The chime signaling the end of morning classes rang lightly through the classroom. Kakeru lifted his face from where he'd been slumped over his desk. Yesterday's sunset and Youou's profile on the rooftop still flickered in his mind. (*What is this feeling…*) After that, they hadn't really exchanged any words. Youou had pretended to be angry to hide her embarrassment and headed back to the dojo first. His stomach growled audibly. "So hungry…" Maybe he'd grab a misora sweet roll from the school store. 180 yen and surprisingly filling. He stood up and stepped into the hallway. The April afternoon sunlight streamed into the corridor, just a little too bright. A sea breeze drifted through the windows, gently billowing the curtains. (*Just one peaceful lunch break. That's all I want today.*) The school store was at the far end of the main building's first floor. The store lady, Tomi-san, was weirdly knowledgeable about student love lives, so he really didn't want her talking to him today. —But. Rounding the corner, Kakeru stopped in his tracks. In the middle of the hallway, a pink bomb was waiting. "[excited]Daaarling!" Along with her voice, a fluffy peach-colored bob cut swayed before his eyes. Her large amber eyes were opened wide and round, reflecting Kakeru with pure delight. Her small frame was clutching a huge furoshiki bundle in both hands— "Whoa!" No time to escape. Anko charged. Still skillfully holding the furoshiki bundle under one arm, she threw herself at Kakeru's chest and squeezed him tight. The sweet scent of shampoo and the warm smell of a homemade lunch tickled his nose together. "W-w-wait, hold on a second!" "[excited]Today's lunch! I woke up at 5 AM just to make it for you, darling! I worked super hard!" As she spoke, Anko opened the furoshiki just a little to show him. A huge three-tier bento box was wrapped in glittering pink cloth. "I-I was planning to just buy something… sorry." "[sad]Ehhh… Darling, you don't want Anko's homemade cooking?" "That's not what I—!" "[sad]You don't hate it? Then you'll eat it! Yay!" Anko bounced up and down. (*She's not listening at all!*) Students passing through the hallway were glancing their way. His ears burning red, Kakeru had no choice but to give in to Anko's pressure. "…Fine. I'll eat it." "[excited]Yay! Then let's go to the Sea Breeze Terrace!" Anko wrapped her arm around Kakeru's and pulled him along insistently. She didn't let go until they reached the camphor tree in the courtyard. The Sea Breeze Terrace was a spot slightly removed from the lunchtime bustle. A single large camphor tree cast a cool shade. Several benches were lined up, and a few other students were eating lunch there. "[excited]Here, darling! Say ahh!" The moment Kakeru sat on the bench, Anko opened the bento box, picked up a piece of rolled omelet, and held it out to his mouth. "Not 'ahh'! I can feed myself!" "[sad]Aww, but I made it with so much love." (*Love…*) Sighing inwardly, Kakeru obediently took the omelet into his mouth. It was sweet, and the pleasant aroma of dashi gently filled his nose. "This is good… You really made this starting at 5 AM?" "[excited]Yeah! I kept imagining your happy face the whole time I was making it, darling. The secret to the omelet is a little extra sugar. The karaage has just a tiny bit of garlic. The plum rice balls are—" Anko's face sparkled as she chattered away happily. Kakeru next popped a piece of karaage into his mouth. "Delicious… This is seriously good." His honest thoughts slipped out. In that instant— Anko's cheeks flushed pink. "[gentle]Hehe, you can say more, you know?" Softly, Anko clung tightly to Kakeru's arm. A soft sensation and warm body heat pressed against him. (*She's heavy… but somehow, not bad…*) Something deep in Kakeru's chest grew just a little warmer. —Just then. "Kakeru." A quiet voice came from right behind him. He turned to find Shino standing there. Her long silver hair swayed gently in the sea breeze. Eyes like the depths of a deep lake gazed steadily at Kakeru. "Can I continue what we were talking about yesterday?" She approached with a face that betrayed nothing. In that instant— Anko's smile froze solid. "…Darling." The smile remained. But her eyes were different. Her amber pupils shifted expressionlessly between Kakeru and