AN: Hello again, everyone! It's been a long while since the last update, but at this point any of my readers should be used to that. I've been a bit lazy when it comes to writing since coming back from my hiatus, but hopefully 2022 will be a better year. I'll need to get my life into better order before I start with Uni, but there's still plenty of time before that happens – if it happens. I am no oracle, after all, and can't know for sure what's going to happen in the coming year.

Not got really anything else to say, so let's just get this chapter underway!

Chapter 6 – Small Steps Forward

"...I see. So he's facing such a long sentence, then?"

"Yes, and there isn't really anything we can do at this point. However, your visit last weekend has definitely helped in a major way. This has been the first time I've seen Noda act so cooperative with law enforcement – his sentence could have been longer if his stubbornness and attitude had remained the same. If he can keep up the good conduct and shows genuine interest towards reformation, he could shorten his sentence even further."

"Well, that's reassuring to hear, at least. Thanks for telling me about all this, I'll be sure to inform Yuri and the rest of our friends about Noda's circumstances as soon as I get the chance."

"Don't worry about it, Otonashi-san. I'll do my best to keep you updated further, and hopefully you'll be able to contact Noda himself as well soon. But, you were eating your lunch, so I won't keep you any longer. Goodbye!"

"Yeah, speak to you soon, Otosaka-san!"

Ending the call, I lowered my cell phone from my ear, a content sigh leaving my mouth as I did so. We did know to expect this already, but… It's still unfortunate to hear that Noda will have to face a prison sentence. At least Otosaka seemed positive about his situation, though, and it is good to know that me and Yuri were able to help him. After quickly checking the time, I pocketed my phone and rubbed my shoulder slightly, having leaned against a meal ticket machine out in the hallway leading up to the cafeteria for the duration of my call with Otosaka, before beginning to hastily make my way back. I hope my food hasn't gone cold… I wasn't gone for that long, so it should be fine.

Navigating between the tables and groups of other university students in the midst of their lunch, my eyes quickly found found the table I had been sitting at, two pairs of eyes locking onto me as I came close to it.

"Ah, welcome back, Yuzuru-kun." Kotegawa Yui welcomed me back, and I nodded to her as I took my seat, shifting my gaze to the second girl sitting at my table, her golden-yellow eyes meeting mine.

"...Yuzuru. Welcome back." The quiet, monotone voice of Tachibana Kanade greeted me. The short girl dabbed at her mouth with a napkin briefly before continuing. "How was the phone call? You said it was from the police officer you met when you went to see Noda-san, right?" She then asked from me with a slight tilt of her head, and I nodded to her.

"That's right. Officer Otosaka gave me an update on Noda's situation." I replied, pausing to take a bite out of my food – a simple beef bowl this time, I had learned my lesson about Mapo Tofu the first time – while Kanade encouraged me to elaborate with a slight nod of her head. Not cold yet, that's good. "He told me about how Noda's trial was held, and he was sentenced to serve time in Maebashi Prison. However, due to his cooperation, his sentence isn't as long as it could have been, and the officer believes Noda could possibly shorten it further – though he'll still be incarcerated for at least a few years due to all his prior offences racking up." I explained the contents of my phone call with Otosaka in short, watching as Kanade brought a hand to her chin while staring down at her food – a nearly-finished bowl of Mapo Tofu.

"Hmm… So contacting him in the future will be difficult…" Kanade mused out loud. Difficult, but not impossible. Communication will be limited to short phone calls, but we'll have to make do.

"Um…" A small sound came from Yui, and we turned our gazes to see her glancing between us with slight confusion on her face. "This… Noda person was… someone you knew in… the afterlife? S-sorry, I'm just trying to make sense of this…" Yui said, then quickly averted her gaze, and I smiled at her sympathetically.

"It's alright, things were – and still are – confusing to all of us as well." I reassured the black-haired girl, who met my eyes again. "But, yes, he was. Noda was a member of the Afterlife Battlefront, the organization that Yuri led against Kanade. Unlike the two of us, though, his memories of that time have not returned yet, though he was able to recognize Yuri and I when we visited him." Yui nodded to me slowly as I finished, and I returned to eating my food.

"Should I relay this information to everyone else in that group chat Hinata-san made?" Kanade asked while taking out her phone, and I nodded to her. Since we are all somewhat separated – though Kanade, Yuri, myself and Iwasawa still have the opportunity to at least meet – Hinata invited us all into an online group chat to ease communication. It's definitely been working out so far. Mikado-sensei isn't a part of it, though, but I have a direct way to contact her so it isn't really an issue.A minute or so passed as we ate in silence while Kanade's fingers moved across her phone screen, until I suddenly recalled the topic we had been talking about before and the question I had wanted to ask resurfaced.

"...Oh, right, Kanade." I spoke out after washing down some of the food with my drink, and the girl lifted her gaze to meet mine. "Before the phone call interrupted me, I wanted to ask – you're still going to continue on with the whole election thing, even with your memories already restored? For the Student Government?" Kanade nodded to me, finishing up what was left of her food before responding vocally.

"I am indeed. While I have already accomplished what I had been aiming for, I've put so much time and effort into this that it would feel like a waste if I quit now. Besides, I think it would be a valuable experience that can help me later in life." Kanade replied, then reached for her drink and took a long sip from it.

"Ah, that makes sense…" Thinking ahead, huh..? I remember Kanade was a bit clumsy with things back in the Afterlife, but I suppose she's shown to be pretty smart in this life, so that makes sense.

