Chapter 97. Fill the Sky with Colors

Within an hour, the group reconvened at the cleared field behind the neighborhood park.

The sky had already begun to darken, melting from indigo into velvet blue, the stars faint pinpricks against the looming dusk.

Large boxes were set up along the perimeter of the lot—professional-grade fireworks lined in neat rows, waiting for their moment.

Cables were carefully secured, distances double-checked, and timers calibrated with precision.

Kazumi arrived last, arms full of glow sticks and sparklers. "I figured if the fireworks didn't get her, these might." he said. "Who can resist drawing hearts in the dark?"

Takeshi rolled his eyes. "We're not trying to throw a festival."

"We're trying to make her smile, aren't we?" Kazumi shot back. "Even a little?"

Makoto remained quiet throughout the setup, eyes always drifting to Ayaka's apartment in the distance.

Her balcony light was still off.

"She's always poetic and emotional when it's fireworks she even said fireworks were like bottled magic."

Yuki murmured as she secured one of the last launch boxes. "That they're short-lived... but worth chasing anyway."

Makoto glanced at her. "Then let's give her a sky full of them."

Right on cue, Kei and Kai arrived together.

Kei wore his white doctor's coat, clearly having come straight from the hospital, while Kai carried two steaming flasks in his hands.

"She still drinks that cinnamon cocoa?" Kai asked.

Yuki smiled. "Of course she does."

"Good." Kai handed it off to Keiko. "Warm her up after she yells at us."

Kei surveyed the fireworks with a deep frown. "This better not traumatize her."

Makoto looked at him steadily. "No. It'll remind her she's not alone."

The group gathered in silence, watching the sky shift.

"We'll resume as planned both of you will pick Ayaka up from her apartment. When she's finally persuaded to go out, call me. Our signal would be 'Fill the sky with colors.'" Takeshi said, pointing out both Kei and Kai.

"That's a cheesy line..." Kazumi laughed out loud.

"Shut up! At least I wasn't hospitalized for trying weird food combinations!" Takeshi shots back.

"Hey! That's out of-" Before Kazumi could finish his sentence, Makoto intervened. "Stop it you two! Let's get the plan in motion already."

Takeshi and Kazumi both looked at Makoto and nodded.

Meanwhile, Kai and Kei both got in Kei's car as they were heading to Ayaka's apartment, in hopes she'll actually want to come out with them.

------

The city streets were quiet as dawn approached, bathed in a faint gray glow that blurred the edges of night and morning. Inside the car, silence hung heavily until Kei, his hands steady on the wheel, broke it with a low voice.

"Do you think this could work?" he asked, eyes fixed on the road, though the weight behind his words was directed at the man beside him.

Kai, sitting in the passenger seat with arms crossed and expression unreadable, took a moment before answering. "It will." he said simply, a quiet certainty in his voice.

Then, almost as an afterthought, he let out a small chuckle. "Ayaka's got some good friends, hasn't she?"

Kei's lips lifted into a faint smile. "She does."

They didn't say anything more after that. The silence returned, but this time it was filled with purpose.

When they arrived at Ayaka's apartment complex, Kai reached for the spare keys they always kept hidden for emergencies.

The metal was cold in his hand, and something in his gut twisted.

*Click*

The door opened slowly, creaking eerily on its hinges.

Both brothers stepped inside.

Darkness.

The air was thick, unmoving, and cold—unnaturally cold, like life had been sucked out of the place.

A damp, suffocating silence clung to the walls.

Kei shivered. Kai exhaled slowly.

"…It's like a haunted house here." Kai muttered under his breath, a shiver crawling down his spine.

Kei flicked on the lights.

The living room flickered to life with a weak glow.

Still, nothing about the place felt alive.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ayaka! We're home!" he called out, forcing some cheer into his voice.

No reply.

They exchanged a look—worried, wordless, resolute.

Together, they climbed the stairs, the creaking steps only amplifying the quiet.

When they reached her bedroom door, Kai raised a hand and knocked, his voice soft but hopeful. "Ayaka? Knock knock. Can we come in?"

Silence.

Kei stepped forward and knocked more firmly. "Ayaka?"

Still no answer.

Their eyes met, and a silent agreement passed between them.

They raised their fists and pounded on the door in unison.

"AYAKA!" they called out together.

A tense second passed.

*Click*

The doorknob turned, and the door opened a crack.

Slowly, Ayaka emerged.

Her eyes were dull, rimmed red from sleeplessness.

Her hair was tangled and lifeless. Draped loosely over her shoulders was the familiar cardigan—the one Akihiko gave.

Her lips were a thin, pale line.

"You guys are so noisy." she muttered flatly.

Kai tried to brighten the mood. "Let's go out! Just the three of us. Siblings Day!"

Ayaka let out a scoff, but it lacked real energy.

"Day? It's already dawn. And no—I'm tired." she said, already beginning to shut the door again.

But Kei was faster.

He reached forward and gently caught her wrist before she could close herself off again.

"Ayaka." he said quietly, but firmly. "If Mom and Dad saw you like this… they'd be devastated."

She froze.

The image came unbidden—her father's furious voice demanding who dared make his daughter cry, ready to declare war on the world.

Her mother's warm embrace, wrapping around her like a shield against everything painful.

Ayaka's breath hitched.

The tears came suddenly, like a wave she hadn't seen coming.

They rolled down her cheeks silently at first, and then in heavy streams.

She missed them.

God, she missed them.

She wanted nothing more than to be held, to bury her face in her mother's shoulder and be told it was going to be okay.

But they weren't here.

