There were so many people, Kaori was dazzled. She could feel the sound of the loud music in her chest. The whole place was a mess, there were small crowds of people gathered watching different performances or just chatting, overall these crowds made quite a big crowd. She hadn't seen this much people in a very long time. Megumi was there too, she had returned to the village for the gathering. She was there talking with a lot of people which wasn't surprising. Megumi was only unpopular in Sotoba. Awkwardly standing around Kaori wasn't sure what to do. Even Akira was talking and eating with some kids around his age.

Until the gathering her and Akira had spent hours checking the cinema out. Kaori had enough time to make a detailed drawing of it and even go halfway through a second one as Akira wasn't convinced to let it go and turn back home after she finished the first one.

Scanning across the room for a familiar face her eyes landed on Yasuyuki. Oh, so he did return. But something was off... He didn't really seem like himself, he was acting weird, waving enthusiastically, loudly talking with people. As far as Kaori knew, Yasuyuki was a reserved, shy man but maybe he was deciding to open up a little.

She felt like she should let Akira know Yasuyuki was here. She walked over to him.

"Hey Akira can you come here for a sec?"

Akira and his friends looked at her as if she was an alien, then, Akira walked away from them with Kaori. Once they were out of their earshot Akira spoke.

"So, what's up?"

"Look over there,Yasuyuki's here."

Upon hearing Yasuyuki's name Akira turned his head so quickly Kaori thought it would snap.

"Aa, he seems happy. Do you think he was selected for the army, if he went to tryout of course." Akira said, suspicion visible in his voice.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"You know what? I will!"

Akira took off to question Yasuyuki. He knew the man well, Yasuyuki was overall liked by the children because he was nice to them, he would often buy them juice, ice cream and things like that. He wasn't very outspoken though at least Akira had thought he wasn't.

He was loudly telling some story. Akira couldn't reach Yasuyuki, there was a huge crowd around him. Next to him a woman was standing with a slight smile on her face. She didn't look like anyone from the village or any of the villages nearby in fact. She looked like someone he would see on TV or something. As Akira looked at Yasuyuki and the woman, focusing on them completely his vision started blurring, he wanted to look away but for some reason he couldn't.

He was getting sleepy, it was hard to keep ahold of his thoughts. "Why were you in the cinema?" he whispered, more to himself than Yasuyuki. After that he was able to snap out of it. He looked around to see people still laughing, had Yasuyuki been speaking while he was thinking? His image was frozen in Akira's head, if Yasuyuki had just told a funny story, Akira hadn't heard a thing. Freaked out, Akira stepped out of the crowd then ran back to find Kaori.

Kaori watched Akira running off to try and question Yasuyuki. She wanted to talk to Megumi but Megumi was with her friends. (I am her friend too.) Still she didn't want to go and randomly join in on their conversation, she just wanted to make sure Megumi was doing fine, it was a private matter anyway.

Finally Megumi moved away from the group and started walking towards where Kaori was.

For a split second Kaori thought Megumi was coming to talk to her but then Megumi stopped in front of a desk little bit ahead where there were drinks. Kaori stepped in the direction of the table.

"Hi, what's up?"

"Fine" until I saw you Megumi thought. She eyed what Kaori was wearing. Of course. These people couldn't even be bothered to dress up properly for one special day. She wasn't planning on chatting it up with Kaori. In fact, she wasn't intending on coming back to Sotoba but the gathering was a big social event, it wasn't something Megumi wanted to miss.

After going back home that night she packed her stuff and the next day she left to go to Mizobe. Her parents wanted to argue but she simply disregarded everything they were saying, they didn't understand.

Her eyes were unconcsiously scanning the room for someone.(Even though he said those things...) But Natsuno didn't know her, not the way she knew him, she had always watched over him so she knew a lot about Natsuno. She finally saw him.

She furrowed her brows. He was talking with that guy, Tohru as usual. The other Mutou kids were there too. She didn't understand why Natsuno would be perfectly fine and happy with them, they weren't like him or Megumi. They didn't share their dreams and thoughts. If only I can get his attention she thought.

Kaori saw Megumi staring at Natsuno with a complicated face. Of course she was still upset.

"Anyways I'm off"

"Okay, see you."

Megumi walked away, juice in her hand. She approached one of the crowds and started watching. It was a very cliche old play about the risen, just as she was about to leave some guys approached and one of them started talking.

