1
Joining with everyone else at the table, I noticed there seemed to be someone missing.
"I asked Kaede if she wouldn't mind going to my parents' house in Yokohama a little earlier tonight, I figured it would be for the best."
Sakuta spoke up as I had looked around the table, noticing the empty chair. I nodded, still a bit shaken up from my encounter with Kyoko.
Mai and Rio had a look of concern on their face, clearly Sakuta had given them a brief rundown after he had left his post outside the bathroom door. Rio spoke up first.
"If it's any consolation, tomorrow will be a fresh start and that the whole situation will have never actually happened, unless you boys plan to romp around the beach again."
I cracked a slight smile, appreciative of the effort. Mai, however, was a bit harsher.
"Just because she's upset, she shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. Unfortunately, you can't exactly expect an apology. But the nerve of her, if she knew what you were going through..."
Sakuta cut her off, placing his hand on hers.
"It is what it is. I think it's best if we move on to hopefully better news, you do have some better news for us, right Futaba?"
I noticed that instead of the one notebook that she had brought to lunch, she now had three stacked in front of her.
Rio quickly flipped through the first notebook in the stack, finding her starting point.
"In regards to having an ultimate solution, I'm sorry to say I don't have one for you. But I think I may have found a way to merge the two versions of you once you figure out how to save her."
I immediately sat up. True, saving Sakura was my ultimate goal. But what if I saved her only to still wake up trapped in this loops? Trying to not sound over excited, I asked the only question that mattered.
"What do I have to do?"
Rio pulled the magnets she used during our lunch out of her pocket.
"You remember what I said regarding how you essentially are reversed from Sakura? Well, again this is just a theory, but it may be possible to reverse that effect which should merge the two versions of you back to one."
She flipped a few more pages in her notebook before continuing.
"Throughout history, medicine has been practiced both through pharmaceutical as well as natural ways, and sometimes considered mystical methods. I don't think you'll be able to go to a pharmacy and pick up a prescription, but after doing some research, I found references throughout history of medicine of men treating cases that couldn't be explained any other way than unnatural."
I felt a shiver as she spoke those words, as though we were speaking of things that were best left undiscovered. She had turned the notebook around so the rest of us could see. On the open pages, there was an anatomical photo of a man, with lines pointing out specific areas of the body. I tried to read what they said, but it was too small for me to make it out clearly.
"Acupuncture has been used as a healing method for years, but from my research it looks like things were done to focus on a more metaphysical level in those days. Most of this research is buried and hard to find, thankfully the lab I work at has a direct access line to the local municipal office, so we are able to access it."
I thought about all of the needles used during acupuncture, and instinctively flinched. I never had an issue with needles before, getting shots over the years was never a big deal. But simply having a needle in your arm for a few moments was a lot less scarier than having to lay down with dozens of needles in your body.
"Don't worry, it wouldn't require a ton of needles like normal acupuncture, but it still will require using a decent amount."
She turned the page again, this time showing a similar photo but with certain areas highlighted.
"From the research, these would be the areas required for this to work."
I quickly counted how many spots were highlighted, giving up once I got to thirty.
"And how sure are you that this would work?"
She quickly did some mental math.
"I give this plan a 60% of working. It's not perfect, I'll admit it. There's some more steps involved but none of them have anything like needles being poked into you."
Once again, she flipped the page in the notebook. Now, there were notes about different ancient rituals.
"As far as any other supplies, it's simple things like incense, Himalayan salt to be placed around your body, and a personal object that belongs to the other you."
I tried to think through the few things I had brought from my home, wondering what I had that might work.
"Uhh… I don't have my ID with me right now. Would that work if I had it?"
Rio shook her head.
"You need something special, it has to have some meaning to you. An ID might be personal, but do you have any sort of connection to it?"
She was right. If I ever lost my ID I would be upset for sure, but I could always get it replaced. Mentally going through everything I had brought with me, I couldn't seem to think of anything that would work. But then I had an idea, though terrible it may be.
