2 – October 23rd (Monday), 9:00 AM

On the morning of Monday, October 23rd, Oka Eri turned down a street corner that she didn’t often frequent. She was tired, and the bright blue sky irritated her eyes, forcing them into a squint. She jacked up the volume on her MP3 player, quickening her pace.

The song in her ears seemed to be a standard rock n’ roll number. Not that she really understood much about rock. She did understand classical, although she’d stopped playing piano forever ago. The song currently playing had caught her attention because the title had Beethoven’s name in it, despite being a rock song. It was one of those cheap songs sold on a music distribution site, so it was hardly much of an investment.

It was kind of weird to think about how even a famous musician’s representative piece was sold for the same price as a bottle of Coke, but Oka Eri figured that just meant up front value didn’t matter much in the end. Plenty of classical musicians’ music was no longer in copyright, and the audio could even be downloaded for free, but that didn’t make their compositions worthless. It was just proof that the sale price of something didn’t always match its value.

The rock n’ roll number playing in her ears gave off an old-fashioned vibe and, although she couldn’t understand the English lyrics in the slightest, it was a pleasant and uplifting song. The melody was really catchy, and made her almost want to join in. Then, just as she was starting to feel her mood lift, a red light stopped her in her tracks, and she grimaced.

Rows of cars passed by, and eventually the light flicked back to green. But just before crossing the street, Oka Eri noticed a young man standing on the opposite end of the crosswalk.

Her first reflex was to spin around and head the other way. Just keep on moving somewhere else. But that would make her look bad, so she had no choice but to continue onwards.

Asai Kei stood on the other side of the street, wearing a faint smile. When they got close enough to each other, he raised a hand. “Morning, Oka Eri. It’s a wonderful day out.”

“Heya, Senpai. It’s a terrible day out.”

“Really? But it’s so bright and sunny.”

“Yeah, I prefer rainy days.”

“Too bad. Whatcha listening to?”

“Ambient rainfall.” Oka Eri stopped her music and plucked out her earphones, rolling the cord up before jamming it into her pocket.

“It’s gonna get all tangled up like that.”

Oka Eri shrugged in response. “It is what it is. Cords get tangled, and shoelaces come untied.”

“Hmm. Guess that’s true.”

Oka Eri glanced over at Asai Kei, who was nodding deeply. “Do you need something from me, Senpai?”

“That I do. Middle school’s the other way, though. What are you doing over here?”

“Whatever I want. Just gonna go hang somewhere. Villains don’t attend class.”

“You think so? I’m pretty sure villains wouldn’t help civil servants, either.”

For just a moment, she was shocked. Alrighty, guess he knows more about what I’m doing here than he let on. She calmed down, then pushed out a laugh. “Kekeke. It’s bad manners to ask questions you already know the answer to.”

“Well, I wasn’t entirely certain. But you are going to see Urachi-san, aren’t you?”

“Who can say? I’m just gonna go hang out all day. Anybody I happen to see in that time is certainly none of your business.”

Asai Kei shook his head. Then, the smile left his face, and he glared at her with eyes as cold and sharp as ice water. “Urachi-san and I are having something of a standoff right now. We both have an entirely different future in mind. But I want you, Oka Eri, to be on my side.”

“Ha!” Oka Eri laughed. She pulled her chest back, looking down at him. “You never did get it, Senpai. Like I didn’t already know you and Urachi-san were fighting. That’s why I’m on his side. Because you will always be my enemy, and I can’t wait to see you lose.”

Kei’s eyes retained their chill. “Do you know Urachi-san’s true objective?”

She shook her head. “Don’t need to. Doesn’t matter to me what the Bureau wants to do.”

“Urachi-san wants to erase abilities from Sakurada,” Asai Kei shot back. He hastily continued, “He wants to turn Sakurada into a normal town where everyone forgets about the existence of abilities. I want to stop him, and protect Sakurada’s abilities.”

That threw her for a loop. Forgetting abilities? What did that even mean?

Suddenly, Kei lowered his head. With beautiful form, he bowed at her deeply from the waist. “So I’m begging you, Oka Eri. Please lend me your assistance.”

Oka Eri just stared at the back of his head. What on Earth was happening? “You think I’ll just help you ‘cause you bowed your head or something?”

It was irritating. You think you can tug on my heartstrings, just like that? Surely he, her senpai, would be smart enough to understand how ineffective such a method would be, right?

“Of course I do.” Asai Kei lifted his head, smiling. It was that smile where he would bend the corners of his mouth up. It wasn’t at all kind, but sharp and provocative. “I know you’ll help me.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because it aligns with your goal.”

His expression seemed shockingly similar to the Asai Kei that she had first met. His mouth held a calm smile, and his gaze looked down upon the world. He exuded confidence in his own strength, like he could do anything he wanted without ever having to explain himself.

