That morning felt calmer than usual.
Arou was already ready to leave for school when he saw Akari coming out of her room wearing the same uniform as him. Her bag was neatly slung over her shoulder.
Arou stopped for a moment.
"Uh… Akari… you're going to school too?"
Akari turned around, her expression relaxed.
"Ah, yeah. I wanted to go to school with you."
Arou frowned slightly.
"But your seat has already been taken by Mei."
Akari smiled lightly.
"That's okay. I'm not out of ideas."
Arou was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"…All right."
They walked together toward school without saying much. The atmosphere was awkward, but it did not feel heavy.
When they arrived at class, Arou immediately sat in his usual seat. Not long after, Akari sat down too—far too close.
Arou quickly turned toward her.
"Why are you sitting so close to me…?"
Akari chuckled softly.
"Hehehe. You said my seat was taken, so I thought I'd share yours."
Arou held his breath, clearly uncomfortable.
"But not this close. Besides, there are still desks and chairs in the back. Just take one."
Akari fell silent for a moment before looking behind her.
"…Oh."
Rows of desks and chairs were neatly arranged there, clearly empty.
"I didn't realize there were still some," she said casually.
She stood up and moved to a chair in the back, sitting down casually as if nothing had happened.
Arou let out a small sigh.
"…Weird."
Akari simply gave him a faint smile from her seat.
The school day continued—
normal, yet with the presence of someone who should not have been there.
A few minutes after the lesson began, the atmosphere in the classroom started to change.
Several students glanced toward the back of the room.
"Hey… isn't that Akari?"
"Seriously? She's back?"
"Wasn't she absent from school for a long time?"
Whispers began quietly, but quickly spread throughout the classroom.
Mei glanced briefly toward Akari, then returned her attention to her book.
Her expression remained calm—as if Akari's presence was not strange at all.
Arou noticed this.
Right… Mei already knew from the beginning.
The classroom door opened.
The teacher entered while carrying the attendance book.
"All right, let's begin the lesson—"
Her sentence stopped.
The teacher's gaze fell on the back row.
"…Akari?"
The entire classroom suddenly became silent.
Akari calmly stood up.
"Good morning, Ma'am."
The teacher opened the attendance list and quickly flipped through several pages.
"Wait… your name…"
She frowned.
"Your records were marked as… inactive."
Several students began whispering again.
"What?"
"Wasn't she missing?"
"What's going on?"
Akari remained standing, her voice calm.
"I'm sorry. I really was absent for quite a long time."
The teacher fell silent, clearly confused.
"…All right. Sit down for now."
Akari sat back down.
The lesson continued, but the atmosphere in the classroom was no longer the same.
The teacher glanced toward Akari several times.
The students kept stealing glances at her as well.
Only Mei remained focused on the lesson,
and Arou—who knew one thing for certain.
The world was adjusting to their existence.
The teachers' room was quiet.
The teacher sat behind her desk, staring at the documents before raising her gaze toward Akari.
"Akari," she said softly,
"why have you been absent from school for so long?"
Akari hesitated for a moment.
"Uh…"
Before she could continue, Arou immediately spoke.
"She fainted, Ma'am," Arou said calmly.
"And she only woke up yesterday."
Akari quickly turned toward Arou, then slowly nodded.
"Uh… yes, that's right."
The teacher was silent for a moment, looking at the two of them.
Her face still showed confusion, but her tone softened.
"I see…"
She closed the file in front of her.
"In that case, you may continue attending school for now."
The teacher waved her hand slightly.
"You may return to class."
Arou and Akari stood up.
"Thank you, Ma'am."
They left the teachers' room.
In the school hallway, they walked slowly.
Akari glanced at Arou.
"…Thanks."
Arou simply nodded.
"Next time, don't hesitate."
The hallway became quiet again,
but something had clearly changed.
The final school bell finally rang.
The sounds of chairs being dragged, bags being picked up, and footsteps filled the hallway.
