A Gift that should never see the light of day. A smile that's too perfect to be real. And a classmate who's about to find out the truth.
Kazama Shinji hates Mistrea Island—the isolated academy where the Gifted are caged until eighteen, and where his ability to manipulate corpses makes him a freak among the "talented." He keeps his head down, counts the days, and tries not to think about why his childhood friend Yuuka's smile sometimes looks hollow.
Then Hiiragi Nana transfers in. Sweet, popula
Talentless Nana: The Shadow Observer - The Distance of Masks—Lies and True Feelings Exchanged in the Library
The light streaming through the classroom window felt whiter than usual.
Kazama Shinji stared blankly at the notebook spread open on his desk. It was filled with small, cramped writing—a record of someone's movements, logged hour by hour.
"...Nothing to write again today."
He muttered under his breath and set down his pen.
A week had nearly passed since that night at Sloan Cliff, when he'd watched Hiiragi Nana push Nakajima Nanao over the edge. Since then, his everyday life had changed—quietly, but irrevocably.
Every night, when he returned to his room, he waited for a message from Sasaki Yuuka. Her ability—corpse manipulation—let her move his body against his will. Being controlled felt like his body had become someone else's entirely. His fingertips weren't his own. His legs moved on their own. Even the rhythm of his breathing lay in Yuuka's hands.
(Where is Yuuka right now?)
Shinji's fingers absently traced the wristband on his left arm. An old thing, matching the one Yuuka wore. The fabric was frayed, the color faded.
(Yuuka's been changing, bit by bit, since that night.)
He was sure of it.
Her smile was as bright as ever. In class, in the cafeteria, she smiled at everyone without distinction, like the sun itself. But sometimes, behind that smile, he caught a glimpse of an empty hollow.
Her eyes weren't smiling.
Her focus would slip, just for an instant.
His powers of observation told him so.
And at the same time, the number of times Yuuka controlled him had been steadily increasing. At first, it was only at night. But lately, even during the day—even during class—his body would suddenly move at Yuuka's whim.
"Hey, Shinji."
The unexpected voice made his shoulders jerk.
He looked up to find Yuuka standing beside his desk. Her short black hair was gathered atop her head, and a few stray strands bounced in the breeze from the window. Her large, bright brown eyes peered down at him.
"Y-Yuuka... Good morning."
"Good morning, Shinji. You were spacing out again, weren't you?"
Yuuka sat down in the seat next to him. Her uniform skirt fluttered softly.
"Are you doing it properly today, too?"
Her voice was very quiet—too quiet for anyone else in the classroom to hear.
"...Yeah. But today, I haven't found anything yet."
Shinji hid the notebook under his desk so Yuuka couldn't see it.
"That's fine. Don't push yourself. But keep a close eye on Nana-chan, okay?"
With that, Yuuka shifted her gaze to the center of the classroom.
There, Hiiragi Nana stood surrounded by classmates. Bright brown hair tied in twin tails. A ribbon that suited her perfectly. Large amber eyes sparkling.
"Moguo-kun, you had two pieces of bread for breakfast today, didn't you! And you were playing games late last night, so you look a little sleepy."
"Wha—?! How do you know all that?!"
"Well, there are breadcrumbs at the corner of your mouth, and you've got faint dark circles under your eyes."
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Nana's ability was thought-reading—the power to read people's minds.
But lately, Shinji had begun to feel a strong sense of unease about that ability.
(Can she really read minds?)
Nana certainly seemed to guess what people were thinking. But when he watched closely, everything she said could be inferred from a person's expression, gestures, clothing, or belongings.
Take Moguo just now. Seeing breadcrumbs at the corner of his mouth made it obvious he'd had bread for breakfast. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes made it easy to guess he hadn't slept enough.
(That's not mind-reading. She's just observing people and making deductions.)
Shinji was becoming convinced of this.
Cold reading.
The technique of drawing out information from someone's appearance and reactions, making it seem as though you're reading their mind.
