Karin walked down the dimly-lit corridor with a steady pace.

Yesterday had been cloudy with a sprinkle of evening shower, but today the clouds gathered together to form a dense curtain blocking the sunlight. It was a considerably rare occurrence but Shikoku was down to the south of the country, and a typhoon attacked during the summer two years ago.

...Who knows if there will be another one.

Karin didn't think much while walking through the first floor's hallway. The school building was relatively empty saves for some classes holding students who were forced to take supplementary lessons, and Karin felt a little thrilled as she did not have the same obligation like those students did.

Wait a second, the girl realized. That makes me sound like I have a rebellious spirit burning inside of me.

She wondered if she was behaving like a delinquent, but Karin decided that wasn't it. She was a Hero and no Hero acted like an outlaw. She'd notice if she had taken the wrong path somewhere.

"But what if I cannot judge myself fairly?"

At the thought of having a biased view of oneself, Karin put a hand on her chin and pondered.

She took a dozen steps before she stopped walking. Karin made a sound, lifted her head up, turned around and walked back to the classroom she had just passed by.

"Itsuki?" The brunette called out to the girl doing her very best to clean the blackboard. "…Wait, there's no one around beside her…"

That was strange. The younger Inubouzaki sibling said she was planning to do something with her friends after she finished the request given to her, but she stayed in the classroom instead. Karin glanced at the clock hung above the blackboard and felt something wrong with the scene.

With that, Karin entered the classroom and called out to her junior.

"What are you doing all by yourself here?"

The girl with short blond hair jolted. There was no sound coming from her throat but her indoor shoes squeaked when she abruptly moved and turned around to face Karin.

The petite girl hung her mouth open for several moments. She moved her lips up and down but Karin could not understand what she was doing until she remembered that Itsuki had temporarily lost her voice.

What kind of Hero am I if I have to think about something first when I want to understand someone's thoughts?

Karin sighed and picked up the sketchbook and marker pen on a desk nearby. She walked to the fidgeting Itsuki and handed her the two items.

"Sorry for not paying attention," Karin apologized. "Here you go, Itsuki."

Though her face flushed red, Itsuki accepted the sketchbook and marker pen. The girl immediately opened it and scribbled for several dozen seconds. Once she finished, Itsuki showed her message to Karin.

The first sentence on the page was 'Thank you', the second sentence was 'I'm sorry for troubling you', and the third sentence was 'Karin-san, why are you here?'

Karin herself had no clue how to respond to the question immediately. She was curious, yes, but she was also worried. However, she didn't want to look like she was coming out too strong, so…

"Uhmm… Well, I'm a Hero so I'm patrolling!"

Itsuki blinked and showed a confused expression. She wrote her response and tilted her head as she presented the response to her upperclassman.

'Patrolling for what?'

Karin felt like regretting what she had said now. Even so, her pride as a Hero would not allow her to fall in disgrace so she puffed up her chest and placed her hands on her waist.

"I'm patrolling in case some shady people enter the school's premise!"

Karin felt so proud of her own answer that she grinned and craned her head up.

However, she heard a scratching sound so she lowered her chin and saw a new sentence on a new blank page right before her eyes.

'Karin-san, that's the job of the security staff and teachers.'

Nwaaaaahhh! My move was countered!

Karin should have realized it way before she entered the classroom. She was facing the younger sister of Fuu who always spewed outdated jokes and nonsenses wherever and whenever she felt like it. In other words, Itsuki was a formidable opponent who could nullify any half-assed logic she comes across.

What a fearsome girl!

As Karin was horrified by the situation she was in, she found Itsuki frowning at her. She scribbled again and conveyed her opinion in a sentence.

'I'm not sure why but I feel like you're being very rude, Karin-san.'

That comment cooled down the brunette's temper. Drastically.

"Ah, well… Sorry," Karin apologized, this time with a hand rubbing the back of her head. "At any rate, I'm a little curious."

Upon seeing Itsuki's confused expression for the second time, Karin coughed into her right fist and squared her shoulders a little.

"That's right. I thought you were going to hang out with your friends, but why are you staying behind, Itsuki?"

Much to Karin's surprise, Itsuki suddenly took a sharp breath in. The petite blonde looked away a little and her fingers fidgeted around the sketchbook in her hold, yet she chose to take action by writing a response anyway.

What Karin saw made her eyes round up.

'They're going to the karaoke box.'

…That was…

That was unexpected. Karin would have never expected that response but she realized that she had done the wrong thing. Why am I always like this…!?

"I… Sorry, Itsuki. I asked something insen—"

A scribbling noise resounded again and Karin stopped speaking any further once she read another response.

