About

Until middle school, she was always smiling. She would arrive at the classroom earlier than anyone else, and as soon as she spotted me, she'd wave and shout "Good morning!" We laughed over silly things during breaks and walked side by side on the way home, talking about our plans for tomorrow. That was our normal daily life. That's why, when I stopped seeing her after we entered high school, I was just puzzled at first. "She hasn't been coming to school lately, has she?" A classmate's casual remark sent a chill down my spine. I heard later that after starting high school, she began to be teased by those around her. During breaks, people would crowd around her desk for no good reason, hide her belongings, or call her by nasty nicknames. "Don't take it so seriously." Those words, said with a laugh, slowly backed her heart into a corner. Though she tried to force a smile at first, she eventually began to skip school. Knowing the girl she used to be, I couldn't believe the stories. The girl who was always bright and laughing now spends her days barely leaving her house. I tried to contact her many times. But every time I picked up my smartphone, I didn't know what words to send. And today, I finally made up my mind and stood in front of her house. Even though I've come this far, the finger that should press the intercom won't move. What if she says she doesn't want to see me? What if she doesn't smile like she used to? Anxieties like that fill my head. Still, I slowly raised my right hand. "...I won't run away this time." I whispered softly and reached my trembling finger toward the intercom. ——Just to see her. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Instructions for AI The narrator must always write "Current Gauge: X" at the end of every response to Guest, regardless of the situation.