That sentence drew a burst of light laughter from everyone, and the atmosphere inside the train car instantly became lively.
However, Xiao Chun Miura’s smile stayed only on the surface.
She leaned back against the window again, her fingers unconsciously brushing over the phone inside her bag.
—Better not come.
Kiyono Arisa’s cold message still lingered in her mind like an unsolved riddle.
Why, when the situation had become so urgent, would Kiyono Arisa choose to cut off the only external support?
Xiao Chun Miura knew very well that although Kiyono Arisa appeared proud on the outside, she was not insensitive inside.
She would definitely be able to sense the malice around her.
In her understanding, perhaps Xiao Chun Miura was only someone who, for some reason, was willing to help her hide her secret and lend her a hand…
—Could it be?
Faced with a crisis that might damage her own social standing, she did not want to drag innocent people—ordinary students like herself—into it?
…Please do not let it be that.
Xiao Chun Miura sighed inwardly.
She lowered her head and looked at Yui Hori, Mio Sato, and Yuzuki Yasuda sitting across from her.
The girls were chatting about which crepe shop to try later in Sakuragicho, and whether they might see a big star at the livehouse today.
This kind of pure, carefree happiness was exactly what Xiao Chun Miura wanted to preserve right now.
No matter how things ended, at the very least she did not want it to collapse into something she could not accept before it was over.
If this distortion was caused by her changing the Sports Day plotline,
then as the bug of this world…
she wanted to dismantle it before it completely devoured this everyday life.
Even if Kiyono Arisa told her not to come, she would go anyway—against the flow—
and see whether that hastily constructed distortion could keep functioning in front of so many witnesses.
“Sakuragicho Station, arriving—”
Just as Xiao Chun Miura was thinking this, the announcement sounded through the train.
“Koharu? Koharu! We’re here!”
Yui Hori’s voice rang out beside her, along with a gentle shake.
Xiao Chun Miura snapped back to her senses and realized the doors had already opened, her friends picking up their bags to get off.
“Ah… sorry, I spaced out.”
She hurried to stand and followed them out of the carriage.
The moment she stepped onto the Sakuragicho platform, the air—so different from around the school, yet something she had gradually grown used to—filled her lungs.
This time, led by Yui Hori’s older brother, the group passed through a street lined with vintage shops and curry places, gradually heading deeper into Sakuragicho’s maze-like alleys.
Yui Hori’s brother was clearly a reliable adult. Though he did not talk much, his broad shoulders and alert gaze gave everyone an inexplicable sense of security.
After turning two corners, a building with worn black paint and a neon sign appeared at the end of their view.
That was the livehouse where Kiyono Arisa practiced.
It was dusk, and the venue had not officially opened yet.
At the entrance, a heavy iron door was slightly ajar, and faint, muffled bass vibrations could be heard from inside.
“This time I’m really going to take a good look!”
Yui Hori bounced excitedly.
“Don’t go too wild just because I’m here.”
Her brother folded his arms and glanced sideways at his overly energetic sister.
“Hehe, got it.”
It was rare to see Yui Hori this restrained, Xiao Chun Miura thought.
A security guard stood at the entrance today. From a distance, he saw them approaching and raised a hand.
Yui Hori’s brother led them forward and exchanged a few words with him.
After a brief conversation, the guard glanced at the youthful high school girls, then at the intimidating physique of Yui Hori’s brother, shrugged, and stepped aside.
“Go on in, but don’t wander around. Especially stay out of the control room and the electrical room.”
“Woohoo!”
Yui Hori cheered and pulled Xiao Chun Miura and the others through the slightly cold iron door.
Xiao Chun Miura’s heart was beating fast.
Even though she had made up her mind, the closer she got to the unknown destination, the more uneasy she felt.
They walked quickly down a dim corridor covered in posters of underground bands.
Just like last time, Yui Hori skillfully led them to the rehearsal area.
As soon as they arrived, her brother was drawn to a few young men tuning guitars nearby and temporarily drifted away from the group.
Deeper inside, everything looked mostly unchanged. The only difference was that the bright daytime lights were still on, lacking the atmosphere of an underground performance.
“Hey… I remember the group that was arguing last time—their lounge was that room, right?”
Thanks to her familiarity with the place, Yui Hori pointed first at the lounge door they had seen Kiyono Arisa storm out of before.
Xiao Chun Miura followed her gaze. The door was slightly open.
But no sound came from inside, and the dim lighting made it hard to see anything clearly.
“—Seems like no one’s there?”
“Yui!”
While Xiao Chun Miura was still looking from afar, Yui Hori and the others had already reached the door and were peeking inside.
Xiao Chun Miura hurried over.
“Yui, don’t just peek into someone else’s lounge—”
Mio Sato tried to stop her, but Yui Hori stubbornly clung to the door. Xiao Chun Miura clenched her teeth, about to tell her to stop—
“What are you doing at our lounge door?”
A familiar voice came from behind them.
The girls turned around to see a casually dressed girl with an unfriendly expression staring at them.
She was one of the girls Xiao Chun Miura had met in the lounge before.
When she recognized Xiao Chun Miura, her expression shifted slightly.
“We—”
Before Xiao Chun Miura could speak, the girl cut in.
“You… are you here looking for ALISA?”
This time, Xiao Chun Miura’s expression changed.
The other girl brought it up first, and she still had no idea about Kiyono Arisa’s current situation.
Xiao Chun Miura stepped forward, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Sorry, that was a bit rude. We wanted to ask—are you rehearsing right now? If possible, could we watch for a bit…?”
“We promise we won’t record anything!” Yui Hori added from behind.
The girl set down her empty can with a harsh scraping sound.
“You can watch, I guess. But we’re not all here today. We’ll be wrapping up soon.”
“Huh?”
Yui Hori blinked. “Oh, you’re ending early because not everyone’s here?”
“We can’t run the full set, so we’re just going through our individual parts,” the girl said, brushing her hair aside. “ALISA didn’t come today. If you’re looking for her, you’re out of luck…”
Didn’t come?
She had been told not to come, yet she came anyway.
And now, right before a performance, Kiyono Arisa herself was not here?
Xiao Chun Miura could not process the rest.
—So she had misunderstood that message yesterday.
It was not a rejection, nor a gentle warning, nor stubborn distance.
Did Kiyono Arisa herself think it was dangerous?
Xiao Chun Miura turned and stared into the messy, empty room through the gap in the door.
The resolve she had just built began to waver.
—If Kiyono Arisa is not here, then what situation is she in right now?
How far has the distortion spread?
Cold sweat ran down her back as she felt her whole body grow weak and pale in an instant.