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 (II)

"Someone's" view

When I saw him use his ability, I knew.

They weren't the same colour, nor the same length, but that didn't matter.

I could recognise those ribbons anywhere.

I had seen them in my dreams several times, after all.

The ribbons of the Key.

And the two of them had been into the forest, and barely came out alive. If they had encountered the Key, I had to know. Had to know what they had seen, and what they had heard, to know if my visions were true.

To know if the world was going to end.

That was what Salvation was, after all. Some would call it ruin, and others would call it rapture.

To me, it was just an end. An end to my miserable existence.

A person that only existed to fulfil the wishes of others, who had no other value apart from that.

My parents. Gaia. And…

Middle school was the last time people were friendly to me. They came to a girl who would do anything just to not be hurt, just to fit in with others. I must have had done the assignments of every single person in the class at one point.

Of course, I realised at some point that I was just being used. That they had no intentions of actually befriending me.

For once, it had been funny to see everyone else get in trouble.

Thankfully, they didn't beat me up or anything, but a lot of my stuff had gone missing.

At least, gone missing until I put my amulets on them.

Gaia always said that summoning should never be used for personal gain, and only towards end of saving the earth.

And every summoner knew that if you did, the Hunters would come for you, and Gaia would leave you out to be slaughtered, put down like a rabid animal.

But all that didn't matter any more. It was all going to be over soon.

So everything would be fine.

Right?

Right?

~~[r]~~

As promised, Tanuma was waiting in her seat at the back of class 2-D at the end of the school day, her expression that of a person expecting the worst.

Probably better than her being anxious. The thought strolled through my head as Inoue and I approached her.

"I suppose it would be too much for you both to have forgotten about me." Tanuma's words were about as gloomy as her face. Her fingers, where they had been worrying her beanie's brim, now returned said hat to the top of her head. Now that I thought about it, the teachers probably wouldn't have allowed such headgear to be worn in class.

"Of course not." Inoue seemed to have regained her good cheer, probably at the prospect of a large scoop, or at least a few good juicy secrets if they were as yet unpublishable. "But we can't use the Newspaper Club's clubroom, since it'll be busy by now. Have any ideas for a neutral location?"

"Well, we could go back to my house," I nonchalantly suggested.

"And then she feeds your address to her superiors, and then a monster breaks in and assassinates you during the night." Inoue points out cheerfully. "Game over."

"I w-wouldn't do such a thing." Tanuma looks down at the desk. It seemed that the girl was regretting her earlier outburst. "I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!"

The heads of a few stragglers turned to look at us briefly, and I simply gave them an apologetic look, after which they went on their way.

"Let's just go to Saezuriya's." With some exasperation, I name the restaurant that definitely held no resemblance to a bigger food chain that was famous outside Kazamatsuri.

The walk was short and silent.

As we entered, the assistant-manager-turned-manager greeted us, and turned to Inoue. "Hello, young miss. How are you?"

"Good. Thank you, Tanaka-san." Inoue nods politely. "If it is no trouble, three oolong teas please. With ice."

"Um…"

"Two with ice and one warm." Inoue amended, with a look over at Tanuma.

"Certainly." With a polite bow, the manager left.

"They're treating you like royalty!" I turn to Inoue with a look of disbelief.

My girlfriend grins. "That's what happens when you write an article that increases their sales by a whole ten percent."

"When did that happen?"

"When you told me about the 'battlefield promotion'." Inoue looked much like a contented cat, as the three of us slid into a booth at the back of the shop. "I wove that into an article about Kazamatsuri's quirkiest restaurants and said it was part of the town's charming culture."

"Three oolong teas." Two glasses and one teacup were set down on the open side of the circular table.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"I know." Inoue blushes slightly. "But you can stand to praise me more."

"Um." Tanuma interjects, a look of mild dissatisfaction on her face.

"Right, sorry." Inoue apologises, and starts handing out the drinks. "You can't take cold, Tanuma?"

