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).

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

Record: The Messiah's Request (I)

As Inoue raised a finger to press the doorbell, the door itself suddenly flew open, and she was swept up by a woman with the same brown hair.

"Akira!"

"Mom!"

Mother and daughter shared a hug, before breaking apart. "Is that really you, Akira?" Inoue's mother had tears in her eyes. "Are you really back? Really okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Inoue was looking teary-eyed herself. "I'm sorry, mom. I–"

"Sssh. There'll be time for that later." Inoue's mother silences her. "Darling!" She calls into the apartment's interior. "Our daughter's home."

"So I've heard." A man comes up to the doorway, slightly shorter than Inoue's mother, with messy black hair.

"Dad!" Inoue flies into her father's chest.

"Welcome back, Akira. Did you find what you were looking for in the forest?"

"Mmm." Inoue sheds tears. "I'm sorry that I caused you both to worry."

"Well…like your mom said, there'll be time for that later." As his arms gently pat Inoue's back, he looks at me, standing awkwardly in the corridor. "And you must be…Tennouji Kotarou-kun, right?"

My eyes widen in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked. Akira talks about you all the time." He scans me up and down, with a pair of amber-golden eyes that looked nearly identical to Inoue's own. "You look beaten up. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"I…" Was he only saying that to be polite? In that case, should I refuse?

"Darling." Inoue's mother gently reprimands her husband. "I think Tennouji-kun should get back to his own house. I'm sure his own parents are worried."

I cringe internally. I hadn't seen my own parents in months.

"Mom!" Inoue says. "Tennouji's parents, um…"

"I'm sorry!" I suddenly remember the conversation we had on our first night there, and bowed deeply. "Inoue called me on Sunday and told me she was going! I should have talked her out of it then! I apologise!"

Inoue's father bursts out into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! I'd liked to have seen that happen. Knowing my daughter, you couldn't have stopped her. Nothing stands in her way once she gets going."

Funny enough, that was exactly what I had thought.

"Dad!" Inoue protested cutely.

"You know it's true." Inoue's father tousled his daughter's hair, before turning back to me. "Well, Tennouji-kun? Are you going to come in or not?"

"I…" I hesitate again, before making my decision. "Well, if you'd have me." I bow my head once more.

"Come on, then."

~~[r]~~

The apartment was modestly furnished, and would be plain, except for the many souvenirs on the shelves, and the many photographs on the walls. There were a few shots of nature, but they mostly featured Inoue's family, standing before various places: snowy mountains, sandy dunes, and some famous landmarks.

"Hmm. On second thought, perhaps I should fetch you both to a hospital to get a checkup. You didn't eat any strange plants in the forest, did you?"

"No, dad."

"Hmm." Inoue's father (maybe I should start calling her 'Akira' in my mind, since they were technically all Inoue, but it was too hard of a change to make) scans us both again. "We can eat dinner first. After that, it's straight to the hospital with both of you."

We move to sit at a circular dining table, where dishes had been laid out. "I've been cooking every night, hoping you'd be back." Inoue's mother explains the amount of food, fit for three people and then some.

"Thanks for the food," I say quietly, and start eating. A conversation starts up; Inoue's father seems to be asking her about the creatures she saw in the forest. Apparently, Inoue had been very open with her parents about her investigations.

My appetite dwindles, but I still force myself to eat, if only slowly, and also, very carefully. With my enhanced strength, I had to take care to not accidentally bend the cutlery, or break anything at all. My enhanced senses also tell me that the cooking of Inoue's mom was perfectly average, neither good nor bad.

All the while, I felt like an intruder, a stranger imposing on someone's happy family reunion.

I shouldn't be here.

"...Tennouji! Hellooo!"

"Sorry." I apologise on instinct.

"Tell my dad about how you protected me from the wild animals," she says eagerly.

She can't seriously be asking me to reveal my superhuman abilities, right?

I glance at her, and she only grins at me.

Maybe she just wanted to show me off?

"It's nothing much." I scratch the back of my head in embarrassment. "There were just these wild dogs and strange insects which I drove off."

"Oh?" Inoue's father looks at me appraisingly. "And you got off with little injury, I see."

"Yeah." I look down.

"He also drove off a big dragon thing made out of leaves!" Inoue says excitedly. "He was very cool."

"It's nothing much. I just distracted it while we ran." I shoot a warning look at Inoue, and her face falls slightly, understanding my meaning.

"Still very impressive." Both parents nodded at me, and then Inoue's mom spoke. "So? Did Akira make you her boyfriend yet?"

At this simple statement, I could feel my face growing fiercely hot. "Yeah. She did." I say meekly while looking down at my lap.

Inoue's father gives another hearty laugh. "It was about time. For the past few weeks, it was all she would talk about during dinner. Tennouji Kotarou this, Tennouji Kotarou that."

"DAD! Stop exaggerating! It wasn't that much!" Inoue protests vehemently.

Hiding my own surprise, I sneak a glance at her and see that she's about as red as I am.

I honestly had no clue at all that she was that into me, and my heart feels a bit lighter.

~~[r]~~

After dinner, Inoue's father drives me to my house, to pick up any documents I would need for a medical checkup.

I take the opportunity to stash the two memory cards containing the records of our forest adventure in hard-to-find places, as well as copy their contents to my computer's hard drive for good measure.

Why were there suddenly two memory cards?

Inoue had made a copy while she was getting changed, of course.

While waiting and on the drive, I learnt a few more things about the Inoue family. Specifically, their names. Inoue's father was Inoue Satoru, written with the character for 'dawn', while Inoue's mother was Inoue Kaede, written with the character for 'maple'.

A stray fact drifts into my mind, that single-kanji names were going out of fashion, and I smile. Maybe they had made it a family tradition?

At Kazamatsuri General Hospital we get directed towards the 'urgent, but not an emergency' line. The hospital clerks also apparently haven't heard anything about a girl going missing in the forest; it seemed that Inoue's parents hadn't yet been worried enough to contact the authorities.

I remain unfazed as I get examined. No ordinary medical checkup had ever detected my overall superhuman abilities (when I took care to hide my enhanced strength), nor my ability to rewrite myself. In fact, the only place where I had been worried was back at G—

A searing pain shoots through my head, and I wince. The nurse looks at me with concern.

"It's nothing," I say. "Just a sudden headache."

