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. Minor spoilers for heroine scenarios in Harvest Festa.

Records of the Harvest Festival, Part 5

"Shimako?" I asked quietly.

She simply watched us.

Silently. Quietly. Curiously.

It reminded me of the Key.

No, that wasn't quite right. It reminded me more of…

Akane?

No, not her either. It was–

"Who's this, senpai?" Hitomi whispered. She had a conflicted expression on her face, as if she wanted to reach out and be friendly, but couldn't.

But I think she also remembered.

Anyone could be a summoner. Anyone could be–a dangerous enemy.

"We're not here to fight," I speak slowly to the girl. "You know that, right?"

She looks at every single one of us. Even Kagari, which caused me to take a defensive sidestep, placing myself directly in her way.

Then, seemingly reaching a conclusion, Shimako turns and starts walking.

I exchange a glance with Inoue, and she angles her head.

As we walked, I could hear a whispered conversation behind me.

"Why shouldn't we, Imako? It seems too dangerous to–"

"A skilled summoner can call their familiars from the otherdimensional space with a thought! If something happens to Akira–"

Silently, Inoue grasps my hand. I squeeze back, trying to reassure her.

The smarter option would have been to attack first. To strike without hesitation, or at least, knock her out or restrain her in some way.

Did I hold back because she was young? Because she was acquainted with someone I knew?

And she could see Kagari, too. That was all the more dangerous.

We go up some stairs, then down some stairs. It seemed that we were already on the lowest floor.

If she was trying to get us lost, it wasn't going to work. I could remember the way–picture it clearly, in my mind's eye.

I still held on to Inoue's hand. Kagari was still holding on to her hand.

And as we walk, I finally realise.

Kashima Sakura. That was who Shimako reminded me of.

Both Kashima Sakura and Akane–

Akane, who was the successor to Gaia's Holy Woman, Kashima Sakura–

I keep myself still to not give anything away, as the pieces fall into place.

The Holy Woman–

'Us'. The memory, and others like it, had always referred to the Holy Woman as–

'There'll be another time.' 'Successor'. So, reincarnation?

So, the little girl in front of me was–

No, that couldn't be true. Gaia could be covering up Kashima Sakura's death, but I was quite sure Akane was still alive.

…but Kashima Sakura was much older than Akane than Akane was than Shimako.

Unless Akane was secretly older? No, I had saw her as a little girl, way back then.

I felt like a detective in those mystery novels I had talked about with Inoue.

Cut away the impossible, and whatever remains is the truth, no matter how weird it seems.

But there were still too many assumptions, weren't there?

Shimako stops in front of a door, and pushes it open.

Inside the room was something I recognised as a familiar immediately, even though it was no animal.

A tree. A large tree occupied the far wall of the room. Roots ran along the ground, and also along the ceiling, like it was barely being contained.

"This is–" Hitomi makes to draw her sword, but I raise an arm, low, to stop her.

I meet eyes with the mysterious little girl. "This is important?"

She nods.

"What on earth?" Imako mutters from the tree. She had placed her hand on the living wood almost instantly, before we could stop her. "The main function of this just seems to exist. What could this possibly–ah."

A sound of distinct dissatisfaction came from Shimako's throat.

"You know what this is?" I turn to the glasses girl.

"I forgot. Familiars take the shapes of living things, but they aren't living things themselves. The distinction doesn't apply–" A scrap of paper fell from her fingers and dissolved into dust, reminding me of the familiars I had killed. "No," she continues, "In the first place, that's not what 'observation' means. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid!"

I took a quick glance at Shimako, who was looking more displeased at the second. "Don't antagonise Shimako, Imako."

"I'll explain it later." The summoner pulls at her cap, but she stepped back and made no further action. "It's not going to suddenly come to life and attack us…probably."

"Why show this to us?" I ask Shimako. "How did you even know we were here?"

A shake of the head, and the girl leaves again.

"What if it's a trap?" Doubt was clear in Hitomi's voice.

"Then we spring it." Inoue stalked after the mute girl, and there was no choice but to follow.

