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"Kourin? Never heard of her."
"There aren't any idols that play Vanguard...but Team Ultra-Rare sounds like a cool team name!"
"It's always been just us at the Cardfight Club, sorry..."
"A lady Tatsunagi? She doesn't appear in the school records. Are you alright, Ishida?"
Panic sets in, more than it already has. Hearing that from the teacher was the last straw. It makes something in Naoki snap. The boy bolts out of the teacher's office, not bothering to stop and turn back as his name is called out.
He runs past the club room. Part of him wants to head back inside and see if she'll magically appear. But his doubts had all but been confirmed.
Kourin isn't there.
He doesn't get it. Sure, he's not always the brightest or the quickest on the uptake. He speaks and acts without thinking, but even he knows that this kinda joke isn't one that everyone can pull together. She isn't one to stoop this low for a prank to get back at him for a stupid thing he did.
Naoki rushes out of school and makes a beeline towards the card shop she frequents, the one before she frequented Card Capital. But the result is still the same.
He stares down the dark door, a vacant room lying beyond it. There's nothing inside, not even furniture or a table to play Vanguard. The only thing he can see is his reflection. A tired, frazzled version of himself. One dripping with sweat and eyes that reflect his own disbelief. To put it bluntly, he's a mess.
His heart is heavy and he can't find it to move from this spot. He stares at himself, trying to peer beyond his reflection to see her appear. But she doesn't.
He truly does not understand this. Why is it that no one knows her? It's as if she doesn't exist. And...why was he the only one to remember her? Naoki thought for sure that even Aichi would, but...he could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't know her. Not even he could imagine Aichi to be lying about her sudden disappearance from existence.
At some point, Naoki falls to his knees, as if his heart is dragging him down.
"Kourin..." He breathes out her name in a voice he doesn't quite recognize. It's almost as if uttering her name is a sin. It's something he's not supposed to know or say aloud. Even now he feels like something is wrong. But what?
"Kourin." Naoki repeats her name. Louder. There's an intensity in his tone as he tries to make her name firm in his voice. He doesn't want to forget her. He's determined to not be like the rest.
Something shifts inside of him. Maybe it's his unwillingness to accept defeat so easily. Maybe its the fact he wants to ignore the pain in his heart. If he accepts it, then he gives into despair. But he doesn't want to. He wants to fight against the odds. He wants to get her back, to make her known to the world once more, no matter the cost.
"Kourin! I promise I'll save ya!"
"Naoki...why are you mumbling my name?" A familiar and exasperated voice says beside him.
Sleepy eyes begin to flutter open. The vision of that desolate card shop is replaced with an empty classroom. The sun is setting, casting an orange glow into the room. It's oddly peaceful once all his classmates are out. It was only him and-
"Kourin!" He gasps. Without thinking, he pushes himself up from his desk. The chair slides back with a screech and he's already moving to pull her into a hug. His actions are brash, bold. Yet, he doesn't care.
"H-Hey!" Kourin stammers back as a blush rises to her cheeks. Instinct tells her to push him off. She isn't used to such an embrace, one that's so warm and...afraid? That last part makes her hesitate. It tells her to let this be. Just for a little longer.
"Geez..." She sighs out. "What's up with you?"
Naoki gives her a tighter squeeze as if to confirm she's here. Realization soon hits to what he's doing. He's actually hugging Kourin. Within the blink of an eye, he lets her go and takes a step back, giving her some space.
"Oh, uh...nothing." He looks away from her yet can feel her glare on him. Okay, yeah, he knows that's not going to fly with her. "Okay, okay. I had like...a nightmare. It's nothing much."
"A nightmare?" She raises a brow as she crosses her arms. It was hard to imagine him being bothered by one.
"Yeah...I dreamt that you didn't exist? It was kinda weird. Like everyone forgot who you were cept for me." His lips form a frown, still troubled by the thought. His heart deflates for a moment. It was just a dream, a nightmare. He had confirmed that she was here now. And that brought his heart back up once more.
Kourin holds back a sigh. If it was one thing she was expecting today, it certainly wasn't this. It's obvious that even if he's managed to bounce back, the thought bothers him. She isn't used to comforting others, but for him, she'll try.
"I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Kourin says as she places a hand gently over his shoulder. It's not much, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Kourin feels relieved when she sees Naoki smile. It's bright and radiant. She's definitely not going anywhere. She would miss that smile too much if she did.
Not that she would admit.