I ran as fast as I could, putting as much distance as possible between me and the place where I saw the two of them together.
My mind felt strangely empty—completely blank. Only a few scenes kept replaying over and over:
When Kaito's fingers lightly brushed against Hana's as she played the violin.
And that smile he had on his face… somehow, it felt like the most genuine smile I'd ever seen from him.
Do they… like that when they're together?
…Naoko, try to think about what's happening around you…
A faint voice echoed in my head—my own voice, as if trying to warn me about something I kept ignoring.
There was something odd since earlier. Something I couldn't place.
And then it finally clicked.
Right—
I only told them I was going to the restroom for a moment.
I never intended to go this far.
I stopped running.
My breathing was still rough.
And that's when I realized:
I wasn't anywhere near the residential area anymore.
"W-Where am I…?" I whispered.
The cold night air finally seeped into my skin.
I hadn't felt it at all while running—maybe because I was too overwhelmed by my thoughts.
It was so dark I couldn't even see what was right in front of me.
Don't tell me…
Am I… lost in the forest?
The cold night air clung to my skin as Hana and I walked away from the lakeside garden. The faint warmth from her violin practice still lingered in my hands, but the rest of the world felt quiet.
Hana hugged her arms, shivering a little.
"…Kaito, let's go inside. It's getting really cold."
"Sure," I agreed, exhaling a thin cloud of white. "It's a good idea for now."
We walked side by side along the stone path. Our footsteps sounded loud, even though we weren't walking fast.
Hana kept glancing at me—quick, subtle looks like she was waiting for the right moment to speak.
"Hey, Hana," I said softly, "you've been looking at me for a while. Something on your mind?"
She jolted a little and quickly looked away.
"N-No! I mean—well… maybe."
After a few steps, she finally slowed down.
"…Kaito," she said quietly, "can I ask you something?"
I tilted my head. "Sure. What is it?"
She fidgeted with her scarf, cheeks faintly red.
"What do you like? Like… your favorite food. Or, uh… stuff like that."
Her embarrassed expression reminded me of Naoko—trying to hide her feelings by looking down.
I blinked.
Wait… this feels familiar.
Autumn festival? Yeah, it was exactly like this.
"Kaito?" Hana frowned. "You spaced out again."
"Ah—sorry." I shook it off quickly. "Just remembered something."
I breathed out slowly.
"But… are you sure you want to know? It's not that interesting."
She puffed her cheeks.
"W-What's wrong with wanting to know? We've known each other for a while, but you've never told us!"
I raised both eyebrows. "Alright, alright. My favorite food is sansai."
Her eyes widened almost instantly.
"E-Eh? Really?"
She looked genuinely excited—almost too excited.
"So you like sansai? What kind? Oh—"
She cut herself off, face turning bright red.
"S-Sorry…"
I smiled a little. It was cute, honestly.
"No worries. How about you, Hana?"
She perked up.
"I like gyoza. And… hot chocolate."
"I already knew about the hot chocolate," I replied. "The others told me."
She froze.
Then… a tiny pout appeared.
"Eeeh…? Then it's not special if I tell you myself…"
I stopped walking and looked at her properly.
"Hana."
She looked up.
"I'm glad you told me. It feels different when I hear it from you."
Her ears turned red this time.
"…O-Okay."
We started walking again toward the warm glow of the ryokan. The wooden corridor ahead was lit by soft paper lamps, guiding our path back like a gentle trail of light.
When we arrived at the lobby, I saw Mika trying to distract Akane, who was drinking her ogura.
Rei looked at us from the corner of the room, sitting on a sofa with a drink in her hand.
"Took you guys long enough," she said, staring sharply at me.
Mika, who was distracting Akane, turned around and approached us.
"Hey! Where have you been?
What took you so long?"
Hana, who stood next to me, stepped forward.
"We were just playing the violin."
"Hm, really?" Rei asked, giving us a suspicious look.
"I could see your smile from here, Hana."
Hana's face instantly turned red.
"R-Really! We were just playing the violin by the lake, weren't we, Kaito?"
I, who was ordering a drink, looked back.
"Yep, she's right. We were just playing violin outside, but it was cold, so we decided to go back inside."
"Okay, if that's what you guys say."
While waiting for my drink, Rei approached me. It looked like she wanted to ask something.
"Hey, Kaito," she said.
"What's wrong? You look like you want to ask something."
