Ding-dong.
As soon as Ayano opened the door, Midori went for a flying tackle, squeezing Ayano tightly as the two girls tottered on their feet from the impact.
"I'm so happy! It's just like in middle school!" Midori released Ayano to adjust the shoulder strap of her laptop bag. "Why did we ever stop hanging out?"
"Ah... starting at Akademi was kind of overwhelming," Ayano said. "But it's all good now."
"Good? It's spectacular!" Midori made a beeline for Ayano's room. "Now let's see your laptop."
"No!" Ayano lunged to grab Midori's arm. The last thing she needed was Midori seeing the bulletin board she'd made for Taro and asking a thousand questions. "Oh, sorry but- it's my phone."
"Huh?" Midori looked over her shoulder. "Someone's calling? Is it Kuu Dere?"
"No, I mean my phone is what's being hacked." Ayano pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I mean... it's what I'm most worried about."
"Oh? I thought you were worried about Info-chan?" Midori blinked at Ayano. "You don't think your laptop is safe from her do you?"
"...Good point." Ayano guided Midori to the couch. "I'll bring my laptop to you, but I'd rather we stay in the front room. I'm not sure when Kuu Dere will get here exactly."
She hadn't really meant to make her sleepover with Kokona into a group activity. But she'd mentioned it to Midori in passing and that was it; she wanted to come too, never mind the late notice. And then Midori had messaged Kuu Dere an invitation as well. Midori was used to being forward and making all the plans because Ayano and Kuu Dere were usually so passive, and well, Ayano didn't have any strong objections to hosting three girls instead of one. It wasn't like she needed her parents' permission.
Midori and Ayano spent a couple hours working on anti-hacking measures. Ayano didn't understand half of what Midori was saying most of the time, so for once she was the one with all the questions. Midori also was uncharacteristically quiet; her concentration on the screen was that intense.
Kuu Dere arrived at 4 PM, but after receiving Midori's tacklehug and stream of questions that went unanswered, she greeted Ayano briefly and then buried her nose in a book while Midori went back to anti-hacking.
By the time Kokona arrived, Midori was wrapping up, and Ayano had popped a tray of frozen French fries in the oven as an appetizer.
Kokona's nervous face brightened as soon as Ayano opened the door. "Hi, Yan-chan!"
"Hey." Ayano curled her lips into a smile. "Glad you could make it."
"Is that your friend!?" Midori shouted from the living room.
Kokona followed Ayano into the hallway, looking puzzled. "Is that... who I think it is?"
"It's Miiiiiidori!" Midori dashed over to give Kokona a hug. "Hi! I'm so glad Ayano has another friend!" She swung Kokona in a circle like she was nothing more than a ragdoll. "Now we have a Koko to go with our Kuukuu! It's so perfect!"
"S-sorry?" Kokona shot Ayano a panicked look.
"Please put her down," Ayano said calmly.
Midori did so. Then she skipped back into the living room. "Kuu Dere, come on and say hi!"
Kokona had a tight smile. "I... I thought it was just us two."
"Oh... I should have let you know earlier..." Ayano shuffled her feet. "See... I've been having some trouble with my smartphone and Midori's here to fix it... I know she can be a little... much all the time, but she's really sweet when you get to know her. And Kuu Dere is... well, she's not going to be a major presence."
"I-I see." Kokona swung a purple backpack off her shoulders. "Um, where do you want this?"
Ayano took the backpack and led Kokona to the living room.
Midori had apparently gotten distracted by something on Ayano's phone. Kuu Dere acknowledged Kokona with a quick glance and an eyebrow raise before she went back to reading.
"H-hi everyone," Kokona said.
"Oh!" Midori set Ayano's phone on the coffee table. "We are going to have an awesome time! Ayano's the best hostess and her mom is soooo cool!"
"Oh- your mom is home?" Kokona asked Ayano.
"No ah... she's still overseas," Ayano said.
"Oh, whoops." Midori rolled her eyes. "Lemme rephrase: your mom is so cool except when she ditches you to go on a cruise or something."
"It's a business trip; there's no cruise." Ayano heard the timer go off in the kitchen. "Ah... that's the fries."
As she retreated into the kitchen, Midori started interviewing Kokona about how she knew Ayano and did she like video games. Kokona sounded more relaxed already.