"Hey, you are from our highschool, right? Wanna hang out?"

Megumi raised a brow and considered her options. A week ago she would not even think twice and walk away, but, Natsuno had said those things... If he was going to be hard to get so was she. Besides they were just asking to hang out. Anything was better than watching this awful play.

"Alright."

After Megumi left Kaori looked over at Natsuno angrily. He seemed calm enough talking with his friend. She tried to understand what was going through his mind and what kind of person he was. After all she recalled he had acted rational while they were trying to find a way out yet he was ruthless when talking to Megumi. Was he a logic over feeling kind of guy? If that was so it would have been more logical if he adressed Megumi while rejecting his "stalker". Before Kaori could think about it further, her thoughts were interrupted by Akira.

"Kaori!"

"Stop yelling, what happened?"

"Nothing!"

"What do you mean nothing?"

"I couldn't get near him, too many people."

"Oh."

"Kaori!"

"What?!"

"Let's go to the cinema."

"Are you insane, if mom sees that we are missing we are done for."

"She won't. She's too busy getting alll the juicy gossip from the neighbour villagers, we are the last thing on her mind."

"Still..."

"Do you really wanna spend at least three more hours doing nothing but standing around waiting until your eardrums burst from this awful music?"

Kaori sighed.

"Lead the way."

Tohru was, to put it in one word, delusional.

I swear I didn't do that! Maybe I have an evil twin? What do you think Aoi, Tamotsu did mom ever slip out something like that? Like I had a twin but he mysteriously disappeared in the hospital the day I was born, it is possible. You guys believe me, right? RIGHT!"

"Chill out yeesh we believe you."Tamotsu raised his hands in defense. Aoi nodded.

"Yeah, but, I don't think this is a case of doppelgangers. Did you by any chance drink anything suspicious yesterday? Aoi's voice grew smaller as she was speaking.

"I wasn't drunk! Although I am the legal age so to think about it I can drink if I-"

"Is now really a good time to gloat about being an adult? In this case you being an adult makes it worse, you will be held responsible for being a creep."

"Way to cheer me up. So you believe it Natsuno?"

Natsuno shook his head slowly.

"I don't think it was you but it certainly wasn't your long lost evil twin either." a thought hit Natsuno.

"You said you were at work at that time, right?"

"Yeah, It is practically impossible for me to forget about that, I mean it was so incredibly boring. Felt like it took days to finish up. Then I had to wait a bit for my bus to come. Before I went to bed I peeked at the clock, it was a bit past three I think. I can confirm that I was nowhere near the clinic at midnight."

"Then do,confirm it I mean. Call your boss and make him tell your dad you were at work."

"I- That's- Oh wait, no, no can do. You can't contact anyone outside the village nowadays."

"Why is that?"

"Not sure, the connection must be cutting of somewhere around the woods that surround Sotoba."

"No one is fixing it?"

"I... guess not? I mean no one in this village is exactly interested in what is happening outside really. You weren't even aware of it until I told you."

"Hey, don't put me in the 'villagers' box! So just cause you guys aren't interested in the outside world, this place will never have any signal again?"

"That's not what I said, they are just taking their time, I assume. Honestly I don't know when there will be signal again."

Natsuno got to thinking again, then he turned to Tohru.

"Don't you have any coworkers from the village?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then sooner or later somehow your name will be cleared."

"I know that."

"Well then why are you still pouting, this isn't like you."

Tohru looked up and smiled a little.

"My name overall maybe cleared, but, Ritsuko is sure she saw me. In her mind it will never be cleared. Whatever little chance I had with her is gone."

"Whatever chance?"

Tohru turned to Natsuno a small broken smirk on his face.

"Natsuno, you are dense when it comes to things like this, aren't you?"

"What thin-... Oh..."

Natsuno wasn't exactly sure what to say, his mind was completely blank. Natsuno knew the nurse because he had been to the clinic a few times. He also knew she was older than Tohru. He decided not to make any comments upon it.

After thinking about it for a while he couldn't help but realize how strange the situation really was.

"So someone who looked exactly like you, hit on the person you like?"

"That's completely true. It sounds unbelievable, I know you don't believe it, I guess I don't believe it either. Maybe Aoi was right, I was drunk."

"No, I think you would have to drink a lot to completely black out and you have never drunk in your life, right?"