The summoner nodded. "My body is not the best." She cupped her drink with both hands, blew on it, and took a small sip. The steam misted over her glasses, and she wiped them with a tissue before returning them to her face. "Now. What do you want to know?"

"Is Martel really Gaia?"

Man, Inoue really gets right to it, doesn't she?

Tanuma flinches at the question. "I'm n-not allowed to answer that."

"Probably a 'yes', then." Our reporter states without hesitation, scribbling away in her notebook. Tanuma wilts.

"Might as well just own up to it as this point, Tanuma," I shrug and say. "It's easier that way. And it's not as if we're going to reveal your name. We're not that cruel to do that."

Inoue nods. "We just want the truth."

"The truth." Tanuma's voice was weary. "The scientific research and the environmental activism is real. It wouldn't have grown so big otherwise. But…" she looked down at her drink, "I don't know. I don't think everyone knows about…the occult stuff. Maybe only the highest echelons."

"What exactly is a familiar? And a summoner?" I ask. Kotori hadn't given too much details, but in any case it would be good to have some cross-references.

"A familiar is a construct created and given life by humans." Tanuma says the words as if reciting something learnt in a textbook (which she very well might have). "It is constructed by putting together pieces of the Earth, and then made animate by linking them with our own lifeforce."

"So both making and maintaining a familiar…" Inoue looks at Tanuma, as if seeing her in a new light. It wasn't as if we didn't already know this from what Kotori said, but having it said again, and this time, without any external source…

"Uses up my life, yes." Tanuma nods. "You don't have to look at me like that. It's not very much, unless it's a huge or very powerful monster." She gave a self-depreciating smile. "Besides, there's not much I want to live for anyway."

The last sentence was uttered much more quietly, but I heard the heavy words nonetheless. "Then, your body…"

"Just born with a weak constitution." Tanuma answers. "It's…not really related."

"So there is a small relation?" Inoue jumps on the vague phrase.

Tanuma simply smiles wistfully. "More people should tread the path of the summoner. If people didn't live that long, then perhaps mankind as a whole would consume less resources, and the world might live on a bit longer, and maybe even be saved."

"Is that really what you think?" I say quietly. Anger was surging from a deep part of myself which I didn't even know existed. "Then, if you want the planet to be saved, shouldn't you just kill off all humans right away?"

"Kotarou!" Inoue looks at me, shocked.

"It's true, isn't it?" I continue, with that same simmering anger. "Isn't that the logical conclusion of those teachings of yours?" Something in me couldn't stand it. "Those are Gaian teachings, right?"

"Yes, it is." Tanuma looks at me strangely. "You're familiar?"

"I'm not a summoner, but it's always the same thing with you people. My parents work at Martel. I think they brought me along to seminars when I was young." I say, and then the realisation hits me.

Judging by Inoue's expression, we seemed to be on the same wavelength. "Your parents…work with Martel." She says the words slowly. "I remember. You told me in the forest."

"Yeah. But that means–"

What did it mean? Why was this important?

"Kotarou." Inoue catches me as I tilt sideways. "Are you sick?"

"Just a bit dizzy," I manage to get out. "And I feel a bit like puking, but I think I can keep it down."

Tanuma watches both of us. It was as if she was there, but far away at the same time. Appraising, yet detached.

Like someone with one foot in the grave.

"You mustn't." I look at her with my head still on Inoue's shoulder, and speak.

"What mustn't I do?" The black-haired girl says, still with that weird smile on her face.

"Kill yourself."

Tanuma's smile becomes more wooden. "Very dramatic of you, Tennouji. What makes you think I'd do that?"

"Didn't you say it yourself?" Inoue wraps her arm around my shoulder, and gently props me a bit more upright. All the while, my gaze continued searching the summoner's face. "That there's not much you want to live for?"

"And not wanting to live equals wanting to die? Heh. Heh heh heh." The summoner began to laugh. It was a creepy and weird laugh, not at all cute in the slightest. Seeing that I wanted to speak up, she held up a hand, and continued speaking. "Well. I'm not going to say you're right, but I'm not going to say that you're wrong, either."