"What are your future plans, Tachibana-san? I know you're in your first year now, but since you are at this university, you must have planned things out in advance." Yui asked as she turned to look at the white-haired girl, who met Yui's eyes briefly, before lowering her gaze as a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "...S-sorry if I'm prying too much, it just came to just now that I don't actually know a lot about you…" Yui then spoke again after a few moments of silence, looking away embarrassedly.

"You don't need to apologize. I was just thinking." Kanade reassured the girl, even managing a small smile, which Yui returned, looking slightly relieved. I suppose she's still a bit worried about her communication skills… "I'm still not entirely sure on my future, to be completely honest. I came to this university on a recommendation from my high school, and decided to take part in the special curriculum they've recently introduced when I enrolled. A part of it I know deals with international studies, and students in the special curriculum can become exchange students, but… I'd prefer to stay in Japan if possible." Kanade explained to us. Right, part of the reason me and her didn't meet at all despite going to the same uni was that her curriculum – and thus, schedule – was different from most other students. I wonder… if fate has been pushing us all together slowly, was it also behind Kanade enrolling here..?

"...I see. So you haven't chosen your faculty for second year yet, then?" Kanade shook her head in response to Yui's question.

"I still have time, so I'm taking it all to weigh my options before my second year starts. I have picked out some likely candidates, but nothing's set in stone yet." Kanade replied, and Yui nodded to her slowly, returning her attention to what was left of her lunch as the white-haired girl turned to address me. "How about you, Yuzuru-kun? Have you made the decision to switch courses yet?"

"I want to talk things through more with Yuri, first. I've ascertained that it's possible, and my professor has told me that he can bring it up to the school board and such to see if they can make it any easier for me. But, Yuri is still somewhat undecided on what she wants to do in Uni, and she's also looking into some new jobs, so we have some things to sort out first before we make any big plans." I explained in turn, and Kanade nodded to me in understanding.

It's going to be a while before Yuri gets to retake her entrance exams and enrol again, but she said that she'd like to find a new job that would suit a potential university schedule, first.I offered my help to her, but Yuri was stubbornly insistent that she'd be able to do at least that much herself, and I didn't fight her on it. I know she's had tough times with her family, but she's made it this far on her own, so I trust she's perfectly capable of handling herself – I just want her to know that I'll always be there to support her.

The rest of our lunch break went by in a flash as we continued to discuss mundane things mainly relating to our respective studies. We also received a reply from Hinata in the group chat, where he expressed his sympathy towards Noda while also praising me for having been able to make a valuable contact such as Otosaka – though really it was all Otosaka's doing for being so understanding towards us despite our outlandish story, I felt. After we had all finished, Yui and I parted with Kanade as headed to our next classes, each of us settling into our schedules for the rest of the day.

When the final class of the day ended, I was feeling somewhat exhausted, and knew I needed some form of refreshment before I did anything else. So, parting ways with Yui, who had something to do today, I pulled out my phone and idly scrolled through social media and news sites on it while seeking the nearest vending machine. I didn't really have any plans for today, so I thought of calling up Yuri – who I know had visited Hatsune in the hospital today – and seeing if she was free for anything. However, as I was ordering myself a drink, my phone abruptly buzzed with a message.

"Hey, are you free to meet up today? I thought it would be nice for us to meet face-to-face, since we haven't really gotten to talk after you and Nakamura-san visited Maebashi last weekend."

- Doctor Mikado

The message – specifically the sender – surprised me somewhat, as despite exchanging contact information, Doctor Mikado and I hadn't really texted each other that often. I guess she is right – we haven't really spoken this week at all, apart from just casually informing her that we had managed to meet up with Noda. The start of the week was dominated by the thing with Reimi, and yesterday I didn't get to visit Hatsune like I had initially planned… She might have had an opportunity to speak with Yuri today, but I suppose she was working at that time. After bouncing everything around in my head for a moment, I cracked open my drink, then began to write a reply to the doctor while moving to exit the campus grounds.

"Hey! I just finished classes for the day, and don't have any plans, so yeah, I'm free. Sorry that we haven't had the chance to talk more about what happened back in Maebashi, the start of this week had some surprising events for Yuri and I. If you still remember where La Soleil is, I can head there and we can meet up? It's near the University, I think I sent you the address last week?"

After finishing writing up the message, I paused momentarily as I stepped out into the main courtyard, then sent it to Doctor Mikado. I should probably tell Yuri where I am and what I'm doing… She could even come join us. Sending a quick message to my girlfriend about how I'd be meeting with Mikado, I lingered around the campus for a minute or two, finishing up my drink, until my phone buzzed again with a reply from the doctor.

"Yes, I do indeed still have the address of that cafe. I'll be meeting you there soon for our 'date', Otonashi-kun ;)"

Sighing to myself and shaking my head, I sent a brief confirmation message to Mikado, then pocketed my phone as I began to walk along the familiar path to the La Soleil cafe.

"...Here are the pictures I took atop Mount Akagi. We didn't have a lot of time to enjoy everything, so Yuzuru and I promised that we'd go there again some day, but I got a few good photos at least."

"Ooooh, let me see! Onii-chan gave me one of the postcards he bought from there, but that only showed so much…"

Handing my phone to the excited younger girl, I couldn't help but smile. I suppose it's reassuring to know that her injury hasn't affected her cheerfulness… I kept watching in silence as Hatsune scrolled through the photos on my phone, idly listening (but not paying any particular attention) to her sounds of amazement or commentary of the scenery I had captured. ...Yuzuru has told me how sometimes he'd have times when he was feeling down, but Hatsune's always been there for him. She really means a lot to him, and now even more than ever since he's regained his memories… As my thoughts drifted about, I felt a slight, sudden pain in my chest as I recalled my own past life – and more specifically, my own siblings. ...Hatsune was reincarnated into this life just like we were, despite her not appearing in the Afterlife, but my siblings… I was brought out of my thoughts as I realized that Hatsune's eyes were no longer directed at the phone in her hands, but rather at me, the younger girl's face overcome with confusion and worry as she stared at me.

