Episode One Hundred and Nine
That day, Aki contacted me at 7 PM while I was working overtime.
‘My apologies for the late hour. I’m looking for Ibara. Are you at home?’
Thinking how formal chat messages can sound, I replied for the time being.
‘Sorry, still at the office.’
‘My apologies. As she hasn’t returned here yet, I wondered if she’d gone directly to your home.’
Ibara had a spare key, so she sometimes went straight to my flat.
But the rule was to notify Aki-san beforehand when she did that.
‘Is her phone not answering?’
‘No, her mobile doesn’t seem to be switched on.’
A bad feeling washed over me.
Disturbing words flashed through my mind. Accident. Or incident.
I sent a chat to Ibara too.
But it didn’t show as read. Usually, replies came back lightning fast.
‘I’m heading home now.’
‘Sorry, that’d be a huge help.’
It wasn’t exactly a good time to cut things short, but I wrapped up work and left the office.
I hurried home. The spring night was muggy, and a clammy sweat kept running down my back.
I opened the door as if praying, but the room was pitch black.
‘Ibara, are you here?’
My voice echoed hollowly in the empty room.
The mug soaking in the sink and the pyjamas left discarded were just as they’d been when she’d left that morning.
Ibara hadn’t come home.
Unpleasant thoughts accelerated. Accidents, crime. What if that girl was somewhere I didn’t know, exposed to malice or misfortune?
I pressed the app’s call button as if praying. A mechanical electronic tone echoed deep in my ears. Disconnected. Once more. I strained to hear the ringing.
“Ibara, please…”
“Is something wrong with me?”
A voice came from the darkness.
“Gyaaaahh?!?!”
“Whoa, you scared me.”
Turning around, I saw Ibara in her uniform.
“Wh-wh-wh-when⁉︎ When did you get back⁉︎”
“Just now. Why did you turn off the lights?”
As she spoke, Ibara switched on the living room light.
Apparently, I’d been so focused I hadn’t noticed her unlocking the door.
Anyway, I was just glad Ibara was safe.
“I didn’t get a reply, so I thought something might have happened.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. My phone battery died.”
Is that all?
“I’ll let Aki-san know too. But it’s unusual for you to be this late.”
“Just a bit.”
“If you’re going to be late, you should let me know… though if your phone’s dead, I suppose there’s nothing to be done. But Ibara is cute so I worry…… ah, what do you want to do about dinner? You must be hungry.”
“Hmm, well…”
“But I’ve been skiving off the shopping for a while, so there’s nothing in here. Shall we just have some chocolate for now?”
She handed Ibara an unopened box of ‘Rêve’ that had been sleeping in the corner of the fridge.
Ibara took the paper box with unusual slowness, staring intently at the princess illustration on it.
“But this won’t be enough, will it? Shall I go buy something? Or maybe just order Uber Eats?”
“Listen, Shigure-san.”
“What?”
“I was thinking of going home for a bit.”
“Oh, right. I’ll give you a lift then. Want to eat dinner at Sereno too?”
“No. Not that. To my parents’ place.”
“──Eh?”
Still clutching the box from ‘Rêve’, Ibara continued matter-of-factly.
“I just realised… running away like this isn’t really the answer. We need to talk properly, then decide what to do next, right?”
“Ibara?”
“I’ll stay at Sereno tonight, talk things through with Aki-chan, and then head back home over the weekend.”
“Hang on a minute.”
I grabbed her wrist without thinking.
“Are you serious about that?”
“Yeah.”
“But the other day—”
She’d looked like she was about to cry, screaming she wanted to stay here.
“They’re going to decide your future for you without your input, aren’t they? I mean, sure, talking things through is important, but why so suddenly?”
“No particular reason.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying. Honestly.”
Ibara looked back at me with those clear, piercing eyes. Eyes that seemed to declare she wouldn’t answer any questions.
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“What would you say? Guardian? Friend? Or… lover?”
“That’s…”
The words wouldn’t come.
If I were a man, or a classmate of Ibara’s, or at least only three years older, I might not have hesitated.
But that wasn’t the reality.
Ibara lifted the corners of her mouth just a little.
“Right? If we did that, things would get complicated. They’re already complicated enough.”
“But—”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll persuade them properly and come back.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Because if I’m not with Shigure-san, I can’t even sleep at night.”
I knew.
That’s precisely why I was afraid.
Not me. What happens to me doesn’t matter.
What terrified me beyond all reason was the thought of her delicate, fragile heart shattering under the weight of endless nights spent alone, unable to sleep in some cold, unfamiliar bed.
“…You’ll be back by the start of next week, right?”
“Of course.”
“If it gets too hard, you must contact someone. Me, or Aki-san, either one.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t keep it all bottled up. Me, Aki-san, Hiname-chan, Shizuku – we’re all on your side, Ibara.”
“I know.”
Ibara slipped ‘Rêve’ into her skirt pocket and squeezed my hand tightly.
A hard sensation pressed against my palm.
“Is this—”
My question was cut short as lips pressed against mine.
Ibara’s lips were cold. Like ice, I thought.
Footsteps receded, and the front door clicked shut.
Slowly, I looked down at my palm.
A plain dimple key. The spare key I’d kept all this time dulled the artificial light with a faint glint.
And then.
Even after the week ended, Ibara didn’t come back.