6 – The same day, ~8:45 PM

Kei walked down the dimly lit road on his way to the lighthouse off the coast.

Perhaps it was due to the bright summer sun acting as contrast, but the nights felt much darker to him this time of year. He passed a row of vending machines, and his way forward was only dimly illuminated by rows of weak streetlights. The humid air stuck to his skin and his clothes as he slowly moved down the sidewalk. A white car passed him, the sound of the engine being swallowed up just as quickly as the light it gave off. The night was quiet as well as dark.

A small slice of the moon was rising in the eastern sky. It had slowly been waning towards the new moon over the past days. Nearly every night, Kei had to wonder how a rocky lump could manage to shine so beautifully.

He tapped away at the MacGuffin in his pocket with one of his fingernails. Perhaps it could have been fun to tap in some form of signal pattern, but instead he was meaninglessly poking away. The sound echoed and disappeared, appreciated by no one.

The lighthouse he was headed to hadn’t functioned in nearly 40 years. Without the flame to illuminate it, it looked like some sort of pitch-black monster, but as Kei got closer its white color became more obvious. There was a large door leading into the lighthouse, but it was locked and wouldn’t budge. Kei knocked on the door lightly before heading towards the stairs on his left. An iron staircase curved around the outside of the lighthouse, blocked with a black rope and a yellow, “No Trespassing” sign. One step was all it took to trespass over it.

The iron stairs loudly clanked as he stepped up them. He passed over a first landing and continued up for what felt like an eternity. As he made it up to the second landing, he looked out over the beautiful ocean view, noticing the lack of waves. The calm, dark sea looked like the surface of a new moon. He wondered if the dark side of the moon carried similar features. The sight sent a chill up his spine, despite the warm summer night.

Kei continued climbing the stairs silently. Reaching the top, the stairs gave way to a walkway that wove around the lighthouse. An iron lattice door stood between the stairs and the walkway, but it was a well-known fact to Nanasaka Junior High students that the lock on that door had broken long ago. Currently, the door stood wide open. Kei climbed the last step onto the moonlit upper floor.

He saw a choker, ripped jeans, and red contact lenses. Standing bathed in the moonlight was Oka Eri. Her hands were jammed in her pockets, and her chest was puffed out.

“Heya, Senpai. It’s been a minute.”

Kei walked towards her. “It has been a while, Kouhai.”

Oka Eri pulled her left hand out of her pocket and checked her watch. “You’re early. Quite impatient of you.”

“Five minutes early is on time. Didn’t they teach you that in elementary school?”

“Hmm, can’t say I remember.”

“Really? Guess they’ve changed the curriculum since I went.”

“Dunno. Not like that matters.” She turned away from Kei, leaning into the railing surrounding the walkway. “Like I said before, you can see this lighthouse from the middle school’s library. There was a time where I always wanted to come over here. I actually forgot about it until just a while ago.”

To her right was the ocean, and to her left was the town of Sakurada. There was a clear view of the middle school, and you could even make out the library window if you were really looking for it.

“Now that you’re finally here, how does it feel?” Kei asked.

She shrugged. “I dunno. It’s whatever.” She frowned slightly. “This is dumb. I didn’t call you here to talk about this stuff. I had a bunch of things I was gonna say to you, but now that it’s time, the words just won’t come out.”

Kei nodded. “Well, that’s just how conversations are sometimes.” It was hard to find the right words. The more important the subject, the harder it was to fit it into conversation. But what they needed the most right now was to exchange words. They needed to find the right things to say, and work through it all one thing at a time.

Oka Eri spoke back up. “You were my hero, Senpai.” Her eyes were downcast, much like a girl who was once known as Fujikawa Eri. “You saved me back then. No matter how much of a villain you acted like, you were a hero to me.”

She was so quiet. Her voice was distant, like a long-faded memory. “I always believed that you stood for what was right. I believed it then, and I believe it now. The Senpai that I first met two years ago was always right, more so than anyone else I’ve ever met.”

