Shhh... haaah... Early Friday morning. In a classroom still empty of anyone, Iatsu stared at a single memo left on his desk. *Old Home Ec Room. 7:30. Shirogane Akane.* Neat, precise handwriting. A short command. "...Again?" The motion of tugging at his collar grew more violent. The sound of his breathing echoed through the quiet classroom. Yesterday, after school. That exchange in the student council room. In that moment, he had definitely seen it—the pale blue light that had emanated from Akane's palm. The Force. What was she? Why was she monitoring him? He still had no answers. Iatsu shoved the memo into his uniform pocket and left the classroom. ... The old Home Ec room was an eighty-year-old wooden structure at the edge of the school building. The morning air was cold, and only the sound of his footsteps walking down the connecting corridor echoed unnaturally loud. He arrived five minutes before the promised time. But Akane was already there. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Silver, straight hair that reached the middle of her back, tied into a single tail with a white ribbon. Her clear, silver eyes pierced straight through Iatsu. Her gloved hands were perfectly still. "[cold]Right on time." "Tell me what you want." "[cold]I'll get straight to the point." Akane took one step forward. The morning light made her silver hair glow white. "[cold]I'm telling you this because you have the right to know." And then—in a voice that suppressed all emotion—she began to speak. "[cold]Four years ago. My younger sister, Akari, died." Iatsu's eyebrows moved. "[cold]Cause of death unknown. Officially, heart failure. But the real cause—was *that*." Akane's gaze turned toward the wall of the old Home Ec room. From within the wall, a faint electronic sound could be heard. Galactic Empire communication protocols. "[cold]Akari snuck into the basement of the old observatory ruins. Curiosity. And she touched the communication device buried there. In an instant—she was enveloped in pale blue light and lost consciousness on the spot. Three days later, she passed away in the hospital." "...You." "[cold]I sensed it. The alien energy at the moment my sister collapsed. But—I couldn't do anything. Couldn't touch it, couldn't save her." Akane's voice wavered, just barely. "[cold]I am Force-sensitive. The same as you. That's why I understand—how dangerous the power you wield is. And what might happen to Hoshino Hikari." Iatsu was at a loss for words. The Dark Lord who had claimed countless lives across the Galactic Empire—that man could not argue against the weight of such a small story. Akane's driving principle wasn't hatred. It was fear. And regret. "...Why did you tell me this?" "[cold]A deal." Akane looked straight into Iatsu's eyes. "[cold]You will promise never to use the Force again. In exchange—I will help you search for a way to return to your original body." Silence. The wind blew, and the old window frames of the Home Ec room creaked faintly. From deep within the wall, the electronic sound—beep, beep, beep—. "...Fine." Iatsu nodded. "I promise. I won't use the Force." "[cold]I can't believe you—but I have no choice but to trust you." At that moment. Clatter. The door to the old Home Ec room suddenly opened. "Whoa, hard at work so early in the morning." The custodian, Togano Genzou—sixty-two years old, gray-streaked hair, in work clothes—appeared, carrying a toolbox. "Pipes have been acting up. Just an inspection." Akane and Iatsu, as if on cue, each took two steps apart. "I-It's nothing." "[cold]Student council business. Excuse us." The two stood apart, wearing expressions of complete innocence. Togano tilted his head and began inspecting the pipes. The tense atmosphere deflated in an almost comically abrupt instant. ... Friday, lunch break. The chime rang. Iatsu, carrying his lunch as usual, headed for the rooftop. (*Hikari should already be here.*) But—there was no one on the rooftop. Just the wind blowing across the concrete floor. The horizon of Sagami Bay shone quietly. "...She's not here." Something felt off. Even after lunch, Hikari didn't return to the classroom. Afternoon classes began. The seat to his left remained empty. (*Is she feeling sick?*) Even after school ended, Hikari's seat remained empty. Evening. A notification arrived on the class group LINE. *Hoshino Hikari: I wasn't feeling well so I went home early. I might be absent on Monday too (>_<)* Stamps and replies came in from other classmates. "Get well soon!" "Rest up!" "See you Monday!" Iatsu stared at his smartphone screen, frozen. He still wasn't very good at typing. No, that wasn't it—he didn't know what to write. Then, he spotted something that had fallen under his desk. A planner. A cover decorated with stars. It was Hikari's. He picked it up. On a page left open, there was a familiar scrawl. In the margin of the notes where Iatsu had described the positions of stars in the galaxy. There, in tiny letters— *Hey, why did you suddenly stop talking to me?* Something pulsed deep in his chest. (*Did I... hurt her?*) Akane's words flashed through his mind. —*It's your fault.* He closed the planner. Slipped it into his uniform pocket. ... Saturday night. Iatsu sat slumped on the bed in his room, gripping his smartphone. Outside the window was darkness. Only moonlight illuminated the plastic model on the shelf—the clumsy model of a space battleship. *Hikari, how are you feeling?* Typed. Deleted. *I'm dangerous, stay away.* Typed. Deleted. *There's a reason I was avoiding you.* Typed. Deleted. The drafts exceeded ten. Every single one was erased the moment a single sentence was typed. "...What kind of Dark Lord am I?" The man who once ruled planets with his words could not send a short message that even a middle schooler could type. (*I am—*) A Dark Lord who had lost the Force. Just a high school student. Unable to protect even a single friend. The center of his chest grew heavy, gradually. Why was it only Hikari that was this difficult? There was no answer. Outside the window, rain began to fall. ... Late Sunday night, 11 PM. Unable to bear it any longer, Iatsu dashed out of the house. He had no umbrella. He didn't even know where he was headed—but his feet naturally carried him toward Hoshimigaoka High School. It was pouring. The rain pelted his entire body. His uniform soaked up water and grew heavy. His bangs plastered themselves to his forehead, blurring his vision. He passed through the school gate. He stood in the middle of the schoolyard. He looked up at the sky, covered by thick rain clouds, unable to see a single star. He tried to search for the direction of the Galactic Empire. But he could see nothing. "...I can't use the Force." He couldn't approach Hikari. He was under Akane's surveillance. He didn't know how to return to his original body. A fourfold checkmate. A sensation he had never felt even before the Emperor of the Galactic Empire weighed down his entire body. —*This is powerlessness.* The moment he recognized it. His knees buckled. Splash. He put both hands on a puddle in the schoolyard. Muddy water splashed onto his face. Cold. Dirty. He couldn't stand up. The rain continued to beat down mercilessly. Shhh... haaah... Only the sound of his breathing echoed, undrowned by the rain. —Clack. Footsteps behind him. Approaching. Stopping. "[cold]So this is your first defeat." He couldn't turn around. Akane stood there, without an umbrella, in her uniform, drenched to the bone. Her silver hair was soaked with rain, clinging to her face. Yet her expression remained unchanged. "[cold]My first defeat—was the night my sister collapsed." Her voice trembled faintly. "[cold]It was raining that day, too." Silence. The two of them just stood there, motionless in the rain. They weren't exchanging words. Nor were they offering encouragement. But—right now, in this moment alone, he wasn't alone. How much time passed? Akane drew a small breath. "[cold]Monday morning, when Hikari comes—I'll check on her first." "...I can't promise anything." "[cold]That's fine." The rain continued to fall. The two of them, still drenched, stared at the window of the old Home Ec room—the place where the faint electronic sound leaked out. ... Monday morning. Still before dawn. The light remained on in the window of Hikari's house. Beyond the curtain, a small, sleepless shadow swayed faintly.