Goodnight, Aika
Mei's voice made me flinch.
Huh…?
Mei?
Why did she come too?
I slowly turned my head.
Yuuna was still practically on top of me, holding my wrists. We were so close I could still feel her breath.
My face went hot all at once.
No, no, no, no!
If Mei finds her here she could think anything!
They knocked again.
I panicked.
What do I do? Pretend I'm asleep?
No.
That would be suspicious if she heard my voice…
With everything I had I pushed Yuuna to the side.
"H-hide!"
"Huh? Why…?"
I didn't let her finish.
I covered her mouth with both hands.
"Shh!" I whispered desperately. "I don't want Mei getting any weird ideas! Hide now!"
Yuuna looked at me, blinking.
Then she rolled her eyes.
"…You're so dramatic."
"Scold me later! Hide now!"
With an expression of complete resignation she opened the wardrobe.
Before stepping inside she gave me one last look.
It seemed to say:
"This is completely unnecessary."
"Hurry up…"
I closed the wardrobe doors just as Mei's voice came again.
"Aika-san?"
I took a deep breath.
Fixed my hair with my hands.
Smile. Act normal. Very normal. Excessively normal.
I opened the door.
"M-Mei-san! What a surprise! D-did something happen?"
She looked at me for a few seconds.
"Is everything okay?"
"S-yes! Why wouldn't it be?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Do you have a visitor?"
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Huh?"
"I thought I heard you talking to someone…"
She heard me!!
"N-no! Well… yes… I mean… I was practicing my acting."
Mei blinked.
"Acting?"
"Yes! You know… changing my voice, modulating it… I'm still not very good at it."
I laughed with a laugh so fake even I wanted to hide inside the wardrobe.
"Haha…"
"…"
Mei was quiet for a moment.
"I see…"
She didn't seem very convinced.
"Can I come in?"
"O-of course! Please."
I stepped aside to let her in while my brain screamed on a loop.
Don't look at the wardrobe.
Don't look at the wardrobe.
Don't look at the wardrobe.
Mei walked in with her usual calm.
"Sorry to bother you…"
"N-not at all."
I pointed to the sofa.
"Please sit down."
Before she did, her gaze dropped to the small table in front of the sofa.
My blood went cold.
The two cans.
The drinks Yuuna and I had been sharing.
Both still sitting there.
Mei said nothing.
She just looked at them.
Her expression lost a little of the brightness it had when she walked in.
THE CANS!!
I felt my soul leave my body.
I ran to the table.
"Hehe! Sorry for the mess."
I grabbed both cans so fast I almost dropped one.
"Would you like something to drink? The minibar drinks are really good."
Mei shook her head gently.
"Thank you… but it's fine."
I threw the cans into the small trash bin trying to look natural.
When I sat back down, Mei was still watching me.
"Actually…"
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"I only came because I was worried."
My nervous smile disappeared.
"Worried…?"
She nodded.
"You've been acting a little strange all day."
She paused briefly.
"Especially after those people showed up."
Huh? Strange?
The memories of the day immediately rushed in to confirm it.
Well… I suppose that's true… but I didn't mean to be!
Mei looked up again.
"Those people we played volleyball with… they were yakuza, weren't they?"
The air seemed to stop.
"Are they really your family?"
Her voice was as soft as always.
"If you have some kind of problem… I could…"
"O-of course they are!"
I cut her off before she could finish.
My answer came out so fast it surprised even me.
"I mean… yes, they're my family."
I laughed awkwardly.
What a horrible laugh.
"They're not real yakuza."
I kept talking without giving her time to react.
"The tattoos are… decorative."
"…"
"I have a bit of an unusual family."
Another nervous little laugh.
"…"
Mei stayed quiet.
She didn't seem convinced — she just watched me with that calm but worried expression.
The silence started becoming unbearable.
I lowered my head a little.
"I'm fine… really."
I paused before looking up again. It was hard to put into words, but what she'd said made me genuinely happy, so I couldn't help answering with a smile.
"…thank you for worrying about me."
Mei returned it — small but very warm — and nodded slowly.
"Alright. That's a relief to hear."
Then she added with that same sweetness as always:
"But if anything ever happens… you can tell me."
I felt a small knot form in my chest.
"I will."
I answered with confidence.
But it was a lie.
And for some reason, saying it hurt a little.
Mei stood up slowly.
"Then I won't bother you any longer."
She walked toward the door.
"Get some rest, Aika-san."
She smiled one more time.
"See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Mei-san."
I waited for the door to close.
Only then did I let out the breath I'd been holding for several minutes.
I waited a few more seconds… no one knocked again.
Then the wardrobe doors slowly opened.
Yuuna stepped out with a completely expressionless face, smoothing her hair slightly.
She looked at me for a few seconds.
