"I got it!!!"
The sun had settled over the city of Fukuoka — July 8th, 2169. The city was still awake, still buzzing with people, and the hum of electric vehicles echoed through the walled streets.
That same evening, Kirashi burst the door open to Tomori's quiet hospital room. Holding Tomori's luggage above his head, he grinned wide.
The people inside — Kara, Jayu, and Tomori — all jolted in shock. They'd been sitting in a circle on the bed, playing UNO.
"EEP!"
"WAH!"
"OI!"
"I've returned! That was too easy!"
Kirashi announced proudly, standing in the doorway.
A sharp whoosh of wind brushed past his ear. His eyes widened. A single UNO card stuck to the wall outside the room — just barely missing his head.
"Oh... it's just him,"
Tomori muttered, exhaling. Then she snapped,
"LEARN TO KNOCK, FOOL!"
Kirashi clicked his tongue, lowering the luggage and glaring suspiciously at her.
"Tsk... show off..."
Tomori crossed her arms as Jayu rushed over, excited.
"Took you long enough, wind boy!"
Kirashi shut the door behind him, still giving Tomori a wary look, while Jayu pulled the luggage away and handed it back.
"Here you go, Tomo-nee!"
Jayu said cheerfully.
Tomori's eyes lit up instantly. She pressed her palms to her cheeks, eyes practically turning into hearts.
"Thank you, Jayu-chan!"
She hugged the luggage tight, snuggling it like a long-lost treasure.
"My precious!!!"
Then she froze. Her smile vanished. Her brows furrowed as she pointed straight at Kirashi.
"Oi, you!"
Kirashi frowned.
"What?!"
"Are you sure you didn't open this?!"
As the two started their back-and-forth, Kara and Jayu just watched, wide-eyed from the bed.
"I did not!"
Kirashi shot back.
"There's nothing interesting in girls' stuff!"
Tomori blinked once, then—
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
She broke into uncontrollable laughter.
The others were lost, but Kirashi's confusion was already boiling into irritation. He jabbed a finger at her.
"Oi! What are you laughing at?!"
Tomori could barely breathe.
"Y-you... you are... HAHAHA—!"
Kirashi gritted his teeth.
"OI!"
Finally, between tears of laughter, she blurted it out.
"You're gay!"
Kirashi froze.
"HAH?!"
Tomori kept laughing like she'd just witnessed divine comedy.
"WHY DOES ME BEING UNINTERESTED IN GIRLS' STUFF MAKE ME GAY?!"
Kirashi barked.
Tomori wheezed, barely holding it together.
"W-well... any normal guy would've taken a peek!"
Kirashi pointed at her, declaring like a man possessed.
"THEN SHOW ME YOUR STUFF! I'LL PROVE I'M NOT GAY!"
The room went silent. Tomori's grin disappeared. Her voice dropped cold.
"Wanna die?"
Kirashi stiffened.
"N-no ma'am."
Kirashi snapped back into argument mode, pointing a finger at Tomori.
"What do you even have in there?!"
Tomori flinched and turned to Kara.
"Kara-chan...?"
She asked in a low, dangerous tone.
Kara stiffened.
"H-hai?!"
Tomori beckoned her closer, eyes still locked on Kirashi.
"Is this guy an actual idiot?"
Kara laughed awkwardly.
Tomori sighed, muttering,
"He must really be..."
Before shouting,
"My underwears! Obviously!"
Kara and Jayu's jaws dropped, their minds syncing instantly.
"SHE ACTUALLY ANSWERED?!"
The word hit Kirashi like lightning. His entire body locked up. His face turned crimson, steam practically shot out of his ears, and blood spurted from his nose like a geyser.
He fell straight back with a stupid grin, out cold.
The three stared down at him, silent. Then, together, their mind interconnected.
"He's really an idiot, isn't he..."
No disappointment in their tone, just slight amusement.
They quickly moved on. The air in the room felt lighter again, as if the argument a minute ago had already dissolved into background noise.
