The next scene, from two years later.
It was a group sleepover with everyone from class on Christmas, and they had been attacked by an assassin disguised as Santa Claus.
Quickly protecting Ami-chan from harm, Tarou-kun leapt forward and hit him with a surprise attack.
After a long battle, Tarou-kun was victorious and the assassin subdued.
"...Geh!" Ami-chan turned away as she saw her past self run up and give Tarou-kun a hug.
"You used to be pretty sweet on him, didn't you?" The ghost remarked. "Not just here, but you always clung to him during school and on the way home, and he was all you used to talk about-"
"No, no, no, no! I'm not listening! There's no way I did something like that!" She cut him off.
"The proof's right in front of you, little miss."
"Okay, well maybe I did a bit, but that's just because he was cool and talented and did lots of interesting stuff! It wasn't as if he was special to me, or anything! It was just admiration as a friend, that's all!"
"Heh, so you admired him? Well, that's fair enough, given all he'd done. It sure was cute, though, the way you doted on him."
"Shut up shut up shut up!" She tried hitting him, but her hand simply passed through his body. It was kind of creepy. "Besides, it's all in the past!"
"Why'd it all stop, then?" A clear and simple question, yet it made Ami-chan look away once again.
"That's... that's because..."
To put it bluntly, she was embarassed. People teased her about their relationship. She was too self-conscious. She didn't want to be seen as that kind of lovestruck girl. After all, it was just... admiration. Of course, she can't have been in love with him.
He was Tarou-kun, who she'd known since she was eight.
There was no way it could happen, right?
So, to end the misconceptions, she seperated herself from him. They were just ordinary friends.
"...It's none of your business." She finally told the ghost.