"No, but I know something I could grab from my house instead."
I expected someone to immediately shoot my idea down, but the reaction I got was much different.
"Can you get it without being spotted by anyone there?"
Sakuta was the first one to raise a question.
I nodded, recalling how I had previously gone back to grab some supplies.
"Though I would appreciate if someone else came with me and grabbed it, I know exactly where the item is. I just want to play it safe. But… the problem is that my home is in Takaoka. We might have missed the final train from Fujisawa."
Then, Mai came up with an idea.
"We can go to Takaoka in my car. It'll be bit of a long journey but we'll reach there at the perfect time to get the things we require."
I hated the idea of having to involve any of them this much, especially as it would technically be breaking and entering if they were caught.
Much to my surprise, Sakuta and Rio nodded.
"It may not be a solution you feel comfortable asking, but it is smarter this way."
Mai looked over to Sakuta, waiting for his input.
"She's right, it would be pointless to do all this day after day only to make a mistake now."
Rio nodded, adding in her own point.
"We can use earpieces and have you guide whoever goes inside, it beats having to explain everything beforehand and hope it goes well like some bad heist movie."
As always, she thought logically about the issue at hand.
There was just one question left to ask. I looked at each of them.
"So who's willing to come with me?"
The three of them looked at each other, before looking back to me. Sakuta smirked.
"Isn't it obvious? We'll all go together."
Mai drove her car throughout the whole journey. After a couple of hours, we reached Takaoka and soon found ourselves headed towards my house.
Sakuta was the one who would be heading inside the house, Mai was going to be our lookout, while Rio would be standing by with me on the phone call with Sakuta.
"Sakuta, dear, please be careful when you're inside. Everything rests with you."
Mai was clearly worried, though whether that was simply due to the love for her fiancé or that perhaps he was a bit clumsy when trying to be sneaky.
He reached down and grabbed her hand, trying to reassure her and perhaps calm his own nerves.
"Hey! I managed to sneak out from the hospital once, not to say that I was injured pretty badly on the chest. I can manage this ok?"
The two lovers drew slightly ahead, leaving Rio and me to walk together.
"So you've thought this over correct? It's risky doing this, the last thing we want is to end up grabbing the wrong item."
Clearly, Rio was thinking much further ahead than just the next step. Nodding, I told her my plan.
"I see, I'm glad you've put some thought into this. Let's just keep our fingers crossed then."
I pulled out the phone Mai had let me borrow, the one I had bought was still ultimately useless having no minutes on it.
"I was worried that we might cause some issues by using her work phones, but I suppose a few minutes of talking won't matter come the morning anyway."
Rio laughed at that.
"We wouldn't be able to attempt merging you back tonight anyway, so you could go crazy and call anyone in the world. They wouldn't notice it tonight with how late it is, and as you said that next morning it won't matter."
It was just before midnight when we reached the house. I had thought about delaying the visit later, but I knew by now everyone would be asleep in the house. No reason to keep everyone else awake any longer than necessary.
Sakuta pulled out his ear phones, connecting it to his personal cell phone and Mai gave me and Rio two of her earpieces to connect them to my borrowed phone. Once he had it situated, I gave him a call.
"Check check, can you hear me?"
Sakuta had placed his hand by his mouth, trying to avoid any unnecessary volume as he spoke. I was standing only a few feet away from him, but the only sound I heard from him came through the phone I was holding.
"I hear you, loud and clear."
Mai squeezed his hand one last time, before heading to her assigned post to keep watch. Rio had already gone to her post, and before long they too were on the call as well. They were positioned to see if any lights in the house came on, there would be enough ambient light inside the house that Sakuta should have no problem making his way to my room.
I walked over to the door with him, unlocking it with the spare key I had taken the day before yesterday. Slowly opening the door, we managed to avoid any noises that would give us away. Sakuta flashed me a thumbs up before heading inside, and I too moved towards my post.
The sound of Sakuta's breathing filled the receiver, as I stood waiting.
