Fuyou Yuuna wa Kataribe to Naru - Carpe Diem - Afternoon

I've heard a story in the past.
A pair of snow-white birds was kept in a house.
The two birds were very close, and did everything together.
Whether they ate, drank, slept or rested on a branch.
The two small lives huddling together in their cage spent their time in a world just for the two of them.
But one day, one of the birds fell sick and passed away.
The other was left alone.
From then on, it lived the rest of its life alone in its cage.
After I heard that story, I shed tears.
I felt bad for the bird that died.
I felt miserable for the bird that remained.
I still wonder:
Which of the two birds was more pitiful?
Rain again, huh.
The rain's been going non-stop since June started.
I'm not the outdoors type, but spending my time in four walls was beginning to get me down.
Worse yet, there was something bothering me.
It was the message I received yesterday.
The sender was Ninomiya-san, whom I met for the first time in a while when looking for Suzu.
She was asking about high school exams.
She'd heard from graduates of the basketball club that a girls' basketball league would be established in Shikoku.
So she asked me if I had any intention of entering a basketball-heavy school and making an official comeback.
She was also planning to take entrance exams for that school.
What should I do...?
The reason I quit basketball was because I thought it wouldn't lead me to power - power needed to survive.
But if there's a basketball league...
If I would be able to make a living playing basketball...
Then it would be a useful power.
Hm? Someone's calling.
I don't know this number.
Hello?
Oh, Lily's father?
What!?
Will this rain EVER let up? How am I supposed to go outside?
I can't do anything other than make doujinshi of Takashima-sama, draw fanart and press "like" under every post talking about her!
I've already made two new books this month!
Actually... I should think about that thing.
At the recent doujinshi fair I met with Takashima-sama's Miko, Karasuma Kumiko-sama.
And she suggested an unthinkable idea to me.
To join the Taisha after I graduate middle school.
Obviously, I wouldn't start working right away.
I would study there and aim to become a priestess in the future, that was the plan.
If I joined the Taisha, I would be able to learn so much more about Takashima-sama.
But why did Karasuma-sama suggest something like that to me?
I don't really know what Taisha priests are like, but aren't they, like,
super-smart elites, people related to shrines and other... special people?
Oh, it's Yuzuki-chan.
Hello?
What!? Lily-chan got hospitalised? I'll be there right away!
Back then, we did not realise
just how precious those times when we three could laugh carelessly were, and how short they would be.
Hero History Apocrypha,\NFuyou Yuuna Becomes a Storyteller
Stage play,\NCarpe Diem.
Lily, are you alright!?
 Lily-chan, hang in there! Think of Takashima-sama and you'll be right as rain in no time!
I see, so the Nogi Wakaba body double theory really did have solid reasoning behind it.
The articles in this magazines are always so completely convincing!
Huh?
Lily-chan?
In other words, it's a Schroedinger's Nogi Wakaba...
Lily!
Yuzuki-kun? Suzu-kun?
What brings you here?
What the hell do you mean, "what"!?
We rushed here because you'd collapsed, apparently!
Huh? Oh.
Wait, did you hear that from my dad?
Yes we did!
I bet he exaggerated! He's such a worrywart.
It's just a little seasonal sickness.
Sickness...? Well, that's good to hear.
Anyway, you two came at a perfect time!
I've discovered something new about Nogi Wakaba-sama! Let's verify the info!
You know that you're hospitalised, right?
The search for truth is far more important!
Huh, someone came. Another visitor?
Ah. Dad...
Lily's father said he wanted to talk and took Suzu and me outside the room.
He explained Lily's condition to us with an uneasy look on his face.
I had no idea about Lily's condition...
Lily told me before, but it's so easy to forget when you look at how she usually acts...
Lily was a frail girl since birth. \NIt was hereditary, apparently.
Her mother passed away from a sickness, too.
Her cardiovascular system, her heart and blood vessels, was fragile
and there was no knowing when something would happen.
Since it was a predisposition, surgery couldn't fix it,
and fully curing it was likely impossible.
Heavy prolonged physical activity is supposed to be forbidden for her...
But that's exactly what she does with us!
Right? Have we been harming Lily-chan all this time...?
Lily's father didn't say anything about the Hero Club activities because
she seemed to be having so much fun even despite the risks to her health.
But after today he couldn't stay silent anymore and had to tell us about Lily.
He looked almost guilty while talking to us.
Anyway, no Hero Club stuff for the time being! Until Lily gets better...
