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Very few people knew that there were times where even Hana Nono couldn't bring herself to smile. Fewer still had seen her cry—at least, since she and her friends had brought an end to George Kurai's machinations five years ago. After that, she'd grown up a lot... at least, she'd thought so.
But now? She felt the worst she'd felt in... well, five years. She sat under a tree in the Nijigaoka's backyard, head in her hands as she just... thought. That last fight... they hadn't won. Joker and Storm had lost, and there was a big difference. Emiru showing up was nothing short of a miracle... damn near a deus ex machina. If it weren't for that...
They weren't as strong as they thought, plain and simple. Sure, they could train all they liked, keeping their minds and bodies sharp for the inevitable day they'd need to pick up their powers one more time. But practice and real combat weren't just different stories, they were different movies playing at different theaters.
And any sort of practice they did... well, it couldn't account for how heartbreak might affect you.
It was something only Homare knew, really. A year ago, Saaya had left... the Yakushiji family were planning to move overseas for Saaya's mother's acting career, and Saaya decided to go with them and attend an American medical school.
Without talking to Hana about it.
At the time, they'd been dating for around three years—sure, not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but long enough that Hana assumed they were going to face the future together. Perhaps she'd been naive to think that, but she'd never been in a relationship before, nor had she been since that barn-burner of a fight they'd had over it. It was stupid, it really was... letting something like that break them up. She'd felt the pangs of regret as she watched the plane lift off... but she ignored them. At that point, she was still mad. She told herself that she hated Saaya, and wouldn't care if she'd never heard from Saaya again.
That was a lie. She'd just tried to make herself feel better, to pretend like Saaya hadn't just broken her heart.
Hana leaned back against the tree and sighed. Thinking she'd grown up since the end of their fight... what a joke. She was the same girl she had been the day she transferred to L'Avenir Academy.
That's why she was so weak when it counted the most.
That's why two of her juniors were in that house now, with healers from Skyland working day and night to help them recuperate. All because she couldn't just let go.
"Saaya..." Hana took her phone out, flipping it open and simply staring at the screen. What if I just... Her thumb idly traced over the keypad a few times in a pattern they'd run many times before, though not in several months. She won't answer. She hasn't for a year. Why would she answer now? Despite those thoughts, she pressed the buttons. I really just can't let go, huh? She held the earpiece to her ear as it rang.
Once.
Twice.
Thr—
Click.
"Hello?"
Hana's eyes went wide at the sound of Saaya's voice, her heart immediately leaping straight up out the top of her head before plummeting down into the Earth's core. She answered. What? Why? How?
She was rendered speechless for so long that Saaya repeated herself. "Um, hello? Is anyone there?"
"...Saaya." Hana heard the other girl suck in a breath through her teeth and winced. Crap. This is gonna be so awkward. "Um. It's Hana."
"Yes, I'd gathered that much." She didn't sound angry, thank God, and she hadn't immediately hung up in Hana's face. "...Hana, I... why are you calling me now?"
"I—" She swallowed hard around a lump in her throat. "I was... thinking about you. About us, what happened."
"...And?" Not good. Her tone had immediately gone defensive.
Hana backpedaled. "N-No, I mean—not like that, Saaya! I—" Hana groaned, gripping a handful of her own hair in frustration. Can't go five minutes without tripping over my own words, god. "Look... Saaya, bad things are happening again. I watched two of our juniors get beat half to death by Joker and his allies today, and I couldn't help them because my stupid broken heart I can't let go of is holding me back. I feel like I'm gonna be sick, and I—"
"Hana." Saaya's voice was firm, but tender and soft. "Please, let yourself breathe." Her tone had softened, no longer defensive as it was before.
"Right. Breathe." Hana closed her eyes. In. Out. In. Out. Nice and slow. "I'm sorry. I kinda just... lost my head there for a moment."
"Hana..." Now Saaya sounded more sad than anything. "You're not okay, are you?"
Hana was silent for a moment, thinking about how to respond. In the end, she decided to just be honest. "No, Saaya. I'm not. I need a hug and a parfait the size of my self-esteem issues."
Saaya hummed, and Hana could picture that wistful smile come to her face. "I don't know about a parfait that big, but if you give me a couple days..."
Hana's heart leapt into her throat. "Wait, really? A-Are you serious?" What the hell is happening? I just dialed her on a whim... I never thought she'd pick up...
"To tell you the truth, Hana... I've missed you too. And regardless of that fight... it's in the past now, and I think we're both grown-up enough to admit it was stupid. But... it's not going to get better until we can see each other again in person. Right? Until then, there's always that doubt."
"Yeah... you're right, Saaya." For a moment, Hana drummed her fingers on her thighs, thinking of something to say. "Homare, Emiru, and I, we're in Sorashido right now. Um, I guess... I'll see you in a couple days, then?"
"Yeah. Three or four, probably, depending how soon I can get a flight. I..." A pause, a sigh. "I'm sorry, Hana. For breaking your heart."
"Huh? N-No, I should apologize..."
Saaya chuckled. "...We'll never get anywhere like this. We can talk more later, in person. Oh, and Hana?"
"Yeah?"
"You're still such a dork." Saaya hung up before Hana could respond.
"Oi, c'mon... that's not fair!" She groaned, her arms falling limp at her sides as a huge amount of tension left her body all at once. "Honestly, Saaya..." Hana couldn't help but smile a little. She sounded a little different, probably looked pretty different, but there was no denying that was the same old Saaya.
Come to think of it, none of us have really changed that much, after all... have we?