Just when the ache in her chest threatened to crush her completely—arms wrapped around her.

Strong, steady, and familiar.

Kai and Kei pulled her into a tight embrace, surrounding her with the warmth she thought she'd forgotten.

"I know…" Kai whispered, his voice breaking with emotion. "I know you want Mom and Dad right now. But we're still here. Your brothers are still here. We'll listen. We'll hold you. And I swear, if anyone hurts you—"

"—We will not break anyone's arms." Kei interjected sternly.

Kai ignored him. "—I will personally rearrange their faces."

Ayaka laughed, but the sound was broken, raw.

Her shoulders trembled as she continued to cry, clinging to them as if they were the last real things in her world.

Finally, after what felt like hours and no time at all, she wiped her face with the sleeve of the cardigan.

"…Alright." she whispered, her voice hoarse but lighter than before. "Let's have a siblings day. Just… let me get changed."

Kai smiled softly. "Take your time."

As Ayaka disappeared back into her room, Kei let out a slow exhale.

It wasn't a relief.

Not yet.

But it was a start.

Kai pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled down his contacts.

He tapped Takeshi's name and brought it to his ear.

When the call connected, he spoke just three words.

"Fill the sky with colors."

------

The wind whispered through the grass, carrying with it the faint scent of gunpowder and cocoa—a strange but oddly nostalgic mixture that hinted at something about to unfold.

The sky was painted in hues of deep indigo, stars barely visible against the blanket of night.

Ayaka stepped forward, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened in disbelief.

Before her, standing in the middle of a vast open field bathed in moonlight, were all her friends.

Every single one of them.

Her voice trembled. "Kei? Kai? What is this…?"

"They're here!" Kazumi's voice rang out, filled with the kind of excitement that only came from something long in the making.

Kai gave her a boyish grin, his arms crossed as he looked at her with soft amusement. "Your friends were conspiring behind your back."

"For something you might like." Kei added gently, his smile calm and reassuring.

Makoto stepped closer, his presence grounding yet electrifying, his eyes then met hers.

"Look up." he said, his voice low but firm.

Everyone fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

And then, the sky shattered.

A deafening boom echoed across the field, followed by a cascade of brilliant light.

Fireworks soared into the heavens, exploding into blossoms of crimson, gold, cobalt, and violet.

The darkness above transformed into a living painting, each burst roaring like thunder, followed by a moment of awe-stricken silence before the next one bloomed.

It was as if the stars themselves had chosen to fall for her.

The ground lit up with each explosion, casting fleeting halos around her friends, making their eyes glisten with emotion.

Ayaka stood motionless, her gaze fixed on the dazzling sky, eyes reflecting every color. "They're beautiful…" she whispered, breathless, unable to look away.

But while she was looking at the fireworks, all of them were looking at her.

Tears welled up in Yuki and Keiko's eyes, falling freely down their cheeks.

Kazumi sniffled beside them, blinking rapidly.

Even Kai looked away for a moment, hiding the moisture brimming in his eyes.

Kei and Takeshi didn't say a word.

They just stood still, watching Ayaka with proud, quiet smiles.

Makoto, standing silently beside her, reached for her hand and took it on his own.

His grip was firm, warm, trembling slightly—like he was telling her without words: 'We never left. We're still here. Always.'

As the final firework arced high and burst into a radiant spray of silver that lingered like a memory, the sky slowly returned to darkness.

Silence settled once again, except for the soft wind and Ayaka's trembling breath.

She turned around, facing all of them, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Thank you… all of you..." she began, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry I shut you out… I was so consumed with trying to figure out what went wrong, trying to find answers that didn't exist. I let myself drown in that silence."

Her tears spilled over now, running freely down her cheeks. "But you waited. You were patient with me, even when I gave you nothing in return. You never gave up on me…"

Her smile broke through the tears, fragile but radiant.

"I love you." She said, voice shaking with sincerity.

"And I'll do my best… I'll try to move forward."

That was all it took.

Yuki rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Ayaka, sobbing openly. "We love you too!" she cried.

Keiko joined a heartbeat later, followed by Kazumi and Kai, all of them pulling Ayaka into a tight embrace.

The warmth of their bodies surrounded her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt something solid beneath her feet again—something unshakable.

"No matter what you choose..." Keiko whispered, voice trembling, "or what happens from now on… we're here. Always."

Tears fell again, but they were healing tears.

Releasing tears.

Ones that left behind something lighter.

When the embrace slowly loosened and the laughter returned in small waves, Kazumi raised his hands dramatically.

"Alright, alright!" he declared, wiping his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. "Enough of the drama! Let's light some damn sparklers already!"

He lit one and turned to Ayaka with a grin, the little flame flickering in his hand.

"Here!" he said brightly, holding it out to her.

Ayaka blinked, then took it with a small laugh.

The sparkler hissed to life, lighting up her face like stardust.

One by one, the others grabbed their own sparklers and chased after her, the night filling with laughter, joy, and light.

They danced beneath the fading smoke trails, children again beneath the stars.

At a quiet distance, away from the chaos and light, Makoto and Takeshi stood side by side, watching her.

"She said she's moving on." Takeshi murmured, his voice unreadable.

Makoto's gaze didn't waver. "With life." he said slowly. "But I'm not really that confident."

There was a long silence between them, only broken by the sounds of laughter in the distance.

"What are you going to do now?" Takeshi asked, his voice softer now, almost careful.

They both knew what Ayaka's answer would be.

Makoto's lips curved slightly—not into a smirk, but something quieter.

Sadder.

Hopeful.

"Try." he said.

And his eyes never left her.