Promptober 2026 Day 8: Clear
My head hurt. My ears were ringing. It was getting louder. Harder to see. Harder to think.
Walk. Walk forward. Down the stairs, one at a time.
“That god damn… stray cat,” Taki-chan said. She and Ano-chan were several steps down from me. Both of them were talking over each other. It was all running together. “Calling us all out here with no warning, then LEAVING with no warning–”
“Hey, what did she mean by ‘we doing the band?’” Anon asked.
“-all this talk about ‘interesting’ and ‘boring’. I mean, what business of hers is it what Tomori–”
“Hey– I’m asking you a question!” Anon reached out and touched Taki’s shoulder.
Taki turned. “What?” she asked.
“I asked… what did she mean by that?”
“The hell do I know?” Taki spat. She seemed to be in utter disbelief.
Taki being angry wasn’t unexpected. It fit. It was understandable. Anon, too.
Everyone was angry now. They were right to be angry. They had good reasons. The thought caused my stomach to tighten and turn over.
It’s because I sang Haruhikage, I explained. That’s why everyone is–
But I didn’t say it. I couldn’t say it. They were already moving on. Everything was moving too fast and I couldn’t keep up. They were slipping through my fingers. I took another step forward and down, trying to keep up. Trying not to stumble.
“Raana-chan aside… we really need to do something about Soyo-san,” Anon said. It was the same thing that she had said up in the cafe.
They really didn’t understand. They thought Soyo-chan was a problem that needed to be fixed. But her reaction was completely understandable, too. We deserved it. I deserved it.
I have to talk to her, I said - but again, I couldn’t say it.
Besides, what right did I have to speak?
My words had been what caused this problem to begin with.
My words had reached someone, alright. But instead of the feelings I wanted to send… it had come out wrong. It was a bullet. An arrow. A rock flying through the air. The song that I wrote with Saki-chan - our song - had cut her open.
I had been so happy up there, so full of life, so able to breathe, that I forgot something very important.
I forgot that I wasn’t allowed–
Taki snorted. “No, we don’t. Just leave her alone.”
“Give me Soyo-san’s address.” Anon pointed at the phone in Taki’s hand.
“...you serious?”
Anon shrugged, looking upset, looking helpless. “All we can do at this point is visit her, right? We have no idea when she’ll be going back into school. And if she really does have a cold–”
Taki made a noise down in her throat. I didn’t really know what it meant. But she didn’t sound happy.
“If she really does, then we’ll be checking in on her.”
“Well, sorry,” Taki said. “I don’t have it.”
“You don’t have it?” Anon curled her lip. “How is that even possible?” She turned to look at me, instead. I could hear the expectation in that look without her having to say anything at all: Well?
I shook my head, staring miserably down at the floor. The ringing in my ears redoubled. The sound was starting to creep in at the edge of my vision now.
“...you really don’t know?” Anon looked between Taki and me again.
“Mutsumi would, if anyone did,” Taki said. She had stepped slightly to the right, so she stood partly between Anon and me. “But she’s–”
I drew in a sharp breath at the mention of Mutsumi’s name.
Mutsumi had been at the show, too. She would have heard the song. Had I also hurt her? Had I drawn blood again? My hands started to shake. Anon was looking at me again, and the panic started to bubble up into my chest. I had to say something.
“In… our last band… she played guitar,” I managed to say.
“...ah.”
My face felt hot, and my stomach twinged in pain again, making me wince.
Taki stuffed her phone into her school bag.
“She’s the one who’s mad at us,” she said. “The only thing we can do is make it worse.”
She’s mad at ME, I shouted. I yelled it with all my might, making Taki and Anon stare at me, openmouthed, looks of dawning understanding on their faces.
But of course - I couldn’t. Just like always, the words got caught.
Thank goodness. When I let them out… they really only caused problems.
“Tomori– c’mon. We’ll miss the train.” Taki reached out and took my hand.
Thank goodness she was there. Thank goodness she and Anon could take care of someone like me. Thank goodness.