[Aika Crisis] Day 4 and 1/2: Remembering With My Ex-Girlfriend

What's the best part about summer? Waiting in the heat for the bus to arrive! That's exactly what everyone was doing. It was a beautiful day, but the heat was just something else. The air around them rippled and distorted as heat waves danced all around. The sun-scorched roads looked as if they were wet from afar, as the heat created reflective mirages that mirrored the surrounding homes and street lamps. Izanami especially disliked the heat since her skin was pale and cold.

"Is this 'swimming'? It's kind of miserable." Izanami ignorantly, yet adorably declared.

"We're not at the beach yet, genius." Yoko responded. "We're waiting for the bus to get there."

"There's a beach in the underworld! It's so pretty!"

"Really?!" Isabella inquired with intrigue.

"Yeah! It's filled with blood and skeletons and-"

"No thanks..." everyone collectively responded.

Feeling quite awkward and embarrassed, Izanami hung her head in timid shame. "Oh...okay."

"Osamu, what time is it?” Yoko asked.

Osamu took a quick glance at his cell phone. “12:59. It should be here any minute now."

"I wonder if the bus got hijacked or something." Isabella asked, jumping to the worst possible conclusion.

And so, they sat in silence for a few more minutes before the bus finally arrived, its breaks squeaking and squealing as it came to a stop. The good news was that the driver had just returned from a stop, so the bus was empty. He waved them in and closed the doors, beginning the drive to the beach.

As they were on the move, Isabella checked her bag to make sure everyone would had enough sunscreen when they got there. Yoko looked ahead at the bus driver's direction, Aika stared out the window, and Izanami pressed her face against the glass in excitement, since riding a bus was a rare experience for her. The bus driver was quite the friendly and talkative fellow.

"Sorry I was late! There are lot of people wanting to go places during this season, you know? Just like my wife and child, the lovable little muffins! I've been married for over ten years and every summer since then has just been hectic, you know? So, I'm guessing you kids are going to the beach?"

"Nobody's talking to you. Just drive the bus, bus driver.” Yoko calmly sneered.

And that was the end of that.

Finally, they arrived at the beach. They were dropped off near the line of shops on the pier, where they'd be able to buy swimsuits and trunks. Yoko was the last to get off the bus.

"Have fun!” the driver cheered.

Yoko bowed and smiled beautifully. "Thank you! I'll be awaiting the inevitable divorce that your kid will spend his whole life blaming you for!"

The driver’s mouth was left agape as Yoko ran off, catching up with the others. There’s a saying that every rose has its thorns, a rather good saying, in fact. However, the bus driver learned then and there that Yoko was more thorn than rose, and was unashamed of it. No sympathy for the man who so dutifully drove them all the way down to the beach. What a pity.

The beach was lovely, lively, and sunny today. Everywhere they looked, people were in bathing suits and swimming trunks, carelessly enjoying the ocean’s gentle breeze and warm sunshine. The girls, seizing the opportunity for competition, dragged Osamu into the store against his will, so he may judge them as they picked out their hot, banging, bathing suits.

Isabella could barely contain her excitement. "Oo! This one has cute frills on it! Don't you love it, Osamu?"

"What on earth makes you think I care about frilly, girl crap?"

"Okay, but imagine cute, frilly, girl crap adorning a nice set of knockers!” Isabella smugly proposed.

Osamu crossed his arms, shaking his head in disappointment. ”Still not enough. Knockers and frills can't survive on their own, they need context—a perfect body and a perfect girl to go along with it. Otherwise, it's all meaningless."

"Spoken like a true harem hero." Aika quipped.

(Can it, Aika.)

Aika picked out a boringly black, two-piece bathing suit and held it up. "Would this look good on me?”

"It fits you quite well—bland and boring!” Yoko laughed.

"I'm not trying to impress anyone!” Aika insisted. “You on the other hand can't stop thinking about Osamu!"

"Yeah I love my man and he loves me, what's the problem with that?” Yoko asked

"How about this,” Osamu interjected, "I'll go set up our spot before the beach gets too crowded. You guys hurry and decide what you're gonna buy."

"All right, get a good spot for us! Take my bag, it's got everything." Isabella said, tossing the bag his way.

Osamu went out towards the beach, leaving the girls to their own devices. The smell of the sea was a wonderful change of pace, as was the warm feeling of the sand embracing his bare feet. He found a good spot to set up the six foot umbrella in Isabella's bag. Now he just had to wait.