Arou walked out of the classroom with Akari. They walked slowly, as if they were in no hurry to go home.
Akari walked beside Arou, casually holding the strap of her bag.
Every now and then, she glanced at Arou, but said nothing.
"It's kind of strange," Arou muttered.
"You weren't here just yesterday, and now you're suddenly back."
Akari smiled faintly.
"When you put it that way, I feel the same."
They reached the school gate. Evening was beginning to settle in, and the sunlight was no longer harsh, only warm.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.
"Arou…"
Arou stopped and turned around.
Mei stood a few steps behind them. Her hair was slightly blown by the wind, and her expression remained as calm as usual.
"Let's go home together," Mei said.
"Is that okay?"
Arou was silent for a moment.
He instinctively glanced at Akari, as if looking for her reaction.
Akari simply shrugged.
"Go ahead."
"Uh… yeah," Arou finally replied.
"Sure."
Mei walked closer, and the three of them began walking together away from the school grounds.
Several other students glanced in their direction.
Not because they were making a scene, but because the group looked… unusual.
Akari—the student who had disappeared for a long time—had suddenly returned.
And now she was casually walking around as if nothing had ever happened.
Arou noticed the stares but chose to remain silent.
Mei broke the silence.
"School felt strange today, didn't it?"
"Like something changed, but you can't see it."
Arou smiled faintly.
"Maybe we're just tired."
Akari looked at the road ahead.
"Or maybe the world isn't always stable," she said quietly.
Arou stopped for a moment.
"…What did you just say?"
Akari turned around and smiled casually.
"Ah, nothing. I misspoke."
Mei glanced briefly at Akari before looking back at Arou.
She was not suspicious, but… she took note of it.
They continued walking together beneath the dimming evening sky.
To everyone else, it was simply an ordinary walk home.
But to Arou, it was a sign—
that his life would never truly be simple again.
Arou, Akari, and Mei walked side by side along the sidewalk.
Their steps were relaxed, accompanied only by the occasional sound of their shoes touching puddles left behind by yesterday's rain.
The sky, which had been clear at first, slowly changed.
A sudden strong wind blew, sending leaves flying through the air.
Arou looked up.
"Strange… it was just bright a moment ago."
Before either of them could respond, the sky suddenly darkened.
Black clouds covered the sun, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
"Seriously?" Mei muttered.
Rain began falling without warning.
Heavy rain.
Water slammed against the asphalt, making their vision slightly blurry.
"Over here!" Arou said quickly.
He led them toward a small bus stop by the roadside. They took shelter beneath its narrow, slightly rusty roof, which was still enough to keep them out of the rain.
Another bolt of lightning struck, closer this time.
Mei pulled her jacket tighter.
"This rain is extreme."
Akari nodded slowly.
"Almost like it was intentional."
Arou glanced at Akari for a moment, then decided to change the subject.
"Whatever," he said.
"We'll just wait until it stops."
They stood side by side, watching the rain that showed no sign of stopping.
Several seconds passed in silence.
Mei finally spoke, her tone light.
"By the way… Akari, I heard you were sick yesterday?"
Akari paused for a fraction of a second.
"Yeah," she answered briefly.
"For quite a long time."
"No wonder," Mei said.
"School felt empty without you."
Arou turned toward Mei.
"…Since when did you feel that way?"
Mei smiled faintly.
"Maybe since you started spacing out so often."
Arou fell silent.
Akari held back a smile.
Thunder struck again, but this time it sounded farther away.
The rain slowly weakened, although it had not completely stopped.
Arou sighed softly.
"Today's weather is exhausting."
Mei nodded.
"But strangely… it's not entirely bad."
Akari looked at the rain in front of them.
"Sometimes, things that suddenly appear aren't necessarily bad."
Arou did not answer.
But for some reason, his chest felt a little lighter.
The rain was still falling, but it was no longer as heavy as before.
And for a moment, the three of them simply stood there—
waiting, without needing many words.
The rain finally stopped.
Only a light drizzle remained, along with the scent of wet earth filling the air.
