The Dorm Supervisor eventually showed some mercy to her, once Kuroko elaborated on the circumstances of her absence. She told her the same story she'd given Komaki: that she'd felt too sick to return to the Tokiwadai dorm that night, and had stayed the night with a friend instead. It wasn't the best excuse, but she did have the prior week of her being in the hospital to bank off of.

It wasn't anywhere close to the truth, but Kuroko hadn't wanted to alarm Komaki, so that's the story she had given her…and, consequently, the Dorm Supervisor now, in case Komaki had already given that tale as well. She might have gotten more leeway with an excuse closer to the truth—how she'd been having some sort of crisis and hadn't been in a good space to return to the dorms that night—but Kuroko had decided not to go in that direction. Komaki, naturally, would have been alarmed, and she would have demanded more details at some point. Details that Kuroko didn't want to lie about, even partially so. She could always read Komaki in on things too, and part of her was considering it, but she hadn't made a decision just yet. And, of course, she didn't want to have to talk to an adult about her 'issue', especially one close to the truth of the matter. There was always a chance the Dorm Supervisor would have pressed her for more details as well, no doubt out of concern, and Kuroko didn't want to deal with that either.

So, that was the excuse she presented to the Dorm Supervisor. The older woman gave her a hardened look as she finished her story, though it was tempered by the hint of sympathy in her otherwise steely-eyed expression. Kuroko was reminded at that moment that the Supervisor must have also seen her when she'd fallen sick last week; in fact, hadn't Komaki told her that she had been the person who'd made the call to send her straight to the hospital?

"…Shirai, the next time something like that happens, please call into the dorm so we can be apprised of the situation," she finally said, adjusting her glasses as she stared down at her. "Don't just try to get your roommate to cover for you. We at the Tokiwadai Dormitories can make allowances for situations like that, but you'll just make things worse for yourself by lying like that."

"Y-Yes ma'am, I understand, it won't happen again," she hurriedly agreed, bowing her head as she knelt down on the floor.

"And next time, bring a doctor's note with you. I won't take just your word for it a second time," she warned.

"Yes ma'am, of course," she agreed again.

The Dorm Supervisor looked down at her for a few moments later, making Kuroko sweat up a storm while she resisted the urge to reflexively protect her neck. Finally, the older woman gave a sigh and shook her head.

"I'll let you off with a warning for missing curfew just this once, Kuroko Shirai. Don't take it as an excuse to abuse my trust."

"Thank you, ma'am. And don't worry, I won't," she reassured, before letting out a sigh of relief.

The Dorm Supervisor gave her one last stare, before giving another sigh and shook her head. Kuroko took that as her cue to get up, and slowly started walking away from her.

"…Of course, that doesn't cover your punishment for lying about the whole situation in the first place."

Kuroko froze as her tormentor continued. Before she could think to teleport away, she felt the older woman's hand land heavily on her shoulder.

"…Yes ma'am, of course ma'am," she finally said, deflating a little as she sighed again.

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other. Now…"

The Dorm Supervisor proceeded to outline the terms of her punishment…which according to the guidelines of the Tokiwadai Exterior Dormitory, was fairly light, all things considered. She and Komaki would be spending time after class cleaning one of the science labs back at the Tokiwadai campus. A mind numbing, thankless task, but far easier than, say, cleaning the school pool.

Though the Dorm Supervisor also subjected her to a stern lecture about the rules of the dormitory, the procedure one needed to follow when calling out sick for curfew, and so on and so forth. Kuroko felt her head spinning by the time she was allowed to leave, and swiftly returned to her dorm.

In hindsight, she should maybe have tried to get that meeting with Heaven Canceller done before she came back to the dorms. He could have written a doctor's note for her on the spot.

Nevertheless, Kuroko would simply have to live with her punishment. She'd just need to figure out a way to properly apologize to Komaki later…

Classes passed by in a blur, until it was lunch time once again. After the spectacle that Kuroko had witnessed yesterday, she felt a bit leery agreeing to eat with Komaki again…but at the same time, she also felt guilty for getting her innocent roommate in trouble. So, she agreed to the request, and the two of them found a cozy little corner to eat together at.

"I really am sorry about what happened with the Dorm Supervisor," she felt the need to apologize yet again, as she and Makigami sat together.

"It's fine, Shirai, really. I'm just glad you're feeling better," she assured her, giving her a sympathetic smile. Of course, that only succeeded in making her feel even more guilty for lying to her roommate.