And? And what about after she does...?
You're right...
I'd be lying if I said the Hero Club activities weren't fun.
But if we consider Lily's health...
It might be time to call it quits.
Thanks for the food!
Udon after getting discharged hits the spot like nothing else!
Well then, back to our Hero Club activities!
And we're starting off with a trip to Kochi to verify the Nogi Wakaba clone theory!
Are you seriously trying to start things!?
Huh? What do you mean?
Now, excuse me, Lily-chan, but just yesterday you were still on the hospital bed.
Should you really be planning a trip already?
And you've been slurping down your udon without chewing it even once! "Goes down smooth" my foot!
I-I'll be fine!
What we're saying is that you should take a break from the club stuff for the time being.
I'm good as gold!
If I'm out of the hospital, it means the doctors said I'm fine!
I guess...?
Do you trust me that little!?
We can't drag someone who just recovered around like that!
Stop worrying so much, Yuzuki-kun! I said I'm fine!
Now, now, now. Lily-chan, let's calm down.
Better safe than sorry, am I right?
But life is fast and fleeting! There's no time to be sitting around!
Whatever you say, we can't indulge you right now.
Eeeh? What about you, Suzu-kun?
I think I'll refrain, too.
No way...
Lily won't do anything by her lonesome, I know that much.
If Suzu and I say no, Lily's bound to pause the club activities...
Or so I thought.
The next day I went to the municipal gymnasium to practice with my friend from the basketball club.
 Shuttle running, shot practice, dribbling practice...
It's been a while since I've done practice this authentic.
Yu-zu-ki-kun.
Agh, Lily!? What are you doing here?
I see, I see, so that's how it is.
You wanted to put the Hero Club on hold to spend time with the basketball club...
I guess the basketball club means more to you than the Hero Club and I do...
No, Lily, that's not it!
I'm just thinking about your health and-
I'll appear again and again, no matter when or what you might be doing, Yuzuki-kun.
Until you say you'll go back to the Hero Club with me.
What are you supposed to be, a vengeful spirit?
That day I was taking part in a doujinshi fair.
Woo, I finished all five of the books I started during the rainy season!
Now, how many people can I show the light of Takashima-sama today?
I'll buy all of the books you've printed, restock copies included.
L-L-Lily-chan!? How long have you been there!?
So you wanted to put the club activities on hold to focus on your doujinshi, so that's how it is.
N-No, that's not really...
You won't be able to spread the word of Takashima if I buy out your stock, right?
I will appear in every event you go to and buy out everything you have.
Until you finally give in.
She's a devil! A devil, I say!
Lily, would you cut it out!?
I get weird looks from others every time you come to practice!
Lily's always there! At events, at art supplies stores, at printing shops! I'm done with this!
I will patiently persist until you finally come back to the club.
Okay, fine! I give up! I'll join whatever you're doing!
But not right away. No club stuff until I know you're healthy enough and I can stop worrying!
That's right! Think of Yuzuki-chan's feelings for once, Lily-chan! She's worried sick!
...Fine. Let's look for a compromise.
We won't start immediately. But we will decide when we'll gather next.
I happen to have a plan, actually!
Hm?
We have a study excursion at the end of the first term.
Our school will be going to Ibukijima... and so will yours, Suzu-kun.
Huh? How do you know that?
I checked! On the same dates, even!
Whoa.
A study excursion is when everyone in a school year stops at a hotel
and lives together for a few days to socialise.
It's an extracurricular activity.
They used to be called "field trips" in the past, apparently.
Oh, then we could meet Suzu there.
I'll say hi if I see you two.
We won't need to do that.
What, you mean I should pretend we don't know each other? That's a little mean.
That's one evil grin.
You're scaring me, Lily-chan.
Listen up. We won't be merely exchanging greetings. We're going to gather as the Hero Club!
Huh?
It's a gift from the gods! Our next Hero Club activities will be held on Ibukijima!
Eeh?
I've looked into it: one theory behind the name "Ibukijima" says that
it comes from "iboku", meaning a tree of much mystery.
And what comes to mind when you think of a tree, my dear Shikoku residents?
Shinju-sama?
Exactly! There might be something linked to the mystery of the Shinju-sama!
And we're going to look into that!
The study excursion will be... in a month, right?
How about it? The study excursion is a school event, so we'll obviously be taking part.
A bit of investigating between the studies won't hurt anyone, right?
I guess not?
Alright. But if you start feeling even the tiniest bit worse, we're not letting you do it.
