Archive of Our Own

Kanade didn’t like going outside into the sun, but she could do it for the important things, such as picking up necessities, visiting her father and spending time with her music circle.

She was seriously regretting coming outside today, however.

Because as soon as she arrived at the hospital, Tsukasa marched directly up to her and shoved a manila envelope in her face.

“T-Tsukasa?” Kanade stuttered, unsure of what she was even asking. All she knew was that the slightly older boy was staring at her with bright, determined eyes.

Something in her gut told her this could be very good or very bad. It was, after all, a look Kanade suspected Mizuki shared with Tsukasa.

“I’ve spoken to my parents and they agreed as long as both you and your grandmother consent,” Tsukasa stated, as if Kanade were supposed to know what he meant right away. “This is by no means meant to pressure you. We simply wish to present you with all of your options.”

“All of my-what?” Kanade gaped. This was going too fast and she still had no idea what they were even talking about. And seeing as Tsukasa apparently had no intention of just telling her what he was talking about, Kanade glanced down at the envelope in her hands for some kind of hint.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She was holding an envelope with a stamp she recognized. It was, after all, the same emblem she’d seen after her father had been hospitalized.

When she had almost entered the foster system.

Her head shot up and she met Tsukasa’s too serious eyes.

“Tsukasa, you want…” She couldn’t say the words, couldn’t even begin to describe the emotions racing through her. How was she supposed to feel about this?

“My family wishes to adopt you, Kanade,” Tsukasa whispered, his voice gentle as he rested a steady hand over her trembling ones. “I want you to become my little sister. But it’s still your choice so please, don’t feel obligated to agree. You have time before you’ll have to give your answer.”

Kanade was still speechless, unable to even process any of this.

“I-I have to go!” she cried. She pulled away from Tsukasa and ran into the hospital frantically.

But even as she fled, Kanade still clutched the paperwork in her hands.

Kanade’s heart was still racing as she entered her father’s hospital room. Her heart rate steadied when he glanced at her with a clarity she didn’t see too often.

“Ah, Kanade! Have you finished school already?” he smiled. “I’m sorry I can’t get up to greet you properly, but my nurse doesn’t let me get up alone.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Kanade smiled slightly. She stepped closer to his hospital bed, sitting down in the chair beside it. “I’m glad to see you doing better.” The words came from the very depths of Kanade’s soul, just because it was so rare to see her father and have him recognize her.

The guilt hit her as it always did, an arrow to her heart and leaving her blood pooling in her chest. But she didn’t let the guilt show on her face. This was a good day, she wanted it to keep going.

“Me too. I’m hoping to get out in time for your graduation. Have you picked out a high school yet?” her father asked, smiling innocently. Kanade could feel the ever constant weight on her shoulders rest even more on her. The words had been said in kindness and love, but they only proved that she irrevocably broke something in her father.

“Yes. I wanted to bring you some of the pamphlets but I forgot them at home,” Kanade lied, playing along with the illusion. The nurses often told her that playing along would make things easier for her father, similar to people with dementia.

“Ahaha! That’s alright! I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to look them over together. The high school you go to is very important in determining your future,” her father insisted. Kanade nodded in agreement, unable to say much else. Her throat had closed up, making words impossible. “By the way, Kanade, what’s that paperwork you’re holding?”

Kanade blinked, looking down at the paperwork in her grasp. She’d forgotten she’d been holding it at all.

Her words still wouldn’t come, so all she could do was hold it out for her father to look over. He did so gently, with the greatest of care as he opened the envelope and examined the pages. Kanade could only watch silently as he met her gaze.

“This is adoption paperwork,” he stated. “Kanade, is something wrong with your grandmother?” Kanade shook her head furiously, wishing desperately in that moment that she could just speak. “I see, then…why do you have this paperwork?”

Kanade bit her lip, reaching into the backpack she always brought to carry her father’s things and pulling out the notepad she used when she couldn’t use her words. She scribbled down her answer as quickly as possible and passed it over for her father to read.

‘A friend’s worried since Grandma is unable to live with me full time while you’re here. He asked his parents if they could take me in and is leaving the choice to me. But I don’t know what to do.’

“I see.” Her father nodded once he reached the end of her note. He met her eyes and spoke as gently as he always did. Just listening to him drove the arrow deeper into her heart, causing the shaft’s edges to catch on the muscle. “Kanade, you’ll always be my daughter, no matter what happens. But that doesn’t mean you can’t join someone else’s family too. If that would be better for both you and your grandmother, then I think you should say yes.”