"Right. Well, I'll be making a call soon to get a follow-up appointment scheduled with the doctor I saw at the hospital, just to be safe," she said a moment later, looking off briefly to the side.

How convenient for her that she was going to actually be making that appointment. After she finished her lunch with Komaki, she planned on calling Heaven Canceller's hospital—she knew the man's actual name now, or at least his alias, but it was easier to think of him with that moniker—to make an appointment with the man himself, either tomorrow or the day after. With that, she'd take her first big step in making another ally, and her first step toward dealing with Harumi Kiyama.

How that meeting actually went remained to be seen, but Kuroko felt somewhat optimistic toward the outcome.

Komaki seemed pleased with that knowledge, though before she could respond, another voice joined in on the conversation.

"Ah, Shirai!"

She glanced over toward the voice's source, spotting that same girl she'd seen yesterday: Tsukasa Gaouin, the Tokiwadai Student Council Vice President. She was walking over toward them, that same maid from yesterday following her. Now that she wasn't swept up in the performance from yesterday's events, Kuroko Shirai's memories helpfully informed her that the maid in question wasn't a Tokiwadai student, but in fact, a student from the Ryouran Maid School.

Wait. Maid school. Didn't Maika Tsuchimikado go to that school? And she was Touma's neighbor, wasn't she? Did Gaouin's maid know her?

Hm. She'd have to pull at that thread later…

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday," Gaouin said, as she stopped before them. She graced them with an apologetic smile, and gave a slight bow. "That was…beneath me, to say the least. I hope it didn't give you a bad impression of me."

"It's…fine," Kuroko hedged, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. "I know things can get…heated between rivals. There's no need to apologize."

Gaouin chuckled at that, looking relieved as she gave a nod. "Well, I'll make sure to behave more properly in the future, especially around my juniors."

Kuroko gave a polite nod at that, and focused back on her food, expecting Tsukasa to leave after that. But alas, the Student Council Vice President stayed where she was.

"At any rate…while I'm here," she started to say, even as Kuroko gave a mental sigh. "Any interest in joining my clique? I can assure you, I treat my followers much better than Misaki Shokuhou does."

Komaki narrowed her eyes, her arms folded as she stared up crossly at her in response to that. She interjected before her roommate could speak up in her Queen's defense, however.

"I'm flattered by the offer; I'll have to think about it," she demurred, giving Gaouin a courteous smile. "I don't want to commit to something that big so quickly, you understand. I've only just started here at Tokiwadai, after all."

Truth be told, though, she was fairly certain she wasn't about to join any of the cliques here. It seemed far too much trouble than it was worth, plus she had her schedule full as it was with Judgment duties. If she had to join a faction, she'd likely settle for something more low-key and smaller scale, like say perhaps the Iori or Tatsuki Cliques. If Kuroko Shirai's memories were correct, those were two of the smaller ones. Or, hell, maybe she'd start her own clique.

…Huh. Her own clique? She had to admit, the idea was intriguing at first glance. But, probably too much work to be worth the trouble. Plus, she was not keen on the idea of managing an entire faction of school girls all by herself. It sounded too much like herding cats.

Tsukasa seemed disappointed by her answer, but she nodded in acceptance all the same. "I understand; well, if you decide to give my clique a chance, just let me know! And hey, even if you decide not to join up, I'm always around to offer up help and advice, if you need it."

She got out a pocket watch with her gloved hand, holding it out for her to see. "Anytime I have this out, it means I'm ready and available to help out my fellow students!"

"...Right," Kuroko noted, her smile never leaving her face. "I shall keep that in mind."

That seemed to satisfy Gaouin, and she and her maid turned to leave. Just before they could, however…

"Ah, there was one more thing," she called out. "I had a request for your maid."

Gaouin and the girl in question turned around, both clearly surprised by her words. After a few moments the maid stepped forward, bowing slightly as she introduced herself.

"I am Kirara, Miss Shirai. How may I be of service?"

"I was just wondering…do you happen to know a Maika Tsuchimikado? She's also a maid that goes to your school, I believe," she said.

Kirara tilted her head, considering her question before slowly shaking her head. "I am afraid I am not familiar with her by name, Miss Shirai. If you would like, however, I could endeavor to track her down, when time permits. Are you needing her specific services?"

"Something like that," she replied evasively. "If you could do that for me, I would deeply appreciate it."

Kirara nodded, and the two briefly exchanged contact info before she departed with Gaouin. After they left, Kuroko focused back on her food, ignoring the curious look Makigami sent her way.