"...Yuri-san? Is… something wrong..?" Hatsune asked from me, and I had to avert my gaze, suddenly feeling guilty.

"A-ah, sorry, it's… nothing. I was just… briefly reminded of my… siblings. You know, from my… previous life." I saw Hatsune's eyes widening at my words, and she reached out towards me with a hand, placing it on my shoulder reassuringly as she smiled slightly. "...Thanks, Hatsune-chan." Yuzuru really is lucky to have a sister like her.

"Don't worry about it, Yuri-san. I… can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you and Onii-chan, having these memories and carrying all of it with you, but Onii-chan has told me about the things we did together before, and I've seen the feelings those memories of his manifest, so… I can at least sympathize." Hearing Hatsune's words, I smiled back at the younger girl, placing my hand over hers. "...Besides, we're basically family now, Yuri-nee, so you are free to think of me as your little sister as well, if it helps with any painful memories you might have. In fact, I insist that you think of me as your little sister!" She then continued after a few quiet moments, and I let out a chuckle.

"There's still a long time before that becomes a reality, but… I would love to have you as my little sister, Hatsune-chan." The younger girl smiled at me brightly, and moved her hand off my shoulder. "So, as your onee-chan, I do want to remind you to keep up with your studies, even if you are in the hospital like this. Yuzuru has told me you've been slacking on that aspect recently even before your accident." Within moments, Hatsune's smile turned into a frown and she groaned at my teasing.

"Ughhhh… But it's so much effort! Shouldn't I be focusing on resting and healing now?" I smirked as the girl brought her hands up to hide her face.

"Hey, I'm working hard so I can get admitted into the same University as Yuzuru, so you've got no right to be slacking off. Oh, right, that reminds me… I recently made a friend who is about your age, and she's aiming for our University too. If… you're still unsure about what to do in the future, like Yuzuru's told me, maybe all three of us could try to get in together?" Hatsune parted her fingers to meet my eyes, then lowered her hands as she hmmm'd quietly.

"...I know Onii-chan's Uni has a lot of opportunities, but they also expect a lot from you… What about you, Yuri? Do you know what you want to do in the future?" Unexpectedly, Hatsune had turned the question against me, and I was momentarily caught off-guard. My own future plans… are still a bit open, so I guess I'm not exactly the best person to lecture Hatsune on this…

"W-well… The one thing I know for certain is that I want to – no, I will – be together with Yuzuru in the future as well. I've… been looking into the things available to me, but haven't fully decided which courses I wanna go for and stuff." I managed to keep my cool while explaining things to Hatsune vaguely, but her narrowed eyes told me of her suspicion. "I-I mean, Kanade still hasn't decided what she's going to do, so it's not like there's any rush."

"Hmm… I suppose. What about this friend of yours, then? What's she like?" I sighed internally as Hatsune seemed to drop the subject. I know very well that I need to look for a different job that I can do on the side as I go to Uni, and actually think about my future together with Yuzuru. I just don't want to hear that from Hatsune of all people.

"Her name is Nakano Reimi. Like I said, she's about your age, but she goes to a different high school than you do. We… actually met by chance on the train, and then again a second time at a train station, and quickly became friends, so now she's aiming to go to the same university as I am." I replied to Hatsune's question, omitting the part she didn't need to know – that Reimi had developed a crush on me and had even found herself attracted to Yuzuru as well. "Reimi is a bit… reserved, I guess you could say. Definitely more low-energy when compared to you. But, she's got passion underneath that, and I think you two could become friends. Maybe. Probably. I at least think you should meet and get to know each other." I finished with a small smile, which Hatsune returned to me.

"Alright, you should bring her along some day, then! It's not like I'll be going anywhere any time soon." Hatsune replied with a rueful grin, patting her legs for emphasis.

"Maybe we'll pop by again this weekend, then. Reimi knows Yuzuru as well, and I think he's mentioned you to her at some point. I'm sure you'll get along." And maybe, getting a new friend will help Reimi… get over her crush on me. Since we sorted things out on Tuesday, I haven't met with her since – partly because we convinced her to stop skipping school and because she requested to have a bit of time to herself after everything – but we've kept in contact at least. Getting her to come meet Hatsune in the hospital won't be too difficult, I feel.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Hatsune gave me an excited nod, then her eyes feel back to her lap, where my phone was lying. "Oh, here. Those pictures of the shrine were really pretty." She said as she handed my phone back to me. "I kinda wanna go visit there myself some day… The postcard Onii-chan gave me had a photograph of the shrine at winter, and it looked gorgeous."

"Yeah, we'll definitely be going back there in winter to see the scenery then. If you're out and about by then, you could come along with us as well." Hatsune's eyes gleamed in anticipation at the prospect, and I got the feeling that if she didn't have casts on her legs, she would have leapt out of the bed.

"Yes, I'd love to! Although… Hmmm… I would also want to leave you and Onii-chan alone so you can have a proper date together and… advance your relationship…" Hatsune brought a hand to her chin as she hmmm'd in thought. So even when we're together, that still isn't enough for Hatsune?