She didn't seem convinced, and carts me off to get something called an MRI scan. Apparently, electromagnetic waves can be used to scan my brain and see if there were any problems.

I look hesitantly at the cave-like machine. I had never been in one before. Would it expose me?

Well, it was too late to protest now.

I undergo the scan.

A short while later, the results come out, and I was told that there were no abnormalities, not with my brain, nor with any other part of my body. Apparently, I was just having a case of exhaustion and suffering from the after-effects of starvation.

Come to think of it, we never really completely ran out of food in the forest. That was a blessing.

I nod at the good news. I wasn't in the mood to deal with any problems. In fact, now that the adrenaline had worn off, all I wanted to do was go to bed.

The Inoue father-daughter pair was waiting for me at the cafeteria, where they were having small sandwiches, and Inoue a cup of warm milk tea on top of that.

Satoru-san looks at me sternly. "After I fetch you home, you will rest. And tomorrow, apart from taking care of your meals, you should stay home and rest as well. Akira told me a bit more about you, and I understand your situation, but even if you are currently alone in the house, there's no reason to go about gallivanting."

"I won't." I nod obediently.

"Good. Then, I'll inform the school on your behalf." He gives me the same stern look, before it disappeared. "That is, if you don't mind, Tennouji-kun."

"I don't mind." I repeat after him.

"Good," he says again. "Now, let's get the both of you back home."

~~[r]~~

Morning comes, and I awake in my own bed, muscles sore. I guess all that running around finally got to me, because I couldn't remember the last time I had hurt this much waking up.

…or had I? Disorientation strikes me, and I shake it off.

I reach out to take my phone, and I send Inoue a good morning message.

That was how a boyfriend should act, right?

"Not like I wouldn't have messaged her anyway," I muttered to myself, and got up.

I almost changed into my school uniform before I remembered that I was supposed to be resting at home today, orders from Inoue's dad. Instead, I head down to the kitchen, make myself some breakfast, and got to work.

What work, you ask?

Making more copies of the Forest Record.

One on the computer, and one on my music player, which could also hold files.

There were also the two memory cards that Inoue had handed me, which I had hastily stashed away last night. Finding some sticky tape, I stick one card on the underside of my bed.

The other chip was stashed in my underwear drawer. If Martel secret agents were to raid my house, they would at least be forced to look somewhere embarrassing, or something.

Right. Not Martel.

Gaia.

An organization of summoners, that controlled familiars. Monsters.

And the one that told me all of this…

I send a message to Kotori as well. My mouth curls up into a smile as I noticed that Inoue had replied.

Good morning to you too, sleepyhead.

I shoot off a reply. How are you? Do you hurt anywhere?

Apart from muscle aches, not really. Hey, do you want to call? Like over the computer?

You can do that? I ask.

Following Inoue's instructions, I download a program off the net, and a few minutes later her face appears on screen.

"Oh, this is neat," I remark.

"Neat indeed." She leans in closer to the screen. "After all, I get to see your face this way." Conveniently, my laptop had its own built-in camera and microphone.

"Yes ma'am. By the way, why the sudden call?"

"I wanted to see your face and hear your voice." Over the camera, Inoue seems to be blushing slightly, thought that might have just been the morning sun shining through her window.

The straightforward reply stuns me for a moment, and I could feel heat creep up my cheeks. "I'm glad." I say sincerely. "I actually would have went over to your house to see you too, but your dad did make me promise to rest at home."

"He's can be strict when he wants to, yes." Inoue says. "So, what are you going to do today?"

"I haven't thought about it, actually," I say honestly. "I thought I'd look more into…" I look furtively around my room, as if anyone was listening, "the whole Gaia thing."

Inoue's expression hardens. "Yeah. That's also what I thought of. You want to do some research together?"

"Sure, I guess. What do you actually do?"

Inoue perks up at my question. For the next few hours I received a crash course on how to more effectively use search engines, and then I prowled the web like a pro. It reminded of the time when she had given me pointers on writing my articles for the occult club.

I leant back on my chair and sighed.

The occult club. Compared to what I had faced in the forest, all the stuff that we had got up to there now seemed like child's play. Just fooling around.

Which had been the point, right? I started the occult club because I wanted to do something. To find out what the thing called 'youth' was.

But…

"Hey! Kotarou!" Inoue shouts at me. "Don't go drifting off on me."

"Sorry."

Her face turned a bit more serious. "Thinking about something?"

"Yeah."

She stares at me over the screen some more.

"What? Something on my face?"

"No, you idiot boyfriend of mine," she retorts. "I'm waiting for you to tell me what you were thinking about."

"Ah." Somehow, that possibility slipped my mind. "Just thinking about how the occult club seems childish."

Inoue grins. "Then join the Newspaper Club and get started on serious reporting. I'll even take you in as my apprentice."

"Heck no." I shoot her down. "I can't churn out articles like you do, Inoue."

"You definitely have the talent, though." Inoue says. "With a bit more practice, you'll be writing as good as me."

"I still think that's too serious for me, though. I don't know. I'll think about it."

Maybe challenging myself that way was the next step. To get to work more closely with Inoue also appealed to me. But somehow, it felt as if I was conceding to her if I accepted her offer.

We had been rivals first, after all.

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted Inoue's response. "Better hope it's not Martel sending goons after you," she said instead.

"Har har." I made a sarcastic noise. "I think they would be more likely to go after the well-known muckraking reporter."

She puts a hand under her chin. "That is true. But I'm just going to play dumb right until we set off the explosion under their noses."

The doorbell rang again, a more insistent pattern this time. "Be right back."

Leaving the connection open, I went downstairs and peeked out the window. When I saw who was waiting outside for me–

~~[r]~~

I rush up to my room. "Help!"

On the other side of the monitor, Inoue sprang to her feet immediately. "What? What's wrong!?"

"The occult club, they're–"

"Tennouji Kotarou, get back here this instant!" Lucia's angry voice sounded from the other side of my room's door.

"It seems like your fellow club members have been quite worried about you." Inoue takes in the situation and smirks at me. "You know what? Let's leave it here for now. I'll call you back later or something."

"Wait–"

"Seeya!"

The call ends.

More voices sound from the other side of my door.

"Ohtori-san, I agree with you, but you can't just break down his door!"

"Why not? If we claim he was delirious and assaulted us, we could write it off an as accident."

