Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

In the bustling coffee shop, the girl's words, which went unanswered, vanished into thin air.

Why would I care so much about someone I've only met once?

Even Fujimaru Ritsuka herself couldn't explain this in detail.

Although we shook hands, lay on the ground together discussing what the stars in the sky are, and ran hand in hand during a grand ceremony, these were all extremely novel things that I was doing for the first time with someone else. However, in principle, these things are not very normal. The handshake was just an accident, the discussion was really just a discussion, and running hand in hand was... a strategy. Overall, they are all very normal things.

Yes, it must be because Novia gave me a gift and I didn't reciprocate, that's why I can't forget about it. When I find him, I'll give him one—

"Is Ritsuka-senpai in a bad mood?"

The sudden sound almost startled Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was silently making a decision with her eyes closed. However, even without opening her eyes, she knew it was the voice of her first-year junior and friend, Hibino Hibiki. After taking a light breath, the girl opened her eyes and saw Hibino Hibiki squatting down with her hands on the seat, looking on with curiosity.

The orange-haired girl gives the impression of being more like a dog than a cat, a small one.

Being stared at like that by Hibiki, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but cover her face with one hand and asked with a sigh:

"...Does it mean my thoughts are all written on my face?"

"Hibiki, I can tell a little bit. So, Ritsuka-senpai is thinking about someone, isn't she?"

Hibiki Hinohide's words puzzled Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Why do you say I miss someone...?"

"I don't know. Although I can't explain why, I just feel that you must be thinking about someone to make that kind of expression."

"Well, that's indeed the reason. I met an... interesting person a few days ago."

Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't find it difficult to say anything, so she figured it wasn't a big deal to tell Hibino Hibiki.

After all, the reason why the two were able to become friends despite being two different grades is because they have similar personalities. Ritsuka is like a central air conditioner that everyone can feel is very nice to her, while Hibiki exudes a sense of closeness that makes people around her feel comfortable and at ease. If you have to point out a difference, one can pay attention to the other's feelings, while the other is completely oblivious and may even cause trouble.

However, neither of them felt displeased by this; instead, they both thought the other was quite nice. Moreover, both of them were very talkative and could chat for a long time once they started talking.

"An interesting person? Is he a boy?"

"Um, that boy's name is—"

"Xiao Xiang, the guests at table number 6 would like a strawberry smoothie."

The coffee shop's chef, a man named after the European hero Cú Chulainn, called out to Ritsuka with a soft thud.

This Cú Chulainn seems to enjoy fishing.

"Oh, sorry, Ritsuka-senpai, let's talk later."

"it is good."

Ritsuka understood that Hibiki was a recruited employee of the coffee shop, and they would be meeting later, so it wasn't a big problem; they could continue talking when the time came.

Watching Hibiki's departing figure, Ritsuka couldn't help but smile, remembering that she seemed to be in much better shape than before.

She originally thought she had comforted Hibiki who had been made to cry by Sugata Nao that day, but she didn't expect that Hibiki would become a different person in the following days, becoming cold and aloof. Ritsuka almost wondered if Hibiki was just putting on a show for her that day.

Regardless, seeing Hibino Hibiki back to her sunny and cheerful self makes Ritsuka, as her senior, happy.

At this moment, the girl crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and once again tried to stop Hibino Hibiki's thoughts from being interrupted—

If I see Novia again, what should I give him?

The cross pendant that Novia gave herself looked very valuable; it felt like even if she took all the money she had saved up since childhood, she might not be able to buy it.

But speaking of which... a cross? Could it be a church follower? Oh no! That name must be the founder of that church!

Fujimaru Ritsuka only realized the strangeness of the name later, and then assumed that Novia must be a devout believer, otherwise his family and he himself would not have accepted the name. After all, the church's faith is spread all over the world, and choosing this name must have been quite a lot of pressure.

Thinking about this, Fujimaru Ritsuka felt that Novia must have gone through a lot of bad things before. After all, no matter what, when others hear this name, they will more or less show strange looks.

That scene seemed to appear before Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes.

Even so, the girl felt that everyone around Novia probably liked him.

Hmm, if that's the case, if that's the case... In that case, let's give her a ring!

That's right, if you give me a pendant that's practically the same as a necklace, then I'll give you a ring to show my sincerity!

