That moment on the rooftop yesterday still lingered in the corner of her mind. The word "mob girl" lined up in the comments. How she hadn't cried in the shadow of the water tank. How she'd spent a sleepless night gazing blankly at the light from Aika's window. Mizuki sat in her usual seat near the back lockers of Class 2-C, opening her textbook on the desk as she did every day. Wednesday of the third week in May. The zelkova tree outside seemed a deeper green than yesterday. Each time the wind blew, the leaves rustled and cast thin shadows across the classroom windows. There was still about ten minutes until homeroom. The classroom hummed with its usual morning chatter. That's when the sliding door opened. The air changed. It brightened—like the sun itself had stepped into the room. Mizuki knew this was always how she thought of Aika, but no other words ever came to mind. Miura Aika walked in, her navy blazer perfectly fitted, her pure white long hair swaying softly. Her golden eyes sparkled, and her dimpled smile turned toward the entire classroom. "[excited]Aika, good morning!" "[excited]Aika, did you watch that drama yesterday?" The boys unconsciously cleared a path. The girls moved forward. A circle naturally formed around Aika. "[gentle]Good morning! I fell asleep halfway through the drama." Soft laughter rippled through the room. Aika laughed along. When someone said something, she responded properly. The same warmth for everyone. She was simply *there*. Mizuki spun her mechanical pencil between her fingers. *(When I walk in, the air never changes like this.)* She knew it. She'd always known it. When Mizuki entered the classroom, no one turned to look. If she said "good morning," they'd return it—that was all. The circle wouldn't expand. The air wouldn't shift. She'd thought that was normal. But today, watching the faces gathered around Aika, something deep in her chest burned. The words from yesterday's comments surfaced again. An accessory. Mob girl. —Aika hadn't looked at her once. ＊＊＊ At lunch, Mizuki was heading toward the showcase seating with her bento box. "[gentle]Hey, Mizuki." She turned. Aika was pointing toward the hallway. "[gentle]Want to eat outside? Under the zelkova tree—the weather's nice today." Aika gave the other girls in the group a light "sorry, just a sec," and was already looking at Mizuki. Her golden eyes were looking only at Mizuki. Her chest tightened. "[serious]...Yeah." The two of them stepped out into the courtyard. The May sky was blue and high. The bench at the base of the zelkova tree—they'd eaten lunch here together often in elementary school. No one was here now. For Mizuki, this was one of the few places in school where she could sit beside Aika outside of the showcase. "[gentle]It's been a while since we've been here." Aika sat on the bench first. Mizuki settled beside her. The tree's shadow fell over them both, and it was slightly cool. Aika was quiet while they opened their bentos. It was rare for Aika to be silent. In the classroom, she was always either talking or listening to someone else. Mizuki only ever saw "Aika doing nothing" at times like this. "[serious]...You know," Aika said it softly, picking up a rolled egg with her chopsticks. "[serious]I got confessed to by three people today." "[surprised]...Three people?" "[sarcastic]After school, during lunch, on the way home yesterday. I've only ever looked at their faces." Aika's voice was quiet, and she wasn't smiling. Not the "Aika for everyone" from the classroom—just Miura Aika's face. "[serious]It's ridiculous, right? They say I'm cute, they want to take pictures with me, and then they confess. Do they actually know me? That's what I think. It feels like no one really knows me." Mizuki stopped moving her chopsticks. No one else knew Aika like this. Not the Aika at the showcase, not the Aika ranked number one on Kaisei Watcher, not the Aika with 3,800 followers—the Aika sitting here now had such an ordinary girl's face that it was hard to believe she was the same person. Exhaustion was written across her features. And she was showing it only to Mizuki. *(I know you.)* The words almost came out. She swallowed them down. If she said something like that, Aika would either look troubled or handle it cleanly with a "thank you." It wouldn't really get through. She could never quite say it. Instead, she just gazed at Aika in front of her. Something small and white was caught in her pure white hair. A cherry blossom petal. They should have fallen by May, but maybe the wind had carried one here. "[gentle]...Wait a second." Mizuki reached out. Her fingers barely brushed Aika's hair as she gently pinched the petal. A soft sensation. White and delicate. Definitely a cherry blossom. "[gentle]You had a cherry blossom in your hair." "[surprised]Huh? Where?" Aika turned toward her. They were close. Her golden eyes were looking at Mizuki from mere inches away. Deep in her chest, her heart pounded. Just once, but hard. *(Too close.)* For a moment, she couldn't breathe properly. "[gentle]Right here, just a little bit." "[gentle]Thanks." Aika smiled. For just an instant, that tired expression returned, then vanished. She said "let's eat," and her gaze fell back to her bento. That was all. As if nothing had happened. Mizuki clenched the cherry blossom petal in her palm. It was so delicate it would crumble easily. But that moment—the feeling of touching Aika's hair, the closeness of those golden eyes—still lingered deep in her chest. *(I love her.)