Most people would love to be affirmed for their past actions. But this…

“But I believe that I was wrong.”

“Yeah. I know you do.” Oka Eri nodded, her head still hung low. “I worked so hard for so long to become a hero, just like the person I admired most. And then, out of nowhere, the hero that stood above all others started backpedaling. I was giving my all, showing off all my moves, and he apologized to me for fighting him. He said he was sorry for bringing me pain.” She lifted her head to look at Kei. “Betrayal doesn’t even begin to define it. Not even the worst of villains is supposed to do that. How merciless do you have to be to do that?”

She was completely right.

“I’m sorry. But…” There’s no taking back what happened two years ago. “But I really messed up back then.” When you realize that you messed up, you make it right. All Kei could do now was make everything right one by one, and try not to mess up any more along the way. “I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of the girl known as Fujikawa Eri. I should have helped her find happiness in who she was.”

Oka Eri shook her head. “But I don’t want that. I’m better off as Oka Eri.”

“Fine then, you could still have become Oka Eri in the end. But there had to have been a better way, one that didn’t force you to shoulder all the responsibility yourself.”

A first-year middle schooler had been put in front of a button that said, “Make your parents divorce.” Nobody should be put in that kind of position. That should’ve been obvious to anyone, and yet the Kei from two years ago had somehow failed to understand that.

“You’re wrong! Taking responsibility is part of being strong. Only weak people run away from stuff like that. I’m strong. I can take all the blame myself.” She continued, practically screaming, “I’m getting stronger every day. I’m making sure I don’t get uppity, I keep a good sense of humor, and I brush off all my worries. I’m becoming a bold and strong villain.”

Two years.

She had two whole years to walk the path that had been defined for her. Asai Kei had distorted her into an entirely separate person. Perhaps Fujikawa Eri had chosen to throw off her old mantle of her own accord, but Asai Kei was the one who constructed the finish line that she was running after so eagerly.

“It doesn’t matter if it makes me a bad person. Only the strong can understand the strong. It doesn’t matter what everybody else thinks. You said that, didn’t you? Stop trying to pretend like you didn’t!”

Kei knew what was going on. Every time I reject the way I used to be, to her it’s the same thing as rejecting Oka Eri. It’s as if I’m spitting on all the work she put into casting aside the weak Fujikawa Eri.

Oka Eri stood under the waning moon, pasting a smile onto a face that looked ready to cry. “If that’s how you’re gonna be, then I really do hate you, Senpai.”

That’s perfectly fair. You’re the victim here. Kei knew he was being selfish, but he couldn’t keep himself from saying what he said next. “All that I want for you now is to accept Fujikawa Eri for who she is.”

Oka Eri’s response was subdued, with surges of strong emotion clearly held underneath. “I told you to stop calling me that.”

Kei smiled, knowing that it wouldn’t reach his eyes. “I understand. That’s okay, then.”

Oka Eri grimaced. “What? That’s it? I figured you’d try to start preaching to me again like the hypocrite you are.”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t wanna do that.” As much as Kei wanted to show her how he felt, it wouldn’t matter if she wasn’t willing to listen. It would just sound like he was reciting textbook passages on ethics to her. That wasn’t what a conversation was supposed to be. Unless they could get on each other’s level, then they’d never get anything across.

“Hey. What if we went out to go see a movie?”

It was completely out of left field, and he knew it. Oka Eri stumbled over her words a few times, before finally knitting her eyebrows together and spitting out, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Let’s go watch a movie, then grab some dinner together.”

“And why would we do that, exactly?”

“Ah, no reason. But it’s summer vacation, so we might as well.” All he wanted was a way to talk more with her.

Maybe they could get some fast food after the movie while they talk about their thoughts on what they watched. They could get in a little spat over what drink goes best with a hamburger and worry about whether or not to get ice cream for dessert. Little things like that would be a great start. Maybe, after dropping her off at home, they could each say, “See you next time!”

