Monday morning. The voice of PE teacher Baba Kenichi echoed across the grounds of Hoshimigaoka High School. "Alright, today we're doing the 50-meter dash. Line up in pairs!" The students of Class 2-3 shuffled lazily into position behind the white line. The April sunlight still fell softly on the dirt of the field. The wind was a little cold. Somewhere, the shouts of the track team could be heard. Near the back of the line, Iatsu stared fixedly at the ground. (It's just running. I won't use the Force.) The promise he'd made with Akane on Friday. The data showing that every time he used the Force, Hikari's condition worsened. Yesterday, Hikari had been absent from school. She'd been bedridden all weekend, too. Her planner, still sitting on her desk. The words written in tiny letters—"Why did you suddenly stop talking to me?"—were still burned into the back of his eyelids. *Shoo… haa…* His breathing grew a little louder. "Next pair, Ochimoribe and… let's see, Satou, you're up." Iatsu took his place at the starting line without a word. Beside him stood the slightly chubby Satou, sweat beading on his forehead from nerves. (Calm down. It's just a 50-meter dash.) He dropped his hips. Baba put the whistle to his lips. *FWEEEE!!* He kicked off the ground. In that instant— *Thump.* His heart gave one massive leap. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late. First step. The moment his right foot hit the ground, his body launched forward. Impossible acceleration. Like someone had shoved him from behind with all their might. (Crap—!) Second step, third step. The wind tore past his ears. At the edge of his vision, Satou vanished behind him in an instant. Fourth step. He forced his legs to stop. *Skkrrrrrrrrt—* Dust billowed up. "*Haaah… haaah…*" Gasping for breath, he looked back. Baba was frozen, staring at his stopwatch. He looked up, checked the stopwatch again. Then he looked at Iatsu, and dropped his gaze back to the stopwatch. "…Hey, Ochimoribe. You just clocked in the 5-second range. Is the equipment broken?" The whole class buzzed. "Huh? 5 seconds!?" "No way… not even a world record breaks that." "That guy really is insane, isn't he?" Whispered voices came from all directions. "[scared]No, I absolutely did not—" He started to protest, but then— *Clap, clap, clap.* Slow applause came from the edge of the field. "Interesting run." A chill ran down Iatsu's spine. He turned around. Standing there was a tall man in a track team uniform. His smooth black hair swayed in the wind, a blue headband glinting in the sunlight. Narrow, blue-gray eyes stared straight at Iatsu. Those eyes weren't smiling. A sharp light dwelled within them, like a predator that had found its prey. "Nanase… Ryuusei." "You weren't going all out just now, were you?" Ryuusei peered into Iatsu's face with a friendly grin. But his voice carried an undeniable pressure. "[scared]Wh-what are you talking about?" "Don't play dumb. I can tell. The moment you kicked off the ground, the air warped. Like something invisible was pushing your body." Iatsu took a step back. (This guy—he's noticed?) Baba's carefree voice rang out. "Oh, Nanase. Perfect timing. Want to redo the measurement together? The stopwatch might be broken." "[excited]Sounds good! I was just itching to run!" Without hesitation, Ryuusei stood beside Iatsu. "W-wait a second—" "Ready… *FWEEEE!!*" The whistle sounded. Ryuusei shot forward. Iatsu reflexively started running too. No Force—he couldn't use it—he desperately kicked at the ground with just his own legs. But. In the blink of an eye, Ryuusei's back was far ahead. Ryuusei crossed the finish line in 5.9 seconds and turned around without a single ragged breath. "10.8 seconds—well, about what I expected. I wasn't trying, after all." Iatsu clocked 11.5. "[surprised]*Haaah… haaah…* You're on the track team…" "Third in the prefectural meet. 0.3 seconds short of nationals. But—" Ryuusei brought his face close to Iatsu's ear. "[whispers]Come behind the gym after school. I've got an interesting story for you." After school. Behind the gymnasium. No one was around. A rusty basketball hoop leaned against the wall, and half-dead weeds swayed in the wind. When Iatsu arrived, Ryuusei was already waiting. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, he grinned. "You came." "[serious]What's this about?" "I'll get straight to the point." Ryuusei pushed off the wall and faced Iatsu. "Tomorrow, during PE class. Race me in the 100-meter dash." "…A race?" "Two conditions. If you win—I'll cooperate with you. Investigating the old home-ec room, the source of that transmission signal, how to get you back to your original body—I'll help with anything." Iatsu's expression stiffened. "[scared]How much do you know—" "If I win—" Ryuusei cut him off. The smile vanished from his eyes. "I'll drive you out of this world, soul and all." Silence. The wind blew through, rustling the dead grass. "[serious]I don't understand what you mean." "Don't lie. You're not Ochimoribe Iatsu. You're something else. The Force, right? That power you use." Iatsu clenched his fists. "[cold]How do you know that?" "I can sense it. The distortions in the Force. There are a few people in this world—people like me." Ryuusei said it as if it were nothing. "I know about the transmission signal coming from the old home-ec room walls. I know Shirogane Akane is monitoring you. I know Hoshino Hikari collapsed from resonating with your power—I've got a pretty good grasp on just about everything." "[scared]Wha…" "So I'll tell you." Ryuusei took a step closer to Iatsu. "Hikari collapsed, but it wasn't because of your Force. Something inside that girl—something still dormant—was pulled by your power and resonated. The cause… lies within