"Yeah, so, what you are saying is that I would have had one hell of a hangover if that was the case."

"Right."

"Then what is the case?"

That's what I am trying to figure out Natsuno thought. A high pitched voice cut in.

"Uhmm, hey Tamotsu, Aoi oh, Tohru you are here too, I actually wanted to talk to you."

"The rumours aren't true" Aoi cut in. After hearing her name in Natsuno and Tohru's conversation, she had started paying attention and Natsuno's argument made sense. This whole event however, didn't make sense and Aoi wanted it to be stopped talking about.

"Yeah Takae probably twisted what she saw, dad is always talking about how she is a difficult person." Tamotsu added.

Masao was taken aback by the immediate responses then with a defensive voice he started speaking

"Of course, I knew that already I was going to say something else!"

"What, exactly?" Natsuno challenged Masao.

"None of your business!"

"So, let's just leave, come with us."

Megumi raised a brow. For the last twenty minutes she was chatting with the guys that claimed to be from her highschool and she had complained to them about the boring village and its unbearable people as they walked down the street, getting further away from where everyone was.

"Where to?" she answered.

"Wherever, anywhere is better than this place anyways, right?"

"That is true. But it is late, wherever we go I won't be able to stay long. I will have to go back before we can reach anywhere interesting."

"Who said anything about returning?"

This was getting complicated.

"My parents are pretty uptight."

"As I said, you won't have to worry about them if you don't come back."

Megumi considered it for a split second. Getting away from this awful place, just leaving all of it behind, starting a new fun life, it sounded perfect. Too perfect to be true.

"Hahah, good one. And where exactly will I be staying?"

"I am not joking and see these guys?" he pointed to his friends;"We are a big deal. We'll find you a place, no problem."

Megumi frowned, she was regretting telling them so much about herself. They were going to be a pain to get off her back.

Kaori and Akira were in front of the cinema once again. Kaori took out the sketchbook from her bag.

"You brought that with you? You totally planned on coming here to watch the cinema too!"

"That's not it! I was just going to finish the second drawing looking at the first one so that I wouldn't be bored. But now that I have the actual thing as reference..."

"May as well draw it! Maybe those things will be useful when we have to infiltrate into the cinema!"

" Why would we have to infiltrate into the cinema?!"

Akira just shrugged.

Some time passed. While continuing drawing, Kaori had to erase some of the parts of the drawing, they were wrong. Not because of the technique but they just simply didn't match with the structure of the cinema in front of her.

She had done those parts in the daytime too, had her vision got bad from standing under the sun for too long? She finished the second one after deleting a bunch of stuff.

"Akira, we should turn back."

"Fine, let's come back tomorrow."

"Why? Nothing's happening."

"Yeah, but didn't you see Yasuyuki! He was totally brainwashed!"

"Or maybe he wanted to open up a little?"

"People don't change like that overnight."

Kaori didn't know what else to say. Relating Yasuyuki's attitude with the cinema seemed like a stretch to her but she hadn't seen him leave the cinema so maybe it was only natural. On their way back Kaori heard a familiar voice, very familiar.

Megumi was arguing with a guy and there were three more guys behind him, just watching.

"Hey, Akira, you go ahead I'll be there in a minute."

"Why?"

"Megumi's over there I want to say hi."

Akira nodded and ran ahead. Maybe before they left he would have a chance to talk to Yasuyuki.

Kaori approached them slowly.

"As I said, my parents won't just let it go, you guys would get in trouble in the end too."

"Believe me, we will be fine, how big of a trouble can a bunch of push over parents cause?"

"Uhm, Hey Megumi."

All eyes turned to Kaori. Then the main guy, completely ignoring her, turned back to Megumi.

"Anyways if we get out of here right now, we will have plenty of time before your parents realize you are missing, the gathering sometimes lasts till morning"

Leave? What were these guys talking about?

"I would have to pack..."

Megumi seemed a bit frustrated and anxious as she was looking at the side. Kaori wasn't sure what to do.

"We can get you everything you need on the way , we got money."

All she knew was that these guys were trying to convince Megumi to come with them somewhere and from the looks of it Megumi didn't want to. She had to interfere.

She walked next to Megumi and hesitantly spoke.

"Megumi,we should probably leave."

"You can leave kiddo, she's with us."

Kaori looked at the guy who said this with big eyes, the three of them in the back were just smirking as if confirming "Yeah, that's right."

