[ Twenty weeks is a really long time. Ai's pretty sure she knows that better than anyone by now.
It's not like she's hated being in Miyazaki or anything. It's nostalgic - it reminds her of her hometown and her first tour with B-Komachi all at once and the result is something that stirs bittersweetly in her chest. The doctors are all kind, even the one who recognized her and even though Prez Saitou can't be here, Ai's not exactly alone.
Of course, that doesn't mean she's not lonely.
She's read every single one of Kanade's messages. She never answers any calls, but she can't help but read all the messages she sends through. She has more half-finished text drafts than she's ever had in her life but she can't bring herself to send any of them. What Kanade wants, after all, is the truth. She wants to know why Ai has vanished. But that's the one thing Ai can't give her.
It isn't until twenty-two weeks on the dot - the evening of the night before she's due to return to Tokyo with Aqua and Ruby - that Ai finally figures out what to do. She sneaks her cell phone out of her luggage and fibs to Saitou that she wants a bit of air up on the roof and to enjoy the view one last time before she leaves. He's so frazzled he doesn't even question it and off she goes. It's quiet enough up there that Ai has enough space to breathe and think and really stew in what a bad idea this is.
And then she decides to do it anyway. Before she can lose her nerve again, she scrolls down to Kanade's name in her contacts and hits call. ]
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It's not like she's hated being in Miyazaki or anything. It's nostalgic - it reminds her of her hometown and her first tour with B-Komachi all at once and the result is something that stirs bittersweetly in her chest. The doctors are all kind, even the one who recognized her and even though Prez Saitou can't be here, Ai's not exactly alone.
Of course, that doesn't mean she's not lonely.
She's read every single one of Kanade's messages. She never answers any calls, but she can't help but read all the messages she sends through. She has more half-finished text drafts than she's ever had in her life but she can't bring herself to send any of them. What Kanade wants, after all, is the truth. She wants to know why Ai has vanished. But that's the one thing Ai can't give her.
It isn't until twenty-two weeks on the dot - the evening of the night before she's due to return to Tokyo with Aqua and Ruby - that Ai finally figures out what to do. She sneaks her cell phone out of her luggage and fibs to Saitou that she wants a bit of air up on the roof and to enjoy the view one last time before she leaves. He's so frazzled he doesn't even question it and off she goes. It's quiet enough up there that Ai has enough space to breathe and think and really stew in what a bad idea this is.
And then she decides to do it anyway. Before she can lose her nerve again, she scrolls down to Kanade's name in her contacts and hits call. ]