Memories of Rust

07:19 P.M.

Click.

The entrance door to the apartment building clicked shut behind Lyra. One short, relieved exhale, then she set off. Down the main street, past the Naniwa police station, where she had to swallow hard for a second. Then past the cheap food stalls with that unhealthy crap that always tasted way too good.

Got lucky again.

Once more she hadn’t run into anyone in the stairwell. No one who could yap about their perfect life. The gods must’ve been merciful with her. Why, though? Because she helped Hana? Because she racked up karma in Rudi’s office? A sharp wave of nausea cut off the useless line of thought.

Cars shot past her nonstop on the right. Gray, black, silver, silver, gray, black. Each one duller than the last. Back in the day, she used to sit on the sidewalk and watch cars. Not alone, of course. And only to turn it into some silly game.

Back then the cars were somehow brighter.
No, everything was brighter, when—

Ugh…

Something stung in her throat. Something far too much. A warning not to think those thoughts. So she didn’t. Same as always.

Behind the rush of cars on the other side of the street she spotted a group of kids.

“Come on, the kiosk closes in ten minutes!”

The voice belonged to a boy with black hair who had sprinted ahead and was yelling back to his friends. It was barely audible through the roaring street noise, but Lyra understood it. Too damn well. Her lips almost shaped a smile, but she pressed them down just in time. Just like the car next to her braking at the red light.

How did I end up like this?

The answer was obvious, the realization bitter nevertheless.

So withdrawn and fragile.
But at the same time so cynical, so arrogant, so cold.

Lyra stared at the ground for a moment, as if she could find a piece of her old self there. But there only was the warm asphalt, with a dirty wad of gum stuck every few meters. The light turned green. She shook her head and kept walking. Not like it mattered anyway.

With a sigh, she dug out her phone, put her headphones in, and started shuffle play. As the first notes hit, Lyra flinched. The song was “When Summer Ends” by Crim.

Stop.

Next track. “ghost in the shell.”
Throbbing bass, buzzing highs, and that blown-out voice like a knife cutting through smoke. Better.

With a few taps, faster than necessary, she started the navigation to Hana’s apartment. The little blue dot showing her location popped up, and she kept walking toward the setting sun. She hit the volume button, then again. And again, until the music drowned out every memory.

⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯

Four years earlier.

The evening sun beat down on the asphalt as Lyra checked her phone for the tenth time in five minutes. No new messages. Yuu hadn't replied since last night.

“I need a break from us, Lyra. Sorry…”

The sentence still burned in her chest. Longer than she'd admit. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Fuck," she muttered and dropped the phone into her bag.

The old factory grounds smelled of rust and nostalgia. The concrete under her feet was warm from the sun, cracked like her thoughts. She leaned against the rusty gate and waited, unconsciously tracing the rough metal under her palms.

Hana arrived first, long black hair with red tips. She wore those ripped jeans her mother hated, and a hoodie three sizes too big.

“What do you want here?” she asked directly, no sugarcoating. Typical Hana.

Lyra's eyes lifted from the shadow of her bangs and sparkled at Hana with confidence, as if a switch had been flipped. Her uncertainty from before was nowhere to be seen.

“Show you something,” she replied with a grin and pushed off from the gate.

Hana tilted her head and crossed her hands behind it.
“And that would be?”
Her tone was casual as always, just a bit annoyed.
“Why did you only ask us and not Syon and Y—”

“THAT…” The word nearly burst out of Lyra's mouth.

Her fingernails dug into her palms. But before Hana could notice, she unclenched and folded hands behind her head just like Hana.

“…that's a surprise,” she finished casually.

“Ah, a surprise, huh? At a place as rundown as your sense of humor?” Hana snapped.

“At least not as rundown as your fashion sense,” Lyra shot back.

“What's that supposed to—”

“Hey there!” came a voice from down the street.

Hana's sharp gaze shifted from Lyra when she heard the voice. Lyra's mean grin also vanished instantly and turned warm.

On the overgrown street, a slightly shorter girl approached. Her lilac hair was tied up in a chaotic bun. Under her arm, a stack of manga, with the other hand, she waved at the two of them.

It was Satsuna. And she beamed as always, as if her smile alone could brighten the whole day.

“Hey, you two!” Satsuna looked at them expectantly.
“What's this secret mission today?”

“No mission, Satsu,” Lyra said with a smile. “A time travel!”

Lyra bent down to gently pat her head. “But since you brought your manga, you've already got it, unlike the double-D disaster over there,” Lyra added with a grin, deliberately not looking at Hana.

Hana's cheeks flushed bright red. She crossed her arms under her big bust.

“Just because you're jealous…” she grumbled, her gaze searching for something to hold on to.

“I've always felt that way about Lyra's jokes,” Satsuna agreed thoughtfully.

Now the blush crept into Lyra's face too.
“Bullshit! You two always gang up on me.”

Satsuna's lips trembled, fighting it, but then she broke into cheerful laughter. Then Hana, and finally Lyra too.

“So…” Lyra picked the convo back up, “…let's go already. The surprise ain’t waiting!”

After Lyra led them through the gap in the fence, she grabbed both their hands and bolted forward.

“My manga! Slow down! Ahhhh!” Satsuna called out, slightly overwhelmed.

There was something in Lyra's eyes. That typical flicker when she'd set her mind on something.

Hana saw it. But she also felt Lyra's shaky grip. Something was up. Of course it was – why else would they be here? Still, she couldn't help the grin. Or the sparkle in her eyes that always transferred from Lyra’s to her. Even if Hana would never admit it.

