Outside the window, the row of cherry trees still held their buds tightly shut. The surface of the Nishina River rippled faintly, scattering the late-morning light into tiny fragments. Yuuki lay in bed, gazing absently at the IV tube. White ceiling. White sheets. Air steeped in the smell of antiseptic. (*It's so quiet in here.*) Her phone buzzed again and again on the side table. The screen read "Asuna-chan." This was the sixth one now. But her fingers wouldn't move. "[sad]...Maybe it's better if I'm not around." Her voice was swallowed up by the empty room. That day—Silica-chan's voice, saying "I was always alone, you know," kept repeating deep in her ears. Silica-chan, crying, pressing both hands over her mouth. Asuna-chan's troubled face. (*Because I showed up, both of them ended up hurting.*) Outside the window, a cherry branch swayed in the cold wind. Will they bloom again next year? Will I be here to see it? Yuuki let out a small breath and closed her eyes. Her usual smile was nowhere to be found. ********************** After school, the art room at Kazahana High School was utterly silent. The afternoon light streaming through the window illuminated the enormous canvas laid out on the floor. 1.8 meters tall, 3.6 meters wide. Over the rough sketch of the city Silica had drawn, a blank space still gaped open. Asuna leaned against the wall, staring fixedly at the tea in her paper cup. Silica sat by the window with her sketchbook open. But her hand wasn't moving. Between the two of them lay a distance wide enough to fit an entire planet. "[gentle]...Your tea's going to get cold." Asuna held out the paper cup. "..." Silica just gave a tiny nod. She couldn't even manage the word "thanks." Asuna gripped the paper cup. *Crunch.* She'd squeezed too hard. The cup crumpled, and tea squirted out. "[scared]Wah!" A stain spread across her skirt. She scrambled for a tissue, and this time knocked over the brush stand. *Clatter.* Brushes scattered across the floor. "[crying]Ugh, why does this have to happen now..." Asuna crouched down and began gathering the brushes. Silica glanced at her back. (*Before, I used to be able to laugh at Asuna-san's clumsiness like this.*) Now, she couldn't remember how to laugh. The muscles in her face refused to move, as if frozen solid. *Rattle.* The clubroom door opened. Turning around, they saw Sonoko-senpai standing there. Her long, dull-purple hair was tied back loosely in a single knot. Her sleepy, drooping eyes were, as always, impossible to read. "[gentle]...A painting never lies." With just those words, Sonoko-senpai took her seat. Neither Asuna nor Silica could fully absorb what she'd said. The canvas was left untouched again today, abandoned. ********************** Night fell. Room 305 at Nishina River Rehabilitation Hospital. Yuuki sat up against the raised backrest of her bed, holding her phone in both hands. She launched the drawing app, *Canvas Note.* Pinching out on the screen with her fingertips, she expanded a pure white canvas. (*Silica-chan's mad at me, isn't she. But—*) Her finger moved. With faint lines, she drew the flow of a river. The row of cherry trees along the Nishina River, visible outside her window. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet, but when spring came to those branches, it would surely be beautiful. The first rough sketch was done. Without hesitation, Yuuki sent it to Silica's account. No message attached. She wasn't expecting it to be read. She just sent it. The next day. A second sketch. She added light to the river's surface. The day after that. A third. She painstakingly rendered the texture of the cherry tree's trunk. A fourth. The silhouette of distant mountains. One every day. Like letters. (*I hope they reach you, Silica-chan.*) Even so, Yuuki's fingers trembled. She still hadn't replied to Asuna-chan. And there was no response from Silica-chan either. But drawing was the one thing she couldn't stop. ********************** On the fifth night, Silica sat frozen at her desk at home. Her sketchbook was open. The first pages were filled with old drawings of Kirito's face—many of them. (*I can't get into that kind of mood right now.*) She closed the page and pushed the sketchbook to the edge of her desk. *Bzz.* Her phone vibrated. From Yuuki. Another drawing had arrived. (*Why... why do you keep sending these?*) Silica reached out and opened the notification. The fifth drawing. It showed a single figure, just an outline, standing beneath a cherry tree in full bloom. The inside was left blank. She couldn't tell who it was. But somehow, Silica felt she knew. And then—there was a short message attached. *"Silica-chan, let's finish it together."* "[crying]............" A voiceless sound leaked from deep in her throat. Her vision blurred. Tears plopped down onto the sketchbook. (*No, that's wrong. I'm the one who hurt her.*) Silica opened a new page in her sketchbook. She gripped her pen. With a trembling hand, she tried to draw just a single line. —But her hand wouldn't move. (*I can't draw.*) (*I can't even reply.*) She set the pen down and covered her face with both hands. Her shoulders shook in tiny tremors. Only the cherry blossoms on the screen bloomed quietly on. ********************** Day six, afternoon. Asuna walked briskly down the hallway of Nishina River Hospital. In her hand was a small paper bag. Inside was a pudding she'd bought at the convenience store in front of the station. (*I wonder if Yuuki's been eating properly.*) She knocked on the door of Room 305, and a faint voice answered from within. "[quiet]...Come in." When Asuna opened the door, Yuuki was clutching her phone on the bed. "[surprised]Asuna-chan...! You came." "[gentle]Of course I did. Here, a little something." Asuna held out the paper bag with the pudding. Yuuki's eyes lit up, just a little. "[excited]Whoa, pudding! I wanna eat it, I wanna eat it!" She tried to open the lid, and just then— *Slip.* "[scared]Ah—" Her hand slipped, and the plastic cup tipped over. The caramel inside oozed out onto the blanket. "[scared]Ahhh! Sorry, sorry!" "[laughing]Jeez, what are you doing!" The two of them grabbed tissues and frantically wiped the blanket together. Asuna was laughing, but Yuuki's face was clouded somehow. "[quiet]...Hey, Asuna-chan." "[gentle]What is it?" "[whispers]I've been sending drawings to Silica-chan." Asuna's hands stopped. "[sad]One every day. But... no reply." "...I see." Asuna couldn't say anything. Silica came to school every day, but she wouldn't even speak to Asuna. The air in the art room remained cold as ice. "[serious]But I'm not going to stop. I'm definitely going to finish that painting with Silica-chan." Yuuki's voice was small. But it was incredibly clear. Asuna looked down, staring at her own hands. (*I haven't been able to say a single thing to Silica-chan.*) "[quiet]...I'm sorry, Yuuki. I haven't been able to do anything." "[gentle]Don't apologize. You've always been by my side, haven't you, Asuna-chan?" Yuuki smiled brightly. But that smile didn't sparkle the way it used to. A short while later, Asuna left the hospital room. Walking down the hallway, she took out her phone. She found Silica's number and hovered her finger over the call button. —She couldn't press it. Still clutching her phone, Asuna climbed the stairs to the rooftop garden. She sank onto a bench and looked up at the sky. Clouds drifted slowly by. Four days until the culture festival. The canvas in the art room still held its empty space. And the girls' hearts were the same.