Melancholy Huanyue if (1)

"I swear, I'll bring about a better ending." Before she faded, a girl had once made such a promise.

"Here." Shiori looked at Huanyue, whose demeanor seemed faded, and handed her the canned alcohol in her hand.

Huanyue's expression held neither sorrow nor joy. Like a sheet of pure white paper, it was completely blank.

"..."

"Don't feel like talking again today?" Shiori leaned against her, resting intimately against her shoulder as though she had grown used to it.

"...Speak..."

Huanyue replied, but after that simple response, she fell silent again.

Shiori hummed. "Sorry, I really couldn't find any other drinks, so this..."

"...You should drink it. Compared to me, who can keep moving just by basking in the sun and drinking air, you, an ordinary human, need it more."

Huanyue pushed Shiori's drink away and spoke calmly, saying far more than usual.

Even if she had lost her memories.

Even if she looked listless and faded.

Huanyue still seemed to retain that quality deep within her heart—the habit of thinking of and considering others.

"No, don't." Shiori trembled as she hugged Huanyue's arm. "I... only have you, Huanyue."

As though affirming her own words, Shiori's hands tightened more and more. Looking like she was humbly begging, she raised her eyes. "I at least want to help you recover... even just a tiny bit of familiarity..."

"Shiori, it's okay. After all, I'm still here~" The faded voice echoed through her mind, but it could no longer leave much of an impression.

The listless silver-haired girl merely tilted her head. Her uncombed, messy silver hair hung loose as her bluish-purple eyes gazed emotionlessly at Shiori.

She did not understand.

It was all futile.

She could even deal with the blue-haired girl before her with a mere wave of her hand.

A