"Yui."
"Mm~ Kotomi, I'm here~ hehehe~"
Kotomi Izumi shook her small hand, glanced at Yui Yuigahama beside her, raised an eyebrow helplessly, and repeated:
"Yui."
"Hehehe, I'm here. Kotomi, what do you want me to do? As long as it makes you happy, I'll do anything you want."
Are you my dog?! Kotomi thought to herself. She had really intended to ask Yui that, but on second thought, she held back. If she really did ask, Yui might actually bark once.
Kotomi tugged the corner of her mouth, then shook her hand again—the one Yui was tightly holding. Good grief, it didn't budge at all!
Kotomi sighed helplessly. She had thought a little gesture would be enough, but it seemed Dango hadn't realized at all that her shaking hand was a signal for her to let go.
"Then can you let go? We're already at the entrance."
Yui Yuigahama froze for a moment, then noticed that the two of them had already reached the KTV near the station. She had been holding Kotomi's hand the whole way, and now that they had arrived, she still didn't want to let go.
"Ah, sorry!" Yui hurriedly released Kotomi's hand, looking so cautious she seemed afraid of making Kotomi angry.
"It's fine…" Kotomi said casually, then stepped into the KTV first. Yui followed right behind.
This KTV near the station was open 24 hours, with cheap prices—just a few hundred yen for hours of singing. If you booked at least two hours, you even got a fruit platter and free lemon water.
Because of that, it was very popular with students.
Most of the regular customers were high school and university students who came after school or during holidays. Knowing that young people liked singing new songs, the manager updated the song library every three months. Pretty much any song you could think of was available.
Of course, there was another reason this place was popular, and it was exactly why Kotomi considered it her favorite KTV.
The snacks here were delicious.
Kotomi especially loved the fries, pizza, and popcorn.
At other KTVs in Chiba City, the popcorn usually tasted bland, like the kind you bought in paper bags at the supermarket and microwaved at home. It smelled nice but tasted faint.
Here, though, the popcorn was sweet and tasty, like movie theater popcorn. The first time Kotomi came, she had eaten two big buckets by herself.
Besides pizza, fries, and popcorn, this KTV also had many other delicious snacks. For Kotomi, this wasn't a KTV at all—it was practically a snack shop.
"Oh! Kotomi, it's been a while. You haven't come by to eat fries in a long time. My wife was even wondering if I messed up the fries last time."
The uncle, Hojo Tomokawa, who had just sent a few customers into their room, was the owner of the KTV.
Hearing the door, he came quickly to greet them. Even though Kotomi hadn't been here in ages—so long she herself couldn't remember when she last came—Tomokawa recognized her instantly.
"Haha, no, it's just that I just took the high school entrance exams this year, so I haven't had time to come. Uncle, do you have a private room? A small one is fine, since it's just the two of us." Kotomi answered politely.
"Of course. I'll take you there. So you're in high school now? Time really flies. I remember the first time you came, you were still in elementary school. That left quite an impression—everyone here still remembers the little girl who ate two whole buckets of popcorn before dinner. Speaking of which, my daughter started high school this year too. She should be around your age, also a first-year."
As Hojo Tomokawa arranged an available small room for Kotomi, he laughed heartily. After setting up a room on the second floor, he led the two of them upstairs.
On the way—
"So Uncle Hojo, your daughter also entered high school this year? But after all these years, I still haven't met her." Kotomi smiled. The second time she came here, she had learned that the KTV's owner and his wife had a very beautiful daughter—a true little beauty.
"If I had known you were coming today, I would've asked her to come by too. Young people should make more friends. Since you're the same age, even meeting for the first time, you'd have plenty to talk about."
"She's not here now?" Kotomi asked, curious about this little beauty as well.
"No, when she was in elementary school, she liked hanging around the shop. But after starting middle school, she stopped coming much, preferring to stay home or go out with friends. Later, she became captain of the middle school cheerleading team, so she had even less time to visit. Today she's gone with friends to the food street—probably won't be home until evening. I know she's made new friends since starting high school, but I still wish she'd put more focus on studying." Hojo Tomokawa shrugged with a smile.
Yui Yuigahama quietly followed beside Kotomi, not saying a word. It wasn't that she was jealous because Kotomi was talking about another girl. Rather, while Kotomi wasn't paying attention, Yui had hooked her little finger around Kotomi's. After successfully linking them, and since Kotomi hadn't pulled away—perhaps not even noticing—Yui's heart leapt with joy.
Being able to hook pinkies with Kotomi, feeling the softness and warmth of her skin, made Yui secretly delighted. Inside, she was jumping up and down with happiness, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips. She had no attention left for listening to Kotomi's conversation, so naturally, she didn't hear Kotomi mention another girl.
Of course, if she had heard, Yui would surely have felt jealous in her heart, even if she never expressed it out loud.
Right now, looking at her secretly hooked pinky with Kotomi's, Yui was lost in her own little world, quietly praying that Kotomi wouldn't notice just yet. Let me hold her pinky a little longer~
But what Yui didn't realize was that Kotomi's hooked finger was also applying just a bit of strength, making the link between their pinkies firmer and harder to separate.
With the corner of her eye, Kotomi glanced back at Yui, her gaze filled with tenderness.
The small private room Hojo Tomokawa arranged for them was on the second floor, far from either staircase, making it especially quiet.
