Last night's events were still on his mind. That reincarnator-filled matchmaking party. The fourth floor of Luscher, where the air had felt tense. The sensation of everyone watching him intently. And those words he'd heard in the bathroom at the end——"Maybe 'blank' is the key to something." He'd decided to treat it as a dream. He'd made that choice. But when he checked his phone before bed, a message had arrived from Hikawa Akane: "Your heart alone... I couldn't hear anything. It's the first time this has happened, and I can't just leave it alone." Ren had simply marked it as read and spent an hour unable to sleep. In the end, he never replied. ——And now, the party's free time was just beginning. * * * Inside Luscher, the air felt more relaxed than before. The table arrangement had changed, and participants were moving freely. The orange glow of indirect lighting created a calm atmosphere, but there was still that prickling sensation on the skin. Maybe this was what happened when there were ten reincarnators in one place. Ren held a glass and sat on a stool near the counter, going nowhere in particular. (So, what do I do?) Honestly, he had no idea how to move. At a normal matchmaking party, you could keep conversation going with "What are your hobbies?" and "What's your job?" But the participants here were "people who existed in other worlds in their past lives." Was "Where were you in your past life?" supposed to be a greeting? The carbonation in his glass fizzled away. That's when it happened. "[serious]Excuse me" A voice came from directly in front of him. He looked up——silver-long hair caught in the indirect lighting. Gently waved hair, golden eyes that reflected light, a small pointed tip on her right ear. The girl who'd sent him that message last night. Hikawa Akane. Her expression was serious. No——too serious. Her gaze was so intense it looked like she was angry. "[serious]Let me confirm this one more time" "……What" "[serious]Your heart. I can't hear it at all" "Huh" "[serious]My skill is 'Voix du Coeur'——the ability to hear the hearts of people within a five-meter radius. I've never failed once during reconnaissance missions in my past life. But you alone" Akane raised her index finger and pointed straight at him. "[serious]You're completely silent. I thought it might be malfunctioning" Ren thought for a moment before speaking. "[sarcastic]……Maybe I'm just a guy with no heart to read" "[surprised]That's not it" An immediate response. "[serious]No human exists without a heart. My skill must be malfunctioning. Would you let me test it" "Uh, test it——" The next moment, Akane leaned forward. Distance: ten centimeters. Golden eyes stared straight at him. With a serious expression. Like she was observing something under a microscope. "Wait——" Ren reflexively pulled his chair back. Akane moved closer. He pulled back again. She moved closer again. Before he knew it, he'd been cornered to the edge of the counter. "[serious]I can't concentrate unless I'm a bit closer" "[surprised]No, you're close! Too close!!" "……? There's at least five centimeters between us" "That's the problem!!" Every participant in the shop was silently watching. Ten people. All their gazes fixed on him. No one was going to help. They just sat quietly, staring with blank expressions. The man sitting closest was whispering something to the woman next to him. Ren couldn't hear what he was saying, but from his expression, it looked like "What the hell is that?" (What is this? I didn't do anything.) Akane stared at Ren's face with narrowed eyes for a while, then sighed and stepped back slightly. "[serious]……I still can't hear it. This is strange" "No, I think it's not strange at all!!" * * * As the free time went on, the other participants gradually started approaching him too. A man smoothly inserted himself into the conversation between Ren and Akane. He was tall with a well-defined face. Probably early thirties. The way he wore his suit felt different from before——like he had a purpose in approaching. "[gentle]Nice to meet you, Namba. I'm Mitsuki" "Ah, thanks. I'm Namba" "[serious]It's rare to see someone without reincarnation experience at this party. Do you have some connection with Marriage Connect?" The angle of the question wasn't like normal matchmaking conversation. Ren was thinking of a response when a voice came from the side. "[cold]He was already in conversation with me" There was a sharp sound——or at least, that's what Akane's tone of voice sounded like. Mitsuki looked slightly surprised. "[sarcastic]Akane, is it a prior arrangement of that level?" "[cold]It is. Can't be helped" Akane silently grabbed Ren's sleeve and pulled him toward another corner. The motion was so natural that Ren only managed a light bow to Mitsuki as he was dragged away. After moving to a different table, Ren spoke. "[sarcastic]……Prior arrangement? We just met today" Akane's eyes wavered slightly. It was an expression he hadn't seen before. Different from her serious face until now——something like awkwardness. "[serious]……That man has ulterior motives" "Ulterior motives?" "[serious]I heard it with my skill. He wants to extract information about Marriage Connect through you. That's his intention" "Seriously?" Ren glanced toward Mitsuki. He was already talking to another female participant, but his gaze was still directed at them. With a dissatisfied expression. (……This world is pretty complicated.) "[serious]You should be careful. You especially" Akane's voice was low and serious. