Ren was still dragging that morning with him. Sitting in the small kitchen of his apartment, drinking coffee while Akane told him about it——fourteen years of memories from her past life that she'd never told anyone. And Ren had listened without laughing. Just that. The moment her face had softened. Then, the following Sunday. "[serious]Could you come to Kichijoji? I'd like you to know a bit more about reincarnator society" It was a message from Akane. (Why Kichijoji of all places......) Thinking that, Ren decided to go anyway. There was no reason to refuse. Besides, he'd received an email from Marriage Connect about a "special program." It seemed like a good idea to know more about reincarnator society now. * * * They were meeting at the entrance to Inokashira Park. Exactly eleven o'clock. Akane was already there. Her silver-long hair waved loosely, lit by the autumn sun. Her golden eyes found Ren, and her expression softened just a little. "[gentle]You came" "[serious]You called, so I came" "[serious]……You're not very straightforward, are you" "I am. I'm not lying" Akane's lips moved slightly. Whether she'd laughed or not was ambiguous. The two of them walked through the park. Inokashira Park on a Sunday was crowded. The water of the boat pond glittered, and there were several families with children. A single duck walked leisurely along the shore. "[serious]The destination isn't here. Past the park, there's a café" "[serious]A normal café?" "……Well, on the surface" (On the surface? What does that mean.) * * * Café Veil——a small shop tucked into a side street in Kichijoji, with a sign so small you'd easily miss it. Opening the door revealed warm wooden interior. There were fewer than ten seats. Quiet background music. A normal café. It looked completely normal. They sat down and opened the menu. Coffee, tea, light food——nothing particularly unusual. "[serious]……It's not just a regular café?" Akane smoothly took the menu and flipped it over. "[serious]Look at the coaster" Ren picked up the coaster in front of him. A round cork one. A normal coaster. But looking closely——small letters were printed on the edge. 'Realcia Kingdom / Dragon Emperor Continent' "……Huh" "[gentle]It's a shop where reincarnators gather regularly. On the back of the menu is the previous world origin of today's staff, and on the coasters are the names of other worlds written by reincarnators who've visited——it's like a code" Ren flipped the coaster over. The front was just a coaster. The back had the name of another world. "[surprised]……I completely missed that. That's a scary setup" "[gentle]To non-reincarnators, it's just letters. They don't even notice. But reincarnators understand——this is a place for our kind" Ren looked at the coaster again. Realcia Kingdom. Dragon Emperor Continent. The names of places that existed in someone's past life, quietly etched onto a coaster in a café down a Tokyo side street. (That's……quite a story.) Coffee arrived. Akane pulled a small notebook from her bag and placed it on the table. "[serious]The reincarnator community has unspoken rules. They're called the Veil Code, and they consist of three articles" Opening the notebook, three lines were written in neat handwriting. One: Do not use skills overtly in front of ordinary people. Two: Do not harm ordinary people with your skills. Three: Disputes between reincarnators are settled in private. "[serious]There's no actual law, but reincarnators who don't follow this are expelled from the community. You're a non-reincarnator——a Blank——but since I brought you here, I become the guarantor of this code. So……" "[gentle]So?" "[serious]Nothing strange will happen. You can be at ease" Ren took a sip of coffee. (People who explain things properly like this are pretty rare.) That night at the party, it felt like everything——skills, reincarnators——was thrown at him all at once. But Akane explains from the beginning. The explanation is almost too careful, a bit stiff, but that's probably just who Akane is. "[gentle]I'm listening properly, you know" "……Is that so" Akane looked away slightly. It was hard to tell if she was embarrassed or what. "[serious]Someone who listens properly like you……might be the first person I've ever met" She said it quietly. (Wow, that's pretty heavy.) Missing the chance to respond, Ren looked down at his coffee. * * * At that moment, voices came from the next table. A man and woman. Probably late twenties. They were keeping their voices down, but not quite managing it. "Hey……isn't that the Blank from the party last week?" "Huh? For real? Why's he at this café? I don't get it. It's totally out of place." "I mean, when a normal person comes to a reincarnator gathering……right?" Ren heard it. He heard all of it. (Ah. So that's how it is.) He picked up his coffee cup. Casually. Acting like nothing was wrong. "[sarcastic]I'll take another sugar" He said it out loud, but his hand holding the cup was trembling slightly. Very slightly. He thought Akane probably hadn't noticed, but—— Akane's eyes had narrowed. She was staring at the next table. Voix du Cœur——a skill that lets you hear the hearts of people within a five-meter radius. Akane was reading that couple's inner thoughts right now. (What's she hearing?) A few seconds of silence. Akane slowly stood up. "Ah——" There was no time to stop her. Akane turned toward the next table, quietly but directly. "[cold]May I have a