"You'll need to head up the stairs, the fourth step from the bottom will creak so you need to avoid using it."
"Got it."
His reply was a whisper, trying to be a stealthy as possible.
It was a full two minutes before the sound of his voice came back.
"I'm at the top floor now, which room is it?"
"The right door, you'll only be able to open it halfway before the hinges start making any noise."
I could almost sense his eyes rolling.
"Next you'll tell me I have to place an object quickly when I grab yours or a boulder will start chasing me down the stairs."
Immediately, Mai chimed in shushing him.
"If you ruin this by trying to tell some silly jokes, then you'll regret it. I'll even make sure to have a reminder in my letter every day until this is all over."
At times, I wondered just what kind of relationship they had. I'm sure it was just playful banter, but there was a part of me that wondered if it wasn't.
Sakuta was silent at that, the only sound coming from him was his breathing once again.
"The first item is going to be on the nightstand next to my bed, it should be the only book on it if things are how they were last time I was in the house."
Sakuta was silent for a moment.
"I see it, hey I think we have this book too. Woah Haruki… you never told me that you had such a cool action figure…"
Haruki was a bit embarrassed and whispered.
"W-Well, my dad bought me once when I was small… I never played with it since I never had any interest in stuff like those..."
Mai interrupted us with another shushing noise, not happy about his extra commentary.
"Thin ice mister! Hide your inner child for now… baka."
I could hear him gulp.
"Okay I have the book, what's next?"
I tried to recall where the other item would be.
"In the closet there's a set of drawers. The second from the top should have a card box."
Sakuta was silent for a moment.
"It's not in here."
Immediately, I began to panic. Where could it be then? Then I realized where it could be, and felt my spirit sink just a little lower.
"This might not work, but it might be under the pillow the other me is using."
I could tell from the silence that everyone was shocked. Rio was the first to speak up.
"This seems extremely risky, but it's a bigger risk to only have one item and it ends up being a bust."
She was right, this would be pointless if the item we grabbed didn't work.
"Sakuta, do you think you can get it? If not then we'll have to think of something else you can grab."
Mai sounded concerned, any lingering teasing was erased.
"Sakuta?"
He was still silent.
"Please tell me you're not trying to grab it right now. Sakuta?"
"Sorry, no. I was trying to see if there was any sign of him waking up. I think I can get it, trust me."
At this point, we could only have faith in him. I cursed myself for not thinking harder earlier, convinced that this would be an easy in and out. All three of us whispered a prayer, hoping it would be enough to protect him.
It was silent for a few moments, then we heard Sakuta once again.
"I checked the edge of the pillow, I think I felt it. But there's a small part of the box that's underneath his head. If you're positive about needing this, I'll go for it."
I could feel the pressure of the decision. One mistake could cause a lot of problems, but the risk would have to be taken.
"Go for it."
Those three words left my mouth, hanging in the air around me. I prayed again, wishing Sakuta any and all luck that I could muster up.
From the receiver, I could hear a sharp intake of air from Sakuta.
"Azusagawa… if it's too much you can still abort."
Rio sounded more concerned for him at that moment than I ever heard before. Still, there was no response. I knew he wouldn't risk making any more noise than necessary, but the silence was deafening.
As I was about to tell him to just forget it and quickly try and find another option, we heard his voice once again.
"I really hope I get compensated for this, this really was nerve-racking."
The three of us outside the house gave a small cheer. Sakuta then whispered.
"Sweet dreams Haruki…"
I got lost for a second there.
"What?"
"Nothing. I meant the other one. Alright I'm heading back down now, which stair was I need to avoid again?"
I quickly reminded him, elated that this was actually going well. It wasn't until I saw the front door open that I allowed myself to relax. We ended the call, and the four of us regrouped down the street from the house.
Mai was shaking, her worry over Sakuta breaking through her normally calm exterior. Sakuta was sweating, finally giving up and sitting down against the wall. Rio didn't say anything, merely placing a hand on his shoulder before joining Sakuta against the wall.
"So what was the big worry about? You had us thinking you had been caught?"
