4 – August 9th (Wednesday) – Third time

Kei slipped out of bed on August 9th and stood in his kitchen eating lettuce and oiled sardines on toast, all for the third time. He had filled Sasano in on their reset during the previous night, so he would not be receiving a phone call from him.

At exactly 10 AM, a postal worker rang his doorbell. Kei received his package, the album of three photographs that a separate Witch in from a photo had arranged for him to receive, so that he could learn of her plans. Kei glanced at the 30-year-old photo of the Witch standing on the beach. Attached to it was a note saying, Come and see me as soon as you can. That meeting was no longer necessary. More than that, Kei had no desire to create someone that was destined to disappear within 10 minutes.

Flipping to the album’s next page, Kei stared at another photograph. A narrow riverside road where the sun and shadow created a breathtaking contrast. Tetrapod concrete structures took center stage. There she was, standing in the exact location that they had met two years ago. Her left hand was thrust outwards, and inside it was a small, black stone. One that looked exactly like the stone known as the MacGuffin.

How could such a photo exist? Sasano claimed to have taken it on impulse due to the beauty of the sunset. Kei doubted that Sasano was lying, but then what of the girl? Was it just a lucky coincidence that she also lay inside the photo?

It’s too good to be true, he thought to himself.

She just so happened to be in this specific photograph. The photograph just so happened to be taken by Sasano, a man with a special ability. Kei just so happened to discover this single photo, desire it, and obtain it. How many miracles needed to happen to justify that number of coincidences?

Kei couldn’t even bring himself to thank God for such a series of events. It all smelled of hidden intentions. Perhaps he managed to break through the initial future that the Witch had seen, but he couldn’t help feeling that he had stumbled right into someone else’s plans.

He closed the album, putting it away in a drawer for the time being. He was sure it would have a use when the time was right.

“Alrighty then,” he mumbled.

At 10:30, Kei left his apartment.

✽

The nameless woman was alone in her room, just as usual. Her hands were on her chest, and her eyes were closed. She was assessing her own future. But what she saw was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

The red-eyed girl didn’t appear in time. Her door remained firmly shut. The woman was alone in her room, just like always.

What’s happened? How could the future have changed? She was clueless. The woman moved forward in time. She found a variance taking place the next day. A hand suddenly appeared, coming out from her wall. The wall was erased, tracing the movements of the hand. She heard a surprised gasp coming not only from her future self, but her current self. Two girls and a boy walked in from the other side of the wall.

She knew one of the girls, namely Haruki Misora. She did not know the other girl with glasses and shoulder-length hair. More likely than not, she was the girl responsible for making an entrance out of her wall.

“This is a warning for a future best avoided.” The boy, Asai Kei, spoke, wielding a daring smile. “Regrettably, Oka Eri will not be visiting your room. I have procured an entirely separate method to enact your escape.”

The boy removed a number of items from his pants pocket. As it turned out, they were all small, square photographs. The first photo showed an unfamiliar sight. The two doors that were never open yawned directly into the hallway outside.

“Please continue to watch the future. Find one where you can successfully make it outside. I will await your call for visitation.” Before finishing, he spoke once more, his voice confidently resounding. “This future must be avoided. When the time comes that we can peacefully hand over these photographs, this future will no longer exist.”

The nameless woman opened her eyes. Her future dissipated, leaving her in the same empty, soundless room.

What had just happened? The future had never before changed so drastically without her direct involvement. There was only one thing she could understand.

Somehow, that boy is trying to protect my future alongside the red-eyed girl’s.

She reached out her hand towards the phone atop the nearby table.

✽

At 11 AM, Asai Kei found himself in front of an apartment building. It was by no means luxurious, but it was in a clean and comfortable environment, and looked like a nice place to live. Evidently, Oka Eri resided in the apartment with her mother.

The auto locking door opened, and a girl with red eyes peered outside. Kei had called her not long ago. When he said that he was waiting outside her house, she meekly came to the door.

“C’mon, this way,” she grumbled. She began walking away, and Kei moved in place beside her.

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere but here. I don’t wanna talk here.” Her pace quickened. “My mom’s home today, and you can see this road right outside our window. I don’t need her spying on me.”

Kei nodded. Her sensitivity towards such things felt so stereotypical of a third-year middle schooler. It was nice.

Oka Eri clicked her tongue. “So, how do you know where I live?”

“I asked Sasano-san.”