"Novia, you'd be happy if I gave you a ring, wouldn't you?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka murmured to herself.

I can't imagine how he would react if I gave him the Novia ring.

I know I'll definitely be happy.

Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her eyes, picked up the cross pendant she had received, and stared at it intently.

"There's no point in thinking about this... After all, we don't know if we'll ever see each other again. We can tell Hibiki about Novia later. Let's go home now."

As the orange-haired girl stood up to leave the coffee shop, announcing the end of her day's playtime, she heard a very subtle sound, like the sound of an impossible ocean tide, sometimes near, sometimes far, the distance of which was unclear, as if it were at a balance point where reality and illusion were mutually attracting each other.

She remembered the limping white dove she had seen at the dilapidated Tenmangu Shrine that day; it eventually fell into the sea.

In the blue sea, a huge whirlpool formed, with surging waves, and at the end of what seemed like an infinite conflict, a tiny glimmer of light appeared.

The girl inexplicably recalled a sentence she had learned from Hibiki Hibino in the past:

"All things in the world are born from the ocean. The title of Mother Earth is correct, but it's not that people are mistaken. It's just that, in order of precedence, the ocean is the mother or father of all things. Humans came into this world from the sea under the watchful eye of the sun."

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed deeply, subconsciously turned around, and saw someone entering the coffee shop through another entrance. Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment she even forgot to breathe.

".......ah."

She suppressed the sound that had inadvertently escaped her lips.

Novia.

This person's name seemed to grip the girl's throat tightly, making Ritsuka miss him for days. She thought she would never see him again, but unexpectedly they met again. Ritsuka kept telling herself to calm down, but... she couldn't calm down.

In a sense, Ritsuka was even pondering what to say to greet someone right now. She couldn't help but recall the way the two of them had earnestly talked on the ground of the abandoned shrine at Tenmangu Shrine.

But soon Ritsuka bit her lip, gently placed her hand on her chest, took a deep breath, walked out, and then came back in through another entrance. She then quickly walked behind Novia, pretending to be 'normal,' patted him on the shoulder, and after Novia turned around, the girl said with a smile:

"Hey, isn't this Novia? I didn't expect to see you again."

"It's Fujimaru! I didn't expect to see you here. It seems we're quite destined to meet."

Novia hadn't originally planned to come to this coffee shop again, but Hibino Hibiki insisted that he and Draco come to the shop, saying that she wanted her friends to meet her parents. Novia naturally agreed to this request, and Draco, after some hesitation, also agreed.

However, she seemed to be doing something, so she didn't come with Novia and would arrive later.

As for Kichijou-in, who wanted to come, Hibino Hibiki said that if her friends knew all about her many mothers at once, it might not be a good impression of her father, so she would introduce Kichijou-in's mother next time.

Since Xiaoxiang had already gone this far, the black-haired girl had no choice but to 'obediently' accept her fate.

"Fate and such, it seems like Novia has been talking about it a lot since we met. Is this some kind of new way to pick up girls?"

"It's not wrong for Fujimaru to think that way."

Novia saw the lively Fujimaru Ritsuka and said with a smile.

"Hehehe, I knew it..." Ritsuka's laughter seemed to say, 'Just as I thought.' "By the way, why don't we sit down and chat? I happen to have a seat here. Want to come?"

For some reason, even though they were just looking at each other like before, Ritsuka felt as if Novia had seen through her thoughts, and her ears started to burn uncontrollably.

"it is good."

So afterwards, Fujimaru Ritsuka led Novia to the spot where she had been sitting.

However, Fujimaru Ritsuka might not be able to find any topics to talk about for the time being, so she fell into a subtle silence. Seeing this, Novia decided to give her a topic so that they could start chatting.

"Speaking of which, are there any events happening around here today?"

Novia looked outside the coffee shop and began to speak.

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka followed Novia's gaze and saw that many nearby buildings were adorned with advertisements for games and anime, with various cartoon characters moving about and performers putting on a show everywhere.

Some people were dancing in maid cosplay outfits, others were playing rock music on old guitars, there were duos performing their own short plays, magical girls were performing mime, and passersby were eager to join in the performances.

"It's probably some kind of large-scale event related to anime."