The rainy June finally ended, making way for July.
Lily's health showed no signs of getting worse.
Maybe it really was just bad luck that she got hospitalised that time.
At least, so I thought.
At least, so I wanted to think.
Then, at the beginning of July, our study excursion began.
Hey, Lily-chan! Yuzuki-chan!
There you are, Suzu-kun!
And perfectly in time too. How'd you slip away?
I told you, haven't I? I'm a woman of my word!
I told my classmates that my long-lost sister lives at Ibukijima and I simply MUST meet her!
What an excuse...
Now, now. We have no time to waste on idle chatter.
During this excursion, our time time...
Our FREE time!
Yes, free.
...Our free time is limited to this afternoon.
Let's get to it!
Do you have any leads?
I told you about how the name Ibukijima comes from "iboku", yes?
Yeah.
I read up on that matter.
According to the documents, over 1200 years ago they found a piece of driftwood
floating near the island. It measured over a metre in diameter and over thirty in length.
Thirty!? That's bigger than Yuzuki-chan!
I'm not a unit of measurement!
From that driftwood radiated a strange light that scared away the fish.
The disturbed fishermen would push it away from the island over and over.
Yet no matter how many times they did it, the driftwood would float back.
That's one persistent tree.
A stalker?
I'm telling you a legend, you know.
A-Anyway!
The fishermen told about it to Kukai, a famous priest.
Kuukai said to pull the driftwood out and carved many statues of Buddha out of it.
Then he named the island Ibokujima,
meaning "the island that pulled out an iboku"
And over the years "iboku" turned into "ibuki"?
Exactly! Well, it's just one theory out of several.
A giant glowing tree, huh.
Let's make rounds around the coast!
If we see the iboku or at least something similar, it would be a gloriously groundbreaking discovery!
Hero Club, move out! Let's go!
Let's start our search near the sea.
We should see if there's a piece of that iboku on the coast!
Waah! What is that weird insect crawling over there!? A cockroach!? Is that a cockroach!?
It's called a sea roach. They're harmless, don't worry.
They run away when people come close, pay it no heed.
Now fixate your mind and focus your eyes on the search!
Why are you fine with it? Are your nerves made of steel?
What is this gigantic chair!? This can't be for human use!
This must've been carved from the iboku!
The pamphlet for the island says it's an art object from the old era.
This place is called the Rock of Goudo.
There are several theories regarding the name, and one says a god was worshipped here.
What if it's related to our iboku? Can we get in somehow?
Lily-chan, that's dangerous!
The way in is blocked with water! You can't swim!
Then save me if I start drowning!
Cut it out!
What jubilant joy!
I didn't think they'd sell hamburgers here!
They've been a seasonal specialty since the old era, apparently.
They sell it around the year now that more people are visiting, apparently.
Ibukijima's famous dried sardine buns...
They go well with meat, too.
But the best spice in this dish is the beautiful island scenery here...
Aww, kitties! There are so many cats on this island!
Here, kitty, kitty, come over here.
They're only coming to Yuzuki-chan.
How come!?
There's a shrine to Namikiri Fudoson around here, and right beneath it - the sea!
If we look down from the shrine, we might see something!
 This road isn't paved. Lily, Suzu, walk carefully.
Waagh! The ground... It's swarming with the sea... things! I can't look down!
We continued to explore the coast of Ibukijima as much as time would let us.
Nothing. Nowhere. Not even a shred of evidence.
The only things we found were cats and sea roaches.
And the sun is already setting.
Severely shortsighted...
If you actually think about it, if such a tree existed, it would've been immediately turned into a tourist attraction...
Yeah, I guess.
Waaah! This was! Our first time doing Hero Club stuff in forever!
Nice! That's a nice crying face right there!
Why are you taking photos!?
Lily-chan's face looks a little bit similar to Takashima-sama's, this would be a great source of inspiration for my next work!
You'll never see Takashima-sama crying in any history book or TV show! This is priceless!
You're pretty twisted...
I'm not one to let opportunity escape!
Stop it! Don't use these photos as your material!
Phew, the water stings!
Must be sunburn. That's what we get for walking around under the summer sun for so long.
It hurts!
So, Yuzuki-kun, about today.
I spent half the day on my feet in\Nthis heat and I'm just fine, aren't I?
You're right.
Your unease was unfounded! There's no need to be concerned with my health!
You know, I've always thought: isn't it a real pain to wash your back in the bath?
Huh? Is it?
