Chapter 25: With You, on the Rooftop Without You

On the rooftop, there were only two of us—Shione-chan and me.

The rooftop at dusk was as quiet as the edge of the world. Beneath a sky burned red, the only sound was the wind slipping through, faintly echoing across the wide concrete.

The breeze brushing my cheek already carried the chill of evening. The wire fence glowed crimson, and even the old cleaning shed in the corner and the rusted drain were bathed in the fading light, making everything feel slightly removed from reality.

I glanced around. Beyond the schoolyard stretching out below to the left, the crimson sun was sinking behind distant mountains. The sky burned from the western edge, its color slowly seeping into the thin clouds.

On the ground below, colorful tents spread beneath the sunset, and trees cast long shadows across the yard. Yet there wasn’t a single person in sight. All the students, all the visitors who had been there—gone. At the center, only a lone pile of firewood remained, likely prepared for the bonfire.

The tent fabric sagged faintly even without wind, as if holding onto the lingering presence of people who had just been there. The school building windows, the connecting corridors, even the club building at the edge of the grounds—all of it was painted red and utterly still.

It was as if—

—as though the world had ended while I climbed the stairs to the rooftop.

Somehow, I knew.

…In this world, there was no one here but Shione-chan.

"You're all alone, aren’t you?"

"Yeah. I always have been. It’s easier that way, so I don’t mind."

Her voice was quiet, dissolving softly into the evening air.

"...What were you looking at?"

"I was thinking about what I should do."

She kept her gaze fixed beyond the fence. Her fingers rested against the wire mesh, their thin shadows stretching across the concrete. Her short-sleeved blouse caught the sunlight, no longer white but faintly tinted red.

"...What do you mean?"

"No… I guess I didn’t really understand it myself."

Still holding the fence, looking down at the crimson world, she murmured as if speaking to herself.

The shadow of her lowered lashes fell across her cheeks, making her look as though she was smiling—or perhaps feeling nothing at all. Each time the wind blew, her soft hair, falling down her back, swayed gently, unraveling into the sunset.

"What… did you want to do?"

"It’s the same. I was just like you."

"I want to help."

"I don’t think I need that. I’m not the type to rely on others much. Sorry for asking you to be a stand-in."

The word stand-in lingered strangely in my ears. Under the red sky, it should have sounded like a joke—but instead, it carried an irreversible weight.

"I’ll do anything."

When I said that seriously, Shione-chan finally seemed to consider it.

After a brief silence, she suddenly gave a mischievous smile and looked up at me.

"...You said you’d do anything just now, right?"

"Of course."

"Then… hmm. I’d actually prefer it if you invited me properly, you know?"

She quietly held out her small hand.

Her arm, which should have been white, was now dyed crimson by the sunset. Her fingers were slender, almost fragile—but the gesture itself was unwavering, without hesitation.

Tilting her head slightly, she smiled.

It was the same smile I knew from the game—the real her.

"...Hey. Will you dance with me?"

"—Wait, what is this hand?"

"...Huh?"

When I came to, Kaimori-chan’s exasperated face was right in front of me. The sunset filling my vision had vanished, replaced by the familiar rooftop. The sky had already begun to darken, the red that had covered the world now barely clinging to the horizon.

Looking down, I realized I was tightly gripping both of Kaimori-chan’s hands.

I looked around. It was the real rooftop again. Everyone was there, watching me with concern.

Beyond the fence, the lively noise of reality had returned to the schoolyard—the wind, the smells, the sounds—all completely different from the world I had just been in.

"This happened before too, didn’t it? You suddenly go silent and stop responding. What’s wrong? Hey, where are you going? Wait a second!"

Ignoring Kaimori-chan calling after me, I placed my hands on the fence and looked down at the ground, just like Shione-chan had done.

The metal, now growing cold, pressed against my palms. Below, most of the tents had already been cleared away, and a large crowd swirled around the bonfire. People moved about cleaning up, and the lingering heat rose as a noisy hum.

It felt like a completely different world.

Unlike before…

Shione-chan alone wasn’t here.

As I stood there silently, a burst of static crackled from the speakers—bzzzt—before upbeat music began to play across the schoolyard.

"...Looks like the folk dance is starting."

"Come to think of it, does that old legend still exist? The one where you end up with the first person you dance with?"

Kitatsuji-san spoke up, breaking the silence.

…Yeah. A typical romance game setting—this school had that kind of legend. But right now, I really didn’t want to hear it. Especially with someone nearby clearly thinking, This is my chance!

Sure enough, Takahiro slowly approached me, his face lit from below by the glow of the bonfire, making his nervousness painfully obvious.

"...Shione, will you dance with me?"

"Mm…"

I pressed a finger to my chin, thinking of a way to refuse without hurting him.

I glanced around again.

Me, Takahiro, Kaimori-chan, Lynette, Takamiyagi-senpai, Kitatsuji-san, Yuno-chan.

On the barren rooftop, there was no one else. The last traces of dusk had faded, replaced by the creeping blue of night.

The person I wanted wasn’t here.

…But that didn’t matter.

I stepped slowly toward the center of the empty rooftop. The music drifting up from below felt like it was meant just for this place.

"Sorry. I already have someone."

Takahiro’s face fell instantly.

"Someone… who…?"

"Me."

"...Huh?"

I slowly reached out my hand into empty space.

The air was cool, tinged with night. There should have been nothing there—but somehow, it still felt like the remnants of sunset lingered.

For a moment, I saw her again—Shione-chan reaching out her hand in that red world.

And so, I took the hand of someone who wasn’t there.

As the music played, I spun, jumped, and waved my arms wildly. My shoes scraped loudly against the concrete.

I was sure… she would have danced like this too.

Takahiro had said so—before summer break, she had danced here alone.

And her partner must have been—

The music shifted, signaling the end of the first round. The rhythm below changed, and a new wave of voices rose.

Out of breath, overwhelmed, I sank to the ground.

Then—

Looking up, I saw her.

Shione-chan stood there, breathing heavily just like me. Sweat glistened on her forehead. But her pale arms told me she wasn’t truly here.

Only she glowed faintly in the darkness, as if the sunset still clung to her.

"Man… that was harder than I thought…"

"No, I think you danced pretty well. Hehe—very unique. Strong, too. But… yeah…"

"...But?"

"Hehe… that definitely wasn’t a folk dance. It was… dancing, sure… hahaha!"

She held her stomach, laughing.

Her laughter wasn’t high-pitched or bell-like—but it rang brightly in the night wind.

After a while, she leaned close to my ear and whispered softly, like sharing a secret.

"Hey… next time, let’s hold hands properly and dance. I’ll teach you. But when that time comes… you have to invite me properly, okay?"

Her voice lingered closer than the night wind.

After that, night fully fell. We borrowed lights from the classroom and spent time on the rooftop—dancing, eating yakisoba, simply enjoying ourselves.

The dim white light illuminated only a small part of the rooftop, while deep blue darkness spread beyond. Down below, the bonfire flickered, and the crowd moved like shadows.

Listening to distant music in the night breeze, watching the fire, and chatting—it was… surprisingly nice.

I watched Lynette resting against me, then glanced at Kaimori-chan and Yuno-chan chatting happily nearby.

…By the way, since Takahiro didn’t get to dance with anyone at first, I ended up being his first partner.

…But hey, I didn’t dance with him first.

I’d like to believe that still counts.