Then sighed.
"You're terrible at lying."
I felt a shiver.
"H-huh?"
"It was painfully obvious they actually are yakuza."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Hehe…"
Yuuna just watched me.
She didn't seem angry.
Just… resigned.
There were a few seconds of silence.
Finally she looked away slightly.
"If you don't want to admit it… that's fine."
She paused.
"I won't push it any further."
She looked back at me.
"At least… not for now."
I didn't know what to say.
She walked slowly toward the door.
Already with her hand on the handle, she spoke without turning around.
"But Mei sounded genuinely worried."
My chest gave a small lurch.
"I hope… you're not in any kind of trouble."
I felt a slight tightness in my throat.
Yuuna opened the door.
Before leaving, she turned her head just slightly.
"…You can tell me too…"
There was a brief silence.
"…if something happens."
For the first time since she'd walked into the room, she smiled very faintly.
"Good night…"
She paused.
"…Aika."
That caught me off guard…
I lowered my gaze a little.
"…Okay."
I smiled softly.
"Good night, Yuuna."
The door closed slowly.
The room went quiet again, and I let myself fall back onto the sofa.
…
…
I lied to both of them…
To Mei.
And to Yuuna.
Neither of them deserved that.
I sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry…"
I murmured to myself.
Even though they couldn't hear me anymore.
The second day of the trip passed much more quietly.
After all the chaos of the day before, we finally got to enjoy the resort without any more yakuza, impossible missions, or unexpected visits to my room.
Well… that last part I'd rather not think about.
We enjoyed the pools, tried a buffet that seemed to have no end, and I even joined a couple of the hotel's organized games.
For once, I felt like I could genuinely relax.
Before leaving, everyone gathered in front of the resort's main entrance.
Bags ready.
The bus waiting.
Rika was the first to break the silence.
"Mei! Thank you so much for inviting us!"
"It was incredible!"
Arima raised a hand enthusiastically.
"I've never been anywhere like this!"
Harada nodded.
"Neither have I… thank you so much, Hirano-san."
Mei waved her hands shyly.
"I-it was nothing…"
She smiled, embarrassed.
"I had a lot of fun too."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
Then, cheeks faintly flushed, she added quietly:
"If… if you enjoyed it…"
She looked up again.
"I'd love if we could do something like this again sometime."
There was barely a second of silence.
"OF COURSE!!"
Rika practically jumped.
"I'm coming next time too!"
"Really?"
Arima's eyes lit up.
"Count me in right now!"
Harada let out a small laugh.
"I suppose there's no saying no at this point."
I couldn't help smiling.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
The moment I said that, Mei's face lit up completely.
Her smile became much brighter.
And for just a moment, she looked genuinely happy.
"Then…"
She nodded firmly.
"It's a promise."
Everyone answered with laughter.
Time to say goodbye.
"See you at school!"
"Take care!"
"Bye!"
Several hands started waving at the same time.
That's when I heard a voice beside me.
"See you later…"
I turned my head.
Yuuna.
She gave me a small smile.
"…Aika."
I blinked.
"Yeah."
I smiled too.
"See you, Yuuna."
Right then I noticed Mei watching us.
She had a curious expression.
"Mei?"
She gave a small start.
"Huh?"
"Is something wrong?"
She shook her head quickly.
"N-no!… Nothing's wrong."
…
I didn't think too much of it.
After saying our last goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways.
Those going the same direction left in groups. In my case, I walked alone.
Maybe I should stop by a convenience store… I don't feel like cooking.
I think there's still some instant ramen left…
I made a face.
After eating like a queen for two days… going back to ramen stings a little.
I sighed.
And almost without realizing it, I found myself laughing to myself.
I thought of Bibi.
Of Ryuji.
The volleyball match.
The absurd system mission.
Yuuna hiding inside the wardrobe.
And the fright Mei gave me when she knocked on the door.
"…What a disaster."
I murmured between laughs.
It had been an exhausting trip.
Stressful.
Chaotic.
But…
I looked up at the evening sky.
I couldn't deny it.
I'd had a lot of fun.
EPILOGUE:
The room was completely silent.
The only light came from a phone screen, and on it was a photograph.
Silver hair.
Pale, soft skin.
And a small, revealing bikini the same color as her eyes.
A thumb slowly scrolled across the screen, moving from one photo to the next.
One…
Two…
Three…
All of them were of her.
A small smile appeared in the darkness.
"Aah…"
The voice was barely a whisper.
"Aika-chan…"
A brief pause.
"That swimsuit really does look good on you…"
A few seconds of silence.
Then a finger pressed a button.
"Support creator."
The screen showed an animation.
"Thank you for your support."
"Good night…"
…Aika-chan.
The screen went dark, and the room returned to complete darkness.