Mai stood next to Sakuta, running her hands through his hair to give him a small scalp massage. Finally catching his breath, Sakuta looked up.
"I almost was, or at least I thought I was about to be. He had started turning over in his sleep, right as I started to try and grab the box. Thankfully he ended up rolling in the other direction, so the box was even easier to grab."
He took the small satchel from his shoulders and handed it over to me.
"Do you wanna check to make sure? I'd hate to get back only to find out it was the wrong one."
I grabbed the bag from him, tentatively pulling the zipper open. Inside, sat two items. I gingerly pulled out the first item, afraid that if I was too hasty it would somehow ruin the item. The box was a little worn down, having been snuck into my bag quickly since Kyoko caught me and Sakura hugging after my visit to the hospital one time.
I recalled the last cards flipped from the deck, the Queen and 10 number cards seared into my memory. That's the time when I asked her,
"What does living meant from her point of view?"
I can never forget the answer she revealed to me that day.
Then, the 6 and 7 number cards were below those two cards on the top, when Sakura asked me that unforgettable question during our overnight trip.
I closed my eyes, and I could hear her voice.
"If I told you that I was really scared to die, what would you do?"
I was scared to say anything, unable to open myself up that quickly.
"Ask me that again after this is over, I swear I'll have an answer this time."
I placed the box back into the bag, and pulled out the second item. Just as Sakuta had said, they did have the same book at their apartment. But the copy of "The Little Prince" I held in my hands was the only one I could consider reading. I tapped the book against my forehead lightly, saying a small thank you to Sakura for the book, as well as her sneaky way of giving me the cards.
I put the book back into the bag, zipping it up before putting it around my shoulder. The three of them looked to me, waiting to hear whether the trip was a success or not. I felt tears forming in my eyes as I smiled.
"We did it guys."
Mai pulled Sakuta to his feet, hugging him tightly. I couldn't hear the words they said to one another, but those words weren't for me anyway. Rio came over to me, grinning.
"Well I wish I could say the hard part is over, but we both know that's not the case."
I nodded, as much as this was a good thing, there was still more work to do.
"However, this was arguably the riskiest part of the plan, aside from the acupuncture itself. You did a good job guiding him."
I started to say how it wasn't a big deal, but Sakuta came over and patted me on the back.
"I knew it would turn out alright, I had faith in you guys."
I gave back Mai's work phone and her ear piece that I borrowed. Even though the situation had felt like it had taken hours, it had still taken them close to an hour since they had first arrived outside the house.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am exhausted. Shall we head back then?"
Sakuta replied.
"Fine. I'll drive then. You guys take some rest."
We trudged along, tired but elated that the plan went off without a hitch. Yet for some reason, I still felt uneasy about the whole situation.
I had tried to place where the feeling was coming from, but there was nothing I could figure out to be the cause. I simply chalked it up to the events of the night still tugging on my nerves. Rio pulled up alongside me as we got inside the car.
"I know it's a bit late, but there's something you'll need to do once we get back to Fujisawa."
She pulled out a highlighter from her pocket and handed it over to me.
"There's a reason I made two copies of that sheet, I didn't want to risk losing it and having to dig up the information all over again"
I took the highlighter from her, but then thought of something.
"Would it still work even if you printed the paper?"
She shrugged.
"It's a 50/50 chance, granted. But remember, the letters you wrote out came from my notebook paper. So if I'm right, it won't matter as long as you're the one that does the marking on the paper."
She had a valid point, and I felt a little silly for not realizing it.
"Don't worry about it, I know you have a lot on your mind. You did a great job tonight, and your idea to get two items was even better than I could have hoped."
At this point I began to wonder if she was psychic. But she never gave a hint whether that was the case, so I let the thought go.
2
Our slow victory march finally took us to the apartment. I expected Rio to say her goodbyes before reaching the apartment, but she came up in the elevator with us.
"Do you think your sister would mind if I used her room for the night? Since I don't have to walk early in the morning from my home again to explain me things."
