School started back up again after another week passed by.

  I sat beside Rea in the library as she quietly read a book.

  Despite us being a couple now, not much have changed. She’s recommended me a bunch more books since then, though.

  She would lean in sometimes, offering me sweets or tea when it looked like I wasn’t eating anything.

  My face would burn up whenever she did and I’d nervously accept the food as she fed me.

  The rest of the club members would eye us with clear suspicion.

  Eliba would glare. Raneko wouldn’t say anything but Rea would blush whenever she saw him looking. Mashiro would simply grin at me.

  “We should all go out for karaoke!” Mashiro shouted out.

  “I still have to settle paperwork for all the book orders that we got from Comiket, Mashiro. I don’t have time for–”

  “Karaoke! We can call it research for writing song lyrics! What do you say, Eliba? I know you have a great voice!”

  “Not on your life, Kiwusawa.” Eliba said sternly.

  “What about you, Rea?” Mashiro turned her attention to the club’s resident doll. Rea held her book up to hide her face and shook her head.

  Mashiro would then look at me and I’d give her an instinctive scowl for scaring Rea.

  It sort of just happened, I couldn’t really stop myself from doing it and I wasn’t sure why.

  Though, it worked. Mashiro would retreat but in that same over-the-top way she would always do.

  “An-n-anyways. I already booked the room under Eliba’s name and talked to student council about it s-so we have to go!” Mashiro laughed aloud, maintaining her confidence.

  “What?” Eliba and Raneko stared daggers into Mashiro, causing her to back away into the door.

  In that moment, the door slid open. Ake stood there and glanced at me. She quickly averted her gaze and looked around the room.

  “Mashiro. You said you needed me for something when you submitted the activity form so what is i-”

  “Aahaa!” Mashiro let out a yelp, turned around and grabbing Ake by the hands. “P-perfect timing, Ake! You can join us for karaoke! Let’s go!”

  She dragged Ake out of the room.

  Ake reached out towards the rest of the club members, her eyes settling on me once again for a nanosecond.

  “W-wa-wait! Mashirooo!” Ake yelled out in shock as she was taken away.

  The room fell into a stunned silence after Mashiro’s shriek faded down the hallway.

  Eliba pinched the bridge of her nose. “She forged my name again.”

  Raneko sighed. “I’ll deal with the paperwork later.”

  Rea peeked over her book, eyes wide. “…Karaoke…?”

  Her voice was so small I almost missed it. She looked at me, then quickly looked away, her ears turning pink.

  Raneko closed his notebook with a soft thunk. “We might as well go. If we don’t, Mashiro will cause more trouble.”

  Eliba muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a threat.

  Rea slowly lowered her book. “Um… Yoiya… are you… going…?”

  I nodded before my brain caught up. “Y?yeah. I mean— if you’re going.”

  Her fingers curled around the edge of her sleeve. “…Then… I’ll go too.”

  Raneko stood. “Good. Then let’s retrieve the gremlin before she drags half the student council with her.”

  Eliba rose with the air of someone preparing for battle.

  I gathered my things, heart thudding a little too fast. Rea stood beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushed mine. She didn’t move away.

  We stepped out into the hallway together.

  Somewhere in the distance, Mashiro’s voice echoed:

  “Ake, stop resisting! It’s for the sake of literature!”

  Ake’s reply followed immediately.

  “Mashiro, that doesn’t even make sense!”

  Rea let out a tiny laugh.

  And just like that, the afterschool chaos began.

  …

  We walked down the streets of the city. Mashiro dragged Ake and Eliba along as their chatter filled the air around us.

  Raneko walked behind them with Rea and I in the back of the group.

  “Hey, hey! Huehuehue… I hear there’s going to be a meteor shower tonight. Could it be the great apocalypse is finally upon us?” Mashiro spun and twirled about as she spoke, spreading her arms out towards the sky.

  “Shall we watch it together?” Ake suggested softly, completely ignoring Mashiro’s little theatre rant.

  “Sure.” Eliba said monotonously.

  Her face seemed alot more relaxed around Ake. Perhaps it was her gentle presence.

  I caught Ake glancing back at me for a moment, but she quickly looked away.

  ~Huh? Did I do something?

  “By the way… I suppose this is the perfect chance.” Raneko spoke up as he looked at us from the corner of his eyes.

  “Huh?” I muttered a sound, clearly and visibly confused.

  Rea appeared to be confused as well, but her eyes sparkled a little with intrigue.

  “I hope you haven’t forgotten. I said I would punish you two, didn’t I?”

  I stopped. Rea stopped with me.

  “Y-yeah… But you said you’d go easy on us…” I responded, my voice slightly cracking.

