Jhin strolled along, facing the sea breeze that sent his black hair fluttering. This time, it wasn't because he wanted to feel the salty air again, but because he had come to see the blonde, twin-tailed problem child in the sea of flowers by the lighthouse.
Climbing the spiraling staircase step by step, Jhin reached the very top. Before him lay a vast meadow covered in flowers. The lighthouse stood amidst this floral sea, a beacon in the dark night to guide the ships sailing on the ocean's surface.
Michiru Matsushima's golden twin-tails fluttered in the wind. She wasn't her usual jumpy self; she was as quiet as a different person, sitting on the grass and gazing at the distant sea horizon. The little black kitten she was so fond of, which was also very attached to her, lay obediently in her lap, enjoying the gentle strokes of her fair, slender hands.
"Although the scenery here is indeed lovely, with the floral fragrance even diluting the salty smell of the sea breeze, I still have to remind you, Michiru, petting a cat on the edge of a high cliff isn't a very good habit."
Jhin's voice didn't startle Michiru Matsushima. She continued to stroke the kitten quietly, without turning her head.
"Why did you come here?"
"I just heard the scenery here was nice. It certainly didn't disappoint."
"Is that so..."
Jhin walked over and sat down beside Michiru Matsushima, watching with great interest as she petted the cat.
Michiru Matsushima looked up at the sky with a half-smile and said, "I like the sea, but I'm a little afraid of the sky, especially the night sky. When I look at the moon hanging there, I feel like it's not the moon, but a hole."
"The pitch-black sky is like a giant lid, and the hole that is the moon is just an air vent. I feel like I'm trapped inside a box, and it's terribly oppressive and painful."
After saying this, Michiru Matsushima continued speaking to herself in a lighter tone, "That's why I don't look up at the night sky. I get scared and feel lonely."
"In that case, why didn't you come talk to me about adopting this cat?" Jhin leaned back, supporting himself with his hands, and also looked up at the same sky as Michiru Matsushima.
"..." Michiru Matsushima didn't answer Jhin's question, silently feeding the kitten a cookie she had made for it.
The kitten happily ate the cookie from Michiru Matsushima's palm, as if it didn't have a single worry in the world. Its life was easy and joyful—eating, playing, and sleeping were its entire existence. It didn't need to think about complex things or deal with complicated relationships.
"Jhin, can I ask you a strange question? Please don't think I'm weird."
"Mm, go ahead."
"What does it feel like... after a person dies?" The girl turned her head to ask Jhin, her blue eyes like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any ripples.
Michiru Matsushima didn't wait for Jhin's answer. She brushed the cookie crumbs from her hands—the kitten having already finished its treat and vanished—and stood up. "If it's possible, I want to be buried here when I die. I'll be counting on you then, Jhin."
...
No one knew if Jhin gave Michiru Matsushima an answer that day. The girls at Mihama Academy only noticed that, from a certain day onward, Michiru Matsushima started appearing by Jhin's side more often. Occasionally, she would sit quietly somewhere, her gaze fixed on him.
It was time for the girls' shopping trip again, but Sakaki Yumiko, looking annoyed, grabbed her white handbag and prepared to leave early.
"Yumiko, do you have something else to do?"
"Yeah..."
"Yumi-Yumi, answer this for us: can true friendship really exist between a man and a woman?!"
"I have no experience in that area, so I can't offer any reference." Leaving those words behind, Sakaki Yumiko walked off into the orange sunset. Judging by the way she was stomping on the tree shadows on the ground as if to vent her frustration, she was probably in a very bad mood.
"What's this? What fun thing are you all talking about?" Michiru Matsushima, who looked like she had just been playing with the kitten again, had green blades of grass stuck to the tips of her golden hair. Having just returned to the dorm, she saw the others gathered together and curiously came closer. "Let me in on it, too."
"Since we have the chance, let's ask you too." Suou Amane didn't think Michiru Matsushima could give a decent answer, but she couldn't exclude her from the conversation. "Michiru, do you think true friendship can exist between a man and a woman?"
