Spirit of Fire, Seeker of Truth

by A Hopeful One

(A fanmade Inoue route.) Kotarou becomes a bit more friendly with his so-called rival, and things escalate a lot more from there. Featuring: conspiracies, the occult, fighting off not one but two mysterious organizations at once, and everyone's favourite intrepid reporter. All we want is the truth...and maybe a bit of love to go along with it. In-progress.

10. Before the Storm, Before the Rain (I)

Inoue Akira and Tennouiji Kotarou are from Rewrite, a 2011 visual novel published by Key, translated into English by Amaterasu Translations, and adapted into an anime by Studio 8bit. Elements of the following story were also inspired by Inoue's story in the now-defunct mobile gacha game, Rewrite: Ignis Memoria (which never received any English translation), as well as her appearances in the fandisc Rewrite Harvest festa!

Spoilers and references to all other heroine routes, as well as Moon and Terra.

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Record: Before the Storm, Before the Rain (I)

With a beep and a click, my electric kettle shut itself off as the water within it came to a boil. Pouring the hot water into three cups with teabags made three cups of tea, which I loaded onto a small tray.

Nothing made any sense, and here I was, making tea.

No. It was precisely because nothing was making sense that I had excused myself. Well, after being sure the Key wasn't going to suddenly kill Inoue, anyway.

"Let's try this again. What makes you think I'm your Papa?"

"Because you were there when I was born."

I sighed. This wasn't going anywhere. "And what makes you think she," I pointed to Inoue, "is your Mama?"

"Because Mama is with Papa."

That seemed to be the start and the end of why she recognised us as she did.

You were there when I was born…

Something like the planet's own familiar…

I wish everything would just melt away–

Walking through the doorway which I had left open, I placed the tray down onto my desk.

"Ooh, tea. Thanks, Kotarou."

Inoue takes a cup, but the Key simply stares at it blankly.

Did it not know how to drink? "Hey."

It turns to look at me.

"This is how you drink." Slowly, I grasp the traditional Japanese teacup with both hands, brought it to my lips, blew on it until it was cool, then took a sip.

The Key imitates me. "Warm…"

I turn to Inoue, who was, somehow, again, scribbling away. "It's the Kagari-chan observation diary." She cheerfully answers my unasked question, then lowers her voice to a whisper. "I'm not putting down 'Key' in writing."

"That's smart."

"Mmm. Today, we learnt that Kagari-chan can sense temperature." She reached across to pet the girl's head, and the girl let out a contented noise in response.

"Stop getting attached to the being of unimaginable power that might somehow destroy the planet," I deadpan. "Why are you so attached to her, anyway?"

"She's cute and thinks I'm her mama. I can't help it."

"Maybe it's a defence mechanism. Have a cute appearance and the humans will be less inclined to murder you." I make an offhand remark, then look at the girl again. She seemed to have a look of perpetual curiosity on her face, as if everything was unfamiliar.

Looks human, but isn't human, I reminded myself.

Strangely, the overwhelming aura that it had previously was now all but gone. If anyone were to spot her, I didn't think they would see anything other than an oddly-dressed and oddly-behaved little girl.

There were also a little itch in the back of my head, and a few seconds of thinking told me when I had felt it last–with Chibimoth, where some kind of perception filter on it kept making me think it was a dog.

I tell Inoue what I feel.

"I see." She nods. "I know what you mean. I know she's the, you know, but she doesn't really feel like a…she just seems like a normal girl right now, doesn't she?"

We both look back at the Key–Kagari. She was making little sip sip sip noises as she drank the tea, like a small animal. Needless to say, it was adorable.

"What are we going to do?" I ask Inoue, while at the same time asking myself.

Guardian was out to kill her. Gaia was probably out to capture her.

But what came out of my mouth was…

"We both have school tomorrow. Who's going to look after her?"

Inoue giggled. "Of all the other things you could have mentioned–" The rest of her voice was stifled as her mouth opened in a yawn.

I glance at the digital clock on my desk. The first digit was an empty rectangle–a zero. "You know what? How about we leave this to tomorrow? We've had a very long day."

My girlfriend looks at me for a moment, before agreeing with a nod. "You're right." Slowly, she starts to get up.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to take a shower. No, a bath. Can you spare me some clothes?"

I blink several times. "You don't mind wearing my clothes?"

"Not at all. I'll help myself, okay?"

And there she was–Inoue. Surprisingly maidenly at times, but also tomboyish, fearless, and reliable when it counts.

I love her.

"You're not worried about me doing anything while you're in there?"

"You're not going to do anything I don't like, so it's fine!" she called back. "And if you do, I'll just ignore the dead man's switch, and all your secrets will be exposed to the world!"

What?

"H-Hey…"

"I'm joking, I don't have one of those. That's an idea, though."

As the sound of water running starts, I breathe a sigh of relief and flip open my wardrobe, looking for some suitable nightclothes for Inoue. The Key, Kagari, slips off the chair and siddles up to my side with an inquisitive look.

"This is a wardrobe." I feel stupid for saying that, but I say it anyway. "This is a T-shirt, and these are a pair of shorts."

She simply absorbs what I tell her, drinking in knowledge like a thirsty animal drinking water. Eventually, I pick a top and a bottom, lay it outside my bathroom in a basket, then sit back down on the bed.

Kagari sits down on my chair.

We stare at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

I try to consolidate all that I knew about the Key again. Various phrases swim around in my mind.

Unimaginable power. Planet's familiar. Planet's messenger. Final boss.

The planet's messiah, that will grant salvation.

And what was salvation?

The end of the world. The Last Judgement.

"All current life ends, and the cycle of rebirth begins anew."

"With so much of the world corrupt and full of malice, we might be better off starting anew, even if none of us will be around to see it."

Tanuma's words, which I had unconsciously dismissed, were now sinking in as I realised their full weight, with the Key right in front of me.

I look away.

I didn't want to confront the girl right in front of me, and instead, I dip further and further into my memories.

A bare-bones headquarters came to mind. Esaka facing me.

The briefing for my first and last mission as a Guardian operative.

The Key takes on the form of a human. An innocent form. A kind of mimicry.

"Perhaps even the planet itself knows humans are terrifying hunters."

And though it was long ago, I remember the thoughts I had at the time.

It would take the form of something innocent. Pure.

Something like a baby, or a child.

My earlier remark about the defense mechanism was starting to hit home, and it disturbed me slightly.