(It's nice to have some peace. It's been a long time since I went to the beach here. How long ago exactly? Maybe…)

"Yoo-hoo!" Yoko called out, interrupting his thoughts.

Osamu looked behind him and saw all the girls in their bathing suits, ready to drench themselves in those sapphire-blue waves.

(Look at them go! Isabella was right to choose something blue and frilly! And I see Aika broke out of her shell and chose a white bathing suit with lace! Yoko stuck to strawberry red, with a little bit of black thrown in for the extra sexy effect and....What in god's name is Izanami wearing?)

Izanami wore a helmet in the shape of a rubber duck, a school-style bathing suit, arm floaties, and a rubber duck inner tube. It was clear sabotage and Izanami was none the wiser to it.

(They did this to her on purpose, didn't they...)

"Izanami...how...what did you guys do?" Osamu asked in horror

Isabella tried to contain her laughter. "Nothing, Osamu! We just..pffthaha...we just helped her choose something that fit her!"

"Ease up, Osa! Aren't the rubber duckies cute?” Izanami responded with fierce optimism.
Despite looking stupid, Izanami really did look happy wearing everything. As always, she just seemed glad to be alive and able to have fun with Osamu and the others. It was a truly endearing trait, even if it often resulted in the girls pulling practical jokes on her.

(Well, as long as she's happy I guess.)

"All right! Let's hit the waves!" Yoko shouted, like a general rallying her troops

Osamu took off his shirt and jumped in with the girls into the sparkling blue waters. Yoko, Aika, and Isabella led the way and began splashing water at each other as Osamu helped Izanami ease herself into the frigid ocean. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, she was pretty nervous.

"It's so cold! I'm scared!" Izanami cried.

"Izanami, didn't you create the sea a long time ago?" Osamu questioned.

"That doesn't mean I'm not scared of it!" she pouted in frustration.

"All right, let's go in together. Close your eyes and hang on to me."

Izanami held on tight to Osamu, and she could feel the chill of the water beneath her feet slowly climb up to her stomach. Her breathing deepened and her exhales became sharp as she was submerged deeper in the water. Before she knew it, she was in, her feet still touching the bottom.

"All right, open up!” Osamu encouraged.

Izanami opened her eyes and smiled like a proud, giddy child. "I did it! I actually did it! Thank you, Osa!"

(Has Izanami always been this cute?)

As Izanami and Osamu seemed to lock eyes under the bright sun and sparkling waters, the sheer envy of the other girls made the water around them bubble and steam. Aika was the only one who didn’t seem to mind too much. Yoko, as usual, was the first to object to such disgusting displays of public affection that didn’t include her.

"The only reason why you're not drowning right now is because I wouldn't do that to a deity. But please...get off my man." she scowled 

"I think you mean my man, Yoko." Isabella corrected.

Yoko responded with a tone of sarcastic shock and surprise. "Oh really?"

Infuriated, Yoko tackled Isabella into the water, splashing some on Aika.

"Great, now they're going at it!" Aika groaned.

Isabella and Yoko popped up out of the water, each taking deep breaths as they surfaced.

"You bitch! Give me back my top!" Isabella roared.

Yoko dangled Isabella's top as she laughed. "Why are you guarding your chest, anyway? It's not like anyone can see through the water!"

"Because I...they..."

"Hmm? Spit it out already, what is it?” Yoko asked.

"They'll float in the water if I let them go!” Isabella said, her face redder than wine.

"Whoa..." Izanami mumbled to herself.

She may have been cruel, but Yoko was still a fellow girl. She could sympathize with big boob issues.

"T-they really are big. Take this back then!” Yoko insisted.

"T-thanks..." Isabella timidly mumbled, putting her top back on.

"Hey, Osamu, that reminds me. Which one of them has the best swimsuit?" Aika suddenly asked.

(Damn it, I knew this would happen.)

"Uhh, well…" Osamu hesitated.

Isabella grabbed hold of Osamu's arm and put on her best, blushing puppy face. "Osa, my swimsuit was the best, right? Right?"

(It's so hard to resist those green eyes...)

And then came Yoko. "Osa, since I am an ocean child, it only makes sense that I would naturally win at something like this."

(Just because your name is written as Ocean Child, it doesn't mean you can just declare victory!)

Izanami grabbed Osamu's other arm and spoke with a determined voice and face.

"Rubber duckie, feelin' lucky!" she fiercely cried out.

(What?)

