A/N: From this point onward, depression, self-harm and other sensitive issues might be shown, portrayed or discussed in this chapter and others to come. Reader discretion is advised for those who are sensitive to such matters.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE – SPEAKING OUT (SayoHiro)

With the onset of the school's cultural festival, students everywhere were having a blast planning for what events and booths their respective classes would be organizing. It was the perfect time for groups to showcase their interests in the most creative of ways to schoolmates and any parents or outsiders who would be visiting the proceedings. Everyone knew that the weeks leading up to the festival would be rife with activity, and sometimes professors gave students time off after finishing certain lessons so that they can get their creative juices flowing.

Akihiro had always taken part in planning for such things in the past, usually debating with his other friends about which video game they could use as a theme. For this year's festival, some of his gaming buddies had come up with the idea of creating an RPG-themed scavenger hunt that would span the entire school, complete with costumes, props and scripts. The premise was that they would dress up as NPCs—none-player characters that could be interacted with in games—and give participants certain quests to find target objects or "defeat" cardboard boss monsters, with quest rewards coming in the form of food and practical giveaways like school supplies. Akihiro liked the premise a lot and made a suggestion to have Dungeon Delvers be the game the scavenger hunt would follow, a suggestion that was seconded by some of his buddies who also played the game online.

"It's gonna be a tough one to pull off, though. We'll need more manpower," said one of their classmates.

"Maybe we can ask for help from students in other classes?" asked another.

"We'll see what we can do. Once Goro starts writing down the scripts, we'll find out just how many characters we'll need for the race."

"Are we gonna do factions and stuff?"

"That depends on the script too. I'll start writing later tonight, don't worry. You guys just focus on having the event approved."

In a way, Akihiro was glad that the announcement about the festival had made him feel less worried for Sayori. When it came to thinking up of creative ideas for booths, Sayori could always be counted on to give her two cents about what her classmates can do. He hoped that the festival's onset will help ease her own personal problems by letting her do something that she is more at home with. With any luck, that would help her feel better and let him be able to talk properly to her once again.

All the while, Kenta had stuck with him both online and at school, giving him some brotherly advice while also voicing his own concerns with Monika. Akihiro still had no idea what might be brewing between those two recently, but he refrained from asking outright so as not to put any pressure on Kenta. Still, he did not need to prod too much for him to say anything; Kenta was naturally vocal about mostly anything, and Akihiro could always rely on him to speak his mind whenever the two of them weren't busy with school and other commitments at home. It was during these conversations that Kenta slowly began voicing his musings about what might be going on with Daisuke and Naoki, with the latter now joining them for lunch more sporadically.

"So, what're your plans for the festival?" asked Kenta during lunchtime the next day.

"Well, a few of my friends pitched the idea of a scavenger hunt," replied Akihiro. "I dunno how many other classes might be going for the same thing, but we'll make ours a bit unique by using an RPG as a theme."

Kenta raised his eyebrows for a moment. As realization dawned on his face, he laughed a little. "For a moment, I thought you meant rocket launchers. What game are you guys gonna do?"

"Well, that'll be up to my friend who's gonna do the writing," replied Akihiro, poking at his lunch tray idly with a fork. "I did suggest that they go with Dungeon Delvers, though. Are you familiar with the game?"

"Seen it on the net a couple of times before, yeah. Reminds me of Fiend back in middle school, the RPG that started it all for some of us," said Kenta. "But I never got around to playing those kinds of games for too long—never could keep up with the constant farming. Most of the computer games I tried out were first-person shooters."

"Ah, one of the tried and true genres, eh?" said Akihiro with an approving nod. "RPG is my favorite genre to play, but I also have a few FPS games on the side when I get tired of leveling up my characters."

"Always good to branch out sometimes, right?"

"Yep! Anyway, if our RPG scavenger hunt pushes through, I'm guessing that we'll need extra hands to make it happen. Props, costumes, extras, stuff like that. It's gonna be a pretty busy stint. How about you guys?"

