“I’m so sorry, Akatsuki. It’s my fault.”
Today, she was wearing a plain and simple gray cotton dress. But the plain outfit only served to emphasize Kanon’s extravagant silver hair even more, bathing her in attention from the people at the airport.
“Nah, don’t worry about it, not your fault, Kanase.”
It was Yukina who spoke with a tone that had a conflicted twinge to it, giving voice to Kanon’s feelings. “…But I wonder if we really should have come, too? I hope it’s not a bother…” Yukina was wearing a one-piece polo outfit with knee-high socks. Of course, the guitar case was over her back, as always. For that reason, she looked like a member of some kind of band.
Actually, most of Yukina’s personal clothes had been picked out and sent over by Sayaka. Kojou couldn’t help but imagine Sayaka getting chills while picking them out, but he wasn’t surprised her choices suited Yukina very nicely.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. This is your first Hollow Eve Festival, too, Yukina. It’s more fun if you come around with all of us. It doesn’t take any more time to show one person around than it does three. Right, Kojou?”
Nagisa wrapped her arms around her friends’ shoulders without restraint as she spoke in a cheerful tone.
Kojou made a generous shrug of his shoulders.
“I’ve got no complaints about you keeping Nagisa company. Yuuma said it was fine, too.”
Nagisa added a “yeah,” nodding without hesitation.
“Yuuma was happy we’re bringing friends along. Yuu’s been nice to girls since waaaay back.”
“Yeah.”
Kojou made a light sigh as he kept pace with Nagisa’s comments.
Kanon was Nagisa’s friend to begin with. There was nothing for Kojou to find wrong with their hanging out anyway. Besides, if he’d let Yukina be, she’d tail him for sure, saying it was part of her watcher duties. In that case, it was more relaxing to have her where he could see her. No, Kojou had another reason for sighing.
“…So, what are you two doing here?”
Kojou whirled his head toward a boy and girl watching him from the shadow of a pillar. One was a schoolgirl with an extravagant hairstyle; the other was a young, short-haired man with headphones hanging around his neck. Both had very showy carnival masks over their faces. Maybe they’d meant those to be disguises; at any rate, they stood out so much that it had the opposite effect.
Realizing her identity had been exposed, Asagi reluctantly took off her mask.
“…You have done well to see through our perfect disguises.”
Kojou was too flabbergasted to even think about laughing. “You call
those
perfect? They’re way too obvious. Where’d you get that mask, anyway?”
Yaze proudly puffed out his chest as he stroked the lifelike peacock feathers of his mask. “Oh, just one of those places selling stuff for the costume parade.”
“So what, you’re bored stiff so you came over here?”
“Geez, what’s wrong with that? We just wanted to get a look at your friend’s face. We’re heading home after that.”
“Yeah,” added Asagi. “We wanna see what your childhood friend looks like, Kojou. Just think of it like we’re just passing through.”
“I could’ve just introduced you,” Kojou replied. “You didn’t have to hide and watch like that.”
Kojou recalled that both Yaze and Asagi had been present when the rendezvous had come up in conversation. Perhaps they were both displaying an unexpected amount of consideration, thinking that they didn’t want to intrude on his reunion with his old friend. He shook his head in exasperation at how they must’ve thought he’d cruelly brush them off. Then—
Without warning, someone called out to Kojou from above their heads in a very loud voice.
“…Kojou!”
It was a rich alto voice that carried across the packed terminal with impressive clarity.
As the voice hit him, Kojou reflexively looked up to see a human silhouette descending upon him. Someone had slid
Today, she was wearing a plain and simple gray cotton dress. But the plain outfit only served to emphasize Kanon’s extravagant silver hair even more, bathing her in attention from the people at the airport.
“Nah, don’t worry about it, not your fault, Kanase.”
It was Yukina who spoke with a tone that had a conflicted twinge to it, giving voice to Kanon’s feelings. “…But I wonder if we really should have come, too? I hope it’s not a bother…” Yukina was wearing a one-piece polo outfit with knee-high socks. Of course, the guitar case was over her back, as always. For that reason, she looked like a member of some kind of band.
Actually, most of Yukina’s personal clothes had been picked out and sent over by Sayaka. Kojou couldn’t help but imagine Sayaka getting chills while picking them out, but he wasn’t surprised her choices suited Yukina very nicely.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. This is your first Hollow Eve Festival, too, Yukina. It’s more fun if you come around with all of us. It doesn’t take any more time to show one person around than it does three. Right, Kojou?”
Nagisa wrapped her arms around her friends’ shoulders without restraint as she spoke in a cheerful tone.
Kojou made a generous shrug of his shoulders.
“I’ve got no complaints about you keeping Nagisa company. Yuuma said it was fine, too.”
Nagisa added a “yeah,” nodding without hesitation.
“Yuuma was happy we’re bringing friends along. Yuu’s been nice to girls since waaaay back.”
“Yeah.”
Kojou made a light sigh as he kept pace with Nagisa’s comments.
Kanon was Nagisa’s friend to begin with. There was nothing for Kojou to find wrong with their hanging out anyway. Besides, if he’d let Yukina be, she’d tail him for sure, saying it was part of her watcher duties. In that case, it was more relaxing to have her where he could see her. No, Kojou had another reason for sighing.
“…So, what are you two doing here?”
Kojou whirled his head toward a boy and girl watching him from the shadow of a pillar. One was a schoolgirl with an extravagant hairstyle; the other was a young, short-haired man with headphones hanging around his neck. Both had very showy carnival masks over their faces. Maybe they’d meant those to be disguises; at any rate, they stood out so much that it had the opposite effect.
Realizing her identity had been exposed, Asagi reluctantly took off her mask.
“…You have done well to see through our perfect disguises.”
Kojou was too flabbergasted to even think about laughing. “You call
those
perfect? They’re way too obvious. Where’d you get that mask, anyway?”
Yaze proudly puffed out his chest as he stroked the lifelike peacock feathers of his mask. “Oh, just one of those places selling stuff for the costume parade.”
“So what, you’re bored stiff so you came over here?”
“Geez, what’s wrong with that? We just wanted to get a look at your friend’s face. We’re heading home after that.”
“Yeah,” added Asagi. “We wanna see what your childhood friend looks like, Kojou. Just think of it like we’re just passing through.”
“I could’ve just introduced you,” Kojou replied. “You didn’t have to hide and watch like that.”
Kojou recalled that both Yaze and Asagi had been present when the rendezvous had come up in conversation. Perhaps they were both displaying an unexpected amount of consideration, thinking that they didn’t want to intrude on his reunion with his old friend. He shook his head in exasperation at how they must’ve thought he’d cruelly brush them off. Then—
Without warning, someone called out to Kojou from above their heads in a very loud voice.
“…Kojou!”
It was a rich alto voice that carried across the packed terminal with impressive clarity.
As the voice hit him, Kojou reflexively looked up to see a human silhouette descending upon him. Someone had slid
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