As the bell for the last period of the afternoon echoed through the corridor, Qiluo stuffed her textbooks into her schoolbag one by one.
She had absolutely nothing to do today!
No part-time job, no keeping anyone else company.
She had even mapped out a plan in her head for when she got back: brew a cup of tea first, then lie in bed and scroll through her phone. No one would be able to drag her out of her cozy bedding.
Just as she zipped up her schoolbag, a finger gently poked her elbow.
“Tian Gong-san,” Kizuna said, leaning sideways over her desk and tilting her head to look at Qiluo, still clutching her notebook.
It was open to the last page, which showed a map of the campus she had drawn during lunch break, with stars marked next to several important buildings.
A basketball was drawn next to the gymnasium, a little chick next to the cafeteria, a moon next to the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, and a book next to the library.
But her pen had drawn several question marks in the area between the sports field and the school building.
“Tian Gong-san, do you have plans after school?” She pushed her notebook toward Qiluo, tapping the tip of her pen gently on those question marks.
“There are still so many places I haven't been to. Where the gym's changing rooms are, how to apply for a library card, which drinks from the vending machines are the best... I don't know any of it. Could you show me around? Just one lap! It won't take much of your time!”
She pressed her hands together, her eyes wide and round. She had used this expression on her older sister in the hospital room many times, with a one-hundred percent success rate.
Qiluo looked past her shoulder, gazing out the window.
The sunlight was just right.
She looked down at the half-zipped zipper of her schoolbag, silently saying goodbye to her nonexistent bed.
But if she agreed just like that...
...then Qiluo Tian Gong would be far too easy!
“...No. I have plans after school.” She zipped her schoolbag shut.
Kizuna wanted to ask, “How about tomorrow?” or “The day after works too,” but Tian Gong-san had already stood up and pushed her chair back into place.
Kizuna's shoulders slumped at a visible rate, and her fingers holding the map slowly withdrew.
She looked down at the question marks in her notebook; they seemed a bit silly now.
Her shoulders felt heavy, and the question marks seemed to be mocking her.
But she quickly raised her head again, forcing a smile. “I see. That's fine, I'll just go by myself—”
After speaking, she cast her eyes down, her expression hidden behind her bangs.
Had she been too troublesome?
After all, they had only met today; clinging to someone like this really wasn't very nice.
But... Tian Gong-san's rejection was even more blunt than she had expected, leaving no room to press further.
She remembered her older sister saying that if you get rejected, just say it's fine with a good grace so the other person won't feel awkward.
She knew her sister was right, but her chest still felt tight, as if pressed down by something heavy.
It was only normal for Tian Gong-san to have her own things to do. She had no obligation to show her around the campus in the first place.
She wasn't angry, nor was she sad enough to cry. She was just a little disappointed.
When she drew this map today, she really had included 'touring with Tian Gong-san' in her after-school expectations.
But it was fine. She would go home first today; her sister was probably waiting for her with dinner already made.
Qiluo watched her face cloud over and then flicker with a faint light.
“I plan to go home and sleep,” Qiluo said, slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder and walking toward the door. Kizuna's gaze followed her back as her notebook slipped from her fingers onto the desk with a soft thud.
Then she heard Qiluo's voice drift back from ahead, carrying a mischievous laugh she had been holding back for a long time: “Just kidding. Keep up.”
Kizuna froze for a beat, then grabbed her schoolbag and chased after her. Her light footsteps and a hushed, yet irrepressibly excited protest echoed down the corridor.
Slowing her pace as she caught up to Qiluo's side, she lightly tapped Qiluo's arm with her notebook. “Tian Gong-san, you did that on purpose! That's so mean! I really thought you didn't want to show me around.”
She hugged the notebook to her chest and looked at Qiluo sideways, a sudden smile curving her lips. “But it turns out you do tell jokes. I thought you were a super serious person.”
“Super serious?” Qiluo glanced sideways at her, the smile she hadn't quite suppressed still playing at the corners of her mouth. “Where do I look serious?”
“Your expression during class is so cold; I was actually afraid to talk to you at first. And you don't really smile during breaks either.”
Kizuna counted them off as they walked, bending a finger for each point, before bursting into a laugh herself by the end.
The two walked through the corridor and pushed open the door to the rooftop.
The wind rushed to meet them, blowing Kizuna's bangs backward. She instinctively reached up to hold her hair down, squinting as she looked into the distance.
The entire campus spread out beneath their feet. The track and field club was still training on the sports field, their chants faintly audible.
Further away was the shopping district in the direction of the station, with only a few glass windows reflecting the golden light of the sun.
“Wow—” Kizuna ran to the railing, leaning her hands on the iron bars. Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned forward. “We can see the station! Is that Tokyo Tower over there? It's so tiny!”
She fished her phone out of her schoolbag's side pocket and took a few photos. Then, remembering something, she pulled out her notebook as well, located the rooftop on her hand-drawn map, and drew a star next to it.
Then she turned the notebook toward Qiluo, pointing to the crooked handwriting next to the star. “Qiluo-san, is the wind on the rooftop always this strong?”
“Usually it's a bit calmer. I don't know why it's so windy today,” Qiluo said, leaning against the railing.
The hem of Kizuna's skirt billowed backward in the wind. She reached down to press it against her legs and turned to look at Qiluo.
The wind blew through her notebook, flipping several pages. Instead of closing it, she let the pages flap open, allowing the wind to rustle them noisily.
“It feels like it's helping me turn the pages.” She swept her wind-disheveled hair back, squinting as she gazed into the distance.
“Windy places feel so free. The air is flowing, and you can go anywhere. Back then, I used to think that I absolutely had to run to the highest place just to feel the wind.”
She opened her palm, letting the wind pass through the gaps between her fingers.
“Tian Gong-san, can I sing a song here? Very quietly, so no one else will hear.”
“Sure, but it's very windy here. Be careful not to choke on the air while singing.”
Kizuna nodded, gently clasping her hands in front of her, and closed her eyes.
The moment the first note escaped her lips, the wind happened to die down.
As if gently pressed down by some invisible force.
It was a song Qiluo had never heard before.
The melody was slow, every syllable carrying a cautious, delicate tenderness.
There were no lyrics, only the sound of the wind and her voice blending together.
Rate on N.U.
