Published at 26th of March 2019 12:07 am

Volume 2, Part 10

May 5th (Tuesday) 23:00

Nothing ended.

Although Maria Otonashi had promised me that I would never switch again to this body, nothing ended.

For some reason I was standing in the midst of the schoolyard, but here was nothing but darkness. I know the school building's nearby, but I can't see anything. Nothing. Nothing's nearby.

Only Riko Asami and me were facing each other.

I don't get it. What's this situation? Where did Maria-san go?

"It's been a while."

Riko Asami opened her mouth in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow. Something's wrong?

"Huhu, I suppose you don't recognize me in this appearance. I am O!"

"Eh?"

An obviously different tone in the voice and a charming smile I would never be able to do. Aah, right. Indeed, this person is "O".

"Why are you in Riko Asami's appearance before me...? And where's Maria-san...?"

"O" only smiled to this question, and just approached me silently without reply. Because of this queer intensity of him, I stepped back instinctively.

"Kazuki Hoshino said that there's even hope in your everyday life!"

He said so and reached out for me. Then he put his fingers into my mouth.

"A-gh...?"

"Though there couldn't possibly be."

Riko Asami's fingers ran wild in my mouth. They got dirty with my saliva. This saliva on her fingers tasted almost like the body fluids of an insect to me.

"Because you perceive your own taste just by this."

"O" said with my looks.

"—which is the taste of mud."

...Yeah, it tastes like that indeed.

It's bitter, incredibly bitter—I can't bear it. Although this should be Kazuki Hoshino's body, mud started to spread slowly like a virus. My body blackens. It gets stained with the color of sin. The filthy mud overflows and violates me.

"O" took his fingers out of my mouth. I fell on my knees. The mud inside me shook once because of this.

"Your repulsion against yourself can't be helped. You were—", I felt nauseous when I heard this word. "—by the person you hated the most. Thus, this mud inside you will stay there for all eternity."

"O" laid his hand on my shoulder. I raised my head and saw the face of Riko Asami I don't even want to see.

"There can't possibly be hope for you, who cannot get rid of her own mud."

I know this much.

There's no way I'd find hope in my everyday life. There was none until now. So why should there be any for me, now that I committed a crime on top of being stained?

Riko Asami is no more.

"That's not true."

I turned around to this voice behind me, still on my knees.

Maria Otonashi was standing there with wild breath. Besides her was Nii-san. Nii-san, who does not consider me his sister anymore.

"You were faster than expected."

"What the hell was this violence against [Riko Asami], O!"

Maria Otonashi roared angry at "O".

"Huhu... I'd prefer if you and Kazuki Hoshino-kun got separated, you know. I just adjusted her a bit to my convenience. ...Well, did you find something that could give her hope?"

"I did."

Maria Otonashi affirmed right away.

"O" did not change his expression to this reaction, however.

"Riko."

Nii-san called my name. A terribly strange feeling.

I see, because it's the first time. The first time Nii-san addressed me by this name since I've got into this body.

"...what is it at this late hour? You don't consider me your 'younger sister', do you?"

"You're finally aware of being Riko Asami, right? If so, things change. I can call you 'Riko Asami'."

I kept quiet, so Nii-san continued.

"Tell me, what do you plan to do now? The Sevennight in Mud is going to get destroyed. You will return to being Riko Asami. You and I will get separated. What will you do then?"

"I will use Maria-san's box!"

"Asami. Sorry, but I take that back."

"Eh...?"

I looked without thinking at Maria Otonashi.

"After listening to Miyazaki, I changed my mind. I can't let you use this box."

She said boldly without showing any shame for revoking her promise.

No, it's obvious! I'm sure she realized how foolish it would be to lose her memory just for my sake.

"Then I'll die!"

A completely natural answer. This is of course the best solution in this case.

Nii-san frowned to my words and spat out those words:

"Do you think [Riko Asami] belongs only to you?"

"...Huh?"

