In an Overpass]
White petals spun in the air, as if slowly falling. In the distance came the sharp screech of a buzzer tearing through the air, the old-style green train growing closer and closer, the interweaving of iron wheels and tracks emitting a deafening roar.
A girl with short gray hair gently pressed on the railing, her slender figure leaning forward, bending into a dangerous arc, yet completely unaware.
Closer, even closer.
In those amber-like bright pupils, only the tiny petal in front remained.
Takamatsu Tomori tried hard to rise on tiptoe, the cold railing pressing red marks through her school uniform between her ribs, her outstretched fingertips like a net trying to catch the wind, her center of gravity gradually tilting.
'Still lacking... just a tiny bit.'
Creak—
The long-neglected railing emitted a mournful groan under unbearable weight, and the girl's half-body suspended in the air fell like a shot pigeon, the fragile balance she barely maintained finally collapsing.
Molten bronze flowed on the tracks in the twilight, and amidst the oncoming wind, Takamatsu Tomori tightly shut her eyes.
She waited for a long time, but the expected pain never came.
Someone had grabbed her wrist, the warm touch like green bamboo basked in sunlight, reversing gravity into an ascending parabola at the moment the girl was about to fall off the overpass.
"Are you okay?", A clear male voice came from overhead, carrying a light coolness like peppermint candy.
There was still lingering heat around her waist. Takamatsu Tomori dumbly opened her eyes, dazed, as if in another world.
The world was gray. From as far back as she could remember, Takamatsu Tomori had realized this. Clearly being with everyone, yet it felt like she was all alone.
She was out of place with her surroundings, like a clumsy little penguin, unable to understand anything around her, nor be understood by anyone.
The world was noisy and clamorous, while she seemed to sink into the cold seabed, surrounded by darkness, without light, without sound.
Lonely, and isolated. But, unwilling to accept it.
She wanted to possess something important. She wanted to be able to cry like everyone else. Even more, she wanted to be human.
Later, she advanced to middle school.
("No! I'm sorry for pushing you down, but no matter what, seeking death is not the right thing to do!")
In that summer filled with falling locust flowers, a gentle girl misunderstood something and forcefully tackled her to the ground.
Standing by the overpass, petals drifting by, reaching out to grasp in her palm. She didn't catch it, but instead, she met you.
The gray sky, as if dawn broke through, pierced the clouds. From then on, the world became colorful.
"Though I don't know exactly what you've been through, ensuring your own safety is always the most important thing. Life is precious, don't give it up so easily," Those extremely familiar words, from two completely different faces, seemed to overlap together.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that heartbeat and flutter, even stronger than before.
"Saki...ko?", The girl in his arms reached out her hand, the cold fingertips seeming to want to touch his cheek.
'Hmm? Did she just call out "Sakiko"?'
Kaito, who originally intended to avoid the situation, was slightly surprised upon hearing this familiar name.
'A coincidence?'
'This girl who seems like she is trying to take her own life, could she possibly be related to my hardworking little secretary at home?'
"I'm not sure who this 'Sakiko' you're referring to is," He released his hand that was around the girl's slender waist, with no reluctance in his movement, "But this clearly isn't the place for conversation. If you're interested, shall we grab a cup of coffee?"
Actually, Kaito wasn't the type who liked meddling in other people's affairs.
Though he was protective, that only applied to those he acknowledged, and he only maintained the most basic courtesy toward outsiders.
But seeing that solitary, teetering figure at the edge of the overpass inexplicably brought back memories of that night of heavy rain.
A girl with blue twin tails also sat like that on the railing, letting the downpour soak her long skirt, like a fluttering butterfly.
Maybe it was due to that familiar sense of deja vu, or maybe… because he saw in her the shadow of Sakiko, full of self-destructive desire.
Kaito didn't choose to stand idly by.
Though there were still about two meters between him and the overpass, and the gray-haired girl had nearly fallen off the railing, leaving him only a pitiful few seconds to rescue her.
But people's physical traits differ, he wasn't some French assassin master who could always catch an elusive fifteen-meter leap.
In the end, he saved the girl who was on the verge of danger, and didn't let tragedy occur.
———
[RiNG]
This was a Livehouse with high ratings on a social media platform, also operating as a cafe. Affordable prices, a wide variety of drinks and desserts, it was well-loved by schoolgirls from nearby schools.
"What would you like to drink?", Sitting in a corner seat, the familiar store manager Ririko greeted them.
Kaito handed the menu to the girl across from him, trying to create a relaxed atmosphere.
The girl named "Takamatsu Tomori" stared blankly at him, as if still immersed in her own world, blocking out all outside noise.
Since they exchanged names just now, she had been like this, like a tiny robot.
And her vigilance was way too low. Just a wave and she followed you willingly, 'Where did this baby penguin come from? Aren't you afraid of being abducted?'
Kaito shook his head, looked at the store manager lady beside him, and simply made the decision himself, "Two cups of hot Earl Grey tea, one small plate of donuts, and a slice of mousse cake, thank you."
"O-okay," Ririko blushed as she held the menu, wailing inwardly. After not seeing him for a while, this customer seemed even more attractive, just being near him was a big test for her heart.
Maybe it's better to have Ritsuki bring the order later. As an old lady, she really couldn't handle such strong stimulation. If she lost control and pounced on him, she'd never have the face to live again.
"Takamatsu-san," Kaito didn't pay much attention to other people's thoughts, just kindly asked, "Looking at your uniform, you should also be a student at Shuka, right? If it's convenient, could you tell me, why did you do such a dangerous thing?"
The gray-haired girl across from him was silent for a long time, "Because… the petals were very pretty."
'So, it was just to catch that petal that she put herself in such danger?'
'Feels like another problem girl.'
'And a particularly troublesome type.'
Kaito gently exhaled and changed the topic, "That 'Sakiko' you mentioned earlier must be very important to you, right?"
His original intent was simply to gather some information, to confirm whether she was connected to his little secretary.
But this sentence seemed to have triggered some kind of taboo.
The gray-haired girl named "Takamatsu Tomori" visibly turned pale, fumbled a few times, then suddenly hugged her nearby school bag and stood up to run.
Her movements were too hasty and panicked. Head down, not even looking at the path, there was a waitress carrying a tray who couldn't avoid in time, and they collided head-on.
Tea and desserts spilled all over her, and the once neat tabletop and floor weren't spared either. Shiina Taki clutched her chest, about to scold the girl for not watching where they were going, but when she clearly saw who had bumped into her, she froze for a moment, "Tomori?"
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