"Would you believe me... if I said I didn't need to do anything?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Ehehe."
It was almost comical, 5 different pairs of eyes with different color variations were all looking right at her.
Perhaps if Kasuka had social anxiety, she'd have fainted much earlier.
Also! Hiyori! How come such a scaredy cat also had the same expressions as the others!? Where'd my cute Hiyori who would hide behind Misaki go?!
Give her back!
"But it's true! Trust me!" Putting some fluff in the tense atmosphere, Kasuka fisted her own chest, almost as if to show how durable she truly is.
Although she said it so confidently, no one would trust her. After all, what is more believable?
An adult not taking advantage of a child, or Kasuka saying that she's fine?
To each member of the Arius Squad, both were equally unbelievable.
To everyone, Kasuka's words sounded almost like a joke, one that wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.
Saori had put aside her pride to beg Madam to help her, but she didn't even have to pay anything.
Instead, Madam turned her gaze to Kasuka, who had undoubtedly taken the full brunt of the price.
...It almost sounded like it was their fault.
No, it was indeed their fault.
Each one of them had agreed, they couldn't handle Kasuka's injury with their knowledge and abilities.
Due to that, they agreed to let Saori carry her to an adult.
They're already prepared to pay the price, but instead of them, Madam wanted the price to come from the victim themselves.
Madam wanted Kasuka to pay.
That just makes their entire effort useless.
What was the point of saving her if she still isn't safe from the Madam's clutches?
In fact, they were the one that sent her to Madam, yet Kasuka was the one who needed to take responsibility.
What does that make them?
Without Kasuka's consent, they sent her to an adult. One that caused their suffering.
And yet... She acted like there was nothing wrong with that statement.
Home come?
"I never knew the feeling of 'Hope' had such an addicting flavor."
Hope.
Yes, she did say that, didn't she?
The feeling of hope.
Does Kasuka see them as her 'hope'?
In that case, would she do anything for them?
...
It was at this moment that they finally realized. Perhaps, none of them here had ever truly experienced what it truly feels like to 'fall'.
What it feels like to be at the bottom of an endless hole.
The person that required the most help wasn't them.
It was Kasuka.
The ever so happy Kasuka, the one who acted fine but turns out to be in the worst mental state than any of them combined.
Misaki's words of Kasuka 'Not being right in the head,' had turned out to be the most accurate representation of her.
No matter how ironic it was for the most happy of them to be the most out of it.
It is true.
Atsuko's eyes darted ever so slightly to Saori, who was biting her lips so hard it seemed like blood might trail down her chin.
"Kasuka. First of all, I'd like to apologize to you." Saori bowed her head. She realized that this mistake might've cost Kasuka the future she so desired. "We... no, I didn't seek out your consent before arranging a meeting with Madam, I'll take full responsibility. Please, tell me the price of her saving you."
"Eh? What price? I told you she didn't tell me anything..." Still trying to brush off the topic, Kasuka suddenly pointed towards the sky, one that had turned dark without any of their notice. "Come on, let's move out of the tense topic and star gaze! I read once that constellations appear in the night sky!"
Kasuka's legs began moving towards a building, the rest of Arius Squad hesitantly followed suit, one thought hovering over their mind.
'She doesn't want to talk about it.'
And there's nothing they can do to force it out of Kasuka's mouth.
What? Force it? Even the thought of forcing their family to do something caused their heart to ache, moreover actually acting on such thoughts.
Soon, they entered the building, followed Kasuka's footsteps up the stairs until they reached the flat rooftop.
Most of the railings are rusted to the point of the original silver color disappearing, leaving only brown bumps on the steel.
A single scratch could cause an infection.
But that's not the focus right now.
"Hah... Don't you just love the breeze? Usually, I would never go out on my own like this. You could say that this was also my first time ever stargazing!" Kasuka spread her arm and free fell back first onto the roof.
The closest one, Hiyori, was about to catch her but it was too late.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened, Kasuka simply wanted to lay down to enjoy the night sky filled with... stars...
"Ah." A single exclamation that announced their surprise as their eyes turned upwards.
There were no stars in the clear sky.
Nothing to admire, merely the clouds and the black darkness blanketing the atmosphere.
Silence encroached the rooftop. But it was broken by the sounds of someone sitting down.
Atsuko had sat down comfortably right beside Kasuka, her eyes also gazing at the sky.
The rest saw this and followed along, sitting down on the rooftop.
"Hm.. Maybe the stars aren't visible from here? But this is the tallest building we have access to..." Kasuka scratched her head.
"It doesn't matter where we go, the stars won't show themselves." Misaki retorted. "Especially not to the people who weren't shined on by the lights."
"Pessimistic as ever, Misa." Atsuko said, "But that's what makes you... you."
Misaki stayed silent at Atsuko's words.
"Would you prefer a softer pillow, Kasuka?" Atsuko patted her thighs, even though they're still pretty small.
But it's definitely better than laying down on the hard rooftop.
Plus, Kasuka's body was much smaller than hers, her lap should be enough to cover Kasuka's entire head.
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm offering, don't hesitate."
"...Then don't mind me." Having said that, Kasuka crawled slightly closer to Atsuko and laid her head on Atsuko's thighs.
Atsuko felt slightly ticklish since she was only wearing shorts, nothing to cover up her legs.
But Kasuka's hair was quite soft, much different when compared to her previously unkept one.
Perhaps that's another perk of seeking help from the adult.
Kasuka came back like she was another whole person.
Her face was clean, her injuries were gone and her health seemed over the roof.
Now, she's the cleanest out of any of them, even with Atsuko here.
She's probably the healthiest too.
"Hehehe..."
Now... If only her mind was in the same shape.