She read 'It's okay' first, 'I know you didn't mean it, Karin-san' second, and lastly 'I'm sure I can participate next time.'

…It was a powerful response.

Itsuki's smile faltered for a moment when she showed her answer, but the girl held her chin up and bestowed strength in her expression. She did not avert her eyes nor did she cower under the scrutiny of the dumbfounded Karin.

Even though she was incapable of speaking at the moment, the Hero of Taisha realized the girl before her possessed an overflowing courage that did not lose to her friends or even her older sibling. She wasn't afraid of speaking her thoughts even though it was difficult, and she did not yield to pressures unlike before.

…Aah… I'm hopeless.

Realizing that she had been defeated soundly, Karin exasperated. The girl planted a hand on her forehead, formed a thin smile on her face, and met Itsuki's soft green gaze head-on. Karin then lowered her hand from her forehead.

"...Let's go back to the club room," the upperclassman suggested. "If you've got nothing to do, why not pester Fuu to kill some time?"

At the troubled expression Itsuki displayed, Miyoshi Karin huffed and turned her back on her.

"Come on, Itsuki. It beats doing nothing, right?"


A strong wind brought dead leaves across the floor of the rooftop. The sky rumbled and rolling clouds followed after the wind's direction. Beneath such sky, Fuu's gasp was silenced and she stared without blinking at her friends.

"…Our body won't… heal?" The girl touched the eyepatch covering her left eye. "…Is that… Is that a joke?"

Tougou shook her head upon the question. She had explained what she had seen, what she had heard, and her thoughts about the event from yesterday. Relying on her friend and the notes she had recorded in her smartphone, Tougou recounted everything without exaggerating or even putting any room for vague reasoning.

At the end of it, she could only watch as the figure of her upperclassman trembled in silence. It pained Tougou to be a direct witness of it, and it further stung her heart because she and Yuuna had to tell the cruel truth they stumbled upon.

As if noticing her inner turmoil, Yuuna stepped forward with her right hand placed close to the left side of her chest.

"We…" The red-haired girl trailed off. "We aren't sure what to do with this, so we decided to tell you first, Fuu-senpai…"

Tougou heard Fuu taking a sharp breath in. The elder Inubouzaki sibling was shaken, and she was definitely confused and doubtful. Words alone will not convince her.

"…Fuu-senpai," the wheelchair-bound girl called out. "I know that this is difficult for you to accept, but it is the truth. Taisha has been hiding the truth and told us only what conveniences them."

We were deceived, Tougou thought. I was too naïve to believe that there's no ulterior motive hidden behind their actions.

As Heroes, the members of the Hero Club were treated with deep respect by Taisha. Take for example the seaside resort reserved exclusively for them. The staffs bowed down in front of the Heroes' presences and anything they wished for were granted without any form of compensation. All the luxurious food, all the unreasonable amount of spending and services…

All of it is because we are immortals akin to deities. It was not done out of pure goodwill, but religious intention bordering on fanaticism.

"…Why?"

The moment Fuu asked that question, Tougou's expression twisted. She pursed her lips into a thin line, feeling enormous weight crushing her from above and there was an instinctual urge to avert her eyes away from the person standing in front of her.

"...Why us?" Fuu asked. "What about… if we won't get better, then... What about Itsuki's voice…?"

Even so, the girl resisted. Tougou refused to accept that sign of weakness. It was alright; she could endure this. I am not alone, so… it's alright.

"The Heroes are…" Tougou inhaled. "The price of fighting as Heroes is an eternal life while sacrificing a piece of ourselves as an offering to the Gods."

Tougou imagined the day where she would lose everything. What would happen if she used Mankai in the previous battle? What would she lose? Her arms? Her eyes? Her sense of smell and touch? Could it be that she would lose her heart and mind too?

"Before us… there were Heroes who fought against the Vertexes."

The black-haired girl looked down to her unmoving legs, and she thought about what had caused her disability.

Two years ago, Tougou recalled. I woke up in the hospital without remembering anything before two years ago.

"They fought and used Mankai as well. And then, Sange activated and they…"

According to the doctor and her parents, Tougou was involved in a car accident around that time. She was injured badly and as a result, she had lost her memories and the ability to walk. At the time, the doctor told her this:

'It is no longer possible for you to be able to use your legs, and it's likely that the memories you lost will never return.'

That evening, after she returned to the hospital room designated for her, her parents cried and apologized for a reason beyond her understanding. They did not explain why, they did not stop even though Tougou wished for them to stop, and they continued to apologize until their tears dried up and their voices became hoarse.