Guardian's side seemed very clear-cut, didn't it? This thing was going to end the world: destroy it at all costs; the other side wants the world to end: destroy them at all costs.

But what really was the truth? Was everything this simple? Could there really be one obvious good side in this conflict, and one bad side?

I didn't want to think that was the case.

What if Guardian had been lying, and salvation was something else altogether? What if Tanuma's dreams were actually wrong?

The Key, perhaps seeing my troubled expression, reached out her hand to touch me–

–reached out her ribbon–

–to slice–

–to attack–

"Don't touch me!" I flinch, tumble over backwards, and land on the other side of my bed with a loud crash.

"Good grief, Kotarou. I leave you alone with this girl for a few minutes, and already you've gotten into trouble?" Inoue stands over me, wrapped only in a towel with her hair still wet. "Good gri–wait, no. This is my mistake."

"Your mistake?"

"Yeah. You told me about how the Key injured you ten years ago. I should have expected something like this to happen."

She bends down to help me up, but I refuse. "As much as I love to er, see you like this, I think you'd better put on some clothes," I say.

"You love to see me in nothing but a towel, eh?"

"Yes. Now go put some clothes on. There are children watching." I get back onto my feet.

The Key was still watching me with wide, curious eyes. It slowly lowered its arm. Was that an expression of dismay? Did the Key have human emotions?

Yet another mystery. I was beginning to get tired of them.

Inoue returned, now fully dressed, though seeing her in my casual clothes made my heart skip a problem: how were we going to sleep?

I shared another glance with Inoue.

Did the Key even sleep? I certainly didn't want it looming over me while I slept, like a spirit of an ancestor at my bedside.

Come to think of it…

…wasn't this the girl that's been haunting me since the very beginning? Nibbling on my arm, crawling under my covers, and enclosing my room with some weird barrier?

In a weird way, this was the girl that had set on to the path of the occult, and was ultimately responsible for everything.

I shook my head. This wasn't the time to go on weird tangents.

Finally, as a first step, I decided to lay out my sleeping bag on the floor, as well as bring up some pillows from the sofa downstairs to make things more comfortable.

No sooner had I done so did Kagari simply settle herself down in the pillow nest, curling up like a cat and closing her eyes.

I found my own eye twitching. "She's a free-spirited one, isn't she?"

At least, that solved the problem of where we were going to sleep.

I check to make sure my doors were locked, looked one last time outside the curtains, then climbed into bed.

Inoue climbs in and snuggles up next to me.

"Sorry it's so cramped."

"All the better to feel your heat with." Her voice trails off into silence.

She curls up against me, and eventually, sleep takes the both of us.

~~[r]~~

Just before dawn, I wake up, feeling a strange, but not threatening, presence. I fully expected the Key to be looming over my bed in the darkness like the wraiths of my ancestors, but it was at my window, staring outside.

Through a crack in the curtains, light shone on her face.

Making sure to not wake Inoue, I slide off the bed and walk up next to her.

What was she looking at, I wonder?

I follow her gaze upwards, and found my eyes falling on the moon.

That made me wonder. She was a familiar of the Earth, but did the moon have any familiars?

I think about all the grotesque scifi aliens I had seen in movies, and made a face. Hopefully, those didn't exist in real life…as opposed to all the real monsters that already existed as familiars.

"Kagari…why are you calling me your Papa?"

"You were there when I was born." An equally quiet voice responds. The same question, the same answer.

"I don't think I'm qualified to be your Papa, little one." My honest thoughts leak from my mouth. Some days, I didn't even feel qualified to be Inoue's boyfriend. To be someone helping to deliver the world-shattering revelation that the supernatural was real.

The Key tiptoes, and reaches out a hand.

–blood, death, injury, pain–

I manage to stand still without flinching, and it gently, almost hesitantly, touches my forearm.

My right forearm.

"Do you know how deeply buried this is in your arm?"

With nothing else to do, and feeling extremely well-rested (somehow, I didn't have any dreams, bad or otherwise), I decide to start my day. I enter my bathroom to brush my teeth, and–

–immediately stifle a shout at the sight of Inoue's underwear hanging over my sink in plain sight, the colour of which I'll leave to your imagination.

My head snaps back to look at her sleeping form, before being magnetically drawn back to the clothing. My mouth opens, then closes, before settling on a smile. It was a nice feeling, to have someone this comfortable around you.

Kagari follows me into the kitchen downstairs, where I begin to cook a simple breakfast. Deciding on western-style for today, I crack eggs into a pan, and throw in some bacon. I chop up some tomatoes and wash lettuce for a salad. I take out some butter, and put some bread to toast.

For some background noise, I switch on the television.

"Clear skies can be expected today, but bad news for festival-goers: rain is expected over the days of the harvest festival. Don't fret, though, the celebrations will continue!" The weather girl makes her report for the morning in a cheerful manner.

Deciding that we were going to need it, I prepare coffee. "Do you eat, Kagari?" I ask, while my hands continue to move.

She just quirks her head, and I feed her some of the salad. It was like feeding a wild rabbit.

"Not very impressed by vegetables, are you?"

I wonder if it was more of the perception alteration at work, but she almost seemed to feel like more of a normal girl with every passing minute, as compared to a…otherworldly existence.

"Wow. I could get used to this." Inoue looks mildly impressed as she comes down, fully dressed.

"I'm sure your mother makes better breakfasts than me," I quip.

"Well, yes, but half the fun is that you're making them." A shadow crosses her face, and I get reminded of the reason why she came over to my house in the first place last night. "I messaged my dad and told him I stayed the night at your house," she answers my unasked question.

"I was half-expecting him to show up last night to take you back, to be honest. Doesn't he know where I live?"

"Oh, he knows your address, and definitely would have guessed that I would be here, but he also knows I would have fought him to the death." Inoue cheerfully replies as she butters her toast.

"Papa."

"What is it, Kagari?" I automatically answer, before I wince internally. In the light of day, being called 'Papa' was a bit unsettling.

"What's this?"

"That is coffee." I pour a cup for her. "Careful. It's hot."

"Getting used to your new role already, eh?"

"As if you're one to talk, Mama." I roll my eyes and retort, before preparing to shift to more serious talk. "Listen–"

"This is good! Can I have more?"

And, of all possible substances consumed by humans, the Key appears to have taken a liking to coffee.

"Sure. But that's enough, okay? Drinking too much is bad for you. Don't look at me like that." The last sentence was directed at Inoue.