He was like that Asai Kei again. The one who was evil and strong. The one who could take on the world.

“Oka Eri. You told me that you wanted to beat me back in August, right? You wanted to expose my weakness. That’s still true, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is, Senpai. And that’s why–” She was about to retort that that was why she would never help him.

But Asai Kei stopped her short.

Shaking his head, he said, “That’s why you’re going to help me. That’s the thing, Oka Eri. I’ve already reset.”

“What for?”

“You and Urachi-san backed me into a corner. There was nothing I could do but admit defeat. So I used a reset, and ran away. And now, here I am.” His smile grew wider, the corners of his mouth stretching in supposed amusement. “You already beat me. And what you choose right here, right now, can end the battle for good. You know your options, right? This is my message to you, Oka Eri: I give up, so please help me.”

Oka Eri couldn’t stop a smile from spreading on her face. What a cocky way to give up. He didn’t look like someone who had lost in the slightest.

“So please, Oka Eri. Help me. Then you’ll finally win.”

Oka Eri forced out another vulgar laugh. “Kekeke. Oh, Senpai. Now you’re really starting to look like the senpai I knew two years ago.”

He was like the Asai Kei she had first met, the one who looked stronger than anybody else.

He tilted his head disinterestedly. “Is that right? I’m not sure I get what you mean.”

As if he didn’t get what she meant.

“This is all an act, isn’t it? You think by playing my senpai from two years ago, I’ll just go along with your little plan?”

“That’s not true at all.” His gaze bored into her. “This is a heartfelt surrender. The most direct admission of defeat I could possibly give you. I still believe that what I did two years ago was wrong, Oka Eri. I still think I made a mistake.”

Two years ago, Asai Kei had saved Oka Eri, known then as Fujikawa Eri. He gave her a weapon that could defeat her father, the greatest enemy facing the girl known as Fujikawa Eri and her mother.

With that weapon, her parents divorced, and Fujikawa Eri became Oka Eri.

“I–” I always believed that was the right thing to do.

She had desired nothing more than to have his same strength.

Asai Kei interrupted Oka Eri once more. “But right now, I’m accepting defeat. So I’ll accept your claim about the me from two years ago being strong, and I’ll do everything I can to act that same way.”

His tone was rational, but laced with violent passion. The smile on his face was complex and chaotic, but his eyes shone with a pure desire.

He looked every bit like the Asai Kei from two years prior. Not like a fake, and not to a half-assed degree. He looked like he had that strength she so desired.

Oka Eri swallowed, glaring at him.

Oh, whatever.

“Well?”

If he betrayed her expectations, she could just double-cross him.

“What do you want me to do, Senpai?”

Oka Eri decided to keep her eye on him for a while longer.

✽

Oka Eri had been his last stop. Kei took a bus with her to the nearby shopping district.

“Where’re we going?”

“Right over there,” Kei answered, pointing.

“The karaoke place?”

“Yup. The location wasn’t particularly important.” All they needed was to house a large number of students. No other place was as easy for them to access, and they could even rent private rooms for meetings.

“Is it really fine for students to be here on a weekday?”

“Ashiharabashi High had its school festival yesterday, so today is our substitute day off.”

Actually, the substitute day off was tomorrow, with cleanup ongoing at the present moment, but that wouldn’t make any difference to the karaoke staff.

“Great for you, but I’ve actually got school on today.”

“If you just lay low, nobody’ll really see the difference between a third-year middle schooler and a first-year high schooler.”

Kei crossed the road, heading into the karaoke establishment. He immediately got onto the lobby elevator.

“What about reception?”

“Everything’s already set up.”

“There are other people here?”

“Yup. I decided to pull out all the stops instead of keeping up appearances.”

The elevator dropped them off at the third floor. There was only one voice they could make out singing, coming from the end of the hall. It being 9 AM on a school day, the lack of customers was no real surprise.

The song playing at the end of the hall was a fast-paced, bright song with a poppy rhythm. Kei didn’t recognize the song, but headed in its direction regardless.

“I feel like I recognize that voice, somehow.” Oka Eri commented.

“Well, it’s one of my fairly few friends.” They entered the light-gray door with the number “305” etched in gold.

Sofas were lined up in a U-shape along the walls. Kei took a look around at all the people gathered there.

Sakagami Yousuke sat closest to the door. He watched the monitor displaying the song lyrics with an uncomfortable smile.

Beside him was Ukawa Sasane. She had a glass laid before her filled with Pocky sticks, one of which was already in her mouth.

Slightly spaced away from the rest was Murase Youka. She had her legs crossed and was reading a paperback placed atop them. She looked rather bored.

Beside her was Haruki Misora, holding a glass in both hands and sipping from its straw. The glass held a watery, amber-colored drink– likely iced tea.

