Author's note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update (again). I was just too into reading light novels lately. There are also few Go (board game) tournaments I have participated in so I also spent some free time training my Go skill. Well, these are all just excuses though. It is just that I want to be honest to you guys.

With that out of the way, here is the long-await chapter. It seem like some problem occurs in the Afterlife again. As for what problem, you can only read and find out. Hope you have fun!

Enjoys!

Qwqs

The break off

It has been a few days since that conversation with Apipu.

If considered from the previous examples, things should return to normal once the boy moved on no matter how abnormal it had been when he was there. However, reality proves otherwise. At the very least, it is, for Yuzuru.

"So you are here, Saigusa-san? I have been searching for you," Yuzuru says after he has finally found Haruka after searching for her for a whole 15 minutes.

It has been a while since he last talked with Haruka. In these past few days, they haven't talk with each other at all. She always excused herself whenever he tried to talk to her. It is like she was avoiding him…

"Yes, I am here. What do you want from me, Otonashi-san?" The girl answers coldly without even looking at Yuzuru as she still focuses on pulling the trigger of her gun.

The place she is at is beneath the connection bridge 2 – the place where Yuzuru used to practice his firearm skill back when he had just arrived here.

Haruka is currently – like Yuzuru did back then –shooting practice targets with the gun given to her by Yuzuru.

The sound of gunshots is too loud that Yuzuru has no choice but to shout if he wants to talk to Haruka, "You seem to be avoiding me lately! What's wrong?! Did I do something wrong?!"

"What did you say?!" Haruka shouts back as she continues to shoot the practice targets creating loud sounds.

"I said, why are you avoiding me?! Did I do something wrong?!" Yuzuru repeats again.

As the same time as Yuzuru's words end, Haruka shoots her last bullet.

The last bullet is a miss but doesn't care about that, Haruka turns to Yuzuru and says, "I want to quit helping you in the investigation of the ring and your dream."

"…" Yuzuru is speechless.

She clearly says her desire to Yuzuru.

-o-O-o-

"W-what's wrong? Why do you want to stop helping me so suddenly?" Yuzuru stuttering says after he has somewhat recovered from his astonishment.

"…"

Haruka does not answer immediately. She just stares at Yuzuru.

The stare makes Yuzuru so nervous that he unconsciously scratches his head.

"W-what? Why are you staring at me like that?"

When she hears his words, she breaks the stare. Shaking her head dismissively, the girl replies, "No, it is nothing. It is just…"

"Just?" Yuzuru repeats.

"I just changed my mind after the event few days ago. That event helped me in noticing something important. And so, after I had contemplated it, I decided to stop helping you, that's all."

"…"

Yuzuru is so shocked that he is speechless.

She uses her free hand to brush her hair back and says, "Well, if that is all you want to talk about, I will excuse myself now."

After she has finished saying that, she turns her back on Yuzuru and walks away, leaving only a bewildered Yuzuru behind.

…

…

…

-o-O-o-

Yuzuru is sitting alone in student council room with his head drooped, depressed.

"…Where did I go wrong, I wonder?"

He is murmuring such words to himself again and again. Sadden at the fact that Haruka abandoned him.

The event she talked about was definitely that conversation he had with that Buddhist freak. Deep down, he knows it. He knows his reasoning lost to that guy.

Even though even now he doesn't want to accept the words of that boy, some parts of him know full well that it was exactly as that boy said; his love is hurting them both.

He wasn't wrong of course; it is just that the boy was more right.

'Does Saigusa-san agree with that guy that I should forget about Kanade and ignore all matters even remotely related to her? Is that why she decided to stop helping me?'

'…'

'…'

'…'

Yuzuru thinks about it silently for a while before he reaches a conclusion.

'It is fine even if she doesn't help me. I will somehow solve this problem by myself eventually.'

Yuzuru can't decide yet whether he should give up on Kanade or continue his wait.

But he is sure about one thing.

He should be the one to decide his own path himself in the end, not anyone else.

So he won't follow the path that the boy and Haruka want him to walk so easily.

It doesn't mean that he won't follow their path no matter what. But if he does, it will be by his own decision, uninfluenced by anyone else.

After he has decided so, he stands up from his chair and goes out of the council room, destination still unknown.

-o-O-o-

'I wonder what Otonashi-san is thinking about right now.'

The elegant girl is walking to the girl's dormitory with a pistol –one of the basic firearms – in one hand, while her thought is wondering about the conversation she had with the student council president.

'I admit that I was being too harsh, but this is the most efficient way to help him. He may not be able to understand my intention now, but he will surely appreciate this decision of mine later on.'

As she is walking, she finds one good target to practice her shooting skills on the way, so she arbitrarily decides to stop to get another practice in.

She puts only one bullet in her gun and aims. As she does so, she still doesn't stop her thought.

'I doubt he will be able to realize my true intention for doing so. However…'

The target is the only fruit on a big tree 25 meters away.

After she has finished aiming, she shoots her only bullet.

'Like this target, I aim to solve the problem in one shot and I will definitely do so.'

Her shot hits the bullseye.

-o-O-o-

"W-what's going on here?! Why did she suddenly abandon the plan?!" the servant says, astonished.

"…"

Unlike usual, this time the deity remains silent to his servant's words, feeling perplexed himself.

"My lord, what should we do? Our plan for your amusement is ruined!" the servant continues.

"…In" The sacred being murmurs.

"…In?" his servant repeats.

"Interesting! This girl definitely caught me off guard!" the divine one says cheerfully.

"M-my lord?!"

"It is a pity indeed that our plan is ruined. However, there is something else I definitely desire more now," the sacred one chuckles as he says so.

"What is it, my lord?" his servant asks.

"This girl is very mysterious. I want to…"

The deity consults his desire with his servant.

Done!

Man, Haruka is really cool eh? I really want to be like her! I don't want to be so mysterious though.

Next chapter we will continue with the meditation thingy on Kanade's side. Hope you guys look forward to it.

Please read and review.