It had been three days since Kirishima Kasumi told him, "I'm not your caretaker anymore." For three days, Satoshi tried to say something every time he passed by Kasumi's side, then stopped. He tried to call out to her, but she'd already started walking in another direction. He wanted her to turn around, but he didn't know how to make her do it, so he just watched her go. That was all those three days were. --- "[excited]Alright, then Satoshi's group handles the wall decorations! Kasumi's group does the desk arrangement! And Hikari's group takes the menu boards!" First day of preparation for the Kazeya Festival. Class 2-3's classroom had been buzzing since morning. The "Pokémon-style Café" that Satoshi had proposed had become a huge hit in the class. Based on the mysterious creature illustrations Satoshi had drawn, everyone got excited asking "What animal is this?" "It's so cute!" "Those pointed ears—is it a rabbit?" and as a result, it was unanimously decided as the class's cultural festival project. All the menu names, all the illustrations—everything was Satoshi's idea. "[excited]Satoshi, did you really draw all of this yourself? It's seriously amazing" "[laughing]This round-cheeked one is the cutest. It's definitely going to look good" Satoshi answered with a smile, "Pikachu's cheeks are the best part of the design." Classmates laughed, saying "Pikachu?" "That's this one's name?" Satoshi laughed too. For the first time in a while, he felt like he could laugh in the classroom. Then. "[serious]Check the wall height before you paste. If the tape position is off, you'll have to peel everything off" Kasumi was giving instructions as the preparation committee chair. Her aqua hair swayed. Her emerald green eyes swept across the classroom efficiently—in every direction except toward Satoshi. Satoshi raised his hand. "[gentle]Kasumi, where should I put this illustration?" Kasumi's movements stopped for just a moment. That was all. The next instant, she turned to face the girl next to her. "[serious]Let's decide that table's arrangement first. I think it'll look cleaner if we line them up from the window side" Satoshi lowered his hand. Still holding the illustration. Still standing. "……Satoshi, did Kasumi hate you?" A small voice came from diagonally behind him. A boy with absolutely no sense of the room's atmosphere asked with genuine curiosity. "[serious]Did you do something?" "[gentle]……I don't know" Satoshi genuinely scratched his head. He didn't know. He really didn't know anything. Hikari quietly approached from behind and leaned close to his ear. "[whispers]Kasumi's been cold to Satoshi lately……" Satoshi looked at Hikari. She looked troubled too. An awkward tension slowly spread across the entire classroom. Everyone was trying to focus on the preparations, but the strange air between Kasumi and Satoshi was getting in the way. --- Lunch break on the second day of preparation. The other classmates had gone to the school store or the hallway, leaving just the two of them in the classroom. Kasumi was lining up paper cups. Satoshi watched her for a while. Back in the Pokémon world, whenever Satoshi had a fight with someone, he'd always make up through battles. He'd battle the angry person, laugh, and it would become "never mind." Words weren't necessary. But now there were no Pokémon. No battles. (What am I supposed to do?) Satoshi stood directly in front of Kasumi. "[serious]Kasumi, are you angry at me? Did I do something wrong?" Kasumi's hands stopped. She slowly looked up. For just a moment, she looked at Satoshi. Then she looked away. "[cold]I'm not angry. I have no reason to be angry at you" Her voice was completely devoid of emotion. She lined up another paper cup, then another, and stood up. She put her bag over her shoulder. "[cold]Please finish the preparations" She left the classroom. Satoshi was left behind. He pulled out a chair and sat down. On the desk was the Pikachu illustration. Round cheeks. Pointed ears. The one Satoshi had drawn. (She said she wasn't angry) (But why did she make that face?) In the Pokémon world, there had been no companions with a face like Kasumi's. If they were angry, they were properly angry. If they were sad, they properly cried. That kind of face—like all emotions were locked away—he'd never seen before. "[gentle]Satoshi, I set aside today's curry bread for you!" Tamae from the school store poked her face in from the hallway. A 62-year-old woman who was always smiling. Round glasses. White apron. Satoshi looked up and smiled weakly. "[sad]……Thank you" Tamae looked worried. "What's wrong? You don't seem like yourself" "[gentle]I'm fine" He wasn't fine at all. --- After school. Hikari called Kasumi to the end of the hallway. "[serious]Kasumi, did something happen between you and Satoshi? Satoshi's been down the whole time……" Kasumi opened her mouth for just a moment. At that instant, Satoshi's figure appeared down the hallway. Kasumi's face went rigid. "[cold]You should just get along with Satoshi. It has nothing to do with me" She headed toward swimming club practice. Her footsteps were fast. She didn't look back. Hikari was left alone in the hallway. Kasumi's back grew distant. "……That's not what I meant……" Her lips trembled. The corners of her eyes grew hot. Maybe she was the one who'd made things weird between Kasumi and Satoshi. But that wasn't her intention. She just liked Satoshi. She