When I wake, I go through my usual routine, By the time my brain has kicked into gear, I am sat at the dining room table, drinking tea.

"Sorry."

I hear the voice to my left and look around.

It is still here.

"I'll still help you," it says as I look around. "If you keep your side of the bargain."

I nod and sip at my tea. It goes to the kitchen to get food.

We do not speak until we start walking to school. We do not wait for Mai.

"Do you have any ideas?" I ask.

"About how to get rid of myself?"

I do not answer.

"A few," it says. Eugh. I suppose I ought to use its name if we're working together. "We could try other wishing methods. Or alternatively, try to fulfill your wish another way. Um…"

"Go on?" I prompt.

"Well… I was wondering what would happen if I… Well, if I die."

I look around in alarm.

"Die?"

"Thinking about it, that's essentially what you want, right? For me, as I am now, to die. Then I won't—"

"That's not want I want at all. I want you to have never existed."

"Either way, my consciousness will be dead," it — Gene mutters.

"Yes, but if you die, then other people will expect me to mourn you," I say. "This is awkward enough without me having to pretend like I'm going to miss someone I've known for a day. Plus, then everyone else will be miserable."

"It almost sounds like you care about the other's feelings."

I frown.

"It's not— It's just—" My frown deepens. "Look. If everyone else is sad, I will have to be nice to them while they're sad. And I am not good at that. It's just make things—"

Something collides with my back and knocks the air out of my lungs.

"Oi! You two didn't wait for me! You gits!"

"Sorry Mai," Gene says, "we were caught up talking about stuff."

She humphs dramatically and links her arms with mine and Gene's. Then she looks expectantly up at me.

"Are you still being an arse today?"

"I—"

"Mum took him to the hospital yesterday, he definitely had concussion yesterday," Gene lies. "They said it can make someone grumpy and confused."

"Are you back to normal now?" she asks.

I can see the hope dancing in her eyes.

"Have I ever been normal?" I ask back.

She grins.

"I guess not. I'm glad you're feeling better though."

I look over her head to Gene, who smiles at me and mouths 'I told you so'. I roll my eyes.

As we near the school, Mai lets go of Gene. She does not immediately let go of my arm though. Her touch is light, but I am surprised it does not bother me more.

Just as I am about to insist that she release me so we can part ways, she speaks up.

"What are you doing this weekend?"

The question was asked of the pair of us, but her eyes are on me.

"Uh…"

"What are you thinking?" Gene asks. "Cinema? Park?"

"A picnic maybe," Mai said. "The weather is supposed to be nice so…" She releases my arm. "Think about it?"

And before either of us can respond, she darts away. I feel Gene move a little closer.

"I thought she'd be more reluctant to speak with me after yesterday," I say.

"Yeah, but since yesterday was just because of your concussion, she's not as put off. She's a hopeful person, Mai is."

"I… I don't know what to do about her," I admit.

"What do you want to do about her?" Gene asks.

I realise I do not want to vocalise the answer to that question.

"I'll see you later," I mutter.

"See you later," he echoes.

We go our separate ways.

We meet again at lunch, sitting together in the common room away from the rest of the hustle and bustle. We eat in silence. Yasuhara joins us a few minutes later.

"Wow, you're chipper."

"Well," Gene begins, "we're going to plan my removal so… It would be a bit weird if we were chipper."

Yasuhara looks from me to Gene and back again.

"Wishing didn't work?" he asks.

"Obviously," I mutter. I told away my now empty tin foil.

"And you're okay with this?" he asks Gene, who nods. "Damn. Okay, what are our options?"

"You're okay with it?" I ask.

"No, but I can't foil your plans unless I know what they are," he says.

"If you're going to do that, then leave us alone," Gene says, before I can speak. "I'm sorry, but—"

"Gene, you realise what he's asking, right?" Yasuhara pressed.

"Yesterday you told me to wish that—"

"Yeah, I did, and it didn't work. Maybe that's the universe trying to tell you that this is how things should be. You've been given something a lot of people would kill for, and you're trying to throw it away because you don't like change?" he growls. "Why don't you just grow up and learn to deal with stuff for once, huh?"

"Yasuhara, stop it," Gene says calmly.

I look away from the pair of them.

"Stop what? He wants you gone!" he hisses. "Why are you so happy to let him try and get rid of you?"

"Because it's true," Gene says. "Two days ago, I didn't exist. I know that."

Yasuhara's shoulders sag.

"You existed for me."

"They're fake memories," I blurt. "He did not—"

"Fake memories for a fake relationship," Yasuhara surmised. "I guess we're done then."

I do not need to look around to know he has walked away.

"I'm sorry," I say automatically. "This is what it was like before you arrived. I ruin—"

"No, you didn't," Gene interrupts. "It's fine."

"But you care about him."

"Yes, I do. But looking at the situation logically, my memories of him are fake and I've technically only known about him for two days."

I am lost for words. His voice is cold and hard. He sounds like me.

He goes on.

"When I'm gone, he'll revert back to how he was before. Was he… Was he happy?"

I shrug.

"Maybe? I can't say I paid much attention. I only share one class with him."

I stare down at my shoes.

"Was he…" Gene trails off and I wonder if he expects me to grasp his meaning.

