CK 58

Chapter 58…

The Encounter at the Science Museum
Just Once in a While

A weekday at the start of the week.
The weather is rainy again today.

Because of that, the rooftop was off limits, so I had no choice but to spend my lunch break in the classroom.

Sitting at my desk, I watched the noisy classroom while biting into an energy bar for lunch.

Then, with unsteady steps, Yui came over carrying her lunchbox.
She borrowed the seat in front of me and sat down facing my way.

But something was clearly off about her.

For one thing, even though she’s been coming to pick me up almost every morning lately, she hadn’t shown up today.
During breaks, she’d respond when friends talked to her, but I hadn’t seen her initiate a single conversation herself.

And now she was sitting there, not even touching her lunch, looking completely absent-minded.

Her usual, almost annoyingly high energy was nowhere to be seen.
Even I, who normally don’t meddle, couldn’t ignore it and asked,

“Something happen?”

“Eh? N-no, nothing…”

Her reply was awkward. Anyone could tell something was wrong.
Did she really think I wouldn’t notice?

“Don’t lie. You’re obviously acting weird.”

At my blunt remark, Yui let out a faint “Ugh…” and averted her eyes.

But there was no point backing off here, so I pressed on.

“What is it, some problem you can’t tell me about?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then spit it out.”

Yui’s eyes darted around as she let out a pained little groan.

After a pause, she finally spoke.

“Actually… I had a fight—well, more like I made Hii-chan mad.
I want to apologize, but… I don’t know how…”

…Ah. That explains it.
If Hiyori’s the reason, then this level of gloom makes sense.
Of the five of us who were always together back in elementary school, she was the one who stayed closest to Yui until the end.

But Hiyori’s the quiet type—unlike Yui.
I can barely remember them fighting, even back in elementary school.
It had to be something unusual, so I asked,

“What happened?”

“Remember when we went to the planetarium?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, actually, I invited Hii-chan too, but she said she couldn’t because of club activities…”

I almost blurted out, “Why’d you invite her then?” but barely managed to hold it in.
I’d thought Yui carefully chose that group of four.

But apparently, it just happened to end up that way.
Maybe she figured, “Hiyori knows we fight the Fallen Stars anyway, so it’s fine to invite her.”

…Yui really is, for better or worse, a “fun comes first” kind of person.

Still, pointing that out now wouldn’t help.

And I can’t imagine Hiyori getting angry over something so small anyway.

To get the full story, I asked,

“And then?”

“After I got home, I sent her a message saying, ‘Next time, let’s all go together, Hii-chan!’
But she replied, ‘You don’t have to force yourself to include me. Don’t bother inviting me anymore.’
…Did I make her mad?”

Yui sighed again.
Her mood and energy had hit rock bottom.

It was raining outside, and with Yui like this, the humidity in here felt unbearable.

It had been a long time since I’d seen her this down—probably the first time since we reunited.
Leaving her like this definitely wasn’t an option.

Besides, if a “Stagnation” or “Fallen Star” appeared right now, we couldn’t exactly say, “Sorry, can’t fight today—too upset over a friendship issue.”

…Guess I’ll have to step in.

“…I’ll go talk to Hiyori for you.”
“…Really?”

Her voice was low and uncertain.
Yeah, she’s genuinely depressed.

…Or maybe she wants to go herself?

“I said I would, didn’t I? What, you don’t want me to?”
“No, I’m grateful. But… are you sure? Isn’t it awkward? I mean, it’s really between me and Hii-chan…”
“It’s troublesome, sure. But I’d rather deal with that than have you moping around.”

I said that half-jokingly, to cheer her up a bit.

Then suddenly—

“R-right! That’s true!” she said loudly.
“I’m supposed to be cheerful! You like the cheerful me better than the gloomy me, right, Maa-kun?”

Maybe she felt better after talking it out—or maybe she just relaxed knowing I’d handle it.
Either way, her spirits lifted, and she started eating her lunch with a bright, “Itadakima~su!”

Normally, I’d prefer her to be a little quieter, but saying that now would just ruin it.

From that point on, Yui was back to her usual loud self.

Needless to say, I instantly regretted being honest earlier.

After school.
The corridors echoed with the chatter of students.
Amid all that noise, I waited for someone in a classroom two doors down.
Listening to the faint sound of rain outside.

Then, a girl with a backpack came out of the classroom, saying, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Right—the peacemaker between Yui and Hiyori.

“No worries. Sorry for stopping you before club.”
“It’s fine, we don’t start right away. I can be a little late.
More importantly, it’s rare for you to call me out, Masato.”

She said that as she stood beside me.

…Alright, how do I approach this?

Normally, Hiyori wouldn’t say something that would upset Yui that badly.
She might still be mad, too.

…but wasting time circling around the topic wouldn’t help.

I steeled myself and spoke directly.

“I’m not good at beating around the bush, so I’ll just ask: you and Yui fought, didn’t you?”

At that, Hiyori looked away.

…Oops.

But after a sigh, she spoke.

“Did Yui ask you to help us make up?”
“No, I pried it out of her. She was way too down.”
“So, you’re here to blame me?”
“Why would I? I just came to hear your side.”

Hiyori sighed again. Then said quietly:

“It wasn’t exactly a fight. I just… said something harsh.
I know what she’s like, but I couldn’t help snapping at her.”

“…I see.
But still, going out with a friend’s friends can be awkward, so I’d say you have the right to feel that way.”

At that, Hiyori looked at me and said,

“Right?
…And besides, we don’t have to cling to how things were back then forever.
We’re in high school now, and we’re both busy.”

By “busy,” she probably meant her club activities—
but I knew she also meant our battles with the Fallen Stars.

Yui and I were chosen by the constellations, given the power to fight.
But Hiyori wasn’t chosen—she’s just a normal high school girl.

It’s only natural she wouldn’t want to get dragged into something life-threatening.
And she’s right—we don’t need to stay stuck in the past forever.

“Yeah,” I agreed, acknowledging her view.

Still, I was here to help them reconcile.
I needed to find some middle ground.

I took a guess at what Yui probably felt, and said,

“…Yui just really liked those times when the five of us were together.
I think part of her still wishes we could all meet up like that again.
So, Hiyori—just once in a while is fine. Hang out with her sometimes.
…And stay her friend, okay?”

Hiyori didn’t reply right away.

The voices of students after school echoed through the hallway.
The rain outside sounded louder.

Finally, she spoke.

“…Okay. But really, you’re the one saying that?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She sighed again.

“Never mind.
…But, just don’t invite me when other people are around, alright?”
“Yeah. If I do, it’ll just be the two of you—or at most, me.”
“Thanks.
…And sorry for dragging you into this.”
“Don’t worry about it. …This whole situation only happened because I came back, anyway.”

Silence fell again.

But she wasn’t wrong.
If I hadn’t returned to this town—if I hadn’t reunited with them—
none of this would’ve happened.

Then Hiyori murmured,

“Still, Yui looked really happy to see you again, Masato.”

This time, I was the one who didn’t know what to say.

Meeting them again had been completely unexpected for me.
And I’d lost count of how many times I’d thought, If only that hadn’t happened…

…but there was no point saying that out loud.

“…Alright, I’ll let her know,” I said to wrap things up.

“Okay. I’ll apologize too.”
“See you, then.”
“Yeah. See you.”

We said our goodbyes—
and walked off in opposite directions.