Hi everyone! Here's the rest of the Fiesta arc summarized all the way to its end. Everything here was as I planned it years ago, and with the things I haven't figrued out in detail simplified. But the dialogue that I wrote back then was largely untouched, some of it with minor improvements, but overall this is my attempt at doing justice to the aspirations of 16 year old me haha. I'll follow this up with the full arc of the Winter break, which is the next one! 'Til then, hope you're able to enjoy this one even if it's a summary version. Thanks again for sticking around!

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide

What you are to me (Fiesta arc! Long story short)

Inari's past

Inari's family owned a famous shrine in Osaka called the Yamazaki shrine. Inari was supposed to be the next shrine maiden and was in training, but she wanted to pursue her passion for music. Her mom wanted to support her ambition, but her dad wanted her to fulfill her responsibility. Consequently, they always fought. Their fighting was always mediated by her mother though, who they both loved very much. She died one day because of an earthquake accident.

After that, the relationship between father and daughter got worse. It came to the point Inari just wanted to leave and pursue her dreams – no matter what he said, no matter what happened to him. To her surprise, he told her about her grandparent's money and gave her the stuff she needed to move out. He told her, however, that he wouldn't ever help her when it came to finances. When she left him, he said nothing – didn't even have any emotion on his face as he watched her go. For some reason, that's what irritated her the most.

Meeting the Arata Family – after things went wrong with trying to get an apartment – with her Kansai accent and rude Osaka habits – she was shut out a bunch of times. Her guitar was also slammed to the ground by this orange-haired girl that she swore she'd make pay. Then one rainy day, Arata Miho saw her sitting on a bench with a broken guitar.

"You don't have a place to go to, do you?"

She said nothing.

"…Follow me, then."

Hanako and Inari meet – Years living with the Arata family, Inari now often fought with the old man Hide and Miho's son, Hifumi. One afternoon, both of them yelled at Inari again for her constant lack of funds to pay them because she kept spending stuff to get her to her dream. Inari groaned and said she already had her education fees were taken care of with a scholarship – what more did they want? They then said call her out for how she'd become quite famous and infamous in the school she went to with Hifumi, because though she was talented, she had a delinquent record. She kept telling Hide that she was gonna pay them back as soon as she got to where she needed to be. He then suggested that she should go back to her dad to go work for the Yamazaki shrine, but that was what ticked her off. That's when Hanako, who was just a customer, perked up and listened to their argument.

"Yamazaki…?" she mumbled and turned around. Hanako put a hand over her mouth – it really was her.

She approached their table as Inari grabbed Hifumi's collar and cleared her throat. "Um!"

"Hah?" Inari said as both of them turned.

"A-Are you really Yamazaki Inari-san?"

Hanako asked Inari if she could let her in her band. Inari rejected her.

Apparently Hanako wanted to learn how to sing, and she felt like she could get to that dream if they helped each other, but Inari harshly rejected everything she did. Hanako kept going to the Arata Café to continue asking her but Inari continued to say no. Inari's underlying intention, however, was that she was aware that Hanako's body couldn't handle stress and pressure, that's why she would refuse no matter what. But Hanako's persistence forced Inari to finally say yes.

Later, Inari learned that Hanako's main reason for wanting to join her band was so she could sing to the only family she had – her grandmother. After months, Hanako finally knew how to sing with a voice more beautiful than any of them expected. Together, Inari and Hanako sung to her grandmother's grave. Dream fulfilled, they continued to stay friends, and helped each other build on their next dreams.

After years of gigs and fun times, Inari told her friends she had to leave to broaden her horizons, and pursued music university in Hokkaido. Hanako gave Inari a photo of herself as a child so that she could remember her – now that she thought about it they never had a photo together. Inari laughed and brought out a camera to take the photo with one last shot, along with a new friend of theirs, Hanako's science-geek boyfriend Akihito.