That's as good as a confession, isn't it?

"Are all summoners like that?" Inoue asks in the same quiet tone that I had been using. "Gaia's the side of summoners, right? And those are the main teachings? So…"

What kind of person would be so willing to burn their own life away?

"From what I've seen, I won't deny that most are." Tanuma doesn't mince her words. "If I'm not wrong, that's how they recruit adults: by approaching the most world-weary ones who regularly attend Martel meetings, who are usually open to the notion of summoning."

"That's despicable." Inoue nearly spits out the words. "It's preying on the weak."

Tanuma's expression returned to the same mysterious smile. "It's giving them a worthy cause to work towards. Salvation of the earth, our bonfire in the darkness. But I don't think you two will ever understand."

She stared at the both of us. Inoue's arm was still around my shoulder, and I was still leaning on her. "Happy people. People content with their lives, who go along with no regard for others. All of you will never understand." She drained the teacup, and then set it back on on its saucer. "Thanks for the–"

Inoue's hand shot out like a snake and latched on to the summoner's wrist, even before she could rise out of her seat. "Wait."

"You would still try to lay your hands on me? Even after what you know I could do?"

"Just wait, Tanuma."

"I don't think there's anything more–"

"Do you know why I started the Occult Club, Tanuma?" I spoke up suddenly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" The summoner looked at me curiously.

I matched her gaze. Well, as well as I could, seeing that I was still feeling a bit sick. "It has to do with the fact," I said, "that you just assumed that I'm happy and content with my life."

"Are you not, Tennouji?" Tanuma simply looked at me. "You have a girl clinging on to your arm. You're surrounded by friends who like you. People don't stare at you in a weird way, or go out of their way to avoid you. You go on fun adventures with that club of yours. And you're always clowning around without a care in the world–at least, from what I've seen."

Inoue opens her mouth to answer, but I gently nudge her to stop. It would be better coming from my own mouth.

And besides–

Perhaps telling someone else would help.

"One day," I began, "I had a terrible realisation. That I had nothing. That my life was terribly shallow." I pluck Inoue's arm from around me, and sat up straight. "I thought I was happy, but I was actually hollow, a person without substance. Sure, I could talk to anyone, but what was the point, when I had no real friends?"

"You?" Scorn was in Tanuma's voice.

"Not even one." I say. "So I set out on a journey, to find my own happiness. To find the meaning of youth." I looked down at my hands. "I wanted to know what it was. I wanted to do it right. And I know that happiness can't be found without effort."

Tanuma snorted. "And after putting in some effort, you found it. Is this how the story goes?"

"Nope." I refute her without hesitation. "Because I haven't found it yet. Not really."

"Are you sure you want to say that with your girlfriend next to you?"

"She's been a great help, but the true meaning, the true place that I belong…I don't think I'm there yet."

Tanuma turned to Inoue. "And you're okay with this?"

"Mmm. I'd be lying if I said I was happy, since he didn't care to share this deep and personal part of his history with me first." Inoue poked me several times, hard ones. "But all in all, I'm fine with this idiot. He'd be a good right-hand man for Akira's Allies of Truth, and he did save my life from several monsters–I mean, familiars."

"What the heck is Akira's Allies of Truth?" I interrupt. So much for not sharing parts of ourselves.

"My future newspaper company, of course," Inoue says. "Name subject to change. And you could join us. Tanuma Imako, Special Correspondent." The last part was directed at the summoner.

Somehow, Tanuma didn't look especially happy. In fact, I swear that her expression turned especially painful for a moment.

"You should join us." I repeat. "Now that I think about it, we've all shared a deep part of ourselves today, which makes us all friends."

"A terrible joke." Tanuma shoots me down.

"It's not a joke." I shake my head. "Can you define what friendship is? If not, then–"

"It's not something that can be achieved in a day!" Tanuma protests. "Y-You need to spend time together, a-and do things together, and share s-stories–"

"We've ticked one of those three boxes already. Two, if you stretch it."

