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“Kanan-chan Kanan-chan!” The stray orange hair on the head of a young girl bobbed up and down excitedly as she watched her friend scribble something down on a strip of colored paper. The sun shone orange along the ocean horizon as the July evening had arrived just in time for Tanabata, the festival of stars. The young girl and her friend excitedly jotted down wishes they hoped the stars would grant them. Kanan, her friend, hummed happily to herself as she finished recording her wish on a blue paper strip.
“Hmmm? What’s up, Chika-chan~?”
“What did you wish for? Did you wish for dolphins???” Chika’s orange braid swayed and bounced as she questioned her friend. They were only a year apart, but to Chika, even a seven year old like Kanan seemed like the epitome of maturity and kindness. Having grown up together, she knew everything there was to know about her ponytailed friend. Her favorite foods, her favorite animals, her favorite colors, Chika loved everything about her from the moment they met as babies. Needless to say, Kanan was a very special person to her. “Oh! Did you wish for mikans??? I was thinking of that, too~!!”
“Ehehe~ Chika-chan, do ya know the first rule of writing a wish on Tanabata?” Kanan asked with a smile, picking her wish up and holding it to her chest. “If you say what your wish is, it won’t come true!”
“HEEEH?!?” Chika cried out in surprise before standing up on her tiptoes and huddling as much as she could over her own orange paper slip. “T-Then don’t look at mine, okay???”
Kanan couldn’t help but giggle as she turned to the bamboo tree beside them, already decorated with wishes from some of the other townsfolk of their quaint seaside home of Uchiura, from the young to the old. Finding a low, empty branch, she diligently tied her wish to it, ensuring the knot was nice, tight and wouldn’t come undone. She turned back to Chika, who was ready to do the same with hers. A playful smirk crossed Kanan’s lips. “So what did you wish for anyway, Chika-chan~?”
“Hoeh?” Tilting her head, Chika smiled innocently for a moment before catching herself. “Oh! I wished for-...W-Wait, no! I’m not telling, nuh-uh!!” Her rosy cheeks puffed out in a pout, only causing her friend to laugh even more. Chika’s tiny hands wrapped her wish around the highest branch she could reach without any help, looking proud as it clung firmly to its new home.
“Now we wait to see if our wishes come true, right~?” Kanan smiled before glancing back at the sun -- It was even lower than before. “UWAH!! I gotta make sure you get home, Chika-chan, c’mon c’mon!!” She cried, rushing past the the wish-riddled bamboo tree with enough speed to cause her wish to rustle about.
“I wish I can dive and swim with the dolphins in the sea!”
“A-Aaah!! I’mma miss my snack!!” Freshly-peeled mikans drifted through Chika’s young mind as she quickly ran after Kanan. “K-Kanan-chan! Slow dooown!!” Her own wish rustled in the breeze she caused as she tried to catch up with her childhood friend. She didn’t want to be left behind. She didn’t want to lose sight of her. She didn’t want Kanan to leave her behind. Not at all…
“I wish me and Kanan-chan can be together forever and ever~!”
“I wish we can be together forever and ever, huh? Ehehe…” Chika looked at a crumpled up piece of paper she found rummaging through her desk drawers. The words on it were all too familiar to her. After all, this was a wish she’d write down every year since she was a kid. A lot had happened since then; both to her and to Kanan. They were high schoolers now, for one. Kanan’s third year was underway and after having to take an extended leave of absence to help run her family’s diving shop, she was back to school and taking her classes. In Chika’s case, her circle of friends only increased throughout her own high school life. Her other childhood friend You made sure every day was a fun one, the new transfer student Riko provided balance to their daily mishaps, the first year trio of Ruby, Hanamaru and Yoshiko gave Chika and the others new opportunities to be as senpai-like as possible and, along with Kanan, the school’s third year director Mari and Ruby’s sister, and student council president, Dia offered seniority and guidance to the entire group, even if they did slip up at times themselves.
Chika couldn’t complain about her life at all so far. She enjoyed every moment she was given to shine along with her friends...but something was nagging at her more as the year progressed. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it only seemed to grow with time. It wasn’t until Dia and Mari mentioned graduation preparation for the senior classes had started that it hit her like a punch to the chest: Kanan was graduating. They’d no longer be going to school together. On top of that, she had mentioned looking into universities in Tokyo to continue her own studies, wanting to learn more about marine life thanks to her love of diving. Not only was she leaving high school, but she was also considering leaving town entirely. Part of Chika was happy about that. Kanan had a goal in mind; she had something she wanted to do. As both an admirer and a friend, the orange-haired girl couldn’t help but feel proud of her.