Kanade blinked repeatedly, unable to hide her surprise. Tears formed in her eyes, silently falling down her cheeks as she stared at her father. It was as if he’d looked into her heart and spoken exactly the words she needed to hear.

“Oh, Kanade…” her father whispered.

His words just caused her tears to come even faster, until she was sitting beside him on his hospital bed and squeezing his hand as tightly as she dared. She felt like a kid, even more so when her father began petting her hair, but it was nice.

“I love you, Dad,” she whispered. The words felt spiked, as if they were dragged up her throat as strongly as she dragged Mafuyu out of Sekai. But despite the pain and effort it took to force the words out, Kanade knew she needed to say them, that her father needed to hear them.

“I love you too, Kanade,” her father whispered.

And in that moment, those words were everything.

Once all the paperwork and family registries had been settled, Kanade was all set to move into the Tenma household.

Knowing that and actually doing it, however, were two completely different things. And the day Kanade and her grandmother arrived to move her in left Kanade feeling all of six years old again, going to school for the first time.

“Are you ready, Kanade?” her grandmother asked, soft as Kanade’s favorite blanket. Her grandmother was her anchor throughout everything that had happened, she never would have survived without her.

Kanade’s words had melted in her throat like snow in spring, unable to so much as breathe her grandmother’s name, so all she could do was nod. Even if she wasn’t ready, she had to be.

Just as she had nodded, the front door opened, revealing a smiling blonde girl who Kanade now knew to be Saki.

“Ah! Oneesan! You’re here!” Saki beamed. She turned back to the house and yelled again. “Oniichan! She’s here!”

Kanade blinked and suddenly Saki was directly in front of her with Tsukasa reaching the front door behind her.

“Kanade! You made it!” Tsukasa grinned as he ran over to join them. “And you must be Kanade’s grandma. I’m Tenma Tsukasa and this is my younger sister, Saki. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Yoisaki-san!”

“Ah, what a nice young man!” Kanade’s grandmother laughed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both as well. You can just call me ‘grandma’.”

“If you’re sure!” Saki smiled. She was like a ray of sunlight, her enthusiasm and kindness warming the words Kanade had wished to give a voice, allowing them to slip past her throat at last.

“It’s nice to see you again, Tsukasa, Saki-san,” she whispered, crossing her left arm over her body to hold onto her right elbow.

“Aw! You don’t have to use honorifics with me, you’re my oneesan now after all!” Saki corrected.

“I suppose…that’s correct, Saki.” Kanade nodded. The words felt ill-fitting and uncomfortable, most likely because she wasn’t used to them yet, wasn’t used to being a big sister, part of a family.

Genuinely, Kanade had no idea what she was doing. She’d grown up with a small family. But now, she had two siblings, three parents and a grandmother. She’d already broken her father and her only reason for existing for so long had been composing.

She hadn’t even told her music circle about all of this. Mafuyu, Ena and Mizuki had no idea she’d even moved out of her house, let alone suddenly acquired a larger family.

Everything was going to change from this moment forward and Kanade had no idea how she was gonna handle this. The fear and uncertainty felt as if they were going to choke her.

A hand rested against her elbow and Kanade blinked back to reality.

Tsukasa was watching her with concern, Saki a small distance behind him and her grandmother at her side.

“Kanade, are you alright?” Tsukasa questioned, soft as a butterfly wing. Kanade could weep at the kindness in his voice, kindness she did not deserve, not after what she did.

“I…yes.” She forced the words out. They didn’t sound convincing even to her own ears, but she had to make the effort, no matter how painful the action was.

“Why don’t you give us a tour and we can get Kanade all settled in?” her grandmother suggested, breaking the heavy silence with all the tact of having seen Kanade through every high and every low. Things were easy with her grandmother, who didn’t expect words when Kanade couldn’t give them but listened whenever Kanade could speak freely. The only other place Kanade felt so comfortable was with her music circle.

She wondered if she could ever feel like she belonged anywhere else.

“That is a brilliant idea, Grandma! Come, Saki, let us show our new sister her new home!” Tsukasa declared, striking an extravagant pose that made the corner of Kanade’s lips twitch.

“Right, oniichan! C’mon, oneesan, we can show you and Grandma around before Mom and Dad come home! We made some sweets for you as well!” Saki grinned, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Kanade nodded, following the two into the house, her grandmother ever present at her side.