"We used to hang out together alllll the time!" Midori said as Ayano brought the fries and dip into the living room. "We bake cupcakes and play video games and then we watch scary movies!"
"C-cool." Kokona wavered. "Uh, how scary?"
"Cheesy B movies." Ayano cleared space on the coffee table and set the bowl of fries down. "Ketchup or ranch?"
"Ranch?" Kokona regarded the dipping cup full of white liquid curiously.
"Yeah, Americans put it on fries sometimes. It kind of grew on me." Ayano sometimes used strange food combinations as a stand in for a personality. She wasn't a very particular eater.
Kokona nervously dabbed a French fry into the creamy dressing and licked it. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, that's quite nice, actually!"
Three girls ate silently for a minute; Kuu Dere still didn't look up from her book.
"Um... You don't have to do this if you don't want to but... I really don't like horror movies," Kokona said.
"They're not scary; they're too stupid to be scary," Midori said.
"We can watch something else," Ayano said. "My dad collects lots of old movies. We could watch a black and white drama."
Kokona shrugged and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll go with what everyone else wants. I just... I don't really like watching bad movies. I feel sorry for the actors I guess."
"Oh! That makes sense. You wanna be an actress, right?" Midori leaned closer to Kokona. "Are you worried that'll be you someday?"
Kokona laughed. "Oh, maybe! But I probably won't really be an actress. It's really hard to become one and I'm not very good at it."
"Aw, it's too early to give up!" Midori pulled out her phone and showed Kokona the wallpaper. "Look at this indy game! No publisher wanted it but now it's an internet phenomenon! That's what I'm gonna do someday and maybe you can too!"
"Movies aren't like games," Kokona protested.
"Not with that mindset." Midori ticked things off on her fingers. "There's actors in video games, in YouTube productions, in ad campaigns... if you're flexible you can always find a job!"
"She's going to be a statistician," Kuu Dere mumbled.
Kokona gasped. "H-how...?"
"You take math on the top floor, but in everything else you're in class 1." Kuu Dere lowered her book. "You're a numbers prodigy like your mom."
Kokona flushed red while Midori stared at Kuu Dere, dumbfounded.
"Is that where you met Taro?" Ayano asked. "In upper level math?"
Kokona nodded, her purple curls shaking. "He needed help with his calculus homework. He was... so kind. I'm not used to boys looking at me with respect like... that..." She glanced down at her chest.
Ayano put a hand on her own flat chest. Maybe... there was hope for her after all... maybe Taro didn't care... what an absolute angel her senpai was!
"How did you know about Kokona's mom?" Midori sat on the couch next to Kuu Dere. "Do you have dossiers on everyone in your class?"
"Only the interesting ones." Kuu Dere didn't break eye contact with Kokona. "Your mom was a leading researcher for Saikou Corp's ad department. You inherited her talent. That's why you were invited to Akademi."
Kokona folded her hands in her lap. "It sounds so cold when you put it like that."
"Business is business," Kuu Dere said.
"She just always sounds like that." Midori pinched Kuu Dere's cheeks. "Smile!"
"So you choose death," Kuu Dere muttered.
Ayano ignored the scuffle her old friends were having and studied Kokona. Her eyes were glistening, her smile faltering.
"Do you like being a prodigy?" Ayano asked.
Kokona twiddled her thumbs. "It sounds ungrateful to feel otherwise..."
"But it's not what you want to do?" Ayano pressed.
Kokona curled her hands into fists. "My mom never wanted to be an ad executive. She... she dreamed of being a psychologist. Helping people like my dad who struggled with addiction. But her psych degree turned into a math degree and then she just... made so much money. Ugh." She shook her head. "This sounds so entitled. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Ayano said. "You can't help your feelings."
Kokona's eyes were brimming with tears. "She could never be there for me because she always had work to do. And she was as sad about it as I was, but she didn't know how to stop. Too many people were counting on her and her gifts... and then one day she just... collapsed..." Kokona buried her head in her hands.
Ayano put an arm around her shoulder, feeling Kokona's sobs. The gesture was so empty; an imitation of something she'd seen people do in movies. She had no real idea how to comfort anyone. Didn't even know what comfort was, really.
