#3 - etude

Special Episode

Marina & Acht

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1

There’s a huge screen that covers the inside of the underground dome. We call it the sky. The sky is full of clouds today. Cotton-like and packed together, they continuously circled the perimeter of the dome.

The clouds’ destination is the large rectangular hole slowly opening in the sky. Below them, at the bottom of the dome, is an LCD screen that was once part of the sky. One of the LCD panels, covered in dust and waiting to be reanimated, was located near the repository where I was in charge of security.

Standing absentmindedly near the entrance to the repository, I followed a small stain on a white cloud with my eyes. The stain actually appeared to be a light gray cloud. The cloud always passed over the same place at the same time. Probably. Soon, the light grey cloud was engulfed by the hole in the sky and vanished. I lifted up my right hand, which had been slumped over, and put my radio to my ear. I turned the volume dial up and immediately heard a staticky voice.

“-ht. Acht. Can you even hear me? Hurry it up with the report.”

The tone sounded like a mix of irritation and disappointment. It was the captain of the security unit. I took a quick breath and pressed the transmit button on my radio.

“No abnormalities detected. Uh…go for it.”

I took my finger off the button. After a long, drawn out sigh I received a response.

“You’re 16 minutes late.”

That basically meant the same thing as “Copy that.” Without waiting for another word, I turned the volume down completely and hooked the radio to my waist belt. The report was over quickly.

At least that was done with. Filled with a sense of liberation, I looked up to the sky, and a strong light stung my eyes. It was the pseudo-sun on the ceiling that illuminated the dome. People had been crying about the power shortage for a while, but it didn’t show any signs of dimming. If anything, it felt like the excess firepower was going to turn me into a boiled octopus.

TLN: In Japanese, the phase “boiled octopus” is equivalent to the English phrase “red as a lobster”

To get out of the sun as soon as I could, I entered the repository and quickly walked toward the back of the building. I was surrounded on both sides with piles of crates, all of them worn out and empty. Calling it a "repository" would be disingenuous; it was a temporary storage space for junk. There weren’t any regular visitors, let alone suspicious persons. Was there even such a thing as an abnormality in a place like that?

“I can’t deal with this.”

I went to a section where large crates were clustered and hid in a crevice suitably out of the sunlight’s reach. When I sat on the ground and leaned against the crate, I felt its cool surface on my back. It smelled a bit moldy, but it was pretty comfortable. I couldn’t see the entrance, but I’d just leave if I heard footsteps or any suspicious noises.

When I closed my eyes and listened carefully, I could hear intermittent shooting in the distance. It was a combat drill for the members of the Takozones Unit. The sound of shooters had decreased by two. I’d been told that some other base was gathering soldiers, so one of them must've been dispatched again. AlI the sounds I can hear have become insipid. I’m afraid that if I stay in this kind of place for too long, all I’ll be able to compose are boring songs.

Maybe I should try making a song about my endless boredom…

“Oh, you got another piercing.”

I heard a voice near my head. Surprised, I opened my eyes to see a familiar face, a girl from the Takozones Unit, standing in front of me. She crouched down and inspected the area around my left ear. When she noticed the way I was looking at her, she smiled innocently.

“Sorry, did I wake you up? Good morning, Acht.” She said.

She lowered her eyebrows apologetically…no, that’s just how her eyebrows usually looked.

“Good morning…?”

I guess my eyelids were heavy. I must’ve fallen asleep. It was a good thing the person who found me wasn’t the captain or someone similar. Marina Ida is the pride of our unit. We’d been friends since our days at the Takozones Training School, an Octarian education facility. We were in the same class, but we weren’t in the same classroom for long. Marina’s an elite, the opposite of a delinquent like me, graduating from the school after skipping a few grades.

And for some reason, this super-elite was here, looking at me with concern.

“Hey, you pierced your ears again, right? Are you okay?”

“You don’t have to ask me that every time I get a piercing.”

“But it worries me. Yesterday I heard about someone whose piercing rejected.”

Good grief. I don’t know what horror stories she’d been told, but I’ve probably heard them all already. When was the last time she got a piercing? Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Marina in a while. At any rate, I wasn’t going to entertain pointless small talk.