Alright, she had that wheel in motion now; just a matter of waiting to see if it would pay off or not. At the very least, she was taking her first, solid step in tracking down Touma.

…Shit, she forgot to try and look him up on the Judgment database yesterday. Ugh. Okay, she'd just have to handle that today, maybe.

With Gaouin gone, she and Komaki were able to enjoy the rest of their lunch in peace. Once they were done, they started heading back to the school proper, idly chatting the entire way. As they turned a corner, though, Kuroko almost bumped into someone on the other side. Only her quick reflexes kept a full-on collision from happening. Though that didn't stop her from bumping into Makigami from behind, instead.

"Oh! Sorry."

Kuroko offered an apology to the person she had almost knocked into, after checking to make sure she hadn't knocked her roommate over. She took a small breath, opening her mouth to speak further—

And the words died on her tongue, as she noticed Mikoto Misaka in front of her.

"It's fine," Mikoto offered, a polite smile etched over her lips as she backed up slightly. "I should have watched where I was going."

A moment later she tilted her head, blinking as she took full stock of the figure in front of her. Kuroko, for her part, continued to stare at her wide eyed, words failing her as she remained tongue-tied.

"Oh, you're Shirai, right?" Mikoto guessed, after she continued to remain silent.

"Ah, y-yes, right!" she finally stuttered out, giving a flustered little nod. "It's uh, nice to see you again, Misaka!"

Mikoto murmured her polite acceptance of her words in response, and a moment of lingering, awkward silence passed between them.

In that time, Kuroko felt her heart flutter rapidly in her chest, an odd sense of warmth filling her body soon thereafter. She searched desperately for something, anything to say, because she could not screw this up a second time!

Okay, Kuroko, think! She had to bring up something to Mikoto, something to break up this awkward silence. Some sort of topic they had in common. Come on, she couldn't screw this up again! She had to forge that friendship with Mikoto sooner rather than later, so the sooner she laid the groundwork, the better! So think of something to say already!

"S-so, did you know Charlie Chaplin was almost assassinated while he was in Japan?" she babbled the first thing that came to mind.

WHY?!

Misaka blinked rapidly, taking a long moment to formulate her response. "Is that so?"

Kuroko could feel her face break out in a nervous sweat, swirls appearing in her eyes as she stared back at Misaka. She was in too deep now, though, and her only way forward seemed to be digging herself in even deeper.

"Y-Yes, it was part of the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi in 1932. Chaplin was attending a sumo match at the time of Tsuyoshi's assassination, though, so the conspirators weren't able to get to him."

Mikoto blinked again, and finally said, "Well that's…an interesting fact."

"Y-Yes, yes it is," Kuroko agreed, even as she internally begged for the ground to swallow her up.

She gave her one last look, a look that made Kuroko want to die on the spot, and moved to walk away. "Well then…guess I'll see you around."

"S-See you around," she said, giving Mikoto a mechanical wave as she moved out of view.

A few seconds after she had left, Kuroko gave a frustrated whine and turned to the nearest wall, which she proceeded to bash her head against. She stopped only after she left a sizable dent in it, an exasperated sigh exploding from her lips.

"Shirai."

Kuroko froze as she remembered, all too abruptly, that Komaki was still present. In a tone halfway between shocked and delighted, she asked,

"What was that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she immediately denied, looking away with a flushed grimace. That grimace only deepened when she heard Komaki's resulting giggles.

"Wow, Shirai, I didn't take you for the type to fall for a senior," she snickered. "I guess Misaka is really cool, huh? She is the Railgun, after all. I honestly don't blame you…"

"Makigami…" Kuroko replied in a warning tone, her right eye twitching faintly.

"Oh, I can't wait until I tell Uiharu all about this," she continued, snickering some more.

"Don't you dare," Kuroko gasped, whirling around to face her roommate.

But Komaki was already heading down the opposite hallway, still giggling as she waved her off. "I'll see you later, Shirai!"

Kuroko growled after her, briefly considering the merits of chasing after her to strangle some sense into her. But she abandoned the idea just as quickly. Instead she deflated, groaning out loud as she covered her face up with her hands. Moments later she started recriminating herself.

How was she supposed to befriend Mikoto Misaka when she couldn't even act like a normal fucking person around her?!

"Baby steps, Kuroko, baby steps," she muttered to herself, doing her best to calm down. "You need to learn how to talk around the Railgun, and not weird her out. Ugh, could this day get any worse?!"