If Oka Eri really wanted to do away with the Fujikawa Eri name, then that was fine. But villainy and special abilities weren’t the way to get there. She should change slowly, quietly, one day at a time.

Oka Eri shook her head vigorously. “Don’t try to toy with me, Senpai.”

“I’m not. I’m being serious here. What if we just called each other every day?”

“Girls don’t like guys that don’t know when to give up.”

“You may be right, but you already hate me enough as it is, so I’m gonna keep it up.” He doubted things could get much worse than her telling him she hated him every time they met. “Actually, since tomorrow’s Wednesday, we’re in luck. They have a special discount for girls at the movie theater every Wednesday. Oh, but, I’ll be paying for the tickets and the meal, of course. A senpai’s duty and all that. What do you think?”

Oka Eri frowned. “I think I hate that idea.”

“I see.” He wasn’t expecting her to accept it in the first place, but he couldn’t stop himself from proposing the idea. He just didn’t know what else to do.

Shrugging her shoulders, Oka Eri continued, “This is dumb. I didn’t come here to talk about that kind of stupid crap. Let’s get down to business already, Senpai.”

“Business?”

“I’m gonna take you down, Senpai. I’ll prove once and for all just how weak you are.”

Hearing such clichéd lines from a third-year middle schooler was almost laughable. Of course, Kei had no intention of laughing in her face. He knew how serious this was for her. This was about her core identity. If she couldn’t beat him and prove the Kei from two years ago to be stronger, then everything she had worked for to become Oka Eri would have been pointless. And without Oka Eri, all she would have left is Fujikawa Eri.

Kei sighed deep within himself. It was time to focus on his goal. He wanted to do as much as he could to facilitate conversation with Oka Eri, but that was secondary. Now, he needed to work towards his initial purpose.

Oka Eri spoke back up. “Now I’m going to make a splendid show of stealing the MacGuffin from you.”

Kei pulled out the black stone in his pocket. Although it carried the magnificent title of MacGuffin, it was just a small, black pebble. “You mean this?”

“Exactly that.”

“Here you go.” He tossed the stone at Oka Eri.

She caught it, looked at it in confusion, then glared at him. “What are you trying to pull? This is obviously a fake.”

“No, it’s the real thing.”

“As if! You wouldn’t just hand the MacGuffin over like that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I might misuse it.”

“The MacGuffin doesn’t have any special power.”

“You might say that, but you can’t prove it. As far as we know, it could just do something that you haven’t noticed, right? You can’t deny the risk.”

“Well, sure, but that doesn’t really matter. I think you know just as well as I do that the rumors surrounding the MacGuffin are simply too good to be true.”

It almost went without saying. Kei was sure that she didn’t believe the rumors about the MacGuffin, either. Besides, she had already stated her true objective, and it was completely unrelated.

Unperturbed, Kei fixed on a smile that called back to his typical expressions two years ago. “So, now you have the MacGuffin. Congratulations, you’ve accomplished your goal.”

“No, I haven’t.” Oka Eri threw the MacGuffin back at Kei. It stung in his palm where he caught it. “I’m gonna take it away from you. I’m gonna beat you. I’m gonna show you just how worthless you are, and prove that you’re nothing to me.”

Of course, Kei was well aware of her intentions. “Sorry, but that’s just not gonna happen.”

“You don’t know that. I’m gonna make plundering it look easy.”

“Well, sure it’ll be easy. But it’s not gonna go the way you want.” Her only goal was to fight Kei and win. In doing so, she could prove how great he used to be in comparison. But if he simply refused to fight, then she could never achieve that goal.

Her jaw twitched, and her eyes narrowed. She glared harshly at Kei. “That’s not fair, Senpai.”

“Yeah, I know.” Losing to Oka Eri was not an option.

What he had done to her two years ago was unacceptable. He had truly been in the wrong. But tonight, Oka Eri was second in priority, and his first priority would not change. He had promised Haruki Misora that he would get her ability back.

“Sorry, Oka Eri, but this whole plan was flawed from the get-go. The MacGuffin just doesn’t matter that much to me.”