I couldn't let that stand, and wrenched open my own door. "All right, guys. I'm here. No breaking down my door."

"Kotarou." Shizuru raises a hand. "The people demand answers."

"And you shall have them." I play along, though I sigh. I look at the four familiar faces before me. "Wait, where's Kotori?"

"She had to leave early for family business." Class Rep tells me. "But she did suggest paying you a visit, and getting you lunch." She holds up a plastic bag. "Here."

I accept it. "Actually," I ask, "How did you know I was going to be at home? Or even that I was back?"

"Sensei told us during homeroom." Chihaya speaks. "That both you and Inoue-san were safely back from the forest and will be going back to school tomorrow."

I suck in a breath. Of course our homeroom teacher had to mention me and Inoue in the same sentence. Now the entire class would get the wrong idea–

Well, it was the right idea, if only the wrong premises.

"Kanbe-san also handed us this note from when we entered your house." Lucia takes out a familiar piece of paper which I had completely forgotten until that moment.

"I forgot I wrote that." I scratched my head sheepishly, before I move on to a concerning fact. "And what do you mean, 'entered my house'? You all broke in?"

"Your childhood friend had the spare key and let us in." Akane said. "However, concerning the stupidity that you got up to, I would say that breaking in would be justified."

Right. I forgot that Pres and Inoue were just fundamentally incompatible people. She would probably not be pleased to hear that I was now in a relationship with Inoue.

"Occult clubs are meant for pursuing the occult, pres." I shake my head to feign disappointment and throw a quip at her.

"I highly doubt that all of your little camping trip was directed towards that effort." Pres retorts easily.

"Hey, I nearly got–" I stop myself.

"Nearly got what?" Chihaya asks.

"Run over by a wild boar." I say quickly. "And mauled by dogs. And stung by leeches." Two out of three of those statements were technically true. "It wasn't a picnic, I tell you," I tacked on for emphasis.

"But you're not injured anywhere." Shizuru points out.

"We were both lucky enough to get only a few scratches, and I've been told I heal quickly." I add on.

No way was I going to expose my supernatural abilities, either. Not even for the president's boobs. There were more important things on the line now.

"That's good, then." Lucia says. "Now, are you going to have your lunch or not?"

The plastic bag held a bento box fresh from the convenience store. Deluxe, from the looks of it.

And here I had my hopes up that I would be getting some sort of home cooking. Guess I'm not a harem protagonist…well, not that I wanted to be.

"The original plan was that we would get together to cook something for you, but…" Lucia gets out.

Oh? My ears perk up at the statement.

"It was bad." Shizuru held her hands over her head. "Chii and Lucia–"

"Hey! You said you weren't going to mention anything!" Chihaya squawked, while Lucia's expression held the same degree of indignation.

I chuckle and forestall the argument. "Thanks, guys. The thought is enough. Have you all eaten, or…"

"I'm afraid we have." Lucia collects herself. "So…"

"It's time to quiz Kotarou while he eats!" Shizuru says happily.

The club members present spread out to poke around my room as I crack open my lunch. I hoped they wouldn't notice anything amiss, though the way Shizuru was hanging around my bed made me slightly nervous.

Akane peers over my shoulder at my monitor. "What were you doing before this?"

Apart from a 'call ended' window which I quickly minimised, the browser had tabs open to Quickipedia pages on animal camouflage and mythical animals. I thanked my lucky stars that we had gotten sidetracked relatively quickly from investigating Martel to investigating familiars, which, to be fair, was much more fun.

"Playing an RPG," I replied drily. "Then I got bored and decided to surf the internet."

Pres clicks her tongue at me. "Oh, you're such a kidder." In a flash, her hand seizes my mouse, and she clicks on the taskbar, restoring the call window. "'Inoue Akira'," she reads out loud to the room.

Three pairs of eyes turn to look at me.

"So it really was true, then?" Lucia asks. "You're going out with that girl from the Newspaper Club, and all that was just a giant date?" Her face takes on a slight blush, and her voice rises. "Just what did you get up to in the forest, Tennouji Kotarou?"

I consider my options. It would be dumb to lie when Inoue and I actually were going out.

Well, I don't think she was going to be happy about this, but it was probably the best course of action. It goes without saying that I would just need to take the blame later.

"You all broke in and read the note I left, right?" I say with mild exasperation. "Then you know what we were up to in the forest. Investigating."

Shizuru deftly points out my evasion immediately. "You didn't answer to the part about going out."

"We got lost and she confessed to me and I said yes." I managed to say all at once. "It was the most hectic three days of my life."

"So, it's one of those dramatic confessions?" Chihaya says. "'We're not getting out of here, so I have to tell you how I feel!' Was that how it went?" She, too, seemed unusually excited.

It was my turn to blush. What could I say? That had been nearly exactly how it happened!

"I've had these feelings for you long before these two days we've spent here! I don't want to die without letting you know how I feel."

"Incredible." Pres reads my face like a book. "This man actually had that kind of scenario happen to him."

"She said she liked me long before we went on that excursion!" I respond on reflex, which caused the looks of the club members to grow more intense.

"I see." Shizuru quirks her head. "So that's why she wanted me to bug you."

My head snaps around to Shizuru at the speed of light.. "Excuse me?"

She simply gives me a thumbs up. "You've nabbed yourself someone who likes you a lot. Good job."

"Never mind." I place my face in my palms. Guess that was one mystery solved, sort of.

Chihaya opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could, I was on my feet. "Alright, visiting hours are over for today."

"But–"

"No buts, no ifs." I begin to usher everyone out of the room. "I literally just came back from being attacked by f-wild animals yesterday. I had to go to the hospital because I was suffering from near starvation."

"But–" It was Lucia this time.

"What I'm saying is, have mercy on me!"

~~[r]~~

Another view

Four girls stood outside the front gate of the Tennouji residence, having been politely asked to leave.

Shizuru spoke first. "So, Kotarou got himself a girlfriend."

"It seems that is the case." Akane was the one to respond. "And it had to be that girl, too," she said to herself, a displeased aside.

They looked at each other some more, all not knowing what quite to say to another.

"Well, I think we'd best get back." Lucia ventures. "Let's go, Shizuru."

"See you tomorrow," Shizuru waves goodbye, and the rest followed.

…

As the two operatives of Guardian walked down the road, Shizuru spoke first.