  Rea nodded furiously, confirming my words. “That’s what… Mashiro… told us…”

  “Don’t worry. It’s not that bad. Since we’re going to karaoke, might as well have you sing us a duet. That’ll be your punishment.” Raneko gave us a smile— geniune and kind, there wasn’t a hint of malice in his face or his aura at all.

  “A… a duet…?” I repeated.

  “Yeah. Don’t worry, we’ll save you two for last so you can warm up.”

  “Uh… okay…” I managed to smile back, but the facial mask was wavering.

  “Oho! Our two lovebirds are going to sing a duet?!?!” Mashiro shouted, grabbing onto Raneko’s arm.

  Raneko quickly grabbed her by the ear and dragged her away.

  “No need to make things harder for them with your insensitive outbursts, Ma-shi-ro.” He muttered back to her as he pulled her along.

  “Ow. Ow. Ow!” Mashiro groaned, wincing as she hopped along after him until he let go.

  Eliba continued to follow the two, without glancing back at us.

  But Ake stayed for a moment, staring at me with concern. After what sounded like a shout from Mashiro, she hurried along after the other three.

  Rea gripped my sleeve— tighter than she ever had before. I could feel her hand shaking slightly as she looked up at me.

  Rea’s fingers trembled against my sleeve, barely holding on.

  Her eyes were wide, shimmering with a mix of fear and something softer — something that made my chest tighten.

  “…Rea?” I whispered.

  She didn’t answer at first. Her gaze flicked toward the others, then back to me, as if making sure no one was watching. Her grip tightened again.

  “I… I’ve never… sung in front of people before…” she murmured, voice so quiet it almost vanished into the city noise.

  Ah.

  So that was it. Of course. What else could it be?

  My own nerves had been spiraling, but seeing her like this — small, anxious, trying so hard not to fall apart — snapped something into place inside me.

  “I’m nervous too,” I admitted. “Really nervous.”

  Her eyes widened a little more, like she hadn’t expected me to say that.

  “But…” I swallowed, forcing the words out before I could lose my nerve. “If it’s with you… I think I’ll be okay.”

  Rea froze.

  Her breath hitched — just barely — but enough that I felt it through her hand on my sleeve. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she lowered her head, hiding behind her bangs.

  “…Me too,” she whispered.

  The others were already halfway down the street, Mashiro’s voice echoing like a siren. Raneko was lecturing her. Eliba was pretending not to know any of us. Ake kept glancing back, worry written all over her face.

  But for a moment, it was just Rea and me.

  Her hand slipped down from my sleeve until her fingers brushed against mine — hesitant, feather?light, but unmistakably there.

  “…Let’s do our best,” she said.

  I nodded, heart pounding.

  “Yeah. Together.”

  …

  “Eliba Cerubi.” Eliba spoke her name as she talked to the clerk behind the counter.

  We had arrived at the karaoke venue.

  The clerk pointed down the hall and pointed out the rules to her.

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  Though, for the most part, as long as we didn’t make too much of a ruckus that the soundproofing couldn’t do its job, we should be fairly in the clear.

  Mashiro trotted down the hall with a skip in her step, seeming more hype and upbeat than usual.

  “Huehuehue. I’ll be starting us off! Allow my magnificient voice to fill your ears!” She said as she entered the room first and immediately grabbed a mic.

  She started to scroll through the song list and hit an option rather quickly. Once the music started, she was hopping up and down while posing like a legitimate idol would.

  The rhythm was rather quick and loud. Her voice and movements seemed to match it perfectly, one would never believe it if you told them she was the founder of a small little book club.

  Mashiro’s voice blasted through the speakers with zero hesitation and even less shame.

  She wasn’t good.

  She wasn’t bad.

  She was… Mashiro.

  Loud.

  Chaotic.

  Unreasonably confident.

  Ake stood near the door, hands clasped in front of her chest, watching with a mixture of awe and secondhand embarrassment.

  Eliba sat down on the couch, arms crossed, expression flat — but her foot tapped along with the beat, betraying her.

  Raneko took a seat beside her, flipping through the song catalog like he was reviewing a thesis.

  Rea and I slipped into the back corner of the room, the safest place from Mashiro’s flailing limbs.

  Mashiro struck a pose mid?chorus, one leg up, one arm pointed dramatically at the ceiling.

  “HUEHUEHUE—!!”

  The speakers crackled under the force of her enthusiasm.

  Ake flinched.

  Eliba sighed.

  Raneko adjusted his glasses.

  Rea quietly covered her ears with her sleeves.

  I… tried not to laugh.

  Mashiro finished with a flourish, panting lightly as she held the final note far longer than any human should.

