We Are A Family

It was a relatively good weather for teenagers and young a.d.u.l.ts alike to hang out with friends.

The clear azure sky—to some people—represented in a way that provided balm in the middle of the day. The sight of a lone passenger airplane held a certain someone's gaze for a period of time. Her eyes reflected the scene like a film because they did not blink.

Her entire field of vision was just that. She remained standing at her spot, the noise and incessant chatter from those around her failed to shatter her focus.

"Akeno! What are you doing standing in the way like that?"

An energetic girl's voice called out to her, but her sense of hearing did not pick up a word. Realizing she was not getting through her, the energetic girl—Kitabayashi Arisu—strode over to her side. With one gentle slap to the daydreamer's shoulder, she was forcefully pulled back to reality.

"You're blocking the front gate, Akeno," Arisu reminded. "Come on, let's go."

"Eh?" Akeno Aoi blinked a few times. Her conscious mind was still muddled with the shattered pieces of her dream. It took five seconds for her to properly respond.

"Go where? Um, I'm going to the hospital to visit Klaus."

"Tch. There you go with that again. You agreed to come with us to the mall, remember?"

"..."

Aoi did promise to go with Arisu and her friends after classes had ended. They could get away with planning this sort of activity while others could not due to one simple reason. All of them had no club activities to attend to.

Arisu's friends were from the same Theater Club, and today was the day where no one had to show themselves at the club. Why? The charity event was a few weeks away, but most of the preparation had been sorted out. Actors who had to perform on that eventful day had practiced enough that the club president was convinced they could take a few days off.

Aoi's case was entirely different. Attending the Occult Club without Klaus was the last thing she wanted to do, so she decided to not show up. For the past few days, she'd managed to abscond by going to the hospital after classes had ended.

Arisu was perceptive in her own way, so she got wind of Aoi's situation with some help from her friends.

"You're not as shy as you were before. It'll be so much fun with just us girls! Come on, let's not waste time!" Arisu said with glitters in her eyes.

"...I only agreed because you said there's a new bookstore there."

True. Aoi had less than average social skills. Automatically, her tendency to accept an invitation varied according to her current mood or motives. It wasn't unusual for her to go to places alone when Klaus wasn't around.

Then again, she knew she had to make friends sooner or later, so she accepted Arisu's invitation—even though Arisu also invited a few of her friends as well.

"And don't forget—I heard today's the day where they have a fifty percent discount on their books. I'm not an avid reader, so I haven't check it out yet myself."

"Let's go, Akeno," said one of the two Arisu's friends that tagged along.

Aoi nodded absentmindedly before Arisu pulled her wrist with moderate strength. The mall was a popular place for students to hang out ever since it was officially opened a few months ago. Needless to say, the few stores students actually flocked towards to were those who sold fast-fashion clothing, ostentatious beverages, and fast food.

But ignoring the exception to this common, unspoken rule would be too conceited. Akeno Aoi was such an exception. The girl hadn't found any joy or happiness in participating in such activities until now. She had the necessary allowance, but rarely did she spend on anything she didn't deem important to her.

Akeno Aoi did not adhere to pessimism per se. Nonetheless, her actions leaned more towards that philosophy—more so than she would've believed if someone told her about it.

"Do they sell manga here!?"

Arisu left her group of friends to wander through the crowded aisles. Her two friends followed suit, leaving Aoi to her own devices. She looked around for a bit and found the most recent booksellers seemingly untouched. Were these books did not pique anyone's interest?

Aoi looked at the bookshelf with the 'New Arrival' tag. The price for them wasn't affected by the sale going on in the bookstore. It made sense since lowering the price for their popular products wouldn't be wise, if one were to look at it through the lens of an outlet owner.

"Spirits Beyond."

Aoi noticed one of Klaus's favorite books and picked it up with one hand. Then, her gaze fell on a row of books sat at the bottom shelf. They were still wrapped in plastic. A new shipment had arrived at a precise time—too precise as a matter of fact.

"Spirits Beyond—Wehrwolf."