"Just a joke." She shoots me a grin, before her own expression becomes serious. "What do we do with her? The whole conspiracy–Guardian, Gaia, whatever–is going to be after her. And us, by extension."

"I've been thinking the same thing. Her perception alteration is very strong, but it's still risky for her to be out in the open." I take a breath, knowing that Inoue was probably not going to like what came next. "Which is why I propose we get Kotori to take care of her, while we…"

While we did what, exactly? Find out if salvation really was as bad as what everyone thought? Publish the truth and hope everything worked out?

"Kanbe-san, huh?" Inoue hesitates. "Can I say something, Kotarou? Something that you might be offended by?"

"Shoot."

"I don't trust her."

"Yeah, I thought you might say that." I sigh. "It's just…" I take a deep breath, then complete my story from last night: about the elementary schooler named Kanbe Kotori that I had been asked to babysit, how she had decisively left Martel, and the incident with the dog named Pero. "I'm not trying to defend her," I finish. "I just don't think that she'll betray us and sell out the Key to either Gaia or Guardian."

A conflicted expression was on Inoue's face. "And you're probably correct. But–" she sighed. "I still don't like it. We don't know exactly how she became a summoner–a druid. And more importantly–" Inoue looked me in the eyes, "-can you really trust someone who's been lying to you all this time?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're her close friend, right? How has she never mentioned that you were unconscious for ten years? Why did she never confide in you about the supernatural?" There was a strong undercurrent to her words.

"That's the thing." My mouth forms a self-depreciating smile. "I don't think we were ever friends in the past." I recall a tiny promise. "Only at the very end, before the accident happened." I glance at the Key.

"?" The white-haired girl looks at me.

"To be fair, it's not really your fault. Any organism would react in self-defense if attacked, after all." I turn back to Inoue. "I'm going to ask you something as well. Something you might be offended by."

"Oh?"

I decide to be as clear as possible. "Are you jealous of Kotori?"

"No!" she shouts immediately.

"Wait, what?"

"I mean, maybe! In a manner of speaking! That you might still like her! That way!" Inoue hangs her head.

Internally, I breathe a sigh of relief. Inoue was still honest enough to say what was on her mind.

I stand up, walk around the table, then gently hit her with the side of my hand.

"Ow!"

"I told you before, didn't I?" I didn't wait for a reply to my rhetorical question, and continued speaking. "I liked Kotori back in middle school. Confessed to her, even."

"Then…"

"And I got rejected." I tell it as it as. "And it stung. It stung really, really badly." I recall the bitterness that I felt, and tried to inject it into my tone. "To be honest, up until recently, I still liked her as more than a friend. Then I formed the Occult Club, and met so many new people. And," I turn to look Inoue in the eye, "I met you."

She's caught like a doe in a pair of headlights.

"My irreplaceable rival." I thought about adding 'who came out of nowhere and asked me strange questions', but this was a time for sincerity. "Someone with strong convictions and a clear goal. Someone who inspires me every day to move forward."

Her blush is almost luminescent at this point.

"You're the only one for me, Inoue. Akira." I shamelessly declare. "And I'll tell you this for as many times as you want. More than that, even."

"Kotarou–"

"It's funny, isn't it? I was surrounded by so many girls in the Occult Club, but the only one that caught my eye was you." I shoot her a thumbs-up. "Besides, we have a kid now." My hand gently lands on Kagari's head. "That's got to count for something, right?"

She sniffs at my joke. "Yeah. It does."

"You never hesitate, so don't hesitate now."

"Yeah," she repeats, then straightens. "But I still can't trust her."

"Innoway–"

"It's not for emotional reasons. It's for logical reasons." Inoue looks me in the eye. "I want to know how she became a druid before we even consider trusting Kagari with her. It's important to know someone's motivations for doing what they do. That's non-negotiable."

Seeing her point, I nod in agreement. "You were quick to trust Tanuma, though."

"I still wouldn't trust her with important things like the Key, and she's still a member of Gaia. But she's simple to read, or rather, what drives her is pretty obvious."

"She wants the world to end." I speak wryly.

"I don't believe that for a second." Inoue refutes me with no hesitation. "It's one of those things you think in the moment when you're feeling sad, or angry, or lonely. Like 'I wish everyone would just die' or 'I don't want to speak to anyone ever again'."

I wish everything would just melt away–

"What about Kagari? What are we going to do?"

Inoue shakes her head. "I was thinking that we'd leave her at my home for now."

"What?" I exclaim. "That's not a plan!"

"But–"

"Don't underestimate how far Gaia and Guardian will go." An edge creeps into my voice. "I don't know what they'd do to people who attempt to expose their secrets, but they'd definitely kill for the Key."

"My dad–"

"Your dad might be cool, but he's a normal civilian without supernatural powers." I stop myself from pointing out that she was one, as well. "What happens when superhumans and summoners go after your family?" I stop myself again, from pointing out that that might already be a possibility, conspiracy-busting and all. "I know you're prepared for danger, and somehow, I don't doubt your resolve, but it's not fair to your family."

Inoue bites her lip.

"And it's not just that. The Key itself is dangerous. Kagari killed one of those leaf dragon familiars with a single strike. If she suddenly goes berserk–"

"I don't think she will."

"I'm not saying that she's secretly a murderer. What if she gets influenced by supernatural means? We don't even know how summoning works. With Kagari being a familiar of the Earth, the usual rules of summoning might not even apply to her." I try to calm down. "Please, Inoue. She's not–it's not so simple."

A quick glance at Kagari told us she was not following the conversation, but was instead engrossed with watching the television.

"All right." Inoue acquiesced. "I see your point. Points. Very clearly."

~~[r]~~

With the preparations for the harvest festival at their most busy, we didn't have to worry about things like truancy officers catching us. Kagari's perception magic seemed to be working, but her fashion (what Inoue had described as "gothic lolita") also didn't draw many eyes, owing to the many colourful outfits also walking about the city.

The main problem was Kagari herself, or rather, how she got distracted by anything that was even slightly colourful or interesting.

In our case, that was nearly everything.

"She's just like a little kid, huh?" Inoue dragged Kagari away from yet another stall.

"We'll be properly open tomorrow!" The friendly voice of the burly shopkeeper called to us. "Be sure to come back!"

Finally, we arrived back at Inoue's front door. Somehow, I felt even more nervous than my first visit here, after we had returned from the forest.

Inoue looked at me. Are you ready?

I looked at her. I'll back you up.

