3:34 PM

For the first time in months, the bittersweet feeling of my phone softly vibrating against my chest brought me relief. As I breathed, I shut my eyes as the grasp on my phone only got tighter. I didn’t dare check who was calling. I already knew. All that mattered was that I was back in my own reality—back home. That was more than enough for me.

And so I laid there, attempting to catch my unsteady breath and holding the vibrating phone against my trembling fingertips. I thought about what I had gone through in what had been only a minute in the real world. My childhood play place turning out to be Granny’s Labyrinth, meeting and befriending Dee, learning about how the Labyrinth came to be, and all the promises that I made to myself and others. If I told anyone about what had happened, I think they would assume I was having intense fever dreams. Still, as much as it terrified me to think about what had happened so far, part of me was still grateful. Even if I could do without the potential death or being trapped forever.

So, with no one around to hear and in a whisper so quiet that I could barely even hear myself, I said;

“Yuu, Aya, Granny, even you Dee. Thank you for giving someone like me a path forward.”

Like all things eventually did, the vibration stopped and I was met with the subtle ambiance of the house once again. My phone buzzed one final time, meaning that she had left a message. Just like always. Once I opened my eyes, only the grandfather clock I had crashed into and the slowly turning ceiling fan graced my still blurry vision.

Soft footsteps rustled against the carpeted floor. With a haunted expression painting her face, Yuu dragged herself into my line of sight. The gash that she had on her head had vanished along with any of the blood that was on her clothes. Though, ironically enough it was those same clothes that could serve as proof of the adventure we went on. The sleeves of her sweater were still frayed to bits and tiny holes revealed the white dress shirt she wore underneath.

Yuu looked like she had seen a ghost. Or maybe a handful of ghosts. She looked me up and down as if she couldn’t really believe that I was standing—or in this case, lying, barely able to get up in front of her. She fiddled with her hands, seemingly at least a little relieved herself.

“You’re safe,” she muttered as she looked over me again. Yuu squinted on the way back up though, looking me directly in the eyes. “That is you, isn’t it dear?”

I nodded.

“Your eyes, they’re back to their normal red but… ” She stopped herself. “...Back then, I truly thought I lost you. But you’re safe, right?”

I thought back to when I first opened my Labyrinth, back to when my World of Glass was being shaken to its core by a very terrified Yuu. In that moment, I felt like my actions were justified. That I was getting even with her after she lied about the whole “being-able-to-be-cured-from-being-an-Apparition” thing. But that was childish. All it did was scare her. I scrambled to sit up.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me and I’m alright. More than that though, I’m so sorry—“

"Please, save your apologies." Yuu raised her hand exasperatedly, shutting me right up. "A technicality..."

“W-what?”

“A technicality, can you believe it!” She repeated, throwing her arms up. “That was the only thing that decided whether we went home or trapped for Empathy knows how long. A Labyrinth cannot span forever and must exist within a closed space. By grabbing the necklace and meeting the Condition to leave Aya’s Grandmother’s Labyrinth, your recently opened one had nowhere to exist in which meant it also broke apart. This is what sent us back home. Ridiculous!”

Yuu shook her head, as if that boat-load of information wasn’t a lot to process.

“The worst part about it was that it was all completely out of my control. For that, I cannot help but blame myself. For that, I am beyond angry with you dear for laying out your Labyrinth despite me warning you countless times!” She balled her fists up and gritted her teeth. After a moment, she relaxed with a tired sigh. “Yet, I can’t put the blame directly on you. If I hadn’t…lied to you, then it’s very likely that you wouldn’t have been pushed over the edge like that. So once again, save your apologies, dear, because I’m sorry too.”

“Yuu…” My face felt hot.

“You have nothing to apologize for either, Ms. Tsubasa,” a voice called out.

Granny walked over from the kitchen she had been taken into by Aya not too long ago.

“While we’re assigning blame here, you can’t forget that I’m the reason you were caught up in this mess in the first place, little one. “

Yuu scoffed and moved some hair out of her face. "After knowing what I truly am now, surely calling me that is a little inappropriate."

“As long as you’re the same age as my granddaughter, you will always be a child to me. Human, Angel, Apparition, or otherwise.”