"You're always worrying about your brother's love life, but shouldn't you be satisfied now that he's found such a perfect girlfriend like me?" I questioned from Hatsune, who met my eyes with her own. "And what about you, Hatsune-chan? You're a high school girl in the prime of her youth! Don't you have anyone on your radar? A handsome and reliable classmate or maybe even a cute, shy kouhai who looks up to you?" My question seemed to catch Hatsune off-guard, as she stared at me blankly – seemingly not used to having the 'relationship talk' turned on her. I guess Yuzuru must not inquire her about this stuff, which does make sense. He cares for Hatsune, but never seemed like the overprotective type. Still, Hatsune is a very outgoing person, so even if she seems to stick to her brother – almost like a brocon – she's bound to have at least some male friends.

"M-me?" Hatsune managed to speak up after a few silent moments, the slight stutter and unexpected meekness in her tone making me feel like I wanted to tease her like I do Yuzuru. Hohoo… Perhaps the siblings are more alike than I thought? "I-I mean… I'm a busy student, and I've got Onii-chan to take care of, so I don't… really have time to think about stuff like that, you know? And now I've got this whole thing with my legs to deal with." Hatsune flashed me a smile, but I could tell she was trying to avoid the question and steer the conversation away.

"How busy can you be if Yuzuru tells me you're slacking on your studies and haven't even put thought into what you're going to do after high school, hmm? And, hey, this is the perfect opportunity get closer to a guy you like, you know. Get them to visit you here in the hospital, just the two of you, have him take care of you…" I leaned forward to Hatsune, my lips twisting into an amused grin when she flinched away slightly. "And when you do eventually get discharged, you'll probably need to use a crutch or two for a while, and will need someone to help you get around or carry things. Yuzuru might be able to help you at home, but he'll probably be busy with me a lot, and won't be able to help you at school, so you'll need to turn to someone else… A strong boy willing to carry your bag for you, helping you with doors and stairs, sharing accidental touches with you here and there that make your heart skip a beat..." I saw Hatsune's cheeks begin to flush slightly, and she covered her eyes with her again while groaning.

"Ugh, I... I do have some classmates coming over today, and one of them is a boy…" Hatsune trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head. "...But I-it's nothing like that! I… get it already! I won't tease you about Yuzuru any more, so…" I let out a giggle as Hatsune admitted defeat, sighing in exasperation. Before I could say anything more, though, a sudden chuckle that didn't originate from either of us caught our attention, and we both looked towards its source to find Doctor Mikado standing by the doorway to the room.

"My, that was quite entertaining to see. A very refreshing sight to see the tables turned on Hatsune-chan for once." The doctor said with a smile, causing Hatsune to blush and cover her face in embarrassment.

"How long have you been here, Mikado-sensei?" I questioned from the older woman as she walked up to me and Hatsune. I didn't hear her come in at all…

"Oh, I only just arrived. Managed to catch the tail end of your conversation, but I can figure out the context." The doctor replied to me, sending a glance towards Hatsune. "Hatsune-chan's secondary doctor will be in charge of her for the rest of the week, so I get to take things a bit easier, but I popped by to check on things." She then explained. I haven't had a chance to meet Hatsune's other doctor yet, but I haven't hear her speak any ill of them, so I can assume they are just as competent and professional as Mikado-sensei is.

...Though, I think Mikado-sensei could use a bit more professionalism in her attire and mannerisms.

I unconsciously found my gaze wandering towards Mikado's chest as she worked. Her generous breasts stretched the fabric of her doctor's coat, even more so given it wasn't buttoned all the way up – undoubtedly giving anyone viewing from above a peek at her cleavage. Is the coat a size or two smaller than she needs? Seriously. I kept silently gazing at Mikado for a while, until my eyes eventually met hers, and quickly realizing what I had been doing, I averted my gaze hastily. A brief smile of amusement appeared on Mikado's face, and I felt my own heating up in embarrassment. Ugh, get a grip, Yuri! There's no need to feel jealous about anything.

"...Well, that should be it for now. We'll be following you more closely in the coming week and starting your physical therapy based on your healing process." I looked back towards Mikado and Hatsune when the former had finished her check-up. "You're still young, so fractures like this shouldn't be a big problem. It will still take long to heal, but as long as we start with your physical therapy early on, you'll be back on your feet in no time." Mikado explained to Hatsune with a slight smile, and the girl nodded to her in response. "This will be it for today, at least from me." As the doctor began to pack up what little she had brought with her, she suddenly seemed to remember something, then turned to me. "Oh, yes, I had wanted to ask you, Nakamura-san… How did your visit to Maebashi go? Were you able to regain any more of your memories?"

"Oh, I… Not at all, really. I mean, we were able to meet with Noda, and he recognized us, but didn't have any of his memories. We spoke with him at length, but… neither of us remembered anything. What few snippets of memories I have from the Afterlife are a little… clearer, now, I suppose. Some of the blurry faces I can now recall distinctly as being Noda, but that's about it – I didn't remember anything new." I explained to Mikado, my shoulders slumping slightly.

"...I see. Well, at the very least, it does seem like it would be possible for you to slowly reconstruct these memories of yours over time as you meet more and more people." Mikado replied with a sympathetic smile, which I returned to her. I suppose it's good that people keep being optimistic about it. Realistically thinking, though… It's going to take ages if we don't get lucky. "Your… friends were able to recall their pasts through object or situation association, right? Like what happened with Otonashi-kun." I nodded in response to Mikado's question, knowing where the conversation was heading to. "I believe I brought it up during the last time we all met, but wouldn't pursuing something similar work for you as well? Have you tried to look into anything that could work?"

