Aurelia

Aurelia's life has been anything but boring: she sang in a choir, started a band, worked as an Anomaly Hunter, and now she's a diligent salarywoman. With a resume that impressive, some might consider her life a bit too "maxed out" for someone her age—at least, that's what the regulars on Tamamochi Street often gossip to each other. Of course, her colorful background never prevented her from diving headfirst into whatever job she takes on. These days, as the street manager of Tamamochi Street, Aurelia can easily name every resident and recall their likes and dislikes—no matter how old or young. She's always the first to offer a helping hand to solve whatever daily problems the residents run into. Her dedication to her job often makes people wonder: just how much does the City Hall pay her? After work, Aurelia will sometimes be spotted wandering the streets alone. If you were to walk up and talk to her, nine times out of ten you'll find she's completely lost (and she'll be very grateful to any good samaritan that'd point her in the right direction)… Sometimes, though, Aurelia will pretend to know where she's going, though no one truly believes her. In the end, everyone on Tamamochi Street is Aurelia's friend. However, it seems that there isn't anyone who genuinely understands her. As for the places she wishes to go but, for some reason or another, can't, and the words she wants to say but swallows them down every time… maybe only someone who stays by her side for a long, long time will ever be allowed to know. Then again, everyone keeps a few secrets locked away in their heart, right? Today, Aurelia is once again smiling, her head held high as she rides her beloved jellyfish down the street, cheerfully greeting everyone she meets. This is the life she chose, no matter what.

Aurelia was born into a stable, happy family. Her parents loved each other very much, and the household was often peaceful. She was the little sweetheart her parents had prayed and prayed for. Their gentle, lovely little plum blossom. The only flaw in this picture-perfect family was… her parents' work schedule. As she grew older, both of her parents advanced their careers. The time they could spend with Aurelia grew less and less. Aurelia understood that her parents were working incredibly hard to give her a better life, so she knew not to throw tantrums or act overly spoiled. But, now and again, when she saw kids her age walking down the street hand in hand with their parents, Aurelia couldn't help but stare. She knew the thing weighing her down was a "First World Problem"—she never had to worry about her next meal or a new pair of shoes. She got any toy she wanted right away, and even if she was picky about her food or stayed up too late, she never got punished. Wasn't that enough? Compared to her classmates whose parents were strict or distant, she already had so much. She shouldn't be greedy for more. So, she'd only stare for a moment before looking away quickly and obediently heading toward her empty home. At an age when she didn't fully understand the meaning of "lonely," Aurelia had already seemed to experience "loneliness." She got used to not expecting her parents to be around. However, on her birthday, she couldn't help but hope it might be different. Colorful presents, a huge teddy bear, and a triple-tier birthday cake kept her company while she waited. She continued waiting as the sun went down, the sky turning from blue to pink to violet. Soon enough, the moon climbed high into the sky, and the hands of the clock continued to tick inch by inch. Eventually, Aurelia gave up. She lit the candle that was nearly sinking into the buttercream, sang "Happy Birthday" to herself, and then gently blew it out. For an instant, the room flared with a brilliant, bright glow before slipping back into darkness. It seems that, even if you make a wish, nothing guarantees it coming true. "Just once would be enough," She thought. I wish Mom and Dad could come home.

Aurelia became friends with Akane and Suzuha on a springtime school trip. She was totally entranced by the jellyfish at the aquarium and, before she knew it, drifted away from the rest of her class's group. Just when she began to panic because she couldn't find a familiar face in the crowd, Akane and Suzuha spotted her. Each of them took one of her hands and led her back to the class rendezvous point, then sat on either side of her on the bus ride home. From that embarrassing moment onwards, Akane and Suzuha became Aurelia's best friends. On the birthday that followed, Aurelia's living room wasn't empty anymore. In front of the incredible gift pile, two girls who'd never seen anything like it merely stared, wide-eyed. "What are you two doing, hiding over there?" The moment they heard Aurelia's voice, Akane immediately tried to shove the tiny present in her hands behind her back. But Aurelia, sharp-eyed as ever, caught her in the act. "Is that for me? It has to be for me, right?!" Aurelia darted over, making an effort to grab the little box. "You already have so many presents! T-this one really isn't anything special…" "That doesn't matter!" Aurelia shouted, full of indignation. She finally managed to get a hold of the gift, hugging it to her chest. "This is my first-ever birthday present from a friend. It's mine, no takebacks!" "Really… it's nothing…" Akane's voice grew quiet. Before she could finish, Aurelia had already ripped the wrapping paper to shreds. Out of the palm-sized box rolled out a few shiny little pins: souvenirs from that same aquarium where they'd first met. The tiny jellyfish mascot wore a cutesy, pitiful expression that, funnily enough, looked like Aurelia when she couldn't stop crying that day. Aurelia stared, unblinking, at the pins that had rolled onto the table. Beside her, Akane was so embarrassed she couldn't bear to stay a second longer. She grabbed Suzuha's hand and began to make a move for the door—but before they could even take a step, Aurelia barreled into both of them and wrapped them in a tight hug. The little crybaby was sobbing like the mascot on that pin again. "T-this is perfect… the best thing in the entire world!" She could barely get the words out between her tears. Even though her parents still couldn't be there for that birthday in particular, Aurelia no longer felt lonely. Suzuha lit the cake candles for her, and Akane set a party hat on her head. The birthday song they sang for her became the most beautiful melody Aurelia had ever heard. When she blew out the candles, she prayed with all her might that she'd be with these friends of hers forever.