“Hey, that’s not what you’re here to talk about, yeah?”

I blatantly switched the topic. Marina’s lip twitched a little, but then her expression softened.

“That’s right. But for now, you should come out of there”

“Why?”

“You’ll get hurt if those boxes collapse.”

“I’ll be fine.”

The crate stacks were so heavy they wouldn’t be moved easily. If anything happens, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I’d rather enjoy the comfort of the shade. Unfortunately, Marina didn’t seem to understand.

“Aww, don’t be like that.”

Marina stood up, grabbing my left wrist with both hands…

“Hup!”

…and pulled me up like a fish on a hook.

“Geh?!”

The base of my arm screamed. Come to think of it, I hadn’t stretched in a while.

The force Marina used to pull me up resulted in me almost knocking the bag at her feet over, but I managed to catch my balance.

“I thought you were going to rip my arm off.”

I made a show of rubbing my shoulder and gave Marina a resentful look, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Sorry, sorry! But I'm sure you'll be fine; I used the exact right amount of force to pull you up.”

She said as she let go of my wrist. If she had been using the wrong amount of force, my arm would have been torn off, wouldn’t it…

Nah, I shouldn’t drag out the conversation with my carping.

“So, what brings you all the way out here?”

Marina was part of a research institute responsible for weapon development. It was in the same base, but in a different underground dome than this one.

“I got a job in this dome out of nowhere. I finished my main task, so now I’m just going around to check on the old machines for any problems. I don’t get to come here often, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to stop by. I have one more place I need to go before I’m done, though. Then again, that’s thanks to the designer’s hard work.”

I glanced at her bag. It was a large, one-shoulder backpack. Going off of what Marina told me, there were probably tools inside. Judging by her uniform, it would be easy to guess that her visit to the dome was work-related anyway. But that’s not what I wanted to know.

"...and? It's not like you were just passing by this depository, went in on a whim, took a look between the boxes, and happened to see a familiar face."

You could say it was where the dome ended. There wasn’t anything in the vicinity. It was the kind of place you’d never go if you didn’t have a reason to. I didn't remember telling Marina that I was stationed at the repository in the first place.

“You went out of your way to find out where I work and came to see me, yeah? If you have something to say, just say it.”

Even while we continued to talk, I tried to hurry her up as I was being roasted alive by the sun.

“Oh, I’m really sorry…I just…”

Marina laughed, as if to hide her embarrassment.

“I wanted to see your face, but I have things to do too. Your shift starts soon, right?"

She even knew my work schedule. Not weird at all. I guess she must’ve checked in advance to make sure I’d be there. If the decision for her to come to this dome was made so suddenly today, it makes sense that she wouldn’t have asked me directly. I wouldn’t be able to chat while I was on duty either. Very careful, like a good elite should be.

So there was nothing weird about it...I think. Although the way she spoke made the genuine, friendly smile in front of me look off putting.

“Actually, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Despite her cheerful voice, it had an undertone of resolve or the determination to fight.

2

As reserved as Marina usually was, she’d occasionally show her strange stubborn streak. At times like that, it was sure that no matter what I said to her, she’d never back down. I could tell that this was one of those times.

I braced myself with trepidation, but when I heard her request was “I want to take a picture with you.” I was taken aback. I wasn’t too psyched about it, but trying to persuade Marina when she was in stubborn mode was pointless. I quickly agreed to her request.

The replacement guard who arrived soon afterwards gaped in disbelief when they saw Marina. Nobody would expect to see a celebrity in a place like this. They must’ve thought their hearts were going to stop. I felt bad for them.

I told them “Ms. Marina got lost and came here. I’m showing her the way back." and we left the depository.

The sound of two sets of shoes echoed on the discolored stone path. Sparse, oddly shaped stone pillars stood along the sides of the winding road. They looked unstable, like stacks of potatoes. I have no idea who put them up or what their intentions were.

To the left of the path always led to the inner wall of the dome. To the right was a lake with water that wasn’t flatteringly clear. The bottom of the dome was humid, and the distance was white with water vapor.