Sakuta nodded.
"It's not as if you'll really be sleeping there, so I'm sure it'll be okay."
Sakuta and Mai headed towards the couch and immediately fell asleep, while Rio and I went to the kitchen where she had left her notebooks. Quickly opening the top one back open to where the drawings were, she pulled them out and handed both of them to me.
"It's a quick job, like I said you just need to copy the same places that I highlighted."
Then she too headed towards Kaede's room for the night, and I was alone. The copying took only a moment, but I took the time to study the areas she had highlighted.
Taking the copy I had marked up, I headed towards Sakuta's bedroom. I placed the bag down, and took out the two items from it and placed them with my other belongings. The last thing I needed was to wake up only to find the items were gone because they weren't in the right bag.
For some reason, I didn't have any sleep in my eyes. I don't know why but I got up and went outside the apartment to get some fresh air only to find Sakuta standing there as well. He looked at me.
"Oh! You're still awake? Any problems?"
"No… I just couldn't get asleep. Maybe the rush of adrenaline is still kicking in from the recent events."
Sakuta laughed.
"Haha! Same here."
Then he looked into the night sky. Air breezing over us. I then apologised to him.
"Sorry if your sleep got ruined because of me."
Sakuta looked at me and smirked.
"Come on! I'm used to this. Before the exams, I always used to pull all nighters. And during Mai-san's syndrome, I did this not to forget her. Eventually I did forget about her but my love for her brought my memories back and save her"
"And I guess I'll still remember you and all the interesting events that happened today if I don't sleep. I don't wanna forget them."
I was curious.
"How are you so sure?"
"When I was solving her case, Futaba once gave me an explanation about Schrodinger's Cat Theory related to our observation to perceive things. One can't be cognizant of another person in their sleep."
I replied.
"So if you would've slept, then…"
"I would've forgotten about you and the existence of today's events… just like in the same way how people were forgetting about Mai-san and her existence back in the day"
"I see."
Sakuta breath some fresh air.
"Since we're awake, lets have some chat about how you got to know Sakura."
My eyes lit up and we started having a long discussion about it. Though I left out the important details that I promised her to keep them a secret between us.
Sakuta giggled.
"Man… looks like this girl have a deep knowledge of wisdom underneath even if she acts carefree in front of everyone. Also, you really remind me of my old days during Junior High. We're really similar huh?"
I shrugged.
"At least you're better at forming relationships with others than me. I never even had friends since my childhood before Sakura entered into my life."
"But you accepted Sakura as a friend… heck even someone very close to you as well to go this far for her. At least that's a good start. And who knows? One day, Kyoko will become a friend of yours just like how Sakura wanted."
I nodded and smiled at him.
I was so grateful to finally share my inner thoughts openly to someone other than her, having finally gotten over one of the biggest hurdles in my life.
Just like the day before, I reintroduced myself to Mai and Rio when the morning came. At least Sakuta helped me this time. Rio told us to meet at the lab later on.
Sakuta was waiting by the front door for me, and we once again headed out for day. I wasn't leaving anything to chance today, so we had left much earlier than the past day.
Unfortunately, the elevator was being held on a different floor, so we decided to take the stairs down.
I was so caught up in the moment to make the plans with him for today that by the time I realized we were being ambushed, it was too late.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting here for you?"
I felt my blood freeze as I heard the sound of her voice. I turned slowly, hoping it was all just something I imagined.
That hope was quickly dashed away.
"Wait, aren't you the girl from yesterday evening? Which means you're Sakura's bestie right?"
Sakuta spoke up first, an unamused dead expression at her.
"Well, I'm more of a friend of a friend, wouldn't you say?"
I looked Kyoko in the face when she looked at me. Her eyes were bloodshot, it looked as though she had barely slept.
3
"How did you find even me?"
I had so many questions but before I could ask any more, she held up a hand.
"No! I'm the one that has questions to ask. We're going to have some discussion, and you're going to tell me everything."