Crossing the threshold felt like stepping into a new composition, one Kanade had never considered before.

Even after everything had been moved into Kanade’s room and she had settled somewhat, it still didn’t feel like…hers.

The walls had been freshly painted a light blue, making it easier for her eyes to see compared to the bright yellow that both Tsukasa and Saki seemed to prefer. The Tenmas had also been extremely accommodating in helping her move in all of her equipment.

But even despite that, Kanade still felt like a stranger inside these walls, no matter the legal documentation that stated she now belonged here.

Perhaps it would take time for this feeling to go away. No matter what the case may be, her purpose hadn’t changed.

Which was how she found herself logging onto Nightcord that first night at the Tenmas’.

“Oh, K! You’re just in time!” Mizuki cried, a smile in their voice. “I was just about to show Enanan what I’ve finished so far for our next video!”

“And I told you that we should wait for K and Yuki to come on!” Ena huffed. There was fond irritation in her tone, as familiar as her art style and just as beloved.

“I’d like to see it, but we should wait for Yuki,” Kanade agreed, feeling the smallest smile form on her face. Words came so much easier when she knew Nightcord at 25:00 was there.

“I’m here.”

As soon as she heard Mafuyu’s voice, all the tension Kanade had been feeling melted away. They were here, they were all here, just as they should be. If nothing else in her life remained the same, she hoped that this music circle did.

“Oh, Yuki! I didn’t even realize you were logged in!” Mizuki gasped.

“The least you could’ve done was tell us you were here,” Ena grumbled.

“Nobody asked,” Mafuyu stated.

“Why you…!” Ena growled.

“I’m glad you’re all here,” Kanade cut in. It was rare for her voice to cut off anyone, given how softly she spoke, but she knew all of them heard her.

They always heard her.

“Huh? Well, of course we are! Where else would we be? Right, Enanan? Yuki?” Mizuki must be grinning on their end of the call. It sounded like they were, at least.

“Oi, Amia! I can speak for myself just fine!” Ena snapped before softening her voice. “But I agree. I love working with you, K.”

Mafuyu was silent on her end. Kanade didn’t want to push her, not when she was still trying to find herself, trying to cling to life with only her fingertips and the promise of Kanade composing a song that will save her keeping her there. But Mafuyu was also important to Kanade. She was the first of the three of them that Kanade had reached out to, the first person she wanted to ever work with instead of simply making compositions on her own.

Mafuyu was the reason Nightcord at 25:00 existed at all, even if they all credited Kanade to their group’s formation.

So Kanade, for once, couldn’t hold her tongue.

“Mafuyu?” she whispered.

“I don’t know if I like working with you,” Mafuyu started to say.

“Yuki!” Ena scolded.

“But your music feels…warm. I think I want to feel like that more,” Mafuyu finished. Kanade’s heart tripped over itself in her chest, almost as if it were trying to escape from inside her rib cage and leap into Mafuyu’s arms, no matter if she caught it or not.

“Awww, Yuki! That was so sweet!” Mizuki squealed.

“Huh…I guess you have grown,” Ena commented.

Kanade’s heart felt so full and suddenly, this room didn’t feel like it was four walls closing in on her like a pest that didn’t belong. With her music circle filling the room with their presence, it felt almost like she belonged.

“Thank you, Yuki,” Kanade smiled. Her fingers curled into the sleeves of her sweatshirt as Mafuyu hummed in reply. Nothing more really needed to be said. “Amia, you wanted to show us the video so far?”

The middle of the day and the middle of the night became the most normal times of day for Kanade.

She wasn’t used to being around so many people or for someone to just burst into her room, as both Tsukasa and Saki were quite fond of doing. Not that either of those were bad, per se. Kanade just wasn’t used to it, so the moments that might have felt like warm gestures of acceptance instead left her feeling as if a discordant chord was ringing in her ears.

Which was why she was surprised when there was a knock on her bedroom door. It was too early in the day for the Tenma parents to be home and neither Tsukasa or Saki ever knocked, so who…?

Kanade opened the door and blinked at the boy staring back at her, one she didn’t recognize, even with his very distinct two toned color hair.

“My apologies, Yoisaki-san. I just wanted to introduce myself,” the boy explained, bowing properly in apology. Kanade had never seen anything so formal from someone around her age. “My name is Aoyagi Toya, I am a childhood friend of Tsukasa-senpai and Saki-san.”