Hanako announced years later she was going to have a baby! – Inari came back, she finally landed a successful career in music. Akihito landed a career in the research institute, Hanako was now a nurse in the new hospital of what their school used to be, Hifumi inherited the Arata café in the end. They were all so happy.

But then, years later, Inari came back to see Hanako bedridden in the hospital – this is where they make a one-sided promise.

"Take care of Manami for me," Hanako said, smiling.

Inari couldn't believe her ears. "T-There's…what? Hanako! There's no way you can just do that!"

Silence.

"What about everything you've been looking forward to?! Ha-Hanako?!"

"I've already given up, Inari."

Inari's eyes widened.

"I started asking myself… 'Is this really going to be okay?'"

"What do you –"

"Falling down, getting sick, forcing myself to live, causing everyone pain…then just doing it again and again. Don't you get sick of it?"

Inari stepped forward. "There's no way we'd ever—!"

"I'm getting tired of it. If this keeps going on, then I see no point in continuing at all."

"Ha- Hanako!" Inari panicked. "Stop saying those things! There is a point! Don't just give up like that!"

Hanako kept her head low.

"Oi!" Inari continued despite her silence. "Hanako!"

No response.

"You're daughter's waiting for you!"

That was when Hanako snapped.

"Then answer me!" she grit her teeth and glared. "What's Manami going to do with a mother that can't even be there all the time?!"

"It's better than not having one!" Inari's tears burst out.

Hanako's tears fell down her pale face remorselessly, tainting bedsheets now ruffled from the tight grip of her fingers.

"What kind of life would Manami live if her mother's continued to hang on a thread? If she lived everyday wondering if she'd see her the next day…what would that do to her? I can't afford to let her live like that," she sobbed. "So it's better now that she doesn't know me enough to be in pain when I'm gone…"

And what could Inari answer to that?

A few days after, Hanako died. There were pills next to her bed.

Akihito died a few years after in a drunk accident.

Inari had been left all alone, with all she was, giving everything she has never had, to raise the child of the two people she had sworn to never forgive.

'Can you keep a promise, Manami?'

'Promise? Okay…'

'Don't ever cry for me, no matter what. Okay?'

Manami wiped her tears. 'Okay…'

Manami woke up with a start, hand slamming on her chest. That was the 3rd time, but it was morning now when she did. Inari wasn't home yet, and she'd been in despair for hours since Mikagura-sensei sent her home. She hadn't eaten anything healthy since – full with only the chilled leftovers she grabbed without a thought. Her stomach turned, but she could care less. It wasn't healthy to have no one but your memories and your thoughts as company in an apartment she felt she had no right to call home now. The only voice she could hear somehow was her own, saying only the words she burned into her mind.

'I ask of you, child of man,'

There was no band practice today, so she debated whether it was worth going to school, but to stay here any longer made her scared she'd go completely crazy and do something she'd regret even more.

'whom was brought about in this world by your tainted ascendants,'

Manami had too much time and too little of it to decide – unable to figure out where and how to put herself together. With whatever lackluster spirit she had left she prepared her packed lunch – Inari-nee bought this – put on her uniform – this too – put on her bowtie last and looked at the mirror.

'Do you know what your sin is?'

In the mirror she saw everything Inari had ever given her, and how little there was that Manami ever gave her.

The glint of her glasses obscured the sight of her own lifeless and disparaging eyes.

'It is the fact that you exist.'

The combat club members have fallen out.

There was an argument that they just didn't want to see Manami get hurt, and wanted to keep her happy. Yuzuki snapped, said that that wasn't for them to decide, and that they never even asked Manami in the first place. It was like they were trying to be like adults when really they weren't thinking about Manami for real.

When Sugino countered that by saying it isn't about being adults, it's about being friends, Yuzuki got even more riled up. Who were they afraid of hurting – her or themselves? But she made that argument go too far by throwing in his cowardice when it came to making moves with Kanzaki.

Yuzuki walked out after. Unable to control her tears though, she rounded a corner as soon as she could, and curled into a ball. "I shouldn't have said that…"

As for the rest, Rinka was the next to walk out, followed by Chiba, followed by Rio.

