The lunch break chime rang faintly in the distance. Naruhodou Ryuuichi lay slumped over his desk, absently tracing the edge of the notebook in front of him. Not a single math formula had stuck in his head. He couldn't remember a word the teacher had said, either. (*That dream…*) He'd had it again last night. The courtroom dream. The high ceiling. The black, heavy cloak-like clothes. The wooden chair. And that person's broad back. "…Hold it. Objection." It was his own voice. Desperately shouting to protect someone. But who he was trying to protect, who he was protecting — he couldn't remember. Like it was shrouded in fog. The center of his chest felt warm, spreading slowly, yet faintly aching. A strange sensation. (*I want to ask Mitsurugi-kun about it.*) The thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. He didn't know why. But if he were to tell anyone about that dream, he felt it could only be Mitsurugi-kun. Besides, the moment he'd touched Mitsurugi's hand on his first day as a transfer student, something had burst inside his head. That sensation was surely connected to this dream. Naruhodou closed his notebook and stood up. He peeked into Mitsurugi's classroom, but he wasn't there. The library was a bust, too. He called out to a classmate he ran into in the connecting corridor. "[excited] Hey, do you know where Mitsurugi-kun is?" "Mitsurugi-kun? Probably the rooftop garden. He's always reading up there during lunch break." (*The rooftop garden… "Sora-niwa."*) Naruhodou thanked him and dashed up the stairs. Sora-niwa was a small garden on the roof of the main building. There were flower beds carefully tended by the gardening club students, and four benches. Apparently, it was a little-known spot where hardly anyone came during lunch break. He climbed the last of the stairs and pushed open the heavy door leading to the rooftop. A warm breeze swept through with a soft rush. The sky was a deep, clear blue, and the clouds stretched thin as if someone had brushed them on with a single stroke. The flowers in the beds swayed in the wind, their heads bobbing gently. And there, on the bench furthest back. Mitsurugi Reiji sat alone. In his hands was a hardcover book. He couldn't see the cover, but the title looked somehow difficult. The book rested on his lap, and his long fingers turned the pages softly. The wind gently combed through his silver-gray hair. The sight was far too picturesque. It felt like a single frame from a movie poster. As if this scenery alone had been cut away from the world, and the flow of time had slowed down. Naruhodou swallowed hard. (*Alright, let's call out to him.*) He took a deep breath and stepped forward. At that moment. *Slip.* He felt his shoelace come undone underfoot. "[scared] Wh-whoa!?" His body pitched forward. His vision spun. After coming all this way, of all things, he was going to fall again! Idiot! Moron! And he'd made a weird noise!! —*Grab.* Just as he thought he was going down, something firmly caught Naruhodou by the shoulder. "…Your shoelace again." The voice came from directly above his head. When Naruhodou fearfully looked up, there were Mitsurugi's eyes — exasperated, yet somehow warm. Point-blank range. His silver-gray hair swayed softly in the wind, tickling Naruhodou's cheek. (*Too close too close too close!*) "[scared] I-I'm sorry!" "[gentle] It's nothing to be surprised about. You fell yesterday, too, after all." Mitsurugi let out a small sigh and released his grip on Naruhodou's shoulder. Then, crouching down, he reached toward Naruhodou's feet. "[gentle] Here, give me your foot. I'll retie it for you." "[scared] Wha—!? No, no, I'll do it myself! I can't possibly make you do something like that, Mitsurugi-kun—" "It's more of a nuisance if you fall." His tone brooked no argument. Mitsurugi deftly retied Naruhodou's undone shoelace. His fingers moved with such efficiency that Naruhodou found himself staring in admiration. (*Mitsurugi-kun really can do anything, huh.*) And then, another image flickered through his mind. —"Next time, it's my turn to catch you." Words someone had said, laughing. That voice was a little like Mitsurugi's voice now, but more casual. His chest tightened. (*Is this a past-life memory, too?*) "Done." Mitsurugi stood up and brushed the dirt from his knees. Even that gesture looked stylish — it was unfair. Naruhodou bowed his head over and over. "[excited] Thank you so, so much! You saved me!" "Hmph. Ridiculous." He said that, but his eyes were smiling. Returning to the bench, he closed his paperback and patted the seat next to him. "Why don't you sit? If you keep standing there, you'll fall again." "[surprised] Huh, is it okay?" "You came here for a reason, didn't you? Talk." Nervously, Naruhodou sat down beside Mitsurugi. The bench was smaller than he'd thought, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. A soft scent of laundry soap drifted from Mitsurugi. His heart was loud. (*Calm down, me. I'm just going to ask about the dream.*) "[whispers] Um, hey… this might sound weird, but…" "What is it?" "Mitsurugi-kun, have you ever… had a dream about a courtroom?" Mitsurugi's hand stopped dead. The expression that had, until then, seemed to be listening to Naruhodou with some amusement, vanished from his face. His silver-gray eyes pierced straight through Naruhodou. They were serious eyes. "That dream… the sound of a gavel, someone standing. And you're always looking at that person's back — that dream?" Naruhodou nodded, so vigorously he knew it himself. "[surprised] Yes! That's it! A person in heavy black clothes is standing in front, and—" "…I have the same dream." Mitsurugi's voice was terribly quiet. He set his book aside and folded his hands on his lap. He looked up at the sky with eyes that seemed to gaze into the distance. "Ever since I can remember. It's a strange story, isn't it? I'm not a lawyer, nor have I ever been to a courtroom. And yet, I keep having that dream." "…I see." At Mitsurugi's words, something deep in his chest trembled. (*Maybe fate really does exist.