5:45 PM

"It's almost the end of the first day of the Sunrise Festival!"

…

"Hey, there you are, Uesugi-san! Where were you?"

Fuutarou:"Sorry, I got sidetracked."

"You don't look too well, are you doing fine?"

Fuutarou:"Yeah, don't worry about me, I can handle it. I went and did a bunch of extra work in the meantime."

"If you say so. Come on, everyone, let's give it our best shot."

Fuutarou:[...I just need to continue as if nothing's wrong...If it worked for her, it works for me...This is the only way to deal with these feelings I have for you...I'm sorry…]

…

Nino:"So he really didn't come...What was I expecting? Even though I knew why he wouldn't come...I still clung to that idea. I really am helpless...Maybe...Maybe it really is better for all of us to drift apart…"

…

Yotsuba almost staggers as she hears the announcement.

Yotsuba:"Alright...This is when I have to give it my all...I can't disappoint Uesugi-san...ever again…"

Yotsuba continues to work through her fatigue.

...

Itsuki:"I finished! Huh? Did it get darker? Oh, it's almost the end of the day. I really did study all day...Hm? Why can't I remember this equation, I did this one today...Oh, my stomach is killing me. I know I haven't really eaten, but it feels worse than usual...Maybe I can finally eat something before I head home. Hopefully, all the studying I did settles. Wait for me, mom, I won't give up."

…

"Miku-chan? We don't have a customer right now, why are you making some more?"

Miku:"I'm making this one for later…"

"...Oh! It must be him!"

"Yep, no doubt."

"The one she likes!"

"Maybe we should follow her to see who receives it."

Miku:"You know I can hear everything you're saying?"

"Ahaha."

...

"We're here for the final inspection!"

Miku:[Oh...That's not…]

Miku glanced up as she was getting the pancakes ready to see that Fuutarou hadn't come by, but another member of the student council.

"Sure, we're a little messy now, but we should be fine!"

Miku:"Um, excuse me."

"What is it?"

Miku:"Is Fuutarou coming?"

"He's currently busy with something else. Say, you and your sisters are close to him, right? Is he doing alright? He seemed out of it recently."

Miku:"He looked tired when he came back earlier."

"Hmm, yeah, I guess that could be it. Well, keep up the good work."

Miku:"You too…" [He was already tired back then. If his fatigue got worse, his body might not be able to take it…I want to help him however I can...]

Miku finishes the set of pancakes, she puts them in a take-out box and places it on her backpack. She says her goodbyes to the others.

"Make sure you get loads of rest!"

Miku:"Thank you."

…

"She worked really hard."

"People always try super hard when they have something they love."

…

Miku:"Right, how should I go about-"

Off in the distance, Miku hears a scream, startling her. As she turns around, she sees a plume of smoke.

…

"Is that Nakano Ichika?"

"I thought she stopped coming to school."

"She's so pretty!"

Irigaku turned to the sounds of people getting worked up over Ichika. As he finally got there, he noticed something on the ground. It was a recorder.

Irigaku:"Wasn't this…?"

…

5:55 PM

Ichika finally stopped running, ending up at a small park. As she tried getting her breath back, she grabbed her head.

Ichika:"I'm so stupid…I con't believe I was honestly expecting anything…I truly began to believe I could come back…I'm sorry, Miku, but your efforts to bring me back really were in vain."

As she lifted her head, Ichika looked to her right to see a familiar girl sitting a number of seats away. It was Yae. She waved to her.

Yae:"I was wondering who was crying so I came only to see one of the sisters here. So I thought the least I could do was sit next to you."

Ichika:"Ah, I see…" [You're pretty far away, though.]

Yae:"So what was this about you coming back? You left your school?"

Ichika:"You could hear that!?"

Yae:"Not so loud. I can hear you perfectly from there."

Ichika:"Uh huh…" [I can barely hear you, though.]

Yae:"Wanna let it out? I am a good listener."

Ichika:"Oh, you don't need to concern yourself with me."

Yae:"I see, you're just stubborn. Well, if I tell you my past, then you'll be obliged to tell me yours. Win win, yeah?"

Ichika:"You're really so quick to do that?"

Yae:"Yeah, why not?"

Ichika:"Ah, you really don't need to do that...It's just...I'm having a little fight with a friend…"

Yae:"Hm, that is serious. Friends are really important, you really feel as if they're family, huh?"

Ichika:"Y-Yeah...It's just...I ran away from my sisters...I did something terrible to them and no matter what they tell me, it's like nothing feels right anymore...I can't do my work properly...I just feel horrible doing it...It reminds me of what I did...I don't know what to do."

Yae:"...That sounds like a complicated situation. But I get it, something that you enjoyed becoming painful...Tell me, what's your dream right now?"

Ichika:"...I don't know."

Yae:"That bad, huh? Well, my dream is pretty simple. My hearing has given me some real trouble, so I just want some peace and quiet. But, that's not enough, I want it to be with someone...Someone I can trust again…"

Ichika:"..."

Yae:"You already have those people, don't you? People that care about you. I know that you feel bad about whatever you did, but if you're running away from those once-in-a-lifetime groups, then...that makes me a little mad."

Ichika:"...Sorry."

Yae:"It looks like you need that peace and quiet yourself. I need to go, I can't tell you more other than you have to figure out what you want to do."

Ichika:"That phrase again, huh? Thanks for listening to what I had to say. I don't usually get like this."

Yae:"No harm, no foul. It's the least I could do, especially now."

Ichika:"Huh?"

Yae waved goodbye as the first day of the Sunrise Festival concluded.

…

…

6:00 PM

"It's dangerous!"

"Hurry!"

Miku and Nino looked on as the fire raged.

"Stay back!"

"The fire extinguisher!"

"Hurry and get the fire extinguisher!"

"Hot!"

"Everyone got out, right!?"

"How awful...Hey, this stall…"

"...Yeah."

"This was the takoyaki stall, wasn't it…?"

…

"Good work. Fortunately, it didn't spread to the other stalls. That being said, we can't simply overlook this. I believe it was your class'?"

Fuutarou:"Yeah…"

"It must be tough, but unfortunately…Class 3-1's takoyaki stall must cease operation."

…

Miku:[What do I do…? Just what should I do, Fuutarou…?]

Miku's legs buckled.

Nino:"Huh? Miku! What's wrong!?"

End of Chapter 58