At this point, she didn’t expect to get any more help from her.
“Thank you, I’ll think of something else.”
Koharu Miura bid a polite farewell to the girl and turned to leave the entrance of Arisa Kiyono’s classroom.
Four days of attempts had all ended in failure.
Frustration felt like damp soil, slowly burying the fighting spirit she had ignited on Sunday night.
When she returned home, Koharu Miura sat in her dark bedroom as usual, without turning on the lights.
After being alone for a long time, Koharu Miura unconsciously opened her mobile phone and scrolled to that specific record.
It was Arisa Kiyono’s contact number, which she had obtained from the front desk during that encounter at the KTV.
“This is the last resort…”
She stared at the phone, her finger hovering over the dial button.
If she made this call, it would be the same as telling Arisa Kiyono that she could call her at any time.
For an idol who was currently in a sensitive state and found it difficult to trust others, this would undoubtedly be an offense.
Depending on Arisa Kiyono’s personal feelings… it might even be perceived as a form of harassment.
Koharu Miura absolutely did not want to use this double-edged sword unless it was absolutely necessary.
However, the Anniversary—the key event that would determine the direction of this world and whether Sou Kanzaki would cross paths with Arisa Kiyono—was drawing closer and closer.
If it didn’t matter whether she saw her this Friday, what about next Monday?
And the Monday after that?
The Anniversary would arrive in a few weeks. If she remained unable to meet Arisa Kiyono, the future plot would be like a runaway horse, never able to turn back.
‘One last attempt—’
‘If I still can’t see her by Friday noon, then I’ll have no choice but to call.’
***
Friday noon.
The Academy’s broadcast was playing a lighthearted school song, and students were flocking toward the cafeteria or the concession stand in groups of three and five.
Koharu Miura returned to that familiar classroom door once again.
This time, she didn’t look around aimlessly but went straight to the kind girl she had met yesterday.
“Excuse me!”
However, before Koharu Miura could speak, that gentle girl seemed to have been waiting for her as well.
Seeing the girl with long hair and glasses appear, the other girl’s eyes lit up, and she proactively walked over. “You’re here again today.”
“I have good news.”
Koharu Miura’s heart leaped into her throat. “Does that mean… excuse me… did Miss Kiyono come to school today?”
“She’s here—she was in for all the morning classes.”
The girl replied with a smile, “But she just stepped out. I think she said she was going to the school rooftop to get some air.”
The school rooftop.
In countless text adventure games, the rooftop was a critical scene.
Most of the time, it served as the setting for the prelude or climax of resolving internal conflicts or major events.
‘The rooftop… thank you, truly.’
Koharu Miura didn’t even have time for pleasantries; she turned and ran toward the stairs.
‘If I had come just five minutes earlier, maybe I could have intercepted her in the corridor.’
But there was no helping it; she hadn’t expected to have a chance to see Arisa Kiyono this noon.
Though she considered today the last chance, it was ultimately just an ultimatum she had set for herself—nothing more than a habitual glimmer of hope.
But right now, Koharu Miura mostly felt a sense of relief—she could finally move on to the next step.
‘If I can just talk to Arisa Kiyono—’
The wind in the corridor swept through, messing up Koharu Miura’s long hair.
Ignoring the startled looks from passing students, she ran up the steps as fast as she could.
Koharu Miura didn’t even have time to tidy her wind-blown hair before she plunged into the crowd.
At this moment, she couldn’t care about etiquette or maintaining her “timid and weak” persona. Her mind was filled with a single thought: Catch her! I must catch her!
The wind in the corridor whistled past, slapping against her face. She lifted the hem of her skirt, weaving through the complex hallways like a startled rabbit. Passing students cried out in surprise, and some pointed at her while whispering, but she heard none of it.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, each beat thumping against her ribs. Her aching lungs protested, but she didn’t dare stop.
“Arisa Kiyono… please, you have to be there.”
She rushed into the dim, cold staircase of the old school building. The wooden steps groaned under her weight. With every floor she climbed, the oppressive silence grew. Finally, she arrived before the heavy, peeling door of the top floor.
‘If I can just speak with Arisa Kiyono, then everything from these past few days—’
Koharu Miura rushed forward and pushed open the door leading to the roof. Brilliant sunlight poured down in an instant, dazzling her so much she could barely keep her eyes open.
Koharu Miura stepped onto the rooftop.
“—”
“…?”
Before the call could leave her lips, it was choked back into her throat by the sight of the empty scene.
Koharu Miura had rushed through the final two stairs before the rooftop.
Koharu stopped, bracing her hands against her knees as she panted violently for a few seconds, then slammed the door open.
*Bang—*
The scorching, piercing afternoon sunlight poured down instantly, tearing the shadows inside the doorway to shreds.
Koharu instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes, tears welling up from the physiological sting.
In that brilliant, somewhat ethereal golden light, she vaguely saw a slender figure.
The figure stood with its back to the door, near the wire fence at the edge of the roof, letting the high-altitude winds whip through its signature, magnificent long hair.
The school uniform skirt flapped loudly in the wind, looking like a butterfly that might be carried away at any moment.
“K-Kiyono…”
Koharu leaned against the doorframe, her voice trembling beyond recognition.
However, as her eyes gradually adjusted to the light, she froze.
The figure standing at the edge of the rooftop wasn’t Arisa Kiyono.
It was merely a blue worker’s uniform left behind by a janitor, hooked onto the wire mesh and swinging wildly in the wind. Due to the angle and the light, it had fooled her eyes for a moment.
The school rooftop was empty.
There was only the sound of the wind whistling through the wire fence, as if mocking her wishful thinking.
“How can this be…” Koharu Miura walked forward a few steps in a daze, looking around. On the vast concrete floor, there were only a few dried water stains. Where was there any sign of the idol girl?
‘Did I miss her again? Or was the information that girl heard wrong?’
A massive sense of loss swallowed her instantly.
She felt all the strength drain from her body. Her legs went weak, and she nearly slumped to the ground.
To seize this last chance, she had exhausted nearly all her courage, yet the ending was such an absurd, empty joy.
“Running around in a place like this is very dangerous.”
A voice that was cold, elegant, yet carried a trace of indiscernible chill suddenly rang out from behind her.
Koharu Miura felt as if she had been struck by an electric shock; her body froze instantly.
Bit by bit, she mechanically turned her head to look toward the heavy door at the rooftop entrance.
There, in the shadow behind the door, a girl in a school uniform was quietly leaning against the wall.
Her arms were crossed, her chin slightly tilted up, and those jewel-like, translucent yet icy eyes were staring unblinkingly at the terrified Koharu Miura.