Koharu Miura did not leave her house all day Sunday.
In the end, she likely would have gone her entire life without taking these detective-like actions if it hadn’t been for this specific situation.
—It was simply too exhausting, more tiring than any game she had played, any work she had done, or any person she had ever spent time with.
Furthermore, the situation with Arisa Kiyono was different from that of Haruka Kondo.
Every time she tried to make contact with Arisa, Koharu felt a delayed sense of shame for prying into someone else’s privacy.
Haruka Kondo’s personality was much more proactive and aggressive than Arisa Kiyono’s.
The childhood friend’s emotions were a type of actively displayed, constantly clinging, pure, and harmless malice.
But Arisa Kiyono was different.
Although she felt even colder than Haruka Kondo to some extent, Koharu could clearly tell that the aura Arisa used to push people away was merely a passive reaction.
She was refusing to be found, refusing to be perceived, and was unwilling to expose herself to the gaze of others.
‘My actions are no different from forcibly interfering in her life.’
‘…Though from Arisa Kiyono’s perspective, it probably hasn’t reached that point yet.’
The actual physical contact she had with her was mostly a result of several accidents.
It shouldn’t have reached the point where Arisa felt the need to be on guard… right?
Logically, that was the case, but it was hard to say for sure now.
Given Arisa Kiyono’s current psychological state, it wasn’t impossible for her to be sensitive to even the slightest disturbance.
‘I can only look at it optimistically.’
Koharu changed her mood. From an optimistic perspective, the current situation wasn’t entirely bad.
Fortunately, the hard work and psychological pressure of the last few days hadn’t been completely in vain.
Not only did the investigation finally have some leads, but the interim conclusion that the person responsible came from school and was close to Arisa was also favorable news.
—Her identity was that of a high school student, and she had to go to school during the day.
Even during holidays and after school, she didn’t have much ability to collect information or conduct investigations in other locations.
Since it was a school-themed text adventure game, the stage for the story should be limited to the school and its surroundings.
Not having to spend too much extra time outside of school was essentially beneficial to Koharu’s actions.
***
Time spent in thought passed faster than usual.
By the time the moonlight outside the window was obscured by heavy clouds, leaving only the faint white glow of the phone screen in the room, Koharu’s conflicted face seemed frozen in the shadows.
“If it’s not a teammate, not a sasaeng fan, or a solo-fan… if it’s a friend nearby…”
Koharu curled up in her swivel chair, her chin resting on her knees, staring at her phone while murmuring.
‘What would be the purpose of doing this?’
After organizing her thoughts for the entire evening, the memo on her phone already listed several different guesses. Each line of thought was different, but the only thing she could confirm was that the current information was insufficient.
Since I already know this much…
Koharu’s self-muttering was as light as a sigh. “If I go find her directly—and honestly express that I hope we can talk…”
“—Can it work?”
Once this thought arose, it became difficult to suppress.
The reason she couldn’t contact Arisa Kiyono before was that she couldn’t risk Arisa “closing the door” on her before she had a lead, cutting off all future contact. In the end, the timing just hadn’t been right.
But the situation was different now. She knew at least a little bit about the reason for Arisa’s distress and her reasons for hiding.
Taking that as a starting point, and given their previous accidental encounters, could she have a proper conversation with Arisa?
“…”
Koharu weighed the pros and cons.
Based on her personality in the game, Arisa would definitely be willing. The problem was Arisa’s current state… After their brief meeting at the livehouse, she hadn’t had another encounter with her, so she couldn’t confirm Arisa’s attitude toward her after meeting her there.
However, consistent with previous situations… the only thing that wouldn’t work was doing nothing.
“All right.”
Koharu clenched her fists. At least in the current situation, she wanted to try a more direct and honest approach.
Even if this “openness” itself carried an element of calculation for her own survival.
***
However, a false reality was still reality.
—It was often more disappointing than a beautiful game script.
…On Monday afternoon, the sunlight was somewhat piercingly bright. Koharu stood at the door of Arisa Kiyono’s class, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
She had specifically waited until a while after lunch break started before coming over, just to encounter as few people as possible and avoid being questioned before the meeting.
