Shhh... haaa... Thursday morning. A strange breathing sound echoed through the second-year Class 3 classroom at Hoshimigaoka High School. The back row by the window — Ochimoribe Iatsu's seat. A classical literature textbook lay open on his desk. But his eyes weren't following the text. (*Is Hikari coming today?*) Hoshino Hikari, collapsed in the hallway yesterday. Shirogane Akane's cold words, hurled at him as he stood frozen before the nurse's office. —*It's your fault.* The motion of tugging at his collar grew more violent. "Good morning, Iatsu-kun!" A bouncing voice. He turned to find Hikari standing there. Her complexion was still a little pale. But the star-shaped hairpin on the left side of her hair sparkled just the same, and her large eyes shone with curiosity. "[surprised]...You're already okay?" "[excited]Heh-heh, who do you think I am?! I just had a little fever!" She plopped her bag down on her own desk. Her fluffy brown bob swayed. "[gentle]More importantly, Iatsu-kun, today's lunch is the new item from the school store—" She started to say, but then— *Slip.* A single sheet of paper slid onto Iatsu's desk. A blank white memo. Neat, precise handwriting spelled out: *After school. Student council room. Come alone. — Shirogane Akane* "...What is this?" Iatsu's brow furrowed. Hikari leaned over, peering at the memo. And then— "[excited]No way!? A love letter!? From the student council president!?" "It's not." "[excited]But it says 'come alone,' right!? That's totally what it is! Wow, Iatsu-kun, you're so popular! Getting the Silver Queen to notice you — not bad!" Hikari's voice rang through the entire classroom. The curious stares of their classmates stabbed into Iatsu all at once. "Stop it. This isn't that kind of communication. It's a summons. An interrogation—" "[laughing]You don't have to be shy! Should I tell everyone?" "[scared]STOOOP!" The shout escaped before he could stop it. The classroom fell silent. "...Enough. Just stop." Iatsu collapsed onto his desk. Hikari tilted her head with a blank expression. (*Why. Why does it always turn out like this?*) More terrifying than the power of the dark side. This girl's innocence was worse than any torture the Galactic Empire could devise. ... After school. The hallway was empty. Only the distant shouts of club activities drifted in from the sports grounds. Iatsu stood alone before the student council room. Tucked away on the second floor of the main building. A room of about eight tatami mats, once used as a reference library. A deep breath. —*Shhh... haaa...* Three knocks. "Enter." A voice devoid of emotion came from within. He opened the door. The room was dim. The curtains were drawn, leaving only the fluorescent lights to cast a white glow. Potted plants flourished with an unnatural vivid green. Document shelves lined the walls in orderly rows. Two computers sat on the desk. Beside the printer, a haphazard stack of papers. And. Beyond the desk, Shirogane Akane sat waiting. Silver hair, straight and long enough to reach the middle of her back, tied into a single tail with a white ribbon. Translucent silver eyes pierced through Iatsu. Her gloved hands were folded on the desk, her face utterly expressionless. "[cold]Sit." Prompted, Iatsu lowered himself into the chair opposite her. "[serious]What do you want?" Akane didn't answer. Instead, she spread a graph across the desk. The horizontal axis showed dates. The vertical axis — some kind of numerical value. Two unnaturally synchronized jagged lines were traced across it. "[cold]Look at this." Akane's finger traced the red line. "[cold]The communication signal from the old home economics room. Its frequency fluctuations. Every time you use that power, it reacts." Her finger moved to the blue line. "[cold]And this is Hoshino Hikari's biological rhythm. Completely linked. Every time you use the Force, that girl's health deteriorates." His breath stopped. "...That can't be." "[cold]These are the facts. I've been recording observations for five days. Tuesday, when your emotions surged on the rooftop — the next morning, Hoshino Hikari collapsed." Iatsu's fists trembled on his knees. (*I... did that to Hikari?*) The only friend he had — the one who'd just tossed him a pencil case, who'd just handed him an eraser— "[cold]Never use your power again." A cold pronouncement. "[cold]If you break this promise, I will broadcast to the entire school that you are not an ordinary human." "...Is that a threat?" "[cold]A warning." For just a moment, Akane lowered her eyes. "[cold]The same thing... happened four years ago." A small voice. A single phrase, almost a breath, with all emotion crushed down. "...What did you say?" Akane didn't answer. Only her gloved hands on the desk trembled faintly. (*Four years ago—*) Iatsu was at a loss for words. He had nothing — not a single piece of evidence to argue back with. "[cold]That is all. Leave." Iatsu stood. His legs felt heavy as lead. ... He stepped into the hallway. The light of dusk streamed in, casting long shadows across the floor. (*Stay away from Hikari. That's all there is to it.*) A simple thing. He told himself that. He turned the corner. In that instant— "[excited]Iatsu-kun!" Hikari, just out of the nurse's office, stood right in front of him. Her complexion still looked bad. But the moment she saw Iatsu, a full smile bloomed across her face. A fang peeked out. "[gentle]Were you worried about me? I'm totally fine now!" No time to think. Hikari wrapped her arms around his. A warm sensation. The scent of shampoo. And then— *Thump.* His heart lurched. (*This is bad.*) His agitation linked to the Force. He couldn't control it. His emotions surged, and the power threatened to spill out. *Greeeeak—* An eerie metallic sound from above. The moment he looked up, the hallway railing leading to the rooftop groaned and warped. The concrete wall cracked, fragments pattering down. "[scared]Huh!?" Startled, Hikari shifted her weight. In that motion, she leaned against the twisted railing. *Creak.* The railing tilted further outward. (*I can't use the Force—!*) Akane's words flashed through his mind. But his hands moved on their own. "Like hell I'll let that happen—!" Iatsu grabbed Hikari's wrists with both arms, using nothing but brute strength. But he couldn't support her weight. He was dragged toward the railing himself. The floor tilted, his vision swayed. (*At this rate—*) Then. An arm reached out from behind. Two slender arms grabbed Iatsu and Hikari almost simultaneously, pulling them back toward the wall. *Thud.* The weight of three bodies slammed against the inner wall of the hallway. "...Akane." Catching his breath, Iatsu looked at his savior. Shirogane Akane stood there, her disheveled silver hair swaying. And then— Iatsu didn't miss it. The palm of her right hand, for just an instant, had emitted a pale blue light. (*That's—the light of the Force.*) "[excited]Whoa, amazing! Akane-san, you're so fast!" Hikari had no understanding of what had just happened. She simply gazed at Akane with sparkling eyes. "[cold]The floor was wet. That's all." Akane spoke curtly, then glanced at Iatsu in silence. Deep within those silver eyes, a flicker like pale blue flame briefly burned. And then she turned on her heel. The sound of her measured footsteps faded away. "Iatsu-kun? What's wrong? You look pale." Hikari peered into his face. Her large brown eyes wavered with concern. "...It's nothing." Iatsu realized he was still gripping Hikari's wrists and quietly let go. (*Akane too—possesses the same power.*) At the end of the hallway, silver hair melted into the sunset. She was supposed to be his blackmailer, his watcher. But in this moment, she was unmistakably — an alien existence, just like Iatsu. "[gentle]Hey, Iatsu-kun? Are you really okay?" Hikari's voice sounded strangely distant. Iatsu couldn't answer. He just kept looking, back and forth, between the end of the hallway where Akane had vanished and his own trembling palms. *Shhh... haaa...* Only the sound of breathing lingered, long and low, in the quiet hallway.