After passing several pillars, Marina spoke up.

“Why did you lie?”

Her tone wasn’t accusatory, just curious.

“It’s easier that way.”

Keeping things simple. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was one of them.

“That might be true, but…”

Marina mumbled with a furrowed brow. I wonder if she felt guilty for lying. I’m dumbfounded by how damn earnest she could be.

“Should I have been more friendly and gone into detail about our relationship? I’m sure that keeping it short was the best option.”

“I see…right…”

Marina stopped and readjusted the heavy bag on her back. I heard a small clunk, as if metal had hit something. Then she started walking again.

“I didn’t expect you to give the OK so easily.”

“To taking a photo?”

Marina let out an amused chuckle.

“I thought you’d be extremely reluctant, so I had prepared and simulated several plans to persuade you. When you agreed so quickly, I was so surprised that my mind went blank for a moment.”

It seemed that Marina had been planning for an intense battle of words to gain my approval. Why was it that she seemed so fired up? I couldn't help but sigh.

“You take this stuff too seriously. Why’d you go that far?”

“Because no matter how many times I’ve asked you to take photos with me, you’ve always said no. And when I asked why you’d never tell me.”

I don't remember being asked that often. Maybe two or three times a year at most. In total that would mean I’ve been asked twenty times or so. It was more than I expected.

“Uhhh…well…That’s true.”

I’ve never been one for sincerity, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

My reasons for not wanting to have my picture taken were never convincing. Even if she knew why, she probably wouldn’t accept it, so I’ve always brushed the question off. It couldn’t be helped. I strengthened my resolve and told her.

“I’m not photogenic.”

My voice came out as more of a muffled whisper than I had expected.

“Photogenic…?”

“That’s why I hate taking pictures. I hate looking at photos of myself.”

Something was different compared to how I looked in the mirror. The version of myself I saw in photographs always seemed unnatural and awkward somehow. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being confronted with the real version of myself and could never bear to look at them. Maybe a lack of photogenicity wasn’t the right way to put it, but it was close enough.

I started working, looking straight ahead to keep Marina’s face out of sight. For a while, the only thing I heard was the sound of footsteps. Unable to bear the silence, I glanced to the side and saw Marina with her hand on her chin, nodding with an enigmatic expression on her face.

“I see. I thought you’d have a more unconventional reason.”

It was so pathetic.

“Sorry. Nothing that interesting.”

Even though I turned her down over and over, Marina never seemed deterred from asking again. She either had a remarkable amount of determination or was just that resolute. I guess she’s always been like that. To me and to everyone else.

I took a short breath and stopped.

“Enough about me. If we're going to take pictures, we should get on with it. There won’t be anyone around here.”

Marina came to a stop and brought her hands together on her chest like she was saying a prayer.

“I'm sorry, but my break is almost over. I'll finish my next job quickly, so can we do it afterwards?"

“Oh yeah, you had another place to go. It’s no big deal.”

“Thanks. And if it’s not too much trouble…”

Marina looked around.

“I’d like to shoot somewhere a bit more scenic.”

She smiled with an awkward expression on her face.

I promised to meet up with Marina by the overlook at the end of the path, and we went our separate ways for the time being.

Various parts of the dome were linked together by a complex of scaffolds of various sizes floating in midair. I took the most secluded route possible to the overlook. I crossed a lot of footholds to get to the top, sometimes descending and sometimes ascending again. It took a while, but I didn't run into anyone along the way. I walked down a long, narrow descent, looking down at the lake below me. The overlook was at the end of the slope. Even though it was an overlook, it didn’t have any fancy benches or vending machines. It was a small space surrounded by a low fence. However, you could see all the scaffolding in the dome from there. It was certainly a scenic location.

“Hm?”

I saw Marina at the right end of the lookout point. It seemed that she’d arrived before me. I probably spent a bit too much time meandering. Marina was turned to her left and moving her hand around, but it was hidden behind a signboard, and I couldn’t see it. As I reached the end of the slope, Marina noticed me. She waved, and I responded by raising my hand a bit. When I arrived at the overlook, Marina greeted me with a beaming smile.