  The music cut.

  She froze in her pose.

  Silence.

  Then she turned to us with a grin that could power a small city.

  “Well? WELL? How was my debut performance?”

  Ake clapped politely. “It was… very energetic.”

  Eliba muttered, “It was loud.”

  Raneko nodded. “Your breath control is impressive, at least.”

  Mashiro puffed out her chest. “Of course! I trained for this moment!”

  Rea leaned toward me, whispering softly, “She… trained…?”

  I shrugged. “Probably not.”

  Mashiro thrust the mic toward Eliba. “Your turn!”

  “No.” Eliba didn’t even blink.

  Mashiro thrust it toward Ake. “Your turn!”

  “M?maybe later…”

  Raneko raised a hand. “I’ll go next.”

  Mashiro gasped. “Raneko volunteering?! Is the world ending?!”

  He ignored her and stood, selecting a calm, low?tempo song — something smooth and understated. The lyrics seemed to tell a story, of a long journey, a lost memory. His voice was surprisingly good, steady and warm, filling the room without trying to impress anyone.

  Rea listened quietly, her grip on my sleeve loosening just a little. She watched him intently, her focus solely on Raneko

  Mashiro swayed dramatically.

  Ake watched with soft admiration.

  Eliba nodded along, approving.

  And me?

  I felt my stomach twist.

  Because every song that played brought us closer to our turn.

  Closer to the duet.

  Closer to the moment I’d have to sing in front of everyone — with Rea beside me.

  Rea must’ve felt it too.

  Her hand drifted back to my sleeve, fingers curling gently.

  “…Yoiya,” she whispered, barely audible over Raneko’s voice.

  I turned to her.

  Her eyes were trembling.

  “…I’m scared.”

  My heart squeezed.

  “…Me too,” I whispered back.

  But I didn’t pull away.

  And neither did she.

  A few more songs passed. Though most of them were done by Mashiro. Raneko sang a few more. Ake sang an upbeat romance song with lyrics about finding love and romance, which was a bit surprising. Her voice sounded almost angelic so it mixed strangely with the fast-paced rhythm of the song.

  While singing it, she would glance at me quite a few times.

  I only could manage to keep my focus on her as it felt like my heart was being twisted and distorted.

  Then finally came the time.

  “Alright. We’ve been going for awhile. I think it’s time for the duet I promised.” Raneko said.

  With a small smirk, he looked over to me and tossed me the microphone.

  I instinctively caught it perfectly. Mashiro handed her mic to Rea and then she pulled us both up onto the little stage.

  “Up you go!” Mashiro squealed as she hoisted us up.

  She quickly sat back down where we sat, leaning forward as she stared at us intently.

  “So what are you guys going to sing? Have you decided yet?” Mashiro said, grinning ear to ear.

  “Don’t rush them.” Raneko muttered a remark.

  Eliba stared at us patiently. Her blank expression remained unfazed.

  Raneko’s expression, however, suggested he knew something more that I didn’t.

  I looked over to Rea, who nervously scrolled through the tablet in her hand to find a song to sing.

  I leaned in a bit, trying to see the songs. But I did not recognize any of them.

  ~Guess that librarian doppelganger didn’t memorize any songs… or maybe the ones in his timeline were all different or had different names…?

  My heart thumped heavily inside my chest. As if sensing it, Rea looked up at me. Though she may have been even more scared than I was, she gave me a small smile and held up the tablet to me.

  “How about… this one…?”

  I leaned closer to see the screen.

  Though I still did not recognize the song she chose.

  Rea’s fingertip hovered over the title, trembling.

  I placed my hand on hers and smiled at her.

  “I trust you.” I said.

  Her cheeks turned slightly pink as her eyes fluttered and her gaze tried to shift away from me.

  “…I… like this one,” she whispered, almost stuttering. “It’s… quiet. And… soft. And… I think… I can sing it… if you’re with me.”

  My breath caught.

  Her voice was barely audible, but the meaning behind it hit me like a punch to the chest.

  For the first time since our date, it felt as if our feelings were aligned and perfectly in sync.

  I swallowed hard and nodded.

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Let’s do it.”

  Rea’s shoulders relaxed just a little. She tapped the song, and the screen lit up with the intro.

  Mashiro squealed into her hands.

  “Oh! I know this song! It’s one of Rea’s favorites!”

  Ake sat up straighter, eyes wide.

  Eliba’s gaze sharpened with interest.

  Raneko folded his arms, satisfied. He nodded slightly, as if he knew exactly what song Rea was going to pick.

  “So she decided to go with that one after all, huh?”

  The lights dimmed slightly as the opening notes began to play — soft piano, a gentle swell of strings.

