Setsuna
“…”
Tomo
“…so, that’s the deal. Hey, you’ll be part of it, right, Setsuna?”
Setsuna
“…”
Io
“…Hey, Setsuna.”
Setsuna
“Oh, ah, s-sorry. I wasn’t listening.”
Tomo
“C’mon, we girls only get together like this once a month! Stop thinking about other stuff and focus on having fun!”
Io
“Are you tired?”
Setsuna
“Oh, no, I’m not. Sorry, could you repeat what you just said?”
When Tomo started talking to me, the clock read 9 p.m. precisely.
Tomo
“The show, Setsuna! We’re doing a show in October to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of Troy.”
Setsuna
“A show, huh…”
Today was our regularly scheduled monthly gathering.
Right at this moment, Takeya-kun was visiting his apartment in my place. I should have been able to relax and enjoy myself as late as I wanted today.
But…
Tomo
“Let’s make it an all-night performance with all the regulars! Start on Saturday night, then end it after all the shows are finished. All we have to do is decide on the set order, and then we don’t really have to think about the timeframe!”
Io
“That sounds like kind of a loosey-goosey venue…”
Setsuna
“Ahaha, that’s just like Troy. All the regulars there are really friendly with each other. They don’t seem like rivals at all.”
Tomo
“It’s gonna be the first Saturday in October, starting at 6 p.m. You’ll be able to make it, right?”
Setsuna
“Ahh, an all-nighter might be a bit tight for me. I’d probably just come for a bit to see the acts I know. I hope they’re early on…”
Tomo
“No, you wouldn’t be coming for ‘just a bit’… You’d be performing, Setsuna.”
Setsuna
“Huh…?”
This time the three of us spent together, which was supposed to be a relaxing breather, was weighing on me a bit right now.
Tomo
“I said all the regulars. That means Routes, too. In other words, our favorite songstress, Setsuna!”
Io
“Ohh, that’d be great. I haven’t heard you sing in a long time.”
Setsuna
“Huh? B-But… I’m just a helper.”
Tomo
“You’re the only one there who sees it that way, Setsuna. And anyway, the members have been asking me to discuss it with you!”
Setsuna
“But…”
And, on top of that, Tomo had to bring up something heavier than usual…
Tomo
“Routes is popular enough that it could get the last slot. That would probably be pretty late into the night…”
Setsuna
“Ah… Yeah, I can’t do that. I won’t be able to make it.”
Tomo
“C’mon, it’ll be a weekend night. I’ll explain things to your parents.”
Setsuna
“…No, weekends are even less free for me. You know that, Tomo.”
Io
“Setsuna…”
Tomo
“…It’s just one day. It’s Troy’s anniversary. They’ve done a lot for you, Setsuna.”
Setsuna
“But I’d have to rehearse, you know? I’d be stuck taking time off to do that.”
Tomo
“It’d only have to be once or twice. You can cover the rest of your practicing with karaoke.”
Tomo’s usual enthusiasm was painful right now, somehow.
Tomo
“Oh, I know! You can invite Kitahara-san, if you want. Seeing you sing might make him feel a little better.”
Setsuna
“No! I can’t make Haruki-kun go out somewhere with crowds of people right now.”
Tomo
“Ah…”
Yes, she was the same as ever. She did everything at her own pace.
I knew that. I knew it, but…
Io
“…Don’t get angry about this, Setsuna. She didn’t know.”
Setsuna
“I-I’m not getting angry… I just wanted her to understand. I want you guys to understand what’s going on with Haruki-kun.”
Tomo
“Y-Yeah, you know how I am. Sometimes I get too pushy and it ticks people off.”
Why wouldn’t she change…?
Whose fault was it that I felt that way…?
Tomo
“Still, you ought to have some fun, Setsuna. Have enough fun for both you and Kitahara-san.”
Setsuna
“…Enough fun for Haruki-kun?”
Tomo
“Well, yeah. Remember what you yourself said?”
Setsuna
“…”
‘I realized, recently…’
‘That if I don’t enjoy life fully, genuinely, I’ll never be able to make him smile.’
Tomo
“You can’t keep on like this… You’ll both end up going under…”
Now, they felt like tactless, indelicate words, said by someone I didn’t know.
Tomo
“You may want to take on all of his suffering, but all the suffering you might do won’t bring him any ease. All the more because of who he is.”
Setsuna
“Still… I can’t, right now.”
Tomo
“Setsuna!”
Setsuna
“There’s a proper time for being that easygoing!”
My present self probably wouldn’t get along with my past self, the one who said it…
Setsuna
“And now is not that time!”