“Toya-kun, don’t talk like that!” Saki scolded as she suddenly appeared, throwing her arms around Aoyagi’s shoulders. There was a pout on her lips, one that made Kanade want to smile from how cute it was. “You’re our little brother, even if you don’t live here!”

“That’s very kind, Saki-san,” Aoyagi smiled, reaching up to squeeze Saki’s forearm.

“It’s nice to meet you, Aoyagi-kun,” Kanade smiled slightly. She folded her hands in front of her, letting her sleeves hang loosely to cover her hands. “I’m Yoisaki Kanade.” An almost awkward silence hung over them and Kanade felt her fingers twitching anxiously in her sleeves. “Is there…a reason you came today?”

“Oh, yes!” Saki beamed, hopping down from Aoyagi’s shoulders to instead bounce eagerly in front of Kanade. “Oniichan texted me earlier, saying Toya-kun wanted to watch my band practice since his team isn’t meeting today and I thought we could invite you so that you and Toya could meet, oneesan! So…do you want to come see my band?”

Saki’s eyes were so hopeful, even if Kanade wanted to say no, she couldn’t.

“Sure,” Kanade agreed. Saki cheered before she took out her phone and began texting her bandmates furiously.

“Saki-san mentioned you are a composer,” Aoyagi commented as he and Kanade waited for Saki to be ready. “What kind of music do you make?”

“All sorts.” Kanade shrugged, unsure of how to explain her music. She just… “I want to make music that saves people.”

“That’s an admirable goal,” Aoyagi smiled. “My team and I are also working towards a goal for ourselves. It’s a dream I hope to see come to fruition, even if my father does not approve.”

“You’ll reach it,” Kanade whispered, causing Aoyagi to look at her in surprise. She shifted in place. It was impossible to explain it in words, it was just…Aoyagi had this look about him. It was the look of someone who could and would make their dream come true. She saw something similar when she looked at Tsukasa and had seen glimpses when she looked at Saki. She wondered if they saw it when they looked at her.

Aoyagi smiled again, drawing Kanade back to the present moment.

“Okay! Shiho-chan said yes! C’mon, let’s go!” Saki cried. Her sudden presence startled Kanade and she could feel her words melting away once more. Saki must have realized because her eyes widened. “Ah! Oneesan, I’m so sorry! Do you…still want to come?”

Kanade appreciated Saki’s concern and though she looked saddened, she seemed fully prepared to leave Kanade behind if it made her more comfortable. But Kanade wanted to see Saki’s band, she wanted to hear their music.

So instead, she gave Saki the slightest smile in reassurance.

Her excitement was still palpable, but Saki took more care with Kanade, knowing just how difficult it was to event attempt to speak when her words were trapped by thorns within her throat. Aoyagi followed Saki’s lead seamlessly, never even asking for an explanation for Kanade’s sudden silence.

Kanade’s heart ached with gratefulness, the same way it had when her music circle had done the exact same thing.

The last person Kanade expected to see when Saki led her and Aoyagi into the music studio her band practiced in was Mochizuki.

“Y-Yoisaki-san?!”

It seemed Mochizuki felt the same way.

Kanade nodded at her in greeting, her words too discordant to be of any use.

“Hona-chan, you know oneesan?” Saki questioned, surprised.

“Y-yes. I’m her part-time housekeeper,” Mochizuki admitted, smiling awkwardly at Kanade. “I was wondering why you didn’t come out last time, but I think I understand now. How did you end up living with Saki?”

Kanade bit her lip and shook her head. On the days when speaking was impossible, it was how she communicated that to Mochizuki.

“I see, perhaps we can discuss this later?” Mochizuki suggested, to which Kanade gratefully nodded.

“Well, since you already know Honami, I’m Hoshino Ichika,” the dark haired girl smiled.

“I’m Hinomori Shiho,” the gray haired girl stated. Kanade nodded to both of them in greeting. “Your name is Yoisaki Kanade then? Saki always called you ‘Kanade-oneesan.”

“Shiho-chan! You can’t just tell her that!” Saki cried, her cheeks blazing red.

“But don’t you already call Yoisaki-san ‘oneesan’?” Hoshino questioned, looking confused  now.

“It’s different when I don’t use her name,” Saki pouted, puffing her cheeks out for good measure. Mochizuki giggled, a blush tinting her cheeks red.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Saki-chan. Shiho-chan meant no harm,” she smiled. Her eyes then focused on Aoyagi, who stepped forward before Mochizuki could say anything.

