3 – August 13th (Friday) – Starting point (second time)

As a white ceiling came into view, Kei realized, Ah, I’m in a dream. I shouldn’t be here right now. Kei’s memory was perfect, and not even a dream could convince him of something beyond what he had experienced.

He seemed to be lying on a bed of some sort. Taking a look around the room he was in, he was overcome with nostalgia. He realized that he was in a room of an apartment located far away from the town of Sakurada. Paradoxically, the hangers in his closet held the uniform for Nanasaka Junior High.

He got out of bed and opened the bedroom door into the living room. His father looked up from the newspaper to greet him with, “Good morning.” His mother, carrying in breakfast from the kitchen, looked at him with a clumsy smile and an, “I love you.” The pair looked a few years older than his memories of them.

He couldn’t make sense of the dream. Nothing was as it should have been.

He opened his mouth to speak to his parents, but nothing came out. It was as though all words had been stolen from him, like a curse from an evil witch. Even breathing felt painful.

Actually, I’m the one that took away the words I needed to tell them.

As soon as he came to that realization, he woke up. He was surrounded by cicada cries, humid air, and morning summer light in the Nakano family’s outbuilding.

Perhaps if he had been crying, he would have some form of comfort from what he had experienced. But his eyes were entirely dry.

So began his second experience of August 13th, the day Mari’s mother was planning to leave Sakurada.

✽

A black car pulled into the parking lot of the hospital near Nanasaka Junior High around 10:30 AM. Haruki Misora and Nakano Tomoki had eyes on it from across the road nearby. They had been waiting for that car since the moment that the hospital’s service hours began.

Mari and her mother exited the car, walking towards the hospital entrance. Haruki noticed Mari’s gaze flicking towards her mother’s hand. Perhaps she wanted to hold hands.

Nakano Tomoki checked his watch. “Mari and her mother arrived at the hospital at 10:33.”

He was probably using his ability to relay what he just said to Asai Kei, as per the assignments laid out an hour ago.

We’re gonna split into two groups today, Asai Kei had instructed. He went to the train station with Souma Sumire and Sakagami Yousuke. He planned to use his ability on Mari’s mother there.

Haruki stared at the hospital entrance. Before long, Mari’s mother exited the hospital alone, getting back in the black car.

“Mari’s mother left the hospital in a black car at 10:36,” Nakano Tomoki relayed. He then pulled a miniature pamphlet out of his pocket. Haruki was sure that it was the train timetable, so he could calculate the train Mari’s mother planned to get on.

“Time to go,” Haruki mumbled, immediately moving forward. Their goal was to meet with Mari and hear her out. From there, they would relay Mari’s words to her mother.

They entered the hospital through the automatic doors into a lobby that doubled as a waiting room, with a reception desk on the right. Taking a look around, Haruki couldn’t find Mari inside the lobby. She checked the floorplan and headed towards the Pediatrics section.

The pediatric clinic was next to the internal medicine clinic, and she was led into a wide hallway with a couch and magazine rack. Mari was sitting down on the couch. She looked almost expressionless, but her mouth had a slight curve to it.

That’s the look of being bored, Haruki noted.

Just then, Mari looked up, and their eyes met. Now she’s surprised. She made a sound like a small scream, and a smile burst onto her face. “Onee-chan!” She bolted towards Haruki, throwing her arms around Haruki’s waist.

Haruki found herself struck with the impulse to pat Mari on the head. After all, they were in the perfect position for it. But she was unsure of the proper amount of pressure to apply.

Mari looked up, beaming, before a shadow crossed over her face. “Onee-chan, are you… sick?”

“No.”

“Then why are you in the hospital?”

“I came here to see you.”

Mari tilted her head. “But you don’t look very well, Onee-chan.”

That wasn’t true at all. In fact, Haruki was perfectly ready to deny her claim.

But from behind her, Nakano Tomoki quietly whispered, “Don’t look so down in front of her.”

When Haruki heard that, everything clicked into place. She had been thinking about Mari. Mari didn’t even know that her own mother was currently trying to leave Sakurada. Mari didn’t know that her own mother desperately wanted to forget about her.

That thought is making me sad. That must be it.

She couldn’t be entirely certain, but it explained the strange pain inside her chest that had been present since the previous day.

“What’s wrong?” Mari asked.

“Nothing is the matter, “Haruki responded. She then tried to lightly put her right hand on top of Mari’s head. She pressed down with the gentlest amount of force she could possibly manage.