Kenta shrugged. "A few of my buddies in 3-C and 3-D are gonna be doing a concert, I think. If only my singing skills were up to par, I'd try out for a song or two," he said amusedly.

"Same here, I don't think I can sing or play any kind of musical instrument even if my life depended on it," said Akihiro, laughing.

Kenta laughed with him. "Well, that's why there are other avenues for blokes like us."

When they had finished eating and were about to go back to their respective classrooms, Kenta stopped Akihiro for a moment. "Do you wanna go somewhere after school with Daisuke and Naoki? I don't have a lot to do at home, and I'm guessing that it'd be a good time to just stay someplace and talk and maybe eat."

"Oh. Well, I don't have a lot to do later, so count me in," said Akihiro readily.

"Nice one! Yeah, I think it just might be a good idea because . . . well, I've been getting the feeling that something's up with everyone," Kenta mused. "I haven't heard from Daisuke in a while now, and even Naoki's starting to become a bit more serious. I don't know, man. It feels like something's just off and they're not telling me about it. Not that I'm forcing them to spill any beans, mind you."

"I understand. I do hope everyone's doing fine," said Akihiro. "Maybe things will take a lighter turn once the next get-together happens."

"I hope so too," said Kenta. "Monika's just busy with a lot of things, so the next outing is still up in the air as we speak. She told me that their debate team's gonna start prepping to join the national competition soon, so that could take a while. Anyway, where do you guys wanna go later? Arcade? Mall?"

"I don't know," Akihiro admitted; both venues brought back memories of dates with Sayori, and it made him feel wistful. "Let's just meet up at the gates after school, and we can work on it from there."

Kenta flashed a thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan. I'll talk to the other two later and make sure they come along."

To Akihiro's surprise, Daisuke and Naoki were indeed present for the impromptu outing, flanking Kenta as the three of them made their way to the gates. Akihiro saw easy smiles in both of their faces, though if Kenta's words were to be believed, they might be hiding something underneath. Akihiro knew that might not be too far off—Sayori was another testament to happy exteriors concealing inner turmoil and personal worries.

"Glad you guys could make it," he said, grinning.

"Well, Kenta here was practically begging us to tag along," Daisuke said jokingly, jabbing his thumb in Kenta's direction. "It felt sad to see him like that—we're his best buddies, after all!"

"Hey, I only insisted because I really wanted you two dolts to be here for this, alright?" said Kenta grumpily. "Think of it as a boys' night out!"

"It's not yet nighttime, Kenta," said Naoki, laughing.

"Ah, you get my point," said Kenta, waving his hand. "Anyway, so where d'you guys wanna lounge around? Wanna blast a few virtual heads off at the arcade? Or wear out your legs at the mall? How about a cheeseburger eating contest at Big Tom's? Are you familiar with the place, Akihiro?"

"Big Tom's is one of our favorite places to be. Serves some real mean burgers too," Daisuke told Akihiro.

"I might've heard of the place once or twice in the past, I'm not sure," said Akihiro. "Anyway, if we're talking cheeseburgers, sign me up!"

"And me," Naoki chimed in. "I could use a nice bite of three-cheese right now."

Big Tom's turned out to be a simple diner that served American fast food a couple of blocks away from the mall. Though it was small, it was crowded with a mishmash of office workers and students that were taking advantage of the diner's food and warmth to escape from the autumn chill outside. The four of them managed to squeeze into one of the small booths in the diner's corner that was vacated by a group of other students around five minutes after they had arrived.

"Jeez, man, I forgot how much you actually take up in seats like these," Daisuke joked at Kenta as the latter sat down next to him. "I think you should eat outside instead."

"You eat outside, ya dolt," Kenta shot back as everyone laughed. "I sure as heck ain't gonna leave my seat, not when I planned all this. Besides, it's not like we have a choice. All the good seats are taken."