Her face grew serious, as if she were searching for something that had disappeared.
Wait—disappeared?
I think I felt the same way.
"Kaito, when you were at the lake… did you see Naoko?"
Naoko? Wait, I thought Naoko was with them.
"Hey, where was Naoko when she was with you guys earlier?" I asked.
"She said she was going to the restroom, but she hasn't returned."
"Hm, is that so?"
A bad feeling crept in. I thought Naoko had already come back.
Wait—then where is she?
"Kaito? You look panicked. Did you see Naoko earlier?"
"Yes. And it looks like we need to find her now."
Rei's calm expression instantly shifted to worry.
"Tell the others. I'll go check around first."
"Okay, but be careful, Kaito. Don't disappear too," she said as she walked off.
"I'm not a child."
I rushed out of the lobby and searched around the inn.
…But somehow, I couldn't find her anywhere.
Where is she? Did she go somewhere?
While I was thinking, I remembered where Naoko had gone when I was near the lake with Hana.
I hurried toward the lake, hoping for a clue.
When I arrived, I looked around.
Damn, why did I forget at a time like this?!
I searched around the lake, but nothing.
Just as I was about to lose hope, a red thread suddenly appeared.
It was floating in the air—almost like it was pointing me somewhere.
"What the hell…? Am I hallucinating again?"
But somehow, I remembered—Naoko had gone that way.
I followed the thread. For some reason… it was really long. But… when I reached a fork in the road, the thread suddenly disappeared.
"Huh? Wait, seriously?!"
I looked around, but still no clues.
This path was making things difficult.
Until I caught something at the corner of my eye—a left turn. As I approached, there was no mistaking it.
It was Naoko's headband. The one with white cat ears, matching her hair.
I rushed forward. There was no time to waste.
Someone needed my help. Someone who was my friend.
But again, a fork in the road appeared. I only had her headband, but Naoko herself? Still nowhere.
Thankfully, the red thread reappeared. I followed it as the path grew darker and quieter.
…Until I reached a forest. The thread vanished again, disappearing from where I'd originally followed it—almost as if it wanted me to search.
But would Naoko really be in the forest?
Why would she be here at night?
I sighed. "Reality is cruel, huh."
I entered the forest. It was pitch dark, and even my phone flashlight barely helped.
The deeper I went, the colder it got. Luckily, I still had my warm jacket.
…But seriously, I couldn't see anything.
I shined my flashlight around, but still nothing.
A rustling sound came from behind a bush. It grew louder, almost as if calling me.
As I approached—
A tanuki suddenly jumped at me.
Caught off guard, I fell to the ground. The little thing seemed to be laughing.
"Damn tanuki!"
When I got up, it seemed like it wanted to show me something.
"Hey, what do you want to show me, little one?"
Then it tugged my pants. Like it wanted me to follow.
Since it kept making noises, I decided to follow. Tanuki are supposed to bring good luck, right?
…Right?
It dragged me around in circles. It sounded like it was laughing the whole time.
Damn, I don't have time for this!
I ignored it and ran the other way—only to fall into a huge hole filled with mud.
The tanuki laughed louder this time.
I climbed out, annoyed. Maybe learning my lesson, I followed it again.
At least my jacket didn't get wet.
The further we went, the colder it grew. And strangely, I felt even more worried for Naoko.
"Hey, buddy, if you're gonna lead me, then lead me properly!"
As if understanding, it began guiding me more seriously. The darkness and cold grew thicker.
And then… I tripped again. This time over a branch I didn't see.
I didn't know how long we walked, but eventually, a massive tree came into view.
The tanuki pointed toward it.
As I approached—
A small figure leaned against the trunk.
And when I got close enough, I realized:
It was Naoko, unconscious.
I rushed to her. Thankfully, she didn't have serious injuries—just a scrape on her leg, probably from falling.
I gave her my jacket. When I looked back—
The tanuki had vanished. As if it had never been there.
"Wait, where the hell the tanuki go?"
While I was still confused, Naoko, now in my arms, slowly woke up.
"K-Kaito…?" her voice was weak.
"Calm down, Naoko. I'm right here."
She looked up at me, tears gathering in her eyes.
Then she broke down, sobbing, tightening her hug around me.
It was like something terrible had happened.
"Shh, I'm here, Naoko."
I comforted her until she finally fell asleep again.
I held her gently.
And then it hit me.
…Damn. Where the hell am I?
Did I also get lost?