July 17th was a national holiday. Kei spent the day doing absolutely nothing. That is, nothing aside from meeting with Haruki to make a new save.

The rain started before noon, giving way to thunderstorms, before calming down around evening. The next day signaled the start of the rainy season. And so began July 18th.

Kei was making his way to his usual destination, the landing at the top of the stairs. He had first stopped by the staff room to report to Tsushima. Thanks to that, he had to detour slightly to get there.

He walked forward, the MacGuffin taking precedence in his mind.

Currently, the MacGuffin was resting in his pocket. Murase had returned it to Tsushima, who had in turn given it to him. He didn’t really want it, but he couldn’t come up with a good reason to refuse it, either.

Just what exactly is this thing? Is it really just a rock? That seems most likely, but if it’s just a rock, how could anyone have spread rumors about it so effectively?

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Maybe it was more comparable to a trap made to catch lions in Scotland. Nobody could prove that theory wrong, at least.

Kei walked through the corridor, passing the classroom that Tsushima taught in. He glanced through the window, catching sight of Murase Youka. She was resting her chin in her hands, looking at Kei, but as soon as their eyes met, she turned away.

First she glared at him, then she turned away. He wasn’t sure which of the two was worse. Still trying to decide, he stopped in the hallway.

“What’s it like, coming back to school after so long?”

After a long pause, she looked in a different direction, and answered bluntly. “Nothing special. I made a promise, so I’ll keep it.”

Kei kept himself from breaking into a smile. “Have you eaten yet? How about joining me for lunch?”

“With Haruki?”

“She’ll be there too, of course.”

“Then I’ll pass.”

“C’mon, we’re partners, no need to stand on courtesy.”

Murase twisted up her expression. Perhaps she was holding back another smile. Kei hoped to see her smile from her heart sometime soon.

“I said I’ll pass. I’m sure she’d take issue with me being there.”

That was a fair assumption. “I do hope you’ll try to be friends with Haruki. She doesn’t have much in the way of female friends.”

In response to Kei’s request, Murase nodded, appearing serious about it. Ultimately, she never looked back towards Kei.

Waving farewell, Kei continued down the hallway. As he climbed the stairs, the sounds of the school slowly began fading away. He remembered his conversation with Nonō, and wondered if there was a girl out there climbing the tallest trees like a stray cat, attempting to catch a glimpse of far-off horizons.

Step by step, Kei climbed, going up each floor. No matter how many times he climbed these stairs, he never approached the Eden of his memories. That door was coldly shut, held by a lock and key. He could get through them if only he bent the rules a tiny bit. But to this day, he hadn’t felt the need. Haruki always sat in front of that door, two bentou boxes stacked on her lap, and a thermos at her side.

Kei quietly closed his eyes.

In his memory, that girl was smiling. Kei asked her a question.

What if you had to convey something sad?

The girl answered without hesitation. I would devise a strategy to tell them. If I had to tell them no matter what, then I would use the right method, with the right words, and convey it to them in the right way.

But telling them would still make them sad.

You’re right. But that’s much better than not telling them. Besides, there would be no need to convey the message if it was purely meant to cause sadness.

But could I really find the right way to do it, just like that?

You don’t have to be afraid. I know that you could do it.

Kei wanted that to be true, with everything that was in him.

He opened his eyes, and found himself staring out a window. It was a beautifully sunny day. Kei had always loved sunny days.

The future held endless chances to do the right thing. Haruki would be with him, Murase would be invited along, and he would bring anybody else who wanted to lend their strength.

One by one, they would erase all that was sad, and use their own two hands to replace it with that which was happy.

As Kei reached the top floor, he heard Haruki’s voice.

It carried the simple sound of someone calling his name.

A Cat, a Ghost, and a Revolutionary Sunday – END