We found a park close to the apartment building, Sakuta was wandering around to give the two of us privacy so we could talk. He had offered to stay but I didn't want to make her feel as though we were ganging up on her. She seemed to be in a delicate state currently, I was hoping to avoid tipping the scales in a negative direction.
I could feel her eyes staring through me from across the table that we were sitting at, but found the courage to speak first.
I felt that if she had the opening words here, it would not be a pretty sight.
"How did you know I was in Fujisawa?"
I had so many questions running through my mind, but I had to start somewhere.
"I was following you since yesterday afternoon. After leaving the hospital, I saw you come in here so I knew if I waited eventually you'd come back out. And for some reason, I could see what you're doing if I close my eyes."
She let out a small sneeze.
"That explains how I could also sense and see what you were doing since last night. And the way you got to know about Sakura's news on TV. Did you wait outside all night?"
She was still wearing the same clothes I had seen her in the night before, with just a small bag which most likely contained her wallet, and whatever else girls carried with them on a daily basis. She nodded, then corrected herself.
"I found a 24/7 cafe, and I couldn't go back home. Not after the news..."
She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes again.
"What is going on? Why is it that last night Sakura was dead and this morning I got a good morning text from her?!"
I froze. So she was aware of what happened, but how? No one else had ever reacted to the day repeating itself, what had changed?
"Did you sleep at all?"
She let out a sad laugh.
"Does it look like I did?"
"Well that also explains why you still remember yesterday's events…"
Her bloodshot eyes looked at me, and then through me again.
"Sakura died, but yet somehow she's alive. But you don't seem surprised at all. I want answers! NOW!!!"
Her emotions came through at the end, her frustration and pain evident in her voice.
I sighed. Of all the people I expected to explain things to, she was the last one.
"I don't quite understand how it all happened, but I've lived through today multiple times now. Each day, I've been the only one aware of it… until now."
She was silent, questions on her mind but waiting for my explanation to finish first.
"I was told it has something to do with adolescence syndrome, otherwise this wouldn't be happening. The reason I went to the hospital yesterday was to try and save Sakura from..."
I cut off, unable to say it. Kyoko nodded, perhaps thankful to not be reminded.
"I'm not sure how you managed to be stuck too, maybe because you never slept or maybe because of how powerful your emotions were after you found out."
She looked surprised at that.
"What are you saying, you care that much about her that you got yourself stuck in today? And you say you guys are just friends who get along well, or before that nothing at all. What exactly is she to you?"
I thought back to the time I had spent with Sakura, the lows as well as the highs.
"I'm not sure I can put it into words. We're not lovers, and we're not dating. But I don't think we have something so simple that we can be considered just friends."
"It's like, finding a light on a dark path that illuminates a world that you never knew was there before. Without her, I'd have no one I could consider as a friend. But I can't imagine my life without her in it anymore, she helped me change from who I was to who I am now, even if she would try to say it was my choice all along and she had nothing to do with it."
I looked to Kyoko, and saw tears in her eyes threatening to fall down.
"I... I really wanted a very strong reason to hate you."
She let out, almost sounding ashamed in herself.
"I've known her for years, I've been by her side through countless struggles. I didn't want to see her get hurt by you, when she's already gone through so much."
"I was ready for the day where she would tell me about something bad that you did, but it never came. I hoped for it, desperately waiting for a reason to get you out of her life."
She lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
I was stunned. Here was the one person, besides my encounter with Sakura's ex, Takahiro, who from the start had fought against me and Sakura hanging out together. Sakura had always said that she wanted me and Kyoko to get along, and I had resigned myself to one day being tolerated by Kyoko, if anything.
"You have nothing to apologize before, you were just looking out for her. I understand. But at this point, there are bigger things than our relationship with each other to worry about."
She immediately turned red, but then under what I was saying.
"You're right. I don't think I'm ready to let everything go just yet, but I'm willing to put everything aside… for now."
It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I held out my hand.
"I know we have had our differences, but please help me save her."
She hesitated for a moment, before reaching out and taking my hand.