“My name is Aoyagi Toya. It’s a pleasure to meet Saki-san’s bandmates,” he said, bowing just as properly as he had with Kanade.

“Wait, you’re Saki’s younger brother?” Hoshino cried. As soon as the words left her mouth, she clamped her hands over it.

“You don’t look much younger,” Hinomori stated, tilting her head slightly.

“Heheh, I’ll have you know, Toya-kun is most assuredly younger than me,” Saki smirked, placing her hands on her hips. “I beat him…by twenty-six days!”

“That barely counts as being older…” Hinomori sighed in an exasperated manner. Hoshino and Mochizuki, on the other hand, simply started giggling. Saki puffed her cheeks out in irritation, but her eyes were sparkling. “Anyways, we’ve wasted enough time already. We should practice. You two can just…sit over there.”

Everyone who could speak called out their agreement while Kanade simply nodded, settling in alongside Aoyagi to watch.

The four girls started playing as soon as their two guests sat down and Kanade could do nothing except close her eyes. The music washed over her, almost as if it were something alive. Perhaps it was. If Composing the Future could bring her to Sekai, who’s to say other music wasn’t alive? Kanade could feel it settling in her bones, rushing through her blood and rejuvenating her.

She wanted to sing.

Instead, all Kanade did was smile as the music settled around her, easing the pain in her throat just a little.

Just like everyone else, Kanade had good days along with her bad days.

Today was a bad day.

“Kanade, my dear little sister, it’s time for breakfast!” Tsukasa woke her up that morning with a song in his voice. Where his voice would usually make her smile, today it only felt like it was grating in her ears.

“Tsu…” Her voice died on his name, no other  word able to slip by.

Tsukasa’s eyes softened as he gazed down at her. He gently raised a hand, giving her ample opportunity to move away before his fingers gently combed through her hair. It soothed her nerves if only slightly. A sigh that was more air then voice left Kanade’s lips as she melted against the touch.

“It’s one of those days, isn’t it?” Tsukasa whispered, soft enough to spare her ears. Kanade nodded the slightest bit, her neck too stiff to do much more. And yet, if a doctor checked, they’d find nothing physically wrong with her. Kanade never could  explain it, but the psychiatrist her grandmother had taken her to had said it was a punishment she brought on herself, the guilt she harbored targeting her body as well as her mind. “Alright, we’ll put your breakfast in the oven. When you feel ready, come down to eat, okay?”

Kanade tried to nod, biting her lip against the stiffness in her body. The guilt was a heavy curtain which would never rise, forever enshrouding her mind. It was unlikely she’d rise from this room today, but she wouldn’t let Tsukasa miss school for her. He worried for her as much as he worried for Saki, to the point where she knew he’d miss hours of sleep if he knew one of them needed him to stay awake. Kanade refused to add to the burden he already bore.

Besides, this was her sin. Only she should suffer for it, after what she did to her father.

Tsukasa said something else, but she couldn’t hear him. The only relief she felt was from his fingers twining gently through her hair. But finally, he left, and she was alone in her room. She was both grateful for the silence and regretful for the loss of her brother’s soothing touch.

The vehicles running outside her window were loud. Too loud. They were worse than Tsukasa’s voice had been, like a truck hitting her brain over and over with no remorse. It was this feeling that jogged Kanade’s mind enough to realize just what she had thought.

She’d thought of Tsukasa as her brother.

Kanade felt sick. Tsukasa and Saki were good, they hadn’t sinned as she had, they didn’t deserve to have someone like her as a sister. She was a curse to everyone who’d ever called her family.

Perhaps…perhaps she was a curse to her music circle too.

Kanade’s mind was in so much pain, filled with so much guilt that she simply wanted everything to end.

She wanted to disappear.

Disappear…

Mafuyu…

Before Kanade even knew what she was doing, her fumbling fingers grasped her phone and she played Composing the Future.

She vanished in seconds.

Sekai was so quiet. Kanade could fall asleep here and never be expected to wake up again, because nobody would search for her, no seriously at least. Or that was what her guilt told her and considering it had currently ensconced her in a cocoon, it was all but fact in her mind.

The floor was cold, a relief against the burning pain of the guilt as the arrow dug ever deeper into her heart. She wondered how much further it could go, before her heart broke in two and her blood simply spilled everywhere. Things would probably be better that way, she didn’t want to force her presence on the Tenmas, not when they were so bright, so good, and she…wasn’t.

