She sighed, returned to Kita's side, and held out her hand. "Want some dessert? I'm treating today, just this once."
A while later, Kita and Ryo sat beside the wooden table, with Lisa sitting alongside them as they ate freshly baked cake.
(She said she was treating us, but Imai-senpai still made it...) Kita thought as she licked the cream from her lips.
[ Erosion Level...75% ]
Ryo finished eating first. She put down her fork and looked at Kita. "We all know what's on Ikuyo's mind." Although they hadn't witnessed what happened between Ichiri and Shiko, the recent changes in Kita's relationship with those two made it easy enough to guess.
"Yeah." Kita nodded glumly. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I still haven't gotten used to it."
"Now, now." Lisa cut Kita another small plateful. "Feelings are difficult things. If Yukina did something similar, I wouldn't handle it any better. Ryo, if Nijika said, 'Compared to Ryo, Shiko is more important after all,' you'd feel awful too, right?"
Ryo answered without hesitation. "Then I'd just elope with Shiko. Seducing women is an essential skill for band members."
"Pfft." Though quiet, the sound of Kita's laughter still reached them. They both looked over. Kita lowered the hand covering her mouth, and her expression had relaxed considerably. "I think... I'll be able to move on in a few days. Thank you."
"If you keep this up, you'll turn into a gloomy girl, Ikuyo." Ryo propped her cheek on her hand.
"Ehh~ Then there'd only be one Ijichi-senpai left in the band. No way~" Kita began joking around as usual, but the gloomy emotions in her eyes were impossible to hide.
In the distance, the group of four approached with towels hanging around their necks.
"Haa... I feel like I've spent the whole day working at a construction site." Nijika basked in the evening breeze, looking utterly refreshed. The feeling of finally being free after a hard day had become almost addictive.
"Weren't... weren't we actually working at a construction site?" Ako had grown so tired that she was starting to sway.
Shiko and Ichiri followed behind them without saying a word. They had always been like that, so the two in front didn't pay it any mind. Just then, Shiko spotted Kita sitting by the table.
She stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" Ichiri looked at her in confusion. Nijika happened to be blocking her view. Hearing this, Nijika and Ako also stopped and turned around.
"There's something else I wanted to check. You go on ahead." Shiko waved at the three of them and hurried toward the airship.
Ichiri seemed to sense something and looked back, meeting Kita's eyes. Kita immediately looked away. Ichiri glanced at Kita, then at Shiko, who was fleeing toward the airship.
She stood there in confusion, unsure which way to go.
Chapter Four: I'll Do Anything
That evening, Shiko and Nijika returned with relaxed expressions that seemed to say, "Finally, it's over."
"We're done!" they announced. Everyone put down their bowls and cheered. During the pause, they had already finished exploring the surrounding area, and the unchanging scenery had gradually lost its charm. Being able to get back on the road was naturally something to celebrate.
"Where are the others?" Lisa noticed that several people were missing. Aside from Ryo and Yukina, who were guarding the airship, Ako, who had taken part in its construction, had also failed to return.
"Ako said she wanted to decorate the inside of the airship a little," Shiko explained. "She'll probably be up all night." Since Shiko had become somewhat aware of her own design sense, she had handed all the decorating work over to Ako. Ako had responded with fitting enthusiasm, demanded a sufficient supply of materials from Shiko, and then locked herself inside the cabin.
"Yukina-senpai said everyone should put their luggage beside the airship today, officially move in tomorrow, and then set off," Nijika added.
"Okay~" everyone agreed, speeding up their eating. Lisa carried two portions of food over from beside the stove. "Eat up. I kept them warm."
"Thanks for the food." The two lowered their heads and shoveled down their meals, devouring them with astonishing speed and no elegance whatsoever. They had eaten like this throughout the past two days of construction work.
The two of them actually finished eating at the same time as everyone else.
After dinner, everyone went to move the crates. Shiko and Nijika wanted to help too, but Sayo stopped them. "You've worked hard these past two days. Leave the rest to us." The two readily accepted and sat down to rest nearby.
"Haah... Let me lie down for a while." Nijika collapsed beneath a palm tree. The moment she lay down, she saw a coconut hanging above her head, swaying precariously. She quickly scrambled back up, dusted off her skirt, and said to Shiko, "I'll go pick some fruit nearby." Shiko nodded and watched her disappear into the depths of the forest.
The evening breeze after work was especially refreshing. It swept through the trees with a rustling sound that made their hearts itch. Shiko sat where she was, staring blankly at the sky. After a while, Kita came over alone, carrying a crate and wearing a backpack. When she saw Shiko, her expression shifted several times. In the end, she still nodded before slowly walking away.
Kita's arms were a little sore. Carrying the heavy crate while wearing a backpack, she soon began to struggle, having barely invested any points in [Physique]. Fortunately, the airship was already close. It was entirely white, with a simple yet beautiful streamlined design. The logos of Kessoku Band and Roselia were painted on its wings, giving it a modern feel utterly different from the wooden raft and hot-air balloon they had used before.