Mari smiled. It seemed to be in an effort to make Haruki feel better. They stayed that way for some time, with Haruki’s hand atop Mari’s head.

At some point, a nurse’s announcement echoed in the background. “Kurakawa Mari, please enter the waiting room.”

“Gotta go,” Mari said, walking into the office.

When the door closed, Haruki said, “As soon as Mari comes back, we are going to tell her everything.”

She said it with the intention of informing Nakano Tomoki, before the thought crossed her mind that she had only said it because it was what she needed to hear.

✽

Asai Kei waited in Sakurada’s lone train station at 10:50 AM. He had been waiting with Souma Sumire and Sakagami Yousuke in a nearby coffee shop, and they moved in once they received Tomoki’s message. The train station was sparse with people, which was true every single time that Kei visited. The town of Sakurada didn’t have many people coming and going.

According to the timetable, there would be an outbound train leaving Sakurada at 11:07. He was certain that Mari’s mother would take that train, since she would be waiting for quite a while otherwise.

Sakagami was having a hushed conversation with Souma. His general demeanor was much brighter than the previous day. That could only be thanks to Kei letting him believe that the Administration Bureau had granted them permission to use their powers on Mari’s mother. Not many people living within Sakurada truly understood the nature of the Bureau and its workings.

Pushing aside the guilty feelings with a sigh, Kei tried to focus on his surroundings. Though it was impossible to be sure, it didn’t appear that they were gathering any unwanted attention.

How exactly is the Bureau planning to keep me from leaving Sakurada?

He wondered if he could simply buy a train ticket and go. Maybe he could even go back to visit his hometown. Of course, if he couldn’t, then what kind of surveillance could they have on him to prevent it?

As he was considering those things, a black car pulled up in front of the station.

“Is that it?” Sakagami asked.

“Yup. No mistaking it.” It was definitely the same car that had parked at Mari’s apartment the previous night, down to the license plate.

A woman exited the car carrying an armful of bags. It was Mari’s mother. She bowed her head slightly in the direction of the driver’s seat. The door closed, and the car drove off.

Souma turned Kei’s way with a motion that was something like a shrug. Kei had informed her, and only her, about the deception behind their apparent permission to use their abilities. She was a backup plan in case Tsushima went into the station with Mari’s mother. In that case, he had instructed her to somehow separate the two, but now there was no need for the distraction.

As Mari’s mother walked towards the station, Kei began approaching her, with Souma and Sakagami right behind him. He called out to her with a smile. “Good day.”

At that slight provocation, Mari’s mother turned towards them, a frightened expression coloring her face. She was pale and stiff, just as she was in their first meeting at the park. Perhaps even more so. Her hair was dyed a bright brown, but the many gray roots under it were clear upon inspection.

Holding his smile, Kei continued, “It’s been quite some time, but we’ve met before. Do you remember me?”

Her answer was hoarse, like that of a robber caught in the midst of their crime. “I’m sorry… who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Mari-san. Well, to be more precise, a friend of a friend.”

She let out a small yelp at his response. With the way she was acting, Kei certainly couldn’t blame Tsushima for breaking down and allowing her to leave town. Could it really be that painful to be unable to love your own child? Kei certainly didn’t know the answer. Then again, it would be somewhat odd if he did.

“Do you… need something?” Mari’s mother asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes. We’re here to stop you from leaving.”

Her eyes widened.

Kei continued, “Are you really okay with leaving things this way? Do you seriously want to just forget about Mari?”

It looked like she responded, but Kei couldn’t quite catch it. Perhaps she was just making another strange noise. She cleared her throat, and her voice came out much easier to hear. “It’d be… better if I was gone. Living with a daughter I can’t love will only make her unhappy.”

“That can’t be true. Mari loves you.”

“That’s not going to matter. She’ll only grow up being hurt more and more because of me.”

“She’s only going to suffer more if you leave her.”

The woman’s exhausted face became even more tense.

Kei continued, “I know a way that can make everyone happy. Would you like to try it with me?”

“There can’t be a way. What do you mean?”

“All you have to do is love Mari. Then both of you can find what you’re looking for.”

She hung her head, looking every bit like Mari prior to the reset. “I… can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“If it were possible… then I already would.”

From what Kei could tell, she wasn’t a bad person. He found it distasteful that she would weaponize Mari’s happiness as an excuse to leave Sakurada, but she was only human. “Are you that repulsed by the girl that you created with your ability?”