If we had started relaxing after the first peaceful hours of the operation, we weren't any longer. Hitomi's hands were now permanently set on her sword hilts, as if expecting familiars to leap out of the walls. Behind her glasses, Imako's eyes were as cold and hard as an Arctic glacier, and her fingers fiddled around with more paper, quietly discharging anxious energy.

We rounded a corner, and for the first time (technically, the second time), we saw people in the corridor–men and women in lab coats, though not many.

"Act normal," I hiss. "We're in Gaian robes, remember? And Imako has her staff pass."

"Don't need to tell me." There was tension in Hitomi's voice.

Ten metres. Five metres. Two. One.

Shimako walked by without a care.

We followed behind. I take a quick glance at Inoue, and she looked completely unruffled. Incredible.

A few of them shoot glancing looks at us. The phrase "Holy Woman" reached my ears, but nobody made to approach.

We encounter a few more groups, with Gaian cloaks mixing in with lab coats, but similarly, all of them paid us little attention. I didn't know if it was the Key's interference at work, or whether Shimako being there explained everything.

It seemed that the researchers didn't really want to get close to the anyone related to Kashima Sakura.

Slowly, the corridors became more furnished, and it became–not crowded, but it seemed that more people were around.

Were we finally returning to civilization?

We pass by a single man in a lab coat. His hair, a green so dark it was almost black, was messy. Another thing I noticed: most of the researchers didn't really seem to pay attention to their looks.

I supposed it made sense. Why put in any effort when the world was going to end?

"Tanuma."

We all flinched as the man directed his words in our direction.

"Mitsugashira." Imako addressed the man. "Was there something you needed?"

"Just wanted to thank you for your advice on my ecosystems report." The man inclined his head. "Have you been keeping well?"

"Yes."

The man nodded. "Send my well-wishes to your father." A pause. "Are you sure you don't want me to introduce–"

"It's fine."

"Very well." The man's glance flicked over us."I can see you and your friends are in a hurry, so I'll get out of your way. Sorry."

Imako simply inclines her head in acknowledgement.

We catch up to Shimako, but Imako lags behind, and I overhear their final exchange.

"By the way. If the Holy Woman's Disciples have requested anything of you, be careful. There's been…"

"I know." A pause. "You should ask your sister and her family to go on vacation for a few days. You as well."

"I'll consider it." Mitsugashira bowed his head.

~~[r]~~

We finally emerge, somehow, into a relatively secluded part of Kazamatsuri Cultural Hall.

It appeared that Shimako had not led us into an ambush, but she had, knowingly or unknowingly, still prevented us from exploring more of Gaia's headquarters. "Don't remove your hoods yet," I say out of the corner of my mouth. "There's cameras here."

"Field trip's not over until we're all home, huh?" Hitomi remarks

In the few seconds that we turn our eyes away, Shimako disappears back where we came.

"Damn it." There went our chance at getting any more answers–then again, it wasn't likely that we were getting any from the mute girl in the first place.

Speaking of mute girls, I turn to Kagari. Her purple eyes still held that same blank expression, and she drifted along like a sleepwalking ghost.

The Key. The Holy Woman.

And rewriting.

I didn't want to think about what it all meant.

"Dinner?" Hitomi suggested.

I look to Inoue, who was typing away on her phone with some intensity, and Imako, who simply looked drained. "Sounds good."

As it turns out, we were somewhere at the back side of the Cultural Hall. The ceiling was high, and the lights were orange and somewhat dim. It reminded me of being in an underpass or a tunnel, a giant man-made cavern.

"That man…"

"Just a colleague." Tanuma answers. "We're technically assigned to the same room, but…"

"You do most of your work from your house?" Hitomi asks.

"It would be more accurate to say I'm not a real researcher." Imako's expression made it clear that she thought Hitomi was being very kind. "He may not look intimidating, but his control of familiars is not to be trifled with."

Hitomi once again had a conflicted expression on her face. To her, after all, almost everyone in the building was an enemy combatant.

"You told him to take a break," I say.

"He's been kind to me before." One of the few people that were, her tone seemed to imply. "I don't think he deserves to get hurt."

"Even if all of you are working towards the world's ruin?" Hitomi remarks without thinking, and Imako looked like she had been slapped in the face.