The blonde isolated herself in some unknown place in school.

There was tension between all of them for a while as the school festival went on, until Yuzuki found Rio by accident. They both noticed the other had sore eyes from crying. That's when the two of them got to clear their heads, and Yuzuki invited Rio to skip school and do some shopping. It was also a cool-off they figured they needed. Rio was surprised that came from Yuzuki, but she took the invitation.

Yuzuki still had beef with Rio but at that point the blonde looked sorry enough it was worrisome. They for once have a deep, real talk about the things they have and don't have control over, finding kindred spirits in one another for doing the things they don't mean because they just keep running away from things that are real, and are afraid they can't do anything about. From Rio wanting to act dumb all the time, and with Yuzuki being dishonest with her feelings.

It's terrifying to pursue something real – as great as something 'real' sounds, you don't know if it will make you, break you, or just be plain disappointing. Now, something really real is happening and they acknowledge that they all played a part in it. They do care about Manami, but they realized they weren't mature enough to know how to really handle her when they were lost kids themselves. They wanted to be the kind of friends that she could always rely on, but they figured that that wasn't always in their control either.

Yuzuki and Rio decided to do what they did best and throw the problem out of their minds for a while, because there may not be anything they can do about it right now.

"So you're saying we just…don't do anything?" Rio asked.

"If we haven't figured out what to do, don't you think that's the best we can do?"

And with this, Yuzuki opened up about how she did something underhanded and called Sugino out for doing nothing to get with the girl he adored. Yuzuki had thought that for a long time now, but she always knew how to hold her tongue when it came to that. She knew she had no right to speak about his actions when she couldn't say anything better about her own. Besides, as an avid manga reader, she believed there was always a feeling behind a certain action. If she can't be certain of those feelings, she had no say in them. She said they should do the same with their current situation. They have no idea how Manami must be feeling right now – terrible, for sure, but how much can 'terrible' really tell them? It's the same with Karma, who they noticed did something out of character by trying to keep this from Manami too. They both knew he fell in love with her at some point, and while that could've played a part, they were in no position to comment. The relationship of those two was far beyond them, so Yuzuki said they should just buzz off before they do more harm than good.

Rio hummed. "I thought your volunteer work at that maid café was you finally leaving the safe side?"

Yuzuki smirked. "I learned a thing or two from you always taking things head-on. You can take a thing or two from me this time, and stop taking for granted the things you can learn watching from the sidelines."

"Huh." Rio blinked. Yuzuki really has started to change, but there were a number of things that were still the same, and somehow that made Rio feel safe after a long agony-filled day. If there was anyone who was real to Rio, then at the moment, it was Yuzuki – and for once, it was comforting enough to not make her want to run from it.

Karma and Manami have a confrontation after he managed to get her alone by the river.

"She gave up on her dreams because she was forced to raise me. Am I wrong?"

She cut him off before he could say something again. "It's just like you said that night, Karma-kun. I really am…a clueless moron, aren't I?"

He never knew Manami was capable of saying words that could sting even him – catch him off-guard with the coldness she exuded with. He didn't even know if he knew the girl in front of him, but he continued to try explaining what happened, and did everything to get her out of the darkness in her mind. Karma tried to say he never wanted to move behind her back, that this was all a misunderstanding. If she would just listen to what he had to say, he could help her see that. But it was only getting worse.

"Why then?!" She raised her voice, and between sobs, said, "Why did you continue to try to hide it? Why didn't you say anything? Did you think…Did you think I couldn't handle it? Did you think…What did you think? Am I that weak to all of you? Just what…what am I to you?"

That's when it hit Karma – despite him telling Inari she underestimated her too much, he had done the same thing.

"Why…Why did you know?!" Her voice came broken. "I…I wanted to…I wanted to talk to you about it…I wanted you to tell me how you felt about it when I told you…I wanted to see if you can ease my worries because I trusted you…" Manami shivered and hugged herself, barely able to contain the storm surge within her. "But…why…why did you know? Why did you know?"