"So, how are you guys?" Akihiro asked Daisuke and Naoki when the laughter had died down. "Been seeing you less at lunchtime and all."

"Been doing okay—or as okay as can be," said Daisuke. "Everyone's been busy talking about the festival, and already I've got quite a few people asking me to help with banners for their booths."

"I'm alright as well, thanks for asking," said Naoki. "It's just been a bit of a rough week. A family friend of ours was hospitalized a few days ago."

"What happened?" asked Kenta.

Naoki shifted tentatively in his seat. "Attempted suicide," he said in a low murmur.

There was a collective intake of breath across the booth, belied by the happier sounds inside the diner. The humor that stirred the air only moments earlier vanished like vapor in the air. "Damn. That's . . . that's something," Kenta muttered in a hushed tone.

"I know, right?" Naoki said, sighing. "They found her almost dead at her place. Mom and I were pretty shook up when we visited her at the hospital. We're just hoping that she makes it."

Daisuke shook his head. "Depression's really something, right?"

"It is," Naoki mused. "It definitely is. It's really different from the stuff that you see and read online or on the news, let me tell you. Just makes you think about how it would feel if it was your family member or loved one that did something like that."

Silence fell between the four of them for a moment, their mirth momentarily subdued by such sobering news. Kenta was the first to speak up again. "You know, that's the reason why I wanted you two to tag along with me and Akihiro," he told Daisuke and Naoki. "I wanted us all to have some fun, but hearing about stuff like that is giving me this . . . this gut feeling that something's off, you know? Akihiro and I have been talking about Monika and Sayori for the past few days, and it kinda made me think if something's up with everyone else as well. It might just be me being on edge from stuff that's been happening to me too, but it could actually be something. Monika showed me how important it is to always communicate with friends, because you'll never know when someone might need a listening ear. It might sound lame coming from a guy like me, but trust me, I know what I'm talking about.

"Naoki, I know that you're with me in class, same as Yuri is. But I ain't always there by your side, and Yuri's not exactly one of our more talkative classmates, so there might be things I'm not aware of. Same goes for you, Daisuke. You're in another class entirely, so there might also be something going on with you and Natsuki."

As he finished speaking, Kenta looked at Daisuke and Naoki expectantly, waiting for them to reply to his words. When the silence only returned and prevailed for a few more moments, however, he sighed gruffly. "Alright, since no one's gonna do any talking yet, I'll start. Yeah, I'm a bit on edge for a number of reasons, and no, it ain't academics or personal stuff at home. I didn't wanna show you guys that I was on edge because I didn't think it'd get me this bad, but it did."

He paused for a moment, looking defeated. "The bottom-line is that Monika will be leaving town."

That caught everyone else's attention. "What?" Akihiro asked, startled. Daisuke and Naoki wore similar expressions of surprise on their faces as they looked at Kenta.

"You heard that right. I dunno when exactly it'll happen, but it's looking pretty certain," Kenta continued. "It's been on my mind for a long time now, ever since Monika admitted it to me. Her parents wanna move out to Osaka, and she's going with them. She's telling me not to worry too much about it because nothing's final yet, but . . . well, it's kinda hard not to, right? Just makes me sad thinking about it. I didn't wanna show how I felt too much because I was still trying to cling on to the idea that maybe it won't push through, but that's a bit of a long shot. Anyway, her parents are staying here in town for a while to take care of a business deal. The clients? Wonder Boy Takeo Kimura's folks. You guys remember Takeo, right? Big dolt, VP of the debate club?"

Akihiro was not too familiar with Takeo Kimura, though Kenta's description of him seemed enough at the moment. "Monika's parents are gonna be staying here to make good on that business deal. That means they won't be leaving from Osaka until everything's settled. So I guess I have Wonder Boy and his folks to thank for stopping Monika from leaving too early." He attempted to smile as he spoke, but the sadness that Akihiro sensed beneath his strong front made the expression come across as a grimace.

