—Meanwhile, Togawa Sakiko—
After parting ways with Misumi Uika, she quickly tidied up the shop and, filled with determination, hurried toward the hospital address written on the slip of paper. Strands of azure hair swayed behind her ears with each step, and her heavy body gradually regained some vitality.
Apologize.
No matter what, she had to apologize to him.
Sakiko had to pour out all of her regret and feelings to him. No matter how Haru responded now, she knew this was something she had to do.
Otherwise, she would never forgive herself.
Her sleepless body was overcome with exhaustion, yet the flame deep within her burned ever stronger. She was moving forward on nothing but willpower, her emotions carrying her step by step.
"Haa, haa…"
The sound of her footsteps blended with her rapid breathing like a sharp wind. Sakiko could hear her own heart racing faster and faster. Her trembling eyelids and quivering fingertips seemed to fear that if she moved too slowly, nothing could ever be mended again.
By the time she arrived at Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital, the sun had already disappeared over the horizon. The dimming sky and the glowing streetlamps stretched before her like a long bridge of light, guiding her steps in the right direction.
With every step forward, her fear and hesitation melted away little by little.
Only then did Sakiko realize how deeply she longed to see him again.
"Ah! Isn't this Sakiko?"
A frivolous, teasing voice drifted to her ears, making the girl stop instinctively right at the hospital entrance. She turned her head, and her amber eyes with their faint golden hue narrowed.
Of all times, she had to run into the one person she didn't want to meet right now.
"What a coincidence! Why would I bump into you here?"
The girl standing ahead greeted her in a bright, cheerful tone.
Her short lilac hair, like a blooming rose, shone vividly under the cool white light. Even those unfamiliar with her personality could tell from her fluttering lashes that she was in high spirits.
Yuutenji Nyamu was, in many ways, a troublesome person.
If this were a casual encounter on the street, Sakiko might have returned a polite greeting or mentioned something about band matters. But right now, she had no space in her heart to deal with her.
"Sorry, I have something urgent to do."
Her pale fingers gripped the strap of her bag tightly. Sakiko's heart was full of impatience, she just wanted to reach his side as soon as possible.
But her uncharacteristic attitude only piqued Nyamu's curiosity. She leaned closer.
"Nyanmu nyanmu? Could it be you're here to visit Haru too?"
"Too?"
Sakiko immediately caught that single key word. Her brows knitted as she gave Nyamu a scrutinizing look, but her reaction only made the other girl's face light up in realization.
Ah-ha! Nyamu-nyan guessed it right again.
"Yuutenji, you… already visited him?"
"Nya! Mu! Nyan!"
The great Nyamu-sensei puffed her cheeks in protest, her forced pouting somehow adorable. She waved her fingers dramatically in front of herself, trying to correct Sakiko's way of addressing her.
But Sakiko had no time for her antics. She only wanted to know how Haru's injuries were.
"Please, tell me quickly. How is Haru now?"
Her heart full of urgency, Sakiko pressed forward. Though she had meant to bypass Nyamu and enter the hospital, she instead stopped and stepped toward her, closing the distance so forcefully that Nyamu-sensei instinctively backed up two steps.
"Eh? W-well, that is…"
Nyamu's gaze wavered, uncertain of what to say.
The truth was, Nyamu-nyan didn't know either.
The real reason she had come to visit Haru was partly out of worry for her "source of clout", and partly because Ave Mujica's sudden, unexplained cancellation of practice had made her curious.
After all, Ave Mujica's training required all five members. Even if their manager Kazami-san wasn't present, that alone wasn't reason enough to stop practice altogether.
Judging by Sakiko's attitude now, perhaps Haru was seriously hurt.
"…Forget it. I'll go find him myself."
Seeing Nyamu stall and dodge, Sakiko's already-thin patience ran out completely. She exhaled, shook her head, and tried to stride straight past her into the hospital.
But just as Nyamu was about to call out, Sakiko suddenly froze in place of her own accord.
Nyamu blinked in confusion. Sakiko, who had been brimming with urgency, now stood rooted to the spot. Her beautiful face had turned ghostly pale, her pupils trembling as though she had just seen something terrifying.
It was as if a beast or flood had blocked her path, paralyzing her so she couldn't take another step forward.
"Nya, nyanmu?"
What's going on? What happened?
