Chapter Text
"No, that's the Ursa Major!" Little Honami stomped her feet angrily at Shiho. "The bear!"
"Why would a bear have such a long tail anyway? It should be a raccoon," Shiho scoffed.
"A raccoon!?!?"
"Honami calm down!" Ichika laughed as she stood between the two.
"Yeah Hona-chan!" Saki said. She leaped onto Honami. "Tell us more about this rac- er bear!"
Honami furrowed her eyebrows as she puffed out her cheeks. "I already told you! Did you already forget?"
"Tell it to us again?"
Honami stared at Saki, exasperated. She finally reluctantly raised her hand and pointed at the constellation. "Well there is another constellation on this bear. It's the big dipper." She traced the stars with her hand. "It looks like a ladle."
"Now that makes more sense."
Ichika held her hand over Shiho's mouth. "Shhhh Shiho!"
Honami ignored Shiho and pointed at the tip of the ladle. "You go to this star here and then..." She drifted her hand to a star that shined brighter than the rest. "You'll see this star that's on the edge of the Ursa Minor. Polaris."
"Oh yeah! The north star, right?" Ichika exclaimed.
Honami grinned and hugged Ichika tightly. "Yeah! You actually remembered!" She pointed at the north star again. "Travelers back then always used this star to find their way home because it always points north."
A star then glittered as it zoomed by where Honami was pointing. Honami staggered back in shock. "H-huh!? Did you just see that?" Honami asked.
Saki jumped excitedly. "Was that a shooting star!?"
Suddenly, the whole sky was covered with bright lights flying across the air.
"No, it's a meteor shower!" Honami shook Ichika in excitement. "I never thought I would be able to see one!" She ran as if she was trying to chase the lights, dragging Ichika with her.
"Wah! H-Honami! Slow down!!" Ichika cried.
Saki and Shiho followed as Honami ran to a park. She let go of Ichika's hand and climbed on the jungle gym. When she reached the top she turned her head.
"Come on! Hurry!" Honami waved her hands for her friends to follow.
Ichika grunted as she climbed up with Saki and Shiho. When she reached the top, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight. She was able to see the whole sky clearly. Meteors scrawled all over the misty night, illuminating the world.
"Wow..." Ichika sighed in awe.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Honami said. Her eyes did not leave the sky.
Nobody could respond to her question. Like her, they were enamored by the meteor shower.
But that was the last time they'd ever seen something like that ever again. Not even the stars. Because the next day, clouds completely covered the sky.
And they never left.
---
"Honami, do you want to eat lunch with me today?"
Honami, now in junior high, looked over at Ichika. Her eyes were dull as she gripped her textbook. "Ichika-chan..." she said, "I would like it if you don't talk to me again."
"Huh? W-wait!" Ichika reached out her hand but it was too late. Honami already turned around and walked away.
First Shiho, now Honami. Over time, they left Ichika alone in the long cold hallway. Why? Why did they leave her? What happened?
Ichika trembled but she couldn't bring herself to stop Honami as she walked out of sight.
She should have stopped her.
---
Ichika is now in highschool. Honami and Shiho are still out of her grasp. It's going the same way her junior high was.
Looks like her highschool days are gonna be lonely too.
But that was until Saki walked into the room, almost knocking Ichika off her seat.
"Saki!? You're back!?" Ichika exclaimed.
"Ehehe, did I surprise you, Icchan?" Saki giggled.
"You did! When did you get discharged?"
"You two know each other already?" a classmate asked.
"Yes!" Saki replied excitedly. "Icchan and two of my other friends have been my childhood friends since we were really little!!" She shook Ichika's shoulders. "We gotta go find them after class, Icchan!"
"Oh..." Ichika whispered. She was so excited about Saki's return that she almost forgot. She's gonna have to tell Saki about Shiho and Honami later...
---
It played out exactly how Ichika imagined. Both girls were surprised and elated by Saki's return but their smiles immediately dropped when Saki asked to hang out with them.
Just like the old times.
Ichika could feel the disappointment radiating off Saki when her two friends hurriedly turned away from her before Saki could even ask why.
"Sorry, Saki." Ichika stared at the girls' backs as they disappeared in the hallway. "I should have told you about this earlier."
Saki waved it off and shook her head. Her face was filled with determination.
"Saki?"
"No way am I giving up on them!" Saki grabbed Ichika's shoulders. "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this and bring them back!"
---
Saki's efforts turned out in vain. The girls showed no interest in being together again despite their pleas. Ichika and Saki ended up spending the rest of their highschool years with just each other.
Ichika forced a smile at the camera as her mom took a picture of her for graduation.
Her mom frowned as she looked at her camera. "Maybe we should go inside." Her mom murmured, "These clouds are messing with the light on our pictures."
Ichika looked up at the sky. The blue and the sun was just a simple distant memory. Saki jumped onto Ichika, almost knocking the flowers off her hand.
"Let's take a photo together, Icchan!" Saki gave her a smile.
But that smile was less bright than what it was when she first started highschool.
"Sure, Saki..." Ichika repositioned herself for another picture and in the corner of her eye, she caught brown hair drifting by her.
Honami was holding flowers as she walked with her little brother to her parents. They all hugged her and peppered her with words of congratulations.
"Icchan."
Ichika turned back to look at Saki. She must have seen Honami as well because her already small smile had faltered.
Ichika couldn't come up with anything to say so instead, she just took Saki's hand and squeezed it to comfort her.
---
Ichika and Saki decided to go to the same college together. Saki already partially made up her mind of her major. She wanted to become a sort of scientist to explore the world around her. But Ichika knew the secret reason behind it. Because she was stuck in the hospital for most of her childhood, she never got to experience the world the way she hoped.
"Icchan, have you decided on a major yet?" Saki said as she trotted across the college campus.
"I'm still not sure..." Ichika said.
"Well you gotta pick one soon." Saki hopped on a brick wall. "We're already planning our classes for next year."
"I know," Ichika muttered.
What is she even passionate about? Ichika never really thought about anything like that since junior high. After all, what is even the point?
"Wah!!"
Ichika looked up and saw that Saki slipped on the wall and started to fall.
"SAKI!!" Ichika rushed over to her but Saki already crashed onto the ground.
"Ow ow ow!" Saki whined and sat up.
"Can you get off?"
Saki looked down and there was a girl under her. She immediately shot off the girl. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"
The girl groaned. She rubbed her back as she sat up. "My back..."
Ichika's eyes widened once she saw her face. "Shiho!?"
Shiho's arm stopped and stared up at Ichika. "I-Ichika!?"