I am Riko Asami. Therefore, I belong to me. Isn't this natural?

"Why are you looking so surprised? You belong to yourself? No way!"

Nii-san said, amazed at me.

"You also belong to me! And not only that. You also belong to Maria Otonashi, and you belong to Kazuki Hoshino. So, you know,"

He scowled at me.

"I won't permit you to die on your own accord!"

I don't get it.

I don't get why Nii-san says so to me with a gentle face.

"So how is my sin forgiven...? I'm not even allowed to die?! Two people are dead because of me. I have to—"

"Riko."

He stopped me from continuing.

"This is the main reason why I decided to not let you use my box. I misunderstood. Well, Miyazaki may have kept quiet about it purposely, but I misunderstood the truth."

Maria Otonashi continued.

"Ryuu Miyazaki was the one who killed those two, right?"

...No. Surely, it was Nii-san who conducted it. But I knew that this would happen when I sought help from him. Nii-san merely realized my wish at the time and executed it.

Hence, this is my sin.

"Don't misunderstand, Riko! I didn't kill them in your stead. I hated them. I detested them. I was just unable to control these intense feelings of mine."

That's a lie.

Sure, he might have hated them. But just with those feelings, he would not have been able to execute it. He crossed the last line because he wanted to free me. I was the one who made him pull the trigger.

"I thought about escaping with you. But this isn't realistic. We are still minors and wouldn't be able to live the life on the run. Even if we could, I don't think we'd find happiness in a life of being chased."

Nii-san smiled wryly and spoke.

"Thus, I will deliver myself up. I will prove your innocence. This is the best decision I can make."

Nii-san is trying to take all my sin from me and take it together with him to prison.

"......Why do you, for my sake, such—"

"Don't make me say such a thing!"

I don't get it at all. Why? We may be siblings, but we are different humans. He doesn't profit from doing something for me.

Nii-san took something out of his bag and gave it to me.

I accepted it silently. The touch of it seemed familiar to me. I looked at this 'something' I had accepted.

"—Ah."

My voice leaked out.

I mean, wasn't this destroyed? Wasn't everything important to me destroyed?

"I washed it, stuffed it with cotton and sewed it back together. That's all. Well, it's certainly not like new, but you can say it's repaired, right?"

It was a rabbit plush.

The stuffed plush I had received from Nii-san, who had won it for me in a UFO catcher.

"A, ah—"

I knelt down. A cry left my mouth unwittingly and I started to shed tears. Those tears washed some of the mud inside me away. ...Of course, not all of it. I won't get rid of this mud. —But some of it was indeed washed away now.

Maybe,

Maybe—

"......Nii-san"

Maybe I didn't even need to wish to the box to begin with. Maybe I just hadn't noticed.

Because I'm sure—

—my wish was already granted a long time ago.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san. It was all my fault, I'm sorry."

Because I hadn't noticed this, Nii-san had to substitute for me. If I had valued myself, the outcome would have differed.

"This time it's my turn to save you, Nii-san."

I wiped my tears away and stood up. Nii-san was looking at me slightly surprisedly.

"I will save you from suffering... I'll wait for you. Until we can be together again, I will wait for you."

My voice was still trembling and my smile was kind of forced, but even so, I said distinctly:

"I will wait for you as Riko Asami."

Wide-eyed, Nii-san was frozen for a while, but then his expression relaxed slowly.

Unlike yesterday, vitality was dwelling in his eyes.

"You know what?"

Nii-san opened his mouth while smiling.

"'I didn't make it in time.' I always thought like this. But perhaps—perhaps I made it barely in time."

I can definitely not say that I'm fully satisfied with this outcome. Nii-san and I will, without doubt, hate our past until death.

Nonetheless, we managed to get hold of something that allows us to somehow persevere.

Undoubtedly, we grasped it.

Maria Otonashi, who had watched us silently, nodded with a smile.

"So I could fulfill my promise with Kazuki."