A person stood beneath the airship, looking like a tiny ant beside it. As Kita drew closer, she saw that it was Yukina. Ryo stood on the other side. A crate had already been placed beside Yukina.
"Put it here." Yukina pointed at the crate beside her.
"Okay." Kita set down the crate and backpack, then let out a long breath and wiped away her sweat. "There isn't much left."
"Mm." Yukina nodded. "Thanks for the effort."
Kita hurried back. Without the burden, her steps felt much lighter. She gradually entered the depths of the forest, where not a single person could be seen. Following the markers they had made over the past two days, she headed toward their usual campsite.
Suddenly, she stopped. Her expression turned cold as she spun around, sparks already beginning to flare around her.
The forest was utterly silent. But Kita didn't relax her vigilance in the slightest. Suddenly, several vines shot out of the darkness straight at her! Flames incinerated them in an instant, then followed the vines back toward their source—
"Wait, wait, wait! I was only joking, only joking." Shiko leaped out of the bushes, covered in dust.
When Kita saw her, she froze slightly, but soon regained her indifferent expression. It had softened just a little. Without saying a word, she extinguished the flames around her body. Seeing her reaction, Shiko hesitated again and again before taking the initiative. "Uh... I came to... talk about something." She tried to take a step closer.
Kita didn't move. "Mm. What is it?"
"It's... about Ichiri."
Kita closed her eyes. "...There's nothing to discuss. I never had a chance to begin with." She turned around, apparently having lost interest.
[ Erosion Level...80% ]
"Wait!" Shiko shouted. Kita stopped. Shiko opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words for a moment. What could she say? Kita liked Ichiri, and Ichiri liked her. Was she supposed to say, "I won't monopolize Ichiri"? That would be a grave insult, both to Ichiri and to Kita. Yet even so, although Shiko did indeed have feelings for Ichiri beyond friendship and idolization, toward Kita—
"I... I don't want to lose Kita."
Shiko walked behind Kita. "If this were reality, Kita would have already left the band, right? I... can't imagine Kessoku Band without you."
Kita shook her head with her back to Shiko. "I wouldn't. Even if we returned to reality, I still wouldn't leave the band. Even if it meant keeping my distance from Gotou-san for the rest of my life, I still wouldn't leave her."
"Even so, I don't want to grow distant from you, Kita!" Shiko felt as if she were practically whining at Kita. She didn't know what else to do, so she laid her feelings bare in the hope of winning Kita's forgiveness. "I like Ichiri, but I like Kita just as much! I like Nijika! I like Ryo! I like everyone! I don't want to become awkward with the others because of any one person—what am I supposed to do?! If there's anything I can do, I'll do anything!" She drew closer and grabbed Kita's hand.
Kita paused slightly, then turned around and gently stroked Shiko's face. A trace of sorrow appeared on her face. "I've never hated Wu-san, and Wu-san has never owed me anything. No matter what you do, it won't change anything. Gotou-san chose you from the very beginning. I was simply too late. That's all."
She lowered her hand, turned away again, and gently pulled her other hand free from Shiko's grasp as she began to walk. "I still consider Wu-san my friend—one of my best friends. The one who's grown distant is me."
"Maybe I really am turning into a gloomy girl."
[ Erosion Level...90% ]
Kita's figure vanished into the night.
"I..." Shiko wanted to chase after Kita, but her feet refused to move.
The forest was pitch-black, filled with nothing but terrifying shadows. The wind swept through the trees, producing a mournful, sobbing howl.
In the distance, two people could be heard murmuring.
"Ah, it's going to fall... Thank you, Sayo."
"No problem. Carrying two crates at once is a little difficult."
"Yeah. But when someone's beside you, it's so much easier."
The next day, everyone discovered that Shiko had put on a reddish-orange wig, tied it with a hair ribbon, and changed into a school uniform first thing in the morning. Ryo said it was Sayori's outfit from Doki Doki Literature Club. When asked why, Shiko didn't answer. She simply spoke and acted like Sayori, energetic and adorably airheaded, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. Kita chatted and laughed with everyone as usual, and still naturally maintained an appropriate distance from Ichiri. Compared with the previous few days, she seemed to be doing much better.
"Under sunny skies and gentle breezes, today we gather here... Ah, forget it, I'm not reading this!" Shiko tossed aside the script in her hand. "We hereby announce the start of the housewarming ceremony! Clap, clap!"
A wave of laughter rose from below the stage. Shiko stood on the newly assembled platform. Behind her was a cleared patch of ground, almost entirely occupied by the magnificent airship. Aside from this meaningless ceremony, all that remained was moving the luggage inside—only a few crates of instruments.
"Everyone, go inside and take a look!" Shiko waved to the others, then raised her right hand and knocked on the cabin wall. On the side of the cabin, a sealed door slowly opened. A series of steps extended from within and gradually lowered until they rested on the ground.
Ako stood behind the door in an exaggerated chuunibyou pose. "'Eternal Night,' Seien Sie herzlich willkommen."
Lisa tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
Ako wilted. "A warm welcome..."
Apparently, staying up all night hadn't affected her energy in the slightest.
Shiko energetically led the others into the spotless cabin, introducing each room and facility one by one.
