Bunkyo Ward, Yukinoshita home.
"Knock, knock."
Accompanied by two raps on the door, and without waiting for Tsushima Kagami's response, the door handle turned, and the door slowly opened.
Yukinoshita Shizuku walked in, wearing the aqua-colored pajamas she usually wore.
Tsushima Kagami, who was currently drawing line art, stopped his dip pen and turned to look at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Is Shimizu-san asleep?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded.
"Did you manage to ask about her current situation?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku shook her head helplessly again.
"Alright then. I'll ask Komoe-sensei about it when we go to school tomorrow."
Tsushima Kagami sighed along with her.
"I'm sorry. I took it upon myself to forcibly drag Shimizu-san back here without discussing it with you," Yukinoshita Shizuku said, sounding somewhat self-reproachful.
"After all, you said Shimizu-san is your friend, and she sits behind me in class. It really wouldn't be good to just leave her there."
Earlier at the subway station, after Yukinoshita Shizuku and Tsushima Kagami confirmed that the female student squatting there was indeed Shimizu-san, they had asked her why she was staying there alone at night, why she hadn't been working part-time recently, and why she hadn't come to class yesterday.
The result was that Shimizu Nayotake just squatted there looking at the two of them, saying absolutely nothing.
She would only occasionally nod or shake her head at a small number of questions.
In the end, after understanding that she couldn't go home, had no money, and intended to just squat there for the night, Yukinoshita Shizuku insisted on dragging her back with them no matter what.
Tsushima Kagami also felt that since they had run into her, they should help. Besides, there was no issue with her sleeping with Yukinoshita Shizuku.
Otherwise, if they left her there and she ended up being treated as some "God-waiting girl," that would be bad.
Ah, no. This situation should be called "Runaway Girl."
Tsushima Kagami suddenly associated this with various "Runaway Girl" games he had played in the past.
Tsushima Kagami shook his head, emptying the sudden influx of "yellow waste" from his brain.
He looked at the scene before him: Shimizu Nayotake holding onto the streetlamp with one hand while desperately shaking her head as Yukinoshita Shizuku pulled at her.
Tsushima Kagami was reminded of, "Fam, I picked up a cat..." Ah, no.
It should be, "Fam, I picked up a person, and she wants to come home with me!"
In the end, Yukinoshita Shizuku finally persuaded Shimizu Nayotake to return with them to their home.
First, they bought her some late-night snacks to fill her stomach. Then, Yukinoshita Shizuku accompanied her to take a bath before they changed into pajamas and went back to Yukinoshita Shizuku's room to lie down.
"Then I'm going back to sleep too. You should hurry up and shower as well."
"I have a little bit left to draw, then I'll go. Goodnight."
"Goodnight to you too then."
Seeing Tsushima Kagami turn back to draw his line art, Yukinoshita Shizuku closed the door and returned to her own bedroom.
When Tsushima Kagami finally stopped completely, he stretched his waist and looked at the alarm clock beside him.
Only then did he realize it was already one o'clock in the morning.
He stood up and went to the living room to get a glass of water, intending to drink it before showering.
However, as a slightly chilly night breeze blew against his face, he discovered that the sliding door to the balcony was actually unclosed.
And at this moment, there was a person standing on the balcony!
"Shizuku?"
Tsushima Kagami thought it was Yukinoshita Shizuku. Just as he walked to the balcony and prepared to switch on the balcony light, the person on the balcony turned their head and looked toward him.
Perhaps it was because the moonlight was exceptionally bright tonight, or perhaps because Tsushima Kagami had begun to adapt to the darkness.
He finally saw clearly that the person standing before him was Shimizu-san.
At this moment, she was wearing a set of milky-white pajamas—Yukinoshita Shizuku's favorite set aside from her aqua ones.
Those red pupils gazing at him were not empty and lifeless like usual; under tonight's moonlight, they sparkled like rubies.
The shoulder-length short hair that had been somewhat frizzy and messy when school started had already grown a bit longer, perhaps because Yukinoshita Shizuku had helped condition it while they bathed.
Fluttering in the night breeze, her ink-black hair was like precious silk, elegantly "dancing" slightly in the night, greedily and heartily displaying its natural beauty that was usually difficult to show.
Her right hand was slightly raised. On the knuckle of her index finger or perhaps her ring finger, a firefly was currently perched, emitting its light with all its might.
"So it was Shimizu-san."
Seeing Shimizu Nayotake turn sideways to look at him, Tsushima Kagami was also startled.
Just as he wanted to continue saying something, Shimizu Nayotake spoke first.
"Does Yukinoshita-san know how long the lifespan of a firefly is?"
The current Shimizu-san felt different from the usual Shimizu-san.
Although she took the initiative to speak more than usual, her voice and expression were much colder and clearer.
"I don't know, but it shouldn't be very long."
Tsushima Kagami answered truthfully.
"Aside from individual differences and special species, the life of most adults is only about 3 to 7 days."
"Very short, isn't it?"
Without waiting for Tsushima Kagami to answer, she continued.
"Although their lives are short, they desperately emit a brilliant light until they die. They really are a group of hardworking and cute little fellows."
"Yukinoshita-san, which do you think is more meaningful: a firefly's life or the life of most ordinary people?"
After Shimizu Nayotake finished speaking, she looked at the firefly in her hand, then gently waved her hand. The firefly took flight again, gradually disappearing into the night.
Only then did Shimizu Nayotake turn her head back to look at Tsushima Kagami.
Baffling. Why are you hitting me with philosophical questions all of a sudden?
"I don't know which is more meaningful, because I've never been a firefly."
"But I know that this question itself is the most meaningless."
"The most meaningful thing is to go to sleep when it's time to sleep!"
"Also, in the future, you are not allowed to stand on the balcony at night without the lights on and scare me!"
After speaking, Tsushima Kagami ushered Shimizu Nayotake, who still wanted to say something, back to Yukinoshita Shizuku's room, and then gently closed the door.
Not learning good things at such a young age, thinking about all this nonsense.
If I let you listen to "Internet Depression" playlists, wouldn't that be a disaster?
What if you make yourself so depressed you commit suicide?
What? I'm recently writing something similar that makes people emo?
Never mind then.
Tsushima Kagami yawned, hurriedly went to the bathroom for a simple rinse, and returned to his room to sleep.
____
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