A Breath Of Fresh Air

 I slowly got up and nodded at Erica.

"That sounds good."

Behind me, I could already hear the sounds of the game Ninsei was playing. Was he going to be okay? At least he seemed to enjoy the game.

"She'll look after him. Don't worry."

She must have seen the worry on my face. Instantly, I felt better, knowing she looked out for me. I tried to relax. Only Ninsei, on the computer, and Pudding, on the bed, stayed behind. The rest of us went outside, feeling the cold breeze on our faces.

"Too bad the games are all that interest him," sighed Maria, looking back to the window of Pudding's room.

"I told you already, you're not going to date my brother."

"But..."

She pouted at Arisu's words.

"No! I don't want to be his emotional support again when you break up with him."

Maria gasped.

"You can be really mean sometimes, you know?" she hissed.

"I-" Arisu breathed out. "I'm sorry. That was mean of me."

"It's okay. I forgive you." A small smile was on Maria's face. "It's good to see how much you care for him."

The alien girl huffed.

"How could I not? He's my brother."

I looked up at the sky. It got dark quickly. Still, together with my friends, I didn't feel the cold. They were still talking about Ninsei, so I had to chime in.

"He seems like a big nerd."

"He absolutely is. And, underneath everything, he's a big softie, even though he would never admit it."

She let her hair wave around.

"And he can be super annoying."

"Uhm, are you bullying him now?" Erica quietly asked.

"...but I still love him."

Arisu sighed at her words.

"That's what makes it difficult."

She looked up at the sky, and I couldn't help but wonder if she looked at the star closest to her home. She would be able to pick it out, right?

"I don't know what to do," she whispered softly, "He came all this way to get me back home. But I don't want to go."

I could hear the tears in her voice, even though she shielded her face with her hair.

"I just want to stay here."

For a moment, her words hung in the air, and we all stayed silent.

"I... also don't want you to go."

Those selfish words escaped me before I could catch myself.

"It's bad enough that Pudding will be gone so soon," I continued, the words spilling out like water, and I didn't care how red my face burned, "I don't know how I can handle losing another friend."

I could feel tears forming in the corner of my eyes. I swallowed hard. While I knew these feelings had been there for a long time - ever since we really understood that Pudding was graduating - they never rose to the surface quite like this.

"And unlike her, you're going to be lightyears away from us! It's just not fair."

My voice died, and before I knew it, I was caught in a hug. Arisu was all around me, suppressing a sob, just like I did. Another hand warmed my shoulder as Maria joined us.

"I also don't want you to go," she mumbled, "I'd miss you so much."

"I'll stay, I promise!"

Arisu was full on crying now.

"That's not something you can promise, you know," Erica sighed, "but... I know what you mean. I would also like for our group to stay as it is."

A small smile flickered over her face.

"Hey... do you all want to accompany me to the gallery? I might have a picture there."

Suddenly, the air of sadness vanished, replaced by our excitement.

"You do?"

I couldn't quite believe it. Was that why she had been hiding her drawings lately? I brushed my tears away. They felt inappropriate, as I couldn't stop smiling.

"I do," she answered, a proud smile on her face, "Sorry for keeping it a secret."

I shook my head. That our lovely Erica could keep something like this from us... I grabbed Arisu and Maria by the hands, looking at our hard-working artist friend.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?"

But Maria tilted her head.

"Ah, shouldn't we get Pudding for this?"

But Erica slowly shook her head.

"Let her rest. Also, she already saw it as she helped me hang it in the gallery."

"And you two were hiding this from us," I huffed.

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise."

"And a surprise it is! I'm sure to speak for us all when I say that we're happy for you - but still, that's mean!"

Arisu yawned, saving Erica from my playful accusation.

"Let's go then, before I get tired."

Together, we strolled over to the gallery in town. The building, outside of the busy nightlife, was brick-like. A giant white and chrome cube at the outskirts of town, seemingly out of place. It looked kind of alien to me, even though I wouldn't say that out loud. Against the darkening sky, it made a striking contrast.

"What an ugly building," mumbled Arisu.

As we entered, the smell of dried paint and leather entered my nose.

"Ah, Erica!"

I blinked. For a moment, I wasn't sure if I saw correctly. But the woman before us, smiling and waving, was definitely Barbara. Tonight, her high bun was adorned with golden stars, and her blue dress had tiny specks of white paint on it, just like the night sky. Or maybe, it was a simple painting accident.

"I'm glad you came here. And you brought your friends, too!"

She gave each of us a big smile, before she turned around again.

"Have fun!"

And we did. We walked along the walls, looking at all of the paintings. Some of them were great, others, not so much. No, not my taste. I preferred the quiet ones instead of the loud, colorful ones that Arisu apparently liked. Finally, we arrived at a picture of the night sky, the dark blue and violet colors merged with white spots.

"This one is yours, right?" I guessed.

"Yes. I'm glad you can recognize my style."