"I think Kotarou is hiding something from us."

"What?" Lucia looked genuinely surprised. "But he told us about Inoue-san in the end, right?"

"Not about that." Shizuru rubbed her eye beneath her eyepatch. "I think something happened in the forest that he's not telling us about."

"Are you implying…" Lucia lowered her voice, "familiars?"

"Maybe." Shizuru frowned. "I don't know. But don't you notice the way he carries himself seems a little bit different?"

"In what way?"

"It's like he's an older version of himself. Almost like he went through a near-death experience in the forest."

"I'm sure getting lost with little hope of rescue counts." Lucia points out.

"It might have been closer than he was willing to admit," Shizuru says somberly.

The two of them fall silent for a moment.

The afternoon right after they had seen the note on Kotarou's desk, they had both ventured into the forest to search. There had been tracks to follow at first, but the trail had been lost once the terrain had shifted to rock instead of mud.

Lucia looked at her partner. "You know, it's a bit strange. I didn't think you would doubt Kotarou this much. Weren't you actually friends with him before the occult club was formed?"

"It's because I trust him more that I can question his actions." The tiny blonde spoke resolutely, and poked her partner in the side. "And you were surprisingly accepting of him. Maybe you like him more than you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Shizuru."

…

"That idiot is definitely hiding something from us." The occult club's nominal president ran a hand through her long, light brown hair as she walked.

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions, Akane-san?" Chihaya spoke as she kept up beside her.

"Many familiars move along the river beyond that swamp every day." Akane said. "If he really went in as deep as he said, it would actually be more likely than not that what he saw was actually familiars instead of wild animals."

And…

Biology. Mythology. Akane recalled what she had seen.

Unlike Chihaya, whose abilities as a summoner revolved more around her contract with a single familiar, and the benefits of that contract, Akane was more of a conventional summoner, and was thus more familiar with its principles.

Basic topics of study for any summoner, relevant to familiars. It's a giant leap of logic, but I think Kotarou definitely encountered familiars in the forest. And that dammable reporter was with him!

"Tch." Akane made a noise of irritation.

"What's wrong?" Chihaya wasn't following.

"I'm putting a watch on the two of them." Akane said. "There's a chance that they might have stumbled onto Gaian secrets." She looked at Chihaya. "Sakuya didn't spot them at all, right?"

Chihaya shook her head in the negative. "No, not at all. Are you sure you're just not overreacting to the news of Kotarou getting a girlfriend?"

Chihaya's words struck Akane with the force of a hammer blow, stopping the usually composed girl in her tracks. "S-Surely not."

~~[r]~~

The following day I return to school, walking the usual way I always had. I wasn't sure if it was my rewritten perception, or if I was just more self-conscious than usual, but a lot of passing Kaza High students seemed to glance at me once or twice.

At the uphill slope, I catch sight of Inoue, who seemed to have been waiting for me. People were shooting her looks as well.

"Kotarou!" She waves at me happily, and a smile comes to my face.

No honorific, too. Just 'Kotarou'. The only other person to address me like that was Shizuru, but (1) Shizuru was Shizuru, and (2) it sounded much more different when it was your girlfriend saying it.

I smile wider. "Good morning. You know we could just see each other during break, right?"

"I'm waiting here because I want to, idiot." Inoue lightly rebukes me. "What's up with that grin on your face?"

"Just happy to see you." She was also smiling.

We began to walk.

"Say," Inoue takes a look around, "have you seen the people staring at us?"

"I thought that was my imagination." I scratch my head.

"It's real." She has a dissatisfied look on her face. "How am I supposed to go investigating now?"

"Looks like the reporter has become the scoop." I make a joke.

"Oh shut up."

"I also have bad news." I tell her about how the occult club immediately found out about our relationship when they came over for lunch, and Inoue just chuckles.

"Hey, Kotarou," she says. "Do you want to keep our relationship a secret? Or…"

"I'm fine with either, really." I say honestly. "I'll leave it to you."

"Okay." Inoue nods, and takes my hand immediately.

I jump at the sudden warmth. "What?"

"We're holding hands, that's what." Her tone was mildly waspish.

I guess that was her answer. "I can't say I mind this, but…have you thought about what people will say?"

"They can say what they want. I'll just tell them I fell in love with you when you saved me in the forest."

At those words, my heart sank. It must have shown on my face, because Inoue hurriedly corrects herself. "Fell in love with you more, I mean." Her tone becomes a bit more gentle. "It wasn't a spur of the moment thing, as I've said."

"Right." I shake my head. Inoue had told me her feelings, and I should trust her words. If not, what was the point?

"I just thought it might make for a good story," she grins.

"The reporter," I repeat my words, "really is becoming the scoop."

"If you report on yourself first, you get to control the narrative." She taps a finger to her forehead.

Before long, we reach the school gates, her hand still in mine. I glance at her hesitantly.

"Don't look so much like a lost puppy." Inoue lets go. "It's only because we'd become a nuisance if we blocked the whole corridor while walking. If not, I'd hold your hand all the way."

"And you only allow yourself to become a nuisance when you go investigating, right?"

"Exactly! You know me so well."

We separate at the door to Inoue's classroom, which was next door to mine. "See you later."

"Seeya."

I hop into my own seat, and address the person next to me. "Say, Chihaya. Did you know that the difference between a dragon and a wyvern is that a wyvern has two legs, while a dragon has four?"

Just a little tidbit I picked up while looking up monsters.

"Yes? But why are you telling me this?" The orange-haired girl responds.

I exaggerate my surprise. "You actually knew something for once?"

"You're being rude again, aren't you?"

Good ol' Chihaya. It certainly was reassuring to have a universal constant around.

At a moment where dramatic music should have started playing, I was accosted by yet another familiar face.

"Tennouji."

"Yoshino." I extend my greeting, and the lone wolf looks me up and down.

"...hmph. I see you've grown somewhat." He sits down without further action. "In the light of your progress, I'll let you go for now."

Yes. It was good to be back.

~~[r]~~

The first break comes, and Lucia approaches me, looking a bit embarrassed for some reason. "Tennouji, someone's looking for you." She glances at the door, and I do the same.

Of course, it was Inoue. She waves some bread at me.

"Thanks, Class Rep." I stand to leave, before I attract more attention–well, more attention than what Inoue had already drawn.