“Then I’ll change plans. I’ll get you to take this seriously.”

“I don’t have a reason to fight you.”

“Oh, yes you do. She’s right below us.” Oka Eri pointed to the opposite corner of the railing, about 45 degrees downward. “Remember that road you walked down to get here, Senpai? It’s the only way to get here.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Which means you have to pass under those street lights there. Anyone walking here is in plain sight.” Oka Eri’s footsteps clanked on the metal flooring as she approached Kei. “So I know that Haruki Misora came in just behind you, Senpai.” She stopped a breath away from him. “So here’s the new plan. I’m going after Haruki Misora. You have to protect her. How’s that? Finding any reasons now?”

Kei sighed. “Going after her? What could a middle schooler possibly do?”

“You know what my ability is, right, Senpai?”

“Memory manipulation, to put it simply.”

“Exactly. I’m gonna give Haruki-senpai an absolutely revolting memory.”

“That’s pointless. Your memory manipulation can easily be overcome. As long as she has the information, she can work around it and identify it as a fake.”

“Sure, she just has to identify it. But even if she knows it’s a fake, that memory will stick with her. Of course, if you’re fine with that, feel free to stand around here and watch. But you might not wanna underestimate me. Memories are incredibly powerful, after all. I’ll implant the absolute worst thing that I can think of.”

“Stop it. That’s entirely pointless.”

“I disagree. As long as you hate it, then there’s a perfectly valid point. Alright, here we go!”

Oka Eri took off from her position next to Kei. He immediately followed after, but she turned around when she reached the doorway at the top of the stairs. She pushed out her arms, and they collided against Kei’s chest with some kind of tearing sound.

“Bye-bye, Senpai.” Illuminated by the moonlight, Oka Eri smiled. And then–

White light flooded his senses, like the flash of a camera, as the scenery around him shifted.

A blank, white space filled his view. There was no shading, no contrast, just a pure white unlike any he had ever seen. The stairs and all space behind them had been swallowed up in the white expanse. Kei looked up, and his night-adjusted eyes were assaulted by bright sunlight illuminating the blue skies.

He closed his eyes reflexively, and used that moment to remember exactly what had happened. Oka Eri had pressed a polaroid photograph against his chest, and ripped it. Suddenly, everything fell into place. This is Sasano Hiroyuki’s ability.

Sasano had explained that when he tore a photo, anyone touching it was taken into the world of that photograph. Kei also remembered that before the reset, he saw photographs of this lighthouse within Sasano’s albums. That explained how Oka Eri could have gotten ahold of the type of photo needed to put him here, but how could she have used his ability? Could she use the abilities that she wiped with her own ability?

Before he had gotten the Bureau dossier on Oka Eri, he was worried that she could have been capable of such a feat. However, despite the fact that the Bureau files could have been forged, Kei has his doubts. There was, in fact, a much simpler answer: Sasano Hiroyuki lied about his own ability.

Sasano had claimed that his ability had two activation points, once when the photo was taken and twice when the photo was torn. But what if that wasn’t the case? Perhaps Sasano’s true ability was to take special photographs that could be entered when they were torn.

But why did he lie? It brought a lot of suspicions to the surface, but Kei didn’t have the time to think through everything. Instead, he recalled more of Sasano’s explanation regarding his ability.

You can only stay in the photograph for about 10 minutes before you’re sent back to reality.

Kei had no way of verifying the truth of the claim, and he also didn’t have 10 minutes to just wait and find out. He quickly took a look around.

The world recreated by Sasano’s special ability was canvassed in pure white space. It was hard to tell from inside, but he figured that the small sliver of the world he could see was shaped as an isosceles triangle. It only made sense, since the world had been recreated by a camera whose lens would reflect larger spaces the further out it traveled. With that in mind, it was easy to locate where the camera was oriented. Sasano had likely been standing directly in the doorway at the top of the stairs when he snapped this photo.