“Sasano?”

“You manipulated his memory so that he would send any extra photos to you, right here.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “So what are you, some kinda stalker?”

Kei smiled. “Well, you’re not far off.” Oka Eri was something of a wild card, so he wanted to be able to keep tabs on her over the next few days.

They both fell silent, and the silence gave way to more walking. They were far out of sight of her apartment, and they could’ve easily stopped, but they didn’t. Oka Eri moved loudly, her footsteps slapping the pavement, but Kei didn’t particularly mind. Her footsteps echoed like an urgent heartbeat, as if sustaining her will to move forward. They mingled with the intermittent sound of cicada cries as the pair continued along the hot asphalt.

Kei spoke up, keeping his voice down. “We reset. I know exactly what your plans are for tonight.”

Oka Eri continued staring straight ahead. “So what?”

“Your plan is going to fail. Your ability relies entirely on five seconds of eye contact. All I have to do is inform the building’s staff about it, and you’ll never be able to accomplish your goal.”

A traffic light up ahead turned red. Oka Eri’s footsteps stopped, along with the noise they made. She glared at the red light as a car rushed past them. “I figured you would reset.”

Kei glanced at her profile. She could almost be described as emotionless, but hurt was plainly inscribed across her facial expression.

“I figured you would do whatever you could to save me.”

Her voice was quiet. Oka Eri was beginning to look a lot like Fujikawa Eri. No, she’s always been Fujikawa Eri. Of course she has. They’re the same person, after all. She can’t escape herself.

She shook her head. “But I can’t accept that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too weak for my tastes. I’m not gonna become another weakness of yours.”

“What’s wrong with that?” It was his decision to protect her and make her a weak spot, and he was entirely okay with it.

“Everything’s wrong with it. You’re not supposed to be weak, Senpai.”

The light flicked back to green. Oka Eri continued walking, and Kei stayed one step behind her.

“When did you reset, Senpai?”

“Last night.”

“So it hasn’t even been 24 hours since you reset.”

“Mhm.”

Oka Eri’s gaze dropped down to her shoes. “See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re not supposed to come and see me yet. You’re supposed to have a save backed up, make a million extra precautions and backup plans, and just show up like you’re the king of the world, pissing me off in the process.”

Kei sighed. That process sounded like absolute overkill when he was just going to visit his kouhai. “Well, you’re right, I’m absolutely defenseless right now.”

“Yup.”

“But it’s not like I’m in any danger.”

Oka Eri stopped in place, raising her head. Kei stopped as well, looking right into her eyes. The cicada cries rang alone, no longer finding harmony with her footsteps.

“You’re not gonna do anything to me when I’m defenseless,” Kei stated.

Of course she wouldn’t. A meetup between a first-year high schooler and a third-year middle schooler wasn’t something to be afraid of. The world wasn’t that cruel.

Oka Eri met his gaze for some time. She glared at him, all the while looking ready to burst into tears. Kei didn’t allow his gaze to falter. She was just a girl in her third year of middle school, after all.

Suddenly, she turned her back on him. “That’s not fair, Senpai.” She began walking again, her head hung low. “I need to be able to beat you, Senpai. But no matter how much I want to fight, you won’t fight back.”

Well, of course, Kei thought. Fighting rarely took on an easy-to-understand form. Life wasn’t a video game where your enemies were monsters. More often than not, you couldn’t resolve your disputes based on who hit the hardest. Oka Eri would never be able to truly battle Fujikawa Eri. Her victory could not be found outside of herself, no matter how hard she looked.

They walked in silence together for some time. Oka Eri’s footsteps had softened. Kei remained one step behind her. Although she likely had no real destination when they began walking, no matter what direction they went, they had to end up somewhere.

That somewhere turned out to be the river. If they followed it further down, they would reach a familiar set of tetrapods. From where they were, they had a view of the sea and a white lighthouse. The road alongside the river was well-maintained, with several benches placed down its path. Oka Eri selected a bench and sat down with a sigh. Kei took a seat next to her.

The two watched the river without exchanging a single word. The water rippled and swayed in time with the wind, and the light reflected and shone across its surface in beautiful patterns.

Eventually, Oka Eri spoke up. “I’ve got an idea, Senpai. You should just go back to being the Senpai I knew from two years ago. Then we can finally fight. I wouldn’t mind losing against the strong Senpai.”