Daisuke clapped his hand on his broad shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man," he said supportively. "Maybe Monika's right. Maybe it won't push through in the end, who knows?"

"Yes, and it's never easy to move out to another prefecture," Naoki added. "Besides, maybe she can convince her folks to let her stay. After all, she's been on her own for a long time now. You said so yourself."

"Yeah, that's my biggest hope right now," Kenta muttered, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Monika doesn't wanna talk about it too much, so I don't often ask her about the situation a lot. I wanted to tell you guys about it because . . . well, I didn't want you all to worry when I start moping once Monika leaves," he added with a short laugh.

"Hey, we're here for you, man. You know that," said Daisuke. "Always been that way since middle school."

As Naoki nodded in agreement, Akihiro felt warmed by their interaction, even if it almost made him feel left out considering how he was the newest member of the quartet. Daisuke, however, seemed to have sensed what he was thinking, for he added, "Same goes for you, Akihiro. It doesn't matter if you're the new man on the team. Whatever you need help with, you can come to me, Kenta or Naoki. We've got your back."

"Definitely," Naoki added. "With that said, though, I'm really sorry if we weren't able to help you that much for the past few days with what Kenta said regarding you and Sayori."

"Ah, that's okay, you guys," said Akihiro, smiling. "And thanks. I really appreciate that."

After some murmurs of cordiality, Daisuke clapped his hands together. "Anyway, since our fearless leader was brave enough to share something, I'm starting to feel a bit more willing to come clean about what has been happening to me recently."

He cast his gaze down for a moment; Akihiro glimpsed a bit of sadness beneath his laid-back persona. "My dad came by to visit us recently," Daisuke began. "Kenta, Naoki, you guys know the story behind my dad, right? For Akihiro, I'll just give a quick summary about that. You see, my mom and dad have been divorced since I was still in middle school. Been living without him for a few years now, but in spite of that, we're doing pretty well. When he stopped by our place, though, things changed for a while. My sister's really angry that he would even dare to drop by after what he did, while Mom was pretty formal about it all. As for me, well . . . I didn't know what to feel. I mean, I was really frustrated when he left us, but right now, it's not the same. It was weird, you know? I had every right to feel angry again at Dad for showing his face again after what he did to Mom and for breaking up our family, but I didn't react like that when he visited. I'm not gonna lie, the conversation was pretty awkward, but at the end of it, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Dad told us that he'd be moving out shortly with his new wife—the same woman he was seeing when he cheated on Mom—and that he wanted to somehow spend a bit more time with us before he left.

"I've been thinking about it for the past few days. I didn't wanna share it with Natsuki at first, but I told her in the end about it. She asked me all sorts of questions, about whether I might be just repressing now how I really felt about what my dad did. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was actually the coping mechanism that my brain went with in the same way that my sister Hiroko keeps using her hate juice to deal with what Dad did. Ah, I dunno. I'm no expert on how the mind works, so I'm just finding it odd that I'm feeling like this. Maybe it's because Mom never really showed me how sad she was about what happened. Maybe Hiroko saw Mom during those sad moments while I didn't, and that's the reason why she's still so pissed off at Dad. Anyway, he's gonna be coming back for a last visit before he leaves. I don't know what's gonna happen, so I'll just have to wait and see, I guess. Besides, that's not the only thing I've been thinking about.

"You see, Natsuki's going through a lot of crap too. That's why I've been real serious on keeping her company most of the time. I . . . I don't know if I can share the details with you guys, though. I know it might seem a bit unfair to her because it's her personal life that we'll be talking about, but it's just . . . j-just too hard to deal with it all alone."

With a sigh, Daisuke began wringing his hands together, looking overwhelmed. During the silence, Kenta spoke up. "Dude, I know I'm in no position to snoop around, but if it's as serious as your face is showing, maybe it'd be better if you tell us. I can tell that this ain't just a quarrel between you guys or something like that."