Karma bit his lip. "Look—"

"Don't come any closer!" Her hands went to both sides of her head. "They were right! All of them were right! Everyone! Everyone around me ends up getting hurt! It's all my fault! I'm just a monster!"

He gritted his teeth and grabbed her shoulders. "I need you to stop this!"

"If I died back then too then I'd —"

"Manami!"

Her eyes blinked wide open when he threw his arms around her — so tight, even she couldn't question how afraid he'd become.

"Stop…I'm begging you…please stop." His voice trembled, and that was enough to shatter Manami's heart.

She fell to the ground, Karma with her, his hold never loosening as she sobbed.

He brought her home after. Manami told him she was never truly upset with him, and couldn't even try to be anymore – she knew Inari was behind this, but couldn't be mad at her either. She thanked him for walking her home, but there was that same distance as when she once called him 'Akabane-san.'

Karma no longer knew what he could say, just watching her shut the door quietly.

In his home, as he looked at an old photo of him, Nagisa, and Korosensei, Karma's back slid down the wall as he hung his head in his hands.

"Hey…" He glanced at the picture of his old teacher. "At a time like this, what would you say?"

As if it was a response to his question, the light of the fish tank blinked. When he looked, Manaka was fast asleep, unmoving.

Inari's past 2

One day, Manami went inside Inari's room. During those days, Inari still glared whenever she saw her.

She barely ever spoke, but when she did, it was always like she was afraid of doing so. "I can't sleep…I had a dream of Papa."

Inari had only slightly warmed up to her at that point – treating her with an attitude of 'just eat and mind your own business' – but she couldn't refuse the silent plea in her sad eyes after the trauma she went through.

"Let's read that book you wanted, then."

Inari brought out a book she called Antiquarian-san and read it until Manami was sound asleep. Sometimes, though, Manami would stir and cry, nightmares relentless even when Inari allowed her to sleep next to her. When they got too bad, she'd wake up wanting to vomit. Those were troubling days for Inari – she couldn't spend one full minute without being worried about her, but this slowly made Inari want to be there for her. Inari decided to free her tight work schedule to be home earlier.

But things got worse each day after that incident with Meiko. Manami couldn't focus, her mind went completely blank at any reminder of her father, and she had frequent anxiety attacks that other kids even bullied her for. It came to a point where one morning, Manami locked herself in a cabinet to escape having to go to school. She was more used to hiding and staying in the dark where she couldn't bother anyone, so she stayed there for hours.

When Inari found her that night though, it was like the life in her was snatched at the sight of Manami so weak, cold, and almost as pale as a corpse. Inari rushed her to the hospital.

She tried to take this opportunity to have her mental condition checked too. The doctor recommended that Manami had to take a break for a while to help relieve the severe post-traumatic stress. It was advised she had to be away from the city and spend months in a peaceful, rural environment – where nothing could happen. As willing as Inari finally was to help Manami, she didn't have the resources at the time to book a long-term vacation. Then, there was one place she thought she could go to – one place she hadn't stepped foot on in years.

As soon as Manami was healed, Inari booked a train to go to the Kansai area – where she'd reunite with her father.

When they got there, Inari faced her father's hard gaze. No words were exchanged as Manami looked between them, without a clue of who they were to each other, and what it meant for them to be there.

"After all this time," the old man finally said, "you come back here, and with what? Another problem in your hands."

Inari stopped glaring, head low, and body slumping. Unknown to her, her father's gaze softened.

"You look tired. Get yourself settled in. I will prepare your dinner."

Later that evening, father and daughter sat across each other. Manami finished early and was told to wash up and get ready for bed, so they were alone.

"…How is it?" her father asked. Broken out of the awkward air, Inari lifted her gaze from her food.

Her father had his eyes elsewhere as he said, "The food, I meant."

Inari pursed her lips. "It's as stale as it's ever been…but it's delicious."