  Rea held up her mic to be level with her chin.

  I followed suit, doing the same with my own.

  Our shoulders brushed.

  Her breath shook.

  Mine did too.

  The lyrics appeared on the screen.

  Rea inhaled.

  And then, in the quietest voice I’d ever heard from her — fragile, trembling, but beautiful — she began to sing.

  I listened closely, studying the sound and rhythm of both the song and her voice as I prepared myself for the time to jump in.

  All the while, I listened to the lyrics.

  The song was called “Across the Stars”.

  The tempo was slow and it gave off this bittersweet feeling that felt oddly soothing. The best way I could describe it was— it was like being wrapped around by your favorite blanket in the winter.

  The lyrics so far was about a girl who missed someone deeply. It was a song about longing.

  ~Longing…

  I took in a deep breath and then the chorus hit.

  As I opened my mouth, a voice I didn’t recognize flowed out of me. It was as if my body was automatically harmonizing with the music.

  Rea paused for a moment in the corner of my eye, her eyes wide with shock as she gazed at me.

  Soon it was time for her to join i nsinging again and she opened her mouth once more.

  Rea’s voice wove through the room like a thread of silver — thin, trembling, but steadying with each note.

  Then my voice joined hers, threading with it like a golden ray — smooth, clear, warm, almost luminous. So much so, that it didn’t feel like my voice.

  It was as if something inside me clicked into place without my permission. It felt totally unnatural to me.

  My breath flowed effortlessly, my pitch adjusting instinctively to match hers, to support hers, to lift hers.

  Rea’s voice faltered for half a beat.

  Her eyes snapped towards me, the green within them wide and shimmering while her lips parted in shock.

  But she didn’t stop.

  If anything, she sang better — her voice growing steadier, fuller, as if my harmony was giving her something to lean on.

  Mashiro’s jaw dropped. Her face gave off the sense she wanted to scream in excitement.

  Ake’s pressed her hands against her chest quietly as she closed her eyes and smiled. She appeared to be in pain, but about what— I was unsure. Though, I couldn’t stop myself from singing to find out.

  Eliba, meanwhile, looked at us with widened eyes — the most emotion I’ve ever seen her show.

  Raneko smiled. Just a little. Another tiny smirk. Like he was expecting this all along.

  The chorus swelled.

  Our voices intertwined once more — hers soft and aching, mine warm and strangely ethereal. The harmonization felt automatic, instinctive, like breathing. Like remembering something I’d never learned.

  The air in the room shifted.

  It felt heavier.

  Warmer.

  Charged.

  Rea stepped half a pace closer without realizing it, her shoulder brushing mine again. Her voice trembled — not from fear this time, but from something deeper. Something raw.

  The lyrics spoke of distance.

  Of searching.

  Of two stars drifting through the dark, trying to find each other.

  And somehow… somehow… it felt like we were singing about us.

  My chest tightened.

  My breath hitched.

  But the voice coming out of me didn’t waver.

  Rea’s eyes glistened as she sang the next line, her gaze flicking toward me like she was afraid to look too long — or afraid to look away.

  The room was silent except for the music.

  No one moved.

  No one breathed.

  It was just us.

  Two voices.

  One song.

  Perfectly in sync.

  And somewhere deep inside me, something stirred — a faint warmth, a familiar pull, like the echo of a memory I couldn’t reach.

  A memory of singing like this before.

  A memory of someone else beside me.

  A memory of—

  My vision blurred for a moment.

  The lights felt too bright.

  The air felt too thin.

  But I kept singing.

  Because Rea was singing.

  Because she needed me to.

  Because her voice was trembling again, and mine steadied it without thinking.

  Because in this moment, we weren’t scared.

  We were connected.

  Across the stars.

  …

  And soon the long four minute song came to an end.

  I exhaled a long breath of relief.

  My vision tiltered as I felt myself falling towards Rea.

  Four minutes.

  Felt like the whole four hours Mashiro reserved for us flew by.

  Rea slowly pulled me back to the couch as Mashiro jumped up to take the stage again.

  “Whew! Huehuehue… I don’t think I can top that, but I’m going to try anyways! I gotta do better as our club’s idol! Let’s hit it! On a one, on a two, and a one, two, three…!”

  Mashiro’s ranting and high-pitched singing started to fade as I fell face-first into Rea’s lap.

  I turned my head to see Rea looking at me with a flustered look on her face. She hesitantly brushed her hand against my head — her touch soft and gentle, like it always has been.

  As my eyes closed, I could see Ake rushing over to me.

  ~Tired…

  ~Why am I tired…?

  ~Did I use too much mana…?

  ~The singing… that must be… it…

  And everything went dark.