Burning Bright

New Friends

"Huh? What're you going on about...?" Yarai asked.

"Nothing...!" Segawa said.

"Then can you save the 'nothing' for later?" Torako asked. "We're trying to fight here!" The horse-ape whose paw was just injured swiped its good paw at Yarai.

"... Tch," Yarai said, dodging. "Damn it. This is why I hate crowds."

"They won't back off even when they're injured!" Torako said when the one she had stabbed twice came back for more again.

"...!" Yarai said as they both dodged a deadly swipe at them like they were playing limbo. "Tch."

"Kyah...!" Segawa screamed. "H-Hey! Are you crazy!? I can't die yet! I still have a lot of things to say to you... huh!?" The uninjured horse-ape's claws were headed straight for her and Yarai. Yarai deflected the attack with his keys again.

"Shut up. It's not like I can die yet either," Yarai said. "I still have things I need to do..."

"... Eh? Things you need to do? What do you mean...?" Segawa asked.

"..." Yarai furrowed his brow. "I need to solve the mystery behind this strange world...!!"

"... Eh?" Segawa said. "Mystery... behind this world...?"

"..." Yarai thought maybe he might have said too much in front of Segawa. "... That's enough talking."

"Y-Yeah. Now's not the time anyway," Segawa said, finally showing some sense.

"Exactly!" Yarai said, kicking a horse-ape, striking it from under its chin.

'A-Amazing... He's starting to be able to fight back,' Segawa thought. 'This guy... I wonder how long he's going to pretend that he doesn't know anything... or perhaps he's really forgotten who I am? Would that even be possible? I mean... I mean he... used to love me so much, didn't he...?' She remembered the note she found in her locker about how someone would be waiting for her under the tree. She remembered how he looked standing there. "..."

"Hey, what's wrong? Stop daydreaming!" Yarai told her.

"I-I wasn't daydreaming..." Segawa said, blushing. "I was just wondering... you're so amazing... yet why do you hate being with other people so much...?"

"... That's because I'm naive..." Yarai said.

"Eh?" both girls said, looking at him. Yarai kicked the head of another horse-ape into the ground, stunning it. That created and opening for him and Torako to jump back and put more distance between them.

"Ah...!!" Segawa gasped. 'It's the first time that he's gotten some distance between us and them!! He... He did it!' The three horse-apes stared at them. 'Are they being cautious...? They're not coming straight for us like before... Does that mean that what Yarai was talking about earlier was true...? Maybe we're saved...?'

"... Hey, don't show them any openings," Yarai told Segawa. "We're gonna retreat."

"!" Segawa said. She stared at the horse-apes with Yarai and Torako, watching them for any signs of movement. 'That's right. If we let our guard down, they may attack again... I need to keep my eye on them...'

"Segawa-san!!" Kurusu-sensei called.

"!?" Segawa and Torako gasped as Kurusu-sensei, Shigeno, and Matsumoto came running towards them. 'Se-Sensei...!?'

"I'm so glad that you're both okay..." Kurusu-sensei called. Suddenly, one of the horse-apes raised its arms.

"...!?" Segawa said. 'Wh-What the!?' It swung its arms forward and dug into the ground, propelling itself into the air. It closed the gap between them in an instant.