Episode 17: Rinne’s Night‚ Kotone’s Morning — Their Respective Stories
The academy courtyard was wrapped in the soft light of morning. The smell of freshly baked bread drifting from the stalls‚ the chirping of birds‚ the small sounds of footsteps on fallen leaves—everything carried the warmth of “everyday life.” Rinne was carrying a paper bag‚ on her way to buy breakfast.
Suddenly‚ she spotted Aria ahead. He was sitting in the shadow of the fence‚ tapping his fingertips rhythmically. His usual habit. Rinne’s chest tightened sharply.
(…Ah‚ this again. Even though we’re childhood friends‚ why do I get so nervous?)
She unconsciously clenched the paper bag. Sweat beaded on her palms‚ and she couldn’t muster the courage to meet his eyes. Her long-held one-sided feelings made words stick even more because of how close they were.
Aria suddenly looked up and said innocently‚
“Rinne‚ bread this early in the morning? …Don’t tell me you’re going to eat it all by yourself?”
“N-No! There’s some for everyone!”
(…Well‚ half of it was planned for me‚ though!)
In her flustered denial‚ the paper bag tilted and the bread nearly fell out. Rinne hurriedly caught it‚ but it almost rolled onto the ground.
“…That was close.”
“I can’t tell if you’re dexterous or clumsy.”
Aria’s overly straightforward comment made Rinne retort without thinking.
“Don’t call me clumsy! …Well‚ I can’t really deny it‚ though!”
The morning in the courtyard grew a little livelier with their exchange. Rinne’s heart was still pounding like an alarm bell‚ but Aria’s smile made her feel somehow saved.
(…I can’t say it‚ but I really do like him. It’s because we’re childhood friends that I can’t say it even more.)
Rinne tightly readjusted her hold on the bread bag and let out a small sigh in her heart.
In the afternoon corridor of the academy‚ Rinne was walking with a paper bag‚ intending to give Aria a snack. Inside were his favorite baked sweets. As childhood friends‚ she should be able to hand them over naturally—that’s what she thought‚ yet her steps felt unusually heavy.
(…Why am I so nervous? Even though we’re childhood friends. No‚ it’s because we’re childhood friends that it feels even more “special.”)
Aria was standing in front of the library holding a book. Rinne searched for the right moment to call out to him. However‚ Iris ran up first and started chatting cheerfully. Rinne stepped back.
(…As I thought‚ Iris’s presence is big. She’s bright and the center of everyone. I’m just… a childhood friend. That’s why I can’t say it.)
Still‚ she mustered her courage and stepped forward to hand over the snack—just then.
“Meow!”
A cat suddenly leaped out of nowhere and stuck its head into the paper bag. It grabbed one baked sweet in its mouth and dashed away.
“H-Hey‚ wait!”
Rinne frantically chased after it‚ but the cat skillfully vanished into an alley. All that remained were a slightly crushed baked sweet and her flushed face.
Aria turned around and tilted his head.
“…Rinne? Competing with a cat?”
“N-No! The snack was… um… taken by the cat…”
“…I see. So you lost to the cat.”
“It’s not a competition!”
In the end‚ she couldn’t hand over the snack. Rinne stared at the crushed baked sweet and sighed.
(…I’m too clumsy. Why is it always like this? But I don’t want to give up. It’s because we’re childhood friends that I have feelings I want to convey.)
Her small courage had been stolen by a cat. Yet within that failure‚ Rinne’s single-minded sincerity definitely shone.
The academy’s magic laboratory was lively from the morning. Test tubes and magical devices lined the desks‚ occasionally making soft “pop” sounds as bubbles burst. In the midst of it‚ Kotone appeared carrying an armful of experimental equipment.
“Heave-ho…! Ah‚ wait? The gravity control is working in reverse!”
The instruments floated up lightly‚ and she frantically held them down. Nearby students laughed and lent a hand‚ but Kotone’s face was bright red.
When she happened to look up‚ Aria was watching her. Holding books‚ he was quietly observing. The moment their eyes met‚ memories from her childhood resurfaced in Kotone’s chest.
(…Back then‚ Aria was like a machine—precise and never showing emotions. I always thought of him as a rival. I didn’t want to lose.)
But the Aria of now was different. Laughing with his companions‚ tapping his fingertips while deep in thought—he seemed softer than before. Kotone felt a sense of dissonance.
