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The classroom started to fill, first with the most diligent members of the class. Kiyotaka arrived, followed by Chihiro and then Sakura and Aoi together. For a little while, no one else entered, and then the second tier flitted in, that of the regular high school student. Hifumi, Makoto, Mukuro, Junko and Mondo, in that order. Next to walk in were Kyouko, Celes, Leon, Touko and Yasuhiro, pushing close to when homeroom was scheduled to begin.
That left two students yet to make an appearance.
Byakuya strode in, staring ahead and not making eye contact as he crossed the classroom and sat at his desk way at the back, which left one student still to come. Leon frowned at the only vacant desk before turning his gaze to Byakuya.
“Hey, Togami, have you seen Maizono-chan this morning?” asked Leon.
Without so much as glancing up from his book, Byakuya replied, “Yes, I saw her during our daily rendezvous this morning.”
Leon jerked his head back. Touko stiffened. The room held its breath. Byakuya noticed and rolled his eyes.
“... Obviously not. Why would I know where that girl is?” he said, scowling and returning to his book, which did little to appease Touko.
“A hollow doll like that...” Touko said through gritted teeth. She trailed off and clenched her pen so tightly that any harder might have cracked it. “Maizono wishes she could...! Get together!”
“Hey, be nice,” scolded Aoi. The next mutters from Touko were too quiet to be discernible but that satisfied Aoi, who skimmed through the rest of the room twice. Ultimately, she lingered longest on Sayaka’s desk.
She furrowed her brow and scratched at her cheek.
“It’s just Maizono-chan missing now,” she remarked. Most of the class exchanged puzzled looks. Byakuya continued reading. “You know, I didn’t see her at breakfast either, now that I think about it.”
Judging by the silence, no one had.
“That is not I.C. at all,” murmured Hifumi, holding his chin.
Makoto’s chair screeched back as he rose sharply. He pressed his hands against his desk, arms straight like pillars.
“A small sense of uneasiness is sprouting inside my heart,” Makoto said in a low voice, his body trembling as he stared downward. “And... slowly growing larger and larger. I...” Makoto gulped. “I’m going to check on - ”
Sakura stood up. “I’ll go.”
A beat passed. Then Makoto sat down again. After all, it wasn’t like Sayaka had been stabbed to death in her shower or anything. Sakura tucked her chair into her desk and left the classroom.
She didn’t pass many people in the corridors as she headed to Sayaka’s dorm, and those she did see didn’t stop to chat or try to waylay her, giving no more than a nod or a dodge to the side. When Sakura arrived at Sayaka’s door, she rang the bell. No one answered, yet Sakura could hear activity on the other side of the door. Footsteps pounded and furniture seemed to grunt.
Not wanting to intrude, Sakura pressed the button again, and this time, she called out.
“Maizono? Are you alright?” asked Sakura.
The noises stopped. After a few seconds, footsteps resumed, only now the door cracked ajar and a segment of Sayaka’s face showed.
“Oh...!” Sayaka widened her eyes, receded and opened the door fully. She kept her hand on the handle. “Good morning, Oogami-san! I’m sorry, did you need me for something?”
Sakura studied Sayaka. Her hair was brushed and she was wearing her uniform, but her face seemed more like porcelain than ever. Also, and this would have been missed by the less observant, the light usually in Sayaka’s eyes appeared dimmer. This didn’t escape Sakura, who as a martial artist was used to detecting even the slightest of changes in her opponents though she would not classify Sayaka as one of those.
“Not exactly. We were wondering where you were. It’s not like you to miss class,” explained Sakura.
A crease blemished Sayaka’s forehead. She touched her index finger against her lips and averted her gaze.
“I see. I’m sorry if I made you worry,” said Sayaka quietly. Sakura raised a hand.
“Please, that is not something you need to apologise for. Usually, you are one of the first people in the classroom. We were concerned that something was wrong.”
There was a marked pause.
“Kinda.” Sayaka cringed, still not meeting Sakura’s eyes, and she wrapped her arms around herself. “Sorry, but you’ll probably laugh at me. I mislaid an important charm bracelet, and it might not seem like a big deal, but I can’t...”
She choked on a sob despite how she tried not to and angled her body away.
“.... I can’t go out until I’ve found it,” finished Sayaka. Her eyes glistened as she lifted a hand and rubbed at them with her knuckles.
Such a sight pulled on Sakura’s heartstrings, though outwardly, Sakura’s features didn’t budge.
“Clearly, this bracelet is very important,” said Sakura, her voice betraying nothing either. “Do you know where it is?”
Sayaka sniffled and nodded. She swiped the heel of her hand against one of her eyes.
“I remember having it on in my room last night, and I thought I left it on my bedside table before I went to sleep.”
“Then, if you consent, may I come in and help you find it?” asked Sakura. Sayaka hesitated, then wrung her hands.