Aurelia's Esper ability awakened when she was fourteen. She couldn't remember exactly what was going on at the time, except that one time, when she was writing in class, her pen ran out of ink. Just as she gave her pen a shake, an entire school of jellyfish suddenly appeared. Both the teachers and students lost their trains of thought completely upon seeing this, their eyes wide and jaws to the floor. In the middle of the crowd, Aurelia was the most confused of all. "I just… did this?" She tried shaking her hand again. The jellyfish mimicked her hand movements perfectly. Her classmates shouted in excitement, "Aurelia! Are you, like… did you just become…" "You're an Esper!" After many tests, it was officially confirmed that Aurelia was indeed an Esper now. But, aside from registering her status at the Bureau of Anomaly Control, her life didn't seem to change at all—until she realized the price she had to pay for it. Losing her sense of direction turned Aurelia into a stranger in her own hometown. Though she walked the same route to and from school every day, she would forget where she was at any point again and again. The shops along the road all looked familiar, but when it came time to cross the street or turn a corner, her mind drew a complete blank. From then on, no matter where she had to go, Aurelia had to look up the route in advance and memorize every detail. Initially, everyone at her school thought Espers were super powerful and cool. They looked at Aurelia with envy and awe. But it turned out that Aurelia's Esper ability was pretty underwhelming. What situation would ever occur where someone needed to summon and control jellyfish? It was entirely useless. It didn't take long for their excitement about her being an Esper to die down, and instead, focus on her daily navigation disasters. Even though the classmates who knew about her condition did their best to look out for her on campus, the moment a shop changed its sign or some road got closed down for construction, Aurelia would end up scrambling around, asking anyone and everyone for directions. In the end, Akane and Suzuha got into the habit of going out of their way to pick Aurelia up and drop her off every day, terrified of her wandering around in the streets in the middle of the night. "I don't want to keep bothering you with stuff like this…" Aurelia muttered, her head hanging low. Suzuha held Aurelia's hand, giving it a little tug, signaling that they needed to turn left at the intersection. Walking alongside them, Akane let out a sigh. She lifted her hand and flicked Aurelia on the forehead. Aurelia shrank back, exclaiming, "Ow! That hurt, you know!" "You became an Esper, that's all. You haven't changed as a person. You've always been a hassle, even since you were little!" Suzuha burst out laughing next to them. Aurelia puffed out her cheeks in protest, "Akane! You're so mean…" "Am I wrong? H-Hey! Stay back!" Warmed by her friends' laughter, Aurelia let the topic go. However, though she stayed sunny and optimistic on the surface, a tiny bit of unease had gripped her heart. Am I truly the same as before? Can things really stay the same between us?