Oka Eri, however, was notably missing, despite the fact that she had also been touching the photograph. Thinking back more specifically, Kei realized that she had been standing directly in the white space before him when she tore the photo. Technically, she had been standing outside the world of the photograph. Kei thought back to more of Sasano’s explanation.

I have to be standing in the place the picture was taken when I tear it. If I’m not there, tearing it won’t do anything.

When Oka Eri tore the photo, she was precisely outside of the photo, leaving only Kei in its range. Outside of the photo…

Kei stared at the white abyss before him. He took a slow step inside, and was met with no resistance. His toes were swallowed by the white space, disappearing before his eyes.

In the next moment, the world around him changed again, like a harsh jump cut in a film.

The deep night sky was cut by a waning moon. There was no white space to be seen. He had returned to the real world. A new rule was established. If he left the frame of the photographed world, he would be spit back out into reality. He recalled exactly where he had been standing when Oka Eri tore the photo. He was now one step forward. Another rule was established. When he moved in the world of the photograph, it had repercussions on his location in the real world.

Okay, that’s enough fiddling around with Sasano’s ability for now. Kei let out a deep breath. The more pressing matter was his prior conversation with Oka Eri that had abruptly ended. It was time to find out where that all led. Everything had been going as he expected so far, but there was no guarantee things would go his way forever.

Kei began heading towards the staircase down, only to find that the door was firmly shut. He looked around and found a four-digit combination lock much akin to a bicycle lock set on the opposite side of the door. Undoubtedly Oka Eri had prepared it in advance.

The door’s bars were wide enough that Kei could maneuver around them to get to the lock, but a four-digit code presented issues. There were 10,000 possible number sequences, and he didn’t think he’d be lucky enough to have it set to his birthday. Even trying every combination at a rate of one per second would take 10,000 seconds, almost three full hours. Getting lucky and guessing it halfway through would still take far too long.

Kei sighed, glancing up towards the sky. The moon above was incredibly beautiful. He had heard rumors that moonlight could drive people crazy. Not that he believed them.

He sighed once more.

Then, with all the power he could muster, he kicked the door.

✽

Oka Eri held on to the handrail as she flew down the steps, going as fast as she could. She took a look backwards, grumbling to herself. Geez, you think he’d bother trying to make things at least a little more difficult. He could have a great memory all he wanted, but that wouldn’t get him through a locked door. She should have bought herself some good time.

Suddenly, she realized that meant she didn’t need to rush. She slowed her pace a bit, taking out her cell to call Haruki Misora. Now it wouldn’t matter when Kei got out. Having Kei get out and call Haruki would put her in a fix, so it was better to nip that issue in the bud. She continued walking down the stairs, until finally a voice came out from the phone as it hung down in her right hand.

“Who am I speaking to?”

She put the phone to her ear. “Heya. I’m taking good care of Asai Kei. Now, if you want him back…” She let the pause linger before asking her question. “Where are you right now?”

“Standing below the lighthouse.”

“Great, stay right there.”

“I understand.” Haruki’s voice was gentle and warm. It might have been more fun if she was panicking a little, but that didn’t matter in the end.

“Now, don’t hang up just yet. I’d like a conversation partner.”

“I do not believe that the two of us have anything meaningful to talk about.”

“Don’t be like that. We’re girls, after all. We can always talk about love or something, right?”

She never heard a reply from Haruki. Instead, there was the sound of rustling cloth. She must have shoved her phone in her pocket. But that was beneficial in its own way. Oka Eri continued down the stairs, talking about whatever came to mind along the way.

Oka Eri’s ability could only apply one effect at a time. If she gave Haruki a new memory, then she would remember how to reset. But there was a simple workaround. Haruki’s reset was limited in function because she could only reset to a previously saved moment. Therefore, if Haruki was given the notion that she needed to save through a memory, then she would save immediately, nullifying her reset’s power.

Finally, Oka Eri reached the ground level, crossing over the rope. Haruki Misora was standing in front of the large locked door, staring blankly ahead. She didn’t seem particularly scared or upset.