Perhaps she had convinced herself that would finally salvage her goals. It would put her at ease, fully convince her of the existence of the strength she desired, and maybe for just a fleeting moment help her forget about the person who was Fujikawa Eri. But it had been a long two years.

“I’m not sure if I should take you up on that.”

Oka Eri laughed. “Ha! Of course not. The Senpai I knew would never change his mind just because I told him to.”

Kei smiled. “Well, nothing for it, I suppose.” Even Oka Eri couldn’t delude herself forever.

“I really gave it my all these last two years, you know. I tried every trick in the book. I shut away all the weakness that I could feel inside. I believed in myself, even when there was nothing to stake that belief in. I did my very best, just like you told me to.”

“Mhm.”

“I changed the way I talk, and I bought colored contacts, all so I could turn into Oka Eri… At first, I thought that buying colored contacts would make me see the world in a different color. I thought maybe I could see things in a new light.”

She looked upset, and once more it seemed like she was going to cry. Finally, Kei understood why she had that look. “Did you see things in a new light?”

“Nope. Not in the slightest.” She shook her head. “Colored contacts aren’t colored in the area where your pupil is. It’s like a donut, the center is empty. It doesn’t look red at all.”

“How about putting on sunglasses?”

“Ew, no. Besides, I’ve kinda gotten attached to these contacts. When I look in the mirror, it’s like I can see a different person.”

Personally, Kei had to disagree. He thought she should stop wearing them. When she looked sad or upset, the redness made it look like she had been crying. No matter what she said, the girl with red eyes just ended up looking lonely.

Of course, Kei had enough tact not to let those thoughts slip out. “If you like them, then that’s all that matters. They look good on you.” It was probably just his imagination that she looked so ready to cry. It would be best not to push his personal fancy onto others.

“Yeah. All I need is to like them. Kekeke,” she cackled. It sounded so forced and exaggerated. “Just you wait, Senpai. Before long, I’ll find a way to beat you, and I’ll look good doing it.”

Kei nodded. “Alrighty then. I’ll be waiting.”

“You’re not supposed to wait for it. You should be frightened.”

“Gotcha. I’ll see what I can do.” As a last ditch effort, he called out, “So hey, wanna go see that movie after all?”

“Absolutely not,” came her reply.

Taking their leave, the two parted ways under the deep blue summer sky.

Just as he put his hand down from waving her farewell, Kei’s cell phone rang. The display showed him it was from Tsushima. With that alone, Kei was fairly confident in what he would be hearing. He answered the call, putting the phone to his ear.

“There’s someone who wants to meet you.” Tsushima said. No doubt the Witch was summoning him.

“When?”

“Today. A representative of the Bureau will be picking you up at 4 PM.”

Finally, everything was going to plan.

✽

By the time Asai Kei finally returned home, the hands on his wall clock told him it was 1:30 PM. He took a quick shower and changed into his school uniform. He then slipped the several photos of the hallways inside the Witch’s building inside his pants pocket. The topmost picture showed the two doors into her room standing wide open.

The thought of getting caught by one of the suits was at least a little unnerving, but on second thought, he realized that the Witch would know if that was in the future as well. Surely she would have paid enough attention to prevent such an outcome. At exactly 4:00 PM, his doorbell rang. A large man in a black suit stood at his door.

“I am from the Administration Bureau. Please come with me.”

Kei followed behind him, keeping the conversation they had in the initial timeline in mind. He was put into a black sedan and driven 15 minutes out of town in the southeast. They had the exact same back and forth as had occurred before their reset, but this time, Kei was no longer accompanied by Haruki Misora, and of course the date and time were different. It had been the morning of August 10th on his first visit, so he was about 17 hours early.

The sedan parked in front of a small, old building. Kei exited the car, making sure to get an eyeful of the building. They entered, continued down the hallway, through the elevator, and towards the Witch’s room, all with no pat-down. Kei was nervous, but made sure to replicate his movements from the initial timeline. He watched the man’s hand as he locked and unlocked the doors. Locked by his right hand, unlocked by his left. He inwardly noted his “new” realization.

They reached the final door, and the man touched the doorknob with his left hand. The door soundlessly opened. Innumerable bookshelves lined the wall. The Witch sat back deeply in her chair. Her face carried no expression. She was almost an entirely different person from the woman he met in the photo from some 30 years ago. Each of those 30 years had carried a heavy toll.