"You got that right," Daisuke muttered somberly. He looked up and observed his friends' faces one by one, as if he was measuring them in a new light. This time, Akihiro could feel a certain kind of trepidation well up in him as they waited for Daisuke to decide.

"Alright, screw it. I wanna help her, and to do that, I'll need all the help I can get," Daisuke said resignedly. "The thing is . . . Natsuki's life at her home isn't a good one. I'm not just talking about simple stuff that teenagers go through, no. This is really serious. Her dad . . . he's a major douchebag who hurts her."

Akihiro felt his heart drop into his stomach at the statement. Kenta turned a bit pale, and Naoki didn't move a muscle. Meanwhile, Daisuke balled his hands into fists and continued speaking. "Yeah. Natsuki was wearing this face mask when you guys met her for the first time, right? Well, she wore that to hide bruises on her face. And all those times that I was absent from our table at lunchtime? I was keeping her company by giving her food that Mom cooks for us because she isn't able to eat properly at home. She almost passed out on me a few times from being so hungry. Now, if you guys wanna ask where her mom is, she died some years back in a car accident. Natsuki told me about it."

The noise in the diner remained unchanged, but Akihiro imagined that he could hear a pin drop following Daisuke's words. It was all staggering to take in, and immediately Daisuke's absences were placed into a whole new perspective for everyone involved. Naoki leaned back against his seat, looking utterly speechless, while Kenta was looking around the diner as if he was searching for answers and respite. Akihiro, meanwhile, imagined Natsuki in his mind's eye, wondering if there were any signs that should have alerted everyone else to her plight. With an onset of panic, he imagined if the same case was true with Sayori.

"There has to be something she can do, right?" he asked after a while. "I mean, she can report that kind of abuse to the authorities, or at least tell her relatives."

Daisuke sighed. "Yeah, but she's . . . well, scared. Scared of how her dad will react, and scared of losing him too."

"Well, who the heck cares about how her dad will react? She needs help!" Kenta hissed vehemently. "Can't she, like, move out on her own or something? There has to be something like that which she can do, right?"

"There is, but there are a few legal restrictions," said Naoki gravely. "I read before that teenagers can rent their own places, but they're only free to do so if they're twenty and above, and if they can pay for their own rent. Those below twenty and/or those who can't pay rent can still be allowed, but only with parental consent and if someone can pay the rent for them. In most cases, the payment's taken care of by either the parents, legal guardians, or another party that can act as a guarantor, like an employer."

Akihiro nodded along, recognizing the procedure that his parents and Sayori's had taken so that the two of them could live alone in rented property. Kenta let out a sigh of frustration. "If consent's a requirement, then there's no way Natsuki's dad will let her leave."

"I know. I hope I can convince Natsuki to tell her relatives about what's really happening with her," Daisuke mused worriedly. "Her dad hasn't had an episode in a while, though there were a couple of days where she wasn't able to eat properly again. I've been doing my best to make sure she does."

"Just keep talking to her, man," said Kenta. "You're doing the right thing by keeping her company and helping her like this. Maybe with a bit of time, you can start convincing her to speak out about what she's dealing with. If things get rough, just tell us, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," said Daisuke gratefully. "If anything ever happens to Natsuki again, I'll put my foot down, I swear."

Their discussion was temporarily interrupted by the arrival of their orders. The four of them started eating their cheeseburgers in silence, a far cry from the eating contest that Kenta had joked about earlier. As he ate alongside his buddies, Akihiro's mind was processing everything he had just heard—Monika's departure, Kenta's worry, and now Daisuke's fears regarding Natsuki's situation. He had no doubt that if Sayori was to hear about them, she would feel really dejected, considering how close she was with Monika and how happy she was about establishing new friendships with old schoolmates like Natsuki.

When they had finished eating, the four of them left the diner quietly. All thoughts of going to the arcade or the mall had left their heads. Akihiro knew that Kenta wanted the quartet to bond and enjoy each other's company after going for a few days with some being absent and everyone having problems to deal with, but he sensed that no one among them had expected the day to turn out like this. Still, it felt like the beginning of a trial by fire, an ordeal that brought the quartet closer together with reinforced bonds of brotherhood.