“Oh right, your granddaughter.” She perked up before she started to bite her thumb. “I figure that since you’re her guardian, you’d be the most appropriate person to ask. Let’s see here… I want to look over Aya in the same way that I am for Shiro.“

“Aren’t we moving a little fast?” I said. “Let’s rest a little before jumping to the next thing. Today’s been a lot.”

“An angel’s work is never finished. That being said, she wouldn’t have to live with us or anything like that. I wouldn’t want that anyway. Aya would just be under the same monitoring umbrella that you are right now.”

“Why would you even need to monitor her?” I asked.

Yuu’s lips pursed together before tapping her phone screen. Once it turned on, she made circles around the time with her thumb. “Dee’s existence is enough to explain the majority of the strange occurrences within Aya’s Grandmother’s Labyrinth, however, that doesn't mean that there weren't aspects that I didn't understand."

"What does that have to do with Aya?" I stressed.

"Think of it this way: when unchecked for so long, an Apparition's unpredictability only grows. If said Apparition were to grow older and have children, the insecurities of the parent may create entirely different issues within the child. Repeat this cycle for a generation or two, and the complexity and sheer power of the child’s Labyrinth can reach levels never seen before.”

“And just what are you trying to imply, little one?” Granny asked, eyebrows furrowed.

She only sighed in response. “It’s only speculation. Unlike with Shiro here, nothing is confirmed. That’s what the monitoring is for.”

"And when you find what you're looking for, just what happens then? "

"I will do what I must. Nothing more, nothing less."

Granny looked away, covering her mouth as her voice trembled. "Aya, Shiro...if I had just kept my wild imagination to myself then you two wouldn't have gotten involved."

“Your imagination?” I asked, almost not believing the words coming out of her mouth. “You know that has nothing to do with this.”

Pursed lips.

A lull in conversation.

Maybe it was because I was still reeling from the events of today, or maybe when I crashed into that grandfather clock I had knocked something loose in my head, but seeing her refuse to acknowledge her friend even after everything didn’t sit right at all.

“Come on, Shiro. It’s different for me since I brought this onto myself, but for you two? Worry doesn’t even begin to explain it—”

“Well, I don’t need that right now! Apparently, I was always going to end up stuck like this.” Yuu seemed to shrink into her clothes at my words. I sighed and tried my best to calm down. “Look, I saw everything, you know? When our Labyrinths merged together. That’s why there’s only one person you should be worrying about, and it isn’t Aya. It definitely isn’t me either.”

Putting a hand on her shoulder, I looked her directly in the eye as I spoke.

“She’s been waiting long enough don’t you think, Granny?”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Talk to her. That’s all it starts with.”

“I know what I said was wrong, but it’s just not as simple anymore.” She shook her head with furrowed brow. “There’s part of me that would love to sit down and explain myself, maybe even make up with her. So much time has passed since we last spoke though. After decades of silence and ignoring her existence, why would she ever want to see me again? As silly as it sounds at my age…I’m scared, Shiro.”

Up until today, Dee had been nothing more than just an imaginary friend. Being confronted with the fact that she was not only real, but she had been pretty nasty to her opened up possibilities that she probably hadn’t thought of before.

What do I say after all this time?

Is there even a relationship that can be salvaged from this?

Sure, we were close at one point, practically inseparable, but does that mean that we can get to that level again?

People simply drift apart. Removing the fantastical elements, it was a pretty common story all things considered. It made sense that she was scared. If something similar happened to me, at least something on the same level, I’d be at a loss for words even if I started the conversation in the first place.

“You know, while we were in your Labyrinth, I talked to Dee. Even with everything that happened, she never once missed a chance to talk my ear off about all the fun times you two had together. ” I rubbed my shoulder and looked away. “F-From what I saw, she really loved you, alright? That’s why I think it's a good idea to at least reach out. It doesn’t even have to go past that, not if it doesn’t feel right.”

“I apologize, really.” Granny’s eyes drooped as her lips formed into a thin straight line. “Couldn’t even bring myself to look at her right now, I’m far too much of a coward for that.”

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“It’s the truth. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not ruling it out completely. The one thing that I need right now is time. Not just time to figure out if there’s even anything I could say to make things right, but also enough time to prepare myself for that conversation.”