The door closed from behind Kei. The nameless woman slowly looked up at Kei, a smile forcing its way onto her face over time. It was a beautiful smile, if only an imitation of one.

“It’s been so long. Unless, of course, you’d prefer I start with, ‘It’s nice to meet you’?”

She began with the same line that she had used in the initial timeline. That conversation was now meaningless. All that mattered for this visit was managing to hand off the pictures he held in his pocket. As if acting his role in a play, Kei recited his line back. “Would it be too much for me to ask your name?”

“I must apologize. I don’t have one of those.”

“In that case, I’m not quite sure what to call you.”

“That’s understandable. However, I need no name in order to fulfill my purpose. But if you must, then you can call me a Witch.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kei took a look around the room, noticing a door on the back wall. The woman explained that the door went to her bedroom, then described the other facets of her living space. Everything moved in the same order as it had in the initial timeline.

Then, with the same smile still stuck on her face, the Witch said, “Now, come a little closer.”

Kei moved closer. One step. Then another. He got one step closer than he had in the original timeline, to the point that their bodies were almost touching.

“Bend down just a bit.” The Witch reached out with her right hand and touched Kei’s cheek… which perfectly blocked the view of the camera installed on the ceiling. With her left hand, the Witch reached into Kei’s pocket, pulling out the photographs. She then moved her left hand around Kei’s neck, and on the way up, the photos slipped into her sleeve. Just like that, they had accomplished the purpose of the visit. The Witch now had her escape route.

The Witch opened her eyes, took her hands off Kei, and looked into his face. “I’ve waited so long to meet you, Asai Kei. I’ve owed you an apology for quite some time now.”

It was the same line she had fed him in the previous timeline, the only difference being Kei fully understood her apology this time around. By using Kei, his friends, and most significantly Oka Eri, she had attempted to flee this room. All things considered, she did not choose the right way to go about accomplishing her goal. The sacrifice of a girl’s future could not be considered justifiable under any circumstances.

But in that case, who was truly in the wrong? Oka Eri? The Witch and Sasano? The Bureau?

Oka Eri certainly acted the most selfishly, but how many of her actions were due to her prior victimhood?

The Witch and Sasano considered sacrifices to accomplish their own dreams, but was it so wrong for them to want just a single week together before the end?

The Bureau had locked the Witch away for decades, but how could they be asked to ignore the most powerful ability in Sakurada when it came to protecting an entire town?

Kei didn’t know who to label as a victim and who to label as a perpetrator. But perhaps those labels could be put aside for the moment. Maybe all I need to do is keep dreaming of a future that’s brighter and happier for everyone.

Suddenly, he realized that the Witch had asked him a question.

“Do you think you could fall in love with a stone?”

It was an entirely unexpected turn of events. The Witch hadn’t asked him that sort of question in the original timeline. But after giving it some thought, Kei shook his head. “No. I highly doubt that.” He simply couldn’t imagine a situation where that would be possible.

“Well, I suppose that’s only normal. Humans don’t tend to fall in love with stones.” The Witch was still smiling. It was the same lovely smile as always, but Kei couldn’t gauge any meaning or emotion from it. It was so beautiful, yet so hollow. “Take a moment and think of someone that you are attracted to. Do you like her hands?

Things were getting a little embarrassing, but Kei nodded regardless. “Yes, I do.”

The Witch nodded back. “Then, let’s pretend she lost her hands. Would you still be in love with her?”

Kei smiled. “That’s a little dark.”

“I agree. It is a somewhat gruesome premise. Your answer?”

With no other recourse, Kei answered, “Losing her hands wouldn’t change anything.”

“Then we’ll remove her legs, too. Would you be in love with her if she had no legs?”

Kei was beginning to connect the dots between these questions and his possible love for a stone. He nodded. “Of course I would.”

“Then we’ll go after her face. Say her eyes were gouged out, her ears were cut off, her nose crushed in, and her mouth sewn shut.”

“That still doesn’t change my answer.”

“But at that point she could no longer talk to you, or hear you talk to her. Wouldn’t that be a problem?”

“I’ll admit, that would be incredibly unfortunate.”

“But you’re okay with it?”

“I wouldn’t say okay, but that would be no reason to stop liking her.”

The Witch nodded, continuing, “Let’s presume, then, that we turn her body into a stone, preserving only her thoughts. She would just be a small, minute stone. She can’t talk, and she can’t move. The only thing the cold little pebble can do is think. Do you think that you could fall in love with that stone?”

