Chapter Text
Emu was truly surprised by how things had turned out in such a short space of time; it must be said that, at the same time, it was unusual to be summoned to a room to watch her future unfold on a screen alongside some of her classmates, but above all to realise that everyone present also possessed a Sekai. Nevertheless, she was excited at the thought of seeing what the future held for them all, and perhaps this would help her understand the others better. Take Asahina-senpai, for example: she’d always felt that something wasn’t quite right because of his smile, which seemed fake to her; surely she’d finally discover what was wrong!
She was also keen to discover the other Sekai – were they all as wonderful as Tsukasa-kun’s?
They hadn’t seen much so far, but enough for her fears to be confirmed: she’d sensed a great deal of sadness and loneliness in Ichika-chan, Honami-chan and Shiho-chan, but had never really tried to do anything about it. But she was also worried about something else: apparently, this screen could also express their thoughts, but if that was possible, there must surely be a purpose to it, mustn’t there?
The bell rings, signalling lunchtime and the end of the morning lessons
Lunchtime
Saki: Hey, Icchan! Wanna go meet Hona-chan and Shiho-chan together?
Ichika (looking visibly uncomfortable): Saki, about that...
Saki: Huh? What’s wrong?
Some people grimaced, suspecting full well that this moment was bound to happen eventually; poor Ichika must have found it difficult to reveal the truth to Saki.
Ichika herself remembered the awkwardness she’d felt at that moment, especially seeing Saki’s enthusiasm. She’d recalled the few visits she’d been able to make to Saki in hospital, as well as her burning desire to be with them; she hadn’t been able to bring herself to break Saki’s heart, already wounded by loneliness
Ichika hesitated for a few seconds (which Saki didn’t notice) before replying to her friend
Ichika: …
Th-there might not be much time to talk during the lunch break. We need to eat too.
Tsukasa nodded silently; although the doctor had assured them that Saki was no longer unwell, he was still making sure she didn’t overdo it (much to her little sister’s chagrin) – under no circumstances was she to skip any meals!
Honami and Shiho felt ashamed when they realised that Ichika had tried to make excuses for them so as not to upset Saki.
Saki: Then why not have lunch with the four of us? Let’s go!
Ichika: Um… Okay…
Saki felt slightly guilty for not having noticed Ichika’s unease, but she’d been so keen to see her friends again after all this time!
Rui had noticed that Ichika never really gave her opinion and didn’t express how she truly felt, merely nodding in agreement when spoken to. It was no doubt a habit she’d picked up to get closer to people because of her loneliness; perhaps he could help her a little. she seemed quite close to Emu-kun and was friends with Tsukasa-kun’s sister, and from what he could see on the screen, she seemed like a nice person; perhaps he could become friends with her.
Ichika: I have to tell Saki how we’re doing right now... But if Honami and Shiho find out she’s back, maybe...
Everyone cast a sympathetic glance at Ichika; the fact that she seemed to think Saki’s return would allow her to reconnect with Honami and Shiho showed just how desperate and lonely she was
Shiho silently lamented the fact that Ichika had thought that. If the three of them had talked about their situation, she wouldn’t have needed to believe that Saki would be the solution to their problem (even though she had, in a way, ended up being just that). But unfortunately, Ichika had been the only one of the three to have been in a good class
They both step outside and spot Shiho in the corridor; Saki calls out to her
Shiho (surprised): Saki!? Why…
Saki: Surprised? I’ve just been to the hospital and came back here today!
‘Surprised’ would be an understatement to describe how Shiho felt upon seeing Saki. She’d expected Saki to stay in hospital for a few more years, but her heart was filled with joy at seeing her again
Shiho: Really… That’s cool…
At that moment, Saki had once again failed to notice the downcast look on Shiho’s face; she promised herself she’d pay closer attention in future
Saki seems to notice that something’s wrong with Shiho, but Honami arrives before she can ask any more questions
Honami: Saki-chan!?
Saki spots Honami and greets her with the same enthusiasm as she showed towards Shiho
Honami: Really! Good for you, Saki-chan
Then, suddenly, her mood changes and she seems saddened
Honami: Oh... but... I need to go...
Rui noticed how Shiho and Honami reacted upon seeing her again and wondered what the two girls seemed to be going through, each in their own way. Shiho had immediately shown a certain sadness, whilst Honami had at first appeared happy before looking frightened at the thought of speaking to Saki. As if she were dreading something
But what exactly?