...But there was still something painful aching deep inside…
Chika stared at the crumpled piece of paper with a weary smile. Life was good...and now she was realizing that life could also be painful. “Kanan-chan means so much to me...and now I can’t even find the strength to tell her this before she and the others graduate…”
She fell back upon her bed, an arm over her eyes to block the sunshine pouring through her balcony window as her mind clouded in thought. “Two more weeks...Two more weeks and Dia-san, Mari-san...Kanan-chan…”
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, thanks to a voice coming from the other side of her room’s sliding door. “Ooooi~ Chika? Your sisters said you were home. You awake?”
“Ah-!” Chika immediately sat up, knowing exactly who it was. “Y-Yeah yeah! Just, uh...just cleaning some things! Come on in!” She shoved the crumpled wish of hers under her pillow haphazardly, hoping not to let it slip past anyone.
“Last time you said you were cleaning when I dropped by, you were actually just drowning yourself in idol PVs.” The door to Chika’s room slid open as her childhood friend stepped inside. Kanan had always been cute -- High school only refined her looks. Her azure ponytail swung gently as she closed the door behind her, a confident smirk adorning her face. “I brought some snaaacks~”
“Snacks~?!” Chika’s eyes lit up as her own personal worries and feelings were temporarily silenced. If anyone knew what kind of snacks she liked best, outside of You, it had to be Kanan. What her friend had held in her hand only made her eyes go even wider in surprise. “Wait, did you go where I think you went?!”
“If you mean Shougetsu...Then you’d be correct!” Her smirk evolving into a grin, the ponytailed bluenette held up her decorated bag with two boxes stacked inside. Shougetsu was one of the fancier bakeries in town, but their higher pricing was almost always reflected in the flavor of their pastries. “Two boxes of their signature mikan cream puffs. A box for us to share and one for your sisters, too~”
“Sh-Sh-Shougetsu…~” Chika’s mouth was watering just from the name as she slumped from her bed to the floor, immediately crawling to her table. “W-What kind of hoops did you have to jump through to get two boxes?! That would cost me almost two months worth of allowance!!”
“Let’s just say Mari’s really really good at having connections~” Kanan winked as she un-bagged a box and popped it open; a row of six fluffy, mikan slice-topped pastries greeting the world with the faint smell of sugar and citrus. The girls sniffed the air clean of the aroma, letting out a satisfying duet of sighs. “Well...They do say food’s meant to be appreciated by the stomach, not the eyes. So-”
“Thamksh foh da fud~!” Chika’s cheeks were already full of cream puff, munching happily as they went red from the blast her taste buds were currently having. “Mmmmph~”
“...Aheh...Well you don’t waste time.” Kanan chuckled awkwardly, taking a bit of her own. Her cheeks too flushed a slight shade of pink. “Mff...Shougetsu really is something else…”
“Mmhm~! Their cream puffs just taste...cream-puffier! It’s amazing!” Chika chirped brightly, going in for another bite with a childlike grin. “Mmf~ What’s the occasion anyway, Kanan-chan? I mean to splurge on something like this!”
Kanan simply shook her head, licking some cream from her lips. “No real reason. I just wanted to spend time with ya, enjoy some sweets, like we used to do. Y’know? With all the school work and studying and entrance exams and stuff finally done, I just wanna spend my last stretch relaxing~” She flopped onto her back, staring up at Chika’s ceiling before closing her eyes, enjoying the downtime she’d been longing. Chika watched...Those feelings were starting to make themselves known again. Of course they wouldn’t stay dormant. Not when the source of them was sitting right here…
“A-Aaah...It’s been really tough, huh?” Chika tried to keep the conversation going as naturally as possible. Maybe things would shift away from inevitability. Maybe it was just a small thing for Kanan to mention and they’d go on talking like they would any other time.
“Tough’s not the word…” Kanan sighed. “I mean that entrance exam was brutal, first of all. I’m amazed I passed with the score I got. It made our final exams look like a cakewalk by comparison.” She sat back up with a slump, her arms out behind her back and keeping her supported. “Then there was the process for actually finding an apartment near the university, which was also a bit of a pain. I can only imagine how much of a hassle moving all my stuff from here to Tokyo is gonna be, but Mari said she’d have something figured out by next week thankfully. I mean I’m still a high schooler, but it already feels like my feet are firmly planted in adulthood!”