Damn these infuriating, infernal teenage hormones! Damn this stupid, asine crush! And damn Kuroko Shirai, because when she needed her shameless confidence the most, it always seemed to elude her. That's what she got for being so socially awkward in her last life…

Kuroko groaned again, standing still for a long moment before she slowly, shakily, started to walk in the direction of her next class. Which…

Oh, shit. She had gym class next. She'd…been actively avoiding dwelling on that. Well, hopefully it wouldn't be too awkward?

It was.

Kuroko resolved to put it out of her mind as soon as school came to an official end. She and Komaki carried out their punishment with due diligence, and once the Dorm Supervisor was satisfied with their work, they were allowed to go. Kuroko left the Tokiwadai campus with her bag slung over her shoulder, issuing a tired sigh as she walked off.

Though, she didn't get too far away from the campus when she spotted a familiar face waiting nearby.

"Oh, Rakko," she greeted, casually waving to the older girl. She spoke in a somewhat puzzled tone, surprised to see her so close to her own school, before she fully took in the school uniform Rakko was wearing.

Right, she was from Private Shidarezakura Academy, a school that itself was part of the five private all girls schools that made up School Garden. It only made sense that she'd run into her here.

"Ah, Shirai!" Rakko brightened up immediately upon seeing her, smiling at her as she waved back. "Wh-what a pleasant coincidence, running into you here! I almost forgot you went to Tokiwadai."

She nodded at that, looking her over curiously as she felt that nagging feeling return. Ah, she was so close to remembering it…just why was Rakko so familiar…?

"So, what are you doing near Tokiwadai?" she asked, even as she continued to wrack her brain.

"Oh, um," Rakko faltered for a moment, Kuroko almost sure she saw a panicked look in her eyes, before she seemed to calm down just as fast. "Oh! I'm just, um, waiting on my younger sister! She goes to Tokiwadai too, as it happens. Ah, maybe you've met her? Her name is Iruka."

…Right! That was it, wasn't it? She was Iruka Yumiya's older sister. One of the antagonists from Astral Buddy, if she recalled. Though not the one she really needed to worry about, in terms of threats. Hm, she really needed to sit down when she had the chance, and figure out what she was going to do about that, too…

Well, then again, she was meeting with Shokuhou soon, and she'd probably have a better idea on how to nip that problem in the bud.

But, anyway, she remembered now. Rakko had been with Iruka, Junko, Misaki, and the others at the Clone Dolly facility. That's where she knew her from! Ah, she was glad she had that sorted out now.

"I haven't had the chance yet, but I know her by name," she said. "Perhaps you can introduce us sometime."

"Ah, maybe I will!" Rakko agreed, looking off to the side before she focused back on her. "Oh, um, since you're here, I was wondering, do you want to hang out?"

"Aren't you waiting for your sister?" she countered, tilting her head.

"R-Right! Well, Iruka might be busy anyways, s-so it might be awhile before she leaves," she stuttered out.

"Hm, well…" Kuroko gave it a moment's thought, before she sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not free today. I'm running late for my Judgment duties as it is. But, I should be free tomorrow, if you're interested?"

"Oh, yes, tomorrow works!" Rakko nodded, vigorously nodding her head.

"Great, it's a date then," Kuroko said, before she started walking away. "We can meet out here again after class lets out, okay?"

"D-Date…?" Rakko muttered to herself, before shaking her head. "Right! That sounds good! I'll, ah, see you tomorrow then!"

Kuroko nodded, waving goodbye as she left the area. Well, she had plans for tomorrow, then. Maybe she'd even invite Uiharu along. And speaking of plans…

She'd made that appointment with Heaven Canceller for Saturday morning, the soonest he had an appointment opened up. A bit disappointing it was that far away, but still, he had to be a busy man. She was lucky it wasn't a week from now, or something.

Regardless, she'd talk to Shokuhou Friday, and then Heaven Canceller the day after. By Sunday she'd have three solid allies as part of her inner circle, maybe four if she lucked out on finding Touma. Soon enough, she'd have the wheels in motion for her plans to change Academy City.

She just hoped it was enough to settle the issue…

Honestly, she still wasn't sure how she was going to deal with Accelerator, aside from potentially throwing Touma at the problem. Which, well, it worked the first time, surely it'd work again…

The idea still left her ill at ease, however. She really should look into potential alternatives, just in case. Hm, how had Accelerator gotten shot in the head, anyway? Right, he'd used his abilities to try and save Last Order without killing her, and that left his own body defenseless. Well, clearly she couldn't copy that strategy.