I think so! Come on, I'll wash your back, so you wash mine!
Alright, alright, sure.
Lily was right, there wasn't any need to worry about her health.
Everyone gets sick every now and then.
Lily collapsing in June was just bad luck.
Or at least so I began to convince myself.
I was getting desperate about showing Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun that there was nothing wrong with me.
Why? Why the desperation?
"Fuyou Lilienthal Yuuna is frail and fragile."
Did I hate the idea of them thinking of me that way?
Huh?
Where am I?
The coast? Completely confusing! What am I doing here?
I was sleeping in the same room as my classmates!
I found myself standing on the coast at night.
Not a soul in sight. The only sound came from the waves.
The nocturnal sea looked eerie, like an abyss ready to consume any and all.
And then I saw something far in the abyss:
A brilliant, beautiful and somewhat sinister light.
What is that light?
Sea sparkle? I've heard it occurs in the sea here...
No, that's... glowing driftwood!?
Huh? Wait, it's morning?
I'm... at the hotel room. Was that a dream?
What was that? It seemed too realistic. Like the Butterfly Dream...
Hey, Lily.
W-W-What's going on? I can hear Yuzuki-kun from below!
Because you're on top of me!
Huh?
Waaah! I'm sorry, Yuzuki-kun, I'll get off right now!
Just how hard do you toss and turn? This isn't even your room!
I don't understand. Not why I'm in this room.
Not why I was sleeping on top of your futon.
Are you okay?
Hahahaha! Lily-chan, there's got to be a limit to tossing and turning!
This is no laughing matter! I'm seething with shame!
Yuzuki-kun's classmates laughed at me, it was so embarrassing!
They weren't laughing, they were smiling.
I bet they thought you have bad sleep habits because you're a kid.
I'm not a kid!
Anyway, I'm glad our study excursion ended safely without Lily-chan's condition ever worsening.
Right? Right!? As you can see, I'm the image of health itself!
Now that that's settled, let's resume our club activities, and with haste!
The summer break is this close!
Let's make use of all this free time and gather more of Shikoku's history!
Sorry! I don't actually have much time during summer break...
Eeeh!? Yuzuki-kun, what about you?
I'm also a bit busy.
No way!
We have our entrance exams to think about. No time to waste fooling around, even in summer.
You don't have to study that much to land a semi-decent high school!
Tch, she really just flexed her smarts at us like that.
Oh, right. You actually have great grades, I forgot.
Anyway, I can do it once per week, but there's no way I can tag along for the entire summer break.
I agree with Yuzuki-chan.
This calls for a compromise... Very well, then.
Then let's decide what day we'll have our first club meeting on!
I'll think of what we'll be doing until then!
Okay!
Alright, sure.
Okay, that's it for today!
I need to drop by the library, so see you!
Don't make your father worry by staying out too late.
Heh, "icchi hankai". Later!
What does that mean?
I just looked it up, it means "I know, but don't understand".
That girl...
So, Yuzuki-chan, you said you were busy with studies, what school are you applying to?
Oh, I was thinking of applying to a school in a different prefecture, it has a strong basketbal club.
Oh? Making a return to the world of basketball in high school?
That's the plan.
I see...
I guess it makes sense you'd have plans already, we're in our third year...
What, you mean you don't have plans yet?
I...
I've been invited to join the Taisha.
The TAISHA!?
Ssh! Volume!
Oh, sorry!
I'm not sure it's okay for random people to hear that.
You're right.
What do you mean "invited', though?
Do you join the Taisha on invites? Well, not like I'd know.
I met Karasuma Kumiko-sama a while ago, and she asked me if I wanted to join.
Karasuma? You mean that scary-looking hag?
Watch your mouth! Karasuma-sama was the Miko of Takashima-sama herself!
She's a wonderful, noble and intellectual lady!
Right, if you say so.
Suzu really changes when things involve Takashima Yuuna.
I won't start working at the Taisha right away, of course.
I'll be taking high school classes and work courses at their affiliated school,
and eventually become a priestess.
Is there something else? Normally, you'd be all like
"I can get closer to Takashima-sama!"
and jumping with joy.
 I thought so, too! That I'd be able to finally identify myself with her!
To take a step closer to my dream!
Dream of what, exactly...?
But... I'm wondering, why me?
I have no special gift like the great Heroes and Mikos.
I'm not particularly smart, either.
The Taisha are the backbone of this country! I don't have a place among those elites...
The Taisha do feel kind of beyond our reach.