"Yeah, well… I suppose I've kind of just been hoping that we'd be able to stumble across something like that. I know that I lead the Afterlife Battlefront, but that isn't really something that can be… replicated here and now easily. And the only event that we were able to come up with as being significant enough to cause my memories to return should it be replicated was our last 'operation', but… nobody knows what exactly I did during it." I explained to Mikado with a small sigh, both of us likely recalling the meeting we'd had with everyone last week. "Maybe once I get into Uni, I'll have more doors open for me that could potentially offer leadership roles, but that remains to be seen."

"Hmmm… And your friends weren't able to help you with that much, I recall?" I nodded to Mikado again, who brought a hand to her chin in thought. Off to the side, I could spot Hatsune quietly observing our conversation, seemingly not wanting to disturb. "Let me check my notes from that meeting, maybe something will surface that might help…" As Mikado took out a notebook from her coat (She carries that with her to work..?) I felt a smile forming on my face, knowing that she was willing to set aside time to help me like this. "...It does look to be mostly what you said. This mysterious 'last operation' of yours could be the key, but there's no way to know for sure… I don't seem to have taken note of any other significant event before the last operation that your friends talked about, but does that mean there were no significant operations before then, or did they simply not mention them?" Mikado looked up from her notebook, meeting my gaze, and I brought a hand to my chin in thought. Certainly, it's possible that there might be something else with just as much – or even more – personal significance to me as our last operation, but the others just don't know it had such significance.

"...None of them seemed to remember anything like that, though. I suppose I can understand that they might overlook something without knowing how much of an impact it had on me specifically, but… I guess I could speak more with Hinata, see if he remembers anything. He was with me in the Afterlife the longest, after all." I watched Mikado furrow her brows slightly, then look back at her notes, before meeting my eyes again.

"Say, Nakamura-san… You have your memories from your past life, but… can you recall small details from that life?" I raised an eyebrow at Mikado's question, then gave a hesitant nod. Small… details..?

"I… guess there's some things that probably elude me…" I replied, trying to think of something that could be counted as a small detail from my past life.

"You don't have to strain yourself thinking too hard, Nakamura-san. It only just came to me now, but… despite the extraordinary nature of your situations – being able to recall your past lives and the time you spent in this 'Afterlife' – there has to be some limit to things." Mikado paused briefly, bringing her hand up as she pressed a finger against the side of her head. "The human brain. I can't say for sure how exactly these memories of yours were stored, given how you've always described them as resurfacing, but even with all this bordering on the supernatural, there are physical limitations that our brains have that we can't overcome so easily. It's very possible that you and your friends just simply can't remember every detail. If your friends' stories about you supposedly spending decades in the Afterlife… that's a lot of memories for someone who is barely into their twenties." Mikado explained her thinking to me.

"...So they could have very simply just… forgotten things from that time? Even after they regained those memories?" Mikado nodded to me.

"And if I had to guess, over time those memories might get replaced by ones you make in this life, or things might get fuzzy and start to meld together. Our brains can hold a vast amount of information and memories in them, putting any computers to shame, but having two lifetimes worth of memories… Your extraordinary situation could bring up new things that we don't know about in the study of human memory. But, this is just a theory of mine, thought up on the spot. I am no neurologist, and certainly not a neuroscientist, so this is all a bit out of my expertise – though I am very glad I get to have the opportunity to study your situation up close." I suppose letting her 'study' us is the least we can do in exchange for her support… I can easily see how this could be very intriguing for a medical professional like Mikado-sensei.

Just then, a knock came from the door to the room, and Hatsune spoke out to let them in. A moment later, the door opened and three people wearing high school uniforms and carrying bags over their shoulders walked in. The first two to enter were girls, one with long blonde hair and the other with shoulder-length black hair. The pair didn't seem fazed by Mikado's presence – likely having met her during a previous visit, I presumed – though they seemed to be slightly surprised seeing me, but greeted us both with smiles nonetheless. Following behind them was a brown-haired boy, who turned to us after closing the door behind him and immediately freezing in place as his gaze landed on Mikado and I, the slightest hint of a blush creeping to his face. Heh, he certainly didn't seem to expect this…

"Oi, cut it out, Taichi." The black-haired girl said as she elbowed the boy – Taichi – in the ribs and glared at him, which seemed to work in getting him out of his stupor. "We came here to see Hatsune, and the first thing you do is ogle at her doctor…" The girl brought a hand to her face and rubbed her temple, while Mikado and I shared a look, both of us smiling in amusement.

"Is… she a friend of yours, Hatsune-chan?" The blonde girl asked from the bedridden girl, her dark green eyes flitting between Hatsune and me.

"Yes! She's my future sister-in-" I reached out with a hand and covered Hatsune's mouth to cut her off.

"My name is Nakamura Yuri, and yes, I'm a friend of hers. We're acquainted through her older brother. Nice to meet you." I introduced myself to the three high schoolers, while Hatsune furrowed her brows at me. We need to keep things simple rather than confuse them… Also, didn't you just say earlier that you wouldn't tease me any more?

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Kiriyama Yui, from the same class as Hatsune-chan. And this is…" The blonde girl introduced herself, then turned her gaze towards her black-haired friend.

"Inaba Himeko. I'm clubmates with the others. And the pervert here is Yaegashi Taichi." The black-haired girl pointed a thumb at Taichi, who sighed at her words.

"It wasn't on purpose, I was just… surprised to see them here." Taichi countered, though he couldn't quite meet mine or Mikado's gaze. "But, uh, yeah I'm Yaegashi Taichi. I'm in the same class as Otonashi-san and Kiriyama-san, also in the same club with them and Himeko." First-name basis with Inaba-san but not with the other girls, huh..?