There was a silence, and Inari knew that she couldn't avoid talking to him anymore. She put her chopsticks above her bowl.

"Dad…"

"Don't go there," he said quickly.

"Please let me," she said. "I'll never get another chance to say it if I don't."

Her father took a deep breath, and though he still refused to really face her, he nodded.

"You know, Dad… I realized something thanks to Manami," Inari started.

"When mom passed away, you were the one in the most pain. But you never showed it because you had to continue to watch over me."

She remembered the night when her dad first cooked for them – the first night after her mother died.

"I won't forget the taste of the udon you tried to cook for me. It was stale and dry, so of course it didn't taste good, but its taste was just like you. Dry, firm, and tasteless…but it had a caring and protective warmth. Back then, all I ever thought about was myself… to the point that I got myself a bad reputation in school, and had you yell at me every night." Inari looked down. "I hated mom for leaving me – but the truth is, I was just…really broken. I never told you this, but…Every time before I slept, I could hear you talking to mom's urn."

Somehow, Inari managed to smile. "It wasn't that you were pretending it didn't happen, but you tried your best not to show your daughter her father was just as damaged. Even though I knew that…I still left you here, all alone."

She sighed. "I've been nothing but an ungrateful child, yet still, you loved me…with all your heart. And I want to be able to show that love to Manami. To atone for myself." She bowed her head, catching him by surprise.

"I'm very sorry for being such a burden to you for all these years…and for my selfishness and disrespect until now, I'm very, very, truly sorry."

He tried to keep his own tears at bay, but finally letting go of his tough demeanor, his shoulders slumped.

"After seeing her, I also realized something," he said with an uncharacteristic calmness that startled Inari.

"Eh?"

He cleared his throat, but made sure he faced her head-on this time. "That…if ever there was a chance that I'd be able to keep your mother with us longer, I would've chosen it no matter what it cost."

As he continued, Inari's eyes welled up.

"Even until today, I think about how our lives would've been if she hadn't gone too early."

"Dad…"

"You're not bound by any need to atone for what you did. You're old enough to make your own decisions." He paused, glancing towards the door of the next room, where the child slept. "That girl…no longer has any parents, yes?"

Inari sniffled and nodded. "Mm…"

"Then, if you'd like, I just have one request: be that girl's parents," he said more firmly. "Guide her, nourish her – scold her if you must. Even without a mother to grow up with, I trust you can learn just how to do that...as I did."

Inari sat up with her back straight, her hands on her lap – the form of the shrine maiden he always wanted her to be – and gave her father a bright smile that belonged to the child she once was. "Alright. I promise, Dad."

His child, she realized, she will always be. No matter who she turned into, no matter how many fences she put between them. He would be here to serve her some bad-tasting food, without holding back any shred of the love he will always have for her. And so, she'd do the same for him and for Manami starting that day.

Inari opened her eyes when the memory ended. Kneeling on the grass, she smiled at the tombstones in front of her – now adorned with flowers and left with plates of udon and yakisoba, just like they both used to like it.

She read the names: Yamazaki Kousei & Yamazaki Yukiko. It was her father's death anniversary today, and she guessed she could find something positive about their death dates just being a day away from the other. It allowed her to be here for the both of them.

She told stories to them about how proud she was of the girl she raised, all the friends she made, how she grew from the robotic ragdoll her father knew to the fine young lady she was now. Inari had them to thank for it, and said she was glad to be here now, since remembering them always gave her the motivation to keep doing her best, even when she made mistakes. They were people that let her believe that the imperfect are still worth loving.

Especially since she heard news from Mikagura and Karma that something bad happened back home. Hearing it just last night in some motel on the way here kept her up and restless.

Inari apologized to the two of them for being too afraid of the truth of their lives for years. Even now, she was terrified of finally facing it – that she had once again made mistakes, and that the damage was severe.

