Chapter 24: Signal Cutoff

The only sound surrounding us is the dryer blowing hot air.

The warmth of the wind, and the feeling of a comb gently passing through my hair.

With my eyes closed, I take it all in. Somehow, it’s calming.

A lot happened just a little while ago.

Rio-chan suddenly started saying weird things.

We ended up taking a bath together, and she touched my chest.

Both of us turned bright red and just sat there, bubbling in the tub.

I couldn’t keep up with all the emotions—it honestly felt like I was going to lose it.

…It was way too lewd.

But just as much as it was overwhelming, it also made me worried. Because today, Rio-chan was clearly emotionally unstable.

“…Rio.”

“What is it, Tsubasa-chan?”

When I called out, her voice came back flat.

A voice kind of like mine—hard to read emotionally.

“You okay?”

Rio-chan showed me a lot of different faces today.

And all of them, every one, was definitely her.

The parts I knew, and the parts I didn’t. I could feel they were all Rio-chan.

…But she seemed really restless.

The way her expressions kept shifting so quickly made her look like she was anxious about something.

“Tell me.”

What was Rio-chan thinking? Was she worried… or scared?

I didn’t know, so I wanted to understand.

I wanted to be someone who understood her—someone who could worry with her.

…She’s my best friend, and someone really important to me.

I lean back lightly against Rio-chan’s back.

I wanted to show her that I wasn’t asking for her sake—but for mine.

It was a small gesture from someone like me, who’s not good with words.

A way to show her, not with speech but with action: I’m leaning on you.

And then, Rio-chan…

“…Tsubasa-chan, you’re really cute.”

She turned off the dryer and buried her face into my now-dry hair.

It tickled a bit, and somehow, I felt embarrassed.

Because it meant Rio-chan responded to me leaning on her by leaning back in her own way.

“…I like you, Tsubasa-chan. I really, really like you.”

All day, I couldn’t figure out what Rio-chan was trying to say. Her expressions, her mood kept changing so quickly.

“I like you too, Rio.”

But right now, we’re both leaning on each other. Relying on each other.

Because we’re in that kind of posture, we can say what we truly feel. With that mutual stance, I leaned into her, and she slumped into me.

That’s why I can believe the words we’re exchanging now are real. …I have to believe them, or nothing will start.

I don’t want to stay in the dark anymore.

“Tell me, Rio.”

“…If you tell me too, Tsubasa-chan.”

“Mm.”

I’ll listen to anything. I’ll tell you everything.

That’s the feeling behind my nod. We’re still in the middle of leaning on each other, after all.

Rio-chan rubbed her face in my hair like a cat. Then she let out a soft breath and murmured,

“…About the Angel’s Stairway.”

The Angel’s Stairway—those rays of light pouring through gaps in the clouds.

A sight I saw in my past life. A view I want to see again in this one.

It was something we might’ve seen today.

“Do you… want to see it?”

Honestly, my feelings about it are a little complicated.

Yesterday, I was so excited about it I could barely sleep.

Why did it appear on the rooftop? What did it want to tell me?

I don’t know, but I kind of have a hunch.

…Rio-chan, you don’t seem to think too fondly of the Angel’s Stairway, do you?

“I never want to see it again.”

That’s why I could accept her answer.

I accepted it… but still—

At the same time, something wavered deep in my chest.

…Maybe she didn’t want me to see it either, and that’s why she stopped me.

“Then… what do you want to ask?”

But right now, Rio-chan is trusting me. She’s relying on me. That’s why she’s speaking honestly like this.

She believes it’s okay to lean on me.

So, I push aside the thought that flashed through my mind, and decide to listen to her. Just for this moment, rejecting her would mean betraying that trust.

“…Tsubasa-chan, why are you so fixated on the Angel’s Stairway?”

That “why” is the shape of the emotions swirling between us today. Like tangled threads, it clings to us in strange ways.

“Because… the sky was beautiful.”

I gently touched that thread.

Even if it feels hard, that’s no reason to leave it tangled.

One by one, I’ll untangle them.

All the things Rio-chan is worried about—one at a time.

“The sky, huh?”

“Yeah. Swaying, sparkling…”

A memory burned into my mind—a mystical scene from my previous life. That day, I felt like I caught a glimpse of God’s hem.

“I thought… the edge of the world was in the sky.”

I think that might have been my first love.

In that moment, I fell head over heels for the sky.

“…Is that why?”

As I was thinking back on what might’ve been my first love, she wrapped her arms around my stomach and hugged me tight.

“…Because it’s beautiful no matter what, so you keep reaching for it?”

Her arms were stiff, like she was nervous—like she was trying not to hold me too tightly. And somehow, I felt like those arms represented the tangle of “why” that existed between us.

“Yeah… because up there, I can be heard.”

So I placed my hands over her arms.

If she’s anxious, I’ll untangle that too.