Last of all was Nakano Tomoki. He stood up, mic in hand, singing bilingual musical lyrics with gusto. He was clearly the only one in the room taking advantage of the karaoke equipment, which made sense, as he was probably the only one confident enough to sing in front of a group.

Add on Kei and Oka Eri to that group of five, and they had themselves a rather large crew.

As soon as Kei entered the room, all eyes were on him, and he led with a, “Sorry to keep you all waiting.” Haruki shifted on the sofa to make room for him, and he sat in the open spot. Oka Eri plopped herself between Sakagami and Ukawa.

Once Tomoki reached a break in the lyrics, he shut down the machine with its remote controller.

“So then,” Kei announced, “Let’s begin.”

Ukawa Sasane tilted her head. “Begin what, exactly?”

Grinning, Kei answered, “The council to determine Sakurada’s future.”

That wording was actually something of a lie.

More accurately, it was a council to guide Sakurada’s future in the direction Kei wanted it to go.

✽

9:30 AM had already come and gone. Urachi Masamune looked out of the window at a passing train. “Yup. I knew it. Something’s off.”

Things were not going according to plan.

According to his notebook, today, October 23rd at 9:30 AM, was supposed to be the day of the first ability outburst incident. A certain girl was supposed to accidentally use her ability to control the gazes of the people around her, resulting in a traffic accident at an intersection. “Supposed to” being the key phrase.

But his view of the intersection offered no such traffic accident. The girl had never unintentionally used her ability, and it looked like any other 9:30 AM weekday.

“Was this a failure?” The Index asked from the driver’s seat.

“It certainly was. That boy must have done something.”

Urachi had previously been contacted by Kagaya, who reported that Oka Eri had not made it to their designated meeting place. Another look at the notebook showed no such outcome previously.

Urachi tapped his temple with his index finger, leaning back into his seat. “I wonder what it is Asai-kun wants from all this.”

The Index glanced back in the rearview mirror. “He wants to protect Sakurada’s abilities, does he not?”

“Well, that’s true. But…” Urachi Masamune closed his eyes, trying to concentrate his thoughts. His speech continued lackadaisically, as if he were sleep-talking. “But how? Asai-kun is a high schooler, and I’m the head of the Countermeasures Department. He can’t breach that gap with intelligence or wit.”

If Urachi were to pull out all the stops, he could easily eliminate a problem like Asai Kei. It would be a rather simple task to drive him and all his little lackeys straight out of Sakurada. That was what his department was for. He had all authority to deal with ability users.

“Unless he’s a complete idiot, he should fully understand how impossible it is to stand in my way.”

“I do not think he is an idiot.”

“Then that can only mean one thing.” His eyes still closed, Urachi smiled. “If he’s not stupid, then he must be stupendous. He must have found some way to beat me, and thinks himself superior.”

And so, Urachi Masamune began to think. How does he plan to beat me, exactly? The very idea was, in a word, impossible. For starters, the boy didn’t even have a win condition. Let’s just grant him the fact that he overcame this part of my plan. The ability outburst I accounted for didn’t occur. But so what?

Nothing had changed. All Urachi Masamune had to do was come up with another plan and execute it. Asai Kei was effectively playing a baseball game where Urachi’s side would never retire the offensive position. He could make play after play, but the score would only ever remain 0-0. He could never win, and any point scored would devastatingly tip the scales.

How could anyone win a game when they were only ever playing defense?

“Does Asai Kei strictly have to win?” The Index asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Our goal is to remove Sakurada’s abilities, whereas his is to preserve them. If he is fighting purely for preservation, there is no strict need for him to win.”

That was a fair point. In theory, Asai Kei could accomplish his goal by keeping the status quo. A continual draw could be seen as a type of win in his circumstances.

But Urachi Masamune shook his head. “That’s not very realistic. It’s almost impossible to force a draw without any timeouts.” Forcing a draw in this game meant maintaining the current pace for years, and possibly decades, to come. Even a single failure couldn’t be allowed, and the game of endurance would only get more difficult. He couldn’t afford to continue purely as a matter of principle. “If he’s supposed to be rational, then he’d never choose that. He’d go with a winning strategy. But what…”

What was a winning strategy for a side with only defensive plays?

Two possibilities came to mind.

First would be ejection of the opponent due to a rule infraction. The rules of this game were set by the Administration Bureau. It was true that if the Bureau were to turn on Urachi, the situation would quickly flip on its head.

But that outcome was, practically speaking, impossible. Urachi Masamune’s plan was only breaking the rules by forcing the ability outbursts, but his very own Countermeasures Department was in charge of the case. Urachi Masamune had full authority and control over the problem that Urachi Masamune was causing.

Granted, his power wasn’t without its own forms of limitations. There was a department with the authority to check and balance the power of the Countermeasures Department. But Urachi considered it unlikely that Asai Kei would be more versed in the legal and departmental minutia than he. Besides, he had already spent a significant amount of time amending certain rules of the Administration Bureau as to better benefit his plan. He doubted he was facing any significant threats from that sector.