(Hiiragi-san isn't a thought-reader. She's just abnormally good at observing people.)
But what that meant—Shinji still didn't know.
"Shinji-kun, what's with that serious face?"
Suddenly, Nana turned toward him and smiled.
Shinji's heart skipped.
"Huh...? No, it's nothing."
"Really? But I felt like you were staring at me."
Nana's eyes fixed directly on Shinji.
That gaze made him feel as though she could see straight through to the bottom of his heart.
"...Sorry. It was nothing."
Shinji looked away.
(Crap. Did she notice?)
His heart pounded like a drum.
"Fufu, I'm just kidding. Shinji-kun, you really do turn red so easily."
With that, Nana returned to the circle of classmates.
Shinji let out a breath of relief.
(...That's bad for my heart.)
"Shinji, what was that just now?"
Yuuka's voice came from beside him.
He turned to find her still smiling—but her eyes weren't.
"W-What do you mean? It was nothing. Hiiragi-san just came over to talk, that's all."
"...Hmm. Fine, I guess. But keep watching her properly. You can't let your guard down with Nana-chan."
Yuuka stood up.
"See you after school, then."
Leaving those words behind, Yuuka exited the classroom.
Shinji watched her back and let out a small sigh.
(Yuuka... What on earth are you thinking?)
After school.
As Yuuka had instructed, Shinji decided to invite Nana to the library.
The library—"Libra House." Its collection numbered about twelve thousand volumes. The quietest place on campus.
"Hiiragi-san, do you have a moment?"
Shinji called out to Nana at the classroom exit.
"Oh my, Shinji-kun. What is it? It's rare for you to come talk to me."
Nana smiled happily.
"Um... if you have time, would you like to go to the library? There's something I wanted to look into."
Shinji said it nervously.
(I have no choice but to move the way Yuuka tells me.)
"The library? That sounds wonderful! I've been wanting to go there myself."
Nana agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"Let's go, then."
The two of them walked to the library together.
Inside, the air was cool and still.
The scent of books filled the space.
"Wow, amazing. There are so many books."
Nana's eyes sparkled as she looked around at the shelves.
"Yeah. It's the most relaxing place on campus."
Shinji sat down at a seat by the window.
Nana sat across from him.
"So, what was it you wanted to look into?"
"Huh? Ah, well, that's..."
Shinji faltered.
(There's nothing I want to look into. Yuuka just told me to bring Nana to the library.)
"Um, actually, the thing I wanted to look into was a lie..."
"Fufu, I know. Yuuka-chan asked you to, didn't she?"
"What?! How did you know?"
"Because you've been fidgety this whole time, Shinji-kun. And I saw Yuuka-chan asking you to bring me to the library."
Nana laughed mischievously.
(...This person really does notice everything.)
Shinji was struck anew by the sharpness of Nana's observation.
"So why did Yuuka-chan ask you to bring me to the library?"
"That's... um..."
Shinji was at a loss for an answer.
(I can't tell her the truth.)
"...I don't know. Yuuka just said she wanted to get to know you better, Hiiragi-san."
"Get to know me better? Yuuka-chan?"
Nana looked surprised.
"Yeah. Yuuka seems to really like you, Hiiragi-san."
"Is that... so. That makes me happy."
Nana smiled, looking a little embarrassed.
That smile was slightly different from the flawless one she wore in the classroom.
(That smile just now... was real.)
Shinji felt it.
"Hey, Shinji-kun. Are you afraid of me?"
Suddenly, Nana asked with a serious expression.
"Huh? Afraid? Why?"
"Because I can read people's minds with thought-reading, you know? I can know everything you're thinking. Wouldn't that be scary, having someone like that next to you?"
Nana's eyes gazed steadily at Shinji.
(This person is testing me right now.)
Shinji sensed it instinctively.
"...I'm not afraid."
Shinji looked directly into Nana's eyes and answered.
"Not afraid? Why?"