"N-not good enough." Tanuma shrinks back, then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion on her own. "I-If you really want to become friends with me, t-then you have to fulfil my requests."

What a real handful our summoner was. Then again, I actually was interested in what Tanuma would want from us. "You're not the Princess Kaguya, but do go on."

She shuts her eyes, and points right at Inoue. "Me?" Inoue was bewildered. "What do you want me to do?"

"A h-hug." Tanuma manages to get out.

"Well, that's simple enough to do." She turned to me. "Kotarou, do you want to j–"

"I don't want Tennouji. Just you."

"Guess she's not comfortable with guys," I shrug.

Inoue looks at me. "For the record, you're okay with this, right?"

I look at Tanuma, who still had her eyes shut tight. "Well, she's a girl. I don't see any problem. So…"

"Get over here, Tanuma." Not hesitating, Inoue pulls the summoner to her, and wraps her in a warm embrace. "There, there." She pats Tanuma gently on the back, much like a caring mother would.

Tears started to flow down the summoner's cheeks, staining her glasses. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Soft sobs could be heard.

Inoue angled her head, and gave me a look of desperation.

It said: "what the hell do I doooo?"

I gave Inoue a look of my own.

It said: "why are you asking me as if I knowww?"

~~[r]~~

"Absolutely useless, Kotarou." Inoue shook her head at me, when Tanuma had finally calmed down.

There was a fresh round of drinks (green tea this time) as well as some snacks (a serving of cheese fries) on the table.

"What was I to do?" I wrung my hands.

"I don't know, but maybe something other than nothing."

"Hey, it's not as if I have much experience with comforting crying girls." I didn't add that the only other case had been Inoue herself.

She gave me a look. "I suppose, viewed a certain way, it might be one of your good points. I'll let you off the hook, then."

Yep. I wasn't even going to pretend I fully understood what my girlfriend thought all the time. But, as she just said, that might be one of her charm points.

Tanuma gingerly lifted a fry to her mouth and nibbled at it, looking a bit like a rabbit, or at least a prey animal.

"Do you like it? Have you tried it before?" Inoue asks.

Tanuma nods, then shakes her head.

"Guess there's a first time for everything. If you like it, I guess we can come back here," I say. Cheese fries were one of the foods trendy among Kazamatsuri's youth. But given Tanuma's circumstances, she probably didn't get to go out much.

At least, that's what I assumed.

Gaia was a cult, right?

Tanuma just nods without saying a word. Then, suddenly, she speaks. "Tennouji."

"Yes!?" I was slightly startled.

"When you were in the forest, did you see…" The summoner's voice fades into silence.

For some reason, my heart started pounding hard in my chest. "See what?"

"...never mind." Tanuma just shakes her head. "I…I'll ask you again some other day. " She looks down to where her hands were rested on the table, folded. "I don't…I don't really want to talk about any more of that stuff now."

I nod in understanding.

"What are your hobbies, Tanuma?" Inoue prompts. "I have my reporting. Kotarou has his…what do you have, exactly?" She turns to me.

"I have your reporting," I deadpan. "Like I said, I'm still finding out what I really want to do." My tone of voice was self-depreciating.

Tanuma bites out a laugh. "Guess you weren't lying about being empty, then." She eats more fries. "As for me, I…" She falls silent yet again.

"It's fine to have no hobbies, Tanuma," I add.

"I-I do!" she says, a tad defensively. "I just…don't feel like talking about them now."

With that statement, the conversation grinds to a halt again. Inoue and I share a look.

"In fact, I don't want to talk about myself at all." The summoner forestalls a group of possible questions. Her expression had returned to what I now thought of as her normal gloomy state.

"Then…" Inoue begins talking about the latest trends for girls at school. From what I knew, she had never been one for fashion or the like, but as a reporter, it was probably something she kept an ear out for.

As Tanuma responds, I tune out.

I try to think about that word again.

Guardian.