The cabin had two floors. The first floor contained a recording studio, a dining room, and a recreation room. The second floor contained thirty luxury guest rooms—noble and lavish, satisfying all of Shiko's beautiful fantasies about upper-class life. Naturally, she hadn't neglected security either. Emergency escape devices could be found throughout the cabin. Every room was interconnected, the windows in the walls could be opened with screws at any time, and the design made combat convenient.
"Everything's great, but... isn't it a little too dark?" Kita said. An oil lamp was embedded in the wall every few steps, and those lamps were the only source of light in the place. Their pitiful flames illuminated only tiny patches, leaving most of the area shrouded in darkness.
"Well... I did try to set up an electrical system, but it's wind-powered. It won't work until the Kyuushuu-go takes flight." Shiko waved her hand, then pulled out a section of golden jade slip and lit it up, illuminating part of the area.
"Eek!" Kita and Nijika immediately huddled together. Most of the decorations were skeletons, demons, and the like. They weren't in a Halloween style, but instead resembled something from a Western horror film. Although they had already encountered plenty of stranger and more frightening monsters, suddenly seeing decorations like these in such a place still startled them.
Shiko immediately looked toward Ako. Ako proudly raised her head. When Ako had asked her for so many dark-themed decorations the previous night, Shiko had already sensed something ominous. Now it had been confirmed: Ako had stayed up all night and successfully transformed their future home into the Demon Lord's Castle.
Besides, when she thought about it, wasn't "Kyuushuu-go" a much cooler name?
"What's this?" Ryo had remained unaffected by the decorations. She walked to the wall and pressed a protruding button. A piercing alarm immediately rang throughout the entire space. Everyone hurriedly covered their ears. Shiko waved her hand, and the alarm stopped.
This time, Ako took over the explanation. "When the button is pressed, the surface of the enchanted material generates a signal and transmits it to a device, which uses it as an alarm. In this state, the enchantment will also react automatically, sacrificing its duration in exchange for maximizing the reinforcement of the airship's structure."
They arrived at the command center at the front of the airship, Polaris. It was roughly the size of a conference room. Aside from the portholes, it contained a ship's wheel, numerous displays and consoles, and all kinds of knobs and control levers. "It looks like it would take at least a dozen people to operate this," Yukina said.
Ako hurriedly explained, "No, no, all these consoles are just for show. They only look cool."
"Was all of this... Wu-san's idea?" Rinko walked over to the console and discovered that there really weren't any labels beside the buttons.
"Mm." Ako looked toward Shiko and found her staring intently at Kita with an expressionless face. "Shiko-san?" she reminded her.
"Ah, yes." Shiko came back to herself, restored her energetic liveliness, and continued leading the tour. "All right, let's go to the next place!"
"Shiko?" Yukina sensed something was wrong, but Shiko didn't respond.
Ryo followed at the back of the group. There was something she hadn't said before:
Sayori was a character with severe depression.
Chapter Five: Even So
Star Picking
I had looked up at the starry sky countless times
Its colors were as vivid as a rainbow
I remembered every single star
One day, like a child
I tried to touch the stars
But accidentally hurt one nearby
The star began to cry, its sorrow like a song
Bumping into one another, chaos spread everywhere
What should I do?
Tell me.
When Ichiri woke up, she found a poem beside Shiko's pillow. She hadn't intended to peek, but she couldn't resist and secretly picked it up.
Ichiri silently followed behind Shiko. Together, they toured every room in near darkness.
"All right, everyone, go bring the luggage up now!" Shiko returned to the exit and was about to walk out.
"Wait!" Ichiri, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly tugged on Shiko's clothes.
"?" Shiko turned around. Everyone looked at Ichiri as well. Ichiri lowered her head and spoke timidly. "Kita-san too... could she wait a moment?"
"Huh?" Kita clutched at her chest.
Seeing this, Yukina walked around Shiko and stepped forward. "Then let's go move the luggage first." Everyone understood. They filed out one after another, and soon only Ichiri, Shiko, and Kita remained in the cabin.
"Is... there something you wanted to say, Gotou-san?" Kita tried to force a smile. It didn't quite work.
Ichiri turned around and suddenly bowed deeply to Kita. "I'm sorry, Kita-san!"
"Huh...? Why are you suddenly..."
"After that day, I never properly talked things over with you, Kita-san."
Kita's pupils trembled as her expression darkened. "There's no need to talk anymore."
[ Erosion Level...95% ]
"We have to!" Ichiri suddenly shouted, cutting off everything Kita had been about to say. "Because of my selfishness, I hurt everyone. That's wrong!"
"..." Kita and Shiko fell silent.
Ichiri took a step forward and grabbed Kita's hand. "I said before that Shiko was my sun."
"The sun is warm and magnificent, but it isn't the only thing I have."
"I don't regret accepting Nijika's invitation, joining the band, and meeting you, Kita-san."
"When I first met you, Kita-san, I didn't dare speak to you at all. You seemed so bright that a creature like me would turn to ash the moment I got close."
"What are you supposed to say at a time like this..." Kita didn't want to remember what had happened back then.
Before you continue