Her finger sunk into the doorbell.

There was the muffled sound of steps, before the door opened. "Mom."

I briefly wondered where her dad was, before realising that he was probably at work.

Inoue Kaede took one look at the three of us, then sighed. "All of you better come in."

~~[r]~~

"Your dad isn't happy." Inoue's mother said, once the greetings were out of the way.

"I know. That's not going to stop me." Inoue said.

"We know." Inoue's mother had that same rueful smile that I sometimes saw Inoue wear. "That's why we're going to wait and see what happens. Meanwhile, life needs to go on. That's the reality of adults. You!"

I jumped at being suddenly addressed. "Y-Yes!"

"You're the boyfriend with superpowers, right? If anything happens to my darling Akira…let's just say the rest of your life will be very short."

"Mom!"

"That's probably what Satoru-san would say." Inoue's mother had a tiny smile on her face.

During the times I came over for dinner, I had thought Inoue's mother was a quiet kind of character that lurked in the background, but it appeared that she had more character than she seemed. "Duly noted, ma'am."

"That's the spirit. Now…" Her eyes fell on Kagari. "Ah."

I exchange a look with Inoue. It had completely slipped both of our minds to think of a cover story.

"Papa…Mama…"

And now Kagari went and said something that might cause a huge misunderstanding. "Umm…" I begin.

"This has something to do with the supernatural, doesn't it?" Inoue's mother said. Before we could say anything, she walked down the hallway and greeted Kagari. "What's your name?"

"Kagari." The little girl quirks her head. "...Auntie?"

"I would prefer 'onee-chan'." Inoue's mom cracks a joke.

"Mom!" Inoue exclaims, then breathes out. "This is serious!" In a few minutes, she outlines the situation–the supernatural, Kagari's importance, as well as the danger from both of them.

To her mother's credit, she appears to take Inoue seriously without greater prompting.

"And this is like the time you found out that your classmate was…hurt…by her parents, right?"

This I remember as well–a serious case that had actually led to an arrest.

"More serious than that." Inoue answers her mother, before entering her room. "Kagari? Can you come her for a second?"

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Letting her wear our school uniform. This fancy dress is going to attract too much attention. Also, I have a plan. I'll explain it to you later."

Kagari obediently follows Inoue, and the door of Inoue's room shuts, leaving me alone with Kaede-san.

"Tennouji." The woman addresses me again. Her bronze hair was the exact same shade of Inoue's, but unlike Inoue's amber-gold eyes, Kaede-san's eyes were a darker shade, a dark brown that was almost black.

"Yes?"

"You can call me Kaede." She slightly inclines her head, and I bow deeper. "Can I ask something of you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Take care of Akira, will you? Neither me nor my husband have these magical powers. We'll still do what we can, but now it appears she's been mixed up in something serious…"

"I will."

"I don't mean just physically. Akira has a strong will, you know? She burns bright and passionately like a little fire, and won't stop until she gets what she wants. I want you to be there for her when she's at her weakest. When she gives up."

"I don't see her doing that." I smile ruefully.

"You'll probably tell me to have more faith in my daughter, but the truth is that everyone faces setbacks at some point in their life." Inoue's mom nods at me, the worldly experience of an ordinary adult behind her. "And everyone hits their limit eventually."

I swallow.

A clatter comes from Inoue's room, and my head swivels around.

"Kotarou! Come look!"

"Yeah?" After a knock, I hesitantly enter, only to see that Kagari had indeed changed, or been changed, into a Kaza High school uniform. "What's the problem?"

Then, I noticed. Kagari's strange ribbons, that had been on her wrists, were now mysteriously attached to our school's frilly female uniform, blending in almost perfectly with the red trim.

…almost as if the uniform had been made for her.

…almost as if the uniform had been inspired by her.

I shook off these thoughts, and turned to Inoue.

"Kagari doesn't wear clothes." Inoue outlines, sounding oddly excited. "Her dress is a part of her. Did you know?"

My hand rises to my forehead as I search though my recollections. The mysterious image of her, framed against the full moon, surfaces in my mind. "Yeah. That makes sense."

"And when I asked her to change, she just transformed her dress! It's like magic!" She takes Kagari under her arms, and lifts up the little girl. "Well, aren't you incredible."

The Key giggles happily as it's lifted into the air.

"Is this all?" I felt slightly put out.

"Of course not." Inoue returns Kagari to the ground. "Here's the plan for when we get to school…"

~~[r]~~

Another view

Without a word, Konohana Lucia looked at the empty seats in her class.

Tennouji Kotarou. Kanbe Kotori.

Not quite knowing why, a sense of melancholy filled her, even though it was a sight that she had seen before.

After the encounter of the previous night, she had went around during break to look for her mysterious summoner, which she was almost certain also attended Kaza High.

But it had been fruitless. Clothes did not mean much when they could be changed at a whim. Hair could be dyed–though even if it wasn't, there was no shortage of black-haired girls in the school. The same could be said of glasses and contact lenses.

She shut her eyes and tried to recall the girl's face.

Nope, also useless. The girl had no real distinguishing features to speak of. She was just another high-school girl one could find anywhere.

She supposed she could try digging into school records for a more thorough investigation, but it was out of her jurisdiction. In any case, it wasn't likely that she would see the her at school–and tomorrow, when the harvest festival commenced, Lucia would be away, fulfilling other duties.

After that…who knew?

She didn't even feel like attending school for a while.

The summoner's words from the previous night kept rolling around in her mind.

A crew comprised of both superhumans and summoners.

Herself, Shizuru. Superhumans.

Then…

The Club President? Kanbe?

Chihaya? Or even…Tennouji himself?

It stung her to consider it, but the truth of the matter was…

Without Kotarou, the Club had gradually stopped meeting. She still continued to talk with Chihaya, given that they were in the same class, but Akane had all but became a stranger, and even Kotori was now distant, considering her common absences from class.

It had been fun, but ultimately, the Occult Club proved to be just yet another transient experience. Even her time in Kaza High was an exception to the norm. Soon, she would 'graduate', and work as an operative full-time, in the only place where she belonged as a superhuman.

Guardian.

Was this fate? Were all of them bound by something inescapable?

"Lucia-san? Hey?"

"Ootori-san." Lucia rubbed her eyes with a gloved knuckle. "Is everything alright?"

"That's my line!" The orange-haired girl said. "You've been out of sorts all morning. And I told you to call me Chihaya!"

