(V4) Chapter 9: Between Two Broken Hearts

It was already the third day of the field trip.

The sun hasn't fully risen yet, and a pale blush crept over the horizon. The beach is still empty, the tide gently rolled in and out, leaving behind a glittering wash of shells and seafoam.

In addition, the resort is still quiet—everyone’s still sleeping.

The sand felt cold. I lifted myself with a pair of crutches, my right foot still injured and covered in bandages. I owe no-one an explanation, as I already discussed everything at the school upon our rescue yesterday.

The air smelled of salt and something sweet.

Roses.

Strawberry.

Pink.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

And there she was.

Ayase.

Standing alone at the edge of the sea. The hem of her skirt fluttered with the breeze along with her white dress, and her pink hair spilled down her neck like a soft ribbon undone. She had her sandals in her hand, and her feet barely kissed the water’s edge.

She was humming a quiet lullaby, enough to captivate seagulls to circle overhead.

She turned when she heard my steps, her lips curling gently.

"Good morning, Haru-san!"

"Good morning, Ayase."

I stood next to her and faced the sea. The breeze howled past us, like a magnet pulling us together.

Not long after, she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"So…” I smiled, “How does it feel like watching the sea with me?”

She nudged closer to me, wrapping a hand.

"It's more memorable...and it's not lonely."

"And I promised I would be there to watch the sea with you."

This is her first time. And I will be there for the second, the third, and the next.

And the last.

She smiled softly, and I saw something flicker in her eyes. A quiet relief.

“No one else is up yet,” she murmured, turning her gaze back to the ocean. “I like it this way. When the world’s still sleeping.”

We stood there for a moment, just listening to the waves.

"Back when I was just a little girl, I always saw pictures of the sea at the orphanage. I thought at first that it's just plain blue. Yet I wondered, why do everyone at the sea smile like they're having the best day of their lives? Ichika-san told me there was magic at the sea, and it makes people happy. So I promised myself when I finally visit the sea, I will look for that magic and experience it myself."

When she spoke those words, they sounded almost poetic.

"It really has." I responded. "Especially when you're alone. You can feel solace, and the sound of waves crashing erases any other thoughts—just your connection with the sea."

She held her hands behind her back.

"I don't want to be alone whilst enjoying that feeling. I feel happier...being with the person I really like right now."

I can feel my heart skipping and one eye twitching.

Sentinels can't be this sweet, right?

"When Ichika-san and Allain-san took me away, they said that it would be harder for us to reach the sea at that point. So they bought me an aquarium, decorated it with stickers of fishes, and lastly, I put the boat that boy at the orphanage gave to me."

I turned to her, unsure of the feeling that just surfaced.

It was evocative, and maybe there was a memory deep beneath my head that I couldn't quite pick up.

So I asked.

"A boat?"

Ayase nodded sheepishly.

"There was a reserved boy who loved to stay away from other orphans back then. He would just stare right out the window all day. He ignored me at first, but I kept trying and trying until he began to soften up and talk to me. It was just brief yet I managed to understand why he did it years later.”

“Persistent, as always.”

“And when he was finally taken from the orphanage by his new guardian..."

She trailed off, pulling something out of her handbag.

"This yellow boat, it was the very first time someone gave a gift to me, so I still kept it whenever I go."

The way she held it spoke volumes about how much she cared about it.

More lapses in my memories started to surface, but yet, the puzzle pieces are incomplete.

"That boy...he was kinder than anyone I've ever met. That's where I got my love of the sea from."

She handed me the little boat.

"You surely value him greatly, right?"

"I hope you don't mind if I said he was my first crush."

We both giggled yet she was clearly waiting for an answer.

Probably a reaction from me.

“He never told me his name. I can’t imagine how his face changed from the years that passed. But right now...I think I feel so right just standing with you by the sea. Maybe you’re a gentle reminder of him. You two are really alike.”

I returned the yellow boat to her. “Keep it, forever.”

She took a step forward, the waves catching her ankles.

“Come on,” she said, tilting her head toward me. “Let’s collect seashells, Haru-san.”

“Seashells?” I echoed, blinking.

“Yes.” She crouched down and picked up a curved white shell, holding it up to the light. “Every piece is different. Some are broken. Some were perfect. Just like people. But whatever their situation is, they remain beautiful.”

I followed her down and started scanning the wet shore.

“Hey, look,” I said, holding up a bright pink shell. “This one looks like your hair.”