“Come on, Satsu! You're not gonna let this stick figure leave you behind!” she called to her friend.

“Yes, ma'am, Officer Hana!” Satsuna called back.

The three of them hurried past abandoned halls and rusted excavators, into the old foundry.

In the entrance hall, only a few sunbeams managed to slip through the small, shattered windows. Cracks, rust, and vines crawling along the pillars, walls, and broken machinery.

Even though the whole place had this ghostly vibe to it, they didn't stop. They'd been here too many times. Whether on the silos, in the abandoned office buildings, or on some floor of the old parking garage. Every corner was full of beautiful memories. Maybe that's what made the place feel like a second home.

Without slowing down, they left the entryway and climbed higher through the stairwell.

"Whoa, look at that!" Lyra marveled as she pushed the heavy steel door on the roof outward. The other two were panting right behind her.

"Haaa—haah... so... many... stai—airs," Satsuna gasped.

Hana joined in, struggling for air.
"Fuuuck, Lyra. You... hnngh—haaa... you... monster."

But the so-called monster was already at the roof's edge. Both arms stretched wide, like something between the Statue of Liberty and a T-pose. The wind tickled gently between her fingertips and seemed to carry all her worries away. Up here, everything was still the way it used to be. Up here, she was still the old Lyra, the one who didn't ruin relationships.

"Come on over here, you lovebirds," she called to the other two. "You won't see the surprise until you're with me!"

Once they'd caught their breath, a gentle breeze guided them. It smelled of warm metal and old memories. At the edge of the roof, the three had a wide view over Osaka, drenched in orange-red light.

The hectic bustle of city life was barely noticeable from up here. As if the city was resting, just drifting along. In the bay, the many cargo ships were tiny, surrounded by the shimmer of the sunset on the water's surface. Over the whole scene hung a thick, brittle layer of clouds, the gold of the sunset settling into its cracks.

They lost themselves in the view for a few minutes, spotting familiar buildings or neighborhoods. Whenever Satsuna searched for something in the landscape, Hana and Lyra turned it into a little contest over who could find it first.

"See, I didn't promise too much!" Lyra bragged.

Hana nodded, more toward the sunset than to Lyra. Still, the corners of her mouth pulled up.

Between the two, Satsuna's eyes sparkled like honey drops. "Sooo pretty!"

Then she sat down on a low wall and opened one of the manga. "And perfect for reading!"

"I want in toooo, Satsu! Can I borrow one?" Hana asked with sparkling eyes.

"Of course, I brought some romance manga just for you," Satsuna giggled as she handed Hana a volume. "Summer’s End, you have to read it!"

Lyra sat next to Hana, resting her head on her shoulder. For a moment, she stayed like that, just enjoying the slow rise and fall of Hana's breathing.

Since yesterday, she'd felt so lost and alone. But up here, with the two of them, she found peace. It was almost like back then. Almost like the time before high school, boys, stress, and all the other crap got in the way.

Lyra felt something loosen in her chest. Her lips started to twitch. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she wiped them off on Hana's sweater right away.

Hana lifted her gaze from the page and tilted her head. "Why so sentimental?"

"Huh, I'm not??" Lyra startled.

Satsuna looked at her with concern too. "Is something wrong?"

Lyra shook her head, but their questioning looks stuck too firmly to shake off..

Her gaze caught on the metal railing farther to the right. It had been badly weathered, but still, between the brittle bars lay many old memories. It was the spot where they had always read. Just them, the silence, the rust, and their manga.

And for Lyra, it was the perfect chance to change the subject. Because she really didn't want to talk about the current situation with Yuu.

"Do you remember how we used to watch the owls here?" She turned to Satsuna and pointed at the platform.

"Sure," she replied.
"The little ones, with the big eyes."

"And how Hana was always scared they'd attack us," Lyra added.

"I was not!" Hana protested, pushing out her lip in a pout. She couldn't hold back the grin anyway.

Cheerful nostalgia hung in the air for a few seconds.

"We should take a photo," Lyra suggested, already getting up.

"Here?" Hana asked.

"No, on the platform," Lyra answered.

Hana frowned.
"That thing's gonna collapse under our asses right away."

"Come on. A quick selfie. For the memory."

Satsuna closed her manga. "I'm in!"

"Fine, then for the owls," Hana sighed.

"And for all the manga we've read there!" Lyra added in the same tone.

The three giggled again and went over to the platform. The metal was eaten away by rust, the supports brittle. But it had looked like that before. And always held.

The grating creaked under Lyra's steps, too quietly to drown out her words. "You know what I sometimes wonder..."

"Hm? What?" Hana asked as she put her first foot on the platform.

Lyra waited, as if she needed to think again whether she really wanted to say it out loud. Meanwhile, the wind swept her hair into a dance, sending chaotic reflections from the silver-white strands through the scene.

She pulled out her phone for the selfie and turned to the others. On her lips was a warm but bitter smile.

"Ah, sometimes I just wonder if it wouldn't be better if things were like befo—"

As Satsuna put her first foot on the construct, a horrid screech shot through the rusty struts.

Parts bent downward. Screws popped out of their sockets. Larger chunks broke loose from the wall where the platform was anchored.

Hana tried to shout something, but the clanging was too loud. She wanted to do something, but it was already too late. With a massive crash, the construct plummeted, pulling all three with it.

Along with them fell the old memories. Buried under crumbled concrete and bitter melancholy.

Replaced with new ones that no one wanted to remember.