Kaguya cocked her head to the side. She had the feeling that she had forgotten something very important.
She was currently watching the other members of Charon as they returned from battle.
Sakura, Koyuki, Haru, and Rindou. The battle had ended without any serious injuries, and no one had been lost. They were just as they had been when they’d left.
This time Haru had been the one to enter the hero’s psyche. Exhausted, she was pressing a hand to her temple as if her head hurt.
“Just my luck. Why did I have to wind up being the closest…?”
“You did a great job out there, Haru,” said Sakura, patting her on the shoulder. “It took you a while, though, didn’t it? Did you have trouble persuading them?”
“Yeah… To be honest, I’m not too cut out for that part.”
Kaguya giggled slightly. It sounded like Haru had worried for nothing.
The door to the hall opened, and several young men and women continued to file in, making small talk as they entered. Kaguya, who had been left to look after things while they were gone, went to greet them. The first face she spotted was Sakura’s.
“Oh hey, Kaguya. We’re home,” said Sakura.
“Sakura, everyone, welcome back.”
Kaguya greeted the other members as they settled into the room, but she was overcome by a feeling that something wasn’t right. As if there was something bizarrely missing. Something that should have been there but sadly was not.
No, it’s more than that…
This wasn’t just an inkling. She felt certain. There was definitely something wrong about this image, something that was missing. But she had no idea what it could be. She scoured her hazy mind—trying manually to connect the dots—but nothing came to her.
Something abnormal—indistinct and indescribable. A feeling that couldn’t be explained, like something was off. An oppressive malaise that was constantly weighing down on her.
“Hey, what’s that?” said Koyuki. She had just noticed what was on the table—what Kaguya had put there. “Oh wow! Is that…cake?!”
“Y-yes, I just made it.”
Since she was staying behind anyway, Kaguya figured that the least she could do was bake. Everyone was delighted, just as she had hoped.
“A homecoming cake? Kaguya, you’re the best. Nothing beats something sweet after battle.”
“I don’t think you’re using that word right, Sakura,” Koyuki remarked. “We were just away on a short mission.”
“Oh… Well, then it’s a welcome-home cake.”
“A welcome-home cake”? What a goofy thing to say. Everyone burst out laughing, charmed by Sakura’s cute turn of phrase. Even Kaguya.
“There are more cakes in the refrigerator, too,” she told everyone. “I made a bunch.”
The team members were visibly excited. Haru immediately went to the refrigerator, opened it up, and peered inside. She cocked her head in surprise.
“It looks like there are ten in total. Isn’t that a bit too much?”
“Too much? Is that a joke? If anything, I was worried I hadn’t made enough,” Kaguya said in her defense.
Koyuki rolled her eyes. “Kaguya, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but the weird one in this situation is you and your stomach.”
“Really? Maybe you all just eat like birds. You need to eat if you’re going to keep up your strength, you know?”
“Yes, but only enough! It’s amazing you’re able to pack so much away without making yourself sick…”
Kaguya cocked her head to the side. She didn’t really eat that much, did she?
“Oh, what’s the harm? We’re not that tired today anyway. Might as well stay up and eat some cake,” said Sakura, coming to Kaguya’s rescue.
The squad disbanded temporarily. Sakura and Koyuki, who stayed behind, began chowing down on the cakes. Kaguya took a piece for herself as well.
Everything has been so great these days, thought Kaguya. Nobody was dying. Nobody was turning into a hero. It felt like she had been waiting for something like this forever. Her eyes began to well up with tears.
What’s wrong with me, crying at a time like this…?
Kaguya wiped her cheek surreptitiously so that no one else would see. She could feel the wetness on the back of her hand. Even that trail of warmth on her cheek felt precious.