"You… said that you know Hatsune-chan through her brother, so… Are you a university student, Nakamura-san?" The blonde, Kiriyama, asked from me, and I unwittingly flinched at the question.

"Aha… Something like that, yeah." I managed to keep my composure and answer with a straight face, though I noticed Hatsune grinning on the bed. I sent her a short look, then cleared my throat before speaking again. "So you're all clubmates, then? Well, good to know that Hatsune-chan has at least some company of her own age and that she doesn't just hang around her brother all the time. What kinda club are you all in?" Now it seemed to be their turn to be caught off-guard by a question, as I saw Inaba flinching and Kiriyama looking away awkwardly.

"W-well, it's… We… do all sorts of things there, yeah. Oh, like… publishing a newspaper for the school, and… stuff." Inaba was the one to reply, her gaze wandering the room as if searching for something to focus on. What the heck kind club is Hatsune in..? "A-anyway, we came here to give you the study materials, Hatsune. Don't want you to fall behind while you're stuck here." I glanced towards Hatsune, and she gave me a wry smile. "You didn't lose it on the way, right, Taichi?" Inaba turned to look at the brown-haired boy, who proceeded to open up his bag and search for something from within. Come to think of it… Inaba sounds a little bit like Iwasawa does… I wonder what's up with that? They look nothing alike, though…

"Well, I'd best get going, then." Mikado then said, sweeping her gaze across each of us. "My shift is ending soon, and I only came by for a quick check-up. So, I'll leave you all to it. You can call for a nurse any time you need with the button, as I'm sure you know, Hatsune-chan." Hatsune nodded to Mikado in reply. "Well then, I'll see you all another time."

"Ah, I'll head out as well." I said as I stood up while gathering my things before turning to look at Hatsune's friends. "It was nice meeting you all, and I hope we get to see each other again." Kiriyama nodded to me with a smile, while Inaba and Taichi offered me small nods as well. "See you later, Hatsune-chan!"

"See you, Yuri-san!"

Offering the high schoolers a raised hand, I followed after Doctor Mikado as she left Hatsune's room. After closing the door behind me, I set my bag briefly on the ground to put on my coat, with Mikado still standing next to me.

"...Thanks again for helping us – for helping me – with the whole memory thing. I know it must just about be the most outlandish thing you've ever heard of, but I really appreciate that you're willing to put aside your time to help us tackle these things." I said to Mikado as I lifted my bag again, and she simple shook her head at me with a smile.

"You don't have to worry about that. Like I've said before, I find myself most fascinated with your situation, and if helping you gives me more understanding of it, I'll do it without a second thought. Besides, while we may have only recently become acquainted, and perhaps not in the most normal way – though I suppose you could argue it would be normal to befriend a doctor in a hospital – I do consider you and Otonashi-kun to be my friends." Mikado's words brought a smile to face, and I nodded to her in reply. "Speaking of him, I was thinking of meeting up with him today to discuss the things you two learned in Maebashi. We already spoke a little, but do you want to come along?"

"I would love to, but… I kind of told myself that I'd take today to look into some other jobs around the area, plus I need to get a bit of shopping done to… prepare for some things." I replied to Mikado, before the corners of my mouth twisted into a slight smirk. "So, I'll lend you my boyfriend for a single date, free of charge, just this once." Mikado grinned at my words.

"I shall take you up on that generous offer, then. I can't promise that I'll return him in the same condition, but I will try to make sure that he's still your boyfriend by the end of it." Mikado replied, and after a moment a silence between us, we burst into giggles. I haven't really gotten to know Mikado-sensei personally that well then, but… With the way we're getting along so well already, I definitely want to get to know her better. "Well, in any case, I will see you another time, Nakamura-san."

"Yeah, see you around, Mikado-sensei."

After exchanging goodbyes in front of Hatsune's room, the two of us parted ways. Pulling out my phone as I made my way to the lift, I began to double-check my shopping list for the ingredients and other preparatory materials I required. For the recipe I'm using, these should suffice… but it doesn't hurt to get a little bit of extra, just in case. Just you wait, Yuzuru…

...I'm going to blow your mind this weekend.

"Good afternoon, Otonashi-kun." A familiar voice greeted me from behind, and I lifted my eyes from my phone to meet the owner of the voice.

"Good afternoon to you too, Mikado-sensei. I… already ordered myself a drink while I was waiting, I hope you don't mind." I said and gestured towards my tea, idly noting that some familiar faces within the cafe I recognized as fellow students at the University were now looking in our direction with wide eyes. I… hope me meeting with Doctor Mikado here doesn't start any weird rumours…

"It's quite alright. I did come by car, but I hope you didn't have to wait for long." Mikado opened up her coat, revealing her casual clothes underneath – a sight I had not quite gotten accustomed to, despite already seeing her without her usual doctor's attire last week – before taking a seat opposite to me, neatly folding the coat and setting it next to her. "I see a lot of university students about, so I'm guessing this is somewhat of a… hotspot for people your age?"

"I suppose you could say that. It's close enough to the University, so it's popular among the students. I never really came here before I met Yuri, though she has been a regular for a while due to coming here with Tachibana-san often." I explained to Mikado to answer her question, and she nodded to me in reply. "Forgive me for asking, Mikado-sensei, but…" Before I finished, Mikado held up her hand to stop me.

"We're not at the hospital right now, Otonashi-kun. Please, call me Mikado-san. Or Ryouko-san, if you're feeling bold." Mikado said to me with a smile. Ah, right…

"...Sorry, Mikado-san." Mikado nodded to me, then gestured for me to continue. "Right, so… I just wanted to ask – did you not go to my Uni when you were younger? You work at the local hospital here, and the healthcare course for our university is very prestigious. I just got curious since you were asking about La Soleil." I questioned from Mikado, noticing in the corner of my eye that we were being watched by Kashou. Ever vigilant as always, aren't you?