I was about to comment when a bunch of people in white cloaks appeared, walking down the main hall. Everyone else seemed to give them a wide berth.

"The choir." Inoue, I, and Imako all simultaneously said, and Hitomi merely looked confused. "Let's get out of the way," I add.

"What's a choir?" Hitomi gazed at the procession as it passed.

"If we tell you, you must promise not to shout," Inoue said.

"Okay."

Inoue explained.

There was a pause.

"I did promise not to shout, right?" Hitomi's fingers rested on her swords, still concealed, ironically, by her black Gaian robe.

Luckily, we hadn't run into any metal detectors.

"Yes." My head turns left, right, and left again. There were still plenty of people in cloaks in the entrance hall–it didn't look as if we stood out.

"I should be telling–" Hitomi mimicked my action, then reconsidered her choice of words "-my superiors. You're saying that there's a way to provoke–"

"We can't confirm it, but it seems like that's the case." Inoue adds.

"We should be following them." The superhuman looks more like a predator than a hunter, ready to pounce. "We should be–"

"We can't just storm the enemy's base by ourselves!" I shoot back a terse whisper. "I know you want to be a hero, but this isn't the time for it!" A memory comes to mind. "Did Esaka-san never give you the talk?"

But he wouldn't have, I realised. This girl–in Guardian, didn't she say she blended in? Always aiming to be average, to not attract attention–

All while keeping her true opinions to herself?

She would have escaped notice.

Funnily enough, mentioning my mentor that seems to calm her down. "I know. He gave a speech that time."

"It was a speech?" I continue to keep my eyes on the moving choir while speaking, hoping to distract Hitomi from doing something rash. "In my day, it was just a chat at the graduation dinner."

"In your day, huh?"

Oh, crap.

"Let's just save it for after we get out." Hitomi forestalls my reply.

We walk out through the main door of Gaia's headquarters.

And that was the end of our first mission.

~~[r]~~

Collectively drained, and wanting to avoid suspicion, we decided to disperse instead of dine. Imako headed straight home, while Hitomi rushed off somewhere, presumably to keep up appearances as a Guardian member.

Before she left, though, the superhuman handed over a memory stick.

"This is what I managed to get from Guardian. Turns out I had access to some things after all. Ehehe!"

"Don't go 'ehehe'. It's unbecoming."

Now, it was just me, walking Inoue home.

"How's Kagari?" she asks.

"Same as always." I let out a long exhale. In the end, nothing had happened, and the girl hadn't reacted strangely to anything, nor slowed us down.

But it had still been an enormous risk.

"Hopefully we don't have to do any more of these," I say. It was late afternoon–too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. "Want to grab a snack?"

"I'd rather go straight home. Not that I'm not hungry, or that I don't want to spend time with you," she adds. "We're just carrying some very valuable intel right now."

"Of course." She didn't have to reassure me, though. If there was one thing I was certain of, it was Inoue's feelings for me.

"I know! How about you accompany me home? We can work on the article together! My mom can cook you dinner."

"I'm just worried that your dad might try to kill me."

"What for?" Inoue waves a hand. "Besides, you'd win in a fight, wouldn't you?"

If it came down to that, I probably could, but that wasn't the point. "Did you have a fight with him again?"

"Not another one." Inoue gives a negative response. "It's just…well, I lost a little respect for him ever since that time." A pause. "Even though I know he was just looking out for me and Mom."

"So you haven't forgiven him."

"I have! I'm just not very happy."

May the gods help me if Inoue ever turned her ire towards me.

At least, that was what I understood from the conversation. Personally, I never felt as if my own parents could ever be reasoned with.

Though there was one thing I was curious about. How did my folks react to my injury?

"It was probably a shock." Inoue says. "After all, you didn't tell them that you were running away at all, right?"

Running away.

If you're running away like a child, you'll have no help from me. But if you're leaving as a man, I accept.

Had I really left as an adult? Or did I manage to fool everyone?

Even myself?

"I didn't." I tell Inoue what little I remembered while bedridden. While floating in and out of consciousness from the drugs that kept me from pain and death.