As the four of them left Big Tom's, the sun was already starting to set on the city. Naoki checked his cellphone. "My mom just sent me a text. She wants me to run an errand. Is it okay with you guys if I go now?" he asked them.

"Yeah, sure," replied Kenta. "Where are you headed?"

"At the apartment where our family friend lives," said Naoki. "She bought a fruit basket for our friend's sister to bring to the hospital, but she's waiting on someone else at the moment so she can't go there just yet. She told me she's close to the park, so I'm just gonna go and meet her there to get the basket."

"Oh, hey, the park's just a few blocks away from my place," said Akihiro. "I can accompany you if you want."

"Oh, sure thing! I could use some company for a little while longer," said Naoki, smiling cordially. "Thanks."

"Looks like Akihiro's got you, then," said Kenta. "If so, I'm just gonna go on home. Don't have much to do at this hour just yet, but Mom might be happy if she sees that I'm home early. How about you, Daisuke?"

"Same," replied Daisuke.

"Alright. Anyway, I'm glad that you and Naoki here managed to come along," said Kenta, clapping his strong hand on Daisuke's shoulder. "Same goes for you, Akihiro."

"Ah, that was nothing, big guy," said Daisuke, clapping back Kenta's shoulder. "I'm glad you asked us to come, and I'm really grateful that you all took the time to listen to me earlier."

"What are friends for, eh?" said Akihiro with a grin. "We've all got each other's backs, like a well-oiled RPG team."

Kenta laughed. "My mind just keeps thinking about rocket launchers when I hear that. But yes, you got that right."

After a chorus of fist bumps, parting words and questions about when the next junket would be, everyone went on their separate ways; Kenta and Daisuke both headed to the direction of their respective homes while Naoki and Akihiro made their way towards the park. The people walking along the sidewalks began to increase in number as evening approached, with the setting sun painting in orange and gold the buildings and trees around downtown. At a few places, Akihiro saw some of their schoolmates out and about in eateries and stores, with some buying some things for school and others simply eating and having fun.

"What a day, huh?" said Naoki after a while.

"Exactly," said Akihiro. "It wasn't how I was expecting our little jaunt to turn out, but it was nice nonetheless. Sayori would be proud of me if she saw me spending time with some new friends instead of going home early just to continue playing video games."

Naoki laughed. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's being asked to spend more time outside. Sometimes, my parents are worried that I might be focusing too much on reading and studying instead of having fun."

"Well, it's not like we're bored to death when we're just inside our homes doing what we love," said Akihiro, chuckling along with him, "but I guess it is rather nice to go out with friends sometimes. I was thinking of inviting you guys over at one of the internet cafés in town one time for a gaming session."

"That does sound nice! I am a bit afraid that I might be lagging behind you and Kenta and Daisuke, though. I haven't played a proper video game since I was in middle school."

"Don't worry, we can fix that! It's just for fun, after all. It'll mostly be matches against AI players in RPGs, FPS, RTS, stuff like that."

"I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I'm not that well-versed in video game genres, so I'm not familiar with most of those abbreviations," said Naoki with an amused tone. "The only one that I'm familiar with among those is the RPG genre."

"Ah, don't worry. That's how every gamer's life starts," said Akihiro. "Been there myself."

Naoki's mother was waiting outside a posh café near the park when they arrived. As Naoki introduced him as a schoolmate and a friend, Akihiro gave her a polite greeting and stood by as Naoki received the fruit basket and some final instructions. In no time at all, the two of them set off again, this time towards the apartment where they would be delivering the basket. Along the way, Naoki explained that their family friend's relatives had arrived at the hospital to watch over her, allowing her sister to go home and get some rest; Naoki's mother had wanted to deliver the fruit basket herself at the hospital, but was unable to as she was waiting for another friend. Like what Naoki had said earlier, the task of delivering the basket fell to him.