"Ah, well, I'm not actually from around here, you see. I moved here for work shortly after I graduated." I let out a quiet 'Aah' and nodded to Mikado in understanding. That does make sense. "Also… Need I remind you that I am still quite young myself, Otonashi-kun? There's less than a decade between our ages." Mikado's expression morphed into something I hadn't seen before – annoyance – and I awkwardly scratched my cheek while looking away. I-I guess she didn't appreciate my wording…

"You need to be careful with subjects like this, Otonashi-san." The familiar voice of Kashou surprised me, and I turned to see him moving up to our table. "I will say, though, it is rather bold that you've brought not one, but two different women to my establishment on dates after making things official with Nakamura-san. I didn't take you for such a playboy. Who's next, Tachibana-san? Or perhaps you'd like to offer some consolation to Nakano-san after her rejection? I saw the way she eyed you up, you know." In the face of Kashou's barrage of teasing, all I could do was sigh, bringing a hand up to my face to pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Cut it out, Kashou-san. We both know it's nothing like that." I replied in exasperation, then looked at Kashou and Mikado again, the latter of whom was smirking at me. "Anyway, I should probably introduce you two. This is Mikado Ryouko-san, the doctor who was in charge of me when I had to stay a weekend at the hospital, as well as one of the doctors taking care of my sister. And Mikado-san, this is Minaduki Kashou-san, the owner of La Soleil." I gestured to each of them in turn, watching as the pair looked at each other for a moment, before Kashou offered a hand to Mikado, which the doctor grasped as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Mikado-san. It is as Otonashi-san says, I am the owner and half the workforce of this humble cafe." Half the workforce? I suppose it is just him and his cousin working here, huh… Maybe he doesn't want to hire anyone who isn't family? Or has he just not seen the need to hire more workers..? Gotta say, keeping this place running on the daily, with just the two of them… The Minaduki family has some hard workers.

"Likewise, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have heard great things of your cafe from Otonashi-kun and his friends, so I am looking forward to finally getting to experience it myself." Mikado replied with a smile, which Kashou returned to her.

"Well, I certainly hope that I won't disappoint, then." Kashou said as he handed the cafe menu to Mikado. I've been here enough times now that I can remember a lot from the menu by heart – or at the very least the ones I end up ordering most often. "So, what will we get for you, then?"

"Hmm…" Mikado studied the menu with a careful eye for a few moments, while Kashou waited to write down her order. "I've had enough coffee for today, so I think I'll try out this Maple Tea, and a Cinnamon Brownie to go along with it, please." Kashou nodded to Mikado and quickly wrote down her order.

"Good choices. I'm drinking the same tea right now, and it's wonderful." I said to Mikado, then held out a hand towards Kashou as he took the menu back from Mikado. "Oh, and before you go, Kashou-san, I'd like to order a Fraise Muffin, please."

"Roger that. I'll be right back with your orders." Giving us one last smile, Kashou turned and began to make his way away from us. On the other side of the table, Mikado's gaze lingered on Kashou's back for a second or two, before she looked back at me.

"He's certainly an interesting fellow, at least based on first impression." Mikado said to me while leaning forwards on the table and resting her chin atop her hands.

"Kashou-san is a very good guy, but likes to meddle a little too much for my liking." I replied with an awkward smile and took a sip of my tea. "Very friendly and personal with all of his customers, which helps give this place a homely feel to it. Not known for talking about himself that much, though."

"He seems to definitely be doing well for himself, and it can't all be chalked up to just the prime location for this cafe." Mikado said as she glanced around the cafe. "And to oversee this all with just one additional employee… It's quite impressive. I'm assuming he also does all the baking?"

"I believe so, yes. Though there is also a selection of other, pre-packaged foods like sandwiches you can buy on request at the counter. Kashou-san has… definitely achieved a lot already, despite not being that much older than me or Yuri. La Soleil is basically his entire life, and he's very proud of it." Mikado nodded in understanding to my explanation, and I brought my tea up to my lips again for a quick sip.

"And he is definitely right to be proud of it. But, setting aside this lovely cafe and its owner…" Mikado reached for her coat's pocket, taking out a notebook and a pen from within and setting them onto the table in front of her. "...Let's get to the subject I came here to discuss, shall we?"

At Doctor Mikado's request, I began to recount the events of last Saturday. I summarized what had happened during our visit to the police station, Noda's situation, and how we had made an unexpected friend in Officer Otosaka after telling him the truth about everything. I told her how Noda's reaction to us was uniform with the rest of our reactions whenever we met with someone from the Afterlife before regaining our memories, and how all he could gain from the things we told him was a sense of familiarity and nothing more. Mikado took notes throughout my revisiting of the events, but apart from a few, occasional questions about clarifying something, she kept quiet and processed everything.

"...And, well, that's about it, I suppose. Apart from being able to find and connect with Noda, we didn't really make much progress in terms of making Yuri recover her memories, nor did we get Noda to remember anything." I said after coming to a solid end with my explanation, taking a bite out of the muffin I had ordered and watching as Mikado reviewed her notes while taking a sip of her tea. Kashou had stayed out of the way when bringing in our orders midway through my summarization of everything, perhaps seeing that we were in the midst of something semi-important – showing that he did indeed have a good ability to read the room and knew when to not meddle. "Perhaps the best thing was that we at least have a way of contacting him, now, and that Otosaka-san is willing to help us in that regard."