The sombre mood hangs over us like a small cloud while we walk through the bustling festival.

"We probably didn't even need to go there." Inoue says. "After you recovered, your parents were hands-off, weren't they? At least, compared to what they were before."

"Yeah." I practically never saw them around. Now I could guess why.

Guilt, maybe. Or resignation.

"Can we move on to something less depressing?" I demand. "We just finished a mission!"

"Right. The secrets of the world are ours for the taking." Inoue opens the front door of her own home. "Looks like nobody's home. Come in!"

"Pardon the intrusion," I say to nobody in particular. "Come on, Kagari. You too."

"Pardon…the…intrusion…"

Both Inoue and I turn to the Key in a single synchronized motion. Inoue seizes her shoulders. "Kagari!"

"Mom…Dad…good…memories…" Her hands reach up to touch her earmuffs, hanging around her neck.

"What are good memories, Kagari?" I demand.

"The…world…"

"It's not good." Inoue shuts the door. "I don't think we have much longer."

"We already knew that."

I look at Kagari. My first instinct was to reach up and feel her forehead for a fever, before I realised how stupid the gesture was.

What were good memories?

In all of Gaia's lore that I had seen, there had been no mention of the phrase.

I continue racking my brains as we proceeded to Inoue's room.

Ah.

Was this the first time I was in her room?

No, not really. The last time, we had been in a rush. Now, with some time, I look around.

A bed, a small wooden-framed couch next to the bed, and the room's windows above that, with a small potted plant on the cubby. Bookshelves, a wardrobe, a desk…everything was quite plain, except maybe for the standing mirror, but even then, it wasn't especially fancy.

Down-to-earth, but well-lived in. That was my impression.

What was interesting was the desk, which was both wider and deeper than my own, and which held various bits and bobs of electronics, as well as a desktop PC.

With practiced motions, Inoue laid out all the devices that had been brought to Gaia's HQ, sat down, and immediately started uploading data to her computer. The notebook, too, was placed on the tabletop, and her dancing hands opened a laptop, clearly intending to digitise her notes.

"Let me help."

She turns to look at me. "Er, I usually–"

"Let me help. Do you have another chair? The table's wide enough."

With that out of the way, we set to work. Inoue was quick, and the day's findings began to condense into a proper article.

"Multiple articles," Inoue said. "The sealed space, the study rooms, and then the relic room."

A glance at her screen already showed that part one had been sent to her so-called comrades. Meanwhile, my main task was to digitise the notes that she had taken about all the familiars that contained memories.

Almost all of them were still fresh in the mind. There were also unfamiliar ones that had been dictated by Imako, which contained many other things I didn't have a chance to examine.

The long and tragic history of Gaia.

I look to the side at her. She was back in zombie mode, purely focused. The new information that Hitomi had given us was seamlessly being integrated into our report.

"No, this can't work," Inoue mutters. "There's information about the Key, but not about Guardian itself. The perspective is completely unbalanced…ah, but the training manual has some references, so with some inferences we can draw a link…paramilitary companies, outdoor adventure camps…and churches?"

Making a decision, I rise from my chair. Taking a look to check that Kagari was still there (she was immersed in staring out the window), I circle around to Inoue's back and seize her shoulders.

She jumps. "Kotarou!"

"What is it?" I keep my voice light as I knead my fingers, beginning a massage. Man, those muscles sure were stiff.

"What are–ahn! What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" I lean over her head. "Just lean back and relax."

"B-But there's so much left to–"

"You can take a break."

Even though Salvation could be on us at any moment. Even though I had lectured Inoue's friend the other day on the value of a minute of life.

But that was that and this was this, wasn't it?

"You can take a break." I repeat myself, adding strength to my fingers. Inoue lets out a sound like a contented cat, something like a purr and a moan.

"We-we're in my house, Kotarou."

"Shouldn't one be stronger on home ground?" I grin.

"You know what?" Inoue rolls her chair back. "Go for it."

As I further knead her stiff muscles, her expression turns to one of bliss. "You did good work today." I speak quietly, intimately. I look at the thick notebook on the table, and the computer screen where multiple windows displayed the photographs she had taken. "You were amazing."