Having said so, her smile disappeared with her scowling at "O".

"Now out with the box!"

"O" nodded without stopping to smile.

My "box," the "Sevennight in Mud," is going to end with this. "O" held his hand against his, Riko Asami's, eye. My eyeball got touched. Although I'm not the one who is being touched right now, I'm feeling it.

"O" reached into the eye as if he wanted to take it out. Unable to endure the pain, I screamed low-voiced and closed my eyes. It hurts! ...But while it really hurts, I think it's right. I feel it's right. Hence, I endured the pain of my eyeballs being crushed.

The pain stopped. I looked once again at "O".

He had finished his work. My eyeball was unharmed and "O" was holding a little, black "box" in his hand that looked like a bullet.

"So is this perhaps the proof for Kazuki Hoshino-kun's words, 'there is no despair that can't be solved by the everyday life'?"

"......This time, maybe."

"Huhu... I see. You have no other choice but to say so. It is, after all, a denial of your existence as a box. Kazuki-kun can say really cruel things."

Maria Otonashi scowled at "O" and stole the "box" out of his hands rudely.

"With this I can go be together with Kazuki. That's all I want for now."

"Are you procrastinating your conclusion? Do you still not decide whether you'll return to being [Maria Otonashi] or stay [Aya Otonashi]?"

"What a silly question."

Maria Otonashi gazed at the Sevennight in Mud in her hands. She bit on her lips as if she hated this box.

"The answer was decided a long time ago."

"I suppose so."

"O" replied half-heartedly, seeming uninterested.

"I am a box."

She stopped biting on her lips and spoke.

"I can't return to me back when I was not a box yet."

Her strong gaze.

It was the expression of the creation I had adored all this time.

"Therefore it's the best to maintain my current individuality. You may take this as 'Choosing to stay [Aya Otonashi]'."

"Then why do you keep company with Kazuki Hoshino?"

"——"

She kept silent.

"Isn't this rather inconvenient for you? Didn't you offer Riko Asami to use your box because you thought so, too?"

"...I have no idea what you mean."

"Huhu, you might still be captivated by the curse of the world of recurrences. This Kasumi Mogi might be a powerful enemy of yours, right?"

".........hmpf."

She looked again at the "box" and rolled it between her hands.

"......I had decided. Long ago. And yet this Kazuki said 'I don't want that'...!"

She murmured with a tiny voice and revealed, only for a moment, a bitter face.

But, she erased this expression right away. She regained the expression of the perfect creation, which I found beautiful.

But I'm sure the creator of this creation went through great pains and sorrow while creating it.

I wonder how she, who granted the "wish" of the "Sevennight in Mud" already with her sole will, had looked over me and the "box."

At last, she bit on her lips, looked at the bullet-like "box" and—

—crushed the "Sevennight in Mud" with a hint of sorrow.

May 5th (Tuesday) 23:56

This awakening was clearly different from the others. I felt strangely refreshed. I felt now that my body really had been stolen by [Riko Asami].

I opened my mobile phone and checked the time.

'23:57'

[I] was here in the time frame that was stolen from me on the first day by [Riko Asami].

It's over.

But leaving me no time to be deeply moved, my body was suddenly grasped tightly.

"Eh?! Ah... M-Maria...?"

She's embracing me?

But it's not a gentle hug at all. It was a tight pressure as if trying to adhere to me.

"W-What's the matter?"

She didn't reply to my question.

Because I couldn't help it, I let her continue hugging me as she pleased. I couldn't see her expression.

"......Say it one more time."

"Eh?"

"I'm telling you to say 'Maria' one more time."

"......err, M-Maria."

".........say it once more."

"Maria."

"......"

She kept quiet.

"It's your fault."

Maria said suddenly.

"Don't get carried away. In the first place, I'm only together with you because I can meet O like this. There is no deeper meaning in it. And yet you're always getting carried away and doing purely unnecessary things. All my suffering this time was your fault."