"Sorry, Chihaya-san."

Lucia, not quite able to meet Chihaya's eyes at the moment, instead looked over across the classroom. Chihaya's eyes followed her gaze.

"Worried about Kotori and Kotarou?"

"Something like that."

"Me too." Chihaya admitted freely. "Kotori seems to be gone a lot recently. And Kotarou…"

"I went and looked at his house yesterday." Lucia spoke. "There was–"

A flash of pale spiky hair caught her vision, and her head snapped to look at the door. "Tennouji!"

"He's here?"

~~[r]~~

Oh, crap. Lucia had spotted me. That wasn't supposed to happen. The plan was just for me to see if Tanuma was around, but it didn't seem to be the case.

Spotting a head of long dark hair exiting my classroom, I duck out of sight and run away. Kotori wasn't here too, which meant she was most likely at the power spot. Good.

On impulse, I visit one more place.

At the end of an empty hallway, the Occult Club's room's door stood, closed. I turned the handle, opened it.

The room was empty.

I didn't know what I had been anticipating, but I felt a strange sense of being let down.

My feet carried me to the desk where the Pres usually sat, and I lay my hand down on the wooden surface.

I was gone for barely a week, and already, the Club had quietly fallen apart.

I suppose it was inevitable. From the start, the one that had wanted to bring everyone together was…me. The Club had been a group held together by me, consisting of individuals that would never have gotten together on their own otherwise.

All of that, for just a glimpse of youth.

Some things were just not meant to be.

"Oh, yeah. There's surveillance cameras in this room, aren't there?"

I poke in the bookshelves and finally find one: a small, round black lens, blending almost perfectly into the dark wood. I think of the Pres, of the person named Senri Akane, and images flash in my mind.

A mysterious girl with a black cape and a crystal ball. Someone that hated the outdoors and was bad at exercise.

And…

A little girl that I had seen and helped take care of during my time at Martel. An orphan who barely spoke. Someone lost in the forest, whom I had rescued the fateful day I met the Key, where my time had come to a stop.

"Was that why you accepted me?" I spoke quietly to the empty room. "Thank you. But this isn't the place I belong."

Martel/Gaia. The Occult Club.

All of those.

And even though it didn't concern her, Guardian as well.

"I suppose this is goodbye."

The Successor to Gaia's Holy Woman. If I were to expose everything, she would surely become my enemy.

I remember the questionnaire I filled in.

You have power and are discontent with the world…

Another flash of recollection. My younger, discontent middle-school self, being summoned up to Kashima Sakura's office.

Her sharp expression piercing into me as she asked me the very same question.

At that time, I hadn't been able to give a proper answer, and she had called me a stray.

Only now did I realise that she had known I was a superhuman. A weak one, a wavering one, without any strong ideals.

But now–

A knock at the door made me jump.

Shit. Was it Chihaya or Lucia? I really couldn't afford to get wrapped up in long conversations right now.

"Senpai? It's me."

Well, there was only one person who addressed me this way.

I opened the door a small crack. "Hitomi. What's up?"

"You're all right!"

I glance at the corridor, then back at the (bugged) clubroom, before closing the clubroom's door behind me. "What happened?" I said quietly.

"I should be asking you that. Lucia-senpai was on patrol last night in your neighbourhood. She fought a summoner and got knocked unconscious!" Hitomi replies in an insistent whisper.

I decide to give a technically honest answer. "I didn't notice anything." My hands had been full last night with Inoue running away from home and encountering the Key.

Hitomi nods. "Just thought I'd check." She looks at me again. "At least you look fine. Any plans for the festival?" She winks. "A date with Inoue-senpai?"

"Hey, that's none of your business." I give a wry smile. "But yeah." Even with everything that was happening, or everything that might happen, bringing Inoue on a date at the harvest festival was something I wanted to do. I guess that was a small goal I could work towards. "What about you?" I ask. "Is your conservation group busy?"

"Conservation? Oh, that." She puts a finger on her lips. "That's secret. We are looking for something important, though."

I bet it's the Key. I think to myself. "Need any help?"

"Only for you to keep yourself healthy, so we can spar again once things die down." Hitomi says cheerfully. "Other than that, if you come across a person that doesn't feel like a person, like what I said before, you can tell me immediately."

"Like," I lower my voice, "a human-shaped familiar?" I knew it was dangerous, but I could not resist prying a bit further.

"I should have known both you and Inoue-senpai would have put that together." Hitomi grins. "Yes, that's basically it."

"Any distinguishing features?"

"Don't go seeking it out, senpai." The superhuman lightly reprimands me. "But since you ask…maybe a little girl. Little girls are the last thing you expect to kill you, so it would probably appear…never mind."

"This thing is going to kill us?"

Hitomi glanced around the corridor, which was deserted. "You and Inoue-senpai are both working on an exposé on the supernatural, right?"

I groan like I've been hit in the gut.

"It wasn't that hard to guess." Hitomi grinned, taking the sound of my distress as confirmation. "I won't even tell my superiors. The world needs a shaking-up, and maybe this is what will change things. But," her tone becomes serious, "that human-shaped familiar…what I'm about to tell you, you shouldn't blab lightly about. It'll cause chaos, and not the fun kind."

So this girl will accept chaos so long as she finds it fun? Good grief. "What do you mean?"

"It might cause the end of the world."

I look up at the superhuman's face. It held a grave expression.

"I may not like how my, um, conservation group does things at times. But I definitely agree that the end of the world is something to prevent at all costs."

I nod, and try not to let any conflicting emotions show on my face. "And you're telling us not to publish anything about–" I wince as I nearly say 'the Key' "-this familiar in particular, because it might cause a mass panic?"

"Exactly. People might get hurt. I don't like hurting people." An impish grin rises to the superhuman's face. "Except maybe when they deserve it."

"Won't the public revolt if they find out the supernatural is real anyway?" I point out wryly.

"Yes, but it'll be better than finding out about a near-inevitable apocalypse."

Not really fully satisfied with the answer, but not having the time to talk more, I just nod again. "Hopefully you're not too busy to get a festival date of your own."

"Hopefully." Hitomi agrees. "Is Imako-senpai around today? I was going to look for her, but…"

"She's not."

"Aww. I wanted to see her." Her eyes, which had brightened at the mention of the glasses-wearing girl, dimmed slightly. "If you're not too busy, can you go and check on her after school? In case she's sick? I would go myself, but I'm busy with work."