“N-Next week...huh…” Chika couldn’t keep her tone from drooping. “So does that mean...after the graduation ceremony, you’re going straight to the city…?”
“I know, it sucks…” Taking another bite of her cream puff, Kanan leaned against Chika’s table with a bit of a pout. “The lease on the apartment we found has strict live-in dates...It’s why everything but the bare essentials are going there so soon. Eheh...As much as I’d rather enjoy my free time here in Uchiura, I’m gonna be trading that life in for the city way sooner than I expected.” Having said all that though, Kanan still smiled. It wasn’t forced or fake, either. It was genuine. That much Chika could tell. “I guess it’s not all bad, though. If anything, it’ll help me get used to livin’ in Tokyo faster, right? Plus it never hurts to try new stuff. Maybe I should ask Riko-chan for advice on city-living.”
“Kanan-chan’s really going away…” It was too much. She didn’t sound sad. She didn’t sound even the least be down about leaving her hometown and everyone in it. Chika couldn’t stop her body from trembling a bit, her unfinished cream puff left on the table. “Y-You don’t sound too upset about that, huh…”
“Eh?...Chika? What do you mean?” Kanan was finally able to get a good look at Chika and how she was acting. Her bangs kept her lowered gaze covered up, but she was biting her lower lip. She could see her shuddering ever so slightly. This wasn’t the same Chika she was chatting with a moment ago. “O-Oi...Hey, what’s the matter…?”
“We grew up in this town together, didn’t we?...We...W-We made countless irreplaceable friends...We shared precious moments together...Uchiura’s practically a part of us, isn’t it…?” Chika asked solemnly. “Shouldn’t you be a bit more sad that you’re leaving here…?!” She stood up as best she could. “That you’re leaving us?!” Before Kanan could really respond to her, Chika stumbled to her door in a rush of emotion. Tripping over her own two feet, the act of steadying herself with her bed caused her paper wish to slip out from her pillow, fluttering to the floor as she scurried out of her room, leaving Kanan at a loss for words.
“Chika...Why did she suddenly-...Huh?” The slip of orange paper fluttering to the floor didn’t go unnoticed by Kanan, the ponytailed girl crawling over to it curiously. “What’s this…?” It was still partially folded thanks to Chika’s sudden attempt to hide it, so Kanan still needed to open it up a bit to see just what it really was. She read over the simple statement a few times, her mind taking a moment to really let it sink in. “I wish me and Kanan-chan can be…” Silence washed over her in that moment. She now knew exactly why Chika suddenly reacted that way. Gripping the paper tightly, she set off to track her down. If she was lucky, perhaps she didn’t get too far...
“Chika?!...Chika!!”
Kanan ran along the empty beachfront, the glow of the sun casting an amber tint along the shore. She’d been looking for Chika for what felt like hours now. She wasn’t by the pier. She wasn’t in the park. She wasn’t at the shrine or the convenience store, either. Kanan’s mind raced with other possible places her friend could have gone off to. The town wasn’t exactly huge to begin with; she couldn’t have gotten far in such a short amount of time. Kanan’s frantic pace slowed down to stop as she attempted to catch her breath. Even her well-maintained physique couldn’t keep up with her pace.
“Hff...Okay...Think...Where would she go...hff...Where…” Her breathing slowly regulated itself as she closed her eyes to think, clearing her mind as much as she could. “Not the beach...Not in town...That would leave…” Eyes snapping back open, Kanan’s pace picked back up as she ran down the road again. There was one last place she didn’t check. Chika had to be there.
Uranohoshi Girls’ High School was seemingly empty. It was a Sunday, after all. The classrooms were darkened, the hallways were bare, but one room looked to still be lit. Right next to the gymnasium was a modest room with a pair of tables, nine chairs, a whiteboard and other stray odds and ends. This was the room of the Idol Club -- the room a certain orange-haired club president occupied. Her fingers flipped through a scrapbook she and the others had put together a while back, pictures of all their antics and fun times littering every page.