Suddenly, Lucia points dramatically at me. "There will be no fooling around, got it?"

"Yes, yes."

Outside, Inoue thrusts the bun at me. "We're going investigating."

"First day back and you're already at it, huh?"

"That's the way it is." As we walk, she flips open a familiar notebook, filled with familiar notes. Then, she sighs and closes it again.

The process repeats a few times.

"No good?" I ask.

"It just," she takes a furtive look around, "feels dumb. Especially now that I know that the supernatural exists, and that there's a giant cult controlling the largest organization in Kazamatsuri. Everything else seems unimportant compared to that one scoop."

"I know what you mean."

On the open area next to the walkway, we stand side to side under the sunlight, and look at the students milling about.

"Aaaaaargh!" She throws her hands in the air and exclaims, shocking everyone in a ten-foot radius. Looking around at the staring faces, she turns back to me and whispers. "I can't take it! I want to go back. I want to hunt more mysterious animals! I want to go around town to look for clues!"

"After school." I gently nudged her in reassurance. In the meantime, I guess I had to find a way to keep her from exploding. "Give that here." Inoue hands me the notebook, and I flip back to a familiar list of suspicious individuals, on which my name and Akane's were still present. "I don't think I ever asked before, but how do you even find students to investigate?"

"The starting point is always rumours and hearsay. Like in your case," she points a finger to my name, "many people knew you had special circumstances when you first enrolled."

"I did," I say. "I got into an accident–" A hot knife of pain shoots through my head, and I slap a hand over my eye and hiss in reflex.

Inoue looks at me in concern.

"It's nothing." I wave it off, the pain subsiding as quickly as it came. "Like I said, I was recovering from an accident when I first enrolled. My classmates helped me settle in, but I guess it was still irregular enough for people to take notice."

"And people gossip all the time." Inoue nods, and shifts her finger to point to another name. "Take this girl. She fainted in class one day and shouted something about the world ending and people needing to be saved. It could have just been some daydream, but a lead is a lead, even if it was just her classmates making fun of her by calling her the m–"

Inoue stops speaking abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I ask. I read the words on the page one more time, before realisation strikes me like a charging boar to the face.

Tanuma Imako, Second Year.

Suspected of being the messiah.

"What does the Key look like? What's it supposed to do?"

"It has the potential to become the planet's messiah and grant us Salvation."

"No bloody way," I breathe. The bread tasted like ash in my mouth, and I nervously swallowed. "There's absolutely no way."

The bell chimed, signalling the end of break.

"Again during lunch?" Inoue asks. Her expression was as grave as mine. "I'll-we'll think of something then."

"Okay. Don't do anything dumb in class," I warn her.

~~[r]~~

The possible lead bugs me all through the rest of the morning classes, and I found myself being unable to pay attention at all, though, somehow, I was able to automatically answer correctly when a teacher had asked me a question.

It was impossible. I kept repeating the phrase over in my mind. The Key couldn't be attending school like a normal person.

Because I had already seen it before–

A chill runs throughout my body, and a phantom tingle runs through my right shoulder.

I try to remember without recalling.

If it was here, then I would have sensed it. I was absolutely certain. Even if my mind would forget, my body would remember. That feeling. That fear.

"What's going on, Kotarou?" Chihaya asks. "Kotarou?"

"Sorry." I look at Chihaya.

"You've been looking unwell since the first break." Her concerned face looks at me guilelessly. "Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Lucia joins in the conversation, having walked over. "Your face does look pale."

I stand. "If it means the two of you doting on me more often, perhaps I should wear more makeup. But then again, I already have a girlfriend."

"If you're well enough to joke, then perhaps you don't require medical attention after all, Tennouji Kotarou!" Lucia looks put out.

Unfortunately, people appeared to have overheard our conversation, because fresh whispers started up all around, mosting along the lines of "Eh, Tennouji is dating now?" and "Guess the rumours were right after all!"

"Great." I mutter to myself. "Class rep, Chihaya. Thanks for being concerned. If anyone asks, you can tell them the truth. Right, gotta go!"

~~[r]~~

Chihaya's view

"Yes, Tennouji is dating Inoue. No, I don't know the details, you'll have to ask him directly." Konohana-san fields the questions as I slump onto the desk.

"Kotarou probably isn't coming to the clubroom today, right?"

"Doesn't seem like it." The class rep turns back to me.

Akane had said that she was going to keep watch on the two, but I personally think that she's being too paranoid. But the strangest thing was that Sakuya also seemed to be weird whenever Kotarou was mentioned.

"Do you want to follow Kotarou?" I blurt out the idea before I could stop myself. We could get to know what Kotarou was up to, and I could spend more time getting to know Lucia. Perfect!

Lucia puts a gloved hand under her chin. "That might be interesting. Why not?"

~~[r]~~

"Right." I point my fork at Inoue. The school's cafeteria was as noisy as always. "What's the plan, o seasoned reporter?"

Inoue gives me a smug look. "Funny you should ask."

"You've already thought of one?" I didn't bother to hide my actual surprise.

"Who do you think I am?"

Leaning in conspiratorially, I asked. "So? What is it?"

"We go up to her and ask nicely."

Her reply made me want to plant my face in my curry. "This? This is your master plan?"

"Why not?"

I looked back up. Inoue was still smiling. Next to her tray, her trusty black camera sat, not hanging around her neck for once.

Of course. That was how Inoue did things. Even when she had been looking into me, she had the gall to approach me, a complete stranger, and ask me without any shame whatsoever if I had bought my way into the school.

I began to smile. "There's no way that would work."

"You're a regular doubter, Kotarou." Inoue spoons up some rice and eats. "I'll have you proven wrong before long."

"Yes, yes." I nod in earnest. "But what's the approach? I don't think we can just go up and ask 'hey, remember when you were daydreaming in class that time'?"

"That's true. She's a girl, and more than that, she seems like a gloomy person. We'll need to be a bit more delicate."

"So that means you weren't being delicate with me?" I say with feigned indignation. "How do you know she's gloomy, anyway?"

"I walked past her classroom many times. I've never seen her with friends, and she always has a forlorn expression on her face." She pokes me with a finger. "As opposed to you, always goofing around."

"You have a point." I eat more. "When are we going to do this? Tomorrow?"

"Lunch tomorrow will probably be a good time. Meanwhile, we can think of what to ask. You're going to your club after school, right?"