"Work?" I grin, again hiding my feelings.

We knew setting up a superhuman and a summoner would lead us into trouble, and things might only get worse due to strong beliefs on both sides, but we had felt obliged to try anyway.

In the end, they were just people. Ordinary people who deserved to be happy.

"You know what I mean." My energetic kouhai waves her fists up and down, like a drummer with invisible drumsticks–or a swordsman slashing with a sword in each hand.

~~[r]~~

"What took you so long?" Inoue demanded.

"I bumped into Shinsaibashi on the way. I'll explain later." Closing the door of the Newspaper Club clubroom behind me, I gave my explanation. The only ones present were Inoue, Kagari (who was currently engrossed in a stack of old magazines), and a mature-looking girl with long, claret-red hair that I had only saw in passing. "What's with the sign on the door?"

It had read "Interview in Progress. Do Not Disturb!", but the kicker was a sticky note on the bottom that said to contact the club president for urgent business or scoops.

"I hung it up." The redhead said. "You'd also better lock the door."

"Um…"

"Right, right. We haven't been properly introduced, have we?" She grins. "I'm Maniwa Yuki, President of the Newspaper Club. Nice to meetcha, Akira-chan's boyfriend."

Slightly discombobulated, I blink. "Er, nice to meet you too."

"Tennouji Kotarou, second year, class 2-B. Birthday: 2nd May. Epithet: Ashen Boy. Rumours of illegal backdoor acceptance to the school…proven false, or so Inoue Akira reports." Maniwa-san pauses. "Though her relationship with the mark puts into question the veracity of the report."

Inoue just had a resigned smile on her face, as if she'd seen this go down multiple times before.

"I was transferred here because I had…health problems…in the past. My parents thought it would be a good place for me to have a normal school life." I roll my eyes and clarify. "That's why my admission information is foggy." If Innoway had chosen to confide in this girl, I could probably trust her, at least with this tidbit.

"I see! That makes perfect sense…except that I know it's not the complete story!" The redhead thrust her fist into the air.

"Yuki," Inoue sighs, "haven't you got enough on your plate already, what with the enormous bomb that I just gave you?"

"You're getting all serious, Akira."

I walk over to Inoue and lay my hands on her shoulders, forestalling her complaint. "Well, the fate of the world is at stake. I think maybe a little seriousness is justified."

Inoue reaches up to touch my hands with her own.

"Yep. If I don't hear from either of you for three days straight, or if something happens, I'm to scatter the contents of this–" the Club President holds up a tiny memory card "-to the four winds." She leans back in her chair and stretches. "Dead man's switch. Never thought things would be serious enough that we'd get do this in real life."

"Yuki–" Inoue starts again, but the older girl holds up her hand.

"I believe everything you've told me," she says. "Unfortunately, you're also right. Without the specific instructions to 'summon a familiar', as you put it, people might just dismiss this whole thing as an elaborate hoax. Oh, the public likes a good sensational story, but really getting people to accept such a revelation needs more proof than this. Proof by experience, as you say."

"Which is why we're going to learn how familiar summoning actually works," Inoue says.

"Didn't you say it uses up your lifespan? Like casting from hit points?"

"Hit points?"

"Yeah, that's how it works," I reply Maniwa-san. (In my head, only Akane held the title of 'Pres', whether she liked it or not.) "You animate like, a bird, and it takes a day off your life or something." I think back to the leaf dragon. "Bigger beasts like dragons and stuff probably eat up months. Maybe even years."

"So we're not going to see any kaijuu anytime soon. Shame." The redhead bares her teeth. "You know, I wonder what you would have done if I had turned out to be part of the conspiracy."

"Inoue would have known in the first place." I place my vote of confidence without hesitation.

"Thanks, Kotarou."

Inoue's president rolls her eyes. "Yeah, keep on flirting. See if you'll still be all over each other months from now."

"Yuki's mad because of her recent breakup," Inoue mock-whispered to me. "Her boyfriend said she wasn't paying him enough attention and left."

"Ouch."

"Very funny, you two." The Newspaper Club president wagged a finger. "By the way, Tennouji. You're a superhuman, aren't you?"

"Yeah?"

There was a glint in the girl's eyes. "Care to give me a demonstration before you go?" She rifles around under her desk.

"Sure–"

"Think fast!"

A flattened cardboard box comes spinning at me. Almost lazily, I manifest my claw and cut the brown rectangle to pieces. "Too easy." It was nowhere near as fast as a familiar, after all.

But…

I make a few more experimental swipes through the air. Was it just me, or was my reaction time faster?

"The real deal indeed." The redhead nods with satisfaction, then turns to Inoue. "Pass the other one on to Yuuka-chan, huh?"

"Yeah. I've already briefed Tamako."

"And you trust them both as well?"

"Yes." Inoue takes a deep breath. "Remember, if they come after you, just say you know nothing."

President Yuki gives us a thumbs-up. "Stay safe out there. Akira, I think you know this already, but this is several magnitudes more serious than the time you exposed that group of delinquents smoking–"

"-and nearly got beaten up, right." Inoue nods solemnly.

"Then, good hunting to you both."

~~[r]~~

Right on cue, as we near Tanuma's gate, Inoue receives a message on her phone.

"Are you sure we should be bringing Kagari to, you know…"

"I'm trusting you to deal with Imako if she makes a move," Inoue says. "I know it might be stupid, but I feel better if we were all together. And there's always a chance that Imako will think Kagari is a normal girl."

"You say that as if you think Imako will see through her perception filter right away."

"Don't you?"

I had no reply.

The gate unlocks for us, and we proceed through Tanuma's house, which seemed unchanged since our last visit.

"She said to go up directly to her room."

A frown came to my face. Was this a trap? I tune into my senses, but nothing felt out of the ordinary–no mysterious killing intent, or signs of ambush.

Bracing myself, I gently open the door.

A whole tree branch immediately falls on me.

"Hey! Don't touch that!"

"If you didn't want me to touch it, you should have kept it somewhere safer," I grumble, propping the stick back against the wall.

It was then that I take in the scene before me. "What the hell?"

Tanuma was sitting on her bed, her back against a pillow, her legs tucked into her blanket. A controller was in her hands, and she appeared to be playing some game on her computer's screen.

That would have been normal, if not for how the summoner's skin was an unhealthy, unnatural pallid shade. Her hair, which somehow looked thinner than usual, was also matted with cold sweat, beads of which I could see on her face.

