The commotion in the courtyard finally settled down. Youou and Anko were still arguing. "[angry]You're the one who whipped up that weird wind and ruined my lunch!" "[angry]Youou, you're the one who should stop interfering all the time! Darling belongs to me!" Kakeru quietly slipped away from them. (I can't take this anymore... my stomach can't handle it.) A peaceful school life. Nothing more than a distant dream. More importantly, something was bothering him. —Shino. Who was that silver-haired transfer student? She'd mentioned things like "emotional responses of the Awakened." She was definitely no ordinary transfer student. Kakeru fled to the quiet library after school. The smell of books was somehow calming. Meichou Academy's library was two stories tall, housing roughly twenty-eight thousand volumes. Kakeru made his way to the very back shelves. The occult, folklore, and paranormal phenomena section. (Resonance Awakening... memories of a past life... has something like this happened before, long ago?) His fingers traced the spines. *Compendium of Japanese Strange Legends*, *Psychics of the World*, *Children Who Remember Past Lives*. He'd pull one out, flip through it, sigh, and put it back. No. None of them clicked. "Looking for something?" The librarian, Hasumi-sensei, stood there with a gentle smile. "Uh, well... do you have anything on reincarnation, or legends about past lives...?" "Past lives? Ah, you mean stories of reincarnation. In that case, the local history section has a little booklet called *Memories of the Tidal Roar*..." "You have it?!" "Well, but that's just a little reader the city put together for tourism. It's just a collection of old folktales. Nothing academic." "...Right." He sighed. Before he knew it, a pile of pulled-out books had formed at his feet. He was completely lost. "Kakeru-kun, what are you doing in a place like this?" A voice called out, and his head snapped up. A seat by the window. Waist-length black hair. Deep green eyes. A paperback in her hand. Kyouka-senpai was quietly smiling at him. "S-Senpai... no, I was just doing a little research." Kyouka closed her paperback and stood up. She approached the scattered pile of books. "Oh my, that's quite a lot." She picked one up. Looked at the cover, and gently placed it back on the shelf. "*Children Who Remember Past Lives*... my. Is something on your mind?" Kakeru hesitated for a moment. But seeing Kyouka-senpai's gentle smile, his mouth loosened before he could stop it. "Um, that transfer student, Shino... do you know her, senpai?" "Yes. The girl with the long silver hair, right?" "I just get a strange feeling from her. I'm absolutely certain she has memories of a past life." "Is that so." Still smiling, Kyouka returned another book to the shelf. "She came to the dojo yesterday, too, and suddenly said she'd 'wanted to meet me.' And today in the courtyard, she was going on about the emotional responses of the Awakened. She's definitely a reincarnator like us—" —That was when it happened. From the bookshelf, five books floated gently into the air. As if in slow motion. They began to slowly circle around Kakeru. "...Huh?" The next instant—*thud!* His body turned to lead. "Ugh...!" His body was heavy. Pressed into the chair, unable to stand. "Wh-what is this...! Heavy! It's suddenly so heavy!" Kyouka was still smiling. Her lips traced a gentle curve. But. Her eyes. "[gentle]Sorry, my hand slipped." There was no way a slipped hand could generate gravity. "Wha—Senpai?! This is your—Binding Law?!" "[gentle]Binding Law? What's that?" She was playing dumb. Completely playing dumb. But her smile was deepening. "But your power is going out of control! Someone, at least Hasumi-sensei—" "Hasumi-sensei stepped out for a break just a moment ago." Despair. Kyouka returned the five floating books to the shelf one by one, then walked over to face Kakeru. And slowly sat down in the seat across from him. "[gentle]You know, I'm actually quite the jealous type." She said it so casually. "Is that relevant right now?!" His body wouldn't move. Even breathing was difficult. "Of course it is. After all, Kakeru-kun, you've been alone with that girl several times now, haven't you? Yesterday in the dojo, today in the courtyard. Shino-chan, was it?" "No, being alone with her was completely unavoidable! Actually, how do you even know about that—" "[gentle]What do you think of her, Kakeru-kun?" Her smile. Didn't waver. It stayed, at the exact same angle, the whole time. "What do I think... I just wanted to ask her about past lives and stuff. It's not like—" "In that case." Kyouka tilted her head just slightly. "From now on, ask me. I'll look into it for you." "...Huh?" "About that girl, about past lives. Everything Kakeru-kun wants to know, I'll tell you everything." His body suddenly felt light. The gravity had been released. "Haah...!" He could breathe. The air tasted sweet. But his heart was still pounding. Kakeru took two deep breaths and slowly stood up. Pressing down on his trembling knees. "...Senpai." "Yes?" "So basically... you're telling me not to talk to Shino, right?" Kyouka looked slightly surprised. Then, immediately returned to her smile. "[gentle]I never said anything like that, did I?" She said it. Gently. But she had definitely said it. "It's just—" Kyouka looked out the window. The after-school sky was beginning to dye itself orange. "In my past life, I have memories of losing everything precious to me. Everything that mattered." Her voice was quiet. "So this time, I absolutely want to hold onto it properly. I don't want to lose it." Her smile didn't fade. But behind it, he saw something deep and cold, like darkness. Loneliness. The fear of someone being gone. The fear of someone not being there. Just pure, simple terror. That was the look on her face. "...Senpai." "[gentle]So, Kakeru-kun. From now on—I'll protect you. I won't hand you over to anyone." Quietly. But in a voice that would never, ever waver. "I won't hand you over to anyone." Kakeru couldn't smile. The depths of his chest grew cold. Terrifying. But. (So this is... Kyouka-senpai's...) Was love really supposed to take this shape? Terrifying to touch. And yet, he couldn't help but gaze at the pain hidden deep within it. He left the library and walked down the hallway. He noticed his hands were still trembling slightly. When Youou's emotions ran high, her hands glowed. When Anko got jealous, gusts of wind blew. But Kyouka—while smiling, she bound you with gravity. That smile was the most terrifying of all. "I won't hand you over to anyone." "Ask me about Shino." On the surface, it was gentle. But in reality, it was a command. A cage, gently sealing off Kakeru's actions. As he turned the corner of the hallway, someone was standing there. Silver hair. Shino. "[gentle]Did you find anything out today?" Expressionless, but with eyes that seemed to hold some expectation, she gazed at him intently. "...I didn't find out anything." Shino tilted her head just a little. "[sad]I see." The truth was different. The only thing that had increased was the number of things that terrified him. But if he said that, someone else would get hurt. Kakeru bit his lip. He wanted to pursue the mystery of Shino. But Kyouka-senpai had sealed him off. At this rate, he wouldn't find out anything. The words "I won't hand you over to anyone" coiled around him like chains. Shino slowly reached out her hand. She gently touched the sleeve of Kakeru's blazer. "[whispers]It's okay. I'll always be waiting." Saying just that, she disappeared down the hallway. Her silver hair, dyed by the setting sun, swayed slowly. Kakeru stood there, rooted to the spot. The trembling still wouldn't stop. The evening sun cast long shadows across the hallway floor.