"…It's…" Tougou bit her lips as she resolved herself. "…It is the truth. The person who said this – Nogi Sonoko – is a very important person in Taisha. She is also disabled, just like…"

Why was the first word that came to her mind 'us'?

…Could it be that I too…

As Tougou feared for what her thought was about to come up with, she heard a harsh breath coming from ahead of her, and it definitely came from her upperclassman.

"...Have you two... told anyone else about this?"

At Fuu's sudden question, both Tougou and Yuuna looked up and met her gaze.

"...No," Tougou said. "We chose to confide with you because we do not know what to do now. Only I and Yuuna-chan know what we know."

But it is as far as we can be concerned with, she thought. There are… too many questionable aspects and there is no guarantee that Taisha will leave us to our own devices.

The organization which had managed and protected the country for the past 300 years must have tremendous power backing them. In that case, there was no way they would not put the people under surveillance and Tougou had suspicions that at least someone among the townspeople was another Taisha's agent working separately than those she knew of.

But if that is so, those we already know would also be in the position of...

"...I see," Fuu paused. "Then, I would like the two of you to not tell this to anyone."

"...Huh?"

The response Fuu gave came as a genuine surprise.

After all, she just said that they had to keep it a secret. Tougou asked why and Fuu nodded with her right eye closed.

"If this is why you two are acting odd, then I can at least guess what's going on in your head, Tougou." Fuu inhaled. "I don't want you to doubt Issei or Karin for this."

"That is…" Tougou breathed out, her hands that were gripping the arms of her wheelchair gradually letting go of them. "I have… never thought of it that way, Senpai."

"Yeah, but... you're worried about Taisha's involvement in all this, right?* Fuu looked at Yuuna. "As for Yuuna, you're worried about him, that's why you asked that question. I can understand that. After all, Issei's parents do not seem to have high opinions of the organization."

Tougou followed her senior's gaze and found Yuuna nodding along. Yuuna-chan…

"Still," Fuu said. "We can't panic now. I don't want Itsuki, Karin or even Issei to misunderstand something we don't have complete understanding of. That's why, don't try to do anything reckless."

"...But…"

"It's alright." Fu formed a fleeting smile. "...I'm sure… I'm sure everything will be alright."

...What will be alright…?

Did Fuu not get it? Or was she deluding herself? Tougou hoped that was not the case. She knew the girl well enough that she could trust her decision when the situation counted.

But, can I truly put such heavy responsibility in the care of someone I consider a friend…?

After all, the reassurance Tougou heard was like cracked glass. The tone of Fuu's voice was fragile, faint, and it lacked any shred of the usual spirit the blonde always had.

Fuu-senpai is no different than us, the black-haired girl concluded. She's as shaken as us, yet she still believed that everything will return back to normal someway somehow.

However, will everything truly take a better turn?

Could Tougou trust everyone, including the people who had deceived her and her friends? Could she believe that the day would come where the daily life she cherished would return regardless of the many lies and secrets hidden from the Heroes…?

Tougou felt a prickling sensation from her cheek and she looked up to the darkened sky.

At the same time, everyone heard a distinct sound.

The sound of groaning metal resounded through the windy atmosphere. The three members of Hero Club turned their heads to the door connecting the rooftop and the school building, and they saw the remaining two members entering their sight.

"Itsuki… Karin...?"

The brunette whose name was called out by Fuu raised an eyebrow. Tougou's heartbeat accelerated as frighteningly cold air brushed her shoulders and her thoughts scrambled in search of a way to salvage the situation before it could escalate.

However, the wheelchair-bound girl heard the soft ringing sound of a bell in the blowing winds.

Her turquoise green eyes widened and her heart rapidly pounded. A sense of nostalgia and familiarity spread throughout her body, but it was soon overwhelmed by a sudden wave of dizziness that hurt her mind.

Tougou struggled from letting out a cry, but the pressure burdening her head forced her to close her eyes – and cold darkness surrounded her for a single moment.


It was an indescribable feeling; it was alien and yet familiar to Yuuna.

The sounds of a chime faded away and the sudden headache that assailed her died down as if it was never there. Yuuna slowly reopened her eyes as she heard ceaseless noise that reminded her of a river with a strong current, and yet when her sight adjusted itself to the surroundings…

"…Huh…?"

The world around her had changed.

Yuuna looked to the left and right. The redhead found only copious amount of water and she soon realized that her body was submerged in a lake that reached right above her knees.

"Wh-What? What…!?" Yuuna reeled back only to feel cold water pouring down onto her back. "Eek…!?"

When she turned around, she didn't expect to see a big waterfall or even falling sprays of water. Yuuna couldn't anticipate this kind of absurdity happening so all she could do was covering her face with her arms and getting drenched with gallons of water.