Wait, could she somehow trick Accelerator into using the Level Upper? If he was the only person on the network, she didn't think his power would increase, and either way he'd ultimately fall into a coma. Probably? She'd need to consult with Kiyama and Heaven Canceller about that. It was possible his ability would prevent the Level Upper from working on him in the first place. Still, it struck her as a potentially feasible idea, though it felt like only a temporary solution. It certainly wouldn't help to change his worldview, and Kuroko was uncertain if rendering him unconscious like that would stop passive use of his ability.

It was better than nothing, though, and at least this didn't just rely on throwing Touma at the given problem.

Kuroko continued to muse over her issues, half-baked plans and ideas swirling in her mind the entire time.

Her travel to the 177th Judgment Branch Office went by uneventfully, and Kuroko walked inside the office soon thereafter, greeting Konori and Uiharu as she did so. Uiharu gave her a pleasant smile, and Konori gave her a brief lecture on not getting in trouble at school, having heard about her punishment. But, other than that, nothing abnormal happened once she arrived at the office. Uiharu treated her no differently than normal, and Konori wasn't acting like anything strange was going on…

At the very least, Uiharu had kept her secret. More than that, Uiharu wasn't treating her any differently, after last night. Kuroko couldn't help but be thankful for that, feeling like it was a balm for her soul. Truth be told, she'd been fearful that Uiharu would have reconsidered her stance after having a day to mull things over, but that clearly wasn't the case.

God, she didn't deserve her.

At any rate, Kuroko set out to complete her work at the Judgment office: most importantly, she did not forget to try and look up Touma this time. Sure enough, she did find his name mentioned in a few separate incident reports, though nothing beyond that. No separate profile for him, no contact information…nothing. It was a little frustrating, but not entirely unexpected. Hopefully the Maika lead might be a better avenue for her.

Not long after, she decided to go out on patrol with Uiharu again, and soon enough the two of them left the office. After a bit of travel, they started making their way through one of the parks of District 7, keeping an eye out for any trouble.

But much like yesterday, today seemed to be free of strife and conflict. So far, at least. Nothing troublesome happened during the start of their patrol, and they hadn't received any emergency calls either. Kuroko hoped that streak of peacefulness would continue.

Meanwhile, she and Uiharu engaged in idle chatter as they went along, keeping things light between them. Though it seemed Uiharu's concern got the better of her, as she finally asked,

"How are you feeling, Shirai?"

Kuroko glanced over at her, taking a moment to consider her response.

"I'm…better, I think," she said, giving a wistful little sigh. "I have to admit, it felt cathartic coming clean with you, last night. Having someone else know what I'm going through, it really helps, I think."

Uiharu gave a supportive smile at that, and said, "I'm glad. I can tell, actually. You seem so much lighter today."

"Do I, now?" Kuroko questioned, shaking her head slightly as she smiled.

"You do!" Uiharu confirmed, though a teasing glint entered her eyes after a few moments. "Although, I can't help but wonder if that's also because of that upperclassman of yours…"

Kuroko froze, and let out an aggrieved groan. She shot Uiharu a disgruntled look and grumbled, "What did Makigami tell you?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that there seems to be a senior at Tokiwadai that's left you starstruck," Uiharu giggled, clearly amused. A few moments later though, a more speculative look appeared on her face. "Although, you said you liked…so, does that mean…"

Uiharu gave a small gasp, and glanced over questioningly at her. Kuroko, in response, let out another frustrated sigh and looked away, her cheeks tinged red.

"...Yes, Uiharu. My body has a crush on this…upperclassman," she finally said, shooting her friend a peeved look.

"Your body?" she questioned, brows furrowed at her word choice.

"Yes, my body. I…Kuroko Shirai developed a crush on her before I…before last week," she said, looking off to the side for a few moments. "So I inherited that crush, much like everything else. That doesn't mean I like it, though."

"...But why?" she pressed.

"Well, it's not like I had a choice in the matter," she muttered to herself mulishly.

Okay, that wasn't entirely fair. She hadn't had a choice in her feelings of friendship toward Uiharu, either, but Kuroko didn't mind that nearly as much. It wasn't like Kuroko Shirai had had much of a choice either, when his memories had gotten blasted into her head, and had overwritten her prior existence.

"It's just…not appropriate," she said in a louder tone. "I'm older than her, much older than her, so it just isn't right."

"…Shirai, we're the same age," Uiharu pointed out in a confused tone.

"Well, yes, but…no…" Kuroko sighed again, shaking her head as she tried to figure out the best way to vocalize her dilemma. "I told you last night, Uiharu. I was an adult in that other life. Twice as old as you are, now. My current body might be thirteen years old biologically, but mentally…"

"So…you'd rather be dating an adult instead…?" she questioned in a perplexed tone.