Oka Eri spoke first, grinning. “Aww, c’mon. Nothing? Why not give me something to work with? Come crying and screaming for me to give Senpai back.”

“I do not need to concern myself about Kei. He could not possibly be beaten by you.”

“Get a grip already. If that were true, then where’s Senpai? Why are we here all by ourselves?”

Haruki didn’t answer. She just stared. It was so boring.

“I guess part of Senpai’s plan was to just ditch you here, then.”

It was dark outside, but she could still make out Haruki’s face. She stared into her eyes, thinking. Should I make her save right away? No, that comes next. I have other things to ask her, first.

Oka Eri knew next to nothing about Haruki Misora. She knew the general facts about resets and her relationship with Kei, but she didn’t really care about Haruki individually while learning those things. She didn’t know what would bother her, what would scare her.

In that case, the first priority would be getting her to open up. It was time to become close friends with her. The very thought made Oka Eri want to gag, but it was the best way to extract the information she wanted.

Haruki Misora continued staring silently. She made keeping eye contact quite easy. One, two. “Kekeke.” Oka Eri couldn’t help laughing as she counted in her head. “The only thing Asai Kei has going for him is the power of resets. Take that away, and he can’t do anything.”

“There is more to him than that.”

“Oh yeah, like what?” It was already obvious how weak he had become.

Haruki Misora continued staring straight ahead. Her eyes carried no emotion. “He has many strengths, some of which I cannot even properly describe in words.”

She was so delusional. It was gross. “Yeah, sure. That’s enough.” Five seconds had already passed. Her ability was free to use. She started chanting in her mind. We are close friends. We’ve known each other since childhood, and we trust each other with everything. Haruki’s mind would fill in all the blanks itself.

Meeting her eyes once more, Oka Eri said, “Heya, Misora.”

Haruki smiled. “Good evening.”

It was actually somewhat fascinating to imagine what memories her mind had supplanted. “Say, when was the first time we met, again?”

“Well, that–” Haruki pushed her head into her right hand. No, wait, she pushed her ear.

Suddenly, Haruki shook her head, and her smile vanished. “Today, at noon.”

Oka Eri gasped in shock. The memories weren’t planted? How? That’s impossible. I know that I had eye contact for five seconds. “But we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“No.” Haruki shook her head, her voice tranquil. “That is all a false memory.”

How could she know that? What’s going on? Oka Eri knew that her ability was easily overcome. Anyone could work past her memory implantation if they talked with an outsider. But they were face-to-face right now. It should have been impossible for her to notice the discrepancy that fast, especially by herself.

But Haruki continued speaking, her voice calm and resolute. “Kei told me as much.” She lightly flipped her hair up. Hidden underneath, there was a black cord. It went down into her clothes, and connected up to her ear. She was wearing an earphone. “Kei predicted what you would try to do with your memory manipulation, and pre-recorded dialogue that spoke to the contrary. I have been and always will be listening to Kei’s voice.”

But that alone didn’t explain it. She still overcame it far too quickly. It didn’t even look like she was the slightest bit conflicted over her contradicting memories.

As if answering an obvious question, Haruki Misora continued. “If I have to choose between what Kei says and my own memories, then the decision is obvious.”

That didn’t make any sense. This girl was crazy. Oka Eri grabbed Haruki’s chest, pulling her closer. “Fine then. Guess I’ll just plunder all your memories of Senpai.”

“I cannot allow that.” Haruki Misora closed her eyes. Then she knocked on the lighthouse door. The door was rusted and hadn’t seen use in decades. Thunk, thunk, they echoed. 

Immediately after that, a hand sprouted from the door.

✽

Thunk, thunk, went the door. Two knocks resounded.

“Geez, thought I’d be waiting here forever,” Murase Youka muttered. “Whole body, doors.”

Facing the door, she stuck her hand out.

✽

It all happened so fast.