Releasing a heavy sigh, Osamu made his decision.

"I think it's quite obvious.” Osamu stated.

The suspense killed the girls as Osamu took a deep breath and announced the winner.
"Izanami wins the Battle of the Swimsuits!"

Izanami gasped and covered her mouth as she blushed, and even the people around them clapped for her.

"What?!" Yoko screamed in disbelief.

Isabella wasn't a much better sport either. "Bullshit!"

"I'm not even competing and I'm kind of mad too." Aika scoffed.

Like the host of a game show, Osamu called Izanami up to be the center of attention. "Step right up, Izanami-no-Mikoto!"

He walked her out of the water as more people crowded and clapped for her. "How are ya feelin' Izanami? You feel good?"

Izanami was on the verge of happy tears. "I feel incredible!"

"Good, you should! As for your reward, you win... a new bottle of anti-solar elixir!” Osamu cheered.

Izanami placed her hands on her cheeks in shock at the sight of this incredible elixir, which was really just a bottle of sunscreen. "Wow! Thank you so much! I will honor it forever!"

"Has she never seen a bottle of sunscreen before?" Isabella asked in surprised laughter.

Osamu clapped and cheered for the pale, deceased beauty. "Congratulations!"

"I'd hate her, but it's wrong to hate gods." Yoko reasoned to herself

The girls all dried off under the umbrella and stretched themselves out on their towels as they watched other people swim, walk, and talk around the beach. Izanami was still giddy about winning a bottle of sunscreen, giggling as she read the contents of the bottle. Having Aika sitting next to him, Osamu's heart commanded him to drum up a conversation. Anything. Anything at all, just as long as they speak to each other more intimately. 

The thing is, he didn’t quite understand why he felt that way until he sat down with her. He suddenly remembered how long ago it had been since he had visited this beach. How could he forget in the first place? Many moons ago, he used to go here with his former lover and friend, Aika Mihara. Perhaps, his urge to converse with her was a sad, pitiable attempt to grab hold of that lost time and forgotten nostalgia.

"Hey, Aika, didn't we go down to this beach once? It was a long time ago.” Osamu nervously reminisced.

Aika's eyes drifted towards the view of the glittering sea, her lips curving in a slight smile. "Yeah, we were here before. I dragged you all the way down here to collect seashells in the middle of the night, and you actually went with me. We were both pretty stupid, huh?"

"Yeah, but that's the joy of being young, isn't it? We can be as stupid as we please, for now.” Osamu said.

Aika shook her head. ”No...I don't think we can."

Osamu curiously turned his head towards her as she continued.

"Wasting our youth being stupid isn't what we're here for, Osamu. It's not our purpose. Our youth is about so much more than us, after all. It also concerns those around us. Well, I guess I'm the last person who's qualified to talk about things like 'purpose'..."

"Why not? You always seemed like you had the most sense of purpose in life, like you had a compass pointing you towards your destiny or something cool like that."

Aika's voice was heavy, almost as if it was exhausted and surrendering to something. "If I had something like that right now...it would probably point towards this beach."

"This beach? That’s curious. Why would you end up here?"

Aika suddenly lowered her head, covering her face with her wickedly beautiful hair. "Forget I said anything, Osamu."

(Aika can be so cryptic sometimes. Like some of her more surreal songs, she'll say or write things that require one to ponder on the meaning of her words, to analyze them over and over again. And yet, every time, I come up empty handed. I can't figure her out)

Though they didn't notice, Yoko could hear the conversation go on behind her. She didn't say anything, nor did she observe them with her curious eyes.

After a day well spent, the sun began to set, casting a veil of deep orange over the sky. Aika helped Osamu gather everything up as the others shook sand out of their clothes and hair. Osamu couldn't help but notice that Aika, even when she was close to Osamu as they packed, didn't bother to look at him.

(Maybe what Yoko was hiding really did have to do with Aika's feelings. I wonder if she urged me to stay away so that I wouldn't get hurt. I can't say I'm sure, but it seems like she may have been trying to protect me.)

"Bus is here! Let's go home!" Isabella shouted, rallying everyone to return to the house.

Everyone was about to get on the bus until they realized it was the same driver that Yoko had made the nasty remark towards earlier. Karma was about to do its thing.

"Awaiting my divorce, huh? I'll be awaiting the police report that says that all of you assholes died and your bodies were found mangled and stuffed in boxes! Get off my bus!"