“Hello!”

“Hey.”

When I walked up, I checked my blind spot, the space behind the information board, and made sure nobody was there. There was nobody besides the tripod, which seemed to be for a camera anyways.

Marina must have assembled it earlier. There was a small shaded area near the tripod in which a bag had been placed. I fought the urge to sit in the shade and turned to face Marina.

“You’re early.”

“Mm-hm. I finished faster than expected. I was just setting up the camera.”

Having said that, Marina raised the white object she’d been holding with both hands to chest level. For a moment I thought it looked like a rounded box, but it had a strobe and a small lens on the front.

It is an unusual shape, but it certainly looks like a camera. There was a distinctive horizontal slit on the side. Was that what I thought it was?

“Is that thing an instant camera? I've never seen an actual one before."

“Yep! It was trashed when I bought it, so I fixed it myself～”

“You’ve always liked that sort of thing.”

In terms of image quality, it’d be better for Marina to use her state-of-the-art communication terminal. The only reason she wasn’t using it was because she was excited to test out her new toy.

“It’ll be ready in a minute.”

I nodded, and Marina mounted the camera on her tripod. Was the tripod new? It didn’t have any scratches or stains, but the knobs and handles gave it a refined appearance. The sight of a formerly trashed instant camera held up by a high-quality tripod was somewhat caricatural.

I recall the camera I saw Marina with before was an expensive one with interchangeable lenses. That one looked more suited for her tripod. When I saw her with it, she was taking pictures of excavators and other ridiculously giant pieces of heavy machinery that I couldn’t remember.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting!”

Marina’s voice snapped me back to reality. While I was grumbling with my arms crossed, the camera had been securely fastened to the tripod.

“You finished?”

“Uh-huh. Acht…are you really going to take a photo with me?”

“What, did you think I was going to ditch you at the last second?”

Marina shook her head in a panic.

“No, no! I was just thinking about it is all.”

She wanted to take a picture that badly? I couldn’t say that I understood what that felt like. Come to think of it, why did she want to take a photo today? It wasn’t like there was some kind of anniversary, right? Just as I opened my mouth to ask her why, Marina turned her attention back to the camera.

She looked into the viewfinder, mumbled, “Okay,” and turned towards me with a gleaming smile.

“Shall we take the photo now?”

…Well, I guess it didn’t matter. She was probably just tired of me refusing her or something.

Seemingly satisfied with the camera settings, Marina instructed me on how to stand and pose. I didn’t end up following any of her instructions, and we took a picture together.

3

“Hmmm, they both look great! ♪”

Comparing the two photos the camera spit out, Marina nodded with satisfaction. I sat on a nearby fence and watched, yawning.

“Then you can have this one.”

After being offered one of the photos, I turned it away almost reflexively.

“I don’t need it.”

“…I see. You don’t like it then?”

Marina didn’t really try to force the issue. She just smiled a bit regretfully and withdrew her hand. Maybe she’d expected me to say that.

Well, a good amount of time had passed since we got here. I pushed myself off the fence and stretched out. My head and back were becoming burnt from the exposure to the sun. I put my hand on my hips and started talking.

“If you’re happy, then we should go back. Someone might be coming soon.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

I raised an eyebrow at her carefree demeanor.

“Of course it's a bad thing. There are a lot of people in this dome who know me, and I don’t know what they would say if they saw us together.”

“Like what? That we’re good friends or something～?”

Was she serious? I scratched the back of my head in bewilderment. Marina had no idea what was going on. I didn’t want to say anything, but I didn’t have a choice either.

“Hey, if a rumor gets out that the Marina Ida is hanging out with a delinquent, you’ll get eaten alive by people jealous of you.”

Marina’s eyes widened. Good grief. It seemed like she finally understood. There will always be those who have nothing better to do lurking in the shadows of popular people, waiting for their chance to sabotage them. It seemed like despite being in the middle of a whirlwind of such activity, Marina wasn’t wary of any malicious intent.

Marina’s expression clouded, and she looked at her feet.