"......I don't really get it, but isn't that a bit cruel?"

"It's the truth, you fool."

When she finished speaking, she thrust me away.

This time, violence?!

And yet, she's smiling happily after all.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Eh? Where to?"

"What are you saying? Didn't you promise me yesterday, that we'd go eat strawberry tart tomorrow?"

"...Well, sure I said that. But it's still the fifth of—"

"Look at the time."

I took my mobile phone out as told.

'00:00'

The date had changed, actually.

"I know a family restaurant that is open at night and serves strawberry tart. Let's go there."

"E, eeh? T-That's not the problem... doesn't 'tomorrow' usually stand for having slept and woken u—"

"Stop nitpicking. Let's go quickly."

Maria then pulled my hand.

Duh... maybe I should not have made such a promise? I have a hunch that I'm also going to be dragged around all day tomorrow.

...Well, I don't mind, I guess?

Since it's not disagreeable at all.

While being dragged along by Maria, I looked at the two who remained at the center of the schoolyard.

Two intimate siblings were smiling while taking each other's hands there.

May 18th

While crumpling up a package of beef tongue flavored Umaibōs, I look around the classroom. My classmates weren't paying attention to me anymore. They seem a little nervous because of our midterms start tomorrow.

"Ya, Kazu-kun!"

"Ouch"

Kokone karate-chops my head while greeting me.

"......Morning."

"You know, I was actually only strolling. In Shibuya."

"Hah?"

Kokone suddenly starts to speak triumphantly.

"I just planned to go to Marui or to listen to some music at HMV. But I guess the world just can't overlook my charm! And these E-Cups of mine!"

Now they're even one size bigger...

She lays a fashion magazine on my desk and points her finger at it. There's a photo of Kokone standing in Shibuya with a smile on her face.

"Ah, wow."

This is my honest impression. Kokone becomes even more elated.

"Hohoho, by the way, in just those two hours I was approached five times, including some flirts. I rejected them but then I was even scouted as a model... Sigh... society just doesn't seem to want to let go of me. So, how do you like this photo? How is it?"

"......Well, it's good, I guess?"

"You think so, too? And just look at my comment! 'I just mistook the cords of my parka for my earphones and put them into my ears!☆' What a tasteful comment by a cute clumsy girl. That's Moe."

"Moe, right."

Because it would probably get messy if I say unnecessary things, I answer randomly.

Kokone then speaks in a bad-tempered voice to Haruaki, who had been watching with eyes half-open:

"...What, Haru?"

"No, nothing. I was just thinking that singing one's own praises is gross."

"...guys that only have jerseys at home are gross."

"What!? Don't make fun of my Adidas jerseys!"

"I'm not making fun of Adidas. I'm making fun of you."

I smile without thinking upon witnessing this exchange.

Lucky me. This means that my everyday life has returned enough so that such exchanges can take place.

In fact, I was on the verge of becoming unable to enjoy this anymore. The Sevennight in Mud may have been destroyed, but what happened while it was in effect has not disappeared. The fact that I confessed to Kokone didn't disappear.

It's all thanks to Maria's quick-wittedness that I could return to my everyday life.

I think back to the risky exchange that took place in Mogi-san's hospital room.

✵

It was the afternoon of May 9th.

Mogi-san was sitting on her white bed, wearing the pajamas I had seen many times in the photograph on my mobile phone. Kokone was standing next to her with open hair today.

Both of them were scowling at me.

Of course I had taken notice of those gazes, so I stared at the mattress of the bed in order to avoid making eye contact. At the corner of my vision I could see Maria's legs.

...Is this what you call a "battlefield?"

"I would appreciate an explanation, Hoshino-kun."

I stiffened up to Mogi-san's voice, which was razor sharp and calm at the same time.

"So you confessed to Koko-chan even though Otonashi-san was your girlfriend? What does this mean? I didn't know you were such a careless boy...?"

Kokone had consulted her good friend Mogi-san about the confession.