moment" The couple looked up. They exchanged uncomfortable glances. "[cold]This shop does not restrict entry based on whether you have skills or not. I brought Namba-san here" It was brief. That was all. But the tone of her voice left no room for argument. The voice of Akane, who had been a swordmaster in her past life, with real backbone. The couple said nothing. They just looked down, shrinking. Akane returned and sat down. Ren was silent for a while. "……Akane" "[serious]I heard what those two were really thinking" Akane said it while cradling her coffee cup in both hands. "[gentle]It wasn't malice. ……They're scared. It felt like a stranger had entered their space. The reincarnator community is a world invisible to ordinary people——so it makes them even more anxious" "[serious]……I see" "[gentle]That's how it is. But still" Akane looked at Ren. "[serious]I don't think it's unavoidable to speak that way where you could hear it" (……Why would she go that far for me.) Words wouldn't come. He knew he should say thank you, but it didn't feel like enough, so Ren just drank his coffee instead. It had gone lukewarm. But it wasn't bad. * * * On the way back, Akane suggested they walk along the boat pond in Inokashira Park. By afternoon, the sunlight had become more slanted. The water's surface glowed more slowly than before. A parent and child in a boat rowed leisurely. Ren opened his mouth slightly as they walked. "[gentle]About before……thanks for protecting me" "[serious]Don't worry about it" "[gentle]But when you say something like that, well……it got to me a little. To be honest" He said it while looking toward the pond. A cover for embarrassment. "[gentle]……You say honest things" "[sarcastic]There's no point hiding it. It's not like you can read my mind, Akane" Akane went quiet for a moment. "[serious]……That's right. Your heart is the only one that's silent. I've never heard anything from you in sixteen years" "[surprised]Is that strange?" "[gentle]It is strange. But……I think it might not be a bad thing" (What does that mean?) Just as he was about to respond, Akane's hand touched his. She gripped it gently. One second. Two seconds. On the third second, Akane realized what she'd done. "Ah——" Her voice cracked. Akane's face turned red. All the way to the roots of her silver hair. She was trying to let go, but her grip was too tight. Ren had frozen too. He couldn't move. He didn't know what expression to make. He just looked at the pond. There was a duck. The duck was being leisurely. Ren envied the duck. Then a group of middle schoolers passed by and whispered. "Oh, they're a couple" "They're flirting" "Gross" Both of them turned even redder. Silence continued. The pond water glittered. A boat creaked. A bird called somewhere. After a while, Akane squeezed out words. "[serious]……M-my skill, when I hold hands, the effect might increase. So this is an experiment. An experiment" A moment of silence. "[sarcastic]……You're definitely lying about that" "That's not——" "[serious]Voix du Cœur is a mind-reading ability. Why would holding hands make it stronger? That doesn't make sense" "……" "「……」" Both of them burst out laughing. It was the first time he'd seen Akane laugh. A face that was flustered and embarrassed, but laughing anyway. Ren was laughing too. He didn't even know why he was laughing, but he could. The tension melted away. After that, they kept walking slowly. Their hands——they realized they were still loosely linked. Neither of them said anything about it. It was warm. An autumn afternoon in a crowded park. The water glittering, the duck being leisurely, an ordinary Sunday. * * * Then. Ren's phone vibrated. Checking the screen——the sender was Marriage Connect. "[sarcastic]……It came again" Opening it, it read: 'Namba Ren, you are invited to the second party. This time we have prepared a special program for you' Akane leaned over from beside him to look at the screen. Her expression changed. The redness from before faded, and her golden eyes grew quiet and calm. "[serious]……Special program" "[surprised]What could that be" "[serious]I don't know, which is why it's frightening" Her voice was choosing words carefully, which was rare for her. Akane paused before continuing. "[serious]The party staff——a woman named Mika——has been observing you the whole time. I could hear it with my skill. It wasn't romantic. It was a gaze with a different, specific purpose. I can't believe this organization invited you for matchmaking purposes" Ren stared at his phone, thinking for a moment. "[gentle]But I want to go and find out" "[serious]……Ren" "[gentle]Why I'm being invited. What their purpose is. I'd rather know than not" Akane looked at Ren. For a few seconds, her golden eyes reflected his face. Then she said quietly. "[serious]……I'm going too. I won't let you go alone" It was immediate. No hesitation. "[surprised]Is that okay?" "[serious]Of course not. You don't understand reincarnator society at all" She said it with a pout, but her tone was gentle. Ren was about to put his phone away when——he noticed. Their hands were still linked. Akane noticed at almost the same moment, and their eyes met. Both turned red again. "…………" The duck on the pond called out leisurely. What the "special program" of Marriage Connect meant, no one yet knew. What Mika's gaze toward Ren signified. Why this organization was so fixated on him. The answers lay beyond the next party.