Aurelia's chances of recovering the use of her legs were slim, but the doctor gently suggested that it wasn't entirely impossible. If more advanced medical technology emerged in the future, or if she encountered an Esper with profound healing powers…. Regardless, the possibility wasn't zero. During the breaks in her rehab, she often opened Bagel and stared at the little group chat with her, Akane, and Suzuha. Neither of them had sent a message to the other in a long, long time. Many times, Aurelia had typed out a message, only to delete it. What was she supposed to say to them? After countless bouts of agonizing over her phone, Aurelia made up her mind: once she recovered a bit more, to the point where she could be discharged from the hospital and take care of herself, she would go see her friends in person and surprise them. She had endless amounts of things she wanted to tell them about. However, even after some time had passed, there was still no improvement in her legs. She had learned to stop treating "recovery" as her only hope. Still, with the help of her Esper Ability, her life gradually returned to some semblance of normalcy. Though she couldn't play the drums like before, Aurelia thought nothing of it. With just a bit more effort, the day of her reunion with Akane and Suzuha wouldn't be far off. Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a special tone—the one she had set for Akane's messages specifically. Aurelia rushed to grab her phone, nearly fumbling it out of her hands in the process. But, the words that met her eyes once she opened the chat window were ones she never could have imagined: "Suzuha is leaving. By the time she messaged me, her car had already driven off…" …Huh? For a moment, Aurelia couldn't comprehend the meaning of those words, as if they were nothing more than a string of meaningless symbols. What did Akane mean by "leaving"? Why would she say that? Her fingers trembled so much she could barely type out a reply, and a flood of questions sat heavy on the tip of her tongue. "Where's Suzuha going?" She was going somewhere without them. Suzuha wouldn't be staying with them anymore. Aurelia… understood. Suzuha was a sensitive and thoughtful girl. If she kept living in Hethereau, a city filled with memories of their friendship, she would only tear open closed wounds. Aurelia knew this, so there was no need to ask. "What about Lines?" She, deep down, knew the answer to that, too. Even if Suzuha stayed, without Aurelia as their drummer, the band would only have two paths going forward: going on a hiatus or disbanding. Of course, she could recommend something like "find a new drummer," but she couldn't bring herself to say that. "Lines" was born from Aurelia's selfish wish, and it existed for the three of them. If one of them left, what meaning was there in the empty shell left behind? "What about you?" Even through her shaking fingers, she typed out those three words. In the chat window, the "someone is typing…" bubble flickered for a long, long time. Akane, who always spoke her mind, must have been desperately searching for words to say, just like Aurelia had done prior. Akane, so straightforward and outspoken, had been pushed beyond her limits. If it weren't for the fact that Aurelia feared being looked down upon or abandoned, if it weren't for her lack of courage… If it weren't for her… It felt as though thousands of years had passed before a new message had finally appeared on the screen: "I don't know. I'm sorry." Aurelia felt herself begin to tremble. The words before her dissolved like paint in water. Why? Don't disband. Weren't we supposed to be together forever? Akane loves singing so much—she should always be on stage. There was so much Aurelia wanted to say, but she no longer felt she had the right to say it. The one who brought "Lines" to an end, the one who forced Suzuha to leave her hometown, the one who made it so Akane could never sing again… it wasn't fate. It was herself. And yet, even so, there was still one thing she wanted to convey. Even if the damage had already been done, even if it was far too late… "I love your music, Akane. Please, even if you feel like stopping now, continue it in the future." "I promise you, I'll definitely be waiting for you wherever you go."

Away from the stage and all kinds of Anomaly Commissions, Aurelia found herself with nothing much to do. The thread that had always pulled her forward suddenly snapped. Aurelia had lost her direction all at once. She used to think about the future: "Lines" would become the band best at dealing with anomalies and the best at playing music among anomaly hunter organizations… They would leave Hethereau, go on tour, and become legends! When it came to the imagination, there was no such thing as a "limit." But now, nothing seemed to matter anymore. To pass the boredom of being in the hospital, Aurelia started helping a busy elderly woman in the same ward as her with paperwork. Before being discharged, the old woman extended an invitation: "how about continuing to help out at my business?" …That didn't seem like a bad idea. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go anyway. As if bidding farewell to everything she knew, Aurelia began a brand new life on Tamamochi Street. Not far from StarSign, she became an ordinary part-time office worker. The street itself was lively, with people constantly coming and going. She knew she had once been a member of the band "Lines," but most residents knew absolutely nothing about her. For the current Aurelia, none of that mattered much anymore. Adults appreciated her professionalism, whereas children thought her riding around on jellyfish was the coolest thing in the world. Before she knew it, she had become "Little" or "Big Sister" Aurelia. Only once in a while did she muster the courage to take a detour after work and visit StarSign. But, when she reached the steps she had once bounced down endlessly with excitement, she realized: her jellyfish was too big to squeeze down that long, narrow staircase. The door to the past had permanently closed on her, and she could never go back. The words left unsaid, and tears left unshed, were all that remained in her heart. She absolutely wished to see Akane and Suzuha again. To hear Akane's song, and see Suzuha's smile—yet she felt that if she ever uttered such a thing out loud, that tiny wish would warp into some kind of curse. At the very least, she would allow herself to go to every "Night of Moondog"—an Anomalous Realm vast enough to hold all the songs and dreams in the world, or at least one big enough to accommodate one jellyfish. She scanned the list of songs each time she visited, searching for familiar names, only to be disappointed again and again. But, no matter what, Aurelia believed that someday, that little girl born for music would return.