And so, the five of them had to walk back home. Dusk was settling in, dividing the sky in halves of orange and purple. The good news was that they were already almost home. The bad news was that their legs were sore and their stomachs were cramped.

"Hey, the bowling alley is just up ahead." Yoko pointed out. "Let's stop there for a second and rest. Osamu, can you grab some water from the convenience store?"

"Yeah, sure. You guys go on ahead." Osamu suggested.

It was a quick trip. Osamu purchased a few bottles of water from the store and stuffed them inside of Isabella's bag. He then walked to the bowling alley, climbing over the sign that told people to stay out. There was a row of stained glass windows, each decorated with images of bowling balls and pins. Though they were multicolored, there was a unique primary color for each glass column.

Aika sat right in front of the far left column, which was primarily green. Next to her under the red column sat Yoko. The next one over from Yoko was empty, and the purple column after that was occupied by Izanami. The blue column next to Izanami had Isabella sitting by it. The moonlight shone through the stained glass and projected their color and patterns onto the large window sills and the dilapidated wood of the main floor of the bowling alley.

The bowling balls reflected the light in warped perspective, and some of the pins laying around also reflected their radiance. Osamu walked in with the bottles of water, handed one to each of them, and sat down under the orange column, right in the middle.

"Thanks Osa!" Izanami said.

"No problem.” he nodded.

"Well? Did everyone have fun?" Isabella asked with a kind smile.

Yoko was the first to respond. "I'll admit, you have great ideas when it comes to this kind of stuff. Did you have anything else in mind for tomorrow?"

"Hmm...how about a movie?” Isabella proposed.

"Sounds good to me." Aika agreed.

"I'm in too!" cheered Izanami, as if she would be left out unless she expressed her excitement.

Concerned and curious at the same time, Yoko turned her attention to Aika. "Did you have fun today, Aika?"

"Yeah, it was actually really fun. Thank you for taking me with you.” Aika said.

“Was it the most fun you’ve ever had, even beyond your wildest dreams?” Isaebella said with the tone of a horror film narrator.

“I’d give it third place, Izzy.” Aika answered.

“Hey, that’s not bad at all!” Izanami cheered. “What’s second and first place?”

Aika’s eyes drifted upwards towards the dilapidated ceiling. “Well, I suppose second place would be going duck hunting with my cousins in Europe. First place would be performing with Rei for our high school talent show. I think that was the first time I had ever performed in front of an audience.”

“Who’s Rei?” Izanami asked.

“Oh, I remember her.” Isabella said. “She played some killer drums back in high school. I haven’t seen her since we graduated, though. I get the feeling she didn’t like me all that much.”

“I only saw her a few times.” Yoko recalled. “I wish I talked to her more. She was kind of cute.”

“You’ve got a weakness for cute girls, Yoko?” Osamu laughed.

“Hell yes I do, and I’m proud of it!” Yoko thundered.

Osamu suddenly remembered an interesting piece of information Yoko let slip during the night of his return. “Yoko, didn’t you say that you and Izzy shared a bed at some point? Surely, you didn’t mean that in a sexual way.”

“Huh? No, we did have sex. At least, I’m pretty sure we did.” Yoko said.

Her cheeks reddening, Isabella tugged at Yoko’s arm, hoping to get her to stop before she said anymore. “Yoko! Come on!”

“How on earth did that end up happening?!” Osamu asked.

“Izzy and I actually hung out quite a lot after you left, if you can imagine that. There’s not much of a story behind it. We were just over at my place one night, we both got really sloppy drunk, and then we woke up in bed with several items of clothing strewn about the room. I’m not even sure of what really happened. It’s possible we didn’t do it and just stripped a bit before hitting the hay.”

“That’s a memory that I don’t even have, but still don’t want to revisit.” Isabella sighed. “Thanks for putting it out there, Yoko.”

“You did proceed to send me some rather racy pictures, Izzy. Maybe we really did do it that night.” Yoko said.

“You’re like a living tell-all book!” Isabella shouted as she slapped her hands over her eyes in shame.

“You sent Yoko nudes, Isabella?” Aika asked.

“Don’t be ashamed, Izzy. They were hot. You’re the one that made me realize I liked cute girls.”

“Osa, someday we’ll fill you in all of this in proper, non-invasive detail.” Isabella groaned, emphasizing ‘non-invasive’ as she gazed at Yoko.

“But I digress.” Yoko said. “Aika, if you had that much fun playing with Rei, maybe you should think about starting a band. Your talent is no good if you don’t show it to everyone.”