That only left the second option.

A victory condition that was present in any battle, one guaranteed to work if triggered.

That was, of course, to make the opposition wave the white flag. It didn’t matter how, as long as they admitted defeat in the end.

That said, I don’t think I can be convinced to the contrary.

But if neither of those conditions could be fulfilled, did Asai Kei have some other plan? Or had he simply set a nearly impossible goal?

It didn’t really matter.

“Let’s test it, then.” Urachi Masamune’s eyes flicked open.

“Test what?”

“Asai-kun’s methods. You wouldn’t happen to have his phone number, would you?”

If Asai Kei planned to use persuasion tactics on Urachi Masamune, he’d never turn down the opportunity for a dialogue.

In fact, the boy would probably be incredibly gracious, no matter the danger he faced.

✽

Asai Kei exhaled deeply, having finally finished his long explanation. He had been talking for some 20 minutes, only pausing when a waiter came in to deliver drinks. He took a sip from the oolong tea on the table before him to soothe his parched throat.

He had explained everything that happened prior to the reset as well as all of his plans moving forward, without hiding a single detail. He even included the realization of Souma Sumire’s rebirth and ability.

Looking around at everyone’s faces, he asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”

The six faces before him were neatly split into three categories.

The first group consisted of Haruki Misora, Nakano Tomoki, and Sakagami Yousuke. He had already explained the situation to them the previous night, so they were entirely unsurprised. They simply sat watching and listening.

Murase Youka and Oka Eri belonged to the second group. Their faces were etched with serious expressions, and they were carefully observing their surroundings, clearly trying to get more information about how they should react based on the others around them.

That left Ukawa Sasane as the only person looking entirely dissatisfied. She watched Kei with her glare fully present in her gaze, but didn’t say a single word.

Kei focused on her first. “Do you have something to say, Ukawa-san?”

She returned his gaze without flinching. “I do. Many things, actually. Too many to be interested in sharing.”

“But I brought you here so that we could talk. I won’t know unless you tell me.”

“You remember our promise, I presume?”

Looking Ukawa straight in the eyes, Kei nodded. “Of course. I’m the only one who could never forget.”

He had indeed made a promise with Ukawa Sasane. It was two long years ago, imposed as a restriction regarding the possible rebirth of Souma Sumire.

You’re not gonna go off and bring this girl back to life on your own time. I get to watch over every single step.

Kei had been forced to accept that promise in order to get Ukawa to cooperate with him at that time. He had broken that promise by taking Souma Sumire out of the photograph without her knowledge or permission.

“I’m dying to hear an explanation.”

“Of course. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” Kei rested his elbows on the table before him, interlacing his hands. “I had never intended to keep that promise with you. I believed that there were other factors more important than my own honesty at play.”

Ukawwa Sasane had made a certain remark two years ago.

Do you think it’s right to bring a dead person back to life?

Ukawa Sasane wanted to make an ethical judgement over the act of bringing Souma Sumire back to life. That was why she had required full oversight of the process as a condition of her cooperation.

Kei had followed up her question with one of his own. He asked what Ukawa would do if she determined Souma’s rebirth to be a mistake. What would she do if she only realized it was wrong after the fact?

She was more than willing to answer.

If that happened, I’d have to rectify my mistake. Either I kill her, or I die trying. Those’d be the only real options.

Kei wasn’t of the opinion that either of those answers were right.

“I didn’t think that either Souma Sumire’s death or your suicide were the right answer. As long as either of those outcomes were even remotely possible, I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent them from happening.” Lying or breaking a promise were trivial matters compared to either of those outcomes, as far as Kei saw it.

Ukawa Sasane stayed quiet. Kei knew she was strongly guided by her convictions, and figured she was simply giving herself a gut check.

Trying to arrange his sentences carefully, Kei continued, “A person’s life is always more important than a promise. Always.”

Neither of them looked away, and their steady gaze into each others’ eyes continued for a while.

I get it, Ukawa. You don’t have to tell me how selfish I’m being. He had already betrayed her, and now here he was, both admitting to that betrayal without apologizing and shamelessly asking for her help again. Normally, that kind of behavior wouldn’t be acceptable.

But this is Ukawa Sasane. She was always and forever the champion of justice. He just hoped his guess that this was the best way to reach her was right.

“All I want is to talk with Urachi-san. A real, honest talk, one where we can part ways with a handshake. I swear I’m not looking for a fight. I just want us to exchange our opinions and ideas. I want you to help protect that place of discussion.”

Surely an ally of justice wouldn’t abandon two people at odds trying to join hands together.