"Because even if you can read minds, Hiiragi-san, you wouldn't use it to hurt anyone, right? And if you can read my mind, then you should know exactly how nervous I am right now."
Shinji managed a small smile.
"Fufu, that's true. Shinji-kun, you're very nervous right now. Your heart is pounding."
Nana laughed mischievously again.
(Just as I thought—she's not reading minds. She's just observing how nervous I am.)
Shinji's conviction only grew stronger.
"Hey, Hiiragi-san. I think having the ability to read minds must be really hard."
"Hard? Why?"
"Because you'd know everything people feel, right? Joy, sadness, anger, hatred—all of it. That must be exhausting."
At Shinji's words, Nana's expression clouded slightly.
"...You're right. It does get exhausting sometimes."
Nana said that and shifted her gaze outside the window.
The setting sun dyed the sky in crimson.
"But my ability exists to help everyone. So I can't afford to say I'm tired."
Her voice sounded a little lonely.
(Maybe this person has been fighting all alone this whole time.)
Shinji thought so.
"Hiiragi-san, don't push yourself too hard."
The words came out naturally.
"Shinji-kun...?"
Nana looked at him in surprise.
"Ah, no, I mean—sorry for saying something so presumptuous. But I just felt that way, somehow."
Shinji hurriedly added.
"...Thank you. Shinji-kun, you're very kind."
This time, Nana smiled with genuine happiness.
Seeing that smile, Shinji felt a warmth spread gently through his chest.
(This person's real smile is so beautiful.)
That was when it happened.
"Ah, there you are! What are you two whispering about?"
Yuuka came walking over from the library entrance, waving.
"Yuuka, you came."
"Yep! I thought I'd do some research at the library too! More importantly, you two look like you're getting along great! Let me join in!"
Yuuka plopped herself down next to Shinji.
"Hello, Yuuka-chan. We were just talking about thought-reading."
"What, thought-reading?! That's so cool—I want Nana-chan to read my mind too!"
"Fufu, Yuuka-chan's mind is saying right now that you want to get closer to me and Shinji-kun."
"No way!? How did you know?!"
"Because it's written all over your face, Yuuka-chan."
Nana laughed mischievously again.
(Just as I thought—this person is really good at reading people's expressions.)
Shinji thought so again as he listened to their exchange.
"Hey, Nana-chan, what do you actually like?"
Yuuka suddenly asked.
"What I like? Let me think... sweets, I suppose. I'm especially fond of pudding."
"Pudding?! I love pudding too! The pudding in the cafeteria here is delicious!"
"Yes, that's my favorite too."
"Then let's eat it together sometime! Promise!"
"Yes, gladly."
Yuuka happily took Nana's hand.
Nana looked a little bewildered, but quickly smiled back.
(Yuuka really does want to be friends with Nana.)
Shinji quietly watched the two of them.
But at the same time, he felt a small thorn prick at his chest.
(Are Yuuka's feelings for Nana genuine? Or is that also an act?)
Yuuka's emotions were being eroded every time she used her corpse-manipulation ability.
(If Yuuka's affection for Nana disappears because her emotions are being worn away...)
Shinji didn't want to think about it.
"Hey, Shinji. You should join us for pudding next time too."
Yuuka peered into Shinji's face.
"Huh? Ah, yeah. Sure."
Shinji answered hurriedly.
"Yay! Then it's a promise—all three of us!"
Yuuka laughed innocently.
That smile was no different from the bright one she wore in the classroom.
(...For now, it's still okay.)
Shinji murmured in his heart.
Closing time was approaching.
"It's almost time for the library to close. Thank you for today. I had a wonderful time."
Nana stood up and said so.
"Same here! Let's talk again, all three of us!"
"Yeah, see you."
The three of them left the library.
"Well, I go this way. See you in class tomorrow."
With that, Nana walked off toward the dormitories.
"Bye-bye, Nana-chan! See you tomorrow!"
Yuuka waved broadly.
Shinji waved too, more subtly.
Nana's figure disappeared into the twilight.
"...N
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