Kuu Dere and Midori didn't seem to have a clue either. Midori swayed helplessly; Kuu Dere had at least the decency to look at her lap instead of continuing to stare with her dispassionate eyes.
"I-I'm sorry." Kokona lifted her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Mom's death was just so sudden and..."
Hearing Kokona sniffle reminded Ayano to offer her a box of tissues.
"Thanks." Kokona blew her nose. I shouldn't... I'm ruining everything aren't I?"
"Nooooo!" Midori dropped to her knees on the carpet in front of Kokona. "You can't ruin anything by crying! That's not what this is about!"
"What... what?" Kokona wiped her eyes again.
"We're throwing this slumber party for you!" Midori looked up at Ayano. "We're here to help Kokona feel better! That's why Ayano invited us all here, isn't it Yan-chan?"
Ayano blinked at Midori. Had Midori forgotten that she'd invited herself...?
Kokona looked at Ayano, a hesitant smile hovering on her lips.
Just lie. Just take credit. Midori gave you an easy excuse. Do you want to break Kokona's heart even more?
If you tell her the truth you'll lose her.
It shouldn't have mattered. Kokona was nobody. Midori's opinion didn't matter. If Kuu Dere could be ashamed of Ayano, it still wouldn't matter.
An Aishi's life was supposed to be a journey to find that one solitary person to complete you and to make them yours for eternity. Everyone else was extra. A distraction. Filler episodes.
Ayano stared at an empty corner of the living room. "Info-chan hacked my phone and sent the invite. This wasn't my idea."
Midori gasped. "What?! Is that why you wanted me to hack-proof your phone? Why would Info-chan invite Kokona to your house? Is she shipping you two?"
"What- no!" Ayano whipped back to face Midori, her ponytail slicing through the air.
And she saw Kokona hiding a smile.
Midori's insane suggestion had broken the tension. Ayano wasn't going to get yelled at-just yet. She had a minute to explain.
"Info-chan thought she could blackmail me into getting a photo of..." Ayano made her eyes roll. "It doesn't matter. You know what kind of girl she is."
"In-info chan contacted you?" Kokona curled her hands over her heart. "About me?"
Ayano looked at Midori. "Yeah, she did... but, well... Info-chan's not the only one who knows her way around a computer."
Midori beamed at Ayano and gave her a peace sign.
"Info-chan won't be bothering me after Midori's done. You don't have to worry about me." Ayano put a hand on Kokona's shoulder. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. And even if this wasn't my idea... I'm so glad you're here."
Kokona leaned over to hug Ayano. As Ayano embraced her back, her head felt light and her body felt warm, like an adrenaline rush.
This... was the best weekend ever.
It was getting late. The four girls had been playing Kawaiian Island Adventure for hours; Ayano hadn't realized how social farming sims could be, but watching Midori and Kokona swap ideas about virtual home decor was oddly refreshing.
It was 11 PM when the doorbell rang.
Kokona gave a little jolt. "Who's that this late?"
"I don't know..." Ayano got to her feet. "I'll take care of it."
"Could it be a salesman?" Midori asked out loud. "Why would one be around this late? What could he be selling? Maybe..."
Her voice faded as Ayano entered the hallway. The doorbell rang again; whoever it was, they were very impatient. She checked the peephole and felt her heart jump.
The woman on the doorstep was in her early fifties. Her long black hair was compacted in a tight braid; her blouse and skirt were crisp and neat. Her eyes were a steely, passive gray that matched Ayano's own.
Ayano undid the deadbolt and threw the door open. "Nana! How... sudden!"
Nana Aishi put her hands on her hips. "If you answered your phone, you would not be so taken off guard right now."
Ayano winced; her phone was probably still downloading an update or something else Midori needed. She hadn't been able to receive any calls for hours.
"Don't bother being ashamed." Nana checked her silver wristwatch. "You get five minutes to pack. Whatever you need beyond that we can buy."
Ayano took a step back. "Pack? What for?"
"Something's come up. Until Ryoba returns, you'll be staying with me."
"But-" Ayano's head was spinning. Nana lived in a rural village an hour away. "What about school?"
"Online attendance." Nana clapped her hands twice. "No more questions. Hurry up."
Online!?
No more Akademi. No more Taro. No more Senpai.
Ayano fell to her knees, unable to breathe. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not like this. No-
Everything went black.