Saturday. 10:00 AM. The gates of Meichou Academy were firmly shut, and the school buildings on this day off held not a trace of human presence. At this hour, normally filled with the shouts of club activities and the brass band's melodies, today the silence was almost eerie. At the peak of that silence, on the rooftop overlooking Kagura Hill—Kakeru stood alone, trembling as he gazed up at the sky. "How did it come to this, damn it..." The warning from Counselor Himuro after school yesterday. Youou shattering the fluorescent lights. Anko blasting away the side dishes. Kyouka pinning him down in the library. And Shizunami Rei—the government's shadow. Himself, unable to do anything. His fingertips were cold. The wind swept down from Kagura Hill, rustling the camphor trees in the courtyard. It was only April, yet the wind felt bitterly cold. Kakeru stared hard at his own palms, then clenched them tight. (*But I can't run away.*) On top of a waterproof sheet, he laid out bottled tea and paper cups he'd bought at the convenience store that morning. The bare minimum of sincerity. His hands trembled faintly as he set down the paper cups—one nearly toppled over, and he hurriedly caught it. As he prepared for this horrendously ill-timed tea party, he checked his watch over and over. His heart was loud. The back of his throat was dry, and every time he swallowed, it made a strange sound. —*Clank.* The sound of the rooftop's rusted iron door opening. "...You're early." The first to appear was Youou. She was in her jersey, her beloved shinai bag on her back. Her ponytail, tied high, swayed in the wind. The moment she saw Kakeru, she caught her breath for an instant, then deliberately strode toward him with long steps. Her sharp, strong-willed eyes fixed on Kakeru. "Morning." "D-Don't think I came just because you called me! I just didn't have anything else to do on a day off!" She rattled off the words in a rush, then turned away, her face bright red. Her hand was already unconsciously gripping her shinai bag tight. Her knuckles had gone white. "Daaaarliiiing!!" From behind Youou, a pink bomb came flying out. Her fluffy bob cut bounced and bobbed. Anko was carrying a large bundle in both arms—another mountain of homemade rice balls today—and she rushed over, her amber eyes sparkling. "You need food for a discussion, right! I woke up early and made a whole bunch!" "O-Oh... thanks." The moment Anko happily tried to cling to Kakeru's arm— —*Crackle.* Youou's hand glowed purple, and static electricity shot through the air. "Anko. Nothing's even started yet this morning." "What, Youou, you've been practicing since early morning too! It's so obvious you were all fired up to show Darling your best look!" "I-I was not! It was just my usual practice swings!" Just as their argument was about to heat up— "Oh my." A composed voice arrived on the wind. Kyouka had slowly ascended the stairs and stood there, wearing her usual smile. Straight black hair reaching her waist. Deep green eyes that hinted at profound knowledge. Among the three, she was the only one properly dressed in casual clothes. "If Kakeru-kun is calling, there's no way I wouldn't come. But everyone's so early." Her gaze traced over the three of them. For an instant, Anko's and Youou's faces stiffened. A wordless pressure dominated the rooftop. Youou readjusted her grip on her shinai bag, and Anko clutched the bundle of rice balls to her chest. The wind stopped dead, and even the rustling of the camphor leaves in the courtyard fell silent. (*...Terrifying. I'm glad they all came, but this is way too terrifying.*) Trembling inwardly, Kakeru gave the waterproof sheet a light pat. "...Anyway, let's sit down. I've got something to talk about." The three of them vied with each other for the spot "next to Kakeru." —Three seconds of silent stare-battle. Youou's temple twitched, Anko's lips bent into a pout, and Kyouka's smile intensified by twenty percent. —In the end, after a game of rock-paper-scissors—the most peaceful duel in history—the encirclement was complete: Kyouka on Kakeru's right, Anko on his left, and Youou directly in front. (*No openings!*) Kakeru's internal retort was carried off futilely by the sea breeze. Anko spread out her proud rice balls. Salmon, tuna-mayo, kelp—each one a labor of love, packed with affection. The nori was still crisp, and a faint warmth from being freshly made lingered. "Here, Darling! Say ahh!" "Wait, hold on! I still haven't—" "You, listen to what he has to say first." "That's right. Kakeru-kun, you have something important to tell us, don't you?" Kyouka's smile pierced Kakeru head-on. Gentle, yet carrying an absolute pressure that would never let him escape. Kakeru took a sip of the bottled tea, wetting his trembling throat. Only the sensation of the cold tea passing down his throat felt unnervingly vivid. "You guys... you're all important to me." —*Silence.* The three of them stopped moving. "I don't have the power or memories of my past life. Even watching you all suffer because of your abilities, I can't do anything." The wind from the sea swayed the plastic bottle. Kakeru's hair was disheveled, nearly getting in his eyes, but he ignored it and continued. "But if this keeps up, someone's really going to get hurt. Yesterday, Counselor Himuro told me. If your abilities go out of control in public again, you'll be subject to investigation. You might not be able to come to school for up to six months." Youou's hand gripped her shinai bag tightly. The cloth creaked. Anko's smile vanished. The hands that had been holding the rice balls curled up small on her lap. Kyouka's smile deepened. Her mouth remained the same, but only her eyes slowly narrowed. "So, please. Just a little is enough. All of you, fighting over me—" "Then if Darling just picks me, everything's solved!" The first to break the silence was Anko. She sprang to her feet and thrust a