A hand sprouted from the door, grabbing Oka Eri’s arm. She immediately shook it off, and in doing so, let go of Haruki. Immediately, Haruki turned tail and dashed off. Then, a girl walked out of the iron door as if she was rising up from a body of water. Murase Youka.

Immediately, she said, “Whole body, abilities.”

What is this? What’s going on? I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what to say.

“Whatever I call out will disappear if it touches me. Right now, my entire body is impervious to abilities. Even your memory manipulation,” Murase explained.

Somehow, Oka Eri managed to squeeze out a few words. “Why… are you here?” She was shocked by how small and quiet her own voice was.

Murase looked bored as she stared down at Oka Eri. Their height wasn’t even all that different, but she was clearly looking down at her. “Asai called in a favor. He said Haruki would be attacked, and I would play the dashing hero who saves her.”

Oka Eri shook her head. “But… that doesn’t make sense!” How could Murase Youka possibly be here? “I’ve been watching the road to the lighthouse ever since I got here! I should know if you came here or not!”

She had known about Murase for a while, and was taking several precautions. She knew of her ability to erase things, and doubted she could win against her toe-to-toe. She had carefully organized her plans so that she wouldn’t go up against Murase without proper preparation.

“Oh, that’s all quite simple. I’ve been following you since before you got here. By the time you were climbing those stairs, I was inside this door. Any more questions?”

What is this? This has to be a joke. This can’t be right. Oka Eri screwed her eyes shut, breathed in, and breathed out. When she opened her eyes again, it was to glare at Murase. “Fine then. I see how it is. Let’s do this, then.” Screw the odds. There’s no such thing as an unwinnable fight. If she believed, success would follow.

But Murase shook her head. “Let’s do what, exactly?” She stared with an ice-cold gaze. “This is all over. When you used your ability on Haruki, that was it. Asai has the reset ability again. He got just what he wanted. All that’s left is for everyone to go home.”

Murase broke into a smile, as if she couldn’t resist saying what came next. “This whole night, from start to finish, went exactly as Asai planned. I told you already. I can guarantee that at the very least, Asai Kei is stronger than you.”

That again.

But that… that…

“No.”

She would never acknowledge that.

“Oh, what are you on about now?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. No. Senpai is not stronger than me. I refuse to believe that. I’ll never acknowledge that.”

“Well, if you wanna chase your own tail about that all day, then feel free.”

“I don’t care what you wanna call it. I’m gonna beat Senpai, no matter what.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. Look, I’ve been in your shoes. You’re beating your head against a brick wall. I’m not even talking about winning or losing. He’s on a whole different playing field. He’s not even gonna try fighting.”

“If we’re not fighting, then I haven’t lost yet.”

Murase frowned. “Well, if that’s how you wanna see it, then sure.”

“What’s that all about? I’m just stating a fact.”

“Yeah, I dunno about that. Do what you want, I guess.”

Murase looked genuinely stunned. Oka Eri managed to spit out a laugh to spite her. “Ha! I’ve had it. I’m going home.” Spinning on her heel, Oka Eri walked away, slapping her feet on the ground as she went. Her mind was still reeling.

What did all of this mean? I don’t get it. When was he being serious, and when was he just playing a strategy? How soon did he see through me and start planning his counterattack? No, that’s not it. He’s not better than me.

She continued to assure herself. She had lost to Murase Youka’s ability. Any loss that she had to take came from a superior ability.

That’s what it always comes down to, in the end.

A stronger ability. A perfect ability. One stronger than any other.

The next step was obvious. It had always been her backup plan anyway. An ability much more powerful than the reset.

Oka Eri thought back to her phone call that afternoon. She had had an important conversation with the Bureau employee. He had talked about the woman with the ability far stronger than any other in Sakurada. She had to hurry, because there wasn’t much time.

That woman was going to die soon.

✽

The moon slowly shifted from the eastern sky towards the southern sky. Standing atop the lighthouse, bathed in its light, Asai Kei was kicking at an iron lattice door. The pain he felt in the soles of his feet only served to remind him of how much he hated violence. He quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and kicked one more time.

