Yuuki wasn’t even entirely sure that Mina was actually around here, but even if she was, finding her small figure among the throngs would be like finding a needle in a haystack. He did his best to put such thoughts out of his mind and focus the entirety of his efforts into scouring every inch of the place instead.
Next, he ran to the east entrance of the station through the passageway that connected each end of the station. He checked the entrance of the theater, did a lap around all of the nearby shops, and finally scouted every last floor of the anime mall. Throughout his search, he kept ringing her phone, but each time was to no avail.
Eventually, Yuuki had no choice but to return to the main part of the station. He had resolved to comb the entire vicinity around the station. In the process, he caught sight of the clock tower and was upset to realize that it was already almost eight o’clock.
It’s getting way too late now, Yuuki said to himself. I have to get back home. Yui is waiting all alone.
When he arrived at his apartment, Yui came to the door as soon as he’d opened it. The grim expression on her face told him all he needed to know: it was obvious that Mina hadn’t returned.
“You’re drenched in sweat, Yuuki! You’ve gotta go wipe all that off,” she said, the worry in her voice palpable. She clearly sensed the gravity of the situation.
“Forget about that. It’s basically night time. We gotta get you home. Let’s go; I’ll walk you to the station.”
“But what about Mina?”
“It’s fine. I’ll go to the police station after I see you off.”
“Th-The police station? But... okay,” Yui faltered.
The pair solemnly left the apartment and took the stairs to the bottom floor. As they approached the front door of the building, someone rushed into the building and bumped into Yuuki.
“I-I’m sorry,” the person apologized in a small voice. They’d almost lost their balance and fell over. They hung their head suspiciously, hiding their features beneath the visor of the cap they were wearing, and tried to quickly walk past Yuuki.
Immediately, Yuuki called out Mina’s name. The small figure who he now noticed wore a red backpack came to a complete stop. The silence persisted for a moment before a terrified pair of eyes turned to face Yuuki.
“O-Oh... it’s you, Yukkie,” Mina said, finally realizing that she had bumped into her own brother. She promptly took off her hat and let out an embarrassed giggle as she scratched her head. “Sorry, I was hanging with my friend and didn’t notice the time!”
“Why weren’t you answering my calls?” Yuuki pressed her.
“I-I was having so much fun that I didn’t notice you were calling me,” she explained after a brief pause, averting eye contact with Yuuki as she did.
Yui, on the other hand, looked to be staring at Mina, looking as though she had something to say. Yuuki gazed back, signaling to her that he had everything under control before gently patting Mina on the head’.
“That explains it. I guess it’s okay if you were having that much fun. Just make sure you don’t stay out this late next time, okay?” he admonished in a tender tone, apparently to everyone’s surprise. “You’re probably pretty hungry, huh? I bought beef bowls. Let’s go up and eat them together.”
Mina didn’t say anything, and her head remained drooped. Yuuki was about to hold her hand so that they could both finally return home, but Mina violently jerked her arm away just before their hands touched.
“Why?” Mina asked, strained, “Why aren’t you mad at me? You know I’m lying about having a friend... You know it! It’s all a lie!” she yelled, raising her head and glaring straight at Yuuki. He remained undaunted, however, and just gave her a soft smile.
“Why would I be angry at you?” he replied. Mina again hung her head and chewed on her lower lip before facing him once more.
“Why are you always like this?! Always! You didn’t even tear up when Mom died! Like she didn’t even matter to you! I was so sad that she was gone! I didn’t want to speak with anyone, eat anything, nothing... but you... you’re just strange, Yukkie! Why, how are you like this?!” her piercing high-pitched voice echoed through the hall.
Yuuki calmly and patiently waited for Mina to finish her tirade before he spoke up, “I’m so sorry, Mina.”
“I don’t want your apology! You’re making it harder, Yukkie! I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to feel!”
“... I’m your older brother, Mina. I can’t just sit down and cry with you,” he stated flatly.
Mina jerked to look at him, her eyes wide open. She blinked at him in disbelief, and her fingers grew weak, letting her beloved hat slip from her fingers and fall to the ground. It was as if Yuuki’s words had pierced through her very heart.
She couldn’t keep her silent sobs in check any longer, and as her breathing gradually started to shudder, her body began to tremble. Tears were welling up in her eyes, just waiting for the floodgates to burst open.
“So you’re blaming me? Is it all my fault?! Do you hate me cuz I’m a liar who’s shy around people? Because I don’t understand how you’re feeling or what you’ve been going through? Because I can’t do anything by myself?! I bet you think I’m just a nuisance! Some useless burden you’ve gotta lug around! One you wanna get rid of first chance you get!” she shouted.
With that, Mina finally burst out crying. Her tears left a trail down her cheeks before dripping onto the cold floor below, and the sounds of her weeping filled the air.
Maybe I panicked too much, Yuuki thought. And I definitely got way too complacent about Mina. She told me she was fine when clearly that’s not the case...
—Look, Yuuki. See how this stone glows? I took the day off work to go to Okinawa to buy it from this person with mysterious abilities.
—What do you mean, ‘how much did it cost?’ Money isn’t everything, Yuuki. And besides, I got it at a steep discount when I mentioned that your mother was in dire need of help.
—No! Mom didn’t cook this, so I don’t wanna eat it!
—I don’t wanna go to school! I wanna stay with Mom!