Chapter 44
Ichika and Honami continued to discuss their plan. It being hypothetical had been thrown out of the question, as the two had settled to help each other and the others leave Milgram.
However, there was one part of Honami's suggestion of a plan that Ichika didn't like one single bit. A self sacrifice to allow Ichika to escape with the others wasn't something she was willing to accept. They ended up putting that part on hold so as to not fight about it and alert Yuzuriha or Shiho.
Asking other prisoners for help wasn't a bad idea according to Ichika, so Honami had been talking with Asahina about the plan.
In the meantime, she tried to regain physical strength. That guilty verdict and the minor injuries from Shiraishi's attack had left her in a less than ideal state if she wanted to escape as quick as possible. So, to recover, she'd been taking long walks around the hallways with Shizuku as her company.
Yuzuriha's presence in the prison was also a huge problem and something they'd have to consider. Even Shiho was afraid of what could happen with her there.
Just as she was thinking and going over the draft of the plan, somebody waltzed into her cell.
"Ah, Tsukasa?"
She hurried to hide the plans and sheets of paper Honami and her had been using to talk about it.
Luckily, Tsukasa didn't seem to see them. Though he did notice Ichika's surprised expression when he appeared.
"Is now not a good time?" He asked. "I'll be at my cell but I'd like to talk—"
Ichika gestured for him to sit down. "Don't worry about it. What did you want to talk about?"
He was holding something in his right hand, and after checking discreetly if nobody was around outside the cell, he handed it over to her.
It was a letter. Not like what she'd seen overflowing his cell, it wasn't even written with the prison's paper.
Pastel yellow paper and neat handwriting... Saki?
"What's this?" She looked at Tsukasa and slowly unfolded the letter that was a bit too crumpled but still readable.
"So it wasn't you." He uttered, making her even more confused with every word be said. "It's a letter Shiho gave me before the first trial ended. Apparently Saki wrote it."
Ichika started reading through it. It looked like something Saki would write. Now the question was how Shiho got ahold of it.
"I thought it was fake. Shiho as Es shouldn't know who Saki is, it wouldn't make sense." He explained as Ichika handed the letter back to him. "So, I figured one of you two had written it and asked Honami a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't her so asking you was logical."
Tsukasa considered something in his head. "My other theory was a bit of a crazy one. I didn't put too much thought into it but well..."
Honami came in not long before Tsukasa finished that sentence. After a bit of context she sat down right besides the two of them.
"... Shiho could have a Sekai." He said, continuing after seeing the two's lost faces. "It's a bit hard to explain... But if Saki and Shiho were to share it,, maybe you two have it too?"
"What's a Sekai?" Honami watched as Tsukasa looked for the words to explain it.
"It's a world made from people's feelings, I don't know how that works but Miku and the others and there for some reason too."
"Miku?!" Ichika thought back to the voice. "Now that I think about it... After I told her about this voice I've been hearing, she seemed to know it was her."
Honami looked at her.
"So that means we have an indirect way of reaching Saki." She then turned to Tsukasa. "How do we access the Sekai?"
"I could try to enter it in my dreams, I've been somewhere in them and Miku was there with me, so it *could* be it?" Ichika suggested.
Tsukasa nodded. "That would be good because, without our phones or whatever technology we have, we won't be able to access it. Well, at least in my case." He then thought back to the wording Honami used. "Wait— why are you two trying to get to Saki?"
The two childhood friends looked at each other. They couldn't risk anyone finding out aside from the people necessary.
Honami made up an excuse. "Well, we— ... We just want to see how she's holding up. We've been here for a while, right?"
"Ah, of course!" A moved expression washed over Tsukasa's face. "That's wonderful of you two!"
Ichika mentally let a sigh of relief as Tsukasa stood up. "Well, this talk has been nice, good luck finding Shiho's Sekai!"
And with that, Honami and Ichika were once again alone in the cell.
"That was... Something." Ichika actually let a sigh of relief this time, looking at Honami as she seemed somewhat deep in thought. "How did your talk with Asahina go this time?"
"Oh, she agreed to teach us some medical stuff in case anything happens." Honami said. "Self defense too, that's important."
"Sounds good, okay." Ichika pulled the papers out of where she'd hidden them. "Then... Could we talk about... Y'know..."
"Fine." Honami braced herself for the conversation neither of them wanted to have. "Let's be quiet though."
"Okay. Well, you already know how I feel about that part of the plan." Honami reluctantly nodded. "I don't want you to die. I don't want anybody here to die."
She could see Honami's expression turn into an unsure, sad one. "I'm sure Shiho would want the same. Whatever you did, whatever happened with your old friends... We can move on from our pasts together, right?"
"Like the old times?" Honami averted her gaze. "Ichika I— I've been thinking about it non-stop too... I don't want to do this either, okay?"
"Then don't!" Ichika pulled her into a hug. "We'll find another way for the plan to play out."
"But..." Honami slowly returned the hug. "It doesn't feel right to live having done what I've done."
"We'll be here for you, Honami. Saki eventually, Shiho, Shinonome, me..." She could feel Honami holding onto her back as Ichika pulled out to look into her blue eyes. "Neither of us have to face this alone."
Honami had small tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them and breathed in. "I guess you're right... We'll have to find another way to get out.
But before that..."
Unsure determination washed over her face, leaving Ichika a bit confused at where the conversation was going. "I'd like to uhm... Ask Shiho if she'd maybe like to go out sometime?"
"Like,, on a date?" Ichika asked. Saki was always the one who was better at that type of stuff. "I mean, you should totally do it."
"Really?" Honami's determined look was starting to slowly disappear, but it was still there. She smiled. "I'm a bit nervous about it but... I'll do it! The worst she can say is no, right?"
She stood up and ran out, seemingly to go talk to the grey haired guard.
Ichika slowly stood up as well to check the prison's clock. It was getting late.
She'd never tried to change the course of that weird dream at the rooftop, but that day would be different. She just needed to try and try until she made it.
With that, she went to sleep, hoping for the best and for the plan to work out.
And then, there she was. Suddenly in that same rooftop again, hearing Miku's voice, the familiarity of it washing off into certainty of who it was. She called out to her instead, and surprisingly, it seemed to work.
"Ichika? Are you out of that place?" Miku asked, reaching her hand out for Ichika to take it and follow her down the stairs.
"Not yet... Is this—"
"Your Sekai, yeah." Miku answered. They went down the stairway to the lower floors of what looked like an empty school. She looked out of the windows, seeing a beautiful evening sky filled with endless stars. "Only Saki and maybe Shiho ever come here, so this is new."
Ichika stopped in her tracks. "Am I... Still dreaming? Is this all real or am I still inside my cell?"
It all looked too real for it to be a dream. She tried to hold her breath but it wasn't a struggle. She hit her arm and it didn't hurt.
Surely, that was a dream.
"Even if you did find the Untitled to the Sekai there, you'd still be in Milgram when you get out." Miku explained. "I'd been trying to reach you in there, and it seems it worked."
"So that explains why Saki hasn't used this place to get to us all." Ichika muttered. Miku nodded, looking at the sky and then at her.
"This Sekai will be here when you make your way back home, just like it'll be for Honami and Shiho too.
Until then..."