In Nyamu's eyes, the Sakiko who called herself Oblivioniswas always the most stubborn in the band, a girl whose dignity and pride never wavered no matter what. Her cold, aloof face was enough to irritate anyone who saw it.
But now, that very Sakiko was wearing a look of fear.
What in the world had she seen?
"…."
Sakiko only lowered her head timidly. The step she had been about to take faltered, retreating instead.
And standing directly in her way were several girls in school uniforms, instrument cases slung over their shoulders.
Beside Nijika stood Ryo, her rose-like beauty bristling with thorns. Her golden eyes, sharp and merciless, pierced straight through the air into Sakiko's heart.
Nijika's usual smile looked strained, as if her composure had cracked. Hitori, held by Kita Ikuyo at her side, was trembling with confusion.
The girls of Kessoku Band, who had just left the hospital after visiting Haru, now stood face to face with Sakiko, who was just about to enter. The timing could not have been worse.
"T-this is bad…"
As the leader, Nijika reacted first. She glanced quickly at her friend beside her. Just moments ago, Ryo had been smiling faintly, but now her expression had turned cold, her glare fixed on the girl in front of them.
As her long-time friend, Nijika understood perfectly what Ryo was feeling.
Both she and Ryo had been there at the accident. They had seen with their own eyes how Sakiko had shaken off Haru's hand and rushed recklessly into the street. The moment of the crash had scarred them deeply.
Even now, the memory made Nijika's heart seize in pain.
"Ryo?"
Ijichi Nijika was a little afraid that Yamada Ryo might clash with Haru just a short distance away, but she recalled how Haru had already asked everyone not to dwell on what had happened, and especially not to put all the blame on Sakiko.
No matter how dissatisfied Ryo might feel, surely she wouldn't completely ignore Haru's words, right?
"What are you doing here?"
Nijika's hope lasted barely two seconds before being crushed by Ryo's icy question.
I was too naive.
This is Yamada Ryo. How could I ever expect her to be that obedient?
"I… I only…"
The courage Sakiko had built up was doused in an instant, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water over her. No matter how fiercely her resolve had burned, Ryo's freezing glare extinguished it all. She couldn't even meet her eyes.
The words Ryo had spoken back in front of the ambulance still echoed in her ears, striking terror deep into her heart.
Sensing the atmosphere spiraling out of control, Nijika naturally stepped forward as the pillar of the group. Rising on tiptoe, she whispered urgently into Ryo's ear.
"Ryo, did you forget what Haru said before?"
"I'll go to him myself later and apologize. After all, I already owe him so much… one more time won't matter."
Ryo's voice was calm and cold, her head turned away from Nijika.
At that, Nijika finally understood. Her dearest friend was even angrier than she had imagined. Not even she could stop her now, let alone Bocchi who was frozen in place, or Kita who still hadn't said a word.
If Ryo wasn't allowed to release this storm of emotions, she would never let it go.
"I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"
Her words cut through the air like ice, and with just a whisper Sakiko was plunged into a frozen abyss. Her pupils trembled violently as her lips parted, desperate to speak.
But no matter how she tried, no words came out.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
The sudden voice made Sakiko turn her head instinctively.
Yuutenji Nyamu's unexpected question took everyone by surprise. Wearing sunglasses, she furrowed her brows slightly as her amber eyes met Ryo's.
Nyamu had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that the short-haired blue girl had been pressing harder and harder, and the usually self-assured Sakiko, who always seemed so high and mighty in front of everyone, now looked ready to bury her head in the dirt.
It was unbearable to watch.
Sakiko was still the leader of Ave Mujica. To be treated like some stray dog, bullied to the point where she couldn't even speak up for herself… didn't that make Nyamu look weak too, just for being her teammate?
"And you are?"
Ryo raised a brow. Her questioning tone made Nyamu's mouth twitch slightly.
She had already taken off her sunglasses. With her popularity, surely she should have been recognized instantly. Yet Ryo looked at her as if she were just another passerby. How could that not sting?
Just as Nyamu was about to explain her relationship with Sakiko, she suddenly remembered the confidentiality agreement she had with Haru. She froze for a second, then quickly changed her words.
"I… I guess I'm her friend."
That was close. I nearly broke Ave Mujica's world.
"I wasn't asking you. I was asking her."
"You…"
Nyamu's pretty face stiffened in disbelief. She had already stepped in, yet this emotionless blue-haired girl showed not the slightest sign of backing down?