squeezed rice ball at Kakeru. The rice ball was slightly crushed, tuna-mayo oozing from the edge. "If Darling becomes only my Darling, I won't be jealous, there won't be any storms, and—" "Huh? You think that logic actually works!?" Youou stood up too, refusing to be outdone. Her hand was beginning to glow purple. Tiny sparks scattered from her fingertips, and the air carried a faint scorched smell. "Who Kakeru chooses is something Kakeru himself decides—n-not that I'm saying this for your sake!" Her face turned bright red. Embarrassment and anger mixed together, reddening her all the way to the tips of her ears. "You two, how about calming down a little?" Kyouka remained seated, her smile unwavering. But the concrete at her feet creaked faintly. Binding Law. The grains of sand around her alone became motionless, as if plastered to the ground. "I'm very happy that Kakeru-kun was honest with us. But—that doesn't change the fact that I won't hand him over to anyone." A smile. But her eyes weren't smiling. Deep within those green irises, something coiled. "Kyouka-senpai, in the end, you're only thinking about yourself too!" "...I don't recall giving you the right to call me senpai." The air began to warp. Purple lightning raced from Youou's hand, wind whipped up Anko's hair, and the grains of sand around Kyouka rose, defying gravity. —*Crackle-crackle.* —*Whooosh.* —*Creak-crack.* No fluorescent lights, no side dishes, no books. Just an empty rooftop, where only the three's emotions lay bare, about to run wild. "Stop—" —*Creeeak.* The sound of the rooftop's rusted iron door, quietly opening. Every gaze turned toward it at once. Long silver hair floated softly in the wind. Expressionless. Shino stood there. "If everyone's gathered, that's convenient." Her voice was astonishingly flat. No inflection, no discernible color of emotion. An inorganic resonance, as if merely stating facts. "Why are you here—" Shino didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out a small crystal-like device from her pocket. Inside, a bluish-purple light pulsed and flickered. "When Awakened individuals resonate with each other at the extreme limits of emotion, their abilities are fully drawn out." Her eyes changed to the same bluish-purple as the device's light. The color of her pupils shifted as if dyed, and within them, there wasn't a single flicker of human emotion. "Thank you, Kakeru. Because you gathered the three of them here, the conditions are now set." —*KEEEEEEEEEN!!!* The device activated. An invisible wave spread, and an unpleasant high-frequency sound that resonated deep in the ears pierced through the rooftop. A noise like metal being clawed, yet one that shook the very center of the head. Kakeru instinctively covered his ears. It felt like his eardrums would burst. "Ugh, aaaahhh!?" The first to scream was Youou. From her right hand, purple lightning erupted uncontrollably. Snakes of electricity writhed and scorched the surroundings, striking the rooftop fence directly. *BANG!* The metal burst, and acrid smoke rose. The pungent smell of melted paint stung the nose. "Stop it! The wind—the wind is moving on its own—!" Around Anko, a sudden gust swirled into a vortex. A flowerpot was sent flying, scattering soil and ceramic shards. The waterproof sheet danced in the air, and the plastic bottle rolled away with a grating sound. She pressed down her hair, desperately trying to cling to the fence. Her fingers were white from the strain. "Ngh, ugh...!" Kyouka's expression twisted in pain. The first color of agony she'd ever shown. Even so, she didn't let go of her smile. No—it was as if her facial muscles had frozen that way. The corners of her mouth were lifted, but the edges of her eyes were twitching. —*DOOM.* The concrete at her feet shattered and caved in under gravity. The indiscriminately released Binding Law began cracking the rooftop floor radially from the center. The fissures stretched all the way to Kakeru's feet, and pebbles pattered down. The three's abilities stimulated and amplified each other. Purple lightning carried the wind, the wind accelerated gravity, and gravity compressed the lightning—an uncontrollable chain reaction. The air grew hot; just breathing felt like it would burn the lungs. "Kakeru-kun...!!" Kyouka's cry. Her voice was cracking. On trembling legs, Kakeru stepped forward. "You have no ability. So staying here is dangerous for you." Shino raised her hand. Gravity interference—a wall of air tried to blow Kakeru away. An impact like an invisible giant hand pressing against his chest. "Ugh, guh...!!" He fell to his knees. On the waterproof sheet, the skin of his knees scraped and blood seeped through. His breathing grew shallow. His heart pounded against his ribs from the inside. Even so, Kakeru raised his head. "Stop it...!!" His voice was wrenched from the pit of his stomach. "These three are my—my comrades!!" Shino's eyes widened slightly. The first expression-like expression she'd shown. Still on his knees, Kakeru planted himself squarely in front of the three. No weapon, no ability. Just the body of a single high school student. The blood from his knees soaked into the waterproof sheet, blooming small red flowers. "Youou!! Anko!! Kyouka-senpai!!" A scream that felt like it would tear his throat apart. His vocal cords were crying out. "I'm right here!! Can you hear me!! It's me, your Kakeru!!" —*Crack.* The sound of something breaking. It was the moment the light of Shino's device weakened. The bluish-purple light racing through the crystal flickered, like a candle flame being blown out, and dimmed. Youou's purple lightning vanished instantly. The snakes of light dissolved into the air, without a trace. "...Ka...keru...?" Clutching her shinai bag as if embracing it, she collapsed on the spot. The strength drained from her knees, and she sat down on the concrete. Holding the shinai bag to her chest,