her." Iatsu's eyes widened. "…So I… wasn't hurting Hikari…?" Something grew warm deep in his chest. The sensation of the ice shard that had been lodged there since last week slowly beginning to melt. "Ah, but—" Ryuusei added with a cheerful smile. "I don't have solid proof yet, though." "Huh?" "It's a hypothesis. A hypothesis. Still under investigation, you know." Iatsu was speechless. (The weight of what you just said… give it all back.) He was so stunned he couldn't find words, just staring at Ryuusei's face. "[laughing]What's with that face! Sorry for getting your hopes up!" "[angry]You—!!" "Now, now. But just the possibility alone is hope for you, right?" Ryuusei waved a hand lightly. "The race is tomorrow. Think it over carefully until then." And with that, he turned his back and started walking. After a few steps, he stopped. He glanced back over his shoulder— "Ochimoribe Iatsu. You're an interesting guy." His voice was amused. The voice of a hunter who had found its prey. As the sun began to sink. Iatsu stood in front of the student council room. Three deep breaths. *Shoo… haa…* He knocked. "Enter." A cold voice from inside. He opened the door. The room was dim as always. The white light of fluorescent bulbs. The green of the potted plants, unnaturally lush. Beyond the desk sat Shirogane Akane. Silver straight hair reaching to 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]State your business." "[serious]Give me permission to go to Hikari's house." Akane's silver eyes narrowed slightly. "[cold]That's outside the bounds of our agreement. You don't use the Force, and you don't approach Hikari—those were the conditions." "I know. But—" Iatsu stepped forward. "I heard it from Nanase Ryuusei. The reason Hikari collapsed might not be just my Force. There's something inside her—something still dormant. It resonated with my power—" Akane's gloves trembled, ever so slightly. "I want to tell Hikari the truth. With my own words. If I wasn't the one who hurt her—then all the more so." Silence. Only the second hand of the wall clock ticked away. "[cold]If Ryuusei told you that—" Akane slowly spun her words. "[cold]It means he intends to get involved in this matter as well." She lowered her gaze. Her long lashes cast shadows on her pale cheeks. "[cold]…You may go." Iatsu leaned forward involuntarily. "Really!?" "[cold]However. Just once, tonight. Don't lie—tell her everything." Akane raised her face. Her silver eyes pierced straight through Iatsu. "[cold]Who you are. What the Force is. Why you avoided her. Everything—honestly." "…Understood." Iatsu nodded deeply. He headed for the door. Just as his hand touched the handle— "[cold]…I absolutely won't go." A small voice from behind. He turned around. Akane was looking out the window. Her cheeks seemed, somehow, a little red. "[surprised]…Did you want to go?" "[cold]No." An immediate answer. But—her face remained turned toward the window, not looking his way. Night. Iatsu walked alone through the residential streets of Hoshimigaoka. Hikari's house was about ten minutes by bike from Hoshimigaoka High. A modest two-story house. A star-shaped nameplate beside the gate. His finger trembled as he pressed the intercom. (As Lord Vader, how many planets have I conquered? I, who commanded the entire Imperial fleet—) *Ding-dong.* (Why am I this nervous just pressing a single intercom button?) After a moment, the door opened. Hikari stood there. Her fluffy brown short bob was a little less lively than usual. But the usual star-shaped hairpin still sparkled in her hair, on the left side. Her large brown eyes—were a little red. "[surprised]Iatsu… kun?" "[serious]…I came." Just one phrase. How long had it taken him just to say that? "Um… do you want to come in?" "No, here is fine. This won't take long." Iatsu kept his hands shoved in his uniform pockets, searching for words. (Speak honestly. Everything.) "[serious]I am—not Ochimoribe Iatsu." Hikari listened silently. "My true name is Darth Vader. In a galaxy far, far away, I was called the Dark Lord. With a power called the Force, I ruled over many stars—" His words caught there. (No. This isn't what I want to talk about.) "…No, that's not it. What I want to say is—" He tugged at his collar. "[scared]I avoided you—because I didn't want to hurt you. I was told my Force was making your condition worse. That every time I used my power, you collapsed—I was told that. So—" His voice trembled. "[sad]So I—stopped getting close to you. I didn't want to destroy, with my own hands, the first person who called me a friend…!" The last words were almost a shout. The light from the entryway illuminated Iatsu's face. Hikari—gazed steadily at Iatsu. And then. She smiled softly. Her canine tooth peeked out just a little. "[crying]That—doesn't matter!!" It was a loud voice. Barefoot, Hikari leaped out of the entryway. And—threw herself against Iatsu's chest. "I'm Iatsu-kun's friend! Vader, Dark Lord, the Force—I don't care about any of it! Because I decided to be your friend on my own—so it doesn't matter who you are!!" Iatsu froze. Both his hands froze in midair. (What… is this?) Something hot welled up in the center of his chest. (This warmth…) Slowly, he moved his arms. He gently wrapped them around Hikari's back. For the first time, he understood—the act of holding someone for a reason other than power. Tears spilled over. "[crying]…You…" He hadn't even realized it himself. That he was crying. "[surprised]Huh—Iatsu-kun, you're crying!?" Hikari looked up. Their eyes met, very close. "The Dark Lord cries!? That's amazing, so unexpected! I totally thought you'd be invincible and emotionless—" "[angry]…Shut up." He turned his face away. But he didn't let go. "[gentle]…Thank you." A small voice. H