“Oh, of course.” I brushed my hand against the back of my neck, uneven strands of messy hair dragging across my knuckles.

Preparation was important no matter how hard I tried to rush things. After all, if the White Wings Cafe opened tomorrow with glowing reviews from everyone in town, Aya and Yuu didn't have to worry about me anymore, and I magically found myself in front of my parents, I honestly wasn't sure what would come out of my mouth. But the more that you waited on these things, the more procrastination and doubt began to seep through.

You second guess yourself, past experiences would become stuck on repeat, replaying over and over in your mind as you go over every possible way you could've messed up instead. The worst part about needing more time to confront someone was that you're constantly craving more while simultaneously never having enough for it to even matter. The more time you consumed, the more you needed in order to go over the whole situation one last time.

Days became weeks, weeks always turned into months, and by that point you've already convinced yourself that everyone else had already moved on. How selfish would it be to bring their moods down by bringing up the past?

If I had just opened my mouth just once before they passed then--

My nails dug into the palm of my hand. This wouldn't last. With my next breath, a wave of relief washed over me as my entire body relaxed.

No matter what my thoughts were on the situation or any past regrets I may have had, at the end of the day only one thing rang true: Eli Nishimoto was not Shiro Hoshino. I simply didn't have a say on what she should or shouldn't do with her childhood friend. Now that they were both aware of each other again, maybe the process of slowly reaching out to each other had already begun. At least, that's what I believed in my heart.

At that moment, the best way to support Granny was to respect her decision while giving advice where I could.

"I...said something similar to Dee too," I muttered, still unsure if it was worth repeating. "I'm not one to talk but don't overthink it, really. Take your time if you need it but just don't take too long. If you do, I just know you won't forgive yourself. I just can't see you like that again, Granny."

She put a hand to my cheek and smiled. "I get it, little one. You won't have to. All I ask is that you give me some time to process all of this. It's just a lot."

"I know." I closed my eyes shut, gently leaning into it. "I know, I'm sorry."

Erratic and heavy footsteps approached as I pulled away. Aya came barrelling from the kitchen, eyebrows furrowed and waving her hands around like a lunatic.

"Grandma!" she shouted. "I thought I told you to take it easy. You didn't even give me a chance to get a proper look at your arm!”

Granny shook her head as a chuckle escaped from her lips. Waving her hand in front of her, she said, "Come now, surely you have more faith in me than that?"

"I do, I do. Promise." She looked away. Despite her words, she still looked over her as if to check for any injuries. "Well...if you say so. It's your job to report back to me though. Numbness, stinging, bruising, anything!"

"Aya, I'm more than fine. How could I not be? Shiro was just telling me all about how her little friend and her found what I was looking for deep in the cushion of my recliner. " She stole a glance back at us before turning back to Aya. "What sweet little angels they are!"

Interesting wording.

It seemed that Yuu was definitely not a fan, judging by the way she grimaced before promptly fixing her face.

"Truly, it was not that big of a deal. Anyone could have helped," she said.

"A-ah...yeah, well," I reached into my pocket and grabbed the necklace. Holding it up to the light, the gemstone didn't shine as brilliantly as it did in the Labyrinth and its golden sheen was now covered in small bits of rust. But to me, it was beautiful all the same. "'Even if that was true, I'm still glad that it was us."

Aya's face lit up. "Does that mean you can finally talk to Shi now?"

"Talk to Shiro...talk to Shiro," she mumbled. Granny looked around confused for a second before she shot up. "That's right, I did call you girls over here for a reason, didn't I? Sorry for putting everything on hold, I just couldn't bear the thought of losing it."

Once I handed it over to her, Granny cradled the necklace in her hands as she beckoned Aya over.

"You see, little one, my mother gave this to me when I was even younger than you are now. It's been in our family for generations," her upper lip quivered before settling back into an uneasy smile. "I was supposed to give it to your mother a while back but that job of hers..."

"Yeah, I get it. With how busy they are, how could you ever get the chance to? Honestly those two—no, those three are so—"

"Aya," Granny said sternly. Aya huffed and put her hands up as if to say alright, alright, I'm done. "Even if I don't get the chance to do that, that's why I have hope for you."

