Does our future ever cross your mind? (2)

Thanking Tora for her help, I make my way out-- leaving Tori with her, against my better judgment.

...Look, if you saw how depressed that tiger looks first-hand, you'd want to make sure she wasn't alone, too. I trust myself with my fists, if it comes to it. That, and the knife I've decided to 'borrow' from Fue-chan's kitchen set. She won't mind.

Actually, Chii-chan's house isn't too far off from my own. We didn't know each other back then, but I'm sure we probably bumped into each other from time to time back in high school. It's funny to think about, in hindsight. Maybe in another lifetime we were all close friends sooner.

...

Well, I'm here. Chii-chan's old house. It's a smaller one than mine, but I'm sure it was cozy to someone at some point. How long ago that was that point? Well, it's not my place to ask.

I squint my eyes. Is that...? Yes, that is. Chii-chan, sitting on the roof, staring at the sky. At least I don't need to spend much longer looking for her. She doesn't seem to have gone mindless, either. I'm glad.

Before I can hop over to her roof, I notice something else. Or rather, someone else.

"Fue-chan?" I jump down to ground level, having realized she's just standing there, staring upward at Chii-chan.

She doesn't respond. I don't blame her. "How long has she been up there?"

"...Since I got here, at least." She answers pitifully, voice hoarse. "Probably.... a few hours...?"

She's been crying. Sobbing, even-- her radiant green scales are coated with dried tears. "Why haven't you talked to her yet?"

"I don't deserve to."

"Why do you think that?"

"I've failed her."

"..."

I furrow my brow. It's not like I don't think the same as her, but at the same time...

"She needs someone, though. You're like a surrogate mother to her anyway, Fue-chan."

She turns to face me with a mixture of shock and embarrassment. "Y-you, w-what...?"

"Oh come on. You didn't ever think that yourself? Not even like, a big sister to her, or something?"

"N-no, I mean.... .....no...?"

I stifle laughter. Either she's very oblivious or she's too flustered to admit it herself. "Well, either way, you should be there for her, Fue-chan. She needs you."

Flustered feelings dissipating-- or at least, falling back into her emotional slump, Fue-chan sighs. "I... I don't know if I can." Her head falls to her chest. "I know I'm supposed to be the reliable leader. I'm... I'm too scared to face her right now."

I pull her into a tight hug. "You're not a god, you're just a dragon." I pat them on the back, before moving over to scale the house. "Let me handle this. Head back home so you can greet her with open arms."

She nods, standing there in hesitation before reluctantly taking her leave.

"Wait."

"Huh?" She stops, turning to face me.

I hadn't noticed it when I was further off, but... is that a kitchen knife in her back pocket?? Did she have the same idea as-

"Ah, nevermind. Leave it to me, Fue-chan."

Shrugging off my disbelief, I make my way up to Chii-chan, moving to sit beside her. She doesn't move an inch, still staring at the night sky. It's disconcerting, but at least she's not chasing me off. I'll try and start a light conversation.

"It's beautiful tonight, isn't it?" I ask, not expecting a response. "I've never been much of an outdoors person, I'll admit. Usually just holed up and played dating sims on the SuFami." I force a chuckle. "You do a lot of stargazing, yourself?"

She doesn't respond. It wouldn't be good to be pushy when she's already in an emotionally sensitive state, so I cut the conversation short there, instead opting to stare at the sky alongside her.

It's... honestly fucking gorgeous. Seeing the dark blue ceiling delicately punctured with beautiful, twinkling white dots... regardless of if there's a great creator out there, there's just a certain, deliberate beauty in it-- like a finely sewn quilt. Seeing it now, there's honestly a part of me that wishes I'd gotten out and admired the outside world more. Food for thought, I suppose-- though it's never too late to change-

?

I think I heard something. Something faint, like a clearing of the throat. Or, perhaps, a grunt in acknowledgement?

"W-whenever I wanted to be alone, yeah." Chii-chan quietly growls out. "I've always found the sky so pretty, I guess." She doesn't seem annoyed or upset at me, to be clear-- I think she just speaks with a darker tone, being an Anxi and all.

"It really is. I'm kicking myself for not seeing it sooner."

"Mm."

There's a part of me that wants to ask her how she's feeling, ...but I feel like it would just be agitating the wound in doing so.

"You have a SuFami?" She asks, saving me from having to think of something else to ask.

I chuckle. "It's a family console-- fitting, I know. We're a family of gamers, so we have a bunch of consoles."

"Even... a D████?"

"I think so? We've put a bunch of them in storage-- they keep rereleasing everything, so why keep everything plugged in? It's more economical."

"Mmmm..." She seems to contemplate something. "You miss out on something though."

"Hm?"

"There's something about playing on original hardware. Emulation and ports just don't compare... y'know?"

I chuckle. "I guess. It's just a fire hazard keeping everything plugged in-- though I guess it kinda fits me."

She gives a low, hearty laugh. "True, true." Then, she turns to face me. "Why are you here, i-if you don't mind me asking?"

Ah, I guess we couldn't keep to small talk forever. I was dreading that, even if it was why I'd come here in the first place. I keep my gaze to the sky, feeling awkward as I contemplate my response.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Check up on you, and all. And, well..."

"I wanted to say that I was sorry."