Inari took one deep breath and released it. There was no way she could change that now, though. She guessed part of her luck was seeing her own parents before going back. It reminded her that a family – a real family – is never easily broken. This could be the start of something real enough to frighten and amaze her. So she was going to look into her little girl's wondrous lavender eyes once again, without hiding anything, and have the confidence that it would be worth it.

After all, she knew Manami would feel this way because there was something Inari failed to help her understand – and she had to go home to get it through her head once and for all.

"Sorry I couldn't spend too long with you guys today. But here's another promise – next year, I'll make sure she also gets to see you two with me." She grinned. "You know me – always a later bloomer, but I guess I'm finally understanding what it really meant for you guys…to be a what you asked me to be, dad."

She clapped her hands together and bowed. Before leaving, she caressed the name Yamazaki in the tombstone. No more running away from who she was, is, and will be.

Chiba found a sulky Sugino on the last day of the cultural festival. Though there was tension for their whole group right now, Chiba told him to rest assured there was no bad blood between the two of them. Sugino had to ask this time where Chiba stood in all this, but he said he wasn't really standing anywhere. Sugino asked, "Not even with Hayami-san?"

Chiba shook his head. He said that even if he stood by her side, he never said he sided with her. He did recognize, though, that this was Rinka's own twisted form of 'charity' at work again, just like she did with Manami back then. Of course it hurt and he didn't necessarily agree with what she did, between the girls, that was Rinka trying to make Rio be straight with herself. Sugino understood, and had this feeling it was probably going to work.

"But that's between the both of them." Chiba shrugged. "I can't really say what can happen."

Sugino related. He felt the same for Karma and Manami at the moment, and thought about himself and Kanzaki, remembering what Yuzuki said.

Rinka later found the two of them. Sugino noticed she didn't look too good, but there was a conviction in her eyes that told him she decided to stand by the decisions she made. It looked like Chiba's support was comforting enough to let her feel that way. Though a lot of things were messed up, they managed to find some good-hearted time together as friends. It was a good thing they cooled off for a day or two from each other, for it allowed them to find common ground and reconcile. It wasn't right, the way it all turned out. But if it meant anything, patching things up like they once did in the civil war could help them all feel okay again.

Despite everything, Manami still agreed to doing the favor Isura-senpai requested – to sing at the last day of the cultural fest. She didn't want to disappoint anyone else.

Karma was with her backstage where he tried giving her a little good luck pep talk, but it barely worked. She didn't even nod back at anything he said.

But when she got on stage, and the music started to play, the microphone trembled in her hands.

This was Inari's dream – this was something she could have kept doing if Manami never happened. What was she doing up here then? What right? What gall? Who was she here for again?

Did she know what your sin is?

What am I to you?

Lips quivering and face pale, her voice couldn't come out.

Instead, when the music faded as the band members wondered what was wrong, Manami's knees buckled and she fell down, weeping. The audience and band members gasped.

Karma was about to run to the stage, but caught himself – when he does, what was that going to do? Would that make her feel better or worse? What has he even done since this happened that helped?

Even as Manami continued to cry on her knees, where everyone could see her, he couldn't move.

The audience started to whisper to one another – "Is she crying?"; "Shouldn't someone get her off the stage?"; "Poor girl." – and unable to take it anymore, Rio was the first to book it for the backstage. Yuzuki followed after her.

At the other side of the auditorium, Rinka, Chiba, and Sugino hesitated to move from where they were, especially Rinka. But just as she was about to, someone in the audience stood up. Rinka's eyes widened.

It was Inari who stood.

As she watched Manami stay on her knees and cry – knowing exactly what she was thinking – she took a deep breath, grabbed the chair in front of her, and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"

Inari and Manami

It was only when they moved in with her father for the time being when Inari finally got to know Manami. One month had passed, but she was recovering faster than anticipated. For one thing, Manami finally spoke to her again, and she finally stopped ignoring Inari's dad (she always just pretended he wasn't there because he was a 'stranger'). The nightmares still interrupted her sleep, and her tendency to hide in dark places with science books still persisted. It made Inari extra vigilant, so she stayed by her side most hours of the days. The last thing she wanted was for the cabinet incident to repeat.

