The Student Council room was supposed to be off-limits without permission. A place of order, rules, procedure.
Riko and Hikari didn't care.
The door slid open with more force than necessary. Two figures stood in the frame—one radiating polished fury, the other radiating silent intensity.
Hoshino Shizuka looked up from her papers. Her expression didn't change. "Aoyama-san. Tanaka-san. This is unexpected."
"Where is Yuki?" Riko's voice was sharp. "What did you do to her?"
Hoshino set down her pen slowly. "I didn't do anything."
"Then why is she like this?" Hikari's voice was quiet but dangerous. "She's not herself. She's been disappearing. She's quiet. Yuki is never quiet."
Riko stepped forward, her usual composure cracking. "We've waited. We gave her space. But this—" she gestured vaguely "—this isn't just 'personal time.' Something happened. And you're the only one she's been with."
Hoshino met their eyes. For a long moment, the room was silent.
Then she spoke.
"Wait."
Riko's jaw tightened. "For what?"
"For the time." Hoshino's voice was calm, but something flickered behind her eyes. "You'll understand. When it's time."
Hikari's hands clenched. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I can give." Hoshino stood, her presence filling the room. "I know you're worried. I know you care. But some things... some things aren't mine to tell. They're hers."
Riko opened her mouth to argue.
Hoshino cut her off. "Do you trust her?"
The question hung in the air.
"Yes," Hikari said quietly.
"Then trust that she'll tell you when she can." Hoshino's voice softened—just slightly. "I'm not your enemy. Neither is she. We're all on the same side."
Riko and Hikari stood frozen, caught between frustration and... something else.
Hoshino sat back down. "The rehearsal is starting soon. You should go."
There was nothing else to say.
They left, the door sliding shut behind them.
---
The rehearsal was normal.
Kenji played piano with surprising skill. Hikari's violin filled the room. Riko's voice soared. Kaito's lyrics evolved.
Everything was peaceful. Ordered. Perfect.
And utterly wrong.
Because Yuki wasn't there.
Not absent—she was there, moving props, adjusting lights, doing her tasks. But the spark was gone. The chaos was missing. The laughter that usually echoed through every room was silent.
Even people who barely knew her noticed.
"Is Yuki okay?" someone whispered.
"She seems... different."
"Sad, maybe?"
The whispers followed her like shadows.
During a break, Riko and Hikari found Kaito.
"She won't tell us," Riko said. "Hoshino. She said to wait."
Kaito nodded slowly. "I know."
"You know?" Hikari's eyes narrowed.
"I talked to her too." He paused. "Same answer."
Riko's frustration boiled. "So we just... wait? While our friend suffers?"
Kaito looked at her. Really looked at her. "Do you trust her?"
The same question. Again.
"Yes," Riko whispered.
"Then wait."
It wasn't curiosity driving them anymore. It wasn't even concern, though that was there.
It was something deeper. Something they'd never felt before.
Bond.
Real, true, unbreakable bond.
They would wait. However long it took.
Because that's what friends did.
(End of Chapter 83)