"The apartment should be about two or three blocks away from here," Naoki said as they exited downtown and entered the beginning of one of the city's many neighborhoods.

"Okay," said Akihiro. Sure enough, he recognized the area, which was close to where his own apartment was. He had walked with Sayori around here in the past during one of their many previous trips downtown. He smiled sadly to himself as the thought made him miss her even more, though even this small expression waned when he imagined Daisuke's fear for Natsuki's wellbeing, and Kenta's sadness at Monika's possible departure from the city.

"I really hope things start looking up for everyone," said Naoki quietly as they walked. "Something's been going on with Yuri lately as well, and it's been keeping me occupied."

"Oh, is she okay?" asked Akihiro.

"Mostly. There's just something that I've been thinking about regarding her," replied Naoki. "I know it might seem unfair of me to hide it from you guys and not share it earlier like what Kenta and Daisuke did, but I didn't want to say it out loud just yet because it's still just a hunch on my part. It might be unfair for Yuri if I tell others and it turns out I was just overthinking. For the most part, though, I do hope I'm wrong."

"I see. Don't worry, I understand," said Akihiro.

As the two of them continued walking, more residential buildings began to pop up. Akihiro did not pay much heed to his surroundings and merely followed Naoki as the latter looked at his cellphone to check the address that they were looking for. When they suddenly rounded a familiar street corner and walked down a row of different apartments sitting side by side, Akihiro perked up, though he kept his surprise in as Naoki perused the address signs that were plastered outside the walls and fences of each apartment they passed.

When Naoki finally stopped outside a familiar whitewashed concrete building with a few small trees and black iron fencing flanking a matching front gate, Akihiro asked, "Is this the place?"

"Yep," said Naoki, double-checking his cellphone for the address.

"Well, crap. That's where Sayori lives too," said Akihiro, looking up at the building. Naoki glanced at him, surprised.

"Really? That's a remarkable coincidence," he said. "Maybe she heard of . . . of what happened to our family friend, then. It caused quite a commotion."

"I'm sure she did," Akihiro mused, "though she didn't tell me about it. . ."

The two of them went inside, spoke briefly to the caretaker about visiting a tenant, and made their way up the stairs. Naoki had mentioned that the unit he was looking for was at the second floor—again, same as where Sayori was. "Do you want to go see Sayori while I go drop off this fruit basket?" Naoki asked him.

"I kinda want to, but . . . well, she might be surprised that I dropped by so suddenly," said Akihiro as he glanced down the hallway to the direction of Sayori's door. "I didn't text her or anything beforehand. Then again, she hasn't texted me for days now. . ."

"Well, why don't you just go on ahead and pay her a short visit?" asked Naoki, smiling. "I don't know if this'll take long, but if it doesn't, I can always wait for a bit."

"Are you sure?" asked Akihiro with hesitation.

"Of course!" Naoki assured him. "You did choose to accompany me here. It's fine with me."

Akihiro sighed. "Well, if you say so. Thanks, man," he said gratefully.

With that, he made his way down the hallway to Sayori's apartment unit as Naoki went in the opposite direction. Much of Akihiro's hesitancy came from the idea that he might be catching Sayori off guard at a time where she might not be feeling too well. Of course, that went against his own worries of checking on her after she had been absent for a while now in his daily life. Not for the first time, he missed the days when he could simply be with her without any sort of hiccup, when they were only just close childhood friends. Still, there was nothing else to do but move forward, and in spite of everything that had been happening Akihiro was glad that he took the big step forward with Sayori and turned their friendship into something more.

When he reached Sayori's door, he stared for a few seconds at it, wondering what he should do or say if she chooses to answer him. Raising his hand hesitantly, he rapped against the wood three times. "Sayori?" he called out. "It's me. It's Akihiro."

No reply came from within the door. Akihiro knocked thrice and called out again. "Sayori? Are you there?"