“Ooo! I love rock bands!” Izanami exclaimed with an adorable smile.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” Aika admitted. “I guess I’ll think about it some more.”
"Crap, what are we gonna do about dinner?" Isabella calmly questioned.

Yoko quickly came up with an easy, comfortable solution. "I can make us some mean, beef ramen if you'd like."

Just imagining the aroma and taste of the ramen brought pleasure to Izanami's senses. "Ooo! That sounds so good!" she said with her eyes closed, trapped in a culinary fantasy. Isabella stood up from her seat, stretching her arms and legs. "All right! I'm all rested up! Let's get on home!"

Everyone got up after finishing their water, rejuvenated and ready to make the final stretch home. Osamu held onto Yoko's arm, holding her back as the others walked on ahead.

"What is it?” Yoko asked.

"What is it about Aika that's got you acting like this?” Osamu asked. “I can't help but feel like you're trying to protect me from something I don't want to know."

"As I've said, you shouldn't mess around with a girl's problems." Yoko sternly replied.

"How am I supposed to trust you if you won't tell me anything about this?"

"The only thing that you need to know is that it would be the best for all of us if Aika was kept around other people. Aika has been through crushing loneliness ever since you left. She doesn't have anybody to take care of her."

(That's definitely true...)

Yoko spoke with an air of cold confidence, gazing into Osamu's eyes as she caressed his hands. "What I'm asking for is faith. Have some faith in me, okay? I've got this."

Osamu sighed. ”Fine. You're an extremely unstable person, but I know for a fact that Yoko Akiyama has a heart. I'll trust you for now."

Yoko and Osamu caught up with the others as they continued the walk home. The whole time, Osamu was gazing over at Aika, who still wouldn't look at him. Finally, they arrived in front of the house and walked through its front yard.

"Finally! I'll get into some comfy clothes and help out in the kitchen." Isabella excitedly declared.

Izanami immediately rushed to the kitchen to help prepare the meal. "I'll get the pots ready!"

Osamu, still greatly troubled and uncomfortable, tugged at Aika's sleeve. "Hey, Aika, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh...sure..."

Osamu and Aika stayed outside as the others went in. He was so nervous just being in front of her that he almost forgot to breathe from time to time.

(Maybe I should tell her...)

"What is it?" Aika asked with a blank expression.

It was then, of all times, that Osamu decided to share a particular secret with her. "A few days ago, I went to visit your mother's grave. I felt bad about what happened to her while I was gone, so I wanted to offer my prayers and burn some incense for her. I'm guessing that my bad timing has something to do with why you won't look at me when you're reminded of things we used to do, right? So, I guess, that was my way of telling you and her that...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you to deal with something so harsh."

Osamu looked up and saw Aika's eyes sparkle with tears. “You...prayed at her grave?”

Osamu smiled. "Yep, sure did.”

"Why would you do that?!” Aika shouted in vexation.

(What? Is she angry?)

"You're so full of crap! You think you can just walk over to someone's grave, pray about this, pray about that, burn some incense, and suddenly you're absolved of everything? What am I supposed to do, forgive you? Congratulate you? 'Hey everybody, Osamu finally took the time to understand what I was going through and visited my mom's grave! Isn't he great?'"

"Aika..." Osamu whispered, his voice hushed by Aika's fury.

"You're not sorry, and you'll never know what it means to be sorry because you never had to go through that! You can just come and go as you please and not feel like you're leaving anything behind. You left when I needed you most, and I missed you terribly! My heart ached because you weren't there! All of us suffered because of your disappearing act!”

Aika stood crying on the doorstep, and Osamu couldn't find any words to say. "I hate you so much. How dare you pray for her. Prayer didn’t help her when she was alive and it won’t help now that she’s gone. Don’t ever visit her grave again."

"Aika, I'm s—"

“Don’t! Don't say you're sorry."

(Again. I was foolish.)

They both went inside the house as Yoko, Isabella, and Izanami were in the kitchen preparing the meal. Aika was the first to pass by.

"Hey Aika, you're not allergic to red meat or anything, right?" Isabella asked, quickly noticing the distress on her face. "Aika?"

Aika covered her eyes and ran upstairs before anyone could say anything more to her. Osamu sauntered into the kitchen after her, dejectedly slouching down on the counter. It couldn't have been more obvious that the two had a fight.

"Is Aika okay?" Isabella questioned in a worried tone.