"I hope you have a plan in mind then."
I called over Sakuta, and nodded.
"We were actually on our way to put something in motion, before you stopped us outside the building. But with you, I think the plan might get a much better chance of succeeding."
Sakuta made his way over to the bench, standing next to me.
"I'm Sakuta Azusagawa by the way. Azusagawa from 'Azusagawa Service Area' and Sakuta from "Hanasaku Tarou". Nice to meet you."
I giggled a bit. He held out his hand, and Kyoko shook it with a weird expression looking at him.
"I'm Kyoko Takimoto… e-even though I have zero ideas about how to describe my name like yours though. Also, sorry for the sudden appearance this morning and yesterday"
She looked back to me.
"So what's this plan of yours?"
I briefly caught her up on everything relevant while going towards the station and our way towards Takaoka, including some of the theories that Rio had. Then a thought came to mind.
"So if you never slept last night, then there won't be a second you running around."
Kyoko looked a bit confused, but nodded.
"No, I couldn't sleep. I drank a lot of coffee and energy drinks, that and the pain did the trick."
She gave a small sad smile.
"So why didn't you pick me? I'm aware we had our differences, but I would do anything for Sakura!"
"Well I didn't know how to contact you since I never had your number, and I couldn't afford to go back to the hospital again to find you there. I was already too late before, I didn't want to be late again."
She nodded in agreement.
"I suppose that makes sense."
She got up from the bench, waiting for us to get the hint.
"Hey. I have an idea. Wouldn't it be better if I gave Miyata-kun a call then?"
I asked.
"You mean that classmate of ours who gives away gums to others?"
"Yeah. Just because you saw him there before on the way towards the café that day, you could end up getting towards Sakura's home too early or too late and waste today as well."
She did have a point. Sakuta and I got up, and followed Kyoko.
She took out her phone and dialled Miyata's number.
"Hey, it's Kyoko. I need a favor from you, can you meet me?"
"..."
"Okay, I can head to you then. I'll see you in a little bit."
She hung up the phone back up and turned to us.
"He has his brothers with him, so we'll have to go meet him. But luckily they aren't too far away from here."
She turned and started walking, and Sakuta and I fell in line behind her. Beside me, Sakuta nudged my arm and whispered.
"So I take it you guys managed to smooth things over for now?"
I nodded.
"Well for now she's focused on saving Sakura. Everything else can wait until after."
He mused that over.
"I'm sure Futaba would be very interested in hearing about this development, I'll have to give her an update once we meet up with this gum guy you mentioned."
Kyoko had looked back, but Sakuta and I had stayed quiet while talking.
"I hate to interrupt, but we're on the clock here. I won't accept any delays, you guys got it?"
We both nodded, not wanting to get any further on her bad side.
We finished the rest of the walk in silence, partially out of respect for not angering Kyoko and partially out of how much this morning had thrown us off balance. When we arrived at the meeting spot, the two younger brothers were nowhere to be found.
"Hey Kyoko, want some gum?"
He then did a quick double take.
"Oh, I wasn't aware you both became friends, though I don't recognize the other guy. Do you guys want some gum too?"
Sakuta and Kyoko declined, but I accepted the offer. I didn't have a reason to turn him down anymore, and he was equally surprised but happy to finally give me a piece.
"Hey… didn't you had a date with Sakura today? I just saw you pass by few minutes ago… but you had different clothes on."
He looked confused. Then he turned to Kyoko.
"Also, you said that you needed a favor, what can I do to help?"
Kyoko and I looked at each other, and she nodded for me to speak first.
"I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I need your help. It's for Sakura."
He raised his eyebrow, but smiled.
"Sure man, what can I do? I guess this means you're finally admitting to being friends with her then, I'm glad."
I was a bit taken aback by his sudden acceptance, but Kyoko took over for me.
"This may sound crazy, but if nothing is done then something bad will happen to her. We need your help to stop that from happening. You need to call her"
He mused it over, looking more confused.
"I don't really get it, but if you need my help then how I can say no."