"Imako!" Inoue's face twisted in concern. "What happened?"

"Got into…a bit of a fight. Last night."

Inoue and I exchanged a glance. It was her!

"Kagari? Could you get some towels from the washroom?" Inoue asks gently.

The third girl with us nods and departs. For all her curiosity this morning, she was actually really well-behaved.

"Ka…gari?" Imako starts to sit up, but then sags.

"One of Inoue's relatives who came over for the harvest festival. She's quite attached to us, so we've been babysitting her." I repeat the cover story that we had thought up on the way, then quickly change the subject. "What do you mean, fight?"

"I caught Konohana Lucia outside your house last night. I lured her to the forest near our neighbourhood, then knocked her out." Tanuma looks down at her hands. "Even if I had been well enough to go to school, I wouldn't have. She saw my face, after all."

There was a pause as the words were absorbed. On the screen, an evil-looking horse with two curving horns rears up in an idle animation, next to a menu which displayed a list of skills.

"...you fought Lucia." I said dully.

"She's a superhuman. A member of Guardian. She uses a katana that she can make vibrate, and…"

"And?" I demand.

"I'm not sure, actually. My familiar sensed something like poison, but it seemed more than that."

"Konohana-san does wear those gloves, after all." Inoue muses.

"So she's a Cutter. Or maybe a Polluter." I murmur to myself.

"What?"

"Nothing." My face scrunches up. I knew that Lucia had been a superhuman for a while now, but knowing that my friends were fighting each other drove home the point that playtime, as it were, was over. "Hey, Imako."

"What is it…Kotarou?"

"Why do superhumans and summoners not get along?"

The summoner girl smiles, though it was not warm in the slightest. "You both don't know how summoning works, do you?"

At this point, Kagari returns with a towel, which Inoue hands to Imako. "You said it had to do with animating things with life force," Inoue said.

"Yes." Imako wipes her forehead. "Theoretically, everyone can learn how to do it. It just takes a certain kind of yearning."

"Yearning?" I had a funny feeling.

"Have you ever been upset with the world–wait, don't answer that. I remember."

I nod.

"Summoning is a manifestation of the frustration one has with the world. You're unhappy, and worse, you lack the power to change your circumstances. This negative emotion, this melancholy–it's the basis of our supernatural power, and manifests itself by allowing us to control familiars."

Suddenly, the bedridden girl thrusts out her left hand to the side. An origami phoenix of white paper swoops down at me, and I bat it aside. Its trailing tail grazes Inoue's hand, which held on to her notebook as her pen moved in concentration.

"A dark, beastly instinct," Imako finishes gravely. She wipes her glasses, then returns them to her face. "Which, by the way, is why familiars are most commonly based off animals."

My mind makes a connection. "You said you weren't good at the usual birds and dogs. Does that mean–"

"-that I'm somehow more refined? That my impulses aren't as feral?" Imako chuckles. "Sorry, but my feelings run as deep as any other summoner. I just can't stand life–" she breaks out into a coughing fit, and Inoue gently pats her on the back. "I mean, biological life." Another cough, but it was more to correct her slip. "I mean, animals. Looking at organs and muscles and skin make me squeamish. I barely survived my biology classes."

Inoue's hand slows in her soothing. "Weren't you ranked first in all the midterm exams? That included biology, right?"

"Like I said." This time, Imako's smile had a hint of mischief. "I barely survived."

"Yeah, about that." I ask about something that has been bothering me for a while. "Why the obsession with grades? Don't Gaians want to leave the world behind?" The face of Pres–Akane–surfaces in my mind, a senior who didn't even bother showing up to her own classes.

"My parents." Imako's expression becomes stiff. "They're still attached to society, to some extent. T-They expect nothing but the best. So I study as much as I need, for this no-good brain of mine to get the results they want." She must have noticed my pitying expression, because she spoke again. "I'm used to it. Besides, without my grades, the few social interactions that I get wouldn't happen at all."

Inoue looked as if she wanted to ask more, but I lay a hand on her arm. Not now. The summoner had a closed-off expression on her face, which made me think it wasn't a good idea to press further. "This still doesn't really explain why summoners don't get along with superhumans."

"Do you care to guess how a superhuman's abilities come about?"

"Is it something like…hunting instinct?" The image of that red-robed man floats to my mind's eye. "I've heard summoners call superhumans hunters."

"You're certainly a sharp one. Yes, that is half of it–being lucky enough to be born with the potential. But the other half…remember what I said about being upset with the world?"

Inoue and I both nod.

"A hunter's superhuman capabilities also arises out of dissatisfaction…but they turn it inward, into themselves." Imako tone was sour. "They accept the state of things, and don't care about the world or the weak. Why should they? They can adapt and change, after all. The root cause doesn't matter. They can still survive."

The bitterness in her voice seemed to permeate the air.

"They look down on others. 'If I can do it, why can't you?' or 'You're just not trying hard enough.' That is the base mindset of the superhuman–a heartless being that just sneers at you from a position of superiority. A position which they regard as earned, even though it was random chance that gave them their gifts in the first place."

I think back to Lucia and Shizuru. Lucia was a bit prickly, but I could tell she wasn't a bad person–and not to say Shizuru, who was probably the purest and most good-hearted soul I have ever met in my life. "I don't think that's right. Have you met an actual superhuman in your…life…?"

"Kotarou?" Inoue looked at me questioningly.

Right. There were other superhumans as well. Imamiya, who had started openly treating me as an inferior as soon as I didn't live up to my reputation as someone personally scouted by Sougen Esaka. Nishikujou too, who had been obsessed with climbing the ranks, and cared not about her teammates with any compassion. Even the top of the class, Mikuni, had always carelessly flaunted his abilities without regard.

And Shinsaibashi–Hitomi, she had said that she had also felt discrimination, which meant that things hadn't changed since I had left…

Imako was staring at me through her glasses, with an undecipherable expression.

"Anyway, I think there are both good and bad superhumans. The same with summoners," I manage to say. "How do you even know all this? Do all members of Gaia know about…everything you just said?"

"You're asking if this is baseline knowledge for members of Gaia. The answer is no." Focus seems to come back to Imako's eyes. "I took it upon myself to learn more after it became clear I…couldn't even be a proper summoner."

Her expression, which had always been gloomy on average, grows even more forlorn. "I dreamt of you, Kotarou."

Inoue's head snapped upward. "What?"

"Not in that kind of way," Imako weakly chuckles. "It was…"

I felt as if ice water had been poured down my back. "What did you see?"

