The sliding door of the shoe locker felt heavier than usual. Hachiman had slipped through the school gates a full thirty minutes before anyone else. He needed to be alone in the classroom—to rework his strategy against that godforsaken reverse-harem system. Seven days left. Just seven days until every memory was wiped clean. (*First, I need to organize the information.*) The moment he opened his shoe locker with that thought, his plan crumbled to pieces. A white envelope fluttered down. The third one this week—an "invitation" from the student council. On the back, in round, cutesy handwriting, a scribbled message: *"Only seven days left now ♡ Senpai."* "[cold]...That damn Iroha. She's already onto me." Last night. The student guidance room. Isshiki Iroha had already processed that closed-door conversation inside herself, burying it beneath her usual smile. The moment he realized that, a cold chill ran down his spine. Scheming was pointless. That girl was always three moves ahead of him. He changed into his indoor shoes and rounded the corner into the hallway. That's when it happened. *Pata pata pata—* The familiar, light rhythm of footsteps came running from the far end of the corridor. Yuigahama Yui. Normally, this would be the start of that morning routine—her dashing up with a piece of bread in her mouth, shouting "Morning, Hikitani-kun!" with all her energy. But the Yuigahama reflected in Hachiman's eyes was different. As she ran, she was biting down hard on her lip. Her fluffy chestnut hair swayed. Her large brown eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to spill over at any moment. Not a trace of her sunshine smile remained—just the face of someone desperately enduring something. The instant her eyes met Hachiman's, Yuigahama jolted to a stop. And then, she forced a smile. "[gentle]...M-Morning! Hikitani-kun!" Her voice was trembling. Normally, this was the kind of situation he'd brush off with a simple "Yeah, sure." But this morning, Hachiman couldn't manage to look away. The tears pooling at the corners of her eyes caught the fluorescent lights, glinting and flickering. "[gentle]...Morning." A voice so small it surprised even himself. Hearing just that, Yuigahama fled toward the classroom as if escaping. Her back grew smaller and smaller down the hallway. Hachiman felt a dull, heavy ache spreading deep in his chest. (*Dammit. This is exactly why it's such a pain.*) He tried to calculate the reverse-harem system's numbers in his head, but it wouldn't work. Before the figures could form, that trembling voice echoed through his mind instead. --- The moment first period ended, Hachiman bolted from the classroom. His destination: the library. Sacred ground for loners. The one sanctuary where he could radiate an unspoken pressure that said *don't talk to me*. He quietly pushed open the library's heavy door. The mingled scent of paper and dust hit his nose. Morning light streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor. And there—she was. Yukinoshita Yukino sat in the window seat. Her waist-length black hair shimmered glossily in the light. A paperback lay open in her hands, but her narrow, lapis lazuli eyes were fixed on the schoolyard outside the window, utterly motionless. Proof she hadn't turned a single page yet. Hachiman tried to slip behind a bookshelf without making a sound. That's when it happened. "[whispers]...Hikigaya-kun." Hachiman's spine froze solid. (*She just called me Hikigaya-kun.*) Everyone in this world called him "Hikitani-kun." The only people who used his real name were those who knew the original world. When he turned around, Yukino was quietly closing her book. "[sad]I've been thinking about it all night." Her voice wasn't her usual confident ojousama tone. It was thin, fragile—on the verge of fading away—the voice of a single girl. "[whispers]I... never had the right to take your memories away." After saying just that, Yukino hung her head low. Her black bangs hid her face, making her expression unreadable. But Hachiman didn't miss it—the single drop of water that fell, *plink*, onto the white cover of her book. Hachiman couldn't say a word. Silence descended on the library. Outside the window, probably from a PE class, someone's shrill voice and the bouncing of a ball echoed faintly in the distance. Only those everyday sounds flowed between the two of them. This silence wasn't sweet. It was the kind of stillness that shared pain. (*This girl... she really does...*) Just as Hachiman was about to say something— *Clatter.* The library door opened, and a few students from another class walked in. Yukino hurriedly stood, returned her book to the shelf, and walked briskly away, her back still turned to Hachiman. Left behind, Hachiman stared intently at the chair where she had been sitting. --- Lunch break. Dodging the watchful eyes of the no-loner policy, Hachiman raced up the stairs to the rooftop. *Creeeak.