Qiluo Tian Gong lay curled up in bed, wrapped in her duvet. One hand reached out from under the covers to hold her phone, while the other remained snugly tucked inside.
The glow of the screen illuminated her face, revealing half-lidded eyes and a posture completely devoid of grace.
She was currently looking at the school festival preparation schedule that Rei had posted in the class group chat. Her classmates were already busy decorating their classroom.
Just the thought of carrying trays around a cafe in that outfit made her feel like she needed at least two days of absolute solitude beforehand to mentally prepare.
Star-trail was curled up on her pillow, its ears twitching occasionally to prove it wasn't powered down.
To avoid being disturbed, she had even recalled Star-trail, which she hadn't done in a long time.
Holding Star-trail was indeed soft and comforting, especially since she didn't dare use magic in front of those two.
The occasional sound of neighbors walking down the hallway outside only made her bed feel more like an isolated, otherworldly barrier.
Her phone vibrated. It was a message from Rei.
She shrank back, pulling the duvet up to cover half her face, leaving only her eyes exposed to stare at the screen.
Messages popped up line by line on the lock screen, with no more than a few seconds' interval between each one.
Rei was asking if she wanted to go to the newly opened crepe shop today. It was the final day for the limited-edition flavor endorsed by Meruru. The message was accompanied by a hands-pressed-together emoji and a photo of a promotional flyer.
That actually sounded a bit interesting.
No, no, Qiluo Tian Gong, stay strong. How can mere merchandise break your resolve to stay in bed?
"Stomach hurts. Can't make it," she typed back.
After replying, she set her phone by her pillow and pulled the duvet back over her shoulders.
Just as Qiluo closed her eyes, the phone vibrated again.
This time, messages from Yuki and Kizuna arrived almost simultaneously.
Yuki sent a text. Written with her usual earnestness, she mentioned she had tried a new recipe today and wanted Qiluo to be her very first taste tester.
Kizuna sent three consecutive voice messages, each about ten seconds long. Her tone shifted from whining to fake crying, complaining about how boring it was to be home alone on the weekend. Her older sister was working today, so she wanted to go to the newly opened dessert shop with Tian Gong.
Qiluo Tian Gong's finger hovered over the screen. She typed a few words, then deleted them.
She rolled over, buried her face in Star-trail's fluffy belly for a moment, and then looked up. She sent the exact same reply to both of them: "My stomach hurts. Just resting at home."
When Yuki received the message, she figured Qiluo probably just needed some time alone, and she completely understood that feeling.
But understanding was one thing; she still couldn't help but open her browser and type "causes of recurring stomach pain" into the search bar.
After turning them all down one by one, Qiluo Tian Gong stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking her excuse was absolute genius.
A stomachache was a universal shield. It required no lengthy explanations, no follow-up lies, and people usually didn't press for details.
Sure enough, Yuki's reply came quickly, telling her to rest well and asking if she needed any hot drinks delivered.
Kizuna replied with a string of exclamation marks, saying they could go together once she felt better since the dessert shop wasn't going anywhere.
Sorry, Rei. Sorry, Yuki. Sorry, Kizuna.
She apologized to the three of them in her heart with absolutely zero sincerity.
She pulled the duvet up to cover the slight curve of her lips.
Switching back and forth between the three chat screens, she felt as if she were playing a multi-route dating sim.
She had to maintain affection levels on every route, and each route had its own branching storylines.
What about Shizuru?
She didn't even have Shizuru's contact info yet.
Meanwhile, Rei was standing in front of the crepe shop, holding two limited-edition flavor vouchers that expired today.
She brought her phone closer to take a look, then pulled it back a bit. Her twin tails swayed gently as she tilted her head.
No matter how she looked at it, that stomachache sounded like a last-minute excuse.
But since it was the last day for the limited-edition crepe flavor, she hesitated at the entrance for a moment before folding up one of the vouchers and slipping it into her pocket.
After sending a reply, she pocketed her phone and raised two fingers to the clerk. "Still two, please. One strawberry and one matcha, both to go."
As the whipped cream of the crepe melted on her tongue, she was still thinking about that message.
Tian Gong probably just didn't want to go out. It's no big deal.
But next time I see her slumped over her desk, I should bring her an extra heating pad.
Rei stuffed the last bite of the crepe cone into her mouth, brushed the powdered sugar off her hands, and headed toward the school.
Their classroom wasn't fully decorated yet. She wanted to make sure it was perfectly set up by the end of the weekend.
It's a shame Tian Gong isn't coming. Otherwise, I could have seen her in her Magical Girl outfit ahead of time.
Rei stood in the center of the classroom, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, clutching a roll of colorful ribbons. She frowned at the layout plan spread across the podium.
Several rows of folding chairs had already been set up, but the colors of the ribbons were a far cry from the Magical Girl imagery on the posters.
She held the ribbons up to the sunlight, examined them, and sighed. "It's too late to return them. We'll just have to hang more string lights around them. At least when the lights are on, it won't look too cheap."
A few girls wiping the windows called out in agreement and went back to wringing out their rags.
Rei placed the ribbons on the front row of desks, pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time, and then opened the class group chat to confirm the headcount.
Just as she was about to head next door to borrow a ladder, the back door of the classroom was gently pushed open.
Kizuna stood at the entrance in casual clothes, carrying two cups of milk tea in one hand and a small backpack slung over her shoulder.
"I'm here to help!" She placed the milk tea on the podium, tossed her backpack onto a chair, and looked around the half-decorated classroom.
"Didn't you say you were busy today?" Rei asked, slightly surprised.
She remembered Kizuna mentioning yesterday that she had other plans for the weekend, which was why Rei hadn't counted her in for today's prep.
"I did have something this morning, but it ended early."
What Kizuna had actually planned was to ask Tian Gong out to play, but Qiluo Tian Gong had ruthlessly rejected her.
The classroom gradually grew livelier. Rei stood in the center, holding the layout plan covered in scribble-outs and corrections, directing a few boys to hang the cafe's sign above the doorframe.
Kizuna was assigned to fold the tablecloths. She folded each one meticulously, aligning the corners and smoothing out every single wrinkle before placing them into a storage box.
Watching her work, Rei couldn't help but chuckle. "Have you worked in a cafe before?"
"No," Kizuna replied, putting the last tablecloth away and closing the lid of the storage box. "I'm just used to keeping things neat and tidy."
Rei blinked, then burst into laughter. "Then your sister definitely hasn't seen my room."
As she spoke, she pulled her phone from her schoolbag and brought up a photo of her room to show Kizuna. The sight of a bed buried under clothes and a desk piled high with mountains of manga made Kizuna smile.
"It's a good thing Tian Gong isn't here, or she'd definitely make fun of me too."
Kizuna shook her head. "She's so tidy, she might actually end up organizing my desk for me. Come to think of it, I've never been to her apartment. Yuki has, though. She said it's small but very clean."
Rei's eyes widened. "Wait, Kurokawa has been to Tian Gong's place?! When? How did I not know about this? She never mentioned it to me! Are you guys having secret get-togethers behind my back? Tian Gong is playing favorites!"
Before she could finish her rant, Kizuna gently tugged on her sleeve.
Rate on N.U.