Yoko was far less concerned and much more irritated. "Damn it, Osamu. What did you do?"

"Nothing! I...I just..."

"Idiot. I told you to leave her alone."

"What's wrong with Aika?” Izanami asked.

The conversation had now roused Isabella and Izanami's curiosity about what Aika was feeling. It put extra pressure on Yoko to keep it under wraps.

"All of you listen to me, because I will not say this twice.” Yoko forewarned. “Do not dig into Aika's personal matters. When she’s ready, I’m sure she’ll open up about it, but it has to happen organically. Let her focus on the here and now. Understand?"

The silence was all that was needed to declare that Yoko's word was absolute.

"Good." Yoko concluded, ending with the final word.

The cooking continued as if nothing happened, and all four of them ate a worthy meal for the eventful day. Although, Osamu's eyes were as still a shallow water the whole time, and his body seemed to operate on auto-pilot without exuding any part of himself, his feelings, or personality.

Isabella cleaned the dishes, and the kitchen was tidied up before they all went upstairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed.

“I think I ate too much.” Isabella giggled. “My stomach aches a little bit.”

"Thanks for today, Izzy." Yoko groaned, upset she had to actually thank Isabella for something. "I guess you aren't half-bad."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're warming up to me now!" Isabella teased with a smug expression.

"As if! You're just not the raw sewage I thought you were, that's all."

(I'm pretty sure that still counts as warming up.)

"Good night you two, we'll find out what to do tomorrow!" Isabella said as she headed to her room.

Exhausted by the events of the day, Osamu could only respond with a defeated tone . “Sounds great. Goodnight."

In preparation for the night, Osamu and Yoko brushed their teeth and got into their clothes in the same bathroom. When that was done, Yoko climbed into bed with Osamu and turned the lights out, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate their bed.

"Oh, Osamu, can you turn on the alarm? It's right down the end of the hall. The code is 1190."

"Ah, sure.” Osamu agreed.

Osamu walked down the hall and did just that. When the code was entered and the alarm was engaged, a voice rang out from the alarm system, clearly belonging to Yoko.

"The alarm is now engaged. Intruders will be stabbed. Survivors will be stabbed again."

Osamu sighed in unsurprised disappointment.

(Of course she set this up.)

As he walked back towards Yoko's room, he passed by Isabella's room, where Aika was also sleeping. He could hear Aika faintly crying from beyond the door, each whimper driving a stake of guilt further into his heart.

(Am I the source of all of this pain within Aika? I am, aren't I? What should I do? Is there anything I even can do?)

Osamu walked away from the door, as reluctantly and bitterly as one possibly could.

(Maybe it's best to leave it alone, like Yoko said. If I'm the problem, Aika can't heal if I'm constantly reminding her of the things that hurt her.)

Osamu climbed into bed with Yoko, who was facing him as he laid down. Her eyes were as blue as the moonlight spilling through the window.

"Yoko..."

"Are you hurt?" she asked with a tender stare.

"How did you know?” Osamu frowned.

"Come on, how long have I known you? I know everything."

Yoko embraced Osamu, stroking his hair and holding his head into the softness and security of her breasts. 

"Let's sleep like this. It'll make you feel better." she gently whispered, her voice acting as a sweet anodyne to Osamu.

"Thanks..."

(All of my instincts told me to listen to Yoko. I could feel my bones screaming at me whenever I doubted her word. But there was a certain mystery that I needed to solve for myself—the mystery of Aika's heart.)

Cloaked in the darkness of her room, Aika brought out that tightly folded piece of notebook paper from her jacket's pocket. She sat at the side of a sleeping Isabella as she unfolded it yet again, keeping a pen in her mouth. With heavy, sunken eyes, she took a deep breath in, and one deep breath out. Aika turned her eyes back towards Isabella as she twisted and turned in bed, a slight smile blessing her sleeping face.

Perhaps it was from Isabella's glowing beauty beneath the moonlight that she found the inspiration to write upon that piece of paper, adding a few more items to her list.

"I suppose...I can wait a little longer and enjoy my summer. After all, these girls...aren't so bad."

‘Go to the beach’ was written and subsequently crossed out. ‘Watch a movie together’ and other mundane items typical of a list of things to do for the summer filled the lines of that single page. ‘Confront Osamu’ remained uncrossed.

"I know...I have to find a better way to do this. We can't spend our youth being stupid."


End of Day 4 and 1/2