I was planning to learn about the Taisha and employment from Karasuma-sama over this summer,
and then decide what to do.
See? You're thinking about your future, too.
You think?
I wonder how Lily-chan is faring.
She's... probably not thinking about anything.
She has her eyes fixed on the here and now, not on the future.
I'm jealous she can live like that, instead of worrying about things to come.
But she's...
No, you're probably right.
I think it's less that Lily is giving the present her all, it's more that she's... in a rush.
It worries me.
And it's done!
It was worth hanging in there until the library closed!
The Hero Club's summer plans are thus finalised!
I'll send these to Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun once I'm home and ask their opinions!
I'm exhausted.
I took a breather and looked across the river.
There's a river near my house called Saitagawa.
It flows into the Seto Inland Sea.
The flow of this river and its waters must not have changed since the time there was no wall around Shikoku.
There's a difference in values between Yuzuki-kun, Suzu-kun and me.
I'm not stupid.
I can tell that something's different. But...
Oh come on! Why does it have to be like this!? Why!?
Just half a year ago the three of us walked side by side!
Walked with our pace in unison!
But not anymore.
It happens. I know I can't do anything about it. But still!
Persist and persevere!
Reflect and restart!
As long as I don't give up, surely...
Huh?
Can't... breathe...
Everything's... going... dark...
Where am I?
Lily, you're awake!
Lily-chan, how many fingers am I holding up?
Those... aren't fingers, they're Takashima Yuuna finger puppets.
Thank goodness, she's mentally fine.
Where are we?
At a hospital! You collapsed outside!
Huh?
I knew it... It's all the running around during the excursion...
N-No it's not! The Hero Club has nothing to do with this!
This is just a coincidence!
Who doesn't go dizzy from summer heat?
But!
First things first. Lily-chan, stay put for a while.
We'll think about the Hero Club stuff once you're feeling better, alright?
I got a message from Lily that night.
"Hero Club's summer plans"?
She's not even back on her feet and she's sending this...
Guess I'll respond: "I'll tag along if you're feeling fine".
However...
The summer vacation began, July ended, August got to its middle point...
Yet the Hero Club hadn't gathered even once.
Lily-chan's condition didn't get any better following her collapse after the excursion.
Whenever she began to feel fine, another relapse followed.
Over and over.
Lily-chan's father was incredibly worried.
The hospital checkup determined that it was unrelated to her chronic condition.
They couldn't determine the cause.
Exhaustion? Summer heat? Stress?
With no clear answer in sight, all they could do was simply watch over her.
Next week! I swear I'll get better by next week and then we'll do club activities!
Stop it! Just stay put until the summer break ends!
Lily-chan, you shouldn't strain yourself.
But!
Your own body comes first!
Shikoku surveys and all that can wait!
Being here reminds me of my mother.
Your mom, huh...
Mhm.
Before she passed away, she kept getting hospitalised.
I would come every day to visit her and stay by her side.
Kept telling her that Father, Mother and I would go somewhere together once she's out.
But in the end...
Lily-chan...
She was always looking outside through the tiny hospital window.
Just like I am these days.
That's not the same thing, idiot!
I-Idiot?
Dumbass!
It's not your condition, right!?
It's not the same thing your mother had!
You're just not feeling well and that's it! It's not some incurable disease!
So quit your whining and get it together, dumbass!
Yuzuki-kun, that was a bit much!
Yuzuki-chan, how could you say that to a child!?
I am not a child!
What I'm saying is that it's no big deal!
You're not handling the heat well, so what? It'll get better soon, so calm down!
Yuzuki-kun...
I've gotta go. I have homework and basketball practice.
Yuzuki-chan, wait!
Yuzuki-chan stopped visiting Lily-chan after that.
'sup! Suzu-chan's here to see you!
Suzu-kun!
Sorry! I really wish I could visit every day.
You live far from here, so don't force yourself.
What about Yuzuki-chan? Didn't come today either?
Yeah...
Well, she has her own things to take care of.
Right, I see.
Oh yeah, how are you feeling? Any better?
Yeah. I even got discharged yesterday.
But then I collapsed at home...
I see...
I'm far from a full recovery...
Don't worry so much, it'll be fine!
The sun's been blazing lately so you probably just had heatstroke, I'm sure of it!
But I was inside...
Don't take heat stroke lightly! It can happen indoors, too!
Brr! I nearly died when I was drawing my doujinshi!
R-Right!
So stop worrying so much, okay?