* That's what she thought. But the next moment, she had to pull that feeling back. Push it down somewhere deep, slap the label "best friend" back on it. She'd been doing this for years. "[gentle]Lately I'm exhausted from all the rumors about Kou." Aika said it quietly. "[serious]The transfer student?" "Yeah. He's coming next month, apparently. Kaisei Watcher keeps hyping it up. Something about how it'll affect me or whatever. I'm so tired of it." Aika smiled a little and took a bite of her rolled egg. Mizuki responded while watching Aika's profile. Ten minutes before lunch ended, Aika stood up. "Let's head back." She held her bento box and lightly adjusted the hem of her blazer. By the time they returned to the classroom, her face had shifted back to showcase Aika. That perfect smile. The one she showed everyone. *(Does she show that face to people other than me?)* The question grazed her mind, and she immediately pushed it away. ＊＊＊ When Mizuki stepped into the hallway after school, a voice called from behind. "[cold]Hey, Saito." She turned. Shiraishi Kana was standing there. Loose brown semi-long hair, round eyes, sharp tongue—a member of Aika's group, "Fleur." Usually she was laughing around Aika. But she wasn't laughing now. Other students were walking in the hallway. Glances kept flicking toward them. Kana knew it and spoke anyway. "[serious]So, is it fun being next to Aika?" Mizuki couldn't say anything. "[cold]Honestly, you're in the way. Like, Aika's value goes down, you know? Who's standing next to her matters. Ever looked in a mirror?" Mirror. The word pierced straight into Mizuki's chest. Like a thorn. Small, but going deep. *(I should say something.)* Her head knew it. But her throat wouldn't move. She thought about what might happen if she talked back. Kana might say something to Aika. It might get posted on Kaisei Watcher. She might even lose the right to stand at the edge of the showcase. "[gentle]...Sorry." The words came out. She'd made a smile and said it. Kana looked satisfied and said "well, as long as you understand," then walked away. Mizuki stood alone in the hallway. The other students passed by as if nothing had happened. No one cared. Or if they did, they did nothing about it. That was the rule at Kaisei Academy. *(In the way. Value goes down.)* The phrase "ever looked in a mirror?" kept spinning through her head. ＊＊ Café "Noir" filled with students in the evening. Two minutes' walk from Tokiwadai Station, with warm wood-toned interior and dim box seating in the back. The owner, Hatano Ritsuko, asked "the usual?" Mizuki always ordered Earl Grey tea. She sat at a two-person window seat and wrapped both hands around the white cup. Steam rose. The aroma of tea spread. The cup was still hot, but Mizuki left it as it was. *(Am I just an accessory to Aika?)* M.S. That's what the name was in the Kaisei Watcher post. An existence called by initials instead of her own name, simply because she stood next to Miura Aika. "Aika's value goes down"—Kana's words repeated. *(Maybe that's true. If my being next to Aika causes someone to lose something...* But Aika had invited her. Under the zelkova tree in the courtyard, with the cherry blossom petal, eating lunch just the two of them. She'd shown Mizuki her tired face. That meant more to Mizuki than any words could. *(What would happen if I told her I love her?)* She imagined it. Aika's troubled expression came to mind. She could almost hear the words: "That's not what I meant." She could see the scene where seven years of their relationship as childhood friends crumbled with a sound. The tea had cooled. She took a sip. Bitter. A little astringent. She opened her phone. Photoria. Kaisei Watcher. No new posts. Comments praising Aika's number-one ranking had been added. Below them, the usual ones. "Aika's mob girl next to her is still lol" She closed the screen. Outside the window, the Tokiwadai station shopping street was filling with evening crowds. Nakajima, the manager at Every Mart, was putting away the outdoor sign. In the second-floor window of Burger Fort, a student in uniform was visible. *(What should I do?)* There was no answer. If she said she loved her, she'd lose her place. If she stayed silent, she'd remain an accessory. Either way, these weren't choices Mizuki could make. The OL-looking woman drinking coffee at the next table was laughing at her phone. Voices drifted from the back of the café. She noticed the BGM only when she finished her tea. Low, calm jazz. Noir's usual music. Mizuki set down her cup and took out her wallet. ＊＊＊ The next morning, when Mizuki arrived at the classroom, Kana was showing her phone to friends at the desk in front. Soft laughter rose. Mizuki took her seat and pulled her textbooks from her bag. *(I shouldn't look.)* She knew it, but her gaze drifted toward Kana's phone screen anyway. She could read the text, even from a distance. "The mob girl who's always next to Aika is so funny lol Aika totally gets overshadowed lol" It was Kana's post. Photoria. Not Kaisei Watcher—Kana's personal account. It had 23 likes. Mizuki looked away and placed her hand on her textbook. Her fingertips were slightly cold. *(Should I tell Aika?)* She immediately rejected the idea. Telling would be tattling. Kana would resent Mizuki even more. Aika would say "I'll talk to her," and the air in the group would shift. And Mizuki would be pushed outside the showcase again. She couldn't say anything. She stayed silent, watching Kana's smiling face. *(This is what my position is, huh?)* The zelkova tree outside the window swayed quietly. The same green as yesterday. The same classroom. But something heavier had accumulated in Mizuki's chest since yesterday. Then the classroom door slid open, and pure white long hair entered. Aika. With her usual smile, the usual shift in the air. Her golden eyes found Mizuki immediately. "[gentle]Good morning, Mizuki." "[serious]...Morning." Aika didn't know. Not about Kana's post. Not about yesterday in the hallway. As long as Mizuki didn't tell her, she'd never know. *(I thought that was fine.)* But the sensation of the petal still seemed to linger on her fingertips. Aika's tired face under the zelkova tree was stuck somewhere in her mind. Something was beginning to change, little b