A part-time worker at the bookstore walked past Aoi, and she called for him. Eh? Her body moved by itself before she realized it.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"...Um, did this book arrive today?" Aoi showed him the book she was referring to.

"You've a keen eye, Miss. The shipment for this book arrived at our bookstore at around six o'clock."

"I see. Thanks."

Aoi bought two Spirits Beyond: Wehrwolf immediately afterward.

"Look at this haul, Akeno! I don't think I've been into a bookstore that sells so many manga. Ah, it's a blessing, I tell you. Did you buy anything?"

Arisu showed up at the bookstore's entrance twenty minutes later—carrying plastic bags stuffed with manga in both hands. Her smile reached her cheeks when she peered into her loot. The others didn't miss the opportunity to purchase a few books themselves. Even those who seldom read felt the need to buy at least one book if it had a discount tag slapped onto its cover.

Their guilt, or more accurately, d.e.s.i.r.e to avoid feeling regretful had an impetus in their decision.

"Are you still hungry after lunch, Akeno?" A friend of Arisu asked with a broad smile on her face.

"You must be, right?" Arisu herself tried to coerce Aoi into agreeing with the assumed notion.

"Hardly. I'm still full. Also, if you're hungry, you can get some food without asking my permission."

Arisu's friends smiled wryly at the logic, but Arisu giggled at it. She wasn't by any means teasing Aoi, but rather, she wanted to engage in an idle conversation with her, no matter how short it'd be.

"This mall is quite big, don't you think? There's a cinema at the top floor too. Maybe we could watch a movie together sometimes."

"A sci-fi or fantasy movie might be interesting. I prefer an original rather than an adaptation however."

"Eh, you think so, too? I always get this feeling like I'm missing something when I watch a movie adaptation of a book or a video game. They rather cut pieces of information and string the loose ends with flimsy Deus Ex Machina than feeding us the world's lore."

"A movie is a different medium of entertainment altogether. They have no choice but to make do with what little time slot they have to portray the whole story."

"That makes sense. What do you think is the best choice if they want to satisfy the movie goers?"

Aoi pondered for a few seconds. "Klaus always said this—You can't satisfy everyone, so you've to find a method to satisfy most of the community instead. I'm far from an expert on this field, so the actual method is way past me."

Arisu let her lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Are you two dating? Correct me if I'm wrong."

"!" Aoi stopped walking when asked such a question. "Before I answer, what brought you to that assumption?"

"I mean, you two are so close to each other that I'm kind of jealous," answered one of Arisu's friends instead.

"If it's not that, you two are at the stage where you can proceed to be intimate without any difficulty," said another one with an air of absolute confidence.

"What they said, Akeno. Also, everyone has been speculating and spreading rumors. If it's just a misunderstanding on our part, then we'll stop the class from talking about you two like that. But it must be true, right?"

"...I hate those who talk behind people's back."

Aoi turned to glare at Arisu, and the girl shuddered. It was rare for her to show apparent hostility to anyone, so this turn of events took Arisu by surprise. Her friends lowered their head when Aoi glared daggers at them.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," said Arisu to placate Aoi's palpable hostility. "Right, I hate people like that too, but..."

"There's no way for me to stop that," Aoi continued for her instead. "I understand. People spread rumors all the time. It's in our instincts to act that way."

Arisu scratched her cheek as she made an awkward smile. "Y-Yeah, you're right."

"But you two would make a good couple!" the other girl said as she clenched her fists. "There's a ranking that we girls—"

Arisu covered the girl's mouth before she could complete her sentence. A ranking? Aoi cared little about such matter. It made no difference to her life if she knew about it beforehand, and even right now.

Aoi's stern expression softened the moment she remembered something related to their conversation's topic.

"A ship that involves both of us. You're trying to say that, right?"

Arisu and the rest nodded repeatedly.

"I see. Klaus always point out certain characters in the books he'd read. He'd pair two characters he thought compatible to each other—more often that I would've like to remember. Anyway, shouldn't we get going?"

"Y-You're right!" the trio of friends answered, not wanting to upset Aoi.