“Kanade?”

Kanade sat up in response to her name, staring wide eyed at Miku. She hadn’t heard the VIRTUAL SINGER at all, hadn’t even known she was here. Miku tilted her head to the side, inquisitive even with her abnormally blank eyes.

“You are alone and look to be in pain…what’s wrong?” she asked.

Kanade wished she could explain, wish she could give voice to the feelings that suffocated her to the point that anything was preferable to this pain, this all-encompassing guilt. But Kanade’s throat was a desert, her words melting away like winter snow and leaving her with nothing except her own thoughts.

When Kanade remained silent, Miku stepped closer and held out her hands. Kanade glanced down in surprise as she found a notebook being offered to her.

“If you can’t speak, perhaps you could write?” Miku offered. Kanade slowly took the notebook in her hands, still staring at Miku in shock for several moments. Miku only smiled, that small precious smile that said more than any words could say.

Almost reverently, Kanade opened the notebook, took the proffered pen and began to write. When she finished, she didn’t even bother to read what she wrote before she showed it to Miku.

She already knew exactly what it said, anyway.

‘Today is a bad day and I can’t think right now. I wanted to disappear, so I ran away.’

“I see,” Miku hummed. There was the slightest hint of empathy in her monotone voice. “I’m not sure if this will help, but…”

Miku trailed off and Kanade almost thought she’d gone deaf when she heard it.

Miku was singing their song.

Composing the Future had been a fast song when performed by all of Nightcord at 25:00, but Miku sang it now as an almost mournful ballad.  And yet, despite the misery the lyrics spoke of, Kanade could feel her heart easing and the guilt receding, if only slightly.

Kanade began to write the lyrics in her notebook, as if doing so would take the place of actually singing the words.

But she…

She wanted to…

Before she could question herself, Kanade began to sing.

Kanade’s voice had never been described as anything of note. She was soft and fragile in her singing, almost as if she were whispering a melody rather than singing.

But despite that, she sang. She poured everything she felt into these words, singing them as loud as she could and clutching at her heart as she did so. They’d never felt more true to her then they did in that moment.

As she held the last note, Kanade finally noticed that Miku wasn’t singing. As the song died on her lips, Kanade turned to find Miku smiling at her.

“Your voice and your feelings are beautiful, Kanade,” she said. Kanade could only blink in surprise. “Your gentleness contains a strength which shines in your voice and your music. And your feelings are so complex, they give your melody everything they need to shine.”

“Miku…” Kanade whispered.

“I don’t know what brought you here today, but I do know that your feelings will guide you to the answer you need. And if you need help, there are many people who will help you,” Miku stated.

Kanade had no idea what to say to that. She had been alone for so long, she was used to it. Even with her music circle, Kanade was alone for the most part, just a voice on the other side of a screen. She hadn’t truly had anyone who would look out for her and help her in what felt like a long time. She had been a voiceless whisper, barely heard on the wind that carried her.

“Kanade.”

Until now.

“Mafuyu,” Kanade breathed. It almost sounded like a prayer.

Mafuyu looked down on her with her lightless eyes, seeing Kanade and seeing through her in a way that made Kanade feel present in the world in a way she didn’t often feel. Kanade was trying to save Mafuyu, she was going to save Mafuyu, but…

But sometimes she thought that Mafuyu also saved her.

Mafuyu turned away then and stared into the distance of Sekai.

“I found her,” she called, her voice barely rising about normal speaking volume. Kanade didn’t even have a second to think about just who Mafuyu was talking to when a color blur of pink and pale blue tackled her.

“Kanade!” Mizuki cried, hugging her tightly before they pulled back to examine Kanade more closely. “What are you doing here, eh? You scared us!”

“Oi, speak for yourself, Mizuki,” Ena argued as she also came into view. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring until her eyes settled on Kanade, when they softened. “Toya-kun got a call from Tenma-kun that you were gone.”

“How did you-” Kanade started to ask but Mizuki cut her off.

“Toya-kun obviously went to get Otouto-kun for help and we were lucky Ena was actually awake for once,” they explained, grinning teasingly up at Ena as they spoke.

“Oi! I can wake up during the day just fine!” Ena glared, planting her hands on her hips.

“Sometimes,” Mizuki snickered.