August is too hot of a month to be outside that much, anyway.
We can do our club activities when it's cooler!
Uh, alright?
There, good girl.
I'm feeling a bit tired.
Oh, don't push yourself. Lie down and rest.
Okay. Thanks.
Do you think...
Yuzuki-kun is fed up with me?
Huh?
I mean, she doesn't come to visit.
Missed again.
Boy, that was a close one. Almost scored there!
Suzu? How long have you been here?
Since just now.
Came right before you made that shot.
Right. At least you missed how lame I've been.
What do you mean?
I've been practicing my shots all day,\Nand not a single one made it in.
You know, Yuzuki-chan, I heard you haven't been visiting Lily-chan lately.
Yeah. I've been busy with studies and basketball.
It's not like Lily will get better just because I visit her.
Really? Because it doesn't look like you're concentrating on basketball, either.
I...
can't do anything.
Huh?
One time, I got taught a painful lesson - that I wasn't special.
It hit me nauseatingly hard,
but right now I'm feeling even worse than back then.
Back then, the pain was mine alone.
I was depressed about myself.
But look at me now! I can't do anything to help my friend!
And it's so much more painful and frustrating...
I know just how much she wants the club to do stuff together.
But I can't help her...
And that's your excuse for not visiting her?
What's the point of coming if I'll only get reminded of how powerless I am?
It hurts...
Are you STUPID!?
What?
Lily-chan might be a dumbass, but you are genuinely stupid!
You look cool and talk smooth, but I swear, you must have muscles instead of a brain!
Watch it!
OF COURSE you can't do anything!
We're not doctors or gods! We are children!
It would be freakier if we could do something weird like that!
Being powerless is normal for children!
But...
I said it's fine not to do anything!
Just stay with her!
You're her best friend, Yuzuki-chan!
The fact you're not there is what hurts her the most!
I can't take it anymore!
Can't stand the two of you tiptoeing around each other!
Aren't the three of us supposed to be the Hero Club?
Suzu...
You're right.
Lily's the one suffering the most.
The only thing I can do for her as a friend is be with her.
I'll go to the hospital right now.
Mhm. Thanks, Yuzuki-chan.
Hey, Lily! Where are you? We're here to visit!
Lily-chan!
Huh?
Where is she?
Lily disappeared from her hospital room.
The hospital staff did their best, but couldn't find her anywhere.
Leveraging all my connections, I sent a word to everyone at our school,
but to no avail.
A request for a search was filed with the police that same day.
It's been a full day since Lily disappeared.
What if she got kidnapped?
Or had an accident?
Call me an optimist, but I don't think she's in any danger.
How do you know?
Oh right, we haven't told you.
Lily's been under Taisha surveillance since birth.
Huh? W-Why? Because she's a Yuuna?
I don't know.
I'm named Yuuna too, but I wasn't under surveillance.
Uesato-sama told me as much.
THE Uesato-sama?
I think Lily is special to the Taisha in some kind of way.
So I think the Taisha should know where she is right now.
And if she was in any mortal danger, they'd act.
I see...
But why would they let her go missing at all?
I have no idea.
Back when Lily was a child,
the Taisha did nothing to help her family circumstances, either.
The Taisha isn't really protecting her.
The Taisha knows where Lily-chan is, huh.
Wait, that's it! You're in contact with them, aren't you?
Could you get them to find her?
I've considered it...
And?
But Karasuma Kumiko-sama is my only contact.
And I haven't been able to message her for a while.
Why?
I haven't been rude to her or anything, just so you know!
Okay, maybe I DID talk a bit too much about Takashima-sama!
But then all of a sudden she stopped responding to my messages.
Calls don't go through, either.
So the point is, we can't rely on the Taisha.
Yeah.
But Karasuma-sama said one very interesting thing.
That as Yokote Matsuri's daughter, I should...
Wow, that thunder was pretty close.
Huh...?
What's wrong?
What is this?
What is what?
Hey, Suzu!
I, uh...
What's gotten into you? Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm good. It's all fine. You know, I need to go.
Uh, sure. It's a downpour outside, so be careful.
Alright!
Did something happen to her?
I need to get home, right now!
Karasuma-sama said to me before:
"Since you're Yokote Matsuri's daughter, you should have the power to save people.
If something strange happens, rely on your mother."
The next day came. We still knew nothing about Lily's whereabouts.
Hm? Someone's calling. Suzu?
Hello?
Yuzuki-chan, come to the Kanonji port in an hour! I'll be waiting there!