Her eyes lit up, and I let go of the crutches briefly to pick it up.

"I love it, Haru-san." her voice almost a solemn whisper.

A prayer.

Maybe praying this moment would last a little longer.

Because with her, even the casual things transform into something very memorable.

She pressed the shell right to her heart and closed her eyes.

"I never thought I would experience a life like this with you, Haru-san. I hope I can be here forever to let you experience the same too."

"Don't worry." I reassured her. "I'm already living the best of my life."

We spent minutes—maybe more—walking up and down the beach, picking out strange and colorful shells. Some were pocketed. Some were tossed into the water. She let the waves hit her knees, and I trudged after her like a kid when she splashed it back at me.

“Hey!” I shouted, drenched.

“That’s what you get for getting trapped with Takamine-san!” she grinned playfully.

"Are you serious? We didn't even talk while waiting for rescue!"

I returned the splash. Her shriek echoed down the empty shore.

"Tell me, are you jealous?!" I teased, and before I could see her flushed face, she threw water right back at me like a tidal wave.

"I am not!"

Eventually, we collapsed on the sand, panting, our hands full of wet shells and our clothes clinging damply to our skin.

“You always keep your promises, Haru-san.” she said suddenly. “Even the ones that sound small.”

I looked at her, my heart running wild. She was a remnant of the past I had buried, and maybe a future I wanted to create with her.

“Even the small ones matter,” I replied, brushing a strand of wet hair from her cheek.

Her gaze softened again, and something unreadable passed between us.

"I'm gla—"

She jolted, and clutched her chest.

My breath hitched.

"Ayase!" I bolted up in panic, planting my injured foot awkwardly but I didn't care about the pain. "Are you okay?!"

I got close, but the air wasn't warm at all.

"You're not overheating."

She giggled, “Sorry...I just wanted to know if you'd still come running.”

I groaned in exasperation. "Well, that wasn't a good joke at all."

“I promise I won’t do that again. It wasn’t fair.”

But before I could reply,

Meow.

We both turned.

Near the dunes, between tufts of grass, something small moved.

“What was that?” I stood, brushing sand off me.

Ayase followed, her expression curious. And there it was.

A white kitten. It limped slightly, its fur tangled and wet, eyes wide with exhaustion. It meowed again, weakly, and clambered toward Ayase before with trembling limbs before collapsing on her thighs.

“Haru-san,” she whispered, “It’s a baby kitten.”

I knelt beside her as she carefully picked up the small, shivering body. It barely weighed anything. The poor thing was ice cold.

“Is it hurt?” I asked.

“Looks like it’s been out here all night.”

"Maybe abandoned?"

She pressed her fingers gently to its tiny ribs, checking the breathing.

“It’s still alive,” she breathed. “We can’t leave it.”

“Of course we won’t,” I said.

Her eyes met mine, full of resolve.

“We should keep it,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Her voice trembled—but her hands didn’t.

Then she looked down at the kitten nestled in her arms and murmured, as if only to herself:

“Even broken things deserve to be loved.”

I felt something sharp twist in my chest. Maybe I knew exactly what she was talking about, but I never wanted to admit it.

It hurts to think that I was too broken to even know if I deserved something as love, or being loved by her or Takamine-san. I really wanted to give them my answer, but another part of myself, the pieces of me left in the past, constantly tells me that we're not safe enough to settle.

I'm still too weak to protect them from what's chasing me or Ayase, and there was no other choice.

Maybe figuring and fixing things for now will do best for the three of us.

“What should we name it?” I asked softly.

She held it close to her chest, looking out at the ocean again.

“…Tofu,” she said at last. “Fuwa-chan’s little sister.”

Tofu, it is. Maybe that's what my tummy was screaming all along.

"I should bring her back to the reception."

"I'll follow later."

I watched Ayase head out of the beach, and when she had already gained considerable distance, I turned around, right at the sea.

And in the stillness of the morning, before the rest of the world could interrupt, I sat there—watching the waves kiss the shore like I always wanted.

And the puzzle pieces from before finally snapped into place.

I pulled my wallet, rummaged in the deepest pockets and inside, there was a collection of my childhood pictures, along with my parents.

A house dinner.

A mountain ride.

An amusement park visit.

And a picture of my father and mother carrying me, a sea behind us. And me, holding a yellow boat.

The same boat that Ayase handed me earlier.

“...So we already met before, huh?”