The answer was clear. “Yes. I very well could.”

“But what difference is there between a stone that thinks and any other stone that lies out upon the road?”

“There is no difference. Maybe other stones do think as far as we know. At the very least, if there is a difference, I can’t tell you what it is.” Kei slowly shook his head. “I suppose I must admit that my first answer was wrong. I can in fact fall in love with a stone.”

The Witch stared intently at Kei. At some point, all expression had drained from her face. “What could possibly attract you to a stone?”

“Well, that would be my past with it. The memories we share.” Assuming she had truly turned into that stone, then even in that state, he could look at it and smile while remembering what they had been through together.

The Witch spoke up. Her face remained expressionless. “I fear I am the same as you. Perhaps the one that I love is nothing more than a stone.” Just a stone. Something that carried no innate value. Humans probably couldn’t fall in love with one even if they tried.

“Do you think that’s sad?” Kei asked.

“Yes. It is incredibly saddening,” she answered. “I am unsure if I am truly capable of love. Perhaps the love I feel is nothing more than an illusion driven by my desire for feeling.”

The Witch. The nameless woman. One who for the longest time was only part of a system, a woman cut off from human contact for decades. She had no doubt lost many things. Her facial expressions were only the tip of the iceberg, and she couldn’t even manage to fake those.

She spoke with a vacant, sad face. “It feels as though I have lost everything but for my past. My fear is that my love is only for that past alone. I think that would be incredibly sad.”

If you loved someone that turned into a stone, that meant you only loved the past. Your continual love could only remain in memories. In a sense, Kei thought it to be beautiful. It was pure, lovely, and true. But he couldn’t deny the vacuum of cruelty and despair that it would inherently bring.

After all, memories only existed inside of a person. The more you looked in there, the less you could look out into reality. They were like the very room he stood in. A constantly empty room with a door that never opened, built for one solitary individual. It was wrong for her memories to be her only companions. She needed someone who could stand beside her, speaking into her with the purpose to free her from the isolation that bound her.

The Witch spoke. “All that I desire is to be confident that I can love another person.”

She wanted to leave, and be reunited with Sasano. Not a stone, not a memory in her head, but a real person. Perhaps then she could be assured that her love was real.

The Witch reached out her hand towards Kei. She touched his chest, closing her eyes. She remained in that position for quite some time. What future could she have been seeing? Kei couldn’t stop the fountain of curiosity welling up inside him. The things that were to come were important not only for him, but Oka Eri, Murase Youka, and Haruki Misora. But he couldn’t ask that in the present moment. Instead, Kei kept his attention on the Witch as her eyes remained closed.

The Witch’s eyes eventually fluttered open. “I would love to keep viewing your future, but it would appear we are nearly out of time. Do you have any last questions for me?”

Numerous questions roiled in Kei’s head, but he ultimately opted to stick with the script. “Why are you a Witch?”

The Witch responded with the same answer as before. But there was one particular difference. Her face never managed to recover an expression. “Once, a long time ago, I heard a story about a magical witch who flew through the air, knocking on the window of the one she loved. I couldn’t help but admire her.”

Kei hoped that her one small wish could finally come true. Maybe she really could find the one she loved, and knock on his window, after all these years.

“With that, I must bid you goodbye.”

The man in the black suit opened the door behind Kei.

Leaving the building, Kei pulled out his phone to check the time, only to realize he had an unread notification. Haruki had sent him an e-mail.

Could you take a moment to meet with me? was all it read. Incredibly simple, as usual.

✽

Haruki Misora had been feeling unwell all day. It wasn’t as though she was in poor health. Instead, she felt as though she were in a poor mental state. It was something close to anxiety, and yet felt markedly different. Whatever it was, it had been manifesting as some sort of resistance coming from the inside of her chest.

She had been suffering from it ever since the previous night. She ended up going to bed late but still waking up quite early. Her eyes felt heavy, yet she couldn’t manage to get back to sleep, either. She ate breakfast, worked on homework, and went shopping at her mother’s request, but felt somewhat out of it the whole time. She even realized that she forgot to buy spinach after leaving the supermarket, and had to go back to get some.

After getting home, she spent some two hours just sitting alone in her room, spacing out. Her eyes were drawn to the center of her room, the very place where Asai Kei had been standing the previous day.