The port?
Yes! I'll tell you more there!
What was that all about...?
I came to the port, just as Suzu asked me to.
It was already past 18.
I looked around, but Suzu was nowhere to be found.
A boat for Ibukujima was moored at the wharf.
Likely, the last one for today.
Yuzuki-chan!
Suzu!
Thanks for comi-
What's wrong?
We're going to Ibukijima! Right now!
Huh?
I had a revelation yesterday!
You've finally gone insane.
No, I'm being serious right now!
I explained to Yuzuki-chan what happened to me the previous day.
How some sort of image appeared in my mind when I was at her house.
How I asked my mother about it.
My mother, with a strangely grim expression,
drew a picture based on what I described to her.
Take a look at this landscape. Doesn't it look like the coast at Ibukijima?
The floating pier for sardine fishing boats...
I remember it.
Mom said that we should go there!
That we'd understand something if we did !
Who exactly is your mother?
Just a regular picture book author?
A normal woman who grumbles every day about how veggies got more expensive, her shoulders hurt and the electricity rates went up.
Then why the psychic-style prediction?
We're nearly at the island!
Let's go to the place on this picture!
It's like I'm in a daze.
I can't tell if what I'm looking at is dream or reality.
I'm walking together with Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun.
I'm laughing without a worry in the world.
But I feel like I've forgotten everything.
Unable to remember what I've forgotten, I continue walking.
Then, suddenly, I remember what it was.
I remember, and my feet stop.
I try to move forward, yet my body won't listen.
Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun don't notice that I've stopped, and keep walking forward.
Why did this happen? Why am I like this?
Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun are leaving me behind.
It's maddening. Heartbreaking. Torturous. Why?
It's completely dark now. Look where you're walking and don't get hurt.
I know.
Let's see...
I think it's this coast.
It looks different at night, but I can see the floating pier,
and the rocks near the coast look identical.
Do you really think we'll find something here?
I don't know. I don't really understand the image that appeared in my mind,
or the image Mom drew based on it.
Huh?
What?
Is that... Lily?
Huh? Oh wow, you're right, it is her! Let's go!
Lily! What the hell are you doing here?
Where have you been? Do you know how worried we were?
Hey, Lily-chan, are you listening?
She seems kind of weird.
Lily-chan, snap out of it! We're going home!
I won't.
What?
I will remain here.
I'm not going anywhere.
Would you cut it out already!?
I can't go anywhere.
What?
Our surroundings suddenly went dark. Everything disappeared:
the city lights on the horizon, the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea.
What's going on?
Everything around us disappered. I couldn't even tell where I was standing.
Lily-chan was gone, too.
I always hated Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun.
The two of them had something I could never obtain,
and I loathed them for it.
Enveloped in darkness, the only thing I could hear was Lily's voice.
I could never make friends.
When I was little, I was too frail to play with others.
And after I entered show business, I no longer had the time for it.
Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun were my only friends.
But it wasn't the same for them.
They always had others around them.
They had the power to attract people.
For the two of them, I was nothing more than one out of many.
Her voice was laden with sadness and misery.
I've been frail since birth.
I don't know if I can live as long as them.
But even if I do, I know that one day my health will
no longer let me hang out with Yuzuki-kun and Suzu-kun.
I'm sure they won't wait for me and simply go on with their lives.
And I'll watch my friends leave me behind, again...
Did I have any idea what Lily was going through?
Lily was always good at gathering attention.
 She's good-looking, loud and eccentric. It's natural she would stand out.
So it was hard to even imagine "Lily" and "loneliness" in the same sentence.
But now that I think about it, I've never seen her to talk to anyone in our grade but Suzu and me.
Lily was always front and center in everything the Hero Club did.
So I've never even thought about her being left behind.
But if she really was worried about that...
I failed to notice it at all.
When I met Lily, I thought that she was someone special. Someone with power.
Someone who could do anything.
I envied her.
But in truth...
Lily wasn't someone special.
She felt lonely and anxious.
She envied me and my friends in return.
In truth, Lily-chan was the one who feared solitude the most.
We've been misunderstanding her all this time.
And now, we finally understood.
But Lily doesn't know us, either.
Cut the crap!
Of course we wouldn't leave you behind! How could you even think that?
If you stopped, if you couldn't go on anymore, we'd wait for you!
We'd wait as long as you needed!
That wouldn't work!
I'd eventually become a burden to you and your normal lives!
Shackles to drag you down!