"What are you saying all of a sudden? Are you trying to reassure me?"

If I were to be very honest, that was part of it. But stating it would ruin the effect, wouldn't it?

"I just felt like saying it." I take refuge in exact words. "You did all of this. You befriended all of us, persuaded all of us, and led us right into the depths of the enemy base. A successful; mission."

"Imako did most of the work, though."

"That girl wouldn't have done it without you. That's what matters." I lean in and whisper close into her ear. "You did good."

"Eep." Inoue lets out a squeak, but she doesn't otherwise move. At this distance, my superhuman senses could hear her heartbeat–a steady thump, thump, thump.

Hmm.

Possibilities run through my brain.

In a clumsy motion, I spin the chair around, cradle Inoue in my arms, and gently place her down onto her bed. I was about to straighten back up when I felt arms wrap around my sides and pull me down.

I decide to respond with an embrace of my own.

"Let's just stay like that for a while." Inoue speaks quietly into my ear. "Oh, and stay on this side of the bed. We haven't showered since we came back."

"So noted."

Time passes. I simply enjoy Inoue's presence, while thoughts run through my head.

"What do you think are good memories?" I ask.

"Apart from this?" I could hear the smile in her voice, even though my face was practically buried in the pink stripes of the bed. "We know what's not good. Fighting."

"I hope that doesn't mean we have to do something like achieve world peace," I quip. Taking Inoue in my arms, I roll around, so that she was now resting on me. "Besides, I don't think that might be enough."

"World peace isn't enough?"

I put words to my thoughts. "It's like…fighting is a bad memory, but not fighting isn't a good memory, not by itself. You're just avoiding something negative, but not doing anything positive."

"...since when did you get so wise?"

"Experience comes with age." I gently stroke Inoue's hair. Finding out about my true age–or rather, consciously and fully recognising my year of birth had been a large shock, but Inoue treated it lightly, and with time, I had started to worry less about it as well. "But with the Key in such a state…"

"Gah!" Inoue springs upwards suddenly. "I can't rest after all. Let's just do what we can. Onwards!"

"Onwards." I smile.

~~[r]~~

Another view

Senri Akane sat in the auditorium with blank eyes, the song of the choir floating in and out of her ears.

It had been a real shock to discover a part of herself that she didn't know exist.

Very strictly speaking, it was not a part of her, not yet. She hadn't fully taken on the role of Holy Woman, what with Kashima Sakura still alive.

Or perhaps, still not dead. The stray thought ran through her head.

When the contact had come, faint as it had been, Shimako had taken off immediately, and she hadn't the heart to stop her.

At the very least, she was now certain that the Key was with Kotarou.

The problem was, her grandmother–Kashima Sakura–knew it as well. She was also sure that before the day ended, orders would be given, and preparations would be made.

For the world's final act.

They would capture the Key, force it to sing in unison, and trigger Salvation.

And everything would be…over?

"I…don't…"

"Akane!"

"Chihaya." The pale-haired girl blinked slowly, a few times. "I'm all right. And keep your voice down."

"You're definitely not all right!" Chihaya lowered her volume, but her tone was just as anxious.

"I'm sorry."

The two girls leave the auditorium.

In the corridor, Akane turns to Chihaya. "Chihaya. I'll be plain with you. Take Sakuya and leave the organization. You've always been skeptical of how Gaia does things, haven't you?"

"Absolutely not!" Chihaya shoots her down immediately. "I'm not leaving you alone. Not with you like this."

"But what's going to happen next will be…"

"All the more why I'm sticking next to you. You're my friend too, Akane!"

"Is…that so? Thank you…Chihaya."

The rest of her words died on her tongue, before they could escape into the air.

If it comes to the worst…could you stop me?

~~[r]~~

Evening.

I walk through the streets that were illuminated by the lights of the festival.

In the end, I declined to stay for dinner. Inoue's mom–Kaede-san had arrived just as I was about to leave, and she had given me a knowing look.

Not that I had done anything wrong, really.

Kagari was also with Inoue for the night. That was how it was, seeing as how she had gone unresponsive yet again, after saying those few sentences. I honestly couldn't get a read on her.