He thought things over, and nodded.
"Say Kyoko, why don't you give her a call?"
I had thought about mentioning that, but gum boy managed to get the jump on me. She pulled out her phone, showing him the dead phone.
"Oh, well my phone's dead actually"
She lied as she didn't want to waste more time on explaining whatever we're all going through. I think she also won't be able to contact her because of the syndrome that Rio explained with the Flipping magnets theory. He pulled his phone out and handed it to her.
She hesitated for a moment, before taking the phone and dialling the number.
"Wait."
Before she could press the dial button, I had a sudden thought.
"I think it's better if he talks to her. You might not be able to speak to her, because of our situation going on."
He looked confused again, but Kyoko and Sakuta nodded and handed him the phone.
"I don't really get any of this, but if I have to talk to her for you guys then I'll do it."
He pressed the button and waited for her to pick up.
"Hey Sakura, sorry to bother you. I'm here with Kyoko and your friend with another stranger with them, do you have a minute?"
I found myself holding my breath, afraid I might jinx the moment if I made a noise.
"..."
"You're getting ready to go out?"
My eyes opened wide, and I shook my hands to get his attention and shushed.
"You have to tell her not to go out, whatever it takes."
He seemed confused, but relayed the message.
"..."
"Sorry they can't come to the phone right now, but they said it's very important that you don't leave yet."
"..."
"Okay I'll let them know."
He hung up the phone, and put it back into his pocket.
"She said she was getting ready to come meet you, are you sure you couldn't just wait to see her then?"
I shook my head.
"I wish I could explain everything right now, but it would take too long and would just be really confusing."
He shrugged.
"It's a little bit confusing now, but I'm sure you too have your reasons for doing this. She said she can wait for a little bit, so you can head over to her house and see her there."
He took out a piece of gum and stuck it in his mouth.
"Whatever is going on, I hope it works out for you guys."
He began to walk away, giving us a small wave. Kyoko ran up to him before he got away, giving him a hug that surprised both me and Sakuta. She came back, a little red in the face.
"Say anything to Sakura and you're dead."
Sakuta held his hands up in a mock surrender.
"I think we should get going, we don't know how long she'll wait."
Kyoko led the way, and I was grateful things had worked out this way. I realized I had no idea if he would even have Sakura's phone number, but fortune seemed to finally be smiling on me.
Kyoko took us through some back alleys, and I had a flashback to the first attempt I had made. Thankfully, this time things actually went in our favor, and before long we found ourselves at the intersection close to her house.
"Have you thought what you are going to say to her?"
I asked as we got closer to the house.
"I'm not going to the house, I don't think I can handle seeing her."
Kyoko's response surprised me, and threw a wrench in my plans.
"I don't think it'll work if it's me, I've tried before but… Do you truly care about her?"
That shut me up. I looked to see Kyoko staring directly at me, something in her changed from before.
"Of course I do, I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't."
Sakuta then interrupted us.
"Then I guess, I'll wait outside the house with Kyoko. This is your chance, Haruki. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to call for us."
She gave a small smile at his statement.
"Yes, I agree with Sakuta here. If you really care about her, you'll do whatever it takes. I'm not saying that I am giving you my blessing, but if Sakura wants you in her life, I just have to accept it no matter how I might feel about it."
She gave me a small push towards the front door.
"Why are you standing there for? She's waiting for you."
I started to apologize, but then remembered what Sakuta had told me.
"Thank you. I know we never had the best start, but I hope after this is all over, we could be friends one day."
She held up a hand.
"One thing at a time, okay? Deal with this, and maybe I'll think better about you."
Her words didn't cut as deep, thanks to the smile on her face. It felt like things were slowly falling into place.
The short walk to the front door felt like the longest walk in my life. Would this really work? What if Rio was right, and I really couldn't reach her? Before I spent too long debating with myself, I had reached the door. I hesitated, before reaching out and rang the doorbell.
"Here goes nothing…"
I thought to myself and gulped before the door opened.