Lily-chan, it's for us to decide if you'll be a burden to us or not.
We swear we'll be with you!
If you stopped, we'd lend you a shoulder to lean on! Aren't we friends!?
Last year, after I left basketball, I was lost with no idea what to do with myself.
You got me moving again, even if your methods were weird. You're my best friend!
I can't even count how many times you've given me encouragement.
Had I not met you, Lily-chan, Mom and I might've never talked heart to heart.
Had I not met the two of you, I wouldn't be enjoying life this much!
You're my dear friends, forever!
So now it's our turn to support you!
If you can't walk on your own, we'll be there with you!
Forever, you hear us?
So...
Let's go home.
Yuzuki-kun... Suzu-kun...
Huh? We're back at the coast.
Where's Lily-chan?
Where are we? This isn't the hospital!
What am I doing here?
Lily-chan!
Hey, Lily! Where are you?
Wait, those voices! Yuzuki-kun, Suzu-kun, is that you?
Where are we? What am I doing here? Did I get kidnapped?
No, no, of course you weren-
Huh? She's back to normal!
Hey, Lily, do you remember anything that happened?
No, not a single thing...
I'm so glad you're back...
We need you. We're besties forever, the three of us!
Why are you two crying?
Since you're crying, I feel like crying too...
The three of us huddled together and cried.
I didn't even understand why I was crying.
But the tears wouldn't stop.
Lily-chan was the same way.
Lily didn't remember anything following her disappearance from the hospital.
We never managed to find out what happened.
But after that event Lily quickly got back on her feet, as if poison was drained from her body.
From wither to wellness!
From stillness to storm!
From ashes, ablaze!
Fuyou Lilienthal Yuuna is back!
Even your favourite alliteration is back, that's a good sign!
Try not to overexert yourself into another hospital visit.
Oh yeah, Karasuma-sama sent me a message yesterday!
"The problem was solved. Thank you."
...What did she mean by this?
"Thank you"?
Oh well, what does it matter? More importantly, it's time for club activities!
Good grief, are you sure you're fresh off the hospital bed?
Wouldn't have Lily-chan any other way!
Around 30 years had passed since Shikoku was surrounded by a wall.
30 years since we lost the vast world we used to have.
Everyone living in this world has more or less lost their future.
I'm more frail than normal people.
My life will likely be shorter than normal, too.
My future is more limited than that of others', regardless of the wall.
And? So what!?
As long as I have my dear friends with me,
as long as I can live the time I do have to the fullest,
then even if my world is small and my time is short,
my life has purpose. Plenty of it!
The last summer of our middle school years ended. Autumn came, then winter.
And then, the middle school chapter of our lives came to a close.
Even in high school we remained friends.
Naturally, all sorts of things happened.
The days I spent with Lily-chan and Yuzuki-chan were so fun,
that there was no time to ever get bored.
Our days continued through countless springs, summers, autumns and winters.
And then...
Hey, Lily! Suzu!
Yuzuki-kun!
Took you long enough.
You're late, Yuzuki-kun.
By fifteen minutes.
Sorry, the meeting about my next match dragged on.
I made sure to free my schedule for the next two days, so cut me some slack.
Yuzuki-chan is a busy woman these days.
I saw your last match, by the way.\NGreat performance, team's ace!
I just have a strong team. They're always saving me.
How'd you get two days off from the Taisha anyway, Suzu?
Well, normally that wouldn't fly, but I'm not your run-of-the-mill priestess, you know!
Favoured by Uesato-sama herself!
I'm not lazing around, either!
I'm losing sleep and sustenance trying to create a literary database at the national library!
I know. You gave a TV interview recently, right?
You sure you shouldn't be more careful with your health?
Most of my work is indoors.
It's a lot easier than outdoors jobs.
Plus, I have staff to help if anything happens.
Well, we've wasted enough time. Let's get to business.
We're researching an island off the Pacific coast today!
A lot of time passed, and we're all adults now.
Right now, Lily is a freelance historian with quite a bit of fame around Shikoku.
I am a player in the female basketball league.
And Lily is a Taisha priestess.
The three of us are busy with our own lives.
In my mid-twenties I became unable to spend much time outdoors.
And lately I've been feeling markedly weaker.
But we still make sure to meet at least once a year and work together as the Hero Club.
We meet on the 30th of July. The day this confined world came into being.
We don't know how long our world and time will continue.
Even so, we will continue living in it.
Well then, it's time for Hero Club activities!
There are still plenty of places we haven't researched!