“I know that you’re always the ally of justice, even when it makes you seem cold-hearted. I wouldn’t have it any other way. So now that everything’s laid out on the table, if you side with Urachi-san, then I can’t stop you. If you can’t believe me, and if you think I’m mistaken in what I’ve shared with you, then that’s just how it is.”

The precise wording that he had used was more or less another lie. He was already rather certain of the direction that she was leaning.

“But I don’t think you’ll get the luxury of sitting on the sidelines for this. You’re gonna be involved, one way or another.”

In the same way that she couldn’t help but intervene with the problem of Souma Sumire’s revival two years prior, she would not ignore the new problem placed directly before her.

“But you’ve been watching, Ukawa-san. I’m pretty sure that I can hold up to your standard of justice. Am I right, or am I wrong? You can watch longer, if you have to.”

Even as the words left his mouth, Kei fought back a sigh of reprehension. I don’t represent justice in the slightest. He certainly couldn’t be called its champion.

But he had no time to get hung up on the details. Justice was a word that carried great weight, restriction, and shame. Its use was almost entirely a bad thing. But Kei thought it necessary that someone had the responsibility of upholding it.

Ultimately, Ukawa Sasane didn’t respond. She simply unfolded her arms, sinking back further into the sofa. Perhaps that was the best she could manage.

But part of Kei was glad that she didn’t trust him completely. I don’t even trust myself completely. Ideals, goals, and morals were all too easy to bend and betray at a moment’s notice. If he was honest, that reality was probably what scared him most. He didn’t dare say it out loud, but he didn’t want to forget that fear, either.

Kei took another look at the room around him. “Anyone else have any-?”

Before he could finish his question, the ringing of a cell phone interrupted. Each cold, mechanical jingle seemed to prick at his heart. He didn’t like the sound.

Here it is.

Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, Kei saw an unfamiliar number displayed on the monitor. He pressed the answer button, put the phone to his ear, and was met with a familiar, masculine voice.

“Heya.”

“It’s been a while, Urachi-san.”

“Been a while? Has it really? Unless I’m mistaken, we just saw each other a day or two ago.” Urachi’s voice was tinged with amusement, as though he were laughing at something for no reason.

Kei gave his answer in a more subdued tone. “The truth is, I reset after that. From my perspective, we haven’t seen each other since last month.” Not since their meeting in the dream, at least.

“And why did you reset, exactly?”

“Why else would I reset? Something happened that I didn’t like.”

“Oh. What could that be?”

“Well, there was this traffic accident, and Sakurada losing all its abilities, among other issues.”

A short chuckle reverberated from the phone. “So you used your reset to prevent a traffic accident, then?”

“I did.”

“And how did you do that, exactly?”

That was easy enough to answer. “Well, the cause of the accident was a girl accidentally using her ability. Are you aware of what that ability was, Urachi-san?”

“I most certainly am not.”

“It’s written in your notebook though, right?”

Kei could hear Urachi’s sigh. The man sounded exasperated. “Look here, Asai-kun. I’m already holding my cell phone. How do you expect me to pull out my notebook and flip through it one-handed?”

That didn’t really seem like the insurmountable task as he was making it out to be.

Regardless, Kei continued. “The girl’s ability made it impossible for anyone to look directly at her. Everyone in her vicinity was forced to look completely away from her. As a result, a certain driver caused an accident that he could never have seen coming.”

“Oh. That ability speaks to a rather shy person,” Urachi said offhandedly.

That’s putting it lightly. “Well, I believe the girl was rather embarrassed. She had fallen over just before using her ability, since she tripped on a broken sidewalk tile. No doubt she used her ability since she felt embarrassed about tripping in front of so many people.”

“How intriguing,” came Urachi’s amused response. “So if the girl never fell, then the accident never happened.”

“Indeed.” It was all rather straightforward.

The sidewalk had been lined with several flower-laden planters along its edge. Kei had simply taken a bit of time that morning to move a flower planter right atop the broken tile. Such a clear indicator would help the girl avoid the trip hazard, stopping her from falling, and stopping her ability outburst. No more traffic accident.

“You do understand what you’ve done here, right, Asai-kun?”

“I prevented an unfortunate accident from occurring.”

“Oh, how wonderful. If I wasn’t holding my phone right now, I’d give you a round of applause until my palms hurt. But you’re forgetting something important.” Urachi’s lines were delivered like he was on a stage before an audience. He sounded more like an actor delivering lines than a conversation partner. “Perhaps your actions were entirely good-intentioned. Maybe you only did it out of a pure and noble heart. But a problem occurred before your reset, one worthy of determining the removal of all abilities from Sakurada. It would be your duty to report such a problem. But you…”

Urachi paused. The voice that came out next was low and threatening. “You defied the decision of the Administration Bureau. You used a reset to reverse an official action. That is a violation of the rules, and you will answer for your crime.”