Shino, then finally settled into a fixed stare. *Whoosh…* Suddenly, a lukewarm wind began to blow through the courtyard. The tree leaves rustled noisily, and a little sand swirled up from the ground. "Did the wind just pick up?" A student eating lunch nearby looked up. "[cold]Darling, who is this?" The usual brightness had vanished from Anko's voice. "Uh, um, this is Shino—she transferred in yesterday—" "[cold]Hmm. I don't know her. Darling, you met this person yesterday?" "No, well, that's—" "I'm Shino. I came to see Kakeru." Shino said it quietly. At those words, Anko's shoulders twitched sharply. "[cold]…I see." The air around Anko began to swirl. The lukewarm breeze from moments ago suddenly turned cold. "[excited]Darling belongs only to me! Who are you!?" The moment she shouted— *FWOOOOOOSH!!* Within a five-meter radius, a gust of wind exploding at 15 meters per second detonated. "Whoa!" Every side dish in the bento box launched into the air. The omelet, the karaage, the plum rice balls—all of it spun through the air in spirals. "Wh-what the!?" "A tornado!?" Papers and trays from nearby tables were blown away all at once. Juice cups toppled over, orange liquid staining the ground. "Waaaaah!" The dozen or so students in the courtyard fled in unison. No one understood what was happening. They were just panicking at the sudden gale. —A few seconds later. The wind stopped dead. Silence. And then— *Plop.* A small sound. A single piece of karaage that hadn't been scattered landed right on top of Kakeru's head. "…" Anko had both hands over her mouth, her face pale. "[scared]I… did it again…" In Anko's eyes as she murmured quietly, a different color flickered for just a moment—a deep, dark shade of pain. It looked like the expression she'd worn in her past life, when she couldn't protect her precious comrades, overlapping with the present. "…Anko." As Kakeru picked the karaage off his head, he saw that expression on her face. (*Beneath that heavy affection is the feeling of never wanting to lose anyone again.*) Something he couldn't laugh off pierced deep in his chest. "It's okay, Anko. No one's hur—" The moment he started to speak. *Thud thud thud thud!* The sound of someone running came from the courtyard entrance. "[angry]That's Anko's storm voice! Kakeru, are you okay!?" Youou, still in her kendo uniform, rushed in and surveyed the wrecked courtyard, glaring this way with a stern face. Her ponytail trembled with anger. "Y-Youou—" "[angry]Anko! You did it again, didn't you! What if something happened to Kakeru!?" "[angry]Shut up! This has nothing to do with you, Youou!" Anko's eyes had gone fixed again. "[angry]It does have to do with me! Kakeru is my comrade!" A tense, crackling atmosphere shot between the two of them. Youou's right hand began to glow faintly purple. The air around Anko also started to swirl slightly once more. "W-wait, hold on, both of you! If you do this here it'll be another disaster—" Just as Kakeru reached out to stop them. "Interesting." At the courtyard entrance, Shino murmured quietly. Her eyes flashed a bluish-purple for an instant. "Emotional responses of the Awakened—jealousy, anger, possessiveness. These are the triggers that amplify their abilities." As if taking mental notes, she observed the two of them with narrowed eyes. "Wh-what are you—" Before Kakeru could finish, Shino turned on her heel and walked away. Her silver hair swayed in the sea breeze, shining dazzlingly for just a moment. To Kakeru, her retreating back seemed to cast an ominous shadow. "…Emotional responses of the Awakened?" (*Shino… just what is she—*) A cold unease spread slowly through his chest. But this wasn't the time for that. "[angry]Anko! You're getting in my way again—" "[angry]You're the one in the way! Darling is mine—" The argument between the two escalated further and further. (*Ahh, it's hopeless…*) Kakeru held his head in his hands and slumped down onto the bench in the wrecked courtyard. (*A peaceful school life really is a distant dream…*) The sea breeze rustled the scattered papers and the remnants of the side dishes, just a little forlornly. The purple glow and the premonition of gales filled the terrace with an uneasy atmosphere. The chime signaling the end of lunch break was about to ring any moment now.