...And every time you see me, you just tease me! Do you even remember making fun of me for doodling the other day?"
"Uh… oh? Did I do that?"
"Yes! Ever since you said that, the others have been teasing me non-stop! Do you even know that?!"
"Uh…"
"And that time with the omni-directional gear! You pushed me without warning! Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?! I almost crashed into something! You should be apologizing to me too!!"
She had let all her pent-up emotions burst out, and now she stood there, breathing heavily.
The tears that had been clinging desperately to her lashes finally began to spill, tracing warm trails down her cheeks.