*) He seriously thought that. Both of them were having the same dream. That surely meant— But he was afraid to think beyond that. Because, what if he was wrong? What if it meant nothing? He'd be the one getting his hopes up for nothing and hurting like an idiot. Scared, embarrassed, the words that burst out of him on impulse were so loud they surprised even himself. "[excited] Maybe we knew each other in a past life or something — just kidding, of course!" His loud voice echoed through the quiet of the rooftop. And then. *Rustle.* The bushes in the nearby thicket shook unnaturally. "…Huh?" As Naruhodou turned around, something fell from within the bushes. It hit the ground with a dry clatter — a smartphone. The screen was black. But the small light next to the camera lens was blinking red. "[angry] Who's there!" Mitsurugi stood and rushed to the bushes. Naruhodou hurriedly followed. But all they could hear were footsteps racing down the emergency stairs on the other side of the thicket at a furious pace. He thought he caught a glimpse of a uniform hem. "…They got away." Mitsurugi's voice was cold. He picked up the fallen smartphone and held down the power button. The screen wouldn't turn on. Either it was broken, or the power had been deliberately turned off. "M-Mitsurugi-kun, this…" "A covert recording. Most likely, they were recording our conversation." (*Recording…?*) His own idiotic shout from moments ago replayed in his head on a loop. *"Maybe we knew each other in a past life or something!"* He felt the blood drain from his face. "Don't let it bother you. If they try anything foolish, I won't allow it." So saying, Mitsurugi tucked the smartphone into his pocket. His profile was that of the usual cool prince. But the soft atmosphere from when they'd been talking about the dream just moments ago was already gone. ** That evening. On the school's SNS — an app called "Stella Post" that only students could use — a single post was uploaded. *'Transfer student lies about being Mitsurugi-sama's past-life lover to get close to him. Audio evidence included.'* Attached to the post was that one line Naruhodou had shouted at Sora-niwa, processed into an audio file. —*Maybe we knew each other in a past life or something—* The crucial "just kidding, of course" part before and after had been cleanly cut. In addition, a photo of the two of them sitting on the bench was attached, taken from an angle that made it look as if Naruhodou was coming on to Mitsurugi. The post was anonymous. But the speed at which it spread was abnormal; as if orchestrated from the start, it became the talk of the entire school in no time. Comments piled up one after another. *'Isn't this bad?'* *'Past-life lover? That's so cringe.'* *'Lying like that just to get close to Mitsurugi-kun is the worst.'* *'The transfer student — that's that Naruhodou guy, right? He was shouting weird stuff over the broadcast on his first day.'* Back in the classroom, Naruhodou sat shrunk down at his desk. The students around him kept glancing his way, whispering and peeking at their phones. Some were covering their mouths, laughing. "[scared] I-It's not true… that was, a joke…" He denied it desperately. But the more he spoke, the stronger the curious stares around him grew. Eventually, he could hear audible snickering, loud enough on purpose. School ended. As Naruhodou tried to flee the classroom, a female student stood at the entrance. Her armband read "Student Council." "You are Naruhodou Ryuuichi-san. I'm here from Student Council Vice President Himuro Saya." What was handed to him was a pure white envelope. The wax seal was stamped with the Kagurazaka Academy crest and the word "VÉRITÉ." His hands trembled. He broke the seal. Inside was a single sheet of paper. Written in a skilled hand were these words: *'To Naruhodou Ryuuichi-dono,* *In light of the disturbance that occurred today on the school's SNS, multiple students have submitted investigation requests regarding the nature of your relationship with Mitsurugi Reiji.* *Accordingly, the first hearing shall be convened tomorrow after school at 16:00 in the Vérité Courtroom.* *This hearing is to examine the allegation that you approached Mitsurugi Reiji through inappropriate means.* *The evidence preparation period is 24 hours.* *Furthermore, this matter is a formal trial based on Article 17 of the Student Council Regulations. Absence will result in an automatic loss.* *Kagurazaka Academy Student Council* *Judge: Himuro Saya'* Naruhodou's shoulders slumped heavily. (*…A trial, they say.*) He had no evidence whatsoever. Because it was the truth. He didn't know if they'd known each other in a past life, but the special something he felt toward that person wasn't a lie. But if he said something like "past-life memories," he'd definitely be looked at even more strangely. His head was spinning. Absently, he looked at his right hand. His index finger was unconsciously pressed to his temple. A habit from his past life when he was thinking. (*—Hold it.*) A voice echoed from the depths of his heart. (*Sort out the points of contention. The opponent's claim is that "Naruhodou Ryuuichi lied to get close to Mitsurugi." So, how do you counter that? Fight it with the truth. With the one and only truth you have right now.*) The instincts of his past-life lawyer were raising their head for the first time in a long while. "[serious] …Guess I've got no choice but to do this." He murmured quietly, to no one in particular. Sweat beaded on his clenched fist. The sky, so blue just moments ago, had begun to stain itself a deep crimson before he knew it. The clouds he'd seen from the rooftop garden were nowhere to be found now. All alone, his 24-hour battle was about to begin.