Umi's command cut through the remaining shock like a tactical strike. "Kanata, pack your things," she said, her voice leaving no room for hesitation. "We are going to Numazu as well. If he thinks he can handle the storms ahead by himself, he is sorely mistaken. And we cannot let him face Aqours without a steady presence."
Kanata blinked, the lingering fog of exhaustion lifting from her face as she gave a firm, determined nod. "Right. I'll get my bag."
"Wait!"
A voice broke through the crowd. Ai Miyashita, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet during the entire confrontation, slowly raised her hand. Her usual bright, radiant energy was entirely gone, replaced by a raw, trembling vulnerability that none of her clubmates had ever seen before.
She stepped forward, her eyes locked onto Umi, before she looked down at her own shaking hands.
"Can I join you?" Ai asked, her voice cracking as a single tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "Please... let me come with you to Numazu."
The rooftop went completely still again. Setsuna stared at her, bewildered. "Ai-san? What do you mean? Why would you—"
"Because I can't keep lying to them anymore!" Ai suddenly burst out, her composure fracturing as she turned to her friends. "My twins... they're getting older. And every single day, they look at me and ask where their father disappeared to. They ask why he isn't here, why he left, if he's ever coming back..."
A collective gasp echoed across the rooftop.
Karin froze, her breath catching in her throat. Rina's eyes widened in pure shock. Ai—the girl who was always the life of the party, the one who took care of everyone else and hid her own burdens behind a permanent, blinding smile—had been harboring the heaviest secret of all. She hadn't just been hurting for three years; she had been raising Agung's children in the shadows.
"Ai..." Emma whispered, her heart breaking for her friend as she took an instinctive step toward her.
"I didn't say anything because I saw how much you all hated him," Ai sobbed, wiping her face furiously with the back of her hand, though the tears kept coming. "I saw how hurt Ayumu was, how angry Setsuna was... and I felt like a traitor. But he's their dad. And if he's going to Numazu, if he's finally trying to fix things... I need to be there. For my kids. I need to know if he's actually coming home this time."
Umi looked at Ai, her sharp golden eyes softening with a deep, maternal understanding. She didn't offer a lecture or a reprimand. She simply stepped forward and placed a firm, grounding hand on Ai's shoulder.
"Pack your bags, Ai," Umi said softly, but with absolute certainty. "You have a right to your answers. We leave for the station in ten minutes."