"Hope for...me?"

"I don't mind skipping a generation. So one day, when I feel like the time is right, and I'm ready to depart with it, I'll give you this necklace with the hope that you can also pass it down to someone special to you."

Aya nodded.

"That's so sappy, Grandma."

With a sharp exhale through the nose, she leaned on Granny's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Well, I'm glad you found it then."

-

-

The first thing I noticed when walking into the room was the amount of shelves. They practically filled the room. Poorly held together with bent nails and a dream, they were filled to the brim with trophies. So much so that when the sun shone through the long, white linen curtains and hit any particular side just right, I swore that I was going blind. Although I tried to look away from them, it didn't help that when there wasn't any room on the shelves, she'd just have them placed on the ground. Congratulatory plaques and first place ribbons were either poorly nailed or taped onto the pink and white lined wallpaper.

When I wasn't focused on trying to keep my vision, it honestly reminded me of going down the halls of Miyafuji Academy. Well, aside from the poor craftsmanship.

Aya crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to another, completely and utterly unamused.

"Knew I should've locked the door. Why'd you go ahead and choose her room, Grandma?" she asked.

Granny herself stood in front of a queen-sized bed with an oversized, lumpy red blanket covering it. Upon hearing Aya's grumbling, she put a hand to her face and stared at her puzzled.

"Well, I didn't want to be in the way at all so I figured this would work for the time being." All of a sudden, she gasped. "wait—is Hina home already!?"

Aya played with the ribbon in her hair as she broke eye contact. "Like, no. Not yet. Still though, if you used any of the other rooms it would have been fine. Well, except for mine I guess. It's usually only me here anyway and I don't take up a lot of space, promise!"

Yuu frowned. "I was under the impression that you were an only child."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Aya stifled a laugh. "Nothing, nothing. If you gotta know, then she's my wonderful older sister who’s studying overseas and the person this lovely room belongs to."

"I see, so there's another you out there somewhere—"

"Not how that works at all. Definitely not important right now either, right Grandma?"

With wide eyes that screamed let's change the subject, Aya stared at Granny. Once all eyes were on her, she startled before looking back at the bed.

"Right, right, I'm so sorry I keep getting distracted."

She cleared her throat before pulling the blanket off and tossing it aside. It hit the ground with a soft thud. My vision blurred. I couldn't believe what I was staring at. On the pink frilly comforter with black heart pillows surrounding it, two large silver machines followed by some thin tubes and a capsule sunk into the soft mattress. An espresso machine and a coffee machine with a water filter that was just waiting for it to be installed.

Just what we needed. As I looked at everything, I couldn't help but choke and stumble on my own words.

"Y-You're joking, right? When'd you have the time to get all of this?"

Granny smiled. "I've run countless businesses over the many years of my life to keep myself afloat. I've never been someone who could just stick to one thing."

"Oh." My gaze slowly found its way onto Aya. "So that's who she gets it from."

"Shush, you! I'll have you know my busy schedule is my own doing and not a genetic thing," Aya hissed.

Granny laughed before putting a hand on the espresso machine. She looked at it with fondness, but as she let go, her upturned eyebrows told a different story.

"Countless businesses unfortunately means countless failures as well. Lack of proper staff, issues with the budget, even a lack of proper commitment from myself sometimes. One way or another, they would always come to an end." She picked at the small tubes for the water filter before putting them down again. "My latest venture was a cafe too, believe it or not. Part of the reason I even went to Germany in the first place was because of its strong coffee culture. I thought it was going to be an instant hit."

"No way, you? A cafe?" I asked, unable to imagine her inside that type of setting. "What happened to it, Granny?"

"Well, the first year or so went by fine, but it didn't take too long before any profit we made got swallowed up by the costs of running it. Utilities, employee salaries, supplies, marketing, even the smallest of repairs—they all add up, you know. It wasn't a surprise that we eventually went under."

"R-Right..."

Hearing her say that so casually took me out of it. Sure, it being my dream alone wasn't going to keep the doors open, but would there ever be a point where I would just shut down the cafe if things got especially rough?