Megumi seemed to be in thought her brows furrowed, not looking at anyone particularly.

"Well Megumi is only a year older than me and our parents will freak out if they see we are missing so." Kaori's voice was slightly louder as she talked.

"These are some parents, huh everyone's complaining my parents this my parents that. You can be Megumi's parents kid too, now get lost."

The guy had a malicious look on his face. His face was no longer annoyed but angry. Kaori backed a bit, looking back and forth.

Megumi's face was a bit more neutral but her hands were fists and her lip was slightly turned down. She most definitely didn't want to go with them and these guys wouldn't leave.

"Did you not hear that?! We don't want you so just get lost!"

For a moment Kaori was able to forget about her fear, due to her anger.

" Believe me, neither me nor Megumi want you! Are you so dense that you can not see she doesn't want to come? So YOU get lost!" she yelled.

Megumi was surprised with Kaori's sudden outburst. (As if I need her talking in my place.) She would have spoken for herself but she couldn't help but cling onto the idea that this may really be her way out of the village. If it was Megumi didn't want to throw it away, that was why she wasn't very straightforward with the guys. She needed more time to mull this over.

All this noise was heard from where the gathering was taking place and a bunch of people, including Megumi's father, had come to check out its source.

Upon hearing footsteps coming in their direction the guys Megumi and Kaori looked to see who was coming.

"Hey, is everything alright over there?"

The guys were looking at Kaori furiously. Especially the one at the front. Kaori trembled under their gaze.

"Come on man, let's get out of here."

The guys in the back tugged the guy in the front, he was still giving Kaori a death glare. He finally turned around and they started running away while the people who came to check on them got closer, Megumi's father on the front.

"Megumi, are you alright?! Were those guys bothering you?"

"No, it was fine! Kaori misunderstood! Those guys were from my high school!"

Kaori was finally able to turn back to look at the people who had come. Then she moved her head a bit and saw Megumi. Megumi's neutral face was now extremely irritated.

Kaori couldn't really think or talk as they were on their way back. Megumi and her father were arguing but she couldn't hear. Had she done the wrong thing?

Megumi said they were from her high school so they weren't actually anyone dangerous. She had just barged in without thinking and yelled so loudly without realising. She just wanted to help Megumi because Megumi didn't seem to want to go. Had she read Megumi's signals wrong?

Either way she had made five people very mad, six if she counted Megumi's father. (I wonder if those guys will be after me...)

Akira was running towards Yasuyuki, ignoring anything else on his way. He was going to talk to him no matter wha-

"Aghh!"

"Watch your step!" He heard a tired but angry voice say.

"No you watch your-! Oh, you are that guy from the cinema! You were pretty coo- alright that day."

Natsuno's facial expressions relaxed as he heard the excited voice of the kid ahead of him.

Then Akira looked like he remembered something and jumped to glance ahead.

"Oh, man , I missed him!"

"Missed who?"

Akira had a doubtful face as he looked at Natsuno, then he answered.

"No one, just someone I wanted to talk to. Anyways, now I gotta wait for Kaori who is too busy tailing Megumi. There's no way she'll just say "hi". Megumi hasn't been around for a week so they'll definitely have hours of weird accumulated girl talk."

Akira murmured the last part, talking more to himself than Natsuno. Natsuno didn't really pay attention as he was staring at the cup of water in his hands until he heard the bit "Megumi hasn't been around for a week." He processed the sentence while Akira was talking.

"What do you mean Shimizu hasn't been around?"

Akira looked at the nervous Natsuno's face, confused with the sudden question.

"I mean, she hasn't been around? Apparently she went to Mizobe the very next day after we were stuck in the cinema and has been there ever since. Until today of course."

"That can't be... Are you sure?"

"Uhm, yeah Kaori visited her house and talked to her mom and with the amount of whining she did; "oh, I wonder how long Megumi will stay, oh why won't she answer my calls! " It was kind of impossible to forget about. Why'd you ask anyway?"

"No reason."

Natsuno started walking away. But he had asked for a reason. It was impossible for Megumi to have been in Mizobe all this week because she was still there in his backyard every night.

This was no coincidence, the thing with Megumi and Tohru. Both appearing at a place at times when they were supposed to be somewhere else. Natsuno was sure they were connected.

That night he waited for Megumi and that chilling feeling to come, but neither came.