"Oh! Tomori-san, whatcha got there?"
Kara asked, leaning in toward the luggage with bright, eager eyes. Jayu followed close, practically hovering beside her. Both of them looked like little kids waiting for a secret to be revealed.
Tomori froze for a moment, a single bead of sweat slides down one the side of her face.
"Ah... umm... just stuff,"
She said quickly, tugging the luggage closer before either of them could peek.
The zipper's sound sliced through the quiet room.
Ziiiiiiiiiiiiip—
The bag opened, its contents catching the light.
"Hoh!!!"
Kara and Jayu gasped together, eyes wide.
"So organized!"
Tomori rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish laugh.
"Hehe..." She really didn't expect that kind of reaction.
For a brief second, she looked at them—these two curious faces—and couldn't help but feel a bit proud of her neat packing skills. Then, something hit her. Something important. Her eyes went wide.
"Oh!"
She dove both hands into the bag, rummaging through folded clothes and carefully packed items. Her heart started to race a bit faster the more she dug.
"HOH!" She gasped.
"Hmm?"
Kara and Jayu leaned closer, their heads nearly bumping together.
Tomori's hand finally found what it was looking for. She yanked it out, scattering her once-organized clothes all over the bed in the process.
She raised the item high above her head, like some kind of divine relic.
"MY PHONE!!!"
She shouted, eyes gleaming with triumph.
Kara and Jayu stared at it as though she'd just summoned a forbidden artifact.
"A phone!"
They said at the same time.
Tomori was already tapping away at it, the screen lighting up her face with that familiar glow she'd missed.
"You guys haven't seen a phone?"
She asked, genuinely surprised.
"Mama said I'm not allowed,"
Jayu replied, almost pouting.
"I've seen my classmates use them... but I never had one,"
Kara added softly.
Tomori blinked. Her expression softened.
"Poor things..." she thought to herself as she smiled a little.
She placed the phone down gently on the bed. Kara and Jayu's eyes followed it like a pair of curious kittens. They looked completely mesmerized.
Tomori went back to her luggage, trying to re-pack what she just destroyed.
"Agh, crap..."
She muttered under her breath.
"I made a mess... my undies are everywhere..."
Then, a sudden movement. Barely noticeable, but enough to send a small jolt through her.
She froze mid-fold.
Slowly, she turned her head toward the corner of the room.
There it was — the faint twitch of a finger.
Kirashi.
Tomori's eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward, staring in silence. His hand moved again, this time more clearly.
He was waking up.
Tomori exhaled, calm but wary, as if already anticipating the stupidity about to follow.
Like any experienced kunoichi, Tomori's hands moved in quick succession, hiding every piece of clothing she owned — anything no boy was allowed to see.
Kirashi grunted as he woke, pressing his forehead with one hand as he sat up.
"Aw god... I passed out..."
His eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was Tomori staring at him from atop the bed with that same suspicious glare, while Kara and Jayu leaned over something on the blanket.
"Ugh... aH!"
Suddenly, Kirashi shot up, finger pointed straight at Tomori.
"I'M NOT GAY!"
There was a pause — then Tomori started laughing, soft at first, then giggling uncontrollably. "Okay, okay! Haha, you've proven yourself!" She teased.
Kirashi blinked.
"Eh? Wait... I did?"
He muttered to himself, unsure whether to feel proud or confused.
"Hey... what's inside that anyways?"
He asked, nodding at her luggage.
Tomori raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? Didn't I already tell you?"
"N-No?..?"
Tomori scoffed.
"You're kidding..."
But before she could continue, she noticed the two beside her still glued to the bed, eyes locked on something.
"Eh? You guys still into that?"
She asked, leaning in beside them.
"It's not even open though..."
Kirashi crouched closer, trying to peek over the bed.
"What is it?"
"Ah! It's a phone!"
Tomori answered without looking up.
"A phone?"