As a result, we were called by her, and now we're here.

"Koko-chan had already told me that you seem to be on good terms with Otonashi-san... but judging from what I heard, I can only conclude that you're already going out, right?"

"Err..."

"......Why didn't you just say that you're going out?... I look stupid for thinking that we got on better terms recently..."

The sharpness disappeared slowly from Mogi-san's voice. Her expression clouded clearly.

"Explain it to us, Kazu-kun!"

Kokone said in anger.

"W-Well, umm... W-We-don't-see-s-each other, to begin with."

"You don't... what?! 'Seize' each other?! T-That's not what I asked! Leeewd..."

"No one would mishear it like that! You've got it wrong!"

"I can't believe you anymore! I'm amazed that you can say such a thing in front of Otonashi-san! Even though you call each other by the first name!"

Because we were being noisy in the hospital room, the glances focused on us. Not even the nurses dared to approach us and just watched us from far away. ...Couldn't you come and rebuke us please?

Kokone took a big breath and looked with a serious face at Maria.

"...Do you have no issue with him? Why are you so composed, though Kazu-kun confessed to me?"

"Mh. ...Well."

Maria crossed her arms to Kokone's words. She looked at me at a glance and curled her mouth slightly up. ...I have a bad feeling.

"Disturbance because of his confession to Kirino... Of course there is none."

"...Why?"

"Because I made him do it."

Everyone was shocked. Of course, I'm included.

Umm, what did Maria just blurt out?

"...........What does this mean? Otonashi-san has tempted Kazu-kun to confess to me?"

"Exactly."

"...K-Kazu-kun, what on earth?!" "Hoshino-kun, what's the meaning of this?!"

No, I want to know that myself.

"Since Kazuki can't explain it properly anyway, I'll do the explanation."

Maria's mouth was still curled-up while she said so.

She's definitely enjoying this situation...

"First, as a fact I have to mention right away, I got turned down by Kazuki."

Kokone and Mogi-san looked at me with wide eyes. N-No, really, I don't understand, too!

"Thinking back now, he said something like 'I think nothing of a minor being like you'."

There's no way I'd say such a thing, is there?!

"What the... that's too conceited, isn't it? Kazu-kun should go die."

"E-Even I found this repulsive just now, I think."

"No, err......"

I wanted to make excuses, but since I don't know what Maria's up to, I couldn't say anything.

"I couldn't accept this harsh rejection readily. But well, if he had another person he likes, I would surely not give up, but I would accept the rejection. So I asked. If there is someone he likes."

"A-And there he answered with his L-O-V-E for me!"

"Well yeah, after quite a long time of hesitating, he mentioned your name."

Kokone reddened slowly while babbling "Ee, err", upon hearing Maria's words. Mogi-san turned contrastively blue, next to her. ...this looks kinda like a traffic light.

"But listen, having heard Kirino's name, I could still not fully believe him. Because they looked to me like mere friends. That's why I urged him to confess to her in front of my eyes and that I would accept it if he had done so."

"And so Hoshino-kun confessed to Koko-chan..."

Mogi-san murmured so, seeming close to tears. Kokone was still blushing and looked worriedly at Mogi-san with a side-glance.

...hey, Maria, what are you scheming...?

"Well, but Kazuki has just now revoked his statement that he loves Kirino."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH"

Kokone shouted out.

"K-Kokone, this is a hospital!"

"Shut up you damn capricious bastard."

"......"

"In short. In the end, that he loved Kirino was just a random lie he told me in order to turn me aside. Being threatened by me to confess, he was already unable to retreat."

"Mmh... I got the situation. But... But, but! I still think this is a bit cruel to me!"

"Doesn't this indicate just how much he trusts you? Didn't he believe that you, as a dear friend, would forgive him if he apologized?"

"Mmmmmmh..."

"Maybe he didn't mind even if you misunderstood him, by any chance?"

"Eh?!"

Kokone turned red again.

