IT WAS THE LAST DAY of February.
They were hanging out in the Game Room when Aki came in.
‘That reminds me. Those X marks we talked about, I found one in my room too. In the wardrobe.’
‘Really?’ Kokoro said. ‘So, there’s a wardrobe in your room, Aki-chan?’
‘Don’t you have one in yours, Kokoro?’
‘No. Only the desk, bed and bookshelves.’
Fuka only had a piano in her room.
‘Having a wardrobe suits you, Aki, because you’re such a fashion queen,’ Kokoro said.
‘I am?’ Aki said coolly. She didn’t seem especially happy about it.
‘So anyway, what is that X? Does it mean anything? We were told that the key isn’t in one of our rooms, to keep things fair, but I wonder if there are Xs in all the other rooms, too.’
‘I bet we’ll find more if we look. How many have we found now? The one in the fireplace, one under Rion’s bed, one under Fuka’s desk, one in your wardrobe.’
They’d also mentioned one in the kitchen, and one in the bathroom. Kokoro was running through the list when Aki said, ‘You know, it’s OK, isn’t it, if a wish comes true? If someone finds the key, I mean.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I know we talked about not wanting to lose our memories, but if and when the key is found, we could think about what to do then. But in the end, it’s OK for a wish to come true, isn’t it?’
‘Do you mean you found the key?’
Kokoro creased her brow. Had Aki already found it?
Aki laughed. ‘No. I’m just saying. Everyone’s memory might be wiped, but we each still have the right to look for the key. Nobody will blame anyone, right?’
No one knew how to respond to this. ‘Listen,’ Aki said, and gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘If we can’t see each other in the outside world, all we’ll have left at the end is our memories, no? Isn’t that a bit of a waste? Our memories won’t help us. Isn’t it better if at least one of us has their wish come true?’
‘I really don’t want to forget any of this,’ Fuka said.
Aki’s smile suddenly dropped.
‘I’m just saying – if we found it.’
They’d talked this through together already, so why was Aki suddenly saying this?
‘Well, let me know if you find any more Xs,’ said Aki, and left to go back to her room.
The group watched blankly as she walked off.
‘She’s got issues. A lot of issues,’ Subaru said when she’d gone. His cool tone gave Kokoro goosebumps. She sensed something was wrong.
‘You shouldn’t say that,’ Kokoro said without thinking. Subaru looked at her flatly. ‘Don’t say that. I don’t like it.’
Subaru’s words, a lot of issues, bothered her. Time was running out. And it hurt to be reminded she might also be in the same bracket as Aki.
She headed off to her own room. It had been quite some time since she’d been in it.
She lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
What about me? she wondered.
As Aki said, if the key was found, what would she wish for? To erase Miori Sanada from her life – that had long been her wish. But would that be enough for her to return to her own reality? To a time before Miori had ruined her life?
There was a knock on her door.
‘Yes?’
‘It’s me.’
Subaru’s voice. She opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
Subaru was alone.
He stood there, slim and tall, and she noticed how the roots of his hair had grown out black again. He was beginning to look like a weirdo, and now she thought of it, she probably wouldn’t have gone near him if she hadn’t got to know him before.
‘I’m sorry I said that,’ he said. ‘I forgot how much I used to hate it when people said that about me.’
‘Oh.’ Hearing his gentle tone, she felt suddenly deflated.
‘And I’m glad you called me out on it. I’ve just been to apologize to Aki-chan.’
‘Oh! You didn’t have to do that. She didn’t hear what you said.’
‘I know. But the fact remains that I said it.’
This kind of slightly misjudged behaviour was just like him. Honest to a fault, but a little too by-the-book.
‘What did she say?’
‘She was pretty disgusted. Just like you were. She said she didn’t hear me say it, so I shouldn’t have told her. She said I always overthink things.’
‘That sounds exactly like you, Subaru.’
Kokoro might have called him out on it, but the fact remained that Aki did have issues. Something Aki herself must be well aware of.
‘Thank you, Kokoro-chan. Today’s the last day of February, and I’m annoyed with myself for making us all feel bad.’ Subaru gave her a smile.
Maybe he was a little too by-the-book, a boy who never did himself any favours, but that’s what she liked about him.
Only one month to go.
The time had finally come when they had to say goodbye.