If the word had a texture, it would be sticky and sickly-sweet, dried syrup on a plastic spoon, unpleasant to touch or taste. Repulsive.

But that was the thing.

Why was I repulsed?

And that feeling I got, as if I was on the verge of connecting the dots–

What was stopping me?

I had the strangest feeling that the answer was actually very simple. But that was that, and this is this.

Words wafted up to me from below.

"Your boyfriend seems to be looking sick again." That was Tanuma's acid tone.

"Kotarou." That was Inoue's. Lovely, lovely Inoue, who had saved me from a terrible monster.

With a great effort, I wrenched myself back to the present, cycling my face through all the funny expressions I could make to try and restore feeling back into it, before picking up a few fries and shoving them into my mouth. "Sorry."

Tanuma just gave me a look. Beneath her glasses, her dark-circled eyes seemed to be staring at me appraisingly. For how flustered she was most of the time, I had the sense that she was actually sharper than she seemed.

And don't forget that she's a summoner. An inner voice of distrust was telling me to not let my guard down. She could have seriously hurt you. Maybe even killed you.

"Maybe we should get going for the day," Inoue suggests. "Where do you stay, Tanuma?"

"An apartment complex," Tanuma says shortly. She slides around the end of the table and stands up. Her hands once again go to her beanie, and she inclines herself in a short bow. "Thanks for today, Inoue-san." She turns to me. "Tennouji."

"No suffix for me?" I joke. "How cold."

She simply gives an awkward expression, that of someone unused to smiling trying to smile, before departing.

"Well, that went well." Beside me, Inoue takes out her notebook, before beginning to write.

"And here I thought you actually wanted to be friends with her, instead of trying to wring out every last drop of information like a sponge."

"Can't it be both?" She taps her pen on the pad a few times in contemplation. "Hmm…what did you think of her?"

"She's a klutz, but she still might be dangerous."

Inoue seemed surprised. "I didn't think you would say that. I thought you would be more trusting." She speaks her mind.

"Well…" I pick up one of the last few fries on the plate, and idly munch at it. "She did try to kill us. Technically. And she's a summoner. I wonder what her familiar is?"

It would probably have to be something small, or something that could give her powers from far away.

How did familiar contracts work, anyway? It all seemed like magic to me…which it probably was.

I tell my thoughts to Inoue, and she nods. "I was wondering similar things. It looks like there's more to it than controlling monsters. Oh, and I forgot something." She picks up a fry. "Say 'aaah'."

Her face was hopeful.

I comply and open my mouth.

Inoue smirks and jams the fry into her own mouth. "Hm~ph!"

My heart, which I had not been aware of rising, sank. It must have shown on my face, because immediately after, Inoue picks up another fry. "Oh, don't look like that. Come here."

This time, she feeds me properly. "If you had faked me out again, I would have gone for your fingers." I speak after I swallowed.

"Really, now."

I thump my chest. "Tease this hurt puppy some more, and he'll evolve into a hungry, hungry wolf. Just like in Sukumon."

"Very funny." She makes to grab yet another fry, but I stop her and take one myself. "You say 'ah'."

"Erm…" She looks at me. "You're not going to do anything funny, right?"

"You can trust me." I kept a straight face.

"Fine." She closes her eyes, and opens her mouth.

Gods, she was cute. Too cute.

But payback was still needed. I tap her on the nose with it, leaving a bit of cheese, before putting it in her mouth.

She reopens her eyes as she chews. The tip of her nose was wiped with a finger, which she sticks in her mouth. The same finger was then pointed at me. "Five points."

Was that considered disgusting? I don't know.

She's too cute.

I smile. "Out of ten? That's a pass."

~~[r]~~

As soon as I was alone again, though, my thoughts turned back to that one word.

Guardian.

Just thinking about it made me feel strangely ill. It was like vertigo, like looking over the edge of a large chasm, into the abyss.

I tried not to think about it. I tried to not think about the fact that I was trying to not think about it.

Aiming to fill my head with better thoughts, I instead try to think about my girlfriend again.

