Tanaka Shouta had imagined the Partner Declaration Ceremony would be something quieter, more peaceful. A crescent-shaped chandelier swayed from the ceiling of Crescent Hall on the 14th floor of Grand'Or Tokyo. What was unfolding inside right now was——less a declaration, more a total war. "[serious]Kotone. There's something I've been thinking about this whole time" Mori stood forward, sunglasses removed, his eyes unusually direct. Without the shades, his gaze was more ordinary than expected. Serious eyes. "[cold]……I knew that three seconds ago" Kotone spoke with her arms crossed. Emotionless. A voice stating facts. "[serious]What are you going to do with that information? Just let me say it" "[cold]I refuse" No microphone. But her voice carried through the entire venue. First strike. Perfect interception. Mori slid his sunglasses up to his forehead and quietly looked down. "……I see" Three syllables. Heavier than they should have been. At the edge of the venue, Kurokawa was floating two business cards in the air. He swayed them gently with telekinesis, extending them smoothly toward the crowd. "[serious]If fate allows, please do" The event staff, looking troubled, flipped through the rulebook and muttered, "[serious]……Well, business card distribution as a declaration isn't actually covered in the regulations" Tanaka Shouta stood beside Ayane, watching the whole thing unfold. Ayane was looking in the same direction. "[cold]……A normal matchmaking party isn't supposed to be like this, is it" She said it quietly. Her voice carried no emotion. But there was a subtle tone mixed in——something between exasperation and relief. "[gentle]I thought the same thing at first. I was ready to leave when I saw the coffee was 1400 yen" Ayane's mouth moved for 0.2 seconds. She might have laughed. He thought she laughed. It was the most ordinary moment of the night. Which was exactly why Tanaka remembered it so clearly. ——That's when Yuusuke gripped the microphone with both hands again. "[serious]……There's something I need to tell all of you" His usual calm voice. But the light, carefree tone was completely gone. The venue fell silent. --- Yuusuke surveyed everyone from the stage. Black hair parted seven-three. Calm dark brown eyes. In their depths, Tanaka's logical optimization read three layers——suffering. Guilt. Determination. "[serious]As returnees, there's something you need to know first" He paused, then continued. "[serious]We were——called the Wedges of Visitors in Elda Vestia" Wedges of Visitors. Tanaka had never heard that term before. "[serious]That world's structure maintained its stability using us as anchors. Our very existence——those of us reincarnated into Elda Vestia——became the foundation of that world. When the Great Return happened in 2024, those wedges all came loose at once" The venue stirred. "[serious]Elda Vestia is becoming unstable. And that instability is already starting to affect the real world. ……Some of you have noticed, haven't you? Skill intoxication frequency has increased lately. You've felt spaces warping in ordinary places. That wasn't your imagination. It's a warning sign" No one spoke. Kotone's lips were pressed tight. "[serious]Research has shown that if returnees form pairs whose skills resonate with each other, they can become substitutes for those wedges. When two people's skills overlap, they can become replacement anchors supporting both worlds' stability. The Pairing Game was——a matchmaking party wearing a disguise. It was really a selection process for optimal resonance pairs" Silence. "……I was caught in a prediction" Kotone's voice trembled as she spoke. Her arms had uncrossed. "[sad]But the scale was too big. I didn't want to believe it" Mori looked up at the ceiling, sunglasses still off. "[surprised]……So that's why 50,000 yen" The completely off-topic observation loosened the tension for just a moment. A few people gave bitter laughs. But——Yuusuke wasn't finished yet. "[serious]One more thing" His voice wavered slightly. "[serious]Tanaka Shouta's logical optimization is——the only universal catalyst we've discovered that can resonate with all skills. It can synchronize with any type of skill. He was necessary. So I had to——approach him as a friend and use him. That's my sin" His voice cracked. Yuusuke bowed deeply on the stage. --- The venue fell silent. Tanaka checked his own emotions. Anger, or the pain of betrayal——he thought they'd be there. But what was actually present was something calmer. （So that's what it was） Logical optimization had reached the answer long ago. The reason Yuusuke never brought it up. The redness in his eyes on the emergency stairs. It all pointed in one direction. Tanaka stepped forward. Yuusuke looked up. His eyes——still red. "[serious]Yuusuke. Just one question" "[serious]……What" "[serious]When you told me to go back on the emergency stairs——why didn't you rewrite my memory" Yuusuke moved slightly. "[serious]……I wanted you to stand up on your own strength. That's all" "[gentle]That's something a friend would do" Tanaka stepped closer. And——threw his right fist. It connected with Yuusuke's cheek. Yuusuke staggered back a step. The venue held its breath. Tanaka opened his striking hand and extended it to Yuusuke. "[gentle]I hit you because we're friends, idiot. Next time, explain properly. And before you use memory alteration on