Within the past month, Inari learned many things about her – that it was like her she was a database for everything about science, that she would never eat more than ten well-measured spoonfuls, and that when she cried, she made sure she did it almost soundlessly. It was like she was trained to act like she barely existed. Inari noticed most of all she avoided any display of emotion, and in her glossless eyes it was like she was always calculating something. She and her father made every effort to try to change that.

One day, Inari brought her to a playground.

"Why did you refuse to take that boy's hand? He looked like he really wanted to play with you."

Manami looked away. "I want to go home. I don't like dealing with them."

Inari wondered if she heard that right, blinking a few times.

Shifting uncomfortably, Manami continued, "It's better to stay at home and read Antiquarian-san than deal with them." She huffed. "The world is just made of rocks, atmosphere and water…but people make it more complicated."

Manami frowned. "It's because of that I don't like people…"

Inari then remembered Hanako, how much she loved the world, and surely, how much she must have not wanted to leave it. This is where Inari finally came to terms with how she felt about her old friend – understanding completely by now what drove her to give up for Manami's sake. It wasn't right, but seeing Manami now, maybe it's better to learn how to love the world, than unlearn it.

"Ma-na-mi~" Inari grinned and crouched to level their gazes. "The world isn't such a bad place, okay? Science alone can't explain everything in it – and when you realize that, I'm sure there will be a lot of things you're going to love."

"Like…?"

"Look," Inari tilted Manami's chin towards the horizon, "what's that?"

"The center of the solar system."

"No, it's the sunset. It's not just a star, you know? It's giving people a message."

"The sun can talk?"

"No, but it doesn't need to."

"How do you send a message without talking?"

Inari smiled softly. "When the sun goes down, what does it mean?"

"The Earth is rotating –"

"The day's about to end. And when it does, you're given such a pretty view."

By the reflection of its light in Manami's eyes, Inari could tell, Manami finally found the first thing she could call beautiful.

"It's like it's congratulating you, right? It brings a nice feeling to people as days come to an end, as if it's telling you to cheer up or 'good work today, bye for now.' Then the next day, you're gonna wake up, live, and see it say bye to you again. A little like when you're greeted 'welcome home' after a long day. Don't you think so?"

"…It's pretty." And when she smiled, Inari thought then, she looked exactly like Hanako – a picture-perfect reminder of who she once called her best friend. The one who changed her for good, believed in her like no one else, and the reason she has a family of her own again. Despite her grudge, Inari was thankful for everything she and Hanako were.

'I'll teach you to love the world like she did. And someday, you'll meet someone whose love for you can't match anyone else'. When that time comes, I'll know that I've succeeded. '

After months, Manami looked more and more like a normal girl – she certainly smiled like one now, her father noted.

This almost disappeared again, though, when Manami witnessed Inari break up with her then ex-fiancé (who she left to take care of Manami in the countryside) at the doorstep of their apartment. She didn't understand most of what happened, but at that point, she could tell how much it hurt Inari, and how harsh the man's words were. Manami said she didn't understand why she was crying, when it didn't even happen to her, and apologized for it.

Inari shook her head and knelt before her, telling her to cry for others like that only showed how good of a person she was. Inari wanted Manami to believe she was a good person, if it was any start to her understanding her feelings and other's.

"But…" Inari frowned. "I don't really like seeing this."

She lifted Manami's face and continued to wipe her face with a napkin. "Can you keep a promise, Manami?"

Manami sniffled. "Promise? Okay…"

"Don't ever cry for me. No matter what. Okay?"

She wiped her own tears and nodded. "Okay…"

So when Inari stood there, watching that girl cry as if stifling all sound, whatever plan she had of talking sense into her like a proper adult were thrown out the window.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"

Manami's head shot up, tears still flowing from her wide eyes as Inari started to yell at her – relentlessly, holding nothing back as if there was nobody else in the room. The audience sat stunned to silence at the display. Even Karma and the rest of the combat club members were unable to believe it.