"That was my plan." I nod. "Unless you would rather we go investigate the town together?"

"We can leave that for another day. You should go catch up with your friends, and I think my comrades are dying to ask me questions."

"Comrades?"

"From the Newspaper Club, of course." Inoue nods. "Perhaps I should introduce you. Then again," she frowns, "I don't need more girls hanging around you."

"Rest assured you're the only one for me, Inoue." I deliver the line with a smile. If I had the ability to produce sparkles, this was a moment where I would have used it.

A blush creeps up her cheeks. "I am, am I?"

"You are, you idiot."

~~[r]~~

I note that Kotori still hadn't returned. Maybe I should pay her a visit during the evening. Frankly, it was insane that she was doing that much alone.

My thoughts jump from place to place as I open a familiar laptop and sit down. The online submission box held nothing but spam, as usual.

Also as usual, Pres was gaming behind her desk, and the rest were helping themselves to snacks and chatting away, though their conversation seemed to be much more focused than usual.

We had decided what to do about Tanuma, but I had also noticed one other lead in Inoue's notebook, which I had gotten her to tell me about, and decided to try investigating on my own. Hopefully it would make for a nice surprise, even though she wasn't a priority right now.

"Hey, Shizuru." I turn to my underclassman. "Do you know a Shinsaibashi Hitomi?"

At my question, Shizuru's single visible eye widens, and Lucia, who had bitten into a biscuit, breaks out into a coughing fit. Chihaya stares at the two oddly.

I raise my eyebrow. "Was that really a weird thing to ask?"

"We were just surprised." Lucia recovers and composes herself.

"Why do you want to know, Kotarou?" Shizuru asks me.

"A mysterious transfer student who cut down an entire tree with a pair of scissors?" That was the rumour surrounding her, and the reason for Inoue's nickname. "That definitely counts as occult."

Or some sort of superpower.

The moment the thought entered my mind, I knew it to be true, especially since I knew superpowers existed for a fact. That incident was most likely an accidental lapse of control.

Probably, she was someone like me. I remembered the other line in Inoue's description: "possesses great athletic ability, but refuses to join any sports clubs". It fit all too well.

Scarily well, pieces falling into place.

"Kotarou?" Shizuru was waving a hand in front of my face. "You're spacing out again."

"Sorry." I apologise. "What were you saying?"

"I said it might be rude to just approach her about the rumours like that." Shizuru said, somewhat disapprovingly.

"That's certainly true." I felt slightly abashed. It was rare for the usually agreeable Shizuru to outright rebuke me like that. "But you're in the same year as her, right? Have you heard anything?"

Shizuru shakes her head. "No. But Hitomi is a good person. I don't think you should be investigating her."

'Hitomi', huh? Does that mean Shizuru knows her? But she seems to address everyone she knows either by given name or nickname. Then again, the fact that she's even bothering to stick up for her at all… "Are you both friends?" I prod. "You seem to know her."

"I've worked with her a few times."

"Worked? Like in a part-time job?" I latch onto the word.

"Something like that." Shizuru fidgets. Somehow, asking about Shinsaibashi was making her uncomfortable, so I decided to drop the topic.

"Tennouji–" Lucia speaks up, but I raise a hand.

"It's fine," I say. "I'm not going to ask more."

She, too, looks mildly relieved for some reason.

Something was definitely up, but it was clear I wasn't going to get anything further out of these two.

Perhaps I should look for other leads?

I lean back in my chair and think. We definitely had a few people come in here to demonstrate their (supposed) superpowers. Of course, nearly all of them were duds, but there had been one memorable incident.

"Oi, Pres." I call over to the pale-haired girl who didn't even bother to hide that she was gaming. "Do you remember that dude?"

"Excuse me?" Akane suffered no fools as usual.

"That one person." I snapped my fingers. "Abe or Anbai or something. He made his doll stand and walk on two legs, and you puked all over your desk."

At my words, all the other members of the Occult Club seemed to perk up.

Akane closes her laptop immediately. "It wasn't puke, you imbecile. It was just banana milk."

"So you do remember," I say triumphantly. "And as I recall, you had no proper explanation for that, which means–"

…Wait. I had a feeling I was getting distracted here.

"What's this about a doll standing and walking on two legs?" Lucia interjects, saving me from myself. "And why have we not heard about this?"

"It was after all of you went home." I explain. "We had a boy who could make his doll stand on two legs and walk. I checked it thoroughly and there were no wires or motors, so that was definitely supernatural. A superhuman, right in our school!"

If healing was an ability, telekinesis would not be out of the question.

For some reason, Lucia, Shizuru, and Chihaya all had conflicted expressions on their faces.

Our dear club president, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at me. "Didn't I already say that was due to the Rayleigh number?"

"I accepted it at the time, but I'm a wiser man now!" I proudly proclaim. "Unless you can explain exactly how the Reynolds number allows one to move objects without touch, I win the bet!"

"Tch. Must be the influence of that reporter." Akane mutters under her breath in dissatisfaction.

"What was that?" I clearly heard what she said, but I wanted to drag this out more.

"How about you first explain to the rest our members present exactly what happens when you win the bet?"

A classic deflection from Pres. But, as I said, I'm a changed man now.

Such a thing would be no obstacle to me.

"Originally, winning the bet meant that I would get to fondle the president's boobs." I admit without an ounce of shame whatsoever. Shizuru quirks her head, Lucia goes red, and Chihaya simply looked as if she had lost all respect for me.

"Of course," I soldier on, "since I have a girlfriend now, I have no such intentions of claiming my winnings. Instead," I grin, "I'll just be content with an admission that you were wrong."

"Gngh." Akane makes a strangled sound.

"Kotarou, I really hope Inoue-san knows about your tendencies." Chihaya was still looking at me disapprovingly.

"She knows about the bet." I remember a conversation I had in the forest. "And she said it was natural for a young man like me!" I almost crow as I finish my sentence. Boy, was I feeling happy right now.

Sure was nice to be a winner.

Lucia looked like she was going to start calling me a filthy pervert again, but before I received another uppercut, Shizuru crosses the room. With a pout on her face, the twintailed blonde tapped me gently on the forehead with a tiny hand. "Stop bragging. Both about your girlfriend and your victory. It's unbecoming."

I sit back down. "Sorry."