* He pushed open the heavy iron door. The sea breeze enveloped him in a warm, humid rush. Beyond the fence, Tokyo Bay glittered and sparkled. The rooftop was empty. "[gentle]...Hah." Finally, alone. Hachiman leaned against the fence and let out a long breath. The sky was a cloudless blue, the afternoon sun beating down relentlessly on the asphalt. (*Right. I still have the option of running away—*) The very moment he tried to sink into that escapist fantasy— "[excited]Senpai!" "Whoa!" His heart nearly leaped out of his mouth. He spun around to find Isshiki Iroha peeking out from the gap in the door, her flaxen semi-long hair swaying. Her large, almond-shaped eyes sparkled like a kitten that had just found its prey. "[excited]I knew you'd be here ♡" She approached with a skipping gait and thrust a memo slip right in front of Hachiman's face. Handwritten text. "...What the hell is this." *"Reverse-Harem System Forced Deactivation Method: The target must honestly convey their true feelings to someone. Upon fulfillment of this condition, the world resets to its original state."* A flash of pure white light raced through his mind. "[serious]Where did you get this?" "[gentle]Yukino-senpai looked it up last night and passed it on to me." As she spoke, Iroha lined up beside him and leaned against the fence. Her body, so much smaller than Hachiman's, was right there next to him. "'Please deliver this to senpai,' she said. Not handing it over directly—that's so like Yukino-senpai, isn't it?" Inside Hachiman's mind, a puzzle piece clicked into place. Last night, Yukino had confessed to being the creator of this world. And after learning about the memory erasure—she had researched the deactivation condition on her own. Yet instead of giving it to Hachiman directly, she had used Iroha as an intermediary. She wasn't forcing it on him. She was leaving him a path to choose for himself. (*She's changed, hasn't she.*) Hachiman muttered inwardly. "[serious]...So, Iroha. You're handing this to me—what exactly do you expect me to do?" At Hachiman's question, Iroha froze for just a moment. And then, her usual little-devil smile vanished completely. "[whispers]...If senpai disappears, I'll disappear too, won't I?" The wind gently swayed her flaxen hair. "[crying]Things finally got so fun. I thought if we could do student council together, there'd be so much more to laugh about." Her large eyes reddened, faster and faster. "[crying]My feelings are probably just the selfish whims of a calculating little devil. But... I still hate it." Her smiling mask was starting to crumble. Hachiman couldn't say a word. Yukino. Yui. And now Iroha—his constant running away was hurting people. It wasn't theory. It wasn't logic. Right here, right now, that fact pressed down on him from the bottom of his heart. (*Don't run, me.*) His heart throbbed, heavy and deep. --- *—Ding dong, ding dong.* The school broadcast chime rang out from the rooftop speakers. *"Attention all students! This is an emergency announcement ♡"* Hachiman's eyes widened, and he looked at Iroha beside him. Her face still on the verge of tears, she pulled her phone from her pocket and started tapping at something. *"February 14th—Valentine's Day. On this momentous occasion, the student council will be hosting the 'All-School Participation: 1st Annual Mihama Academy Valentine's Confession Event'! Mandatory participation is required for the student council vice-president candidate—Hikitani-kun!"* As the broadcast ended, a roar of cheers erupted from all corners of the schoolyard. Hachiman slowly looked down at the girl beside him. Iroha slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned her face—which had been on the verge of crying just moments ago—toward Hachiman. That face now wore a perfect little-devil smile once more. "[excited]I just broadcast that ♡" "[cold]You are, without a doubt, the worst of them all." A groan escaped him. "[laughing]I practiced operating my phone while crying last night. Properly." She smiled, utterly pleased with herself. But the corners of her eyes were still—just barely—tinged with red. Hachiman looked down at the schoolyard over the fence. The entire student body buzzed with excitement, like before a festival. Amidst that crowd, he spotted two girls. Yukinoshita Yukino stood beneath the cherry blossom tree in the schoolyard, gazing up intently at the speaker. Yuigahama Yui stood at the entrance to the classroom building, her head hanging weakly even as friends called out to her. There was no escape route left. Not anymore. February 14th. A public confession event dragging in the entire school. In six days, Hachiman would have to convey his true feelings to someone in front of everyone. This was Isshiki Iroha's doing—a complete encirclement with zero escape. "[sarcastic]...What a pain. Such an absolute, colossal pain." The damp sea breeze from Tokyo Bay swept Hachiman's sigh-laden voice off the rooftop. The clouds began to move. At the edge of what had been a clear sky, the signs of the next storm began to seep slowly in.