Ritsuka explained, turning her head repeatedly. She didn't know much about these things, only glancing at them occasionally.

"I feel that Tokyo does this kind of event the best."

"Is that right?"

"But it's hard to say, after all, I haven't seen much either, and my knowledge is probably just superficial."

Fujimaru Ritsuka laughed out loud upon hearing this. After hearing such a familiar answer, she thought that at least the situation between her and Novia was still the same as before. Therefore, she hid her happy expression while stirring the empty cup continuously.

"Do you, Novia, really enjoy watching this kind of thing?"

Ritsuka spoke nonchalantly as she continued stirring the empty cup.

"I like it because the people involved are happy, and everyone is joyful."

Novia continued, looking at the crowd.

"What color is a person? Everyone would think it is green, like a tender sprout, a life that is thriving and full of possibilities no matter how you look at it."

But red is also acceptable, like the red of flames or chili peppers; when it erupts, its power is immense.

If it's yellow, it's like the color of a lemon or a mango, with a mix of sweetness and tartness.

Of course, there are also those who are gray, wandering aimlessly in the dark fog, unable to find the right direction no matter what.

However, people of all colors are the same to me. Once they enter my field of vision, they are already a part of my world. Of course, I don't want them to look sad. But I also understand that this feeling is just something insignificant in my mind.

Although Novia was a rather unique way of expressing it, Ritsuka always felt that she understood what he meant perfectly.

Those were the words of a very stubborn, yet very serious and powerful person.

Looking at Novia like this, Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for longer than usual before slowly speaking.

"Novia, the way you're saying it is as if the whole world is your child."

"Perhaps it's because I once saved the world that I can appreciate the ever-changing white clouds, the azure sky, the ancient trees exuding a sacred aura, and the new buds brimming with vitality—the beauty of nature goes without saying. But the world is not gentle."

It could even be said that the world's true face is one where survival alone is extremely harsh. Herbivores are hunted by carnivores, and carnivores are defeated by human firearms... The victor will eventually fail, and we must learn to accept the absolute and utterly hopeless cruelty of the world. Evil exists, good exists, and there are even gray areas that cannot distinguish between good and evil. And yet, 'even so, the world is still incredibly beautiful.'

Life celebrates existence, and in this there is no distinction between beauty and ugliness, only the sweat shed with unwavering dedication. If one does not boast of their own existence, but continues to choose to live—the world will surely remain beautiful forever.

The silver-haired man said this with absolute certainty, yet he also seemed to be smiling with great pleasure.

"Hahaha, what you're saying... does it mean you're some kind of savior who pilots a giant robot to fight monsters and save the world...?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her arms to Novia, as if she wanted to grasp the silver-haired man's entire body.

She clearly hadn't expected Novia to have this side to her, but she also found it quite endearing.

"If you can do it, then can I? A savior or something?"

The girl teased.

"Yes, or rather, in my opinion, anyone can do it. But it doesn't have to be something as grand as saving the world. Just living well is already great."

Novia said this with an extremely serious face.

"Novia, you're clearly not that old, but you give off a certain... how should I put it..."

The feeling of warmth makes you want to lean on them.

Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched her head, her orange-red hair moving slightly with her movement.

At that moment, she recalled the event at Tenmangu Shrine and thought how wonderful it would have been if she had taken a picture with Novia back then.

Then, Fujimaru Ritsuka coughed lightly, pointed her pale finger at the crowd outside, and spoke again.

"How about we go there and have some fun?"

Yes, I must get their contact information and take photos this time... This would be something to be happy about.

The orange-haired girl thought to herself.

"I'm afraid that won't work, I—"

"Ritsuka-senpai, Hibiki, I'm back!"

Just as Novia was about to reject him, Hibino Hibiki walked over with a cheerful expression as this lively voice rang out.

"......Um?"

However, when she saw Novia and Fujimaru Ritsuka sitting together, the orange-haired girl made a subtle sound.

Fujimaru Ritsuka also thought that Hibiki was making that sound because she was curious about Novia next to her. Moreover, she had just told Hibiki that she was thinking about an interesting person. In order to avoid Hibiki saying directly, "This is the person you've been thinking about for a long time, Ritsuka-senpai," she quickly coughed twice.