Unpredictable. That was how she was.

Chaos theory–a butterfly flaps its wings, and the winds of fortune change. That was what Imako had said. And branches–of many possible futures, of many timelines, or routes, or possibilities, or whatever you might call them.

The report had been finished, copies sent to Inoue's three confidants.

One copy lay in a memory stick in my pocket. A cheap and disposable model, which barely had enough capacity to contain it.

What was going to happen when the truth was revealed?

Would the world even survive long enough?

Maybe I should have encouraged Hitomi. We could have infiltrated the choir, got up close to Kashima Sakura…

…and stopped her?

How?

To the rest of the world, Kashima Sakura was just a normal person. A person with good societal standing, even, as the Head of the Martel Board of Directors, and a veritable samaritan with many accolades to her name.

Could you even imprison a summoner?

In conflict, Guardian had always been…merciless.

Kill or be killed.

The ancient laws of survival, a remnant of humanity's ancestral days.

In this particular war, that had remained unchanged.

"Heh."

I laughed to myself, a quiet chuckle lost in the noise of the crowd.

What was I thinking? That I would be able to solve a conflict that had lasted longer than a hundred of my lifetimes?

Of everyone that had tried, I would be the one to succeed?

I had to remember.

That I was no hero. That I shouldn't be a hero.

But…

What about rewriting?

What about it, I asked myself.

Isn't it something that nobody else can do?

Well, we don't know that for sure.

How likely is it that two people have the same weird ability running around? This isn't the normal superhuman strength you've seen before.

That's just conjecture.

Also, of all the people in the forest that day, you alone ran into the Key. You encountered it at its birth when you were a kid. And now, you've run into it again. Doesn't that suggest some special link?

Isn't that wishful thinking? That I was special?

…Did that mean that deep down, I wanted to be a hero? Just like Hitomi? Just like Mikuni and the rest of the elite?

What did I want?

What would make good memories for me?

My house came into view, and the sight of it cut short my conversation with myself.

Not that it was on fire, or anything like that.

But there were suspicious people in dark uniforms prowling about.

And, with my night vision, I could also see…

Was that body armour?

"Guardian," I muttered. This was bad. Not just because I had Inoue's whole report with me.

There was a highly incriminating set of red robes in my backpack, too.

I tugged my hood over my head and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. The dark colour of my jacket blended into the night.

"Hey, why go through all the trouble? It's one boy, isn't it? A high-schooler?"

"Higher-ups say that he knows classified information. And," the guard lowered his voice even more, "he may be a former superhuman."

"What? At his age?"

"God knows."

I move closer.

"There's other rumours too. They say the Key's bewitched him or something."

"Don't tell me that monster has that sort of power. What else do we have to worry about?"

"It's just a rumour. But command also told us not to listen to a word he says. Creepy shit, I tell you."

Talking wasn't an option, huh?

I pick up a pebble lying on the side of the road…before putting it down again.

No, this was stupid. If I fought these guys here, more people might show up, and then we'd have a full war on my front door.

I turned and walked away.

…

To the convenience store.

In the brightly-lit shop, I called Inoue.

"What's up?"

"Just wanted to let you know my house is being staked out. They also seemed to have fished up my records, since they mentioned something about 'former superhuman'." I paused. "Shizuru must have said something after all."

"I can't blame her." I heard Inoue sigh on the other end. "Not everyone can be as free-spirited as our dual-wielding friend."

"No kidding." I load a bento into my basket…and then pick up a second bento after some thought. "I'm going to check in on Kotori. See how she's doing. Er, you're okay with that, right?"

There was silence.

"Inoue?"

"Yeah, no problem. You don't have to tiptoe around me, you know."

"Just checking."

"I appreciate the thought, though."

"I knew you would. Stay safe, okay? If anything–"

"Don't nag!" The reply comes loud and clear. "I know. Love you, Kotarou."

"Love ya too."

Maybe it'd be good to have some side dishes. Maybe I should get some food from the festival?

"I don't have any friends, so you show me around."

"Were you just planning on keeping him hanging for all eternity? You think that's fair to him?"

