Tsubaki knew what the other girl was trying to do, and it was a kindness… like what she herself had tried to do for Endrance, when she’d come across him weeping in the Sun Room.

… that there would always be people willing to support others when they fell down was something worth holding on to, wasn’t it?

She thought of Black☆Star and what he would say, what he would do, and a fresh set of tears wanted to wash over her. If he was here as the Black☆Star that I know… But Tsubaki only stepped around the girl to head toward the sinks. “It’s not bad in that way,” she agreed, turning on the water so that she could clean her face up. She tried not to look in the mirror as she did so.

Although it could be equally uncharitable to push away someone who was simply trying to help, Tsubaki still felt like she needed to make that help unnecessary. What had her upset… what had hit her hard in those secret places in her heart… she couldn’t put that into words for a stranger and make them suffer along with her. Her family, especially, was a private pain. So as she splashed water and scrubbed away the evidence of her outburst, Tsubaki turned to address the girl while she dried. “It’s nice of you to stay. My name is Tsubaki.”