Kei crossed his legs, taking a deep breath before answering. “I think that’s my line, Urachi-san. You orchestrated a fake problem to force the Bureau into an uninformed decision. That is a violation of the rules, and you will answer for your crime.”

“Speculation. You don’t have any evidence to prove that.”

“What if I told you I had an objective basis?”

“Oh, I’d love to hear that. Please inform me of this basis.”

Of course, Kei had no such evidence. Urachi had been incredibly thorough in leaving no traces of his actions.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t make stuff up.

“There’s a girl by the name of Souma Sumire. She died two years ago, but came back to life this summer.”

“What of it?”

“She has the ability of future sight.”

A moment of silence was followed by sharp laughter. “I see. So that’s how you’ll play it.”

The Witch’s future sight was considered the most outstanding ability in all of Sakurada. Not even Urachi Masamune could get away with suppressing the existence of another ability user with such power. He would be obligated to inform some kind of department about her.

But, of course, Urachi could never do that. The Administration Bureau learning about Souma Sumire, the second Witch, would cause no end of trouble for him. The Bureau would have the chance to recover its status, making his plan of destabilization all that more difficult. His plan to remove abilities would need significant restructures.

Asai Kei dared to voice the opposition. “Your concealment of Souma Sumire’s existence from the Administration Bureau is a violation of the rules. It is a crime with objective basis, and you will answer for it.”

Not that this really matters. Both Kei and Urachi knew how pointless their interaction was. They were just going through the motions, making jabs from safe locations while ensuring that their true motives remained hidden. I doubt anything I’ve said has even approached threatening him.

At the end of the day, an ordinary high schooler was up against the head of the Countermeasures Department. Winning via an information war with the Administration Bureau was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Besides, if a few simple explanations were all it would have taken to reach a peace agreement, then Souma Sumire wouldn’t have needed to go through all the trouble she had. It certainly wouldn’t have required her death.

That said…

“Why don’t we meet for a face-to-face conversation, Urachi-san? Let’s quit wasting each other’s time.”

Urachi was bound to agree. The weaker prey was asking for a meeting with its powerful predator. It was entirely in his favor to accept.

His low voice rumbled. “A meeting is acceptable. But what will we be discussing?”

That went without saying.

I’m gonna get Urachi Masamune on my side. That was the singular objective.

“I think we’ve misunderstood each other somewhere along the way. I want to clear the air between us.”

Urachi Masamune’s reactive chuckle was quiet, almost muffled, yet more genuine than his other responses. “I see. Fine, we’ll do that. I like your pluck.”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. I just want things to move along efficiently.”

“Efficiently. Good choice of words. I would rather like that, myself. Let’s see, now… Very well, let’s get together in an hour.”

“Why the rush?”

“Is that a problem?”

Urachi’s intentions couldn’t have been clearer. He didn’t want them to have any time to prepare. Specifically, he wanted to put an end to everything before Kei could make another save. After all, they were in their 24-hour period since their reset, which left them at their most vulnerable.

Kei lowered his eyes to check his watch. 9:53 AM. The reset put him at 7 PM the previous day, so he wouldn’t be able to save for at least another nine hours. “I’d rather meet up some time tonight or tomorrow. Would that be an issue?”

“Oh, that won’t do. I’m a busy man. If you can’t meet me right now, I’m just not sure my schedule will open up again.”

Kei remained silent as his watch ticked three times. But there had only ever been one answer. “I understand. We’ll meet in an hour, at 11. I’ll be in contact with The Index regarding the location.”

“Sounds good to me. I can’t wait.” The phone call was cut off.

Kei threw his cell onto the sofa, taking another look at the six people surrounding him. “I’ll be meeting with Urachi-san at 11. I doubt it’s gonna result in a friendly chat, and we can’t save yet.” His eyes landed on a particular girl. “I’m in real trouble, Haruki. Would you help me?”

Haruki nodded, offering him a smile. “Of course I will.”

Kei smiled back. “Thank you.” Then he turned to the others. “I want you all to think about where you stand. I’m gonna leave for the next 30 minutes. If you think abilities should remain in Sakurada, and don’t mind taking some risks to protect them, then stay here. Otherwise, you should leave as soon as possible.”

Kei stood up from the sofa, looking around the room one final time with a smile. “But if you’re on board, I’ll see you in 30 minutes.”

With those as his final words, he turned his back on the group.

✽

If Asai Kei hadn’t brought it up himself, then he was certainly going to suggest it.

Why don’t we meet for a face-to-face conversation?

It was an incredibly convenient offer.

“How did it go?” The Index asked from the driver’s seat.

Still messing with the cell phone, Urachi smiled. “Very well. Looks like he’ll be taking the diplomatic route after all.”

The Index, reflected in the rearview mirror, furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure I understand. Does he really think he is capable of convincing you?”

