The wind on the rooftop began to blow gently again just as Kizuna sang the final note, brushing the stray hairs on her forehead toward the corners of her eyes.
She opened her eyes, her eyelashes glistening with a bit of moisture brought on by the wind, and sheepishly rubbed them with the back of her hand.
“It's been a while since I last sang, so I'm a bit rusty.” She gathered her wind-tousled long hair behind her shoulders, an embarrassed smile playing on her lips. However, her eyes were bright, showing she was quite satisfied with her performance.
“It was beautiful.”
Qiluo wasn't lying; the melody of the song was indeed beautiful, carrying a hint of a charm that didn't belong to this world. It reminded her of the stone pillars in her original world's Temple, polished smooth by the sea breeze.
“What's the name of this song?”
“It doesn't have a name. I just hummed it to myself and wrote it down.” Feeling embarrassed as soon as the words left her mouth, she fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand.
“By the way, where are we going next? The gymnasium or the library? I also want to know which drink from the vending machine is the best. What do you usually drink, Tian Gong-san?”
As she spoke, she had already flipped her notebook to the map page, holding a highlighter suspended in midair, ready to mark a new star at any moment.
“As for the vending machines, strawberry milk.”
Qiluo's gaze drifted across the sports field toward the distant roof of the gymnasium.
“But the vending machine at the gym is slightly cheaper than the one in the school building. The strawberry milk is the most popular, so it sells out quickly if you're late.”
But no one could beat Qiluo Tian Gong to it—she would just hide and cast a minor spell.
Believe it or not, you couldn't outrun Qiluo Tian Gong.
“Then I'll definitely go early tomorrow to grab one!” Kizuna quickly drew a little strawberry in her notebook. The lines of the strawberry were crooked, but it was clear she was trying hard to make it look like one.
“By the way, which floor are the gym's changing rooms on? I used to get lost every single time during swim class at my old school. Once, I almost walked into the wrong one, and my sister laughed so hard she couldn't stand straight at the other end of the corridor. She said she was going to hang a bell around my neck when I came out.”
“The changing rooms are on the second floor, separated by gender. But for swim class, you need to register for a locker key with the sports representative in advance.”
She pointed toward the door on the side of the gymnasium. “There's a very prominent blue sign at the entrance. Unless you're colorblind, it's pretty hard to miss.”
Of course she wouldn't walk into the wrong one.
Kizuna silently mentally traced the route to the gym's changing rooms.
What truly made her happy was that Qiluo had remembered her casual remarks from earlier and had gone out of her way to explain a bit more.
“Tian Gong-san, your explanations are so clear. You're much better than my sister; she only ever tells me to just follow her.”
“Let's go and finish checking out the remaining places. After that, we can grab a drink at the school café.”
With that, Qiluo walked toward the rooftop door.
“There's a café too?”
Clutching her notebook, Kizuna followed close behind her, searching for a suitable spot on the map to draw a coffee cup as they walked.
She drew the coffee cup with utmost care, adding three wavy lines of steam rising from the rim. “Where is it? What's on the menu? Do they have those lattes with latte art on top?”
“It's in the low-rise building next to the library. The first floor is the cafeteria, and the second floor is the café.”
She glanced sideways at Kizuna. “And I'll treat you to strawberry milk while we're at it.”
“Yay!” The two walked down the stairs one after the other. Kizuna's footsteps were light and rapid, falling exactly half a beat out of sync with Qiluo's steady stride.
...
“Eh?” Kizuna put down the menu and blinked. “I transferred in too late and missed the registration. But that's fine, I can take photos of you guys from below the stage!”
Having said that, she looked down and flipped through the menu again, her tone as cheerful as usual.
Her tone carried a hint of regret, yet she was trying her best to pretend she didn't mind.
“Actually, I had a Magical Girl cosplay outfit when I was little. My sister made it for me.”
She flipped the menu to the dessert page. Though a smile still lingered on her lips, her voice gradually grew quieter.
“Back then, she spent a whole afternoon working the sewing machine at home to make it. Every single decoration on the skirt's hem was sewn on by hand, stitch by stitch. Later, I grew taller and couldn't wear it anymore, but that outfit is still kept in the very back of my wardrobe.”
She flipped the menu back to the cover and looked up at Qiluo, her smile returning to its usual curve.
“So it's really fine. I'll just be a good spectator this time. Besides, I've only just transferred here and don't know anything yet. It wouldn't be good if I went on stage and messed things up for the class.”
Now, Qiluo Tian Gong faced a choice.
The class cosplay outfits had already been allocated, and the roster had been submitted last week. Adding someone else now would indeed disrupt their plans.
But... rules were rigid, while people were flexible.
Ultimately, class activities like this weren't meant to exclude anyone in the first place.
Kizuna didn't want to participate just to show off; she simply wanted to do something together with her newly met classmates, leaving behind a tangible, unconstrained memory here.
Reasonably speaking, there were indeed no spare outfits left.
But I can give her my own Meruru outfit.
She would definitely look great in that pink stage costume. Coincidentally, her sister Yuzuki was Meruru, so wearing the same cosplay outfit as her sister would probably mean more to her than any new clothes.
The problem was, once I gave her the Meruru outfit, I would have no other options.
That fellow Rei would definitely take the opportunity to stuff the Lightweaver outfit onto me. Making me wear my own clothes to serve plates?
What a joke! I created the identity of Lightweaver for battle and freedom!
Not to be stared at in the school festival café...
But Kizuna's bright, glistening eyes were right across from her, and when she thought of her singing on the rooftop just now...
Whatever. My outfit is already hanging in the changing room anyway, and the class rep was the one who forced it on me in the first place.
If I have to wear it, so be it. At worst, I'll just keep a straight face the entire day.
Sigh. Lightweaver, oh Lightweaver, to think you would stoop to selling your looks just to make your contractor happy.
“Tian Gong-san?” Kizuna waved her hand in front of her. “Are you daydreaming? Your coffee is going to get cold.”
“...I was just thinking about something.” Qiluo snapped out of it and looked at Kizuna. “The class cosplay outfits have indeed been fully allocated, but if you just want to wear a Magical Girl outfit once, you don't necessarily have to participate in the class booth.”
She gently pushed her cup aside. “I happened to be assigned an outfit, but the size isn't quite right—the skirt is too long and the waistline is off. It's just sitting there anyway. If you don't mind, I can lend it to you on the day of the school festival.”
The outfit fit perfectly, but Kizuna didn't need to know that.
Kizuna blinked, her lips parting slightly as her fingers holding her coffee cup froze in midair.
“Really? But—that's your outfit. What will you do if I wear it?”
“I have other clothes, and I feel that outfit suits you very well.”
“But—” Kizuna wanted to say more, but Qiluo had already picked up her cup and taken a sip, indicating she had no intention of continuing the discussion.
She looked down at the lukewarm latte in front of her, tracing her finger gently around the rim of the cup before looking up, her eyes sparkling.
“...Thank you.”
Kizuna wanted to add something like “I'll definitely treasure it” or “I won't get it dirty.”
But seeing how Qiluo leaned back in her chair, casually flipping through the menu, she suddenly felt those assurances weren't quite appropriate.
Qiluo looked up from behind the menu. “You're welcome. Just remember to come early on the day of the school festival; changing takes quite a bit of time.”
“Okay!” Kizuna nodded vigorously, the ends of her hair bouncing cheerfully on her shoulders.
She picked up her coffee cup and took a big gulp, discovering that the cooled latte actually tasted sweeter than when it was hot.
Rate on N.U.
