β
The atmosphere went silent and no one was speaking. The young prince also had yet to give out his answer to Haruki and Ayano.
Taking the young prince's silence as denial to them being friends with each other, Haruki uttered sorely disappointed, " Your Highness, forget what we just said. "
!
Followed by Ayano, the latter said, " We don't want to force you into anything you're not willing to do. We'd like for you to be comfortable, if anything. That's what friends are for, after all. "
" Friends? "
" Aside from Mr. Teddy Bear, I don't have anyone I can call my friend, but these two want to be friends with me, so why the hesitation? "
" Am I afraid they'll judge me based on my disability? That must be why I'm so hesitant. They can make lots of friends with just the snap of a finger, so why choose me? Could it be because they caught me reading yesterday and got intrigued? "