“You’re not a delinquent, Acht.”

I was at a loss for words and put my hand on my forehead. That wasn’t what I was talking about. As far as I knew, Marina was the only one who didn’t think that.

“…I am to them, and they don’t care about what you think. You heard the nonsense rumors they used to spread at school. ‘Marina’s wrapped up with delinquents, and she’s doing shady stuff behind our backs’ or whatever.”

Of course, Marina didn’t do anything wrong.

Someone had seen her defend me from the instructor's reprimands, and they decided to start spreading rumors about it. If I’m remembering correctly, it happened around the time Marina returned to the training center as a tutor.

“But everyone quickly understood neither of us had done anything wrong like the rumors said we were.”

“That’s because the instructor had known us for a while and worked to squash the rumor behind the scenes. Now our situations and positions are completely different. The next time something like that happens, it won't end the same way. You know that, right?”

Marina started to say something but closed her mouth. There was a flash of something in her eyes, a feeling that was neither anger or sadness. That’s the reason I didn't want to talk about this. But there was one more thing I had to say.

Shrugging my shoulders, I continued in a more lighthearted tone.

“Man. I still remember all of your friends staring daggers at me. I don’t want trouble, so we should wrap it up.”

I pointed my head towards the camera. Marina gave me a small nod with a blank expression on her face.

She told me to hold the camera, and I faithfully carried out the only order I was given. I was going to ask if I could help her pack up, but there wasn’t anything for me to do. Marina quickly folded the tripod with a practiced hand and put it in a storage bag. It was clear that if I tried to help, I’d only serve to hinder her.

Marina kneeled on the ground and opened her mouth as she strapped the bag containing her tripod to her back.

“I wish we had more time to talk〜”

“There’s always another day.”

“...Yeah, that’s true.”

Somehow, her voice sounded somber. I wondered if she was still dwelling on what we had talked about earlier. My eyes met with Marina’s as she looked up. I understood what the other side was trying to tell me and held out the camera I’d been entrusted with. She took it with both hands, her face breaking into a smile as she thanked me. Mission accomplished.

Marina put the camera into her bag.

“Oh, that’s right.”

She carefully pulled out a thin, angular package. Upon closer inspection, it contained two identical objects stacked on top of one another. Marina stood up and handed me one of the packages.

“Here’s the record. Thanks a lot for letting me borrow it.”

The shape of the package is almost square, definitely around the size of the LP I had lent her. It was wrapped in a white sheet of packaging material, so I couldn’t see what was inside, but if Marina told me that it was the record, it must be the record.

“Thanks for taking care of it. What did you think?”

She lowered her eyebrows apologetically at the question.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy that I never had the chance to listen to it.”

“You can hold on to it for a little longer then. There’s no rush to return it.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry.”

Marina held out her hand as if to stop me. There was a note of regret and resignation in his voice, but I didn’t expect that she’d accept the record if I tried to give it back to her.

She let out a faint sigh and held out another package in her hand to me.

“You should take this too. You told me you wanted to listen to it.”

"Hm...? Isn’t that the rare edition?”

I did say I’d like to listen to it, but it’s funny that she brought it here.

“Didn’t you say that you’d let me listen to it back at your room?”

“Eh?”

The record in question was incredibly rare. I wasn’t in the position to take care of it, so I declined Marina’s offer to lend it to me. After a back-and-forth, we found a compromise. I’d listen to it the next time I went over to Marina’s room, and that should’ve been the end of that.

Marina was clearly avoiding making eye contact and gave me a tight smile.

“I promised to lend it to you, right? Even if I didn’t, if you consider string theory and the fact that data accuracy decreases as time goes on, it wouldn't be weird if the promise could change at any moment…maybe."

I could tell it was nothing but strange, and I didn’t know what she was talking about. For as smart as Marina was, she was an awful liar. There was no way I remembered a promise that she didn’t. Well, there was a possibility, but it was unlikely based on my experience. Basically, Marina was knowingly going back on our promise.

…Marina going back on a promise? That stupidly conscientious Marina? My hearts suddenly began to race. After all, she had been acting oddly today.

“Acht?”