Still, thanks to Nyamu's interruption, Sakiko managed to catch a breath.
Her body was trembling uncontrollably, fists clutching the hem of her white skirt so tightly her knuckles turned pale. Her teeth bit into her thin lip until a trace of blood appeared. Only then did she finally raise her head to meet Ryo's gaze.
She couldn't stop here. No matter what, she had to reach Haru's side.
"I came here… to see Haru!"
She knew full well she was a sinner, but she had to atone for her mistakes.
"Someone like you has no right to see him."
The merciless words pierced her heart like a barrage of arrows. Her mind roared, her body nearly gave out as her strength faltered, and she staggered back two steps before managing to steady herself again.
Maybe Ryo was right. Did someone like her… really have the right to seek forgiveness?
"…Um, Ryo-senpai?"
Kita Ikuyo, silent until now, finally spoke.
"Maybe Sakiko-san… just wants to apologize to Haru? Besides, Haru doesn't want us to fight over this. I think… maybe we should give her a chance."
Even Nijika hadn't expected Kita to be the first to speak up now.
Of all people, she had the deepest feelings for Haru. When she first learned of his accident, she had collapsed on the spot. That alone showed just how much he meant to her.
Bocchi froze for a few seconds. She had thought Kita would despise Sakiko as much as anyone. She hadn't expected her to defend her instead. Slowly, she turned to Nijika, and the two exchanged glances before nodding together.
"Kita's right. I don't think Sakiko means any harm."
"Y-yeah…!"
Ryo understood that Nijika, with her gentle and kind nature, would never want the group to fight. She could also see why Hitori preferred to avoid trouble. What she could not understand was Kita Ikuyo. Her anger over this should not have been any less than her own.
Shouldn't she be furious?
"Ikuyo, you of all people should know. If not for her… Haru wouldn't have gotten into that accident trying to save her."
Perhaps sensing Ryo's doubt, Kita pressed her lips together, a faint trace of resignation flickering in her eyes. It was as though she had remembered something painful. With a look of compassion, she turned to Fuokawa Sakiko.
"As Haru's girlfriend, maybe I should be angry. But… I can understand Sakiko too."
Her crimson hair spilled across her shoulders as she slowly turned her head, locking eyes with Sakiko with steady seriousness.
"You just want to give him a proper apology, don't you?"
"Some words need to be spoken. If you make a mistake, then you have to apologize. If you keep drowning in guilt and regret, then by the time you want to say it… it might already be too late."
Ryo's eyes widened gradually, staring at Kita with a complicated expression.
The red-haired girl lifted her head slightly, frowning as she smiled. That sight began to overlap with the figure that existed in Ryo's memory, and the burning rage inside her slowly cooled.
The air grew heavy.
Sakiko, who had been shrinking back in fear, slowly raised her head. Gratitude shimmered in her gaze as she looked at Kita. Her once-weak posture straightened, and her bloodied lips pressed together with force.
She was like a peony, the queen of flowers, regal and unyielding as she faced forward.
"…"
No longer a cowardly criminal frozen in place, Sakiko stepped forward with firm strides. As the distance closed between her and Ryo, the latter's eyes grew sharp once more.
Then, in that moment of tension, the girl bent low, bowing the waist that once refused to bend even in death.
"I want to atone to him."
Her words rang out with force, carrying the weight of her conviction.
"If you truly cannot forgive me, then please, Ryo-san, slap me across the face right now, as hard as you need until you feel satisfied. No matter what, I will never hold it against you."
"But after that… please give me a chance to apologize to him."
Perhaps Sakiko once was just as others described, arrogant, selfish, and blind to the feelings of those around her. But ever since she met that black-haired boy with the mischievous smile, even she had begun to change.
She did not want to part from him like this.
She still wanted a future with him.
Her greatest strength and her greatest flaw were one and the same, that fragile yet stubborn heart which so often left her lost in confusion. But now, that same persistence was what gave her the courage to face her mistakes head on.
"…Please."
Sakiko bowed again, eyes firm, and something flickered deep within Ryo's gaze.
"Is that so?"
Ryo slowly closed her calm, pale golden eyes. Her elegant words carried no trace of emotion, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking. Then, in the space of a single breath, she half-opened them again, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye sharpening the cold allure in her expression.