Kakeru stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom at home. "Alright." He looked at his own face and gave a small nod. The face in the mirror was painfully ordinary. Black hair with a bit of bedhead. Droopy brown eyes that made it impossible to tell if he had any motivation or not. "[serious]Today, I'm going to treat everyone equally. No special treatment for anyone. I won't make anyone angry. That's the path to peace." He remembered Kyouka-senpai's smile in the library yesterday. That sensation of his whole body turning to lead. (*This is bad. Seriously bad.*) As Kakeru brushed his teeth, he seriously worked out his strategy. In the morning, when he got to the classroom, first he'd greet Youou normally. Then he'd greet Anko with the exact same tone. When Kyouka-senpai arrived, he'd do the same again— "[serious]Perfect." He gave a thumbs-up to his reflection in the mirror. It would definitely work. Believing that, he left the house. —Day four of school, April 11th, Friday. The morning commute was bathed in the soft sunlight typical of April. The wind coming down from Kagura Hill carried the scent of the tide. Normally he'd just think "nice weather again today," but today of all days, he felt like praying to the gods. He passed through the school gate and changed his shoes at the shoe lockers. The hallway was still sparsely populated, with only a few students who seemed to be on cleaning duty wiping the floor with rags. (*Alright. While I have the chance, to the classroom—*) "[excited]Daaarling!!" From around the corner, a pink bomb came flying. A fluffy peach-colored bob cut swayed, and large amber eyes sparkled brightly. Anko, carrying a huge wrapped bundle in both hands—apparently another homemade lunch today—headed straight for Kakeru. "Whoa!?" Faster than he could think, Anko threw herself at his chest. She clung to him tightly, and the sweet scent of shampoo and the warm aroma of the lunch tickled his nose. "[excited]Good morning! Darling! I worked hard making your lunch again this morning! Today, I tried changing up the flavor of your favorite karaage a bit!" "W-Wait! It's still morning! We're in the hallway!" "[excited]Yeah! So I thought we could eat breakfast together too—" (*The equality strategy—I have a feeling it's game over five seconds in!*) Kakeru's internal retort was in vain; Anko squeezed his arm tightly and wouldn't let go. Every time she bounced up and down, her whole small body expressed pure joy. That was when it happened. From the other end of the hallway, the sound of regular footsteps approached. A shadow with a ponytail and a shinai bag over her shoulder—Youou. She looked straight at them and stopped. *Squeeze.* The hand gripping her shinai bag tightened. "[cold]...What are you doing from first thing in the morning." Her voice was low and devoid of warmth. Her sharp, narrow eyes stared intently at Anko, and then at Kakeru. "I-It's nothing! This is just, Anko's doing this on her own—" "[cold]I don't really care, though." —*Crack.* One of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling went out with a sound. The hallway grew slightly darker. Youou's hand began to glow faintly purple. "Eep." The air grew taut and charged with static electricity. A printout on a nearby bulletin board crackled and stuck to the wall. "[angry]Hey, Youou! Don't scare Darling!" Anko glared at Youou, still hugging Kakeru's arm tightly. "[angry]You're the one clinging to him first thing in the morning, how shameless!" "[angry]I'm Darling's girlfriend! What's wrong with that!" "[angry]N-No, you're not! Nothing's been decided yet—" Youou's face instantly turned bright red. It was an expression mixing embarrassment and anger. The purple light in her palm grew steadily stronger. (*Stop!! The fluorescent lights are going to blow again!!*) Kakeru screamed internally. "Oh my." A quiet voice echoed through the hallway. All three of them turned around at once. From the top of the stairs, Kyouka descended with a smile. Her glossy black hair, reaching down to her waist, swayed gently with each step. Her deep green eyes were as calm as ever—and not smiling in the slightest. "How lively, so early in the morning. Homeroom hasn't even started yet." She took a step closer. —*Thud.* Suddenly, Kakeru's body grew heavy. "Ugh...!" His feet felt glued to the hallway floor, unable to move. It was like having weights placed on his shoulders. He couldn't even shake off Anko's arms. "[gentle]Kakeru-kun, I told you yesterday, didn't I? I don't think it's good for you to be treated specially by anyone." Still smiling, she stood beside Kakeru. On the opposite side from where Anko was clinging to him. "[scared]N-No, you've got it wrong, senpai! This is just—equally—" "[gentle]Equally?" Kyouka's smile deepened just a little. "[gentle]Then, I wonder if you'll treat me equally as well." "[angry]Kyouka-senpai! Please step away!" Youou stepped forward. The purple electricity in her palm began to crackle and pop. "[angry]That's right! Darling is mine—" —*Whoosh.* A lukewarm wind began to blow through the hallway. The air around Anko slowly started to swirl. (*This is it!!*) Kakeru screamed in his mind. The air flowing between the three of them visibly distorted. Youou's purple lightning made the notices on the wall tremble, and Anko's gust rattled the window glass. Kyouka, still smiling, made Kakeru's body even heavier. "S-Stop—" *Pop!!* Another fluorescent light shattered. A dim shadow fell over the hallway. "Wh-What!?" "A blackout!?" The other students who were finally starting to arrive at school began to stir noisily. Kakeru looked up at the ceiling. The second fluorescent light was completely dead, emitting a faint wisp of smoke. (*My equality strategy—didn't even last ten minutes.*) *Thud.