Io
“Setsuna…”
Setsuna
“You don’t get it, Tomo! No one could possibly understand!”
Io
“Setsuna.”
Setsuna
“…”
Io
“That’s enough. Let’s split up for today.”
Setsuna
“I-Io?”
Io
“It’s fine. Go see Haruki. …You’ve been watching the clock this whole time, anyway.”
Setsuna
“Ah…”
With the start of the rainy season, summer had come for real.
The sky soared high above, deep and blue, and the sun displayed its fierce power, as though its true strength had finally been unleashed.
But…
From my own world, the dampness and gloom still refused to vanish.
……
Tomo
“Hic… Ugh… Weeeeeh…!”
Takeya
“…I noticed you’d called me earlier than usual, but I didn’t think this was gonna be happening.”
Io
“Yeah, sorry. It was too much for me to handle on my own.”
Tomo
“I, I… I made Setsuna mad again…! Hweeeeh…!”
Io
“But that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t be Tomo Yanagihara otherwise.”
Tomo
“R-Really? You think so…?”
Io
“Yep. Setsuna is definitely in the wrong here. I know that you did the right thing.”
Tomo
“But… what good is that if Setsuna didn’t understand…? Weeeeeh… hic…”
Io
“She’ll realize eventually… Like I told you, Tomo, just make sure you stay on Setsuna’s side.”
Tomo
“Y-Yeah, I will… Weeeeeeh…!”
Takeya
“…You guys had better treat me here. Making me drink this terrible sake…”
……
Tomo
“Zzz… zzz…”
Takeya
“Yeah, I see…”
Io
“So, how are things actually going with Haruki?”
Takeya
“Nothing’s changed. Sometimes he just sleeps the whole day, and even when he’s awake, it’s not that different.”
Io
“Oh, boy…”
Takeya
“Although, it doesn’t seem like he’s gonna do anything stupid on an impulse, so there’s that for now, at least.”
Io
“Then why is Setsuna so…”
Takeya
“For Setsuna-chan, the fact that nothing has changed with Haruki is probably a source of pressure.”
Io
“Hm…”
Takeya
“She could be starting to think that she isn’t actually helping at all, and she might just be hindering him.”
Io
“She said herself that we needed to take a long-term view, since it was likely to take some time.”
Takeya
“Well, but she’s still waiting. She’s hoping Haruki will show some kind of tiny positive sign.”
Io
“That kind of expectation will turn into despair eventually. It’ll wear her heart out…”
Takeya
“…Yeah, that’s not a very good sign. For Setsuna-chan, I mean, rather than Haruki.”
Io
“What are we even supposed to do with this…?”
Takeya
“I wish I had an answer to that, but I don’t. There are limits to what we can do.”
Io
“Then… who’s gonna be able to save those two?”
Takeya
“It may be that, ultimately, they have to resolve it themselves. Haruki, Setsuna-chan, and…”
Io
“That… isn’t gonna be possible.”
Takeya
“Hm…”
Io
“Even if that did help Haruki recover, it would be over for them for real this time.”
Takeya
“Well, they’ll… cross that bridge when they come to it, I guess.”
Io
“…”
Takeya
“Sometimes, no matter how much you love each other, you just aren’t destined to be together, or your compatibility can’t quite line up.”
Io
“Which one are you talking about here?”
Takeya
“Well…”
Io
“…”
Takeya
“…”
Io
“Man, we just got this bonus, and now the mood’s getting all dreary again. What do you think? Should we drink more to fix it?”
Takeya
“Before that… what should we do with her?”
Tomo
“Zzzz… zzzz…”
Io
“Oh, yeah… We’ve gotta get her home safe.”
Takeya
“You saying I can take her home?”
Io
“Yeah, no.”
Takeya
“Well, either we split up here and you carry her, then, or all three of us leave and we just get Tomo home first.”
Io
“That one. The three of us.”
Takeya
“Wow, that was a weirdly quick answer.”
Io
“You’re the guy, so it’s your job to carry her.”
Takeya
“Don’t be so old-fashioned. You’re the one with more horsepower, anyway, out of the two of us.”
Io
“Rude… Anyway, if we split up here, we wouldn’t be able to do that remedial drinking.”
Takeya
“You’re way more ready to go along than you used to be.”
Io
“Call it growing up.”
Takeya
“Does that mean we’re in a ‘grown-up’ relationship from now on, then?”
Io
“Quit being an idiot and help Tomo. I’m gonna take care of the check.”
Takeya
“Roger. C’mon, Tomo, let’s at least try to walk you to a taxi…”
Tomo
“Hm? Hnn….”
Io
“…Wouldn’t hurt you to grow up, either.”