I came to my senses after I heard my name. A worried face was looking at me. If there’s one thing that was absolute, it was that there was no malice behind it. Of course, there are circumstances that would make people take back promises.

“…yeah, maybe I was misremembering.”

I ended up taking Marina’s record as well as my own.

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to bring it back.”

“Oh, right. You can return it whenever you want.”

Marina still looked concerned. Somewhat awkwardly, I moved her gaze to look at the two meticulously wrapped records. They weren’t heavy, but they were pretty big. Her tools would’ve been heavy enough, but she brought a camera, tripod, and records on top of them. There was no reason for her to try and complete all her errands at once just because she came here today…

Oh. But wasn’t there? There was a reason. I finally understood why Marina had been behaving strangely and the situation that made her do so. But I had to confirm it with her first. I'm sure it's nothing I need to know about, and it seems like she’s keeping it a secret from me. However, I don't want to leave with unanswered questions. If I did, it would get in the way of track-making this evening. To ask or not to ask? I considered the question, but I’d already made up my mind.

4

“Marina.”

I looked up from the record and towards Marina. I took a breath and spoke up.

“By any chance…are you moving to a new base?”

Marina’s expression stiffened. A short silence followed.

“Why do you ask?” She replied, her voice containing a hint of confusion.

“…Just because.”

I didn’t explain and kept my response vague. It was obvious in retrospect. The reason she was so eager to have a picture taken, why she went to the trouble of bringing the record with her. It was because she knew that this was her last chance to do so for the foreseeable future. She probably chose an instant camera to take the picture because she wanted to get a photo of me on the same day. The first situation that would prevent us from seeing each other that came to mind was her transfer to another base. While it wasn’t impossible to travel between bases, there were restrictions. Along with Marina’s position and busy schedule, she’d have to jump through a lot of hurdles to do so.

Marina put her hand on her cheek, seemingly weighing how she should respond. I remained silent and waited for her to speak. If she didn’t want to tell me, she could brush it off with one of her horrible excuses. Then I’d back off.

I hadn’t noticed that my thumbs were digging into the record’s packaging material. Marina stopped touching her cheek and looked me straight in the eye. Her serious expression made me flinch. After a pause, she began to speak slowly.

“Well, I’m…being transferred to Octo Valley”

She continued, remorse twinging her voice.

“I'm sorry for not telling you. The information about my transfer is still classified. It’ll be made public soon, and I was going to talk to you after that.”

“Oh…I got it.”

I felt the strength I was holding the record with drain. I guess Marina has been waiting for the information to be declassified before sharing it. It was just like her to be so diligent. I put the record under my right arm and continued.

“When are you leaving?”

“Three days from now, in the morning.”

“Was it dropped on you suddenly?”

“Yeah, I was just recently assigned to a new position…”

After cutting herself off, she continued somewhat sadly.

“After I get sent there, I won't be able to see you and everyone at this base over here very often… so before I left, I really wanted to take some pictures. I'm sorry I forced you to come out here."

“Hm, I see. So that’s what this was all about.”

“But you'd figured out the gist of it already, right?”

I smirked. She saw right through me.

Marina stepped towards the fence, folded her hands behind her body, and gazed into the distance. It was more of the same. Clouds swimming through in a perforated sky. At least that’s what I thought it looked like.

“I can’t tell you much about my new job, but it’s an honor to be assigned to a unit there.”

“Eh?”

“So, I have to do my best. But for the time being, I won’t have time to tinker with machines. There are a lot of things I have to remember, and I probably won’t have much time for music…but I think I’m going to learn a lot.

“That so?”

“Oh well, I know that isn’t the sort of thing you’d care about.”

Marina laughed apologetically. It wasn’t that I didn’t care; I just didn’t know how to respond.

To put it bluntly, she was telling me that as a result of striving to meet the expectations of those around her, she might not be able to do the things she enjoys. I knew that Marina had gone through drastic changes in her environment due to grade-skipping and job reassignments and that she’s under a lot of pressure to perform well. Now, having overcome all of those obstacles, she’s found herself deprived of things that would bring her even the smallest comfort.