Still, even if it were near the stairway, it wouldn't affect the singing inside. Though the KTV wasn't large, it was small but complete. Each room had decent soundproofing, and the microphones, speakers, and all the singing equipment were just as good as those in bigger KTVs.
In fact, it was precisely because the shop was small that more of its funds could go toward updating and maintaining the equipment. That was why the customers weren't just students with little pocket money who wanted to sing with friends, but also people who genuinely loved singing and came here to gather.
Thanks to this, this little KTV near the station had always enjoyed a good reputation.
Once, it had nearly gone bankrupt, but thanks to donations from loyal customers, it was revived and reopened.
"This small room can fit five people. For just two, it's very spacious," Hojo Tomokawa explained as he opened the door and turned on the light.
Warm white light filled the room. A U-shaped sofa lined one wall, with two tables in front. On top of the tables sat a tablet for selecting songs, while a television hung on the wall directly opposite.
Tomokawa picked up the air conditioner remote from the charger on the wall and adjusted the room to a comfortable temperature.
"I've already set this room for two hours. When time's almost up, if you want to extend, just use the phone on the wall to call the front desk. Do you want to start singing first, or order some snacks?"
"Snacks."
Kotomi answered without hesitation. On the way upstairs, she had already decided what to eat today.
Besides, it had been a while since she last came. Who knew if there were new items on the menu?
Kotomi sat down on the sofa, picked up the menu, looked it over, and said: "One twelve-inch barbecue pizza, a large order of boneless fried chicken—half cream cheese flavor and half honey mustard, one box of fries, a big bucket of popcorn to start with. For drinks, I'll have oolong tea. Yui, what about you?"
"Eh? Me? I'll just have an orange juice."
"With ice?"
"With ice."
"Okay, then one orange juice, and one snack carnival set."
After placing her order, Kotomi set the menu down. With that lineup of food, it didn't feel like they were at a KTV—it was more like a restaurant.
"Alright, I've got it. If you think of anything else, just use the phone to call the front desk." After jotting down the order, Hojo Tomokawa took the menu and left.
"Yui, pick a song you like and sing it first. Think of it as a warm-up."
"Okay! A song I like… let me see… mm, this one."
Yui Yuigahama grabbed the microphone, searched for the song title on the tablet, found it in the KTV's library, and tapped play.
Kotomi had planned to use the time while Yui sang to listen to her voice and open the two scores she had finished writing last night.
She had finally completed the two songs for the cultural festival stage. After writing them, she sang them once herself so Yui would have a reference. Yui would be the very first audience for these two songs.
Originally, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama should have been the first audience together. But since Yukino hadn't come today, Kotomi would wait until tomorrow at school to show her the finished pieces.
Last time Kotomi invited her, Yukino had said she was going home to spend the weekend with her parents. Kotomi had believed her and didn't ask again.
Checking the two songs on her phone one more time—yes, nothing needed fixing. Once Dango finished her warm-up song, she'd be ready to begin their first rehearsal for the cultural festival performance!
Kotomi idly tapped into her messages, randomly clicking on some unread texts.
But just then, Yui Yuigahama's singing voice rang out:
"If I could cross beyond sorrow, then warmth and tomorrow, I would no longer need. In the silent darkness, the dream that descends is… who? The tear glimmer rolling down my cheek in an instant… why? Such a fragile world."
!!!
At the moment Kotomi heard Yui Yuigahama singing this song, she nearly dropped her phone in fright. She hurriedly closed out of her messages, cold sweat forming on her neck.
If you have something to say, just say it—don't sing this song!
Even Kotomi, who prided herself on being levelheaded and despising cheaters above all else, was shaken hearing this one.
"To The Other Side Of Sorrow"—to Kotomi, this song was far too familiar.
Just from the opening notes, she instantly recalled the late Makoto Itou in heaven.
Back when she first watched anime, hearing the shocking ending of School Days left any newcomer stunned.
Kotomi, when she first heard about School Days, had been shaken too. Then she went and watched the anime and played through the game herself.
Honestly, most people's impression of School Days stayed fixed on the anime's ending. But Kotomi, after clearing every single ending in the game, found the story actually pretty good.
Still, hearing Yui sing this song gave Kotomi quite a scare. But since Dango was already fully immersed in the performance, Kotomi didn't interrupt her.
Just then, the waiter came in with the food and drinks Kotomi had ordered. From the menu, he had thought the room must be full of people—but when he entered, he found only two girls?
Two girls ordering that much?
He was astonished, but quickly set everything neatly on the table before leaving. KTV staff were always careful to move quietly when delivering to rooms, so as not to disturb the singing.
When Yui Yuigahama finished her song, she let out a long breath. "Warm-up complete! Wow, the food and drinks are already here. I'll drink some juice first to moisten my throat."
"Yui…" Kotomi, chewing on pizza, finally asked.
"Mm?"
"'To The Other Side Of Sorrow'… why did you sing that song just now?"
"Why? Because it showed up on my music app's daily recommendations. I just clicked it randomly, and it turned out to be so good. The lyrics and melody—you can really feel the sorrow behind it as soon as you hear it."
Yui smiled as she explained. To her, it was simply a beautiful song.
Kotomi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief in her heart, as though grateful.
After eating a few more slices of pizza, Kotomi wiped her hands with a wet tissue, then formally sent Yui the electronic versions of the two songs she had written. She also pulled out the printed copies from her handbag.
"These are the songs I composed. At the cultural festival performance, we'll go on stage and sing these two together."
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