Epilogue

"Yooo, Akihiko-senpai!"

"Senpai? But we're not in school anymore..."

"Yeah, but it feels weird calling you anything but," grinned Junpei Iori, slamming some things down on my coffee table. "Besides, if I were a college student too, you'd be my senpai still."

"You make no sense, as usual," I chuckled, glancing at what he'd brought with him. Several slices of watermelon, and a CD. "Oh? I've already heard it."

"Really? I didn't think you'd be into that kinda stuff," he shrugged. "C'mon though, isn't she a cutie? Her curves, her beautiful slim legs..."

"Don't let Chidori hear you say that."

"Oh no, of course not!" Junpei laughed. "Besides, me and Chidorita are like that!" He crossed his fingers to demonstrate. "Speaking of, are you still single?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "but I don't mind. Perhaps one day I'll find someone else, but..." I gestured to the rabbit doll and the music box, sitting pride of place on a shelf. "For now, I'm happy on my own."

"Kiyoko-tan was one heck of a girl," my old friend crossed his arms behind his head and sighed with nostalgia in his eyes.

"Yeah."

"And dude, she sounds just like Rise Kujikawa! Or rather, Risette sounds like her. S'why I brought the CD with me. The song's okay - kinda creepy, if you think about it."

"Oh?"

"Mm, the lyrics man. 'From above she'll watch on, but their love will stay strong. He'll forever hold on, to the sound of her voice'. It's like it was written for you and Kiyoko-tan."

"Nah," I shook my head, not admitting that I'd also felt as if it was about the two of us. "Probably just a coincidence."

"Even the bit about the doll and the music box?"

"Stranger things have happened - for instance, you holding down a job for longer than two weeks."

"H-hey! I resent that Senpai!" Junpei groaned, and then the two of us got started on our usual topics of conversation - sports, the others who'd been in SEES, and of course, Kiyoko.

I reached for my cellphone once Junpei had finally gone and scrolled through my missed calls - it wasn't that I never heard my phone go off, I would actually stop training if it was her calling and let it go though; I'd just wanted to hear the sound of her voice and the words that came straight from her heart (except when Junpei was acting like an idiot in the background).

"January thirty-first..." I muttered to myself, pressing the 'accept' key and holding it up to my ear. There was a crackling sound, and then the sound of gentle breathing.

"Aki... No matter what happens today, I love you. Let's do our best to bring about a future in which we can always be together, no matter what life throws at us. Now the cheesy bit's over - where the heck are you? I know it's the 'Promised Day' and all, but I want to spend it by your side, dammit! Crap, now I sound like one of those fangirls of yours..." I could imagine her shuddering as she paused. "But I mean it. Out of everyone I know, you're the one I want to be with. I'll even buy you some ramen!"

"Idiot," I smiled gently, flicking to a picture of her I'd taken on my phone. It was a natural photo, one where she was oblivious to the camera. As much as I loved the ones of her smiling, Kiyoko was prettiest when she didn't have to pose. "You knew that you didn't have to bribe me with ramen..."

That message brought back bittersweet memories of our final day together, meeting up at Hagakure and then moving to the shrine and shyly cosying up on the bench where no-one could really see us. We'd remembered our feelings for each other after Nyx's defeat, but it hadn't been the same as how we were then. When everything about the Dark Hour came back, it was too late - Kiyoko was almost gone.

I don't know how Rise Kujikawa found out all that stuff about me, beyond the things I'd said to Souji Seta. Though only a handful of people would realise the true meaning of the song, it was a nice gesture - like she understood why I acted the way I did. Ironically though? 'Her Voice' is a ballad, and Kiyoko hated ballads.