Her shoulders shook at his question, as though she were bracing against great pain. “How… how could you know about that?”

Kei decided not to answer her question, instead saying, “I know a girl by the name of Haruki Misora. She’s Mari’s friend. She knows all about Mari being created by an ability, but she’s decided to stay her friend regardless.”

For a while, the woman was silent, her head held down. Kei kept the silence with her. But when she raised her head, she glared harshly at Kei. “You… could never understand. Mari is dead. My little girl… wasn’t even allowed to make it through childbirth. How could I just stand by and be happy with Mari?”

Mari and Mari. The two names were getting tossed around interchangeably, almost to the point of confusion. But even so, Kei understood what she was trying to say. He recalled Tsushima’s comment from when he had come to take Mari away.

Last year made it six years since the late Kurakawa Mari died. Her mother’s been thinking about living separately ever since then.

The late Kurakawa Mari hadn’t even been breathing by the time she was born, and no ability could change that. The late Mari’s mere existence was the core driving factor of her mother’s pain, nothing more and nothing less.

Kei knew it would be pointless, but he pressed onwards. “Just try thinking about it the other way around. What if you had passed from complications during childbirth, and Mari-san gained the ability to create someone that seemed to be just like you? Would you be upset if Mari-san genuinely loved her creation?”

Mari’s mother shook her head. “That’s… not the problem.”

Kei wanted to nod, but he didn’t let it show. It was only natural. She wouldn’t believe some random second-year middle schooler’s claim that he could take away the pain she had been carrying just through persuasive words. Especially not someone like me, who abandoned his own parents. He didn’t really have the right to try and convince the woman of anything.

Kei reminded himself of what mattered. I’m here as an extension of Haruki Misora right now. He wasn’t there to solve the struggles of a parent and a child. His only purpose was to make Haruki’s wish come true.

The only one I’m here for is Haruki Misora. He repeated the phrase he had told himself countless times before.

“I think that’s exactly the problem,” Kei responded, shaking his head. “Mari being happy or unhappy isn’t something that other people get to choose for her.”

It wouldn’t be right for other people to have that power in the first place.

✽

10:55 AM. Haruki Misora was gently stroking Kurakawa Mari’s head.

Mari was crying. She was typically so cheerful, but tears were streaming down her cheeks as she hung her head, not making a sound.

Mari had probably been dreading the present moment for a long time. At least, from what Haruki could tell, this was something Mari had been expecting. She didn’t act confused, and she didn’t cry hysterically. Instead, she was wrapped in a silent and overwhelming sadness.

Haruki Misora spoke up, keeping her hand placed on Mari’s head. “I am sure your mother will come back for you.”

“No. She won’t come back.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because my mom… hates me.”

“She will come to like you soon. Or at least, she will remember how much she used to like you.”

I need to try smiling, Haruki Misora thought. It didn’t have to be a beautiful smile. In fact, that would be nearly impossible for her. In Haruki’s experience, emotions caused change. People would distort or change their face, and that was called an expression.

She needed to try and act confident, to reassure the girl in her arms. I need to smile like Asai Kei, she thought.

Forcing the corners of her lips upwards, Haruki declared, “Asai Kei is never wrong.” She didn’t know where it was coming from, or why she believed it as strongly as she did, but somewhere along the way, she had put her trust in Asai Kei’s judgment. She now desired a future that she could never have reached while following her three rules.

Haruki remembered something Asai Kei had told her in the past.

Haruki. I’m gonna win your trust before long.

She couldn’t remember what she had said in response at that moment, but somehow or another, his claim had come true. It most definitely wasn’t a coincidence, but a necessity.

“He will bring your mother back to you.”

She didn’t have any evidence to back up that claim. She simply believed it with her emotions. Mari finally looked up at Haruki, but she was still crying.

Beside Haruki, Nakano Tomoki put on his own smile. He looked quite nice when he smiled. “Haruki got most of it, but not everything. You see, Kei knew that he couldn’t do it alone, so he asked us to come here. He knew that finding everything out would make you cry, but he still thought it was the best thing to do.”

Nakano Tomoki squatted down directly in front of Mari, looking her in the eyes. “If there’s something you want, Mari, then you have to say it out loud and with all your heart, so everyone can hear. Go on, Mari, tell her what you want.”

✽

“Go ahead, Sakagami-san,” Asai Kei instructed.