At 5 PM, Haruki sent an e-mail to Kei.

Could you take a moment to meet with me?

It was concise, almost to the point of being curt, but she didn’t know how else to put it. About ten minutes later, she received a call from him.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. His voice was calm, like it always was.

“I do not know,” was all she could answer. No matter how much she thought about it, she simply didn’t understand what was going on.

After a short pause, Kei continued, “I have to take care of something soon.”

“I understand.” If he wasn’t available, then it was out of her hands. She didn’t have an explanation that justified him putting everything aside to come and visit her.

“I’m really sorry, but I’m short on time. Are you home at the moment?”

“I am.”

“Could you leave right now?”

“Yes.”

“Then we can meet up in fifteen minutes. Head over to–” He specified a bus stop not far from Haruki’s house.

“Understood.”

Following Haruki’s reply, Kei hung up with a short farewell.

What exactly is my problem?

Haruki tried thinking about it, but no matter what she considered, she just didn’t know.

Ten minutes later, Haruki was at the bus stop. Not long after her arrival, a green bus drove by, and Kei disembarked. He was the only passenger to get off.

“Sorry for making you wait,” he said with a faint smile.

Haruki shook her head and politely declined his apology.

Kei walked over to the bus stop’s bench and sat down. Haruki took her place beside him.

“I just went to see the Witch.”

“Were you able to hand off the photographs?”

“Mhm. It actually went really well.” Kei checked the time on his cell phone. “The next bus will come by in 15 minutes. I need to take it, if at all possible.”

“Where will you be headed?”

“Sasano-san’s house. I might be able to see what it’s like when he reunites with the Witch.”

“May I come with you?”

He shook his head. “Definitely not. The less people involved with the Witch, the better.”

Haruki knew that very well. She looked at Kei’s profile. He was sitting with his chin in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze was pointed at some random location in the distance.

“Despite that, you will go out to meet with her?”

“Getting any use out of her ability would be worth the risk, but not when we add on the extra factors of bringing another person.”

Haruki nodded. His explanation served as a sufficient rationalization, but in all honesty she was not very comfortable with the whole situation surrounding the Witch. She could now escape the building entirely of her own accord. With her future sight, it was unlikely that she could ever be caught. But as soon as the Bureau knew that she was gone, Kei would be suspect number one.

Haruki thought it was incredibly dangerous, and there was no chance that Kei didn’t also understand that risk. But if Kei knew all of that, and had made his decision anyway, then Haruki was in no place to question it. At least, that was her usual train of thought. This time, though, she felt more of that inexplicable feeling coursing through her in response.

Why did it feel so wrong?

Undoubtedly, Kei’s plan would succeed. With Kei in charge, there was no chance of failure. Everything that had occurred thus far was entirely due to his careful planning, and it was certain that everything else would continue to go his way.

But even so.

“Why is it so important that you save this Witch?” she asked.

“Well, it’s not like I’m the one personally saving her. Sasano-san’s photos are getting her out, and we only got those because of you and Murase-san.”

“Yet despite all that, you carry the greatest risk.”

Kei’s expression remained fixed as he answered, “You think so? I mean, I guess I’ll be the first person that the Bureau suspects.”

Kei was in this situation because he wanted to be. He could have sacrificed the Witch and saved Oka Eri, or used Oka Eri’s sacrifice to save the Witch. But instead, he decided to absorb all the risk, just for the chance to save them both.

“I don’t think it’ll be all that bad. I’m sure we could talk it out calmly and work things out.” Kei smiled. He sounded carefree and jovial. In a sense, that wasn’t at all unusual. He would consider all outcomes, playing his cards calmly and coolly. He could easily take care of anything coming his way.

His eyes dropped down as he continued, “You and Murase-san helped create the photos, and I don’t think I’ll be able to cover that up. Trying to do so would probably just be digging a deeper hole for us. It just depends on what they try to do. I need to make sure the Witch tells me what’s coming ahead.”

Evidently, that was what concerned him most.

“Is there anything that I can do?” Haruki asked.

Kei shook his head. “Not right now, as far as I know. I’ll make sure to ask if anything comes up.” He looked over, smiling. “Ah, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Haruki was sure of that as well. But it still felt so wrong. She didn’t understand what was going on inside of her. She trusted Asai Kei with every fiber of her being, but there was a part of her somewhere that felt gross and upset.

