Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 Final Play (section)

===Part 4===

Just how long had he been waiting for already?

Chilly waves lapped the sandy beach. Right now, he was standing somewhere between the branch school and the research institute. The sun that dyed the ocean red was now disappearing beyond the horizon. The waves which washed away grains of sand were becoming darker.

“The stars are coming out.”

Beside him, a girl with scarlet hair murmured. Compelled by her words, Neight looked up at the sky overhead.

The twinkling points of light reminded him of the shattered {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}}.

“I was really worried. And then you wandered off by yourself, of all things!”

Kluele had waited for him the whole time on the road leading back from the research institute.

“……I’m sorry.”

“But I’m glad you came back safely.”

“U-Um, what about Kate-sensei?”

“We immediately took her to see a doctor, so she’ll be fine. The other teachers are also going to have a quick checkup.”

For several seconds, there was silence between them.

“……Sorry.”

As if in harmony with the splashing waves, Kluele was the first to speak.

“I should be the one apologizing. I was troubled about my Recitations being scary, so I made you worry unnecessarily about something strange like that.”

Looking up at the sky, she spread her arms wide open.

“But I’m fine now. After this, I’ll be back to normal.”

Normal. That was something that could be understood just by seeing her calm expression.

“I believed in Kluele-san ever since the very beginning.”

Before he could finish speaking those words……

“……Hey, Neight?”

With a mischievous smile— Kluele suddenly pinched both of his cheeks.

“O-Oww! Kwuewe-san, tha’ huwts!”

“Ahaha. During times like these, you should just politely ask ‘what is it?’”

“Whaa’ ith it?”

“Yup, just like that.”

Nodding with a satisfied look, Kluele let him go.

“……Aah, that was mean.”

Neight reflexively pressed his hands to his cheeks…… And suddenly, he blinked repeatedly.

Eh? His cheeks didn’t hurt at all, even though he had expected it to be painful just now.

“……Kluele-san, did you go easy on me?”

“What are you saying, isn’t that obvious?”

Covering her mouth with her hand, the girl chuckled.

……I see.

Other than that, they had nothing more to say. In silence, they gazed at the ebb and flow of the waves—

Suddenly, the quiet noise of someone walking on sand could be heard on the beach.

“You’ll catch a cold, both of you.”

It was a tall girl with black hair. With her white Tremia school uniform fluttering in the wind, she slowly walked up to Neight and Kluele.

“……Serges-san?”

Looking back now, the beginning of everything had been— When Serges had told Neight about the {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}} girl practicing with her spear on the rooftop.

“U-Um, Serges-san?”

“What is it?”

The girl stood still, pushing aside her bangs that had been stuck together by the sea breeze.

“Did you know about Ada-san?”

“About her being an {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}}?”

……Like he thought, Serges had known everything from the very beginning.

“I’m probably the one who knows the most about her. More than any other student and any teacher.”

Her expression suddenly turning gentle, Serges also looked up at the sky. She gazed beyond the clouds drifting overhead, beyond the twinkling stars— She gazed at something in the distant past that she could no longer return to.

“Ada was the same as you, Neighty.”

The same as me?

“During the school entrance ceremony, she walked around quietly by herself. ……She had probably been thinking that she was too different compared to the rest of us. When I first talked to her, she ended up telling me a lot of things. It felt like she was so anxious that she couldn’t help spilling everything.”

—Ada-san had done that?

“She originally had a much brighter personality, which you probably can’t imagine her with anymore. Back then, she held onto her precious long spear and gazed at me anxiously.”

With a small laugh, Serges put her arms behind her back.

But then, she continued to speak in a quiet, unusually low voice.

“She looked like she needed someone to act like an older sister to her. I thought that she desperately needed a friend who she could fool around with.”

Eh, ‘someone’?

“Neighty, until you understand that, you’ll still be ‘Chibi-kun’. Right, Kluele?”

“Wait, what? Who do you mean by the role of the older sister?”

“……Even I don’t know.”

Letting out a sigh that was mixed with laughter, Serges walked lightly across the sandy beach.

In the direction she was heading—

With the starry night sky behind her, a short girl quietly walked towards them.

On her back, she carried a spear with a broken tip.

“……You idiot. You’re so late that we were all worried.”

Saying that, the Reciter hugged her close {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}} friend.

“Mmhm. Sorry about that. I’m alright now.”

Ada smiled weakly.

[[File:Tasogare_v2_267.jpg|thumb]]

“That’s an obvious lie.”

“—Eh……”

One again, Sergies hugged Ada tightly.

“Didn’t I tell you already? Fake smiles don’t suit you. You need to express your mood more genuinely! It’s fine to act cheerful when you’re feeling up to it. But during painful times, rely on your friends more, okay?”

“…………”

“Or am I not reliable enough?”

“……What are you saying? That’s not true…… I’m just really happy.”


—I’m glad that {{Furigana|an Exorcist|I}} came to {{Furigana|a Recitation School|this school}}.


Her voice was choked with tears.

Mixed in with the splashing waves, it echoed quietly.


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