(…What is this discomfort? He’s no longer just a person of pure theory. My research spirit is being stimulated instead.)
Just then‚ a small magical device on the desk suddenly puffed out smoke with a “whoosh.”
“W-Wah! Wait‚ this wasn’t planned!”
She hurriedly rattled off technical terms.
“The phase control has reversed‚ residual interference is… no‚ wait‚ this is just a connection error!”
Everyone around looked blank‚ and only Aria calmly sealed the smoke with a barrier.
“…Calm down. The device is just running wild.”
“Y-Yeah! Running wild! No‚ saying ‘running wild’ makes it even more embarrassing!”
The laboratory was briefly in an uproar‚ but quickly regained calm. Kotone took a deep breath‚ and Aria’s composed response stirred something in her chest.
(…As I thought‚ he’s not just a rival. He’s different from the “mechanical Aria” I’ve been chasing. The him of now is… more complex‚ and more interesting.)
In Kotone’s heart‚ rival feelings and a different emotion began to sprout.
In a corner of the laboratory‚ Aria and Kotone began a small experiment side by side. On the desk were a simple barrier device and reagent bottles. Aria assembled the theory‚ while Kotone reached out full of curiosity.
“Alright‚ let’s try pouring emotion into this barrier. Theoretically‚ the amplitude should change.”
Aria explained matter-of-factly. Tapping his fingertips‚ he deployed the barrier. A transparent membrane wavered in the air‚ emitting a faint light.
Kotone’s eyes sparkled.
“Pouring in emotion… meaning the waveform’s phase changes nonlinearly‚ and residual interference…”
“…You’re talking too fast. Basically‚ ‘when the heart wavers‚ the magic also wavers.’”
“Y-Yeah! That!”
She brought the reagent close to the barrier and hummed a short melody. Then the membrane softly rippled‚ and the surface of the liquid glimmered.
“…Amazing. Not just theory—emotion can change magic.”
Kotone’s chest stirred. The Aria of the past had been a perfect theorist who excluded emotions. But the him of now accepted fluctuations together with his companions.
(…I thought of him as a rival. But now… I respect him. No‚ maybe I’m even more drawn to him than that.)
Just then‚ the reagent suddenly started bubbling.
“W-Wah! The bubbles won’t stop!”
The device made a “achoo” sound and spit out smoke.
“…Did the device just sneeze?”
“It shouldn’t have that function!”
The two frantically strengthened the barrier and contained the bubbles. They looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Even the failure became a chance to close the distance.
Kotone murmured in her heart.
(…I want to know more about his changes. Not as a rival‚ but as a companion. And… as something more.)
The air in the laboratory filled with warmth along with the residual bubbles.
At dusk in the academy‚ Rinne and Kotone sat side by side on a bench in the courtyard. A time that felt both coincidental and inevitable. Each of them held feelings directed toward Aria in their chests.
Rinne held the crushed baked sweet and gave a wry smile.
“…I’m really clumsy‚ aren’t I? I can’t even properly hand over a single snack.”
Kotone shrugged and laughed.
“But isn’t that clumsiness a good thing? I think Aria notices those parts of you too.”
“…Really?”
“Really. After all‚ I’m drawn to his ‘fluctuations’ myself.”
Rinne’s eyes widened. Kotone’s words carried a softness that went beyond rival feelings.
(…Kotone is also drawn to Aria. It’s not just me. But that’s fine. We’re companions.)
In turn‚ Kotone smiled at Rinne’s single-minded devotion.
(…This girl has always supported him as a childhood friend. It’s different from my research spirit‚ but she’s just as serious.)
A strange sense of reassurance arose between the two. They viewed Aria from different vectors. Rinne held the warmth of unrequited love‚ Kotone the budding romantic feelings from respect. Their feelings didn’t intersect‚ yet they overlapped as bonds of the same team.
In the distance‚ Aria’s voice rang out. A call to his companions. At that moment‚ the two stood up together.
“…Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Aria’s existence was still the “axis” of the team. Rinne and Kotone’s hearts were directed toward him from different directions‚ but by gathering around that axis‚ their circle as companions grew stronger.
In the dusk-lit academy‚ a quiet premonition of the next story drifted. Deepening of relationships‚ or friction—the answer still lay ahead.
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