“The aquarium…” Chika smiled softly. “We spent the whole day working there...Hmhm...You-chan thought I was replacing her with Riko-chan...That was so silly of her to think…~” She flipped to the next page. “Our summer camp at our inn~ Dia-san was so insistent on getting customers for our beach hut...At least Mari-san’s stew turned out good…” Laughing lightly, she turned to the next page. “Heeeh...Our Christmas party. Ruby-chan and Kanan-chan made some delicious sashimi...I-It’s just like Kanan-chan, too...Going straight to fish like that…”
Chika bit her bottom lip again. She tried her hardest not to let her emotions overpower her, even as some stray tears escaped her, trickling down her cheeks. “I-I don’t want memories like this to just end…” She clenched her fists tightly. “I don’t want to say goodbye to anyone...I don’t want to say goodbye to her…!!”
“Hff...Found you…Hah...”
“...Heh…?” Chika looked up to the room’s outdoor entrance, finding Kanan clung to the doorframe. Her face was red as she heaved for breath, sweat dripping from her face. She had sprinted straight uphill to school clinging to the possibility that Chika would have come here. Thankfully, her gut feeling was right. Chika panicked, scooping the book up in her arms and fumbling for the room’s back entrance, hoping to escape through the gym. “N-No…!!”
“Oh no you don’t!!” Kanan wasn’t going to let her run again. Not this time. She stumbled forward, reaching out and grasping Chika’s shoulders, pulling her in and wrapping her arms around her, keeping her in place and clutching her tightly. Chika squirmed and struggled, desperately trying to run; the only response she could clearly think of. “Chika, calm down! Stop-ngh!-S-Stop trying to run away…!!”
“IF I RUN AWAY I WON’T HAVE TO FEEL ALL THIS PAIN!!!” Chika bellowed, loud enough to silence Kanan as they stood in shocked silence. Tears continued to stream from Chika’s face, choking through her words as her defenses slowly crumbled. “T-This pain...This pain in my chest...I can’t bare it, Kanan-chan…”
“...Chika…”
“I can’t stand it...Seeing you...Knowing I won’t have much time left with you...It hurts…” She buried her face into Kanan’s arms. The scrapbook she clutched dropped to the floor as her grip shifted to her older friend’s arms, clutching them tightly and with no intent of letting her go. “Just when things were starting to look perfect, all of a sudden...P-Please, Kanan-chan...Don’t leave...Don’t leave me…” She sobbed softly as the two slumped to the floor. Kanan’s brow furrowed painfully. Chika rarely grew emotional. She was always bright and cheerful, always the first to join the fun and the last to finish things up. Her positivity was honestly contagious...To hear her sound so utterly broken and defeated…
“Chika...What is our relationship to you…?”
“...Huh?” Chika was caught off-guard by Kanan’s question. She couldn’t think of her immediate answer, her mind still clouded and boggled.
“Do you really think I’d just...j-just up and discard all of this willingly? That I don’t care about leaving here…?” Kanan closed her eyes, keeping Chika held tight in her arms as she continued. “I just made up with Mari n’ Dia...I returned to the club you n’ You were able to revive...Met new friends, had new fun times...Of course the thought of leaving hurts...It hurts so much and it only gets worse the closer we get to graduation…”
“...” Chika stood quiet. She took in Kanan’s words as her tears continued to silently stray along her cheeks.
“Leaving everyone...Leaving you...I don’t want to...but it’s the only option I have if I want to pursue this new goal…” Some stray tears of her own escaped as Kanan kept onwards. “The saving grace is knowing that I have a place to come back to...Friends to come back to...We’ve been together for forever, Chika...I’m not letting this ruin the bond we have...Trust me…I love you too much to let that happen...”
“...K-Kanan-chan…?”
“Do you know what I’ve been doing in my spare time, Chika…?” The ponytailed girl smiled to herself. “Research. Looking up good phone plans so I can text you or call you whenever I can. Finding out what potential holidays from classes I’ll have and travel times for the chances I can get to visit home. A job I can work so I can pay for a phone, train fare and gifts to bring back here. Anything to keep me connected to everyone...to you…”
“...Y-You’re...You’re really doing all of that…?” Chika glanced back to Kanan slightly. Her emotions had calmed; her panic attack subsided. Her thoughts were slowly clearing out.
“Mmh…” Kanan leaned into Chika, planting a small kiss on the side of her head. “Together forever and ever...I know it sounds like that wish won’t exactly come true now, but...even when we’re apart, I’ll always be there for you. I always have been...and I always will be…”
Chika’s eyes widened a bit. “How did you-”
Kanan lifted one of her hands a bit, Chika’s crumpled wish still in her palm. “Sorry...It fell off your bed when you ran off.”