She had never been good at putting her feelings into words, but she wanted to try it anyway. Even if it didn’t matter in the end.

There was something that Haruki Misora needed to tell Asai Kei.

“I have always believed that you follow the right path.” She believed it even now, and would continue to do so for all eternity. “For that reason, I will always follow behind you.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Kei nodded. “Well, that’s probably true.”

Haruki asked her question, choosing her words carefully. “Do you think that I am making a mistake, Kei?”

As she finally tried putting it into words, the realization came.

That must be where this resistance is coming from. Every time that I blindly affirm him, each time I follow him without question, it puts more responsibility on his shoulders. He could have dealt with so much less if I had decided to take action on my own. If I could answer for my own actions, and walk with him out of my own volition, he wouldn’t have to worry about involving me.

She finally understood. I feel bad because of how much of a burden I am to him.

Asai Kei smiled. She realized for the first time how forced it was.

“If you asked me that two years ago, I’d just brush right past it. I’d tell you that believing in me was all that mattered.”

“But you would say something different now?”

He was silent for a long time, staring blankly into the sky. There was a single small cloud in the distance. It was pure white, remaining in one place like an anchor. She felt that he was probably watching that cloud.

When he finally answered, his voice was small. “Sorry. I can’t answer that.”

Why wouldn’t he answer her? She couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was thinking, or what he wanted at that moment. She just didn’t know.

Haruki Misora believed in Asai Kei. But she didn’t understand who he truly was deep down inside. Could she really believe in someone that she didn’t understand? Was that a logical contradiction? Did she need to find a better reason to believe in him?

…Or perhaps, did she need to doubt Asai Kei?

She felt sick to her stomach. She didn’t even want to consider such things. And yet, she felt that no matter what, she needed to consider it.

Haruki Misora desperately searched for words. She needed to tell him.

But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find them. Right when it was most important, she couldn’t find what she was looking for.

“Haruki,” he said.

It always made her so happy to hear him call her name.

She strained her ears, making sure she would hear what he said next.

But he didn’t say anything. If he won’t speak, then he must not have anything to tell me, she thought. No matter how her mind churned, all that was left was for Haruki Misora to believe in Asai Kei.

The two sat side by side, in complete silence.

Before long, the next bus arrived, and Kei stood from his seat.

✽

It was just around 8 PM.

Kei was standing alone under a streetlight in the outskirts of Sakurada, some 30 yards away from Sasano’s house. There were a few insects buzzing around the bulb of the streetlight. Kei counted three in total as he blankly watched their erratic movements. He had already been standing there for some two hours. No matter how long it took, he would continue to wait there until he could meet the Witch. Due to the great many clouds in the sky, he couldn’t even see the moon that night.

He had always liked the night. He liked how objects would melt into the darkness, losing their outlines and becoming vague shapes. Sometimes he felt like he wanted to be swallowed up in a darkness so deep that he couldn’t even see his own outline. Would that bring him anxiety or peace, he wondered.

Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking things like that, Kei thought to himself, smiling. He knew that it was wrong to want to forget his own outline. Most definitely.

Before long, his thoughts trailed back towards Haruki Misora.

He had been waiting for the Witch for over two hours. That was precious more time that he could have spent with her. Something was happening inside of her, and she was hurting because of it. What if he had been capable of forgetting his own outline at that moment? Could he have said something meaningful to her? He didn’t know, and it wasn’t worth torturing himself with the possibility.

It seemed to Kei that everyone was trapped somehow. Oka Eri was trapped by her own self, the girl known as Fujikawa Eri. Sasano Hiroyuki’s ability trapped him in the past. The Witch was physically trapped inside her building. Due to her mental state and her ability, she was forever trapped within the future of Sakurada by the Bureau. Even assuming a successful escape from the building, she wouldn’t be able to run away from everything that happened to her.

Granted, her situation was rather extreme. But even that aside, Kei couldn’t help but notice how trapped everyone was.

Four years ago, the Witch had prophetically claimed, Sakurada will grab hold of you, and not let go. She had been right. Abilities, the town and its happenings, and memories. Kei was deeply ensnared.

Haruki’s captor was likely Kei himself. If Asai Kei were to disappear from the picture, could she be free? Even the possibility made the experiment tempting. But Kei didn’t want that future.

I’m so selfish. Kei was always so prone to indulgence when it came to her. Even now, he wasn’t sure if that was something he could consider as right.