Arou stepped out of the bus stop first.
"Looks like it's safe now."
Akari and Mei followed him outside. The road was still wet, reflecting the evening lights that were beginning to turn on one by one.
They continued walking, this time more slowly.
Mei looked at the still-gray sky.
"The rain came so quickly, but it also went away so quickly."
"Yeah," Arou replied briefly.
Akari glanced at Arou.
"You look tired."
Arou shook his head.
"Not tired… just thinking."
Mei turned toward him.
"Thinking about what?"
Arou hesitated for a moment before saying,
"Sometimes I feel like… these days are borrowed time."
Mei frowned slightly.
"Borrowed time?"
"Yeah," Arou continued.
"Like everything is normal, but it feels like it could disappear at any moment."
Akari fell silent. Her hand slowly clenched.
Mei thought for a moment, then spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
"Maybe because you've lost a lot of things before."
Arou looked at Mei.
"You talk like you've known me for a long time."
Mei smiled faintly.
"Maybe I'm just observant."
Their steps stopped at an intersection.
"I'm turning here," Mei said.
"My house is past the park."
Arou nodded.
"Take care."
Mei walked away, then stopped for a moment.
"Oh, right, Arou."
"Hmm?"
Mei turned around with a faint smile.
"If someday you feel like this world is strange… don't immediately blame yourself."
Arou did not answer right away.
"…Thanks."
Mei gave him a small wave before finally leaving.
Arou and Akari continued walking together.
After a few steps, Akari spoke softly.
"She's different."
Arou nodded.
"Yeah."
"Do you trust her?" Akari asked.
Arou looked at the road ahead.
"For some reason… yeah."
The evening breeze blew gently.
The sky began to clear at the western horizon.
Without them realizing it, far above—
something was watching,
in silence.
Mei walked through the park alone.
The pathway was still wet. Drops of water fell from the leaves, and the park lights began turning on one by one. The atmosphere was peaceful, almost too peaceful.
Mei sighed softly.
"Strange," she muttered.
It wasn't the rain.
It wasn't the dark sky earlier.
It was Arou.
Ever since she first met him, Mei had felt that something about him was… strange. Not strange in a frightening way, but more like there was a part of Arou's life that did not completely belong to this world.
She remembered Arou's expression when the rain suddenly began.
He wasn't panicking.
He wasn't afraid.
It was more like… he was used to it.
"Like someone who's already experienced weird things over and over," Mei thought.
Mei stopped at a park bench, sat down, and stared at the small pond in front of her. The surface of the water rippled gently.
Then her thoughts returned to Akari.
Akari had simply appeared again.
There had been no lengthy explanation.
No dramatic reaction from Arou, only restrained surprise.
And the strangest thing—
Arou did not ask how.
He accepted Akari's presence as if it were something impossible… yet somehow normal.
Mei intertwined her fingers.
"Okay," she said quietly to herself, "think rationally."
Possibility one:
Arou was hallucinating?
Mei shook her head.
It didn't fit.
Akari had spoken to her.
Answered her questions.
Reacted to her surroundings.
Hallucinations did not work like that.
Possibility two:
Arou was lying?
That didn't make sense either.
There was nothing to gain.
He wasn't trying to convince anyone.
In fact, Arou often avoided explaining things.
Possibility three—
Mei fell silent.
"A reality that's… more complicated than it appears."
She didn't like that answer. It was too abstract.
But so far, it was the closest explanation.
Mei looked at her own reflection in the pond.
"I don't need to understand everything," she muttered.
"I just need to know one thing."
She stood up and brushed the slightly damp fabric of her school uniform.
"Arou isn't dangerous."
And more importantly—
"He's lonely."
Mei walked away from the park.
In the distance, the evening sky began to turn red.
Calm. Normal. Like any other day.
But beneath that calmness, Mei knew—
she had already stepped into the life of someone
whose world was not as simple as it appeared.
And strangely…
she had no intention of turning back.