"So much for a good memory," I muttered to myself.

With that particular revelation, a lot of memories had turned sour. Spoiling–like old milk. Aged milk.

How many times had Kotori smiled at me while hiding her true thoughts? From when I had resumed middle school, to my first year of high school–

All this time–hiding her true self.

Everyone in the Occult Club–had hid their true selves.

Maybe that wasn't fair. Now that I've experienced how dangerous the supernatural was, it was only natural to want to protect your friends from it.

But it still stung, not being seen as reliable.

Only two people had been fully honest with me so far.

Yoshino, who lived true to himself, and whom I held a great deal of respect for, even if I would never tell him that to his face.

And of course, Inoue, who did the same.

A rival.

An equal.

Silently, I made a vow to tell Yoshino everything after all this. He deserved it–for many things that I couldn't name.

I step across the border, and end up in the same old wonderland. "Kotori."

"...Kotarou?"

"I brought you some food." I lay down a plastic bag, then pause. "Have you been here all this time?"

"Yes."

"You shouldn't coop yourself in here."

"Where's the Key now?" Kotori doesn't acknowledge my remark.

"She with Inoue tonight." I've heard of the concept of a commuting wife, but a commuting daughter, which seemed to be the closest equivalent, was novel.

…well, the child of divorced parents going back and forth between households was technically more accurate, but that metaphor was both depressing and inaccurate.

"Do you think it's safe?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," I sigh. "Kagari won't leave her side, and neither of us dare to try restraining her. Those ribbons would probably kill us."

"If you ever become a parent, your children will be spoilt rotten." Kotori makes a joke, but I could still see the weariness in her eyes.

"My children won't be able to kill me with a thought. Er, hopefully." I change the topic. "How are things here?"

"Both Gaia and Guardian have been entering the forest a lot more." Kotori doesn't touch the food, her hands instead continuing to work on the familiar laid on the wooden table. "But they won't find this place now that I've tightened the border." She glances at the power spot, still glowing green. "You're probably right that we can't go toe-to-toe with them, even with the numbers I could put out using the power spot."

"I see." I cast a slow look around. Little seems to have changed. "A power spot doesn't just dry up, right? This is our fallback shelter, in case everything goes wrong."

"It only does if there's a big change in the land, like an earthquake." Kotori answers. She uses a dropper, gently moistening a plant bird with glowing fluid, and it began to flap its wings, transformed by the infusion of life.

It takes off into the night sky.

Kotori looks off into the distance. "There's someone close by. It doesn't look like they've discovered this place yet, but they're close."

I stand. After the summoner the night before last–Midou, that was his name–I wasn't going to take chances. "I'll go check."

That kind of destructive power could overwhelm us in an instant.

Once again, my jacket's dark hood covered my light hair. I carefully make my way around the perimeter. It seemed quiet, but I didn't want to accidentally bump into some summoner or superhuman doing a routine patrol and flag this area as suspicious.

It wasn't long before I found who was looking around.

"Imako." I spoke quietly, and the girl jumped.

"T-Tennouji."

"Shouldn't you be resting at home? What are you doing here?"

"Setting up my eyes in the forest. Just in case."

"In case of what?"

The summoner pushes up her glasses and looks me in the eye. "In case my dreams come true."

"You know that the K–" I glance around. "You know that Kagari is with us now. You shouldn't need to find her."

"Things might still happen." Imako shook her head. "You know that it was because of my monitoring that I knew you and Hitomi were fighting?"

As it stands, I did not. "And look at how well that turned out," I joke.

"Indeed." She looks away.

"Are you going to tell us about that large tree in the basement?"

"It's nothing so fancy. It's just an emergency shelter to hide out the apocalypse." Imako chuckled. "Suzaki calls it an artificial afterlife, but it's just a facsimile of Kazamatsuri and the surrounding areas, created in the other dimension." She places her hand on a tree. "Avoiding the whole point of this, which is to use up your life and return to the earth. Cowards."

With how she had progressed recently, there were times that I almost forgot she was a true-blue summoner, with the mentality that it entailed.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I…"

Do I tell her about the power spot? Right now, only Kotori, Inoue, and I knew about it. In the end, both Imako and Hitomi were still members of their organizations.