The world is a pretty damn awful place.

But complaining about it won’t change a thing. I know it as much as I hate it. Besides, there wasn’t a hint of sadness in Marina’s voice. It’d be ridiculous for an outsider like me to get annoyed and lash out at the people involved anyway.

I thought that all I could say was that it wasn’t an issue.

“I don’t know what kind of unit it is, but it must be a place for the elite, right?”

Then, I made a joke.

“Maybe you’ll meet someone just as interesting as you.”

If someone like that did exist, rumors about them would’ve reached our base. It was a silly idea, just meant to console her. But Marina’s eyes seemed to light up for a moment. I should’ve been fine with that, but for some reason it made my chest feel tight.

I picked up one of the records I was carrying under my arm and held it out to Marina. It was the one that I owned.

“I think you should take this with you.”

“Huh? But-“

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve listened to it so many times that it’s gotten old. It wouldn’t be fair for me to be the only one borrowing something, right?”

“R-really?”

Marina hesitated for a moment and accepted the record after realizing that I had no intent of backing out.

“Thank you. I'll listen to it this time so I can tell you what I think.”

“Sounds like a plan. There’s a song with the melody that builds from the middle. I like that one.”

Seeing Marina’s face blushing with happiness made me feel a little relieved. It was a better gift than some poorly chosen words. However, I felt like Marina wanted me to say something. Someone who had walked the same path as her might have known what that was. I didn’t understand the suffering of geniuses.

…I probably never will.

Marina, who’d been staring at the record with a grin, suddenly looked up.

“Acht.”

“What’s up?”

A modest gesture pointed out something on my right.

“Your record is over there.”

“…that it is.”

Marina had taken the time to get me a bag so I could easily take the record home. It was a good show of forethought. I was slightly put off by the light pink color and the pattern of some fanciful character on it, but beggars can’t be choosers. I definitively put Marina’s record in the paper bag, and Marina put my record in her bag.

Closing the top pocket of her bag, Marina exhaled exaggeratedly.

“Hahh～ I’m so happy I got to tell you about that～”

 "I'm glad you told me too."

If the day Marina’s transfer was announced came without me knowing anything about it, I'm sure I would have been concerned.

I thought about why she didn’t want to tell me in person. Maybe she didn’t want to trouble me about things unrelated to music.

“Thanks a lot for today, Acht.”

She directed a somewhat refreshed and bright smile at me. For a horrible liar like Marina, it must be difficult to interact with others while keeping her situation under wraps. I couldn’t help but smile when I thought about how she’d taken a picture with me despite the struggle.

…That’s right.

I turned my hand towards Marina with my palm facing up.

“The photo.”

“Huh?”

“I’d like to take it after all.”

Even Marina didn’t predict I’d do that. Her eyes grew wide. It was somehow funny to see her so confused.

“Since we’re not going to see each other for a while, I might forget what you look like.”

I said teasingly, to which Marina responded with a friendly smile.

“You were never good at remembering faces.”

She wasn’t wrong, but that was a joke. Oh well.

Marina took one of the photos out of her bag pocket and handed it to me.

“It’s a good photo, don’t you think?”

I took the photo and looked at it through half-opened eyes. I saw Marina’s familiar, smiling face next to my sulking one. There wasn’t anything awkward about it. In that environment, sitting next to Marina, I looked natural.

“…Not bad, I guess.”

Marina’s face broke into a content smile at my comment. Then, she picked up her bag and turned to me.

“I should probably get going. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“You take care too.”

“I will…and make sure you’re eating properly, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Marina smiled at me, put her bag on her back, and started walking uphill. I followed her until she reached the top, where I stopped. I watched her back as she moved away. She stopped before she had gone much further, turned around, and waved to me.

Good grief. If she kept that up, who knows how long it would take for her to make it to the top of the hill? I decided to turn around and quickly disappeared from Marina’s line of sight.

“See ya.”

It wouldn’t be long until Marina completely disappeared from all of our lives.

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Translation: @MagicalGirlFia

Transcription: @3600frames & @mossible

Editing: @rassicas

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