...No, really, why did you add an unnecessary line there, Maria?

"But this does not change the fact that we involved you, Kirino. Kazuki and I regret what we have done. Please forgive us."

"I-I'm really sorry..."

I felt the chance to apologize here. Kokone's cheeks were still faintly red when she narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

".....Have you reflected on your behavior?"

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry."

Seeing me say words of reconsideration, Kokone pursed her lips and spoke.

"Got it! I'll forgive you. But don't do that a second time! No matter how much I'm used to confessions, even I got startled, you know! I worried so much about what I should do that I couldn't sleep that night, you know!"

"So you're used to confessions."

"Hah! Within a single year since my school entrance I have easily reached double figures! ...Ah, that doesn't matter now! Have you reflected properly?!"

"S-Sorry. I have, properly..."

Kokone had raised a loud voice again, was smiling relieved.

She, too, had wished for our relationship to return.

If we preserve the everyday life everyone wishes for like this, it won't be destroyed so easily.

"Okay then, I'll go home."

I said so and tried to leave the room after winking to Maria. ...to be honest, I want to leave quickly because those many glances on us are pretty embarrassing.

"Wait a moment."

"...What's the matter, Mogi-san?"

"Umm, err... you dumped Otonashi-san, right? So I wondered why you are still together...? You really aren't going out, right?"

Mogi-san asked with a trembling voice.

"Err... well, yeah."

She looked alternately at me and Maria, and looked down.

"......Uuh, just watch! I'll be discharged from the hospital in no time! I must quickly return to school. I'm uneasy... very uneasy..."

"D-Don't worry, Kasumi! I'll supervise him!"

Mogi-san went into a huff upon hearing Kokone's words.

"...Koko-chan. You looked pretty happy when she said 'Maybe he didn't mind even if you misunderstood him by any chance'."

"I-I didn't!"

Mogi-san scowled at me with teary eyes for some reason.

"Hoshino-kun, you silly!"

"Uh..."

"Why did you do this false confession to Koko-chan and not to me?!"

Uuuh... does the problem lie there?

✵

Lunch break.

Maria and I were facing each other at a table in the school cafeteria. Maria was expressionlessly slurping some Ramen that tastes like gum.

Though she looked so happy back then when she ate strawberry tart. Well, but when I was about to take a photo unconsciously, she hit me seriously and continued eating with a grimace.

"Kazuki, will you come to my place today as well?"

The male student next to her spouted out his fried rice.

"I'm considering going to the library room today. What do you think?"

"I don't mind."

I visited Maria's room in the last two days. It wasn't really for fun, she just taught me because of the upcoming tests, since she's by far the top student of our school.

But still, a second year student that's taught by a first year...

"Mh, but she won't come, huh. Can't be helped, I'll eat up the remaining stew, though it's a bit much."

"...it was tasty, honestly."

"I haven't asked for your impressions."

She said coldly, although I took her into consideration.

"But still—"

Going to Maria's room; if 'she' heard our conversion I bet she'd get moody.

Thinking about this, I recalled how 'she' always ate next to Maria until two weeks ago.

It's almost as before. Mogi-san started pouting in the hospital and Daiya still ceases to speak with me, but I think I have regained a comfortable life.

However, Riko Asami and Ryuu Miyazaki do not exist in this everyday life anymore.

Our Golden Week had been prolonged for four days, so school didn't start until May 11th. This is because the suspect of a murder incident went to this school. While we were resting, the principal of our school appeared on TV and said something about Miyazaki-kun being an excellent and serious student.

The first day after holidays was a big fuss. It was such a pandemonium that some girls seriously cried and the media overran us with their cameras. It didn't look anything like the usual classroom scene anymore.

But after one week, the classroom was as before.

Our classmates declared that merely mentioning the name 'Ryuu Miyazaki' is a silent taboo. His name is indelibly associated with that murder incident, which leads to the unusual. For the sake of preserving the everyday life, not even his name may exist.

