Chapter Text
Ryou POV
"Ijichi is absent today as well, huh..."
“...”
On that day, Nijika stopped coming to school.
The day that forever changed our fate as a group.
“Nijika-chan… Look out…!”
“Eh-...”
*BANG!!!*
“Bocchi-chan!! No way… No… Bocchi-chan!! Bocchi-chan!!”
“No… This can’t be happening… Bocchi-chan!!!”
…Bocchi saved Nijika from a traffic accident.
The vehicle wasn’t going at a high speed so there weren't any injuries visible from the outside; but since the collision with the car sent her flying with a strong impact to her head, the doctor said that she may be left with lasting effects.
Bocchi’s parents and everyone else must’ve been unbearably worried. But for some reason, I was able to keep my composure. Because I couldn’t help but think “It’s Bocchi. Out of anyone, she’ll be able to get through this.” Thinking back on it, I didn’t have any basis in that confidence, it was purely out of blind faith. I was naive to believe that. I hate how irresponsibly optimistic I was.
Because what really happened was much worse than anyone could have imagined.
“Bocchi-chan!! You’re awake!?”
“Onee-chan!”
“Hitori! How are you feeling?”
“Hitori-chan… Do you realize where you are now?”
“Hnn… Um…”
“Hitori-chan… I was so worried…”
“Bocchi…”
“Is this… a hospital…?”
“That’s right. But don’t worry, Hitori-chan, you can take things slow.”
“Mom… Dad… Futari… Kita-chan, and… Ryou-san… Hm?
Who… Who are you…?”
“......Eh?”
“H-hitori-chan…?”
“Y-you must still be half-asleep, right…?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember…”
“E-eh? I-I’m sorry, have we… met somewhere before…?”
“No… This… This can’t…”
“Bocchi… You can’t be serious…”
“Hitori-chan, can you still remember me and Ryou-senpai?”
“Y-yes, just about… I know that Kita-chan is my classmate, and Ryou-san is my senpai from another school… Wait… But, I’m a complete loner, so how could I possibly be friends with people like Kita-chan…?”
“Wait a second! Hitori-chan!!”
“Hey, Hitori! You really can’t remember!?”
“I-I’m sorry, Dad… I… I can’t…”
“...So you can’t remember anything? Not the connection between us, or even Nijika…”
“I-I’m sorry… I really can’t remember… I’m sorry…”
Everyone in that room was overcome with a feeling of despair. Of course we would. To be relieved about Bocchi waking up, only to be told she doesn’t know about Kessoku Band, or Nijika. This… must be what the doctor warned us about…
…I was particularly worried about Nijika. Bocchi was especially special to Nijika. To think that Bocchi forgot all about her and about Kessoku Band… It’s too cruel to think about.
“......Not again…
Again… Why… Why me… Why does this have to happen to me… Why do I have to keep losing people…”
“Nijika!”
“Why do I have to keep going through this!!! It’s the exact same as when Mom died!!! What did I do to deserve this!? Why… Why…” Starting with a whimper, Nijika started sobbing.
“Nijika…”
At that point, I couldn’t do or say anything… I’m so mad at myself that I can’t even be of use to Nijika, especially at a time like this. How could I call myself her friend… How did I ever believe that I could be there for her…
“I-I’m so sorry… Nijika…-san. It’s- It’s all my fault…”
“No… I’m sorry, Bocchi-chan… You didn’t even… You didn’t do anything wrong…”
If this is the true price for saving someone’s life, then this world is too cruel to live on. Why should such kind people like them have to suffer so much… Why…
“I’m sorry… Bocchi-chan… I’ll just… go home for today…”
“O-okay… I’m really, really sorry…”
“...”
Clearly holding something back, Nijika ran out of the hospital room. I have to go after her. I have to.
“Ikuyo.”
“Of course!”
“Nijika!”
“Ijichi-senpai!”
“......You two… What is it…”
“Nijika… I…”
“Ijichi-senpai! I looked up other cases of people losing their memories, and there’s a chance that those memories can be recovered! It may be a long process until that point, but… But, let’s try our best together, and help Hitori-chan get her memories back!”
“It’s fine… It’s all my fault, anyways…”
“Ijichi-senpai! What are you saying!? If there’s even the smallest chance of recovery, then… we should do whatever we can… And, even if they don’t come back, then we can just start over as friends again!!”
“I said it’s fine already.” Nijika gave a glare as she said that. A glare that had abandoned all hope. A glare that was devoid of light.
“I was the one who caused all this… If I wasn’t there, then Bocchi-chan wouldn’t have been in that accident. If I wasn’t there, she wouldn’t have to be going through any of this. It’s all because I’ve been forcing her to go along with me, that Bocchi-chan’s happiness is gone now.”
You’re wrong… You’re wrong. That’s the one thing I just had to refute.
“That’s not right! Nijika! You know that Bocchi lo-”
“She doesn’t even remember me anymore.”
“But… it’s as Ikuyo said, if we just work together…”
“Ryou. Bocchi-chan is too kind, so I know she must be feeling guilty about forgetting me. No matter what, I never want to see Bocchi-chan look that… hurt… ever again.”
“......”
“So please… Ryou, Kita-chan, be there for her. Be there for Bocchi-chan. As long as I’m out of the picture, Bocchi-chan won’t have to suffer anymore.”
“Wait… Wait a second… Then, the band… What’s gonna happen to Kessoku Band!?”
“...That’s right, I don’t want it to disband…”
Thank goodness… Then, that means…
“But I want you to wait for a while. If Bocchi-chan still wants to continue the band after then, then I’ll be the one leaving the band.”
Leaving…? Nijika… What are you saying…
“You can’t be serious!! Kessoku Band… You’re the one who created it, it’s your dream in the first place, isn’t it!? I absolutely can’t allow that!”
“I agree!! No one can be the leader of Kessoku Band other than you, Ijichi-senpai!”
“...Thank you, you two… But… I don’t want to hold you back anymore…”
“What…?”
“I don’t want to curse you all with my reckless dream anymore. Especially Bocchi-chan… I entrusted my dream to her, and all it ended up as was a burden to her… Thanks to her memory loss, she just managed to be released from it, so I can’t bear the thought of cursing her with it again.”
A curse… How can she say that… Our desire to make Nijika’s dream come true… that’s the whole reason Bocchi and I have continued to stay in the band… Is she really saying that we were only puppets playing to her curse?
“I know how passionate you two are about Kessoku Band. That’s why I want you to find your very own dreams, separate from mine.”
No… that’s not right… We’ve all found our dreams a long time ago already. Nijika’s dream is our dream. How can Nijika not understand that??
“Nijika… Stop running…! From Bocchi, from all of us… Stop running away…!”
“I’m sorry, Ryou. But this is our only choice…
I guess this means we won’t be seeing each other for a while now… See you, you two.”
“Wai-...!”
I couldn’t stop her. If I couldn’t even stop her there, then I’m just…
“Ryou-senpai. Even if it’s just us two, let’s help Hitori-chan find her memories again! Let’s rebuild a place for Ijichi-senpai to come home to!”
There it is. Ikuyo’s boundlessly optimistic thinking. But she’s right, there’s still hope. It was only Ikuyo’s brightness that pushed me forward in that moment.
“Right. To bring everyone back together, once again.”