just wanted to stay friends with Kasumi too. And yet. Tears threatened to spill, so Hikari pressed her lips together firmly. --- Satoshi came alone to the Akitsu River embankment. He sat on a bench along the running course, hugging his knees. It was dusk. The river surface was dyed orange. Cosmos flowers blooming on the riverbank swayed in the evening breeze. From the direction of Minato Hara Station, he could faintly hear the sound of a train. It's beautiful, Satoshi thought. But he wanted to see it with someone. (If Pikachu were here……What would Pikachu say?) He said it quietly aloud. "[whispers]……Pikachu" There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. It wasn't here. Only Satoshi had come from the Pokémon world. In the Pokémon world, if a companion left, you could chase after them. You could keep them close through battles. Even without putting feelings into words, fighting together made them understood. But now, he had no idea what to do. Kasumi said she wasn't angry. But she felt distant. Even though she was nearby, she'd been distant since three days ago. Satoshi stared at the river. Water was flowing. It never stopped. It flowed somewhere. The cosmos swayed. The evening breeze was a little cold. --- The next evening. The day before the cultural festival. Class rehearsals were being held in the gymnasium. The gymnasium, which could hold 400 people, was dimly lit and vast. Two basketball courts' worth of floor. A high ceiling. Only the stage lights shone brightly. Class 2-3's turn came. A script reading for the play and a final confirmation of Satoshi's free talk were scheduled. Satoshi went up on stage alone while his classmates sat in the audience. He stood in front of the microphone. He held the script. He opened it. Words were written there. But the words wouldn't come out. It wasn't that he was overwhelmed. He wasn't scared of the space. When he looked out at the audience——Kasumi wasn't there. She should normally be sitting near the front as the preparation committee chair. But today she'd said there was work to do backstage and hadn't come to the audience. "[serious]Satoshi? Are you okay?" A voice came from the audience. Satoshi looked at the script. He looked again. He opened his mouth. He closed it. It wasn't toward the microphone. Like talking to himself, he just said it quietly. "[whispers]……The reason I've enjoyed being in this world is because Kasumi was here" There was a pause. "[whispers]If Kasumi's gone, I'm alone again" In the corner of the gymnasium, someone's breath stopped. It was Kasumi. She'd finished her prep work and was heading toward the exit——when her feet stopped. Standing in the dark corner, she heard Satoshi's words. It was a small voice, not through the microphone. But in the silence of the gymnasium, it came through clearly. She pressed her hand to her chest. Why. Why would he say something like that? The regret of having misunderstood and hurt Satoshi. Anger at herself for still not being able to be honest. And then——certainty that Satoshi's words were real. Tears spilled out on their own. "[excited]Satoshi, what about the rehearsal!?" Hikari poked her face out from backstage. Holding the café decoration materials in her arms, she tilted her head at Satoshi. Satoshi looked up. He blinked. "[serious]Oh, yeah, I'll do it" He suddenly held up the script. The silence from before seemed like a lie as his voice came out. Kasumi headed toward the exit. Her footsteps were fast. Before Satoshi could notice. She left the gymnasium. She went into the hallway. Cold air brushed her cheek. --- After rehearsal ended, Satoshi walked the hallway looking for Kasumi. She wasn't there. "[gentle]Kasumi already went home, it seems……" Hikari told him while looking at her phone. The two of them sat on a bench in the hallway. For a while, neither said anything. The hallway at night was quiet. Only the sound of a mop moving in the distance could be heard. "[gentle]Satoshi, do you like Kasumi?" She asked hesitantly, but directly. Satoshi thought for a moment. He put his hands on his knees, looked at the ceiling, and thought again. "[serious]……I don't know. But when Kasumi's around, this place doesn't feel scary. When she's not around, it feels like something's missing" Hikari heard those words. On her lap, she quietly clenched her hands. "……I see" She smiled softly. A bittersweet but gentle smile. Satoshi turned to face her. "[gentle]Will you stay my friend? I don't know what to do about Kasumi" Hikari paused for a moment. "[gentle]……Yeah. I'm here" The two of them sat side by side for a while. The hallway's fluorescent light flickered slightly. As they were leaving, Hikari stood up and suddenly turned back. "[serious]Satoshi, will you be able to speak properly on stage tomorrow?" Satoshi was quiet for a moment. "[serious]I don't know. There's something I want Kasumi to hear……but I don't know how to say it" Hikari heard that and said nothing. She just nodded slightly. "Good night, Satoshi" She walked down the hallway. Her back disappeared around the corner. --- On a street near Corpo Himawari. Kasumi was walking alone. The night wind was cold. Street lamps lit the stone pavement orange. From the direction of the Akitsu River came the faint sound of water. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "[whispers]Stupid……I'm really stupid" She didn't even know who those words were directed at.