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she herself was surprised by the "prior arrangement" comment. She probably didn't notice. Ren took a sip of his glass and nodded silently. * * * After the party ended, Ren stepped outside Luscher. Shinjuku-sanchome at night was as bright as ever. Neon signs, crowds of people, music leaking from somewhere. Right after exiting the mixed-use building, Ren started walking alone. Then he noticed. Akane was leaning against the exterior wall of the building next door. Both hands in her coat pockets, looking straight at him. Like she'd been waiting. "[surprised]……Why are you outside" "[serious]I won't go home until we exchange contact information" "You're saying that with a straight face?" "[serious]Straight face" Ren thought for a moment, then resigned himself and took out his phone. "……Fine, let's exchange" He displayed his LINE QR code, and Akane held up her phone. A friend request notification came through. Akane checked the screen, and her expression softened slightly. Just a little. After a moment of silence, Akane spoke quietly. "[gentle]When I'm near you……my skill completely stops" Ren looked up, but Akane was looking toward the Shinjuku sky, still gripping her phone with both hands. "[gentle]Ever since my past life memories awakened, I've been hearing people's hearts constantly. For sixteen years. Maybe I was……a little tired. Only next to you, it's quiet" "……" (What am I supposed to say to that?) No comeback came to mind. Or rather, it felt wrong to make one. Akane's tone of voice was different from before. Not light. Ren simply stood beside her and looked out at the night Shinjuku together. * * * The next morning. Saturday mornings were supposed to be for sleeping in. There was a knock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock. (……What?) Still in his sleepwear, Ren opened the door. Akane was standing there. Holding a convenience store bag in both hands. "[gentle]Good morning" "[surprised]……Huh" "[gentle]A little gift. If you haven't had breakfast yet" "……How do you know my address" "[serious]It was in the party roster" She said it matter-of-factly. Not the slightest hint of guilt. Golden eyes looking straight at him. Steam rose from the hot coffee in the convenience store bag. "[angry]That's genuinely scary!! Looking up my address from a roster and coming to my apartment!!" "[surprised]Huh?" "Looking someone up in a roster and showing up at their place is genuinely scary!!" "[serious]……Is that so?" "Yes it is!!" Akane tilted her head slightly in thought. "[serious]I see. I'll be more careful" "It's not about being careful, it's a fundamental——" Even as he said it, Akane had already stepped one foot into the room. With a natural motion. Before Ren could stop her, she was placing the convenience store bag on the table. (……This is definitely a moment I should be angry about.) Ren hesitated for a moment, then closed the door. The fact that she was in his room couldn't be changed. Besides, the coffee smelled good. Since he hadn't slept well last night, he was honestly grateful. Akane began speaking quietly as she arranged onigiri and sandwiches from the bag. "[gentle]My past life memories awakened in fourth grade" Ren accepted the hot coffee and listened silently. "[gentle]One morning, I woke up and my head was full of unfamiliar images. Memories of myself holding a sword and fighting——they all flooded in at once. It went on for hours" Akane sat down in front of the table, cupping the coffee with both hands. Her gaze was slightly downward. "[gentle]I told my friends, and they laughed at me. I told my parents, and they took me to a hospital. So——for the next fourteen years, I didn't tell anyone. I was alone the whole time" The room was quiet. Beyond the thin wooden walls of Corpo Minase, a bicycle passed outside. The ordinary sounds of a Saturday morning. Ren took a sip of coffee. "……That must have been" There was a pause. "[gentle]Tough" That's all he said. Akane looked up. A slightly surprised expression as she looked at him. "[surprised]……You're not going to laugh?" "No reason to laugh" "[gentle]Most people do. They say something like that couldn't possibly be real" "But yesterday, I thought it was all real" Akane looked back at her coffee. This time her expression was softer. Different from her serious face before, and different from her blank stare——something like the tension had lifted from her shoulders. Ren opened the onigiri wrapper and thought vaguely. Carrying something alone for fourteen years——that's probably pretty rough on its own. Not something to laugh about. The two of them sat quietly drinking coffee for a while. Outside the window, Saturday morning air existed. The Nakano residential area was quiet, and birds sang in the distance. Then Ren's phone vibrated. The screen on the table lit up. An email notification. Sender: Marriage Connect "……" Ren opened the screen and read it aloud. "[serious]Namba Ren, you are invited to the second party. We have prepared a special program for next time——" Akane's expression changed instantly. The soft face from moments ago disappeared, replaced by that serious gaze again. But it was a different kind of seriousness. A thinking face. Akane took the phone and stared at the screen for a while. "……Do you know something?" "[serious]There was a female staff member at the party named Mika" "Ah, the receptionist" "[serious]The emotions she directed at you were observation and assessment. I heard it with my skill. It wasn't romantic interest. It was a different kind of gaze——one with a purpose" Ren was quiet for a moment. "[serious]This email……you probably shouldn't go" Her voice was cautious. Ren held the phone and looked at the screen. The words "special program" caught his eye. So did the voice he'd heard in the bathroom last night. ——Maybe "blank" is the key to something. "But" Ren looked up. "[serious]I want to know why I'm being invited. That's all" Akane looked at his face. She said nothing. Whether she was searching for words or couldn't find any to say——her golden eyes slowly looked at him. The morning light coming through the window caught her silver hair. The room fell quiet again. Neither of them yet understood what Marriage Connect's "s