After a few more moments of staring into the moonless night sky, the sound of a car engine approached. As the pair of headlights came closer, it turned out to be a black taxi. A short distance away, the taxi stopped, the back door opened, and the Witch stepped out. She began to walk towards Kei slowly, with frail steps. The taxi made a u-turn, going back in the direction it came.

The Witch stopped in front of Kei, before saying, “Good evening.”

“Good evening. Did you run into any issues?”

“Not at all. The most difficult task was getting the taxi to stop.”

With a nod, Kei asked, “What are your plans now? Do you know where you will go next?”

“I will leave Sakurada, and forget my ability.”

One short week. The only time that she could be a regular woman rather than part of a system. Then, once that week passed, she would die.

Kei thought back to the Witch he met on the beach from 30 years ago. Granted, she was not the real Witch. She was a recreation, a fabricated past brought to life by Sasano’s ability. A shockingly similar doppelganger.

That woman wore a terribly sad smile. She had disappeared looking entirely ready to burst into tears. It was a terribly unhappy ending. It wasn’t something worth recreating.

“I hope that you can find happiness in your future.” A true wish from the depths of his heart.

“Thank you.” The Witch smiled. It was fabricated, like it always was. “I think things will go well. All thanks to you.”

Hopefully her repertoire of expressions would grow. Although it was beautiful, he didn’t wish for her to only use expressions as a replica of real feeling. He wanted more for her, and yet even more. As she reunited with the one she loved, as she considered the reality of the death before her, perhaps her expressions could grow to become complex yet natural showings of her grief.

It was a strange thing that Kei would wish for someone else to feel grief. He had always wanted every sad thing to be extinguished from the world. But he still found it unbearable that she could not appreciate the sadness that was before her.

Once she realized sadness and accepted it, then he wished for her to truly discover her happiness.

“Do you wish for me to tell you about your future?” she asked.

Kei nodded.

“Even if it will bring you suffering?”

Kei nodded once more. “Please.”

It was a moonless night. Kei could hear the insects sounding throughout the thick, humid air.

Over the next few minutes, the Witch spoke to Asai Kei about his future.

✽

The Witch, that is, the nameless woman, only spent a few minutes speaking to Asai Kei about his future. There would have been no point in lengthening it further.

After a short pause, Asai Kei put on a smile that held many emotions. “Thank you very much.”

Then, the two said their farewells.

The nameless woman turned her back on the boy, walking away. Each step brought her closer to being called by her name once more. Closer to becoming a human again. Closer to discovering if she could truly love another.

The night was incredibly dark.

Sasano Hiroyuki’s house was only about 30 yards away, but it was quite a long walk for her. She was nervous. Incredibly, stupendously so. What would she feel when she was called by her name again? What would seeing his face do to her? She didn’t know. She almost wished that the road would continue on forever. She was scared of finally learning the answers to her questions. And yet her feet carried her onward. Before she knew it, she was in front of Sasano’s house.

Pain began rising from the depths of her chest. Was it a sign of her impending death, or simple nerves? She didn’t know. It didn’t really matter, either.

The wind blew, the clouds parted, and the long, thin moon finally made its appearance. Its light shone on an old sakura tree in the garden. Suddenly, she remembered. Oh, this was where I heard the story of the witch who reunited with her beloved.

On that spring day 50 years ago, as he stumbled over the story he was telling her, she felt from the depths of her heart that she truly loved him.

Passing under the sakura tree, she approached the only window that let in light. She softly closed her eyes, but she did not need to touch her chest. She was past the point of requiring her future sight.

At that moment, the glass of the window reflected a smile. A most natural smile. But the woman never saw it, nor did she need to.

I still love him the same that I used to. I have always been looking forward to our reunion.

Her eyes opening confidently, and her chest heaving, she managed to pull up her hand.

She knocked on the window to his room.

✽

It happened some 50 years ago.

A 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl stood underneath a sakura tree.

“The witch, riding on her broomstick, knocked on the window of the one she loved,” the boy said.

“What happened after that?” the girl asked.

“The one she loved quickly came to the window, and…” The boy had no idea what came next. He had been making it up as he went along, just for the girl, and didn’t have the slightest clue how to tie it all together into an ending.

All he knew was that their promise of reunion would be fulfilled, and they would have a happy ending.

With that in mind, he spoke.

“And the two of them found happiness together.”

End of Chapter 3