With a thud, the door opened. The cheap lock had finally broken, and Kei leaned into the door, supporting himself on it. No doubt the door had been damaged beyond use.

As he was about to get moving, he heard something. The sound of footsteps rushing towards him. He took a guess at the source of the footsteps, and sat down on the stairs. The night breeze wasn’t particularly cool, but it still felt good.

Not all efforts would pay off equally, when it came down to it. But Kei knew that you had to take your wins where you could. Surely it counted as a win that he managed to open the door before she arrived. Just as he considered that, Haruki came rushing around the lighthouse and up to the landing.

She looked somewhat flustered. When she spoke, her voice was faster and more powerful than usual. “Is something wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure. I kept hearing some kind of loud sounds coming from up here.”

“Oh, that.” Kei smiled. “I was just getting in some light exercise to kill the time.”

“Did you say… exercise?”

“Sure. Nothing like some exercise to help you get a good night’s sleep.”

Haruki stared for quite some time before tilting her head. “I still have much to learn about you, Kei.”

“And I could say the same for you.”

She brought her head back up before nodding in approval. Walking over calmly, she sat down next to Kei. “I have recalled how to use my ability. I am very grateful towards you.”

There it was. Haruki’s natural tone. It was a relief to hear. “All I did was chat with Oka Eri. You should be thanking Murase-san.”

“Then I will ensure that I extend my thanks to her as well.”

Kei put his hands down, looking up at the sky. The cold steel bit his palms as he looked up at the numerous stars dotting the sky. He realized how dark the nights were in this part of town. “How did Oka Eri manipulate your memories?”

“She convinced me that I was her friend. The memories still remain.”

“I see.” That was good. They weren’t bad memories after all. “Oh, right.” Kei pulled out his wallet and handed exactly $6.50 to Haruki.

“What is this for?”

“It’s the cost of a spaghetti meal combo.” He had finally looked into the price since it kept bothering him. “Next time, I wanna watch you take the money out of my wallet yourself.”

“If that is what you desire, then I will do it.”

After thinking it over, Kei replied, “Then again, maybe I’ll just pay my share on my own.” It would be nice if they could make exceptions at some point. Relationships with exceptions were so much more spectacular. He glanced at Haruki’s arm as she held onto the money he gave her. The right elbow had a bandage on it.

“Should we reset?” Kei asked. They could effectively time travel back to noon, preventing Haruki from being attacked by Oka Eri.

But Haruki shook her head. “If you are satisfied with the present situation, then I would prefer not to reset.” Her tone and her gaze were as calm as ever. “I do not want to forget what happened to me today. If at all possible, I would like to remember losing my ability, and the promise you made to recover it for me.”

She was right. Perhaps the day’s events were not inherently happy, but that didn’t mean they had to be erased. Besides, he could never go against Haruki’s wishes.

Kei continued to stare into the sky for a while. He watched the moon, the stars, and the shadows of the clouds, felt the warm summer breeze, and smelled the damp in the air. Far away, the sound of a car engine echoed. “Alright then. Let’s save.” There was no point in keeping a save that they had no intention of resetting to.

“Thank you very much,” came Haruki’s reply. She pulled out her cell phone and called the time-by-phone service.

“Save.”

“August 8th, 9:28:55 PM.”

That exchange had become expected and reliable. It had originated as a practical setup that occurred at least once every three days. But this time, it felt like a promise of a new relationship. Now that Kei thought about it, he realized that his relationship with Haruki had boiled down to a series of three-day sequences. They turned into a natural pair over the last two years. Their connection had become comfortable and predictable. But it had also become cowardly and cruel.

He had purposely set Oka Eri aside today to focus on rebuilding that connection. But even as he rebuilt it, he knew that one day it would need to be redefined. Someday, he wanted them to come together and agree to be out with the old and in with the new.

Maybe, just maybe, that future wasn’t too far off.

End of Chapter 2