"You. Ribbons…" Imako tips slightly sideways, and Inoue catches her, nudging her back properly upright. She places a hand on Imako's forehead. "It's not a fever," my girlfriend declares.

"No, it's not," the summoner says. "I'm not ill or anything. It's just fatigue. Payment for pushing my weak mortal shell too far."

"Well, no more games for you." Inoue makes to take away the controller, but Imako holds on stubbornly.

"If you accidentally delete three hours of progress, I will murder you."

"You should get some sleep." Inoue was equally stubborn.

"What did you think I was doing the whole of this morning?" Imako retorts tiredly. "I'm sick of sleeping. I even had to resort to turn-based RPGs for gaming, since my reflexes don't seem to be working." She gestures at the screen, where an evil-looking horse with two curving horns rears up in an idle animation, next to a menu which displayed a list of skills.

"Then, you should teach us summoning."

"What?" Inoue looks at me. "Imako's tired. She should be–"

"No, that's a good idea." Imako struggles upright. "It won't take much from me to explain how it works. Who's going to be doing it?"

"I–"

"No, Kotarou." Inoue's face was set. "I'll try it out. You've already risked your life for me. I can give up a few days of lifespan for this."

I look at Imako. "For the what we'll be working with, a few hours or minutes is more accurate," she says. She gets off her bed, and drags a small canvas box out from beneath her bed. It appeared to be filled with several different stuffed toy animals. "I think…a cat for the curious reporter."

Inoue accepts the nondescript brown cat. "This is…a familiar?"

"It's a training aid for young beginner summoners." Tanuma's tone was nonchalant, as if children being taught to wield supernatural powers was an everyday occurrence. "Kotarou. You should try it out as well. I'm curious to see your affinity level."

A brown-grey wolf was placed into my hands.

"Now, get comfortable. We usually do this in complete darkness, for sensory purposes, but for now, close your eyes."

Darkness falls as I shut my eyelids. Beside me, Inoue's breath hitches as she does the same.

"Feel with your fingers. Find somewhere you can instill your consciousness. Focus on sensations that feel different from touching an ordinary toy."

Some time passes.

For a while, all I could hear was the muted hum of the air conditioner, and the quiet breathing of Inoue beside me, also seated cross-legged on Tanuma's rug.

With my superhuman senses, the sounds were as clear as day.

I switch back my focus to the sensation of touch…and then I feel a jolt. "Is this it?" My voice comes out as a hoarse whisper in the quiet room.

"Good. Try controlling it. Exercise your will, like moving the tips of your fingers."

An odd sensation collects in a single spot…until it feels like a thread.

Instinctively, I know what it is. It's a familiar contract. The toy's life and mine are joined.

I open my eyes.

The wolf begins ambling forwards.

"I knew you could do it." Tanuma's face was impassive. "How does it feel?"

"Very awkward." I focus on the sensation. The link. "I think making it walk forwards is the limit." I make the wolf turn and go up to Inoue, who had abandoned her own attempt. "Very basic. I probably can't make it jump or anything."

"Maybe a C minus. Or a D plus." Tanuma gives her assessment.

"What's your rank?" Inoue asks, absentmindedly stroking my toy wolf.

"I am considered a D plus. Like I said, I'm bad with animals." Imako had a somewhat twisted smile. "Imagine. You heard that there's a kind supernatural power coming from unhappiness, and yet, when you learn how it works, you can't even wield it properly…it's as if the gods themselves are telling me my suffering isn't real."

But you defeated Lucia.The thought comes to my mind, but I didn't speak.

"Akira," Imako turns to Inoue, "could you feel anything?"

Inoue shakes her head. "No."

"It's fine. Some initiates, especially adults, spend days meditating in rooms of complete darkness." She picks up her journal and flips to a page, which had a sketch of a round lump of clay. In a second picture below, the lump appeared to have sprouted several appendages, like it was trying to become a giraffe. "You want to try again?"

Inoue nods, a determined expression on her face. "How am I supposed to report on this if I can't even know what it feels like?"

"So you're reporting on this, huh?"

Inoue opened her mouth, but Imako laughs. "Akira, you're cute to think I haven't guessed what you're up to. From the start, that was your goal, right? The truth of this world? The supernatural? Tell me, have I been a good guide?"

"I–" Inoue stops, then speaks again. "I didn't become friends with you just because I wanted your secrets! And it's not because I wanted you to spy on Gaia for me, or anything like that!"

"Although everything started because of those 'Messiah' rumours in the first place." I wryly point out.

"Not helping, Kotarou." Inoue growled.

"Look, Tanuma." I address the summoner. "Inoue started investigating me, and look how we ended up. She's a genuine person, and she cares for you–as do I. Don't doubt her."

Tanuma takes off her glasses and rubs her eyes, before putting them back on. "Fine." She repeats her earlier question. "Do you want to try again?"

"Yes." We could both tell that Tanuma wasn't quite convinced yet, but it also that pressing the issue further wouldn't help right now.

"Okay." Tanuma draws the curtains shut, then dims the lights with the knob next to the switch. "Close your eyes…and focus."

Instead of trying to form a familiar contract again, I instead tap into my rewritten senses. I wondered if I could sense contracts other than my own, to feel it the moment Inoue succeeded…or even to try to detect Tanuma's own mysterious familiar, which she had been tight-lipped about so far.

Silence descended.

It was not true silence, not like the deep forest. I could still hear the water rushing through the plumbing, the air flowing through the air-conditioner, the whirl of Tanuma's computer.

It still felt as if I was melting into the world.

Becoming one with it.

And then–

My eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud buzz. "What the hell?"

"It's a message." Imako glances at her phone, a smile on her face. "Hitomi says she's coming to visit."

Inoue and I exchanged a grin at the rare sight of the summoner being so happy…

…before we remembered that Kagari, the Key, was still right there with us.

---

Again, 'Kagari' (or more accurately, 'kagaribi') means brazier, or more thematically, bonfire. More etymology fun facts: 'Imako' in the VN was written with the kanji for 'today' and 'child', while 'Hitomi' was written in hiragana—many possible kanji can make up the pronunciation, but the most direct meaning is 'pupil' (of the eye, that is).

Imako's exposition on summoning and superhumans paraphrases Akane's explanations from her route, but the familiar in the sketch is from Terra.

Chapter once again cut in two because of length.

Not long until the harvest festival begins.

Review please!