Some water entered her eyes and the sensation stung her like a biting ant.

Yuuna yelped, retreated frantically and fell to her butt after tripping over a patch of slippery ground. An echo of splashing water spread throughout the place and Yuuna heard someone calling out to her from distances away.

"Yuuna-chan...!?"

"T-Tougou-san?!" Yuuna looked over her shoulder only to spot her best friend stationed on the rim of a flat limestone with a stone Torii towering somewhat far behind it. "Um, I'm okay!"

To prove she was alright, Yuuna waved and stood up. She turned around, weaved her way toward the flat limestone her best friend was at. Then she heard something like dripping water from right beside her ear and Yuuna saw water droplet falling from above.

"...It's raining."

That was a worrying matter. Yuuna could boast as much as she want about being the epitome of living a healthy lifestyle but she got herself wet due to her carelessness, she was in a shallow lake of cold water that reached above her knees, and the weather had grown worse.

At this rate, we're going to catch a cold...

With that thought plaguing her mind, Yuuna sped up to reach the location her friend was at. She also spotted the rest of the Hero Club approaching from the corners of the lake hidden by boulders and cliffs.

Everyone's safe…!

Yuuna wanted to celebrate over that fact, but Karin suddenly raised her voice once everyone gathered together.

"What happened?" The brunette looked around. "Where are we?"

As no one knew the answer to their current predicament, only the sounds of the waterfalls filled the silence. Karin ground her teeth in frustration, Tougou wore a troubled expression, and the Inubouzaki siblings joined hands to reassure themselves.

" …Umm…" Yuuna muttered. "...I feel like, this has happened before…"

No. In fact, it already did. This experience reminded her very much of being transported to the Jukai, but there were things that did not add up.

The many boulders and damaged large rocks scattered throughout the lakes drew her attention first.

Even though green moss had blanketed a particularly large boulder from top to bottom, some of the others did not have the same condition. They looked like rocks that had recently fallen from a steep cliffs, and it caused Yuuna to look up.

...Why do the cliffs look like they were freshly gouged out?

Did something happen here? Was it an erosion, or could it be a landslide? The redhead pondered and realized why the damages on the environment felt off to her; they didn't look like they were weathered by nature.

What happened here? Yuuna's thought deepened. It… feels as if they were deliberately destroyed, maybe something with extraordinary force had chipped the cliffs and carved the freshly damaged rocks out.

What could do that? Yuuna didn't take a moment to assume a possibility.

"...Say, why does this place look like a battlefield?" Karin suddenly asked

Everyone turned towards her. The girl blinked at the amount of attention she had garnered but she huffed and shook her shoulders.

"What? Either there was an earthquake or someone did all this. After all…" Karin pointed at the stone Torii standing behind her. "There are protective charms Taisha often used on this Torii gate."

...Really?

"Is that true, Karin…?" Fuu asked with a slightly low voice.

Karin seemed to take notice of the tone Fuu had, and so did the rest of the club members.

What to do? Yuuna broke out cold sweat. We just told Fuu-senpai all that…

Of course she would be worried. Of course she would be anxious and cautious. Fuu was, at heart, a free-spirited girl, but even she knew that there were times for her to pause and think deeper about something.

However, that was only when serious topics appeared and the most often she wiped off her smirk was when the Heroes had to take up their Duty.

"…Yuuna-chan," from her side Tougou called out. "This is…"

Before her best friend could finish her sentence, Yuuna's shoulders jolted as if someone had bumped against her back. It caused her to reflexively turn around.

A series of events happened in succession.

The first thing Yuuna noticed was a pillar of green light rising from the depth of the forest. It carved a straight line that gradually ascended and it vanished into the cloudy skies as if the source powering the beam emptied out.

Not long after, Yuuna heard a lone roar shaking the air.

Yuuna had no clue what that was. It didn't sound like an animal's howling nor did it sound like something a human could produce.

Even so, she felt like she knew it and uttered a name.

"...Ise...senpai…?"

Why did the roar remind her of the friend she had befriended starting from this spring?

Why did she believe that was a fact even though there were logical arguments against it?

Why did the voice pained her heart...?

"...It sounded…" Tougou's voice trailed off. "...It is as if someone is in great pain…"

...Ah, so that's it.

Yuuna latched her right hand on her chest, holding tight to the fabric of her uniform. She felt her own body's temperature by pressing the hand against her chest, but the heartbeat she sensed was anything but pleasant.

She knew this voice. I know and I understand what sort of voice this is.

Yuuki Yuuna remembered what could possibly cause the boy she admired to let out such a heart-rending roar, and she clearly understood why she was feeling in pain.

...He's crying again…