The moment Michiru Matsushima heard the question, the smile on her face froze. She answered hesitantly, "That... I don't really know either."
"Michi-Michi, what's wrong? You don't look so good."
"It's nothing. Sorry, Sachi, can you hold my bag for me?" Michiru Matsushima anxiously shoved her schoolbag into Komine Sachi's arms and ran out of the dorm without looking back.
"I'll go check on her," Jhin said to the three worried girls. He then jogged after Michiru Matsushima, following her from a distance to the familiar lighthouse and its sea of flowers, sending a text message from his phone as he went.
"So you did come, Jhin." Michiru Matsushima stood with her hands behind her back, facing the endless sea. "As expected of the person that girl cares about. You wouldn't just leave her be."
"What should I call you? The other Michiru Matsushima." Jhin wasn't surprised at all.
"So you found out after all."
"I asked the others. They all thought your eyes, just like your dyed hair, were the result of colored contacts. But I don't believe someone can just change their eye color whenever they want."
"Is it because I helped you out of that jam back then?"
"Let's just say that's the reason."
"It doesn't matter what you call me. It's all Michiru anyway. Instead of that, let's talk about you first."
"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you have a lover?" There was a smile in her emerald-green eyes. Michiru Matsushima's other personality seemed much more adept at this kind of topic.
"Regarding that, I refuse to answer for now."
"Just for now? Alright, next question then: Have you ever been kissed?" Michiru Matsushima approached Jhin slowly with a relaxed, pleasant smile.
"I have."
That answer was clearly beyond her expectations. Michiru Matsushima stopped in her tracks, her emerald eyes widening slightly in surprise. The smile vanished from her lips, her small mouth hanging slightly open.
"So... what does a kiss feel like? Is it as pleasant as they say? Just give me a simple answer." Michiru Matsushima stood on her tiptoes, bringing her face close to Jhin's. A faint scent of lemon drops, from her frequent overconsumption of Vitamin C, wafted into his nose.
"Simply put, it's just mucous membrane contact. But the feeling changes depending on the person."
"Hmm... I don't really get what you're saying. Could you let me try it for myself?"
If this were the usual Michiru, she would probably have said in an extremely tsundere tone, "D-don't get the wrong idea! I just want to know what a kiss feels like! It's not because I like you or anything."
Unfortunately, her other personality didn't seem to have a habit of playing the tsundere. She was also much more decisive. The hands she'd held behind her back suddenly wrapped around Jhin's neck as she smiled slyly. "You don't get to say no."
Michiru Matsushima stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Jhin's. The taste of her first kiss was that of lemon drops.
She blinked, and her eyes turned back to blue. She seemed unable to grasp the current situation—why Jhin's face was so close to hers, and what this feeling on her lips was.
"W-Whaaa!!!" Michiru Matsushima screamed, letting go of him and stumbling back several steps. Her face was so red it looked like it could bleed, and her golden twin-tails stood straight up. "Y-y-you, I-I..."
The kitten was scared off by her shriek. Michiru Matsushima covered her mouth with an incredulous expression. "Why did you kiss me?"
"If I told you that you did it yourself, would you believe me?"
"..." Hearing this, Michiru Matsushima gradually calmed down. Although she had no memories of when her personalities switched, she knew that her other self was capable of something like this.
"It's getting late. We should head back. You've already become friends with that kitten, right? Isn't it about time you had me talk to Chizuru about letting you keep it?"
"Mm..." Michiru Matsushima hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
Too shy to look at Jhin, she chose to walk ahead. As she descended the spiral staircase, the glaring crimson stain of blood on the road burst into her vision. A set of black tire marks streaked through the pool of blood. The little black kitten lay in the middle of it like a broken doll, completely lifeless.
"Meow... Mel." Michiru Matsushima stood frozen, as if turned to stone. Her eyes were fixed on the blood-soaked kitten, and her breath caught in her throat.
Once again. Once again, she had 'lost' something because of her own indecisiveness.
_____
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