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Her ears throb, pain shooting through them and into her brain as though someone stabbed a needle through her eardrums. Her skin prickles, and she hugs herself, hunching forwards. This should be fun. But it isn’t.
She just wanted to watch the fireworks with everyone else, to join in the group activity planned by Usami. She had never seen fireworks before, but knew they were supposed to be very pretty.
But nobody told her how loud they are. As each firework explodes in the skies over Jabberwock Island, Chiaki flinches, the noises booming all around her. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her PSP, clicking the L and R buttons despite the console being out of charge. She just needs to do something to cope with this noise.
She wants to run away, but… she wants to fit in. Chiaki always jumps at opportunities to learn more about her classmates. But this isn’t the fun, happy experience she wanted.
“Chiaki?”
She jumps at the familiar voice, soft and gentle. She turns her head and finds Hajime stood beside her, his expression soft yet concerned.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
The others are too absorbed in the fireworks to notice their hushed discussion. She steps closer, but doesn’t touch him, unsure she can handle touch without her skin burning.
Chiaki shakes her head. “It’s… too loud here.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
She tries to think, tries to get her addled brain to focus on anything other than LOUD NOISE LOUD NOISE LOUD NOISE, and closes her eyes. “Can we… go?”
“Sure thing.”
“You don’t mind missing the fireworks?”
“No, it’s fine,” Hajime says. “Let’s go somewhere quiet. Do you want to hold my hand?”
“Thank you but… no. When I’m overwhelmed, my skin gets prickly. But… please stay close.”
“Of course,” he says, and they take a slow walk away from the beach and the fireworks. “You can cover your ears if you want. I don’t mind.”
She nods, clamping her hands over her ears. The pair walk and walk, the booming sound of the fireworks getting quieter with each step. And Chiaki gradually relaxes, helped by the simple presence of Hajime.
When they reach the hotel, she smiles weakly. “Thank you. Can… can you stay with me tonight?”
Hajime goes red, but smiles and nods. “Sure I can. I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”