This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Yuka steadily raised her eyes to the ceiling, becoming curious. Her arm slacked, allowing it to pivot on her elbow to tilt a bit to the side, fingers curling into her open palm. Simultaneously, Rin abruptly perked up, becoming alert. Brows furrowing, her lips silently parted as her eyes darted to the ceiling, then to the stairway.
“Oh no! I forgot—”
Springing into action immediately, she hastily shoved her chair back with her thighs and darted to the stairs. Yuka straightened backwards, watching her dart off with surprise. The chair loudly teetered on its legs for a brief instant before landing back on its feet.
Running all the way up to the spare bedroom door and crashing against it, she turned the key already pinned in the door knob and flung the door open. Right across the room, she saw the window, with its curtains lightly swaying, the pane wide open. No one else was in the room.
Rushing over to the window, she planted both hands on the sill and stuck her head out, gazing down at the shallow second-floor roof. Unable to find the girl, she craned her neck to the left, scanning with wide eyes down the row of townhouse roofs. The ceramic orange tiles contrasted brightly against the blue sky. Sheets of laundry from the other houses distracted her, as their movement in the breeze caught her eye. Craning to the right, she was met with a similar sight. But, just as she was turning to scan the streets, her eyes caught a peculiar shape on the neighbor’s second-floor rooftop. A strange, moving shadow.
Looking up, Rin found her. The girl was climbing up a false column to the top roof without hurry, unaware of Rin’s presence. She was already at the top, with her arms flung over and hoisting herself up. Eyes widening further in disbelief, Rin opened her mouth wide.
“Idiot! What are you doing?!”
Shoulders flinching, the girl looked back down towards the voice. “Eh?! I…! Uh…! I will look for her in this direction!” she hastily replied. “You go the other direction, okay?!”
“Absolutely not!” Rin shouted. “You’re staying here!”
“Nooo! It’ll be faster this way! Trust me!”
Scrambling up all the way, the girl took off along the rooftops. Seeing her disappear beyond the edge of the roof, Rin ejected a gasp of annoyance.
“Hey! Get back here!”
Throwing a leg over, Rin hurdled out the window without a second thought and ran up to the false pillar. Bending her knees, she leapt high up the column, grabbing on with her hands and feet to climb up to the roof just as the girl did. Surfacing her head at the top, Rin glanced over in the direction she last saw her, spotting a bundle of pink hair not too far away, standing along the ridge, looking in the other direction.
When she pulled herself over, she saw the girl was on the tip of her toes with both hands up to her forehead. She was looking around the horizon while standing dangerously over a ledge, where there was a gap in the roofs from the alleyway between the townhouses.
Alarmed, Rin took a loud step forward. “Wha— Get away from there!”
The girl flinched, ducking into her shoulders and spinning her head back. Again, she seemed surprised to see Rin follow after her.
“Ah! How did you get here?!”
Without waiting for a response, the girl turned back around and stepped forward.
Rin reached a hand out. “Wa-wait!”
Planting the palm of her bare foot against the ledge, the girl quickly crouched down, then sprung forward. For an instant, she flew weightlessly through the air from her giant leap, landing lightly on the other side. Pausing momentarily, the girl let her momentum tilt her forward, beginning to run.
Rin gazed speechlessly, her heart briefly flying through her chest, muscles stiffening up until she saw the girl land safely. She did not immediately give chase, dazed from what she just saw.
“What in the world…?”
Realizing the girl was escaping further and further away, Rin managed to snap out of her bewilderment and run up to where the girl last stood.
“Hey! Get back here!”
The girl briefly glanced back as she ran. Seeing Rin stop at the gap and hesitate, a big grin stretched across her face, flashing bright teeth.
“Hehe!” she giggled, turning her eyes forward again.
Gritting her teeth, Rin takes a few steps back, then dashes forward, taking a big leap herself. As she soared through the air, legs kicking, her eyes dropped down, widening as she saw the great height she was jumping over for a fleeting moment. Yet, just as quickly, a wave of ceramic orange tiles swept across her view, ending her brief flight as she felt her feet impact against a solid surface, carrying her forward on their own.
After a few steps, she stopped, eyes still wide and staring down. She looked back, staring at the gap to make sure she was seeing correctly.
“I jumped it…!”
Whipping her head back forward, her eyes found the girl again, a little further away, having jumped another alleyway. Taking in a deep breath, seeing the numerous hurdles up ahead, she began to run again.