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“Oi, Kohane.”
“Oh! Shinonome-kun! Are An-chan and Aoyagi-kun busy?”
“Yeah, they’ve both got committee stuff.” Akito moved next to where Kohane was standing outside of Crase Cafe, leaning against the wall with a sigh. He glanced at the street Kohane had been looking at. “What’re you staring at that’s so interesting over there?”
“Ah, there’s nothing there,” Kohane said sheepishly. “I was just wondering…well, have you ever explored this SEKAI?”
“You mean like…gone away from the cafe?” Akito clarified, humming at Kohane’s nod. “I mean, Rin and Len have dragged me to a couple spots a little further out, but I’ve never gone ‘exploring’ or anything. Why?”
“Do you ever wonder what’s out there?” Kohane asked, going back to looking down the street Akito had caught her staring at before. “Is the cafe surrounded by nothing but streets, or is there more out there that we haven’t discovered yet? Are the streets never-ending, or is there a border? Do you think this place has changed since we first got here and we haven’t noticed?”
“Doesn’t Luka go wandering a lot? You could ask her these questions next time you see her. Or any of the virtual singers, actually.”
“But wouldn’t it be cool to see it for yourself?”
Akito huffed. “If you’re that curious, just go exploring. There’s nothing stopping you.”
For a moment, Kohane hesitated. “What if I get lost?”
“You think you would?”
“We don’t know how big this world is! What if I start walking and lose track of time, and I get really far away from the cafe and can’t figure out how to get back! And then I’m so far away that you guys can’t find me—”
“Huh,” Akito interrupted, a little concerned at the way she was starting to work herself up with this imaginary scenario. “I always figured we’d know our way around instinctively.”
“…Really?”
“I mean, this place is made from our feelings,” Akito explained. “You’d think we would know how to navigate around a place made of our own feelings.”
“I guess that would make sense,” Kohane said, considering the idea before laughing a little to herself. “I wish I had the confidence to think like that.” Akito paused at that.
“So it’s a confidence issue, huh? I thought we’ve been through this already,” he said, poking her in the shoulder playfully and causing her to giggle.
“I know we have! I’m more confident on stage now, I promise!” Kohane exclaimed, and Akito leaned back against the wall with a satisfied smirk. As you should be, with that voice of yours, he thought to himself as she carried on. “Maybe it’s less about confidence and more about…trust. In yourself, I mean. How much do I trust myself to remember how to get back, or at least be able to figure it out?” She paused, thinking over her own words. “Maybe there’s not much of a difference between the two in this case.”
“Well, I still think that the best thing to do if you’re curious is to just go and find out for yourself,” Akito said. “If you’re worried about getting lost, you should just ask one of us to come with you. You know we’d help, don’t you?”
The question sat in the air for a moment as Kohane processed what he said, before she turned to him with a teasing smile. “Even you, Shinonome-kun?”
He grumbled at that, much to her amusement. “An’s rubbing off on you too much. Yes, I would come help if you asked, we’re a team.”
Kohane was openly giggling now, and Akito found himself smiling slightly despite himself. “Don’t worry, I know you would! And I’d help you too, if you ever needed it!”
“…Thanks. I guess.”