Chika didn’t say much else. She shifted around in Kanan’s embrace and nuzzled herself into her friend’s chest, calmed by her warmth. “...Can we stay this way?...Just for a little bit…”
Kanan couldn’t only smile and nod as she held Chika protectively, resting her chin on-top of her head. “Mmh...Take the time you need...I’m right here…~”
The two stood on the floor for what seemed like ages. The emotional storm had passed, both girl exhausted and worn out. But neither of them wanted to let go of one another. The sun had disappeared over the horizon as the light of the moon began to take its place. Even as the stars began to make themselves known in the night sky...they continued to stay clung to each other…
The first rays of the morning sun passed through the glass of Chika’s balcony door. Normally she’d still be asleep. No school meant no reason to be up early, after all. But here she was, already dressed and ready to go out. She checked her hair in her mirror, straightening out any lingering evidence of bedhead and brushing her clothes out smoothly. Today was an important day; one she wasn’t looking forward to...but luckily also one she was coming to terms with.
“Mmh...Let’s go see her off.”
“CHIKA? KANAN SAID SHE WAS LEAVING IN THE MORNING, RIGHT? IF YOU DON’T LEAVE NOW YOU’LL MISS HER!” One of her older sisters, Mito, called from downstairs.
“Ngh!” Scrambling to make sure she had everything, she dashed out of her room with no time to spare. “I’M LEAVING NOW!!”
She ran along the shore and past the pier on her way to her destination. The sky was clear, the sea breeze cool and the ocean waves calm and content. She could see where she was going even from a good deal away; the diving shop Kanan’s family owned. As she got closer, she could see boxes stacked on the patio entrance. Just as she was within range, Kanan walked out carrying another box for the pile. “KANAN-CHAAAN!!”
Kanan immediately looked back with a smile. To be honest, she’d been waiting for Chika’s arrival. “Hey, right on time there-Ah!” Even then, she was caught off-guard when Chika went straight for a tight hug, nuzzling her like she did two weeks prior. Kanan couldn’t help but wrap her arms around her friend, returning her affection happily. “You feeling okay so far?”
Chika nodded slowly, face still buried in Kanan’s chest. “Mmh...I just wanna make sure I see you off with a smile.”
“Heh...Atta girl~” Kanan nodded, releasing Chika from her grasp. “And here I thought you’d oversleep after last night’s Goin’ Away party~”
“M-Mou, I’m not a kid you know, I can wake up whenever I want to…” Chika pouted. Her friend couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. Even when huffy, Chika was still cute.
“Ah, we’ve still got a few minutes before Mari gets here. I got something for ya. Wait right here, ‘kay?” Kanan quickly ran back inside, leaving Chika to ponder just what she was getting. It didn’t take long for Kanan to return, a small bag in tow which she promptly handed over to Chika. “Here...Take a look~”
Taking the gift bag with her curiosity at an all-time high, Chika wordlessly reached inside. She felt...shapes. Curves. Angles. It felt like something sculpted. Slowly pulling the contents out, she was met by a small yet beautiful sculpture. It depicted two dolphins mid-swim, the base a fantastic mix of blue and turquoise in the shape of splashing water. The dolphin figures were curled around one another playfully, one colored a light aquamarine color while the other a warm shade of orange. Chika stared at the piece dumbfounded, unsure of how to convey her feelings. She felt guilty for being given something, but she absolutely loved it, too.
“Found it while shopping for some essentials a few days ago…” Kanan explained. “You n’ everyone else always say I take to diving like a dolphin in the sea, so...I dunno...If I were to give ya anything to remember me by, I felt that was perfect, y’know…?”
“Kanan-chan…” Of course Chika couldn’t help but tearing up. She held the figurine close to her chest, nodding silently. “I-I’ll keep it safe…~”
“Mmh...I know you will~” Kanan reached out and gently pet Chika’s head. The moment didn’t last too long though as the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the shop caught their attention. Its modern look and hot pink paint job only lead to one conclusion as the passenger side door swung open, a familiar blonde loop bobbing into view.
“GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE~!!” Mari’s English dialect pierced the morning air as she cheerfully skipped up to her two other friends. “Mari Ohara’s Personal Transportation Service has arrived~! RIGHT ON SCHEDULE~!!” Leaning to her side, she spotted all of the boxes Kanan had spent the morning moving to the patio. OH! It looks like you have everything all ready to go!”
“Well duh.” Kanan smirked, giving her arm a bend as her muscles flexed slightly. “Movin’ boxes is nothing to someone like me, after all.” With a laugh, she gave her bicep a slap before heading to one of the boxes. “You two mind giving me a hand~?”