She looked away, but I could hear the pride in her voice. My smile only widened.

"It's beautiful. It feels like the real thing."

"Thank you," Erica softly answered.

"I'm glad we're here."

Arisu looked at the other paintings, but we all were still gathered around Erica's. I was just happy that we could share this moment. I looked at her painting, feeling the warmth in my chest. Yes, this felt like the real night sky.

"Uwa, did you forget about me?"

Suddenly, Pudding's voice rang through my head, and I turned around. There she stood, arms crossed, her face in a playful pout. Behind her, as if he were hiding, stood Ninsei. The tall man made Pudding look smaller than usual. I blinked. Somehow, she seemed full of energy, even though she had been sleeping so deep just an hour ago.

"Y-you're here?"

"Of course."

She stretched and let out a yawn.

"How could I miss this?"

She looked around, and waved at Barbara. I still didn't quite understand.

"But... you were..."

"I'm still tired. Oh well."

She nodded with her head towards Ninsei.

"I mean, even he came with me. So how could I not be here?"

Ninsei didn't look like he wanted to be here in particular. He probably would have preferred to continue playing his game, or doing a few more rounds fighting Pudding, but still, he came. Whatever that meant. He didn't say much, and all of his emotions were closed off again. I couldn't even tell if he was bored by this or not. But to Erica, who was the important person here, it didn't matter. Her focus was on Pudding, and the two of them quickly excused themselves to walk through the gallery together.

Arisu walked over to her brother, arms crossed. Her hair was a bit more animated than usual, in a playful way. She grinned at him.

"You came here? Liking Earth's culture so far, huh?"

But he shook his head.

"The girl basically dragged me here."

Arisu clearly didn't believe him.

"Suuure... as if. What's the deal?"

"There is no deal."

He clearly got annoyed by her questions, and she had a lot of fun annoying him. He huffed, while Maria and me watched the siblings squabble. But then, he flinched.

"Oh no."

Arisu tilted her head.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"I completely forgot."

She let out a laugh, looking at us.

"Hey, did you hear that? This is probably the first time he forgot something. Truly, a historic moment."

We giggled, not loud enough to disturb the other gallery watchers. But as Ninsei frantically pulled out his very own PURIRIN, which was beeping red, I grew more worried. His hair started to wrap around him as he watched the screen in horror.

"I was supposed to report back to them hours ago!"

Arisu sighed, crossing her arms.

"Wow, you really forgot that?"

"Well..." He sighed. "It's no use. Even if I talk to them now, I'm sure they're already on their way."

Arisu blinked several times, and I could see the color drain from her face.

"They are coming?"

He nodded.

"I'm sure of it."

For a second, he tilted his head in thought.

"Oh well, I should ask Miss Pudding for a rematch now. I'm not sure what will be left of this in a few hours."

"They're not coming with the whole armada, are they?"

Her voice was quiet.

"Who knows?"

He looked at her.

"You know how protective they can be. Once they notice that something is off, that is."

"This can't be! They're my friends," Arisu grumbled.

He shrugged, already turning around to search for Pudding.

"Oh, I will. Don't worry, I will."

Frantically, she caught PURIRIN, opening the little alien thing right then and there. I walked around her, so hopefully, the other visitors wouldn't notice something was off. I looked at my friend, who glared angrily at the tiny screen in front of her. I couldn't help but worry.

But this is Arisu. I know she'll do everything she can. Still...

"That's bad news, right?" I confirmed. "That sounded like bad news."

"Well," Arisu explained, still focused on the screen, "they are probably getting ready to defeat whatever they think might threaten me here."

"Threat?" I echoed.

I tried not to raise my voice too much. Even though what we were saying must sound pretty nonsensical from the outside, it didn't mean that we should bring attention to it.

"What kind of threat could we," I gestured at my friends and me, "pose to some intergalactic warlords?"

She shook his head, and closed the screen. It was then that Ninsei returned with Pudding and Erica.

"Well, probably not you, specifically. More like... humanity in general," Arisu tried to explain.

"I... don't understand," Maria said softly.

"It's easy."

Ninsei sighed, and crossed his arms. He tilted his head back as if he could see the stars outside.

"Our parents arrive, they extract us, and then pulverize the planet. Does that make it clearer?"

"Ah..."

"Uh-huh. Message received," I said with a nod.

Everything in my head screamed. This can't be happening. That's impossible! How-what...

The noise inside of me rose to a level that I couldn't even think any coherent thought anymore. But thinking wasn't necessary, as suddenly, the whole room was engulfed in bright, white light. I screamed, reaching lout with my hands in the meager hope to find one of my friends in the blinding emptiness. I grabbed someone's hand - Arisu's maybe? - and clung to her. Someone else grabbed my other hand, probably Maria. I pressed my eyelids together, and just hoped. For what, I didn't know. But what else could I do? The light was both blinding, and somehow, deafening.

Then, everything went black.