“Ena told us and we decided to check here,” Mafuyu stated as the other two continued to bicker back and forth. Kanade turned back to Mafuyu, who had crossed an arm over her body, almost like a shield. “It’s the only place any of us would disappear to.”

Kanade didn’t know what to say. She could only stare at the three of them, who had found her so easily and who spoke of Tsukasa and Toya looking for her. Maybe even Saki too.

“I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling, K,” Ena sighed. She’d ripped her gaze away from Mizuki and was staring down at Kanade with kind eyes. “I’ve had siblings my whole life, but just imaging being thrown directly into an established family…it would probably be very scary, even if they were welcoming.”

“Yeah, and shifting dynamics are just as bad. Just when you think you’ve found your footing, a curveball comes out of nowhere and messes you up again,” Mizuki agreed, their expression sad. But even despite that, they reached out and squeezed Kanade’s hands. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t find your footing again. Toya-kun talks a lot about Tsukasa-senpai and I think he could be good for you, whenever you’re ready.”

“I agree,” Miku added. Her hair brushed against Kanade’s shoulder, a soft security blanket from the cold fear that had been suffocating Kanade. “You don’t have to leave until you’re ready, Kanade.”

“We can wait until then,” Mafuyu stated.

Kanade wanted to break down into tears, smile and hug them all at the same time. But she couldn’t quite manage any of them, so instead she simply sat there with all of them, in their Sekai, where only Nightcord at 25:00 existed.

When Kanade felt ready at last, all of her friends walked her back to the Tenmas’…to her home. Ena knocked on the door and Mizuki grinned when Tsukasa opened it.

There were bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. Kanade could see Saki and Toya in similar states behind him, but she couldn’t see the Tenma parents at all.

“Good evening, Tsukasa-senpai!” Mizuki beamed. “I believe you’ve been looking for my friend here?”

“Kanade-oneechan!” Saki cried. She and Toya ran towards the doorway, but Toya stopped her before she could cross the threshold. Even still, tears were flowing freely down Saki’s cheeks. “You’re okay! We were so worried!”

“Indeed,” Tsukasa agreed. His voice was still soft, taking care of how Kanade had felt earlier in the day. Her heart warmed at the care. “Our parents are out there now checking some last stops, they’ll be so happy you came home safe.”

Home…

Kanade was starting to think that her house hadn’t been a home in a long time. It had been the place she lived, the place she made music…and the place where she had irrevocably hurt her father.

She’d been lost for a very long time without even realizing it.

But as she stared at the three teens gazing at her with relief and felt her three friends at her side in support, Kanade was starting to think she could figure out what a home was…what being found actually meant.

“Yeah…” she whispered. “I’m…back, niisan.”

Tsukasa burst into tears right then, pulling Kanade into the tightest hug she’d ever experienced in her life. Saki forced herself and Toya in a moment later, her tears soaking into the back of Kanade’s neck.

Kanade found herself smiling and it only widened when she heard her music circle right there behind her, laughing and joking and bickering as they observed the four siblings before them.

“Here’s the latest demo. What do you all think?” Kanade asked as she shared the file in their Nightcord chat.

“Ooh! I love the beat! I could create a good video for this!” Mizuki declared.

“I think I can see what kind of art I’d include…oh, maybe something like this?” Ena said. If Kanade listened closely, she could hear the sound of a pencil scribbling over paper as Ena drew out her first rough sketch. She’d redo it on her tablet later before she showed anything to the rest of them.

“What do you think, Yuki?” Kanade asked.

“I don’t know,” Mafuyu admitted, as she often did these days. “But…I think I can create some lyrics that fit.”

“Ah! That means you must like it!” Mizuki shouted.

“Don’t talk so loud! And how did you even get that from what she said?” Ena huffed.

“Hehehe…that just proves you don’t listen very well, Enanan.”

“Amia!”

“Oneechan!”

Saki’s voice and the slamming of Kanade’s bedroom door startled the entire call into silence. Kanade turned around, only to find a pajama clad Saki standing in her doorway.

Her entire body was trembling and tears were forming in her eyes. She looked deathly afraid.

“Saki, what’s wrong?” Kanade asked. She didn’t even bother getting off the chat. No doubt they would all be even more worried if she did that.

“You…you have to come quick!” Saki sobbed.

The next words she said made Kanade turn off the call faster than she ever had before and run out of her room.

“It’s Toya-kun! He…he’s hurt really bad!”