…As it turned out, looking through the back door, Arisa Kiyono was nowhere to be seen in the classroom.
Koharu waited a bit longer until people nearby started looking over, then she left the vicinity of the classroom. Before leaving, she looked at the empty seat, and the sense of unease in her heart grew a bit more.
—Then came Tuesday, and then Wednesday.
Two consecutive days of attempts resulted in nothing.
Each time, Koharu carried a thick notebook—pretending she had business with someone—and peered through the back door of the classroom from a distance. But while the other empty seats changed, one particular seat in the back remained like an unvisited island; no one ever appeared near it.
Koharu became a little irritable.
The students wearing the same uniform as her were laughing and playing in the corridor, the breath of youth hitting her face, yet it made her feel a sense of loneliness that was out of place in this world. This feeling was like waiting for a ride-share at a crowded intersection and having it never arrive; she could only stand awkwardly in the flow of people—unable to leave.
…By Thursday, this anxiety reached its peak.
That afternoon, Koharu appeared at the door of Arisa’s class once again. She stood in the shadows of the corridor, a sense of dejected fatigue in her eyes.
Arisa Kiyono still hadn’t appeared.
Koharu sighed, having specifically requested leave to go to the infirmary and skipping two classes in the afternoon to find her, yet still failing to achieve her goal. Having waited until it was almost time for school to end, it seemed the girl with the long chestnut hair would not show up today either.
The bell rang to signal the end of class, and Koharu turned to leave.
“Um… excuse me!”
“Are you looking for Arisa?”
Just as she turned, a gentle voice sounded behind her.
Hearing the unexpected name, Koharu was startled and quickly stopped to turn around. It was a girl with an ordinary appearance but very soft eyes. Her school uniform was worn neatly, and she was holding several homework assignments as she looked at her with concern.
“Ah, yes… well…”
Koharu instinctively tried to force a smile. “…Is she not here?”
“I’ve seen you at the door for the last few days.”
The girl smiled, her tone quite mild. “Are you her friend?”
“Ah… no, I just have a notebook—”
“Hmm? You’re not?” the girl asked, puzzled. “If you had something to discuss, shouldn’t you have contacted our homeroom teacher a long time ago?”
“…”
‘Shoot.’
Koharu couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly.
—That was indeed logical.
She had just intended to use the reason she had prepared beforehand. If anyone asked, she would say she had a notebook to return to Arisa Kiyono—which was the same response she had given when she ran into other classmates earlier.
This was supposed to be a consistent alibi, but Koharu had overlooked the fact that several days had already passed. If she had been asked and answered this way at the very beginning, it would have been somewhat reasonable and plausible.
But it was already the fourth day. If she really had something she needed to find her for, a normal person would have asked the homeroom teacher for the reason Arisa hadn’t been coming to school or entrusted them to finish the task.
Whether it was a notebook or returning a book, she could have just left it with the homeroom teacher. There was no need to come here for so many days.
‘I shouldn’t have reflexively told the lie I prepared.’
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Koharu’s skin.
“…Um… you’re Arisa’s friend, right?”
“Ah? …I guess so.”
Koharu could only stammer. She wasn’t, of course, but how else could she explain her current actions if she didn’t answer that way?
—Since it had already come to this, she might as well just go along with it.
Koharu took a deep breath. “—Actually, I have some very important matters that I must speak with her about in person.”
That was the truth, and Koharu’s voice carried conviction. “But, I haven’t been able to see her.”
“Arisa… is indeed very hard to see lately.”
The gentle girl sighed softly, her gaze shifting into the classroom. “Even though we’re in the same class, we rarely get to speak to her.”
“She’s like someone living in another world.”
Koharu bit her lip and asked tentatively, “Then… do you know when she usually comes, or where she might go?”
The girl gave an apologetic expression and shook her head slightly. “Sorry, I really don’t know either.”
“But if it’s really urgent, I suggest you ask the homeroom teacher?”
“The teacher might have her schedule or leave notes, or at the very least, they should have a home phone number to contact.”
It was the same advice the previous students had given, but her way of saying it was much gentler.