Yuri hurried along the path to her house, which was rather far from school. Though Yuri had turned eighteen recently and became able to drive, she preferred to walk, so she could read her book as she went. When she wasn't reading, however, she immersed herself in her thoughts and thought about random things that had occurred that day. It was because of this that she failed to notice that she had left one of her belongings back at the club room.

Ambling along the sidewalk, the graceful girl's eyes flitted from left to right as she read the words on each page of her precious book. Every now and then, she would look up to see if she was heading in the right direction, or to check for any other pedestrians on the same path as her. Yuri stopped suddenly after hearing footsteps and voices growing louder. She pulled her gaze away from the pages of her book to see where the voices were coming from. Standing before her was what appeared to be a cheerful couple. A brown-haired boy of tall stature, and a familiar-looking girl with a bright red bow fixed in her coral pink hair.

"Hello, Sayori!" Yuri greeted, dipping her head in acknowledgment and smiling shyly at the girl's companion.

"Yuri!" Sayori shouted. She turned to the boy standing next to her. "Yuri is one of the members of the Literature Club!"

"It's nice to meet you!" Yuri replied. Before the other could say a word, Yuri timidly pushed her violet locks to the back of her ear, giving the two one last smile before continuing on the path to her home. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

It must be nice to have someone to walk with, Yuri thought, as she quickened her pace.

***

Natsuki held the rectangular object in her hand, hurrying out of the school. In her mad dash, she didn't have time to think about where to go first. The item she held in her hand was a phone with a colorless case, which she had found lying on the floor back at the club room. She was determined to return it back to its owner. After all, they couldn't have gone far, right?

Nearly crashing into poles and other obstacles, the small girl blindly made her way down the street nearest to the school's entrance, the red ribbons in her hair streaming wildly behind her as she did so. Natsuki slowed down as she got to a corner, pausing to catch her breath.

Come on, Natsuki! Keep going! If you can't even complete a simple task like this, you're good for nothing!

Natsuki then continued onwards, down the sidewalk, hoping to run into one of the club members. But as she went, she couldn't see or hear anyone else on the street. Except for the occasional car driving by, there was nothing but silence. Natsuki sighed and stopped to think.

Have they all gone? Did I happen to go to a street where none of the others lived? Should I give up and go to my own home?

She dropped her bag onto the floor and sat on the edge of the sidewalk, pondering about what to do next. Observing the phone in her hand, she pressed the 'on' button. Immediately, the screen flashed and an image of an ominous-looking eye symbol appeared. Which club member would have this weird symbol on their phone?

It was at that moment that Natsuki realized that she never even questioned whose phone it might be. She had simply taken off without giving it a second thought. Why did she want so badly to return the thing anyway? She could have easily brought it with her to the club the next day and not have to run all over the neighborhood.

Again, Natsuki sighed and turned the phone off. Picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she decided to give up and go home, like she was supposed to fifteen minutes ago. She stood up and dusted off her skirt, then slid the phone into a pocket in her bag. Natsuki was just about to step forward until a car rushed past, startling her a little, which caused her to stop. After the car had passed, the little rose-haired girl stepped forward, stopping once more when she heard the sound of a bird singing merrily as if it didn't have a care in the world. She took another step, only to halt for the third time in a row.

Why am I letting all these little noises distract me?

A small voice sounded in Natsuki's head as if in reply. It's because you don't want to go home.

Natsuki shrank to the ground. Her stomach grumbled. The voice was right. She doesn't want to go home. Not if it means being hungry, tired, and worst of all, alone. At least at the club, she had company. Natsuki pulled the phone out of her bag.

I need to focus on returning this. Even if it takes me a while. I just need something to distract me for now...
After all, he never gets home before sundown. And even if he does, I bet he won't even notice I'm gone.

Even more determined than she was before, Natsuki shakily got up, looked down the sidewalk, and began to continue on the path she had been walking on earlier.

Come on, Natsuki! You can do this!

The sudden creak of a door swinging open made Natsuki look up. It was none other than her dear friend, Sayori.

"Natsuki?" Sayori said, peeking her dainty head out of the door.

"Sayori!" Natsuki exclaimed, running over to Sayori's front door. "I need to ask you something!"

***

Taking her time to read each sentence in her book and grasp the meaning of every paragraph, Yuri sauntered on. To her, each page turn was like discovering a long kept secret.

Before long, she was only a few strides away from her house, where she could read as much as she wanted with no interruptions.

When Yuri got to the front of the door, she noticed that there were no cars parked outside, which was unusual, because her parents usually got home before her to open the door to let her in. Slightly worried, Yuri searched her bag to look for her phone so she could call her parents. But it wasn't there. Alarmed, she emptied out the book bag's contents, but to no avail.

The violet-haired girl could do nothing but wait as the sky darkened.