A broken hearing aid, a shattered guitar, a nightgown soaked through with standing water all over again… forget it. None of that mattered now.
Taki and Chiose sat on the bench on the terrace. There was standing water on the bench too, but Taki didn't mind in the slightest.
If anything, she was hoping to get a little dirtier, so they could go soak in the bath together afterward.
"Tomorrow… no, it's already the weekend today, Little Taki. Are you going home?"
Home? Isn't this my home? I'm not going back.
Your pronunciation's getting better and better, Little Chiose.
"Your sign language is getting better and better too, Taki."
Haha, honestly. Who do you think I learned it for? I like you too much.
"Hmph. Me too… I like my best friend the most… Taki Shiina. We're best friends… right?"
Of course we are. Ask me whenever you want, Little Chiose, don't worry about it. No matter how many times you ask, I'll answer it seriously every time.
Taki tried to take Chiose's small hand.
And this time, she didn't fail.
"Taki… tell me, when will the sun come up?"
Chiose Noshiro leaned naturally against Taki's shoulder. The guitar fragments scattered across the ground paved the road that led them toward the future.
"Soon. The sun will come up like always, very soon. Your ears are okay, right?"
"Mm…"
"The band… Sakiko only quit on her own. The band's still here, right?"
"I… if it's all right, I want to be the keyboardist… I just don't know whether everyone…"
"Huh?! Who'd dare go against you? I'll straighten them out myself."
"Pfft… silly. Mmm, I'm going to take my hearing aid off. The inside of my ear is starting to bother me."
"Then," Taki noticed the skyline in the distance had begun to turn pale, "let me say a few more things to you."
"What is it?"
"I'll protect you for the rest of my life. You're my best sister, and I like you."
"I like you too… You're my best sister too."
As Chiose Noshiro's words faded, dawn finally arrived.
It was the first time they had watched a sunrise together.
The day after Sakiko Togawa left the band.
And that was how it went.
…
"Aaah… I'm still a little sleepy."
After the sunrise, Taki fell asleep peacefully with her head on Chiose's lap.
The soft touch, along with the gentle weight of Chiose's lap, filled Taki's dreams with something sweet and fluffy.
She dreamed that one day Chiose's ears healed completely, and the damage her body had taken from all those late nights vanished for good. They lived together in Chiose's house. Every day Taki went out to perform and earn money, while Chiose stayed home cooking and waiting for her to return.
The scars on Chiose's body became ripples that existed only in the past. No new wound would ever appear on her again.
"How wonderful."
After washing up on the second floor, Taki found she had woken in Chiose's bedroom.
She stood in front of the mirror and studied her own lips carefully. The two thin, soft petals gleamed, and she could almost make out the mark of Chiose's kiss.
"Reality is as beautiful as the dream."
In reality, there was a girl waiting for her… Where was her Little Chiose now? Downstairs?
Taki knew Chiose never wore her hearing aid around the house, but she still wanted to shout her name at the top of her lungs.
"Chiose! I'm up! I'm coming to find you!"
She headed down from the top of the stairs. At the landing she passed the laundry basket and saw the clothes they'd taken off yesterday still lying inside. Then she reached the first floor.
Before long, she spotted her little crow.
Chiose Noshiro was cooking in the kitchen. She wore an apron, and her hair, tied into a braid, gave her a touch of maturity.
It really feels like we're already married.
Chiose Noshiro… she looks just like my wife.
Has my dream… come true?
Taki crept forward on tiptoe, wanting to give Chiose a scare.
Even though she knew that sneaking up behind someone with a hearing impairment was a pointless, silly thing to do.
Taki Shiina pushed open the frosted glass door of the kitchen very slowly, watching Chiose's every move.
Chiose hummed a cheerful little tune, yet her hands moved quickly as she prepared lunch.
Her cooking was graceful enough to be a work of art.
"Little Chiose…"
She couldn't hold back any longer! She couldn't…
Taki Shiina wrapped her arms around Chiose's waist from behind, making Chiose jump.
"You scared me to death… Idiot Taki, don't just grab my waist like that."
"But I want to…" Taki buried her face in Chiose's long hair and breathed in the lovely scent that was Chiose's alone.
Before all this, Taki Shiina wouldn't even have dared to imagine it.
What's for lunch?
"Soba noodles. I just bought a fresh batch."
Anything else?
"Almond tofu and coffee… I remember you love those."
No pork cutlet?
"I can make you some if you want."
"I love you."
Just as the two besties were billing and cooing, Taki Shiina's phone rang out of nowhere and ruined the mood.
"Honestly…"
Little Chiose, I'm going out to take this call.
"Okay~"
Taki had already gotten used to their routine: she signed, and Chiose spoke aloud.
They were learning each other's ways of communicating, and the two of them were slowly becoming alike.
"Hello? Who is this? What do you want?"
Her slippers scuffed over the stone steps of the courtyard as Taki asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.
"Um… Taki-chan?"
It's Nagasaki Soyo…
That sneak-thief cat, Soyo.
"What is it?"
"How's Chiose doing? After yesterday… nothing happened, right? I've been messaging you both, but nobody answered me…"
"Huh? Mm… everything's fine, but Chiose is a bit worn out right now. After yesterday? There was no fight with Sakiko Togawa, and Chiose's mood has settled. Haven't you been resting?"
"No…"
Soyo's voice sounded visibly exhausted. Taki knew the girl on the other end of the line was another poor soul who had poured heavy feelings into the band.
But she wasn't like Chiose.
Chiose Noshiro had Taki Shiina. Nagasaki Soyo had nothing.
"Go get some rest. We'll deal with the rest after the weekend. Go catch up on sleep, and I'll contact you then."
Taki could already hear Chiose calling from behind her.
Lunch was ready in their little home, and Taki had no time to waste chatting with Nagasaki Soyo.
At the dinner table.
"Slow down, slow down. Why are you eating so fast? Nobody's going to take it from you, idiot Taki."
"Cough, cough…"
That's because it's so good!
"There's more if you like it. If you want, I'll cook for you for the rest of my life."
"Really?!"
You promised!
"Mm!"
Can I get a kiss? I want a kiss.
"No way!"
"Hehe."
Chiose said that, but…
Before long, Taki felt something warm and damp on her cheek.
What was that saying about being so happy you forget to go home?
This was exactly it.
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