"Ugh, god no, that'd be worse," Kuroko immediately denied.

Sure, on the surface level, she'd feel more comfortable having feelings toward women who were adults themselves. But the only adults who would be interested in reciprocating those feelings to her current self would not be ideal partners, to put it kindly.

"Shirai…" Uiharu spoke up after a moment of silence, giving her an odd look as she went on. "I…kind of get how that'd be weird. It'd be, like, me having a crush on an elementary school boy."

"…Something like that, yes," she allowed.

"But wouldn't an 'adult' having a friendship with someone my age also be kinda weird?"

Kuroko felt her face twitch at that, and no ready answer leapt to her tongue. Kazari took her silence as an answer itself, and pressed onward.

"Shirai, I understand you feel…different, after getting those memories. But, you're also still you. You're every bit as Kuroko Shirai as you are this other person. I just…don't want you to forget that."

She glanced away uncomfortably at that, resisting the urge to deny Uiharu outright. Her friend still didn't understand just how wrong she was. The only things left from Kuroko Shirai were what she'd inherited: her memories, her brain chemistry, her feelings. Aside from that, Kuroko Shirai was dead, for all intents and purposes. She was…whoever she had been, in that prior life, and nothing else.

Right?

For the first time since she'd arrived at this strange world, Kuroko felt an ember of doubt stoked inside of her mind. Just as quickly, however, she smothered that budding flame.

"I'm going shopping with a senior from another school tomorrow," she finally said, purposefully changing the subject. "I met her in passing the other day, and she wanted to hang out. So, did you want to come with me?"

Uiharu gave her a look, but after a few moments, seemed to let things slide. A graceful smile returned to her lips, and she nodded.

"I think I'd like that. That sounds great to me! Hm, a senior from another school you said? So she's also from School Garden?"

Kuroko nodded, filling in Uiharu with what she remembered about Rakko Yumiya. Uiharu seemed excited at the prospect of meeting a girl from one of the other prestigious academies from School Garden, and Kuroko let her have her fun, amused as she was.

Once again, their relatively quiet and uneventful patrol continued, the two of them enjoying each other's company as they went along. Though as the evening progressed, Kuroko felt that small ember of doubt reignite itself, staying with her even after her patrol concluded, and she went back to her dorm.

It was late into the night, and Kuroko was unable to sleep. She did her best to try and rest, to get some amount of sleep before it was too late, but her mind remained far too active for that to happen.

After a point, she gave a muffled sigh and threw the covers off of herself. She glanced toward Makigami, making sure her roommate was still asleep. Then, she glanced at the dresser next to her writing desk…and slowly, she got up from her bed.

She sat at her desk, reaching into one of the drawers of the dresser. From within, she pulled out the spiral notebook Kuroko Shirai had used for her creative writing endeavors. One of the few things she had had in common with the girl. A pure coincidence.

Or was it just a coincidence?

Kuroko stared at the front cover of the notebook, an anxious pit developing in her stomach. Part of her knew what she'd find in here, and had been actively ignoring and suppressing that knowledge since she'd come back to Tokiwadai. But, she couldn't ignore it any longer. Not now.

Slowly, Kuroko opened the book, and started to read. An all too familiar story met her eyes, and her hand started to shake as she turned the pages. After getting through a quarter of the story, she came to an abrupt stop. She let out a shaky breath, doing her best to calm her racing heart. But that was easier said than done…because there was no denying it, now.

She knew this story. Intimately so.

This was, and wasn't, her story. This was his. He had come up with this tale as a young adult. He'd spent years working on it, wanting to publish it as his first novel. And now, here it was again, but written by the hands of a thirteen year old girl. Some of the details were different, and some parts of the setting had been changed by Kuroko Shirai. By and large, however, the story itself was the same one he had written in that other life.

And Kuroko Shirai had started writing this long before he had awakened inside of her mind. The implications of that alone terrified her.

She let out a long, shaky sigh, and slowly closed the notebook. She stared up at the ceiling for a long while afterwards, a question swirling within her, one that had laid dormant ever since her awakening. And only now, could she fully give voice to it.

"What am I?"

The line between Kuroko Shirai, and who he had been, didn't seem so clear now.

Author's Note:

Been sitting on this reveal for a little while now. I wasn't entirely sure about it, but I still liked the idea well enough, so here we are.

Hope you all enjoy!