"Hmm… You mentioned that this Noda may have met with someone else you would know from the Afterlife, right? The person he ran into a couple of years ago?" Mikado asked as she looked back up at me.

"Oh, yes, Noda did say he had an odd encounter with someone who we suspected might have been someone from the Afterlife. We… have basically no leads whatsoever, though. We only know that he had dark hair, and is – or at least was – in Tokyo, but… There were plenty of people in the Battlefront with dark hair, and Tokyo is a big place. Until Noda regains his memories and can maybe tell us who he saw, we've basically got no chance to find them." I replied, and Mikado dropped her gaze down to her notes again, idly tapping the table with her pen.

"...I see. Well, in terms of Nakamura-san regaining her memories, I spoke with her earlier today and we came to two possible conclusions." Mikado met my eyes again and lifted up a single finger. "Either, she could slowly reconstruct all of her memories through meeting and speaking with other members of this… Afterlife Battlefront of yours. We already know that she has remembered some things from her time there, and that meeting more people is making those memories clearer. If she can regain pieces bit by bit, they should eventually form into a bigger picture. You could… almost imagine it as a tube made of paper: make water flow through it, and it's likely to rip open, causing the water to trickle out. As more and more water goes through the tube, the tear becomes larger and larger, until the whole thing collapses." I see… so with each droplet of water – each memory – things would become clearer and clearer, until there's enough for the rest to come back 'automatically'.

"It's a sound theory, at least. Doing it that way would probably take a long time, and we can't know if we'd be able to do it with everyone we meet. What about the second conclusion?" I questioned while taking another sip of my tea, and Mikado lifted up a second finger.

"The second possibility is one we know already works: being faced with something that bears a striking resemblance to something one has experienced before in either one's previous life, or in the Afterlife. All of the rest of you have regained your memories that way, and Nakamura-san has regained the memories of her past life that way. But, as we've already discussed…" Mikado trailed off, looking at me as if expecting me to continue.

"...The problem is that none of us know what could be something from the Afterlife that holds enough significance to make Yuri remember everything." I finished Mikado's sentence, and she nodded slowly to me. "I… do wish I could do something to help Yuri with that, but… Of all operations I took part in, I feel like only our final operation and what happened during it after we left Yuri on her own would work." Mikado smiled at me sympathetically and took a sip of her tea before speaking again.

"And you don't have to feel bad about that. Your girlfriend reasoned that the rest of you simply may not know what events may have had a significant personal impact on her. That, combined with the fact that it's perfectly possible your friends simply can't recall everything from multiple decades of memories, means that none of you need to beat yourself up over not being able to recall anything that could help her." ...She is correct, the rest of us wouldn't necessarily know which events had a significant impact on Yuri and which ones didn't. "That being said, finding an event like that via the help of you all is probably the best bet for Nakamura-san to regain her memories."

"She'd be best off turning to Hinata, then. He knew her the longest out of anyone in the Afterlife." I mused while looking up at the ceiling. Hinata was also probably the one who was closest with Yuri, though she kept everyone at somewhat of a distance as the leader. If anyone could help Yuri regain her memories, it would be him.

"Nakamura-san said the same herself, and was planning on contacting him for that very reason." I lowered my gaze again to meet Mikado's eyes, and she leaned forward while smiling at me mischievously. "Feeling jealous that your girlfriend is setting up a date with another guy to talk about their shared past together?" I huffed in amusement at Mikado's words, then shook my head at her.

"Not really, no. Hinata's already going steady with Yui anyway. You met Yuri at the hospital, right? Was she jealous about you coming to meet me like this?" Mikado's smile turned into a grin.

"Would you like me to say yes?"

"It would definitely be something to tease her with when next we meet, so... sure."

Mikado and I shared a chuckle when suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted us.

"Well, look who we have here. Not exactly who I expected, but this works out."

Both of us turned towards the new voice, seeing the familiar form of Iwasawa Masami walking up to our table, carrying a guitar case on her back. Iwasawa? What is she doing here?

"...This is quite a surprise, Iwasawa-san. What brings you here?" I questioned from the girl as she moved to the seat next to me, gently placing the guitar case on the floor before sitting down.

"I finished up with some practice and was in the area, so I decided that I'd come and check out this cafe you and Yuri have talked about." Iwasawa replied to me, then shifted her gaze to Mikado. "Did not expect you to be here with the Doc, though."

"I wanted to speak with Otonashi-kun about his trip to Maebashi last weekend, as well as discuss your whole… situation once more. My workload has lightened recently, so I was able to come here today." Mikado explained to Iwasawa, who nodded to her in return.

"Right, you guys managed to find Noda, but I saw something about him being put in jail in the group chat earlier?" Iwasawa turned to me with a raised eyebrow, and I nodded to her. "Hmm… And he didn't have any of his memories… Well, at the very least, I guess he isn't going to be going anywhere any time soon, so we know where to find him." Iwasawa began to look around the cafe, seemingly searching for something, until her eyes landed on Kashou's only employee, Minaduki, and she waved for her to come over. "Oh, and yeah, I was going to put this info out there for everyone else, but…" Iwasawa turned to look at me in the eyes, and the brief pause felt like an eternity as I anticipated her next words.

"...I think I may have found a lead on someone else from the Afterlife."

AN: Damn I really spent two whole months writing this thing, didn't I? Not a whole lot ended up happening, but a chapter like this that acts as building blocks for future content is necessary every now and then, and it allows me to build some ideas on for future chapters. Hopefully it wasn't too boring or anything.

Now, until the next time, I bid you all farewell, and cheerio!