Chapter Twelve: Paradigm Shift
“About that,” Risa says pointedly. “What is going on with you and Niwa-kun? You’re so down in the dumps recently, and I don’t like it. I’ll beat him up, just say when.”
Riku laughs, flicking water at Risa. “Don’t! Geesh! That’s my thing, you know?”
Risa grins, then leans forward, her face slowly morphing into something serious as she studies Riku. “I think it’s time you tell me what’s going on with you two,” she says gently. “I know you don’t… you’re not… about Niwa-kun, Riku, I… I never want you to feel like, like we’re competing.”
Riku looks down at her knees. “Sometimes,” she says after a long pause. “I…”
She closes her eyes tightly, then immediately regrets it, remembering the winged shadow hovering over her, Daisuke’s face half-illuminated by the moonlight, eyes shining like polished garnet even as he scrambled away.
Daisuke, surrounded by feathers, bleeding and in tears outside of the museum; Dark, where Daisuke should be. A dream of a world of snow and scraped-raw palms.
Hiwatari, at the dance, ivory gun in hand, tears pouring down his face, and Daisuke, Daisuke was Dark, then, she knows it.
If this is true, then Risa needs to know. If it’s true, if it’s true…
“What if,” Riku says slowly, taking her time to form the right words, the right questions. “What if that weren’t true? If we did—if we liked the same person?”