“I think he was just forced to admit that he had no other options, more than anything else. He’s betting on his one tiny sliver of hope, like some sort of epic protagonist.”

But it wasn’t wise to try and be the protagonist of real life. Hoping on a miracle was foolhardy at best, and if you dared to involve the others around you, sinful at worst.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Well, what else is there to do? I’m going to arrest him.”

He had the fortune to meet with the boy in a situation where he didn’t have a backup save. It was the optimal time to neutralize the opposition. That had always been the plan. Luckily, he was dealing with Asai Kei, the kind of guy who would meet with him even in dangerous circumstances.

Urachi looked up from the cell phone he was toying with, focusing on the back of The Index’s head. “Something I need to ask you, by the way.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“How do you get to the contacts list?”

The Index always handled the phone, so Urachi was rather illiterate in its usage. He had spent time looking over every menu he could find, but even after hitting the gear button, he couldn’t find the contacts list.

The Index answered, but not before letting out an exasperated sigh. “There is a dedicated key for that. Press the one that looks like an open notebook.”

“Oh, I get it.” His problem was focusing too much on the monitor when he should have checked the keys more. “I thought something was off. The user design is certainly faulty when I could find the calculator before the contacts list.” He pressed the key as instructed, and finally found himself looking at a list of contacts.

“You really should take the time to learn how to use a cell phone.”

“You know what Einstein said when he was asked for his home phone number?”

“No.”

“He said, ‘Why should I bother memorizing something that I can look up?’”

Urachi noticed that The Index was staring at him in the rearview mirror. “You could just look up that anecdote, too.”

Urachi shrugged his shoulders, making sure it would be visible to her. “Well, that’s why I’m not Einstein.” Even he was privy to memorizing useless information.

The Index sighed. “You can start a call by pressing the biggest button in the middle.”

“Ah, I see. Thanks.”

With a smile, Urachi Masamune pressed a key on the cell phone.

✽

Kei pushed open the door, stepping into the hallway. Haruki Misora followed directly behind him. Their footsteps echoed on the dark gray floor.

“Kei…” Haruki spoke from beside him, looking up to his face. “Would it not be better to spend more time persuading them?”

Kei assumed she was talking about the other five in the room. “No need.” Kei smiled, trying not to seem too self-deprecating. “I know just a little bit about the future.” He had gotten just a small glimpse using Souma Sumire’s copied ability in the photograph.

But I only know that little bit. There was so much more that he didn’t know. He didn’t know if he could actually subvert Urachi Masamune’s plan, or what would ultimately become of Souma Sumire. He had desperately used almost all his resources to ensure that Souma could escape from Urachi first and foremost.

But despite that, there was one thing he was certain of.

The choice I presented them with was entirely fake. He had already known what they would do. It was terrible of him, really.

Kei put a hand on the white door at the end of the hallway. It was an emergency exit door leading to a staircase. There was a view outside to the sunny sky, but only through a set of iron bars that made the room feel like a cage. It was almost like there wasn’t really anything outside, just a sourceless, light blue strip.

Kei sat down on the emergency exit staircase, glancing up at Haruki. “I’m just running away. I got tired of pretending that I didn’t know what I knew, and ran away from them.”

Knowledge was exhausting. It didn’t matter how sincere he was, and it didn’t matter what he was saying, if he knew what the other person would say in response, he felt like a liar. The exhaustion made him appreciate once more just how strong Souma Sumire was. She had been persevering through future sight for such a long time.

Haruki sat down beside Kei. She then looked over, peering into his face with a smile. “I am glad.”

Her words came unexpectedly, but Kei found himself unsurprised. Haruki had been making a habit of saying all sorts of unexpected things lately. “What’re you glad about?”

“You always force yourself to bear through hardships. I am glad that you allowed yourself the opportunity to run away.”

Kei put his hands on the ground, arching out his chest. Glancing into the window offered a view of a tiny wisp of a cloud far, far away. It looked like no more than a fingernail scratch against the sky. “You know… deep down inside, I’ve always held a bit of pride in my ability.”

The ability to remember everything. The ability to never forget.

It wouldn’t make him stronger, and it didn’t help him run faster. In fact, to most outsiders, it would be rather boring, ultimately summing up to never having to take notes.

“I won’t forget. I won’t forget why I’m doing what I’m doing, and the goals I’ve set for myself. I won’t forget any of the actions or words from every single person I meet.”

Put it all together, and he had himself a pretty nice ability.

Of course, he would be the first to admit that Haruki’s Reset or Tomoki’s voice projection were much more beautiful. He had always thought that Souma’s future sight and Murase’s erasures were significantly more powerful.

But Asai Kei’s perfect recall really wasn’t too bad. The ability to never forget was pure, innocent, and wonderful in its own way.

“I always figured that if I could keep my objectives in mind, I could get through anything. That as long as I remembered my goal, I could go anywhere I needed to go.”

