“Did something happen?” Riko asked Alyia the moment they were further away from Hideki standing in the hallway. They didn’t hear his footsteps behind and before Alyia reached Riko, Hideki didn’t make even a single step forward. Alyia shook her head in response, but Riko could see in her expression that her mind had traveled somewhere else. Her eyes looked at something else.
They both entered the main hall. Alyia questioned herself whether they should ask about rescheduling again. She had already caused a lot of disturbance in the house, changing working hours for her and Riko, giving Ms. Tanaka a huge headache.
“Are you sure nothing happened? Since I found you in the hallway, you seem to be distracted. You can talk to me,” Riko asked her once they were alone on the way to Alyia’s home. A