"Never mind. It's not my business." She just takes out a length of thin cord and wraps it around the tree she was next to. A shide paper streamer was dangling from it, looking much like a white zigzag Tetris piece. "Just don't interfere with what I'm doing."

"Did you see more things in your dreams?"

The glasses girl's hands paused. "Curious you should mention that. I haven't."

"Then–"

"I haven't 'seen' anything these few days. Which is strange, given that until then, they got worse and worse."

"Maybe we've successfully prevented a bad ending." I make a joke, but a tiny part of it was genuine hope.

"I highly doubt that is true." Imako finishes her work and steps back from the tree. "It's more likely that something has gone wrong with…with me. Strange, isn't it? I curse the dreams for haunting me when I had them, and now that they're gone, I feel that something's missing?"

"Nah. I think it's perfectly human to only miss something when it's gone."

"Is that so? Just another part of the condition that I hate, then."

I couldn't think of anything to say to her response.

~~[r]~~

After confirming with Kotori that nothing was wrong and spending a bit more time in the forest, I decided to return to my house, with the faint hope that Guardian would give up and pursue more important things.

Far from that happening, the sounds of battle reached me before I arrived at my front door.

The growling of wolves. The muffled pops of silenced gunshots.

And angry shouts.

"Step away, you filthy summoners!"

"Don't back down! Attack!" A middle-aged female voice, contrasting with the gruff male tone of the guard. "Salvation is imminent!"

Was that a mere battle cry, or was it really true?

I ducked down and retreated, just in time to hear my phone buzz.

"Senpai! Gaia's moving out! There's fighting all over the city!"

"I know. Do you know anything about Guardian posting a watch on my house? There's operatives fighting familiars on my doorstep right now."

"No clue. It must be because–"

"That's the boy! Get him!"

More muffled pops sounded, and I twisted my body, getting out of the way. No, these weren't guns, not exactly, though my eyes caught a glint of metal.

Tranquilizer darts! They must want to take me in alive.

If someone had told me a few months ago that I was going to be on the run from the Men in Black (or, in this case, the closest equivalent thereof), I would have laughed in their face.

Look at me now, being hunted by a conspiracy.

More darts shoot at me, coming dangerously close.

Having no choice, I briefly call my claw of Aurora and parry one aside, before speeding up.

A dog runs at my side–

A hound familiar–

"Gaia too, huh?"

It was fine. I could run faster than this!

From in front of me, a streak of white shot in my direction–

–but not at me. It lodged itself in the hound's skull, a headshot.

Then, from above, a paper airplane traced a spiral down to me, and I caught it, only for it to speak in a familiar voice.

"You have to find Akira. I'll cover your tracks. Go!"

The familiar became inert paper in my hands.

Right. She lived in the same neighbourhood as me. And, just like I thought, she had a few tricks, even without her butterfly familiar.

I hightailed it across the city, trusting in her words.

It wasn't a full-blown conflict. Not yet.

But it was close. Like a hunted animal, I could read the atmosphere, and it was getting tense. People in robes and police-like outfits were everywhere, and I ran past them all.

And in the back my consciousness, I could hear it again.

The song. The chorus.

Not yet.

I had read the reports. The trees weren't bursting out of the ground, so we still had time.

But how much?

I arrived at Inoue's apartment, only to see a crowd around it.

"A fire drill?" I muttered.

No. All my instincts screamed at me that this was a trap.

But what to do? If I started shouting, I would draw attention to myself. To myself, and to Inoue and her family–

–which were all perfectly normal people, untouched by the supernatural.

"Tennouji Kotarou."

I froze at the sound of my name being called.

"If you make any sudden movements, I will shoot. Now, slowly raise your hands and place them on your head, and then turn around."

From the voice, I knew who this was. I also knew that it was someone I could have ran away from, or overpowered easily.

But I didn't.

Obeying the commands, I turn around and looked.

Into the amber eyes of Inoue's father.

Inoue's room design is referenced from Rewrite Ignis Memoria Graphic Record.

Review please!