Rainbow

Inside and Outside

Days passed. And nothing changed for the most part.

All of them were going through the motions: Ayumu Fujimori suffering some sort of misfortune every day, Kasumi Izumo juggling her duties at both the Aisaka family's shrine and the Izumo family's shop, Saiji Rokudou handling requests to let the dead rest in peace, Marin Mizuta presenting the weather at her news station, and Akira Tsuchiya remaining cooped up in his bedroom with nothing to do.

They were living with the knowledge that 10 people they considered to be friends were dead. Killed by each other. Sure, they got out with their lives, had the happy reunions with their parents, and managed to make fresh starts out of it. But 10 families lost their sons and daughters over those dark days. There was nothing they could do about it and they would have to live with it for the rest of their lives. They couldn't turn back time, after all.

It was 10:00PM and the full moon was shining brilliantly in the night sky. Inside, Marin had a brief, yet significant moment of respite from work. She had somehow managed to find both Kasumi and Saiji's phone numbers, and thought that it would be a good idea to have a little chat with them. As for Ayumu? The prestigious Fujimori family was reluctant to give out personal details about themselves; after all, if they divulged their info, then they would be targets for ransoms, scams, blackmail, and more. After what Ayumu and friends went through, the parents didn't want to take any more risks.

It started off jovial, with the three cracking jokes and sending hilarious pictures to each other. Soon, they had lost track of how many times they laughed. But inevitably, the conversation shifted towards the dearly departed. With every mention of Misuzu and Maiko, the atmosphere changed. It became more... quiet. Silent. Mute. Nobody wanted to continue any more. They didn't want to open up the old wounds she inflicted upon them.

So Marin bid them good night. And they repaid the favour to her.

It was 10:00PM and the full moon was shining brilliantly in the night sky. Outside, on the streets, Akira was going out for a walk. He had intended to merely go to the nearest vending machine, buy a soft drink, maybe visit the corner shop for a packet of potato chips, then return back to his home, more specifically to his bedroom, yet somehow he had found himself walking around the town. Nobody he came across recognised him, greeted him, even acknowledged him. And he liked it that way. Especially when he came across an old restaurant.

He stared at the restaurant, boarded up, the lights turned off, left to rot. He looked at the dilapidated "OSONE'S" sign hanging above the entrance. He remembered exactly why it was closed. The death of the family patriarch, and the atrocities his daughter committed in his name. The atrocities that led to 9 people dying a senseless death. The atrocities that nearly locked him up despite his own minor role in the grand scheme of things.

Even though the incident had long since passed, he could name every victim Narumi claimed in her scheme of revenge: Nico, Maiko, Aruma, Misuzu, Mitsunari, Kazuomi, Kego, Mikoto, even Seishi... more accurately, Zen. The only satisfaction he could take out of it was that karma existed: in the end, she died too. Once he had sent his regards, to both the guilty and the innocent, he turned back and began walking back home at last. But that was when he noticed... something. A silhouette in a nearby window, turning off her lights and closing her curtains. The moonlight shone upon her, briefly unveiling her gentle, pink hair.

He knew that it was Marin Mizuta, the light of his life.

He knew that it would probably not be the best idea to answer the door and introduce himself to her parents in the middle of the night, so he saved his plans for tomorrow.

He knew that tomorrow was going to be a sunny day.