Don’t shut yourself off—let’s share how we feel.

“I just wanted to say thank you to God.”

Maybe because I made up my mind, the words I’d been holding inside spilled out naturally.

The sky is beautiful. It moved me when I saw it in my past life.

All of that is true—but that’s not the only reason.

It’s not like going to a shrine. It feels like my voice can reach directly.

I just want to see that sky again—the one that makes me feel that way.

“…It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

Maybe Rio-chan feels scared of a sight that’s too divine. Like the way people say there’s a corpse buried beneath every beautiful cherry blossom tree.

But it’s alright.

There’s nothing scary at all.

It’s not like an angel will come down to destroy the city, or that God will suddenly send a flood on a whim.

It’s just rays of light shining down from the sky.

“It’s not scary.”

I kept repeating that as I held her hand around my stomach.

Over and over again.

Her arms were trembling slightly, but still gentle—not gripping too tight.

“…You won’t go anywhere?”

“We’ll stay together. Always. We promised, remember?”

The arms around my stomach slowly relaxed.

And in their place, she rubbed her face against my back, again and again.

“…Yeah. That’s right. You’re right.”

Rio-chan’s voice regained its color.

A warm voice.

Soft, unguarded, and filled with emotion.

“You made that promise in front of God, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Maybe… just maybe, Rio-chan—

Did she think I’d disappear if I saw the Angel’s Stairway?

Is that why she was so desperate?

Did she think I’d be spirited away?

…Oh no. Now that I think about it, every time I talked about the Angel’s Stairway, I was probably way too excited and mysterious about it. I guess it’s not impossible she misunderstood.

“Believe me. I won’t disappear.”

As if reacting to my words, Rio-chan murmured softly,

“I believe you… I believe in you, Tsubasa-chan.”

The weight on my back disappears.

The heat that had lingered from our bath—more than warm, almost too hot—slips away.

“Hey… stay with me tonight.”

And then, standing before me, Rio-chan—was smiling brilliantly.

“Ri…o?”

“It’s summer break, so… is that no good?”

She looked up at me with a slightly playful, pleading gaze. Saying it’s summer break, like a child asking for a favor.

And just a moment ago, she had looked so down.

…Just for one night, it should be fine.

I want to see for myself if Rio-chan has really calmed down.

“Okay.”

So I nodded.

I didn’t want to turn her down.

…It’s not like I was swept away by how cute she looked, okay?

I just… want to make sure she’s okay now.

If she’s calm, it’s a sleepover with a best friend I love. If she’s still a bit down, then it’ll just turn into a night of comfort.

“We’ll have a sleepover.”

“Yeah, let’s stay together—forever and ever.”

Right now, I just don’t want Rio-chan to feel lonely.

That alone was enough for me to decide to spend the night in her room.

And then, I—

“This… room?”

“Yep, this is your room, Tsubasa-chan.”

There was a spare room, and she guided me there.

Even though no one used it, it was spotless—not a speck of dust anywhere.

“Let’s sleep together tonight, Tsubasa-chan.”

“…Together?”

“Mm-hmm. Together.”

Together. A word we’d said so many times tonight.

A word packed with our shared resolve—that we’d never be apart again.

That aside… we’re really going to sleep side by side under the same futon, huh?

…Is something like that really okay?

No, no, wait—we already took a bath together, didn’t we?

So maybe… this doesn’t even count anymore?

Ugh, my head’s starting to spin.

If I overthink this, I might seriously pop like a balloon.

“That’s how it is, so wait here a bit, okay, Tsubasa-chan?”

Rio-chan said that cheerfully, and the door closed with a soft thud.

—Then, right after, came the click of a lock somewhere.

Hm? What was that?

I mean, it’s just me and Rio-chan here, so… huh?

Umm, this room… doesn’t even have a lock.

Phew, just my imagination. That startled me for a second.

No way, right? Rio-chan wouldn’t suddenly lock me in or anything like that…

I reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Expecting, of course, that it would open normally.

…But it didn’t. It caught, and wouldn’t budge.

Huh? Huhhh?

That’s weird. Why won’t it open?

This doorknob doesn’t even have a lock… so why?

………Rio-chan, what’s going on?


I trust Tsubasa-chan. I believe in her.

She promised we’d be together forever—and I believe she’ll keep that promise.

…But God won’t.

Tsubasa-chan is such a lovely, adorable girl.

If someone from above sees her, they’ll definitely take her away.

They’ll rip up our promise like it was nothing.

So… I’m sorry.

I have to hide Tsubasa-chan from God.

I’ll take care of everything. I’ll do anything for her.

I’ll never let her feel lonely. All she has to do is stay by my side.

I’ll protect her from the entire world.

…So starting today, that room is Tsubasa-chan’s.

A room I DIY’d with Sunday tools—where the lock only works from the outside—to block out even God.

Starting today, we’ll be together forever, Tsubasa-chan.

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