"Sorry," Nozomi murmurs, dropping her hand back to her side. "I didn't want to burden you with this, but in the end, it just felt wrong to keep it from you."

She holds Eli's gaze for a moment longer, and then throws her arms up over her head, stretching from head to toe with a great sigh of relief.

"Ah, but now that it's over and done with, I feel much better! And hungry, too. I could really go for that parfait right now." Whirling around, she starts walking back towards the school gates, throwing an over-the-shoulder grin to Eli. "Let's go!"