"You know, Shiro, when Aya told me that you were opening up a cafe and asked for help, I had the same reaction as you did." She walked up to me and put both hands on my shoulders. "After everything today, I can proudly say I get it. That's why," Granny pulled me into a warm hug, squeezing me with everything she had. "I hope for nothing but the best for the future of the White Wings Cafe."

And as much of a pain it was to get to that point, I hoped for the very same thing. That way, I wouldn't even have to think about ever shutting down.

"Wait a second," Aya interjected, "I could have sworn I didn’t mention the name of the cafe when I was talking on the phone with you, Grandma."

"Why, Shiro and your Grandmother were so engrossed in conversation while we were helping her out, I'm sure it came up in some way," Yuu said, not breaking a sweat.

Trying my best to build on her quick save, I added, "Y-Yeah, pretty sure when I brought it up right before we started looking in the recliner, right Granny?"

"Oh, of course, something like that," she said, rushing through the sentence.

Aya stared at the three of us with a confused look before shrugging us off. It seemed that she didn't really care to dwell on the topic for long.

"All of you acting weird aside," she said with a raised eyebrow, "I'm thinking we should celebrate tonight. I mean, it's been a bit since my last real day off due to all my clubs and plus we're progressing pretty nicely on the cafe. Why not stay the night, you two?"

Yuu huffed. She looked at me, Granny, then Aya before shaking her head and walking toward the door. "I'd honestly love to, but today has been completely draining, both mentally and physically. I just don't think I could do it."

"Draining? You just got here!" She crossed her arms. "Man, of course you’re bailing out on all the fun now.”

"Well, either way I apologize," Yuu said, clenching her jaw slightly. "Not everyone can have as much energy as you, my dear upperclassmen. Depending on what you're doing, even one minute could feel like an entire day. Besides, even if I tried to celebrate, I'm certain I'd pass out before I could have any real fun."

"That tired, huh? I get it. You should see me after four after-school club meetings in a row."

Yuu picked at the frayed threads on the end of her sweater before going back to fidgeting with her hair. Her pensive expression soon turned soft when her gaze fell on me. Our adventure would only be fully recognized by the two of us, so it wasn't like Aya could comprehend just how hard Yuu had worked today.

"I'm...heading home now. I'll have so much work to do in the coming days anyway."

Even after everything, she still looked ahead toward the future as if this was just a regular day for her. An Angel's job was never finished? That just didn't sit right with me. Angel or not, even though she hurt me when she lied, she was still a dear friend of mine. Whether it was with regular school work or her duty as a Guardian Angel, the last thing I wanted was for her to wear herself out.

And so, when she turned her back to us and began to walk down the hallway, the only thing I could do was call out to her.

"Wait just a second, Yuu!" I said.

She stopped in her tracks, glancing back at me. "Yes, did you forget something?"

"You better get a full night's rest, you hear me?! A-And if you still feel tired even after eight hours, do twelve or sixteen!" Sharp inhale. My voice quivered as I continued. "Get all the rest you can. If and only if you're feeling completely better, start working on what you need to."

Yuu's eyes widened for a second before scoffing. "You're starting to sound a lot like my Mama, dear. Wait, don't tell me. Were those the boss’ orders? "

I pulled at my bangs as if I did it hard enough, I could shield myself from any further embarrassment. My face felt like it was on fire with how hot it was.

"If that'll get you to do it then...y-yes. Yes, they are," I muttered. "Just don't push yourself too hard please. If you do then I'll never get the chance to..."

I trailed off but Yuu wouldn't let me stay silent for long. With a cocked eyebrow and that teasing smirk, she replied playfully.

"Never get the chance tooooo? Do what?"

"I just don't want you skipping out on sleep like before, alright? Don't worry about me right now. God." I rolled the edge of my bangs in between my fingertips. "When I get home, especially since you're someone I really rely on so much, I was hoping to teach you how to make coffee. Only if you wanted to, of course."

A pink hue formed on her cheeks as her smirk only got wider. "I'd love to be taught by you, dear.”

Then, the humour faded a little as she looked at me a little more seriously.

“Let me make this crystal clear though: I'm afraid we're both past the point where we can just not worry about one another. Take of that what you will."

With that, Yuu Tsubasa took her leave, and the day I embarked upon my first Labyrinth came to an end.