"Thanks for that, Shizuru." Chihaya says.

"It's no problem. But I think our next operation is to make sure Kotarou isn't getting too big for his boots." Shizuru responds in all seriousness.

"Oh, come on. At least let me enjoy a victory for once."

~~[r]~~

Evening.

After checking to make sure I wasn't being followed, by a familiar or otherwise, I walk into the forest. In my hand was a plastic bag, containing a convenience store bento.

Even in low light, I could find my way around, and Kotori's barrier wasn't that deep in.

I was worried. In multiple ways.

For one, I could tell that Kotori was pushing herself.

For two, there was no way her barrier would go unnoticed. This was the modern day. People would eventually catch on that there was a portion of the forest that you just couldn't get into, and start probing around with things like satellite imagery.

The Key was also something highly sought after, which would attract more prying eyes. Gaia would probably want to capture it to try and preserve it in a safer location, and–

What the hell? What was it?

Something was just there, out of reach.

Gaia, the organization of summoners. But–

The phantom pain in my right arm was drowned out by the very real pain lancing through my head.

"Aaargh!" I slam my left fist against a tree trunk in frustration.

I could feel it. It was close. I was close. Closer than I had ever been.

And yet it was still so far away.

Why couldn't I remember? Why was I so useless?

Then, should I use it? Use the power that would let me become whatever I wanted? To become someone who could remember?

"Mosu." A presence nudges against my leg. It was Chibimoth.

His furry presence returns me to my senses.

No, of course I shouldn't.

He leads me to a spot, and a gap opens in space, which I enter.

~~[r]~~

"Why are you back here, Kotarou?"

"To bring you real food." I dump the plastic bag onto a tree stump. "You mustn't forget that civilization exists, o mighty druid."

Kotori had dark circles under her eyes, but she cracks a faint smile. "Thank you."

"But in return, I'd like you to answer a few more questions." My tone turns a bit more serious.

The smile on Kotori's face became a degree more strained. "You shouldn't make demands like that, not when you've already gotten yourself a girlfriend."

I shake my head gently at the poor attempt at a joke. "Have you seen the Key yet?"

"Not yet." Kotori sighs, but she answers my question properly. "It's very strange. You remember I said that the power spot became active because the Key spawned, right? But I still haven't seen it. At all."

"Is that a problem?"

"It might be." Kotori said, looking more tired all the while. "If anything happens to it…"

I nod in understanding. A druid's job was to safeguard the Key, but it wasn't here, and she couldn't leave this place unguarded to go on a search. The power spot was the source of her power, after all.

"I'll tell you if I see it," I say. "There also something else I need to ask. You said that Gaia was the organization of summoners, right?"

"Mmm."

"Then, what about superhumans? Do they have any large collective organization?"

Kotori looked surprised. "Superhumans?"

"Humans with superpowers. People that have and use their own supernatural abilities instead of contracting with familiars."

"I don't know anything about them." Kotori cast her eyes downward. "The mistletoe mentioned that such people existed, but nothing about an organization."

Damn it. On one hand, it made sense for each side to have their own collective. But on the other…

Would superhumans even bother to try working together? They were egotistical, arrogant, and looked on those they didn't accept, right?

"That feeling again…" I mutter to myself. Just out of reach. Just centimetres away from my fingertips.

"Kotarou." My childhood friend takes a seat right across me, and looks at me with an expression that was half worry and half pleading. "How much do you r–actually, no. Kotarou," she begins again, "don't look into this any more. Please. It's too dangerous. Just go live a normal life–"

"I refuse." I stand up. "I want to know the truth. The truth about this world. And the truth about myself." Deciding not to push the topic lest the conversation turned into an argument, I decide to leave. "Good night, Kotori. Tell me if you need anything, and I'll help if I can."

~~[r]~~

The following day was bright and sunny, the type of weather perfect for a picnic. It was lunchtime, and Inoue and I were standing outside a certain classroom.

Well, there was nothing else but to do it. "Excuse me," I asked someone who was walking out, "is Tanuma-san in?"

Our fellow second-year nodded, angling his thumb towards a girl in the back. "Tanuma! There's someone looking for you!"

The girl, who had been drooping over her desk, jerks upward in surprise. She looked very much like a deer caught in headlights.

I give her a jaunty wave, and Inoue slaps me in the back. "Don't be an idiot."

"Just trying to be friendly, geez."

As Tanuma Imako came closer, I got a better look at her.

Her dark hair, the ends of which sat on her shoulders, was messy and bushy, and curled upwards, or indeed in all directions. It was helped somewhat by the beanie which she was wearing, which was a dark stony or mossy green. She had gentle features, and on wide heart-shaped face was a pair of square glasses, the frame of which was black and thick.

"Sorry for suddenly calling on you," Inoue says politely. "I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you mind if we talk over lunch?"

"What sort of questions?" Tanuma looked like she was ready to flee at any moment.

Inoue glanced around. "It's sort of a private matter." Her tone was apologetic.

"If this is about the rumours, you can f-forget it." Reluctance seeped out of Tanuma's every word, and she directed her gaze at Inoue. "Your face looks familiar. You're from the Newspaper Club, aren't you? I'm not going to be made into some dumb article."

"But–"

"It was just a stupid nightmare I got after falling asleep in class. I got punished for it too. That's all." Tanuma started walking back to her desk.

"It's not for an article." I interject, and the gloomy girl turns to face me. "It's a matter of life and death."

Tanuma stops in her tracks.

Seeing as I got her interested, I went on. "Sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I'm Tennouji Kotarou from class 2-B."

"Tennouji." She turns back around. "The boy who went missing." Her eyes dart to Inoue. "And that must mean you're Inoue. But what does that have to do with me?"

"We saw, um, weird things in the forest, and thought–"

At my last word Tanuma darts up to me and clamps a hand over my mouth. "What do you think you're saying!?" she hissed a whisper. There was the sensation of something soft pressing onto my midriff, and I tried very hard to ignore it.

"A-hem." Inoue clears her throat.

"Sorry!" As if burned, Tanuma darts away from me. She looks around again with frantic motions, seeming to be on the verge of panic. "I, er, this thing–"

My girlfriend sighed. "Take your lunch and come with me, Tanuma. You too, Kotarou."

Inoue leads us briskly through a few short corridors into an older wing of the school. We pass some students carrying instruments and a boy with a large box of what looked like art material in his arms, before we end up outside a plain wooden door.