me, ask me first" Yuusuke looked at the extended hand. He was silent for a while. "[sarcastic]……That doesn't make sense if you ask permission first" Even as he said it, he took the hand. He gripped it. Kotone held a handkerchief to her eyes and sniffled. "[crying]……I'm moved. But I saw this development three seconds ago, so it's complicated" Mori wiped his eyes and murmured, "[gentle]I couldn't read it, so I'm even more moved" Kurokawa floated a single business card in the air. With telekinesis, he slowly sent it drifting toward Tanaka. One business card's worth of blessing. --- A little after the atmosphere of reconciliation spread through the venue. Ren stood alone at the edge of the room. Not going to anyone's side, not leaving. Standing by the wall, his black hair with red streaks slightly bowed, looking at the floor. Not the face of a strategist, not the performance of a good boy. Just the face of a 19-year-old with no strategy. Tanaka walked over. "[gentle]What are you going to do next" Ren looked up. He started to form a perfect smile——then stopped halfway. "[sad]……I don't know" His voice was honest. The first voice of its kind Tanaka had heard all night. "[gentle]I didn't know at first either. But when I thought about it logically, I figured it out. You were only taught how to manipulate people. So you should be able to learn how not to manipulate" Ren paused for a moment. "[sarcastic]……That's not actually logical reasoning at all, is it" "[gentle]You're right. But today was the first time I used my skill based on emotion. I learned that there are moments when emotion is stronger than logic" Ren went silent. The small scar on his right cheek was lit by the venue's lights. "[sad]……I don't know how to live without manipulating people yet. But" There was a small pause. "[serious]……I want to know" For the first time, words that weren't constructed. Tanaka extended his hand. Ren stared at it for a long moment. "[surprised]……Why can you extend your hand so easily" "[gentle]When you put me under hypnosis, I fell to my knees too. But I was able to stand back up" Ren looked at that hand in silence for a while. Then, slowly, he gripped it. Kotone murmured from the side. "[surprised]……This wasn't in my predictions either. Free will really is troublesome" Her face a mix of emotion and exasperation. --- All participants had made their partner declarations. Yuusuke held the microphone again. His voice was slightly lower than usual. "[serious]The 9th Pairing Game is now concluded. Thank you all very much" Applause echoed through Crescent Hall. The crescent-shaped chandelier swayed gently in the wave of sound. As participants began moving, exchanging words with their pairs, Ayane was beside Tanaka. Silver long hair. Pale blue eyes. Her fingers gently tracing the ring on her hand. "[cold]……Would you like to go to the rooftop" Short. Direct. But definitely words meant for Tanaka. "[gentle]Let's go" --- The rooftop terrace of Grand'Or Tokyo's 22nd floor. The air where night's end and morning's beginning mixed was cool against his cheeks. The eastern sky's edge was beginning to stain orange. The sea of light that was the nightscape was slowly changing to a different color. Ayane had both hands on the railing, looking at the view. "[cold]I've been living with time stopped this whole time" Her voice was quiet. "[cold]If I stop it, no one can hurt me. If I stop it, nothing changes. I thought that was easiest" Tanaka stood beside her. He leaned his elbow on the railing, looking in the same direction. "[gentle]But while time is stopped, you can't feel anything, can you" Ayane paused. "[cold]……When I'm with you, I don't want to stop time" It was a small voice. Direct, but definitely there. Tanaka kept facing forward, watching Tokyo Station's roof. "[gentle]I've always tried to understand people through logic——both in the other world and here. I thought logic was more certain than emotion. But I can't understand you logically" There was a pause. "[gentle]Because I can't understand you, I want to be with you more" Ayane turned to face Tanaka. And——she smiled. Not embarrassed, not calculated. Just a smile. The first expression of Ayane's that Tanaka had seen all night. Ayane reached out and took Tanaka's hand. In that moment. Something touched——Tanaka's logical optimization and Ayane's time stop overlapped at their edges. The skills resonated. For just an instant, time took on a special density. The morning light grew stronger. Orange became gold, and the entire rooftop glowed softly. The windows of the Marunouchi buildings reflected all at once, light overflowing. Two shadows stretched beyond the railing. A brief silence. "[gentle]……So where are we going for our next date" Ayane paused. "[cold]……An aquarium" "[surprised]An aquarium" "[cold]Fish don't run away even if I stop time" Tanaka thought for a moment. "[gentle]Is that really a good reason for a date" "[cold]Shut up" Ayane turned forward. Their hands remained linked. The morning sun painted Tokyo's sky. Wedges of Visitors. Skill resonance. The truth of the Pairing Game. All of it——now, in this moment, rested quietly in the hands they held together. The challenges that Links Circle faced, the instability of Elda Vestia——none of it was solved yet. But here was one answer. Everyday life had become just a little bit special. A new morning was beginning.