* His body grew even heavier. Slumped down in the hallway, Kakeru quietly closed his eyes. The homeroom chime rang out mercilessly. *** Lunch break. Kakeru headed to the school store alone. Tomi-san grinned and said, "Oh, you're alone today?" as she handed him a Misora red bean bread. 180 yen. The usual taste. But today, it felt terribly bland. (*Alright. This time, I'll eat alone, in peace.*) His steps toward the sea breeze terrace were as heavy as a prisoner heading to the gallows. He arrived at the courtyard. Under the large camphor tree— The three of them were already there. Anko was sitting on the bench closest to the base of the tree. In her hands, as always, was a huge lunch bundle. Youou was on a bench a little distance away, her shinai bag placed beside her, eating a convenience store rice ball. Kyouka was elegantly seated on a bench in the shade of the tree, an open paperback in her hands. The three of them looked at Kakeru. —In that instant. Anko patted the space next to her. Youou silently shifted to the edge of her bench, freeing up half the space. Kyouka, still smiling, closed her paperback and gently indicated the spot next to her with her hand. No one said a word. And yet, the pressure was immense. "Uh, um..." He took one step forward. The moment he moved even slightly in Anko's direction, Youou's hand glowed faintly. When he tried to go toward Youou, the leaves around Anko began to rustle and stir. When he looked toward Kyouka—she just smiled. And Kakeru's body grew just a little bit heavier. "U-Um—" He couldn't go right, left, or center. (*I can't sit anywhere!!*) The gazes of the three of them pierced Kakeru simultaneously. (*This is—a jealousy standoff!?*) Kakeru slowly backed away. And then—he crouched down at the base of the camphor tree. A spot not next to anyone. Equidistant from all three, right at the center of gravity of the triangle. "[sad]...I'll eat here." He bit into the Misora red bean bread. All three of their shoulders slumped slightly at the same time. The wind blew. The leaves of the camphor tree rustled softly. (*What even is equality...*) The bread tasted like tears. *** After school. Final homeroom ended, and Kakeru hurried down the hallway, trying not to run into anyone. As he passed by the counseling room— The door opened. "Are you Kakeru-kun?" It was a cool, clear voice. He turned around to see a young woman in a white lab coat standing there. She looked to be in her late twenties. Short, neatly trimmed black hair and silver-rimmed glasses. An intellectual impression, but the eyes behind them were surprisingly calm, as if they saw through everything. Himuro Kanae—the school counselor. "Can we talk? Just five minutes is fine." "Uh, ah, yes..." The counseling room was small, but strangely calming. White walls, a single houseplant. From the window, he could see the camphor tree in the courtyard. Himuro offered Kakeru the sofa opposite her and sat down in a chair herself. "[gentle]It seems like some unusual things have been happening at school lately." "Unusual things?" Kakeru played dumb. His heart was pounding loudly. "[gentle]Yes. For example—objects suddenly flying around, fluorescent lights shattering. Wind blowing." Still smiling, she leaned forward slightly. "[gentle]Do you know anything about it?" "N-No. Nothing at all." Cold sweat ran down his back. Himuro stared into Kakeru's eyes for a while. Then, she let out a quiet sigh and took a single document out of her desk drawer. "[serious]Just in case, there's something I want you to be aware of." The document was titled "Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 901 — Guidelines Concerning the Manifestation of Special Abilities in Public Spaces." "[serious]This is a regulation called the Shizunami Ordinance. If phenomena occur in public places where surrounding objects move in response to emotions, or where other people's bodies are affected—it can become subject to investigation by the Cabinet Office." "Investigation..." "[serious]In some cases, participation in an ability suppression program for up to six months may be mandated." Kakeru's mind went completely blank. "No way..." "[gentle]However," Himuro returned the document to her desk and looked up. "[gentle]Today was just a precautionary warning. Don't worry about it too much." She was smiling. But her eyes weren't smiling at all. "[serious]If something happens again—we'll have a more serious talk then." When he left the counseling room, Kakeru's legs were shaking. *** He returned to the empty classroom. He sat down at his own desk. Outside the window, he could see Misora Bay beginning to be dyed by the setting sun. In his head, the events of the past few days swirled around and around. —Youou's purple lightning scorching the wall of the martial arts hall. —Anko's gust blowing away the side dishes in the courtyard. —Kyouka's binding law pinning him down in the library. —The fluorescent lights shattering in the hallway this morning. —Counselor Himuro's voice. "If something happens again." Kakeru pressed his forehead against the desk. (*I can't do this anymore.*) If he treated anyone specially, the other two's abilities would run wild. But if he tried to treat them equally, he'd be caught between the pressure of all three and unable to move. And on top of that—even the government had its eyes on them. "There's nowhere to run." He had no power. No memories of a past life, no residual abilities, nothing. Youou's purple lightning, Anko's wind, Kyouka's gravity—he couldn't stop any of them. (*I can't do anything. I can't protect anyone. If this keeps up—someday, everyone will get caught.*) His vision blurred. He closed his eyes. (*Let's just end it.*) Throw everything away, run away— He lifted his head. Outside the window. The sunset dyed the surface of Misora Bay orange. The waves gently rolled in and pulled back. Repeating. The eternal, unchanging rhythm of the sea. (*...It's beautiful.*) He thought that, suddenly. He loved this town. This classroom with its view o