“I don’t want to trouble you,” Sayaka said, looking down.
“Helping you is not what troubles me. You being distraught is what does,” replied Sakura. “Therefore, I will help you, so long as it would not make you uncomfortable.”
Sayaka contorted her lips momentarily, then said, “Alright. If it won’t inconvenience you...”
She stepped back and let Sakura in.
Sakura had visited Sayaka’s room before on a few occasions, but the two had never been alone together. They were friends, don’t misunderstand, but usually there was at least another person present, like Aoi, Chihiro or Makoto.
Anyway, even though Sakura had been here previously, she was still taken aback by the lack of customisation. Most students decorated their dorm. For example, Sakura’s abode housed stacks of breaking tiles and she had drilled training dummies into her floor. Her Gi and red belt hung on a clothes hook and posters from magazines were pasted onto her walls.
Here, though, Sayaka’s room looked much like Sakura’s had when she first arrived at the school, before she stylised it. Breathing in, Sakura perceived a floral aroma and felt it wash over her. It was a pleasant scent that seemed to follow Sayaka wherever she went, so it didn’t surprise Sakura that the room smelled of it too.
Sayaka walked over to her bed with Sakura close behind and gestured to the bedside unit.
“I thought I left it here,” she explained. “Shall we retrace my steps?”
It definitely wasn’t on there. Sakura picked up the bedside unit with ease. Sayaka gasped, staring at it.
“Oh my goodness,” said Sayaka, her hands on her cheeks. “Sorry, I forget that you’re so strong!”
“I have trained my whole life,” replied Sakura. She set down the wooden unit on a different spot and added, “But you are as well, Maizono.”
“Me?” repeated Sayaka, tilting her head. Sakura bowed hers.
“Indeed. I have watched many of your shows, and you are active on your feet for a prolonged period. Not only that, you must sing too, and later, deal with energetic fans... It takes a lot of perseverance to do that with a smile. I admire your strength greatly. You’re inspirational.”
Sayaka blinked with her hand over her heart, at a loss for words. Sakura’s heart leapt and she shifted her weight as she looked down. Something silver caught her eye and on closer inspection, it was a bracelet laden with metal charms, including a fairy, a mermaid and a key. She picked it up and revealed it to Sayaka, who jolted.
“You found it!” Sayaka gushed, and she grabbed it back. Her eyes scrunched up as she cradled it against her chest, shaking slightly. “T-Thank you, Oogami-san... You’re my hero.”
Sakura grinned.
“I’m glad we found it. It must mean a great deal to you.”
“It does...” Sayaka hesitated, then she knelt down. She pulled out a box from under her bed, fastened with a padlock.
Using the key on her charm bracelet, Sayaka unlocked the box and opened it. The box contained a lot of knick-knacks, such as small pieces of fabric, costume jewelry and bottle caps, and photos were attached to the inside of the lid. Many were of her idol group, but newer, fresher photos depicted her with a few of their classmates.
Sakura sat down beside her and took a closer look.
“I like to keep these as reminders of people,” Sayaka explained, brushing her fingers over some fabric. “People come and go, and I want to hold onto what I can of them.”
A pause. Sayaka’s hand moved to hold onto the edge of the box and she peeked at Sakura.
“Um... if you’re alright with it, I would like to remember this act of kindness from you,” Sayaka said.
She studied the contents some more, biting her lip, before turning her head and shining a smile at Sakura. For a second time that morning, Sakura’s heart skipped.
“I would like to take a photo of us to put in here,” Sayaka said, and her knuckles whitened as she gripped the box harder. “If that’s okay, I mean. You’re such a good friend. Not just because of this, but how you look out for me and ask if I’m doing okay other times...”
Her lashes fluttered and her smile threatened to slip. Sakura boosted it with one of her own.
“Of course, I would love to be in a photograph with you,” Sakura assured her. Sayaka relaxed and whipped out her phone. She positioned her head beside Sakura and with a single tap, she took a selfie of them both.
“I’ll print it later,” said Sayaka as she lowered her phone, and she turned to Sakura. “Again, thank you for coming here... that bracelet belonged to my mother, and if I had lost it...”
The thought of that happening caused her shoulders to hunch. Her face tensed.
“I understand,” said Sakura. She rested a hand on Sayaka’s shoulder. “Like I said, I wanted to help you.”
They stared at each other. Light had returned to Sayaka’s eyes.
“You’re so lovely,” said Sayaka, and she looked away, blushing. She fidgeting with her hair. “Um... I think I’ll clean my face up, then I’ll be right out, okay?”
“I’ll wait for you outside.”
After Sakura left, Sayaka remained seated for a while longer, examining her phone. Then, she marked the latest photograph with a heart symbol, switched off the screen and headed to the bathroom to splash cool water onto her rosy cheeks.