"What?"

"With anyone else?" he mumbles.

I shake my head.

"I don't think so. I don't… I told you, I was unaware of his interest in men until…"

"Unsurprising, his parents still don't know in this version of things."

An uncomfortable feeling settles like a dead weight in my stomach.

"I need to return a library book; I'll see you after school," I say.

Gene accepts the lie. He probably guesses it is one. Either way, I leave. I do need to go to the library. I have a free period after lunch, so I go there and hide in a corner with my textbooks.

Luckily, hyperfocus takes me until the end of the free period and carries me through my final lesson of the day.

I don't wait for Gene after school, but he catches up nonetheless.

"We ought to wait for Mai, you know," he mumbles. "She wants to—"

"Oi! You didn't wait for me again!"

I don't look around; I know she's there.

"Sorry—" Gene begins.

"Is it true you broke up with Yasuhara?" she asks.

"He broke up with me, but yes, it's true."

"But why? You two were so cute together! And how are we going to do cute doub— I mean, what about us all hanging out together?" she whines.

"I guess we'll just have to hang out without him," Gene replies in a small voice.

"But he's my friend too. What even happened?"

"We… We had a disagreement."

"Is it fixable? Because he looked miserable and so do you."

"I don't know, Mai. I don't know."

"But—"

"Drop it," I mutter.

To my surprise, she does.

"So what did you want to do this weekend?" Gene asks a few minutes later. "I don't fancy going out but we could still hang out, if you want?"

"We could watch some films or something?" Mai suggests. "Ayako's been promising to teach me how to make banana bread so maybe if I do that, I could bring it for snacks. If you want…"

"What do you think, Noll?"

I thought we were going to plan how to get rid of him. But I suppose I did agree to his terms of everything pretending to be normal until we figured that out.

"I have a lot of homework—"

"Oh."

How does she manage to make one noise sound so sad? I am not sure I could get so much expression in such a small amount of sound.

"But I could spare a few hours I suppose. When do you want to do this?"

She perks up beside me. Not that I looked. Of course I did not look.

I don't need to look. She's so exuberant that anyone could tell a mile off.

"How about Sunday afternoon?" Gene suggests. "That way, we have the whole of tomorrow to do homework and for Mai to bake."

"Can we do it at yours?" Mai asks. "You have a bigger TV and—"

"And Mr Takigawa will tease you mercilessly if we go to yours?" Gene teases.

"That not— I mean— Just—"

I roll my eyes.

"Breathe, Mai," I mutter. "I'm sure it'll be fine if you come to ours. We'll check tonight."

"And you'll text me to let me know?" she prompts.

"I'm sure one of us is capable of—"

"Noll will text you, don't worry," Gene insists.

I narrow my eyes at him, but he ignores me. I know I said I'd pretend, but going along with this farce of some kind of intended relationship between myself and Mai is just—

"Okay well I have to go this way, I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

She grins up at me. Fuck. What do I do? She looks expectant. She wants something from me. Fuck.

I turn one edge of my lips upwards.

She seems satisfied. She waves and runs off down her road.

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" Gene asks.

"Yesterday, she was convinced I was unhinged and now… I don't understand. How did we get to this point in this world?"

"Yesterday has already been put down to the fall. You're a bit weird anyway—"

"Thanks."

"You are, don't bother denying it." He nudges me with his elbow and I look around. "Look, she's liked you for ages in this world. I think it started after you insulted her and she was determined to hate you but we all became friends—"

"Why would she like me after I insulted her? That makes no sense."

"I don't think she did at first. But she got over that and…" he shrugs. "I mean it's obvious you like her—"

I scoff pointedly.

"I do not like her."

"You realise you are fooling exactly no one with that, right?"

"I don't know what you're—"

"You've liked her for way longer than she's liked you. That's why you insulted her in the first place. We both know it. She's cute and she's a nice person. There's nothing to be ashamed of in liking her."

"I don't like her."

"Your nose is growing," Gene says, bopping me on the nose.

I screw up my face and pull away from him.

"I don't—"

"Prove it."

"Prove I do."

He laughs.

"I think the fact that you're protesting so much speaks a lot to—"

"You would protest if you were incorrectly accused of something," I retort.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

I roll my eyes.

"This is why I need you gone," I mutter. "If you really knew me, you would know that I would argue against any false accusation from someone who…" I trail off. I want to finish with 'someone whose opinion matters to me'. But that would make it sound like I…

I screw my face up for a moment and look away.

"I do know you though," Gene says sadly. "I know you would protest it. And I also know that you've fancied her for longer than I think even you realise. You pay attention to her. You smile for her. You let her touch you when you usually shy away from it."

He shrugs as we approach the house.

"And you protest it because you're scared that admitting it makes you vulnerable."

"I upset people too much for that kind of relationship. Look what I did to you and Yasuhara."

"That wasn't your doing—"

"It was, Gene. It is my fault."

He doesn't argue, and I know I am correct. I unlock the front door and head straight up to my room, ignoring Luella's attempts at conversation. Behind me, I can hear him placating my mother.

Once again, I throw myself into my work. There is nothing quite like Mathematics for ignoring personal issues…

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, please continue!