The label on it read "Newspaper Club".

"There are soundproof rooms here," Inoue explains pre-emptively, seeing Tanuma glance at the sign. "We normally use them for interviews or sound recording, but it's also good to for conversations where we don't want to get overheard." She knocks a few times, and opens. "Pardon the intrusion!"

"Akira!" A redheaded girl greets her.

"Yuki. I need to borrow one of the interview rooms." Inoue says promptly.

"What for?"

"To hold a very secret conversation, duh."

"What kind of–the boyfriend!" Yuki notices me, and points dramatically at me with a finger. "Don't tell me you want to–!"

"Shut up, Yuki!" Inoue goes bright red immediately. "I'm not into that! This is serious!"

Wait, what?

After some jostling, Inoue snatches a key from her friend, and leads us over to the side. "If anyone eavesdrops, there will be a reckoning." With that warning delivered to the room at large, she ushers me and Tanuma in.

I heard Tanuma mutter something under her breath about "damn normies", but I decide not to ask.

"So, uh, sorry about that." Inoue says, after the door closes. It was a small, plain room, with only a rectangular wooden table with two chairs on either side.

"Let me guess: you want to talk about the familiars you saw in the forest," Tanuma began, possibly finding some confidence now that we were alone.

At the word familiar, I exchanged a meaningful look with Inoue. This was a real one.

I feign ignorance and speak. "The what?"

"The famil–nooooo!" Probably realising her mistake, the gloomy girl curls up on herself, like a flower wilting before our eyes. Clutching her beanie with a hand on each side of her head, she tugged it down low until her ears were covered.

Her forehead descended until it hit the desk with a soft thump, whereupon it stayed there.

"Tanuma, are you alright?" Inoue says hesitantly.

"No! This is why I don't like talking to people!" The muffled reply came. "Just l-lock me up in here and let me die. Why, why did it have to be me?"

"So, you actually are a summoner, then? From Gaia?" I press her.

She remains silent, her head still on the desk. "I should have known," she eventually says. "I should have known that Guardian had spies in the school."

The air began to grow heavy with her words.

It was more than a metaphor. I could feel a strange weight pressing down on my shoulders.

And the word that she spoke was also resonating within me.

Guardian.

It bounced around in my mind, leaving imprints of pain wherever it touched.

I swayed in my chair.

"Stop it, Tanuma!" Inoue cries. She gets to her feet, also unsteadily. "We aren't spies or anything. We're just ordinary-we're not from any organization! We just want to know the truth!"

"The truth." Tanuma looked at Inoue. Obscured by her glasses, dark circles were under the summoner's eyes. "It's not going to help."

The pressure in the air grows. Inoue reaches out to the desk for support, before her legs folded from underneath her.

The sight of this pulls me out of my stupor. "Stop it," I say.

"It's a really stupid line," Tanuma says self-depreciatingly, "but now that you've found out my secret, there's no c-choice but for me to kill you and then disappear. I should have known. I really should have known. But it's fine. None of this will matter anyway."

The last of her words were spoken desperately, as if she was also trying to convince herself.

Well, not that it mattered.

Mustering my strength, I flip up the table, which thankfully (1) did not yet have anything on it and (2) was not bolted to the floor.

The summoner yelps in surprise, and the pressure on us stops. Inoue takes in deep gasping breaths, and I seize the opportunity to grab Tanuma and slam her against the wall.

There was a knock on the door. "Guys? Are you all right in there?" A muffled voice asked. It was Yuki, Inoue's friend.

I nodded to Inoue, who replied. "Everything's fine!" she shouted. "Things just got a little heated, that's all!"

"Got it. There better not be any hanky-panky going on in there, alright?"

"Shut up, Yuki!" By the time Inoue had hollered at the door, she was back on her feet.

"So you are a superhuman." Tanuma looks at me, distrust clear in her eyes.

"Yes." There was no getting out of this one, so I admit it. "But I only discovered it while fighting for my life in the forest. And Inoue's perfectly ordinary. If you want to go after anyone's life, come after me."

"Don't you know that kidnapping loved ones is a classic villain move?"

In response to the summoner's blithe statement, my left hand darts from her shoulder to clamp around her neck. My right hand moves backward and becomes a raised fist.

Almost unbidden, my claw appears, filling the room with blue-green light. The tendrils that always seemed to accompany it drift in the air.

Tanuma's eyes widen. "I…surrender!" The words were choked out. "It was…just a dumb…joke!"

I let go, and she slides down the wall, her glasses askew. Coughs fill the room.

"I'm not Guardian." I say. "I'm not Guardian." I repeat the statement, more to myself than to her.

"But you're a superhuman." Tanuma speaks from the floor. She had curled up and was now hugging her knees, both her hands gripping on her beanie's brim at the sides. "It's…"

Inoue walks up to beside me and held me arm. "What is Guardian?" she demanded. "What is Gaia, really? Tell me the truth!"

As if to punctuate the statement, there was another knock on the door. "Akira!" Yuki again. "You need to finish up soon! The bell's going to ring!"

"A-after class," Tanuma manages to stammer. "Y-you can come and find me. I'll explain whatever I know." Her eyes dart from Inoue to me. "I p-promise I won't run."

Inoue sighed. "I"ll hold you to that." She reached out her hand. Imitating her, so did I.

The summoner nervously glances at each of them, before cautiously reaching out, and we pull her to her feet. "T-Thank you."

"Don't mention it." As much as Inoue tried to be polite, I could still hear some strain in her voice.

Naming Inoue's parents was fun. Again, Mama Inoue is Kaede, which means 'maple', since Akira contains 'Aki', 'autumn'. Papa Inoue is Satoru, meaning 'dawn', just to go with the general theme of light/sparkling, but the specific kanji reading is a reference to a certain Yuzusoft VN.

I should stop putting too much thought into stuff that nobody will notice, but that's half of the fun for me.

Anyway, this ties up the forest incident, and now we move to the next arc, if you can call it that. I confess that I found it hard to get the correct speech patterns for the OkaKen girls, so if they "don't sound like themselves", that's on me. Rayleigh/Reynold's number is a reference to an Akane event in the Common route.

And finally, for those that need a refresher, Inoue's list of suspicious people can be found on October 5th, or Episode 1 of the anime.

Review please!