Inari yelled, "Who do you think you are?!" – and made sure she got through with this one message: that when she said she wanted to see her performance, she wanted to see Manami enjoy what Inari once enjoyed.

She was elated by the idea, because here Manami was, doing for Inari what she'd given up. Even if it was just a one-time thing. Inari never had the things Manami had now, but there was nothing more she could have wanted than everything they were now. Every single bit of happiness Manami ever went through was giving double of that to Inari. So Inari told her to get through her head that it's the same for every bit of pain. She yelled for her to stand up, just as she did, and have some damn good fun now.

There were a few moments where nothing happened, then Manami wiped her tears and stood up.

To everyone's surprise, even with a wobbly voice, she started to sing the lyrics of the song.

The council band members looked between one another, until their president started strumming the guitar. The rest followed.

The combat club members stood back as soon enough, the auditorium blasted with music, people standing and cheering until Inari melded with the crowd, smiling up at Manami who enjoyed herself on stage, like she belonged in it. It made her pride swell further, for she recognized a rockstar whenever she saw one. And in those moments, Inari felt the last of her regrets fleet away, when she realized she was watching a dream come true once more.

Backstage, the council members had stood aside when the members of Manami's club and the school nurse herself gathered.

Inari stood across Manami, who was afraid to meet her gaze.

The rest stood back in silence, waiting.

When Manami finally spoke, she broke open, spouting stuff about not even being related to her yet she has done so much. Things like, you were forced to be with me, gave up on your dreams, and my parents didn't even do anything but leave you to suffer. All I've ever done so far was watch you work yourself to the bone while I enjoyed my life. "But now…what I'm regretting most is I never took the time to understand you…I'm so ashamed, I can't even bring myself to show you my face."

Inari takes a breath and responds, saying, "You're right, I'm not related to you."

She stepped forward, cupping Manami's cheek and tilting it up. Inari smiled at the shine her eyes had, despite them brimming with endless tears. "But Manami, I didn't give up my dreams. All of my dreams turned into yours. That's what family does."

Manami's eyes widened. Inari kept her own tears at bay as she wiped the girl's own, and said, "And that's what you are to me."

And as if by that she was given the permission to break a promise, Manami threw herself into Inari's arms and turned into a bawling mess.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

As they stood in the sidelines and watched the scene unfold, Yuzuki could no longer help her own tears and wept with them. Though Rio tried holding back hers, one had already escaped.

It was then Chiba, Rinka, and Sugino arrived at the scene, and stood next to Karma who had remained silent – trying to handle an entire mix of emotions.

When they asked him if he was okay, he said, "Just…it's a lot of work, growing up."

Later that evening, when things settled down, Manami and Karma had been left alone for a while.

"Your performance turned out amazing," Karma said after a long, awkward silence.

Manami perked up, but still feeling a little uneasy, she spoke quietly. "R…really?"

"I don't ever flatter."

"Mhm…"

It became silent again. Manami shifted.

"Kar—"

"I'll be heading out for a while."

"Heh? But —"

The door shut.

Inari promised she would tell Manami everything, and that they would spend lots of time from hereon out being honest and hiding nothing.

Later that week, they find out that after Inari got to have a good talk with Manami and some higher-ups, Manami was allowed to take time off early. It was deemed an important family issue, so she was excused to avoid more emotional and physical burden given a documented history of mental conditions. Inari arranged it together with Manami, who assured that she would be back after the winter break and do her best to get herself back into productive shape by then.

The days before leaving, Manami couldn't be in the clubroom because of the things she had to take care of for her early leave. The clubroom had had an awkward air during that time, and most of the time only had glum silence fill it. It persisted for days until most stopped going. The first person that disappeared was Karma.

The very last person was Isura-senpai, who one afternoon slid the clubroom door open to find nobody there, and frowned.

END

That was it for the plans of the fiesta arc! Please leave a review if you may! :) Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next one!