Sakagami nodded, his face serious as he placed his left hand on Mari’s mother and his right hand on Kei.

“Are you ready this time?”

“Yup, ready when you are.”

Kei took a moment to glance at his watch, and it was just the right time. He turned to tell Mari’s mother to close her eyes, but there was no need. Her head was hung low, her eyes already closed. She was trembling like a small child. It was almost as if she had been replaced by Mari.

Kei spoke to her as gently as possible. “We’re going to help you remember what happened the day you created Mari.”

Kei had no idea how painful it would be. The day Mari was created was the day the late Mari died. He couldn’t possibly separate the two moments. What would be brought to mind for the woman who was already trembling before him? The problem she faced wasn’t one that he could simply insert himself into as he pleased. Perhaps it would be better to leave her sadness alone, so she could forget what was possible to forget.

Oh, well. I’m no stranger to cutting people down.

Kei finished his self-dialogue and continued his talk with Mari’s mother, keeping his voice gentle. “Before you decide to leave Sakurada for good, please consider all of the facts.”

She didn’t nod her head. She simply stayed in place, looking frightened as ever.

For a moment, Kei felt the desire to share everything with her. He could tell her what had happened two years ago, how he had abandoned his parents to live in Sakurada. But of course, no effort to share his guilt with the woman would possibly make what he had chosen any more acceptable.

I’m gonna have to bottle that up for now. Time to use my abilities on her for selfish reasons, instead.

He really was the portrait of a hypocrite. Haruki Misora had become an excuse to use his ability. Once he had fully acknowledged that, he said, “Here we go.”

Kei remembered back to the time when Mari was created, seven years prior. He was only six back then.

He was shown vivid memories of being with his parents. His father’s face, his mother’s face, their smiles, the things they said, the warmth of their hands, the strength of their fingers, the object of their gaze. All of the feelings that were tied to them, emotions that were so complex, and yet so essentially simple.

Asai Kei loved them. He loved them with his whole being.

He registered a gasp coming from Mari’s mother beside him. She was recalling memories of her own. The death of the late Kurakawa Mari, and the subsequent prayer from the depths of her soul for that which was Mari. Perhaps she could remember a time where she held Mari in her arms, overflowing with pure love for her.

Kei reached up to gently touch his own cheek. There were no tears on it. He had figured as much. That place in his heart had long since worn away. He could cry two years ago, but not any longer.

But there was nothing he could do about that. So he smiled. What other choice did he have but to forcibly bend the corners of his mouth up into a smile? Who was it for? He didn’t know. He thought of Haruki Misora, muttering the word, “reset,” with a sighing mumble.

Souma walked up to him and whispered, “What did you remember?”

Kei selected the most menial part of his memory, and answered, “I didn’t care much for marmalade when I was six. Which is weird, ‘cause I totally have a sweet tooth.”

Souma smiled. Liar.

He could have sworn he heard her say that. But she hadn’t said anything at all. She simply smiled at him.

Kei rescinded his ability. Though it was only active for a few minutes, it would have been long enough to help Mari’s mother recall everything she needed.

The woman was curled up on the asphalt, her head in her hands. There was no doubt she was going through great pain. But there was nothing Kei could do for her. He glanced at his watch. The train would leave the station in roughly 30 seconds.

Right about now.

At that moment, Mari’s mother made a sound. At first, it was quiet. But it quickly turned to crying, and her crying turned to sobbing, and her sobbing turned to loud wailing.

Souma Sumire whispered, “What happened?”

Kei answered, “She’s under the effect of the most selfish, yet most beautiful ability that I know.”

Nakano Tomoki’s ability. The power to transcend time and distance, ensuring that the right voices would reach the people who needed to hear them. It was no more and no less than an ability created for a boy that wanted to spread warm words of comfort to others. 

That boy’s ability was abused just the day before as a way to deceive Sakagami. Kei had used it to do something that it was never originally intended to do. But now, things were different. His ability had been used for the most beautiful purpose imaginable.

Mixed in with her sobs, Mari’s mother was crying the words, “I’m so sorry,” over and over. Kei couldn’t be sure which girl those words were directed to. In one sense, he didn’t need to know. But it was heartbreaking when words never reached the one they were intended for. All Kei could do was hope that her pleas would eventually find the one they were meant to address.

✽

Mari’s voice carried an incredibly simple message to her mother.

I like my mom. I want to stay with her forever.

It was all she wanted to say, and it went straight to the one it was meant to address.