He could feel the presence of the girl beside him. But it was more than just a feeling. It was the reality of her existence, transmitted through her intermittent breaths and her trembling heartbeats.

“But then… for the first time… I found something that I wanted to forget.” With a repentance directed more towards his mother than God, he continued. “I couldn’t stop the thought that I wanted to forget about Souma Sumire, even for just a moment.”

Haruki didn’t embrace Kei, nor did she take his hand. He was staring off into the sky, so he couldn’t make out her expression, either.

As such, the only thing that reached Kei was her voice. It was slightly deep for a girl, perhaps even husky. But it was comforting, like the touch of linen.

“You would not forget.” Her voice wrapped around him like a hug. As if she had taken his hand. “Even if you did not have your ability, you would not forget Souma Sumire. Even if your ability allowed you to forget upon command, you still would not use it to forget Souma Sumire. Ability or no, you are Asai Kei, and I do not think you would choose to forget.”

She was probably right.

It wasn’t even a strength of his, really. It was more a weakness, that inability of Asai Kei to forget Souma Sumire.

“But it’s easier to just forget sometimes,” Kei countered. “Not to mention it’s more efficient and intelligent.”

Forgetting was like its own type of ability. It served many uses in life. It was a compassionate mercy granted to humans by God.

“Is it necessary to be efficient? Is being intelligent more important than anything else?”

Kei felt a shift in the atmosphere. He realized that Haruki was smiling. He could picture it so clearly in his head.

“You would not forget that which you know to be most important. You would always move forward, holding onto all your memories with great care.”

But what was the most important? He knew it had to be something. Something more important than efficiency or intelligence, located right in the center of his chest, just above his gut.

As for what it was, the simplest answer was… the heart. The intangible heart made of so many wills and emotions all tangled up together.

When it came down to it, humans were inseparable from their hearts. Every action was based on the heart at its core. In fact, the word itself was so broad as to be useless. It could mean so many things.

Kei knew that there had to be a more accurate expression. He wanted to find a more precise word to speak to what he was trying to say.

But he couldn’t find one. He knew almost every word in the dictionary, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

But after a long enough time, he had a different realization. Maybe I don’t need to put it into words. There was something in the middle of his chest that he couldn’t put into words. But even so, both Asai Kei and Haruki Misora believed in it. And that was okay. That was enough.

“Kei.” When Haruki called his name, Kei turned his attention from the blue sky to her. A faint smile was spread across her face, and her eyes glittered like jewels as she looked directly at him. “Let us do all we can to accumulate favorable memories. We should make every memory favorable, even down to the most trivial detail, so that your ability to never forget can itself become favorable.”

Ah… that’s it.

Abilities had nothing to do with it.

All anybody really wanted to do was increase good memories and decrease bad ones. That objective was a purpose for living in itself.

My ability just takes something normal and makes it into something more. That was all it did. It really was a nice ability. Something worth being a little proud of.

“Alright then, Haruki. Could you promise me something?”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. A promise is the epitome of a favorable memory.”

A promise could make him excited, give him something to look forward to, and just make him happy thinking about it. He could really give his all if he had something like that.

Haruki Misora smiled. “What kind of promise?”

“You’re fine with anything?”

“Yes. Whatever you would prefer.”

“Then, when this is all over, let’s make dinner together.”

The e-mails from Haruki Misora prior to Sakurada losing abilities had been stuck in his mind ever since he saw them.

We do not need to find a restaurant. We can make chicken curry in your room.

I apologize. Would you prefer to eat out instead?

The idea that those two messages could have been his final communication with Haruki saddened him to no end. It was a painful and frightening thought.

“We should cook together in my room, side-by-side. I’m not really much of a cook, but I can at least help with the more basic tasks. I can learn the more difficult stuff later on down the line, too.”

Even as the words left his mouth, his heart began to warm.

Did you know, Haruki? This, and this alone, is what everything was for. This is the message that Souma Sumire gave her life to communicate. Well, putting it that way was metaphorical. In a way, everything I say now, from the greatest of blessings to the smallest of formalities, is like direct communication from her.

But whether he said it in one word or a hundred words, it meant the same thing.

He was now enjoying the fruits of what Souma had given her life for. Something that he valued far more than anything else. She had been the one to deliver Asai Kei’s words to Haruki Misora. Her power was what allowed them to speak once more.

“Chicken curry would be a great start. Could you promise to make some with me?”

For a while, Haruki Misora stared blankly at him. Then she melted into a smile that was sweet as sugar. “I will. Most certainly.”

Nodding, Kei asked, “Should we use Danshaku potatoes, or May Queen?”

Either one was fine, as long as they used whatever came most naturally to her.

He couldn’t wait to try the style of chicken curry that Haruki Misora grew up with.