"Ahh, I think I'm starting to get tired. My ears are ringing..."
An event was being held at the Lost Highway club. If she were to be honest, Mika wasn't really interested in either the club scene or techno; the real reason she was there was so that she could acquire the knowledge necessary to keep up with the things her classmates Kazuki and Miho talked about. Mika couldn't afford to be ignorant about what was popular and fresh. Mika Kishii was someone who had to stand out more than any of her other classmates. Perhaps Mika's own excessive self-consciousness was part of it, but another reason was that everyone around her made her out to be so. As she matured, Mika's friends - both male and female - grew in number, and she fell under particular notice at the school they all attended.
"I don't mind dancing, but this isn't the kind of place where you can spend hours chatting... And anyway, there are supposedly some dangerous guys hanging around, and we can't have our adorable little Mika getting into any trouble... Haha."
Mika left the dancefloor and headed over to the bar counter. One man was slumped in the aisle, while a couple were glued to each other, unmoving. None of them seemed to have the energy to do anything.
"Uhh, a daiquiri, please. A bit on the weak side."
Mika handed over her drink ticket, took the glass, and sat down at the edge of the bar. She took a light sip, brushing her hair back as she did so. To Mika, alcohol was just another prop used as part of her performance. Mika had grown weary of constantly playing the role of "Mika Kishii" as of late. It was Yukari, Chisato and Arisa who lifted her spirits. Not only that but, despite being a child, Arisa sometimes made brutal remarks.
"Be cool like Yukari, ladylike like Chisato, and assertive like Arisa."
I wish I could be, thought Mika, but she couldn't see any way she was supposed to become like her friends the way she was now.
"...Guess I should be getting home."
As Mika went to stand up, someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Evening. Are you drinking all by yourself?"
Turning around, Mika saw an unfamililar woman standing there. Or, wait - perhaps she had seen her somewhere before.
"I'm by myself, too, waiting for someone to get here. Why don't we have a drink together?" the woman said, taking a seat. Her short hair was coloured with temporary orange dye, and she wore a figure-hugging tank top and pants - the sort of person Mika had never been acquainted with before.
"I guess..."
"Thanks. Can I call you... Mika, was it?"
Mika started, looking over the face of the woman beside her once more. "...How do you know my name? Have we met before?"
The woman smiled. "We've never spoken. I've seen you here a few times before, though. You're from Hinashiro High, right? A few of my friends know about you... You're pretty famous."
"Um, uh, not really..."
"I'm Kimika. Kimika Takahashi. I used to go to Hinashiro. Nice to meet you."
"Huh? Then that would make you my senior, wouldn't it?"
"That stuff doesn't matter once you graduate. Just call me Kimika."
"Um, okay..."
Kimika was talkative. She spoke of how Hinashiro used to be, the club scene, music... She had topics to converse about in abundance, and Mika opened up to her completely. If she thought about it more deeply, Mika would have realised that Kimika seemed to be keeping her there, but the time continued to pass withour her noticing. Suddenly, a man came trotting over to them.
"You're late, dumbass... At least I had Mika to keep me company, so it wasn't so bad. Come on, say hi to Mika."
The man didn't look dressed for clubbing at all. His suit - oddly worn, and seemingly stretched beyond his means to buy - didn't particularly suit him.
"Uh, hey, I'm Suzuki..."
"Hiii, I'm Mikaaa... Is this the guy you were waiting for, Kimika?"
"Yeah, that's him. Oh - don't get the wrong idea, okay? He's just a friend. He said he was free when I called, so I told him to come get me. Well, okay then... Oh, are you staying here, Mika? Or do you want a ride?"
"Uh, are you sure? Oh, thank God! Walking home seems like such a pain in the ass."
"Haha. Let's get going, then."
The trio began making for the exit. As the man walked ahead, Kimika whispered quietly into Mika's ear, "I said he's a friend, but... I pretty much just use him as my chauffer."
Their eyes meeting, the two let out a chuckle.
They waited outside of the club for the man to bring his car around.
"Oh coool, that's an import!"
"It's an Alfa Romeo Giulia. His dad's rich or something. Lucky bastard, huh? Come on, get in."
The pair got into the back of the car. It finally pulled away, a wave of dizzying neon washing over them. The man spoke.
"Uh, whereabouts is your house, Mika?"
"Hmmm, it's this place called the Pyramid Palace..."
Kimika sat forward. "There's a road leading there that goes through Reigetsu Pass, so we can go over Moon Bridge. Want to, Mika?"
"For real? Yay! I've never been there before!"
"Then that settles it. Hey, did you get that? Moon Bridge."
With a nod, the man hit the accelerator. After briefly leaving the downtown area and heading along a bypass leading to the mountain pass for a time, the dazzling illumination of Moon Bridge swam into view amidst the black silhouette of the mountain.
"Woow! It's so pretty!"
"Wanna get out for a bit, Mika? ...Hey, pick somewhere that looks like it has a nice view and stop the car."
The car pulled up alongside a nearby walkway, and Mika and Kimika got out. Cutting across the road, they were able to get an unbroken view of Moon Bridge.
"Ahh, it's amazing. Behold, the might of civilisation!"
"Civilisation, huh... I love nature too, though."
"Really? But the countryside is so empty - the city's where it's at. And I admire cool city girls like you, Kimika."
A soft bleeze blew, gently ruffling their hair as it passed by. They stood there in silence for a while before Kimika spoke, moonlight shining on her face, her expression unreadable.
"Mika... Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Huh? Um, yeah. I guess so..."
"Oh... What's he like?"
"Uh, I just met him at the club earlier..."
The wind grew louder. Kimika stood rigid, frozen.
"Mika, I... realised something. I really liked him, but he was just fooling around."
"Kimika...?"
"I was such an idiot, getting all caught up in it without even seeing... He never calls, and he won't see me, even if I turn up where he's meant to be... It's been three months now. He says I should just forget; that we were just messing around. But I can't forget. I can't, because inside me is..."
"..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to whine at you. I never meant to talk about it. I wanted to be like you, Mika, you know? Popular with everyone, having fun with both your juniors and seniors... But I was awkward, and never had any friends, so..."
"..."
"Sorry. Come on, let's go. We shouldn't stay out too late..."
"...Okay."
Mika began walking back to the car. As she watched her go, Kimika made her mind up.
"I thought I'd stolen him from Kyoko... But he never cared about me. I'm sorry, Mika. You're a good girl, but I don't want to give him up to you. I'll settle this under my own rules, so I can make him mine and mine alone. I really am sorry..."
Mika sneaked into her room and lay down on the bed.
"Kimika kinda looked like she was crying when we said goodbye... She didn't answer when I said we should do this again sometime, either... Did I say something wrong?"
Flopping back on the bed, she looked at her PHS mobile phone.
"...I wonder if he'll call me tonight."
~Continued in Mowdei