Hoshino POV:
It was now 7:00 in the evening. Luna and Yu decided to call it a day—their brains fried from all the studying. Since the two of them were leaving, I figured that I'd leave with them. Mei made a convenient excuse about her curfew and that she was going to go, too.
Surprisingly, Remi and Sora decided that they'd stay a little while longer.
The four of us bid them farewell before packing up and heading into the hallway.
The sun had begun to set, casting a deep orange light that spilled from the windows, filling the hallway with its warmth. Despite just finishing studying, we walked down the hallway in comfortable silence.
Or at least, Yu and Luna did. I don't know what Mei was doing, but my mind was occupied with something else.
I kept replaying the way Mei had been acting since this morning. I still didn't know much about her, but at the very least, I knew now that the "off" feeling I'd gotten from her wasn't just in my head—it was because of finals.
To think I'd find that out because of Remi.
It was a hard question, sure—but I wouldn't have frozen. I'd just say "Yeah, I don't know," laugh it off, and come back later once I solved it. I'm sure most people would have done the same thing.
But the way Mei's eyes flickered, the way she stopped talking, and most of all... the fact that she reached out for her wrist—there was no denying it. She was, in that moment, panicking.
I bit the inside of my mouth.
What was she thinking?
Why did she act that way?
What is pushing her to do this?
Who is she?
Of course, I was curious about all these things. But there was one thing that bothered me the most...
...Why do I even care?
It was always easy for me to brush things off and forget about them. The only exception had been Lily for the longest time, and now there was another one.
But… why?
Mei and I aren't necessarily friends. In fact, I could hardly even call her someone I knew.
...So why can't I just ignore her?
Before I could think further into it, a quiet voice cut through my thoughts.
"Man, I'm so tired~," Luna groaned, covering her mouth as she yawned.
Yu, whose body was slouched as he dragged his feet across the floor, responded with a small nod. "Tell me about it. The moment I get home, I'm going to bed."
I turned to Yu with a grin.
"What?" I asked, feigning surprise. "You're not gonna eat first? I never thought I'd see the day."
Yu scoffed, which seemed to deflate him even further. "Of course I'm going to eat. I meant after that, genius."
Luna let out a soft chuckle, her steps growing steadier. "Did you even need to ask that? Even while we were studying, he took a snack break every twenty minutes."
Yu clicked his tongue. "Well, yeah, do you see how big I am? It's hard being this tall, you know. It demands so much energy from me. I'd rather be short like you three."
This has to be the most insensitive thing I've ever heard. He thinks being tall isn't a blessing? Some people would kill to be his height.
Before I could argue with him, Yu's stomach grumbled loudly, echoing in the empty hallway. He looked down with a deadpan expression.
"See, point proven." He turned to me. "You only need to eat one time a day, and you're fine. I need to eat four full meals with snacks in between."
Yu rummaged through his bag before pulling out a semi-melted, half-eaten chocolate bar.
The corner of my mouth twitched. As much as I wanted to fight him, I hated that I could see where he was coming from. It wasn't apparent right now since we still lived with our parents, but once we moved out, my food bill would be much lower than his since I only eat once a day.
So I decided to simply drop it.
"By the way," Mei said, catching all our attention. "How are you guys getting home?"
We all turned to each other with the same confused expression.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, scratching her head. "Wouldn't we just walk?"
"If you need someone to walk you home, we can do that," Yu added between bites of his chocolate. At least he had the decency to cover his mouth.
Mei softly shook her head. "No, I wasn't asking for that. I was just going to offer you all a ride home—if that's okay with you."
Luna tilted her head, her confusion growing into bewilderment. "Drive us home? With what? A car?" she joked. But Mei gave her a serious nod. "Yeah. My Father gave me a car yesterday, so if you guys are okay with it, I'm willing to drive you all home."
Mei reached into her pocket and pulled out a car key.
Both Luna and Yu let out a gasp, their mouths falling wide open. I was nowhere near as dramatic as they were, but I was surprised as well. It wasn't every day one of your friends—especially a high schooler—got a car.
"W-wait," Yu stuttered, struggling to form proper words. "Do you have a license?"
Luna kicked him on the shin, making him yelp in pain.
"W-what was that for?" he cried.
"That's a dumb question to ask! 'Do you have a license?' How else do you think she drove here?!"
I thought that was the end of it, but she continued to mock him. "And do you think her parents would get her one if she didn't? Also, everyone in our friend group but you has one! I don't know anyone but you who's failed four times! Don't push your standards on other people!"
Stop bullying my friend! I thought as I quickly looked away and stepped back.
Mei seemed to catch the hint and retreated alongside me, leaving Yu to Luna's mercy. Even as we put a few meters between the two of them, I could hear Luna's assault clearly.
They only died down once we arrived at the shoe lockers and put on our outdoor shoes.
Without saying another word, Mei left the school and led the way to her car.
She pointed the keys at the car and clicked a button. The very next second, the car unlocked with a loud click. Yu and Luna stared at the spectacle with sparkling eyes.
"Well, please help yourself!" Mei said cheerfully as she headed for the driver's seat.
Before she could even reach the car, Luna pushed Yu and me aside and ran for the passenger seat.
"I call dibs on shotgun!"
Luna swung the door open, climbed in, and slammed it shut before either of us could say a word.
Yu and I turned to each other and shrugged. We took our time walking to the back seats until Yu opened the door and gestured for me to head in first. I gave him a small nod of thanks before climbing inside.
The moment I did, I was welcomed by the scent of a new car. I couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle.
The leather seats were cool to the touch and unwrinkled. It felt almost wrong to stain the seats with my presence, but I didn't want to keep the group waiting, so I helped myself happily.
Yu climbed in shortly after me. The moment he sank into the seat, he let out a delighted sound that I've never heard before.
"Holy shit! This is even better than my parents' car!"
Luna whipped around to us and nodded enthusiastically. "I know, right?! I almost feel guilty being the first one to sit in this seat!"
Mei let out a soft, almost embarrassed giggle. "It's fine, guys. Just help yourself. Now, who am I dropping off first?"
I typed each of our addresses into my phone in order of who should be dropped off first and handed it to Mei.
"Just follow the map. It'll tell you where to go."
Mei studied the route carefully. Once she finished, her eyes narrowed subtly, but her smile grew wider—just a little bit.
"Thank you, Hoshino. This saves me a lot of effort," she said without turning back.
I simply shrugged, leaning back into the seat. "It's no problem."
She lingered for half a second longer before she started the car and began driving us home.