*Sigh*

Thank goodness I was able to get home before it started raining.

Hm? A message...?

<Kanade, Mizuki, are you both home already?>

<I am!

I was just about to log onto Nightcord.>

<Really? Then, I'll join you.>

They're already home...

Let's see...

(It might be faster for me to tell them on Nightcord...)

<Oh, Kanade's on...!>

<Welcome back, Kanade.>

<Luka said she went over to tell you what happened with Mafuyu. Has she told you already?>

<Yes. She said Mafuyu went home to talk to her mom...>

<She apparently almost had her phone taken away, but I guess that sort of gave her the push she needed, huh...?>

<Yeah...

Still, I hope she's okay...>

<You mean whether she can properly tell her mom how she really feels?>

<There's that, but also...>

<You're worried about what Mafuyu's mom will do, right?>

<Yeah...>

<Because up until now, Mafuyu probably just kept doing what her mom told her to do...>

<To put it bluntly, she's about to bite the hand that feeds her...>

<But she hasn't been able to say how she really feels all this time...>

<Her having to keep quiet just doesn't seem right, you know?>

<Yeah, I get what you mean...

But getting her mom to understand is like a completely different problem altogether...>

<R-Right...>

(She claims that she cares about Mafuyu...)

(But I'm having a hard time believing her...)

(Which begs the question... Will she even listen to what her daughter has to say?)

Rin, Len...?

<We heard that you guys were home, so we came to see how you're all doing...>

<Huh? What's going on? Did Rin and Len come over?>

<Y-Yeah...

We were having trouble just waiting around...>

<Are Luka and MEIKO with you?>

<They're waiting in SEKAI...

Just in case they hear back from Miku and KAITO.>

<Okay...>

<Yeah, I guess we're all really worried.>

<Right...>

(Mafuyu...)

(She'll probably be okay since Miku and KAITO are with her...)

(But each second feels like an eternity right now...)

(Did the others feel the same thing I did when they spoke to Mafuyu's mom...?)

<Oh, it's raining...>

<It was sprinkling before, but it's really starting to come down. How perfect for our current situation...>

<I know, right...?>

<For now, let's just believe in Mafuyu...>

<If she does end up needing our help...>

<We have to be there for her.>

<We'll also help in any way we can...>

Okay, thank you...

(Mafuyu...)

(You're not alone...)

(So please... Be brave...)