He decided to give it another try. "Sayori? It's Akihiro. You in there?"

Silence.

Akihiro sighed, leaning forward to listen for any sound inside the unit. Apart from the ambient sounds in the street and within the apartment, he heard nothing, not even a noise that told him of Sayori's presence like last time. He knocked on the door and called out one last time, in vain once again. Knowing that any further attempts would be pointless, he decided to leave.

Naoki met him down the hallway around a minute later. "So, how was Sayori?" he asked.

"No one's home, apparently," said Akihiro, shrugging sadly as he made his way down the stairs. "I guess I should've texted her beforehand after all, but then again there's no guarantee she would have replied. . ."

"Oh, I see." Naoki glanced down the hallway before following him. "Aren't you gonna try and wait for her?"

Akihiro paused for a moment to think before replying. "No. I'm not even sure what time she'll show up. Could be five minutes from now, could be an hour. Either way, I'll just text her and tell her that I dropped by."

The chilly air outside cut through their faces as the two of them walked past the apartment's front doors. The street was starting to darken as the sun receded behind the façade of the nearby houses and buildings. Akihiro looked up and down the street, wondering if he would spot Sayori somewhere.

Naoki turned to him as he pulled the front gate shut behind them. "So, you're gonna go on home now, then?"

Akihiro nodded in reply. "How about you?"

"Same. Thanks again for accompanying me here," said Naoki gratefully.

"No problem," said Akihiro, smiling. "See you at school."

Sayori knew it was Akihiro the moment she raised her head and saw him walking a few meters away. He was heading towards the direction of his apartment, facing away from the street where she was in the process. She saw that he had just come from the direction of her own apartment, and she wondered with a bit of anxiousness for a moment if he had stopped by to pay her a visit while she was gone. She had left her apartment for a while to go and buy some food that she would be having for dinner, and obviously she wasn't expecting any visitors. Instinctively, she quickened her pace as she walked towards Akihiro and was about to raise her voice to call his name, but she stopped short of doing so.

Without looking anywhere else, Akihiro kept walking down the street and soon vanished from her sight. With a sigh, Sayori knew that had she chosen to come home around five minutes earlier, she would have run into him on the street. Whether or not she wanted that, however, she could not tell.

When she arrived back at her apartment unit, she deposited the takeout that she had bought and took a look at her cellphone on the end table next to her bed. Proving her guess right, there was a single text from Akihiro.

"hey there Sayori. i stopped by earlier at ur place, but u weren't there. ah well, there's always a nxt time right? anyways, hope ur doing ok. take care, see u at school. i really miss u"

Sayori looked away from her phone, unable to focus too much on Akihiro's message lest her sadness take over and leave behind a swathe of emptiness for her to wallow in. Their current situation was starting to mirror the same things that she had been reading on the internet for quite some time now; tales of depressed individuals whose plight kept them from establishing and maintaining relationships with people. Sayori had taken to reading about such topics not long after she had witnessed the aftermath of an attempted suicide in its full reality, wanting to know more about what she might possibly be suffering from and see if there was a solution for it. It wasn't easy at first; to her, it felt as if she had a terminal illness that necessitated her isolation from the rest of the world, even if that was never the case. Some of the stories had mentioned both the ups and downs of such experiences, saying that there were indeed moments when the skies darken with one's personal rain clouds to the point of cloaking everything in a dark blanket of emptiness, but the sun would always manage to rise in the end and usher in a fresh day where one can attempt to live all over again.

Keeping this in mind, Sayori did not want to give up. In spite of the fact that she was still unable to face Akihiro just yet, she wanted to start looking for ways to bounce back and cope with the horrible things that the voices in her head were feeding her. The stories that she had read thus far were giving her glimmers of hope, and she clung onto that hope steadily. Currently, the voices in her head were starting to buzz, seemingly in defiance to the thoughts of recovery and hope for a better tomorrow, but she felt that if she took the initiative, she could start figuring out a way to silence them.