Saki looks surprised, whilst Honami stammers, looking uncomfortable
Shiho: My next class is in another room, so I’m off now
Saki seems slightly disappointed but tries all the same to persuade them to have a meal together
Honami: I, I’m promising to eat with my friends, so... Saki-chan... take good care of yourself
Rui frowned, realising that the two girls seemed to be looking for an excuse to leave the other two, but it seemed more reluctant than deliberate, as if they were afraid of being seen together
But why?
Nene turned to Rui, wondering what he was thinking; she, too, found Honami and Shiho’s behaviour strange, but she sensed that Rui knew more than she did. She would talk to him about it later
Honami leaves, and Saki, looking sad, seems surprised by her friend’s behaviour, whilst Ichika sighs, having anticipated what would happen next but still appearing distressed
Saki: What’s going on with those two?
Ichika: They might be busy… Because we’re in secondary school now. Lots of things are different from before…
Saki felt bad upon realising that Ichika hadn’t dared to tell her the truth or confide in her about how she felt.
Saki: I get it… you’re right. Once everyone’s in high school, they’ve got loads of things they want to do. Alrighty! I’m going to make loads of high school memories just like all of you! Thanks for coming along, Icchan !
Honami looked down sadly; Saki simply wanted to make new memories with all of them after having been apart for so long. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how Saki must have felt when she realised they were going to be separated
Kanade noticed the look on Honami’s face; she’d always appreciated the girl who looked after her house, as she was unable to do so herself, and who always made sure Kanade ate and slept enough whenever she stayed over. Kanade realised she hadn’t done much for her in return.
She got up from her seat next to Mafuyu and walked over to Honami, then stopped in front of her:
‘Mochizuki-san? Are you all right?’ she asked.
-“Oh! Yes, yes… everything’s fine, Yoisaki-san! Don’t worry,” she replied, slightly taken aback by the question.
“Um… All right then, but if you ever need to talk, please don’t hesitate to come and see me.”
Honami smiled gently at the girl.
“Thank you, Yoisaki-san. I will.”
Kanade returned to her seat
Lessons ended and Honami’s classmates invited her to walk home with them. One of them mentioned Saki and asked Honami if she knew her
Honami (hesitantly): Y-yeah… We were at the same school for a long time
Rui couldn’t understand why Honami was being so vague about her relationship with Saki; it was as if she was afraid of making a mistake if she said too much. But why?
Akito rolled his eyes as he listened to Honami’s classmates talking; he couldn’t stand them, even though he’d never actually met them. But that was because they were real gossips and seemed to be the sort of people who would spread rumours about someone without any basis, then try to make amends when things eventually went too far.
The classmate continued to question Honami
Honami : Yeah. I didn't know she would be returning, so I was surprised
Classmate B : But she must be a night a nice girl, taking the time to see you
Mafuyu frowned at the phrase ‘nice girl’, which had all too often been used to describe her
Tsukasa shot an indignant glance at the girl on the screen: of course his sister was a nice person! You could see that at a glance!
‘Saki-chan doesn’t necessarily have to be a good person to go and see an old friend. I think it’s a bit rude of her to imply that she had to make time to see Honami-chan,’ Mizuki remarked, frowning.
Several people nodded in agreement.
Honami: ‘Yeah… She’s bright, and really nice…’
Saki felt her heart glow with happiness as she heard Honami speak of her that way
Shiho arrived and one of Honami’s classmates asked her a question
Shiho: Yeah. What do you want?
Seeing that the other girl had nothing interesting to say, Shiho walked away
Classmate B: Shiho... she’s a bit aloof and hard to talk to
Classmate A: I know... It’s hard to approach her.
Shizuku’s lips tightened; her sister wasn’t some zoo animal to be admired! She couldn’t believe she’d never noticed that before!
Classmate A : I heard she's in a band, but is that a guitar on her back ?
Honami : It's a bass guitar
Her classmate asks her how she knew, and Honami lies, saying she heard it somewhere
Classmate B: Apparently Shiho’s always been like that. One of her classmates at secondary school told me. She doesn’t like it when people try to get on with her
Shiho sighed with disdain; of course, with the classmates she’d had, she hadn’t wanted to socialise
Akito chuckled; he understood why Shiho had done that – he’d have done the same if he’d had classmates like that
Honami didn’t dare say anything, but it was obvious that her classmates’ comments were making her uncomfortable
Classmate A: Wow. Does she like being alone?
‘Absolutely not,’ thought Shiho. She’d pretended otherwise, but she’d hated being alone; still, it was a small sacrifice if it meant Honami and Ichika wouldn’t have any problems
Honami tries to distract them by changing the subject, and it works.
Ichika could clearly see that Honami didn’t approve of what was being said about Shiho, but given what she’d been through, she understood why she didn’t dare speak up.