Treating Tomo to a Meal, Watching Ryo Eat Grass

She'd actually come up here in secret to wait for her. Honestly.

Yui Hirasawa's lips curled into a smile.

Since when had Little Qiu gotten so tsundere?

A gust of wind whipped past Yui Hirasawa's ear, lifting her bangs.

"Oh, it's you, Yui! I'm in a huge hurry, see you!"

Yui Hirasawa looked behind her, but the hallway was already empty.

"A... an earthquake?"

Goto Hitori lifted her head and murmured in confusion.

Then she decided to poke her head out and see what was going on.

But two hurried sets of footsteps sounded from above the stairwell.

Goto Hitori was terrified.

She quickly shrank back, then began trembling in sync with the stairs.

Goto Hitori clutched her head and kept praying, They can't see me, they can't see me...

Why was she hiding in a place like this?

Hadn't she already formed a band? Shouldn't she be happily practicing with her bandmates right now?

Surely what had happened a few days ago...

had all been her delusion!

With that thought, Goto Hitori fainted.

In a flash, Takamatsu Tomo ran out of the school building, with Bai Qiu close behind.

"Tomo, wait!"

"Let me explain!"

Bai Qiu steadily closed the distance between himself and Takamatsu Tomo.

Takamatsu Tomo's petite frame wasn't very fast when she ran.

Hearing the voice behind her, Takamatsu Tomo glanced back.

Bai Qiu was catching up.

A struggle flashed in her eyes. Takamatsu Tomo didn't dare face him.

To avoid being caught, Takamatsu Tomo drew a deep breath and tried to speed up.

But running all the way down from the fifth floor had already worn her out.

She could barely catch her breath, but she kept running with all her might.

As a result, she lost focus while looking back and didn't notice what was underfoot.

There was one of her beloved little stones.

But the little stone tripped her.

Takamatsu Tomo stumbled, and it looked as though she was about to fall flat on the ground.

Bai Qiu saw it too, but there was no time to reach her and catch her.

He could only look on anxiously.

Takamatsu Tomo squeezed her eyes shut in fear, but luckily, she instinctively braced herself with her arms to break her fall.

With a thud,

Takamatsu Tomo slid onto the ground.

Bai Qiu caught up and helped her to her feet, asking anxiously, "Tomo, are you okay?"

Takamatsu Tomo's gaze darted away. She seemed reluctant to speak.

Following her gaze, Bai Qiu looked at her pink knee and noticed a little blood seeping through.

"Band-aid, Band-aid."

Bai Qiu felt around, but he didn't have one.

He hadn't kept the Band-aid Takamatsu Tomo gave him on hand. He'd left it at home.

A little awkwardly, Bai Qiu asked, "Tomo, do you have a Band-aid?"

At the mention of a Band-aid, Takamatsu Tomo instinctively pulled one out of her pocket.

Bai Qiu's eyes lit up, and he took it with delight.

But Takamatsu Tomo still looked very downcast.

As Bai Qiu peeled open the cute, patterned Band-aid, he explained,

"Tomo, I wasn't making fun of you just now."

Takamatsu Tomo gave a small response.

Bai Qiu continued, "I just think we can't stay in the club forever."

Why not?

Takamatsu Tomo's eyes dimmed. She didn't say it aloud, but her head drooped even lower, and she drew her foot back.

It seemed she no longer wanted Bai Qiu to put the Band-aid on for her.

Bai Qiu noticed, but instead, he thought she looked a little cute.

He paused and looked up at Takamatsu Tomo with a smile.

"But think about it,"

"once we graduate, we'll automatically leave the Astronomy Club, won't we?"

Takamatsu Tomo raised her head, looking a little dazed.

That made sense, didn't it?

Just like all the upperclassmen had graduated, leaving the Astronomy Club empty.

Seeing that Takamatsu Tomo was listening, Bai Qiu pressed on,

"After graduation, we won't be able to stay in the school's Astronomy Club."

"We can't come back and take over someone else's clubroom, can we?"

"Other people love the stars too."

"Oh, right! If you go to university, there'll be an Astronomy Club there too, and the equipment might be even better."

"I-is that so?"

Takamatsu Tomo thought it over carefully. Bai Qiu's words made sense, and she didn't feel quite so down anymore.

So Qiu didn't hate the Astronomy Club. He was just thinking about the reality that they'd graduate one day.

"Mm-hmm! When have I ever lied to you?"

Bai Qiu nodded firmly.

"So, staying forever might not be possible."

"But for the three years we're at school, I don't think I'll leave the Astronomy Club."

"What do you think, Tomo?"

Bai Qiu blinked at Tomo.

A light rekindled in Takamatsu Tomo's eyes. She said earnestly,

"Then... the Astronomy Club. Three years."

Chapter 26: Treating Tomo to a Meal, Watching Ryo Eat Grass

"Sure, sure. I swear."

Bai Qiu said it jokingly.

But Takamatsu Tomo looked very happy when she heard that. She nodded emphatically.

"Tomo, could you straighten your leg?"

Since the Band-aid had to go on her knee, Bai Qiu said this so it wouldn't come loose when she stood up.

Only then did Takamatsu Tomo seem to realize that Bai Qiu was crouching in front of her legs to put on the Band-aid.

Takamatsu Tomo couldn't help feeling shy.

Still, she obediently turned to the side and stretched out her lower leg.

Then, when she noticed the design on the Band-aid, Takamatsu Tomo's attention was immediately drawn to it again.

"This is from the sixth release in the marine life series."

"There are ones with coral reef manta rays, ocean sunfish, oarfish, whale sharks, blue whales, and fin whales..."

As she spoke, Takamatsu Tomo pulled out a bunch more new Band-aids.

She held them out in both hands to Bai Qiu.

Takamatsu Tomo looked at Bai Qiu, clearly full of anticipation.

Seeing Takamatsu Tomo suddenly return to her usual enthusiastic self, Bai Qiu couldn't help chuckling.

"You're back to normal, Tomo!"

"But you're the one who needs a Band-aid right now."

At that, Takamatsu Tomo blushed and looked a little embarrassed.

"Sorry for troubling you just now..."

Bai Qiu shook his head, then carefully applied the Band-aid to Takamatsu Tomo's injured knee.

"Thank you..."

Seeing that Takamatsu Tomo still had so many Band-aids in her hands, Bai Qiu had no choice but to pick out a few more.

Takamatsu Tomo immediately brightened up again.

Bai Qiu thought Takamatsu Tomo was pretty easy to cheer up. You just had to be willing to accept her strange gifts.

Tomo running off so suddenly had really caught him off guard.

The two of them stood up, and Bai Qiu asked,

"Does anything else hurt?"

After all, Tomo hadn't wanted to speak earlier, so he could only check her for injuries by looking.

Takamatsu Tomo gently shook her head.

"That's good."

Bai Qiu felt relieved.

Suddenly, Bai Qiu spotted an open diary nearby.

It seemed to have fallen to the ground when Tomo tripped.

When Bai Qiu picked it up, Takamatsu Tomo instinctively opened her mouth.

But Bai Qiu had already glimpsed a few lines.

"A heart unable to bear the weight, a wavering, trembling gaze, in this world."

"I'm always alone."

"Through spring, when all I know is how things wither, each year passes in dull indifference."

Bai Qiu didn't read any further.

The lyrics were evocative, but those first few lines seemed so bleak to Bai Qiu!