The three friends spent their time loading up Mari’s transport up with all of Kanan’s belonging. Gossiping and laughing through the entire process. Part of Chika wanted this to last forever. She could tell Kanan felt the same. But all things must end. Before they knew it, everything was loaded up into the van and ready to go. Mari huffed proudly, dusting her hands off with a sense of accomplishment.
“Haaah~ We should get going, Kanan! Didn’t you mention that your land lady’s expecting you to be moved in by this afternoon?”
“Uuugh...Right when I actually wanted to relax, too…” Kanan sighed. “Well...no time like the present. I’ll catch some Zzzs on the ride over.”
“In that case…!” Mari pumped her fist into the air as she headed back the the van’s passenger door. “LET’S ROAD TRIP~!!” As she got back in, Kanan took the moment to grab her personal luggage, running through her mental list to make sure she didn’t forget anything. “Phone. Books. Clothes. Toothbrush...Mhm...Mmh, everything else should be there already…”
“So...t-this is it, huh…?”
Kanan turned to Chika’s voice. She was holding up much better than she was before, but the somber air around her could still be felt. Kanan smiled softly, slowly walking over to Chika and embracing her one last time. The orange-haired girl closed her eyes, her friend’s warmth enveloping her and calming her down once again.
“This isn’t goodbye, okay? I’ll visit whenever I can. I’ll call whenever I can. And before you know it, I’ll be right back here...Right back home…~”
“Mmh…” Chika nodded. “I’ll keep strong for everyone until you come back...Promise…”
“That’s my girl~” Kanan grinned, leaning down and giving her a small kiss on the forehead. “I love ya, Chika. Hold the fort for me as best you can~”
With a proud, flushed look, Chika nodded one more time. “Ah, also, uh...here. Read it once you get the chance, okay?” She pulled a plain white envelope from her pocket, handing it over. Kanan blinked for a second, but took happily it without another word.
“Kanan~! Time waits for no one! ROAD TRIP, ROAD TRIP~!!” Mari’s voice called from the van.
“I-I’m comin’, jeez!” She called back, flashing one last smile to Chika before running off. “Next stop: Tokyo~”
Chika watched as Kanan climbed inside and listened to the engine crank up before the van slowly pulled off. She waved them off until she was sure they were out of sight, her arm grown tired from the continuous action. She took a deep breath, her gaze craning up to the clear blue sky before going back to the figurine Kanan had given her. She could feel the same warmth and kindness that her friend would emit just from holding it close.
“Be safe, Kanan-chan…~”
Kanan relaxed in her seat, letting out a small yawn. Finally she could unwind for a bit. Mari looked back at her from her seat with a cheshire-like grin. “It’s gonna take a while for us to get to the city, so you can totally nap until then if you want, you know~”
“Heh. Don’t gotta tell me twice. Thanks for the help, Mari~”
“Just doing what a good friend should do is all~ KINSHIP~!” She cheered, before turning back to her view of the road. Before Kanan could settle in, she took a look at Chika’s envelope. She had downtime now...Even if it was fairly soon after saying goodbye, she still wanted to know what was inside. She carefully opened it up, pulling out what turned out to be a folded letter with a strip of paper inside. As she scanned the words, she could feel her heart ache and her eyes water ever so slightly…
“Dear Kanan-chan,
Thank you for always looking out for me. You’ve been probably the most precious person in my life so far. I’m sorry if I’ve been acting selfish lately, too. We’ve been together for so long that imagining a life without you there didn’t seem possible to me. When you told us you’d be going to study in the city after high school, I tried really hard to convince myself that I just misheard you or that it was just a joke.
It didn’t work. But I think it’s better that way anyway.
I’ve always looked up to you, Kanan-chan. And I want to see where you go next, too. So I want you to do your very best in Tokyo! And don’t worry about us, either. I’ll make sure that when you come back home, we’ll all be here to give you the biggest welcome back you’ve ever gotten~
Love you lots,
Chika”
Tears rolled down Kanan’s cheeks as she took a look at the included paper strip. It was another strip used for Tanabata wishes, like the one Chika had. It was striped in blue and orange rather than one solid color, Chika’s handwriting bold and clear. She smiled, and clutched it close to her chest before glancing out the window, her brow furrowing in confidence. “That idiot...She always knows how to make others smile…~”
“I wish Kanan-chan can graduate smoothly so she can come back home to us~”