Of course I'm going to remember Miyazaki-kun. I won't be able to forget him. And still, Miyazaki-kun will not even appear in the conversations between the members of this class.

Miyazaki-kun cannot return to this everyday life anymore.

And it's not any different for his sister, Riko Asami.

At the moment this incident was announced, her place disappeared from here. Although not even their classmates knew that Riko Asami was the sister of Ryuu Miyazaki, it's now known all over the country. Her photo and address were uploaded to a giant bulletin board and she was entirely overran by the media and curious people, despite actually being the victims' family member.

Asami-san retired from school before we knew.

"Kazuki, what's the matter? You've got a distant look."

Maria asked me after completing her Ramen.

"Ah, no, it's nothing..."

"You recalled Asami, didn't you? ...Geez, nothing else in your mind but girls."

"Don't phrase it so suggestively..."

Maria smiled contentedly, seeing my disturbance. I'm convinced now. She's a sadist. No, well, I knew that already long ago, though.

"You don't need to worry about Asami. You know this much, right?"

Maria said with her smile.

I, too, smiled unknowingly to those words and nodded.

Right, I don't worry about her.

I took my mobile phone and opened the most recent voice file.

"Good morning, Kazuki Hoshino-kun. Or should I say good day?"

This greeting that was exactly the same as her first. Except it wasn't the voice of Kazuki Hoshino, but the one of a girl.

The voice of Riko Asami.

This file was created at 02:00 A.M. on May 6th according to the timestamp. Just about when Maria and I left the family restaurant. I don't know when she had stolen my phone, but Maria unilaterally entrusted her with it.

For the sake of letting her leave me this message.

"What should I say? Maybe: I'm sorry for all the troubles? If you forgave me just with words, I'd say as much as you want. But I guess that's not possible. You won't forgive me, and I have done something of this magnitude."

That's not right at all. Resentment is a hindrance in the everyday life, after all.

"Similarly, I think that Nii-san's sin will also never be forgiven, no matter how many punishments he may undergo. He may get 10, 20 or even more years in prison, but his sin won't be forgiven when he leaves there. His deed was, while being for my sake, not right. I'm sure he will slowly notice the weight of his sin. I also think his heart is going to break several times. But you know? He will be alright! After all, Nii-san said 'I made it in time' while knowing of all this."

Her voice was bright and didn't give me the impression of a bluff at all.

Those were Asami-san's true feelings, without doubt.

"I am alright, too. I finally realized it. I won't lose sight of this anymore."

She knew that she will have to go through great troubles. She knew already that she won't be returning to this school a second time.

And even so, she said:

"I am Riko Asami."

The message ended here.

I don't know what kind of pains she will have to endure. But she will never call herself "no one" again.

Therefore, she's going to be alright.

For sure.

Asami-san didn't tell anyone where she'd gone—not even Maria. Thus, there's no real basis, but there is this rumor that I have heard a few times.

According to it, Riko Asami is living and working in a farm in Hokkaido.

I hope this is true. I hope she's building a place for Miyazaki-kun to return to there.

That I'm convinced that she's able to do it might be because I'm optimistic. But even so, I can believe.

I can believe that they will regain a life in which they can laugh happily together again.

"Aah, so you were together with Otonashi."

I came to my senses again when I heard those words. I raised my head to this voice I had missed.

Daiya was standing in front of me.

Despite not having talked to me since he punched me, he sat down next to Maria as if nothing had happened.

...I-I wonder what's the matter? Does he perhaps want to make peace with me? I hope so, but I don't think he'd be able to say honestly so.

"Kazuki."

"Y-Yeah?"

"I heard the reason for your inexplicable behavior!"

Maybe Kokone told him about what we talked in that hospital room?

Daiya grinned boldly at me, who was dumbfounded. At once, I noticed something. The piercing that was originally only attached to his left ear could now also be seen on his right one.

Daiya stated then:

"You've met O before, haven't you?"

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