Kirashi tilted his head.
"Y-yeah..."
Tomori slowly turned toward him, holding the device up as Kara and Jayu followed it like magnetized kittens.
"What is that... a device?"
Kirashi asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Y-yeah? Never seen one?"
She said, though her tone had shifted — the teasing gone, replaced by curiosity.
"Nope. What's it for?"
Tomori smiled faintly.
"Ah, come here."
She set her luggage aside and gestured for him to look closer.
Kirashi knelt by the bed, hands resting on the frame as he watched her thumb press the side button.
The screen blinked to life. Kara, Jayu, and Kirashi all gasped in unison.
"Hohhhh!"
"It's like a comms!"
Kirashi exclaimed.
Tomori shrugged.
"Nah... not really. Comms are tracked. These are too, but..."
She paused for a second, eyes narrowing in thought,
"You're a bit more free with them."
Her gaze drifted over the three of them staring at the glowing screen like it was alien technology.
"They're so interested in something everyone has..."
She thought. Then she glanced at Kirashi.
"Kirashi doesn't even know they exist... but he knows about comms..."
Her brows furrowed slightly. She turned her head.
"Kira-san?"
Kirashi looked up at her.
"Yeah?"
"Where are you from?"
she asked.
He smiled, quick to answer.
"Ah! I'm from Okinawa!.. Same with Kara and Itoshi!"
"Eh..."
Tomori turned to Kara and she asked.
"Oh! You're from Okinawa too?.."
Kara turned to Tomori and she nods with a smile.
Tomori blinked slowly.
Her thoughts wandered again, quietly.
"Okinawa has them too... so how come Kirashi doesn't know about phones... yet he knows comms?"
She frowned.
"Strange... Kara-san knows about the phone.. But how come he doesn't.."
Kirashi suddenly noticed how hard Tomori was staring at him.
He smirked.
"Hoh?.. Are you falling in love with me, sexy kunoichi-san~"
He teased.
Tomori sighed, eyes closed.
"Nah. That's disgusting."
Heartbroken, Kirashi shouted,
"Mean!"
"Well... you're a good fighter though,"
Tomori said as she turned away. No blush. No interest. Just facts.
"Then why are you staring so hard?!"
Another sigh.
"This guy is so loud..."
Jayu froze, a shiver crawling down her spine.
"W-wait till he gets with Itoshi-nii..."
Tomori turned, curious.
"Eh?.. Do they not get along?"
Now Kara shivered.
"Nope... they get along a little too well."
Tomori gave them both a look.
"You two look like you've seen things."
"Mornings aren't normal because of them,"
Jayu muttered.
"They always shout about and such..."
"Oi! Why are you guys frontstabbing me?!"
Kirashi barked, but no one heard him.
Tomori blinked.
"Wait, seriously?... Flame boy's noisy?"
"Koya?..."
Kara shrugged, looking tired.
"Ngeh..."
Tomori smirked to herself.
"What a first impression he made..."
Tomori was suddenly reminded of everything she'd gone through with Itoshi so far. None of it left a good impression—most were arguments, pushbacks, and stubborn pride back when they were still in Nagasaki.
She closed her eyes, sighed, then smiled faintly.
"Well... those don't matter anymore. After all..."
The memory of that same morning flashed in her mind—how it ended.
"Everything's alright already."
She paused, mid thought and she muttered.
"You know what.."
She looked at the three people currently surrounding her at the moment, one by one.
Kara, Jayu, and Kirashi all turned to her.
She took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for something new.
Then—
She stood up on her bed, one hand pointed to the ceiling, the other resting on her waist as she declared,
"I want to know about you guys even more!"
Everyone froze, eyes wide as a imaginary light streaked from Tomori's fingers. For a second, they just stared—then, one by one, they smiled.
A small laugh escaped Kara first. Jayu followed. Then even Kirashi chuckled.
In that room, for once, nothing felt heavy.
~~~To be Continued~~~