It really was funny. When she had first approached me, I had been worried about my secret getting out.

And now she knew I was a superhuman, and I felt as if there was nobody else I would rather have on my side.

Someone brave. Someone determined.

"And she's a smart one, too," I muttered to myself, as I began grabbing food from the fridge to prepare a simple dinner. "To have figured out my ability was blood manipulation just from seeing what I did–"

Wait.

Something was wrong.

Inoue never said anything about blood manipulation. Only that my wounds seemed to heal more quickly.

Where, then, had the words 'blood manipulation' come from?

"Shit." I swear out loud to myself in my own kitchen.

I know I said that I would never want to test this ability, but I had to know.

I call for my claw of aurora light, and it responds. Three blades emerge from my right wrist.

Yes, that was what manifested in the forest. But…

It wasn't quite like this, wasn't it?

"Then, the left hand? With the same–"

No. If it was blood, then I couldn't afford to lose too much.

"-smaller in size, then."

I picture it. Clear in my mind.

Then, taking a deep breath, I bite down hard on the palm of my left hand.

Hard enough to draw blood.

I willed more out of the small wound, willed it to take the shape I imagined.

It forms exactly as I wanted to. A smaller claw of red on my left hand, to match the green on my right.

I felt a strange sense of familiarity. As if things were finally correct, and yet wrong at the same time.

…that was quite the nonsensical statement, but it was what I felt.

Experimentally, I toss an apple in the air, then swipe with my left.

It makes a clean cut, and several circular slices fall with a plop onto my kitchen counter.

Then, I toss the frozen meat for today's dinner in the air, then swipe at it again with my left claw, quickly followed with my right.

Roughly-diced meat fell into the sink.

I look at my hands again. Luminous green, and crimson red. With another thought, I dismiss my weapons, and both colours crumble into dust.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." I say, with nobody else to hear me.

No. In the past, I used–

In the past? That's not possible. The only ability I had until now was to rewrite myself, wasn't it?

Trying not to think too much about it, I prepared dinner for myself.

Since that time I met Inoue's family, it had been striking me just how much of a latchkey child I was. I seriously couldn't remember when was the last time I sat down to have dinner together with my parents.

Now they were just away most of the time.

I sighed out loud in the empty kitchen.

Oh, whatever. It was fine.

I was thinking too much about irrelevant stuff again, when what I should have been doing was–

"Yeah, it's like this now." I show my fun new toy to Inoue over a video call. "Sorry for calling you again after we just met earlier."

"What are you saying, Kotarou? It's fine."

She demands I turn my hand this way and that, and seemed to be taking many screenshots on her computer. Finally, she was done. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I wish I wasn't." Biting into an apple slice that I was having for dessert, I stare at my hands glumly.

Compared to me, Inoue seemed to be in a chipper mood. "Think of it this way. If you didn't have these mysterious superpowers, neither of us would have come back alive from the forest."

"That's true." I conceded the point.

"Besides," Inoue carries on, her voice with traces of eagerness, "it's cool, isn't it? It's like you're a superhero–"

If everyone was a hero like ██████, then ███ ████████ crumble. ██████ ██████ █████ be a fine soldier.

Images punch into my mind like a hot iron rod. Blood, and a mangled body–

Keep fighting, and you'll die so█eday. Even geniuses. Anybody. Even ██████, and ██████—

"No!" I shout reflexively, before I even knew what I was saying. "I mean…"

Inoue's eyes were wide. She had flinched away from the monitor at my outburst.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't know why I reacted like that."

"You're really scary sometimes. You know that, right?" My girlfriend sighs. "Well, it can't be helped."

"I'm sorry," I say again. Just what exactly had gotten into me? And those images…

"Stop apologising." Inoue throws some very familiar words at me, then gives me a concerned look. "Are you going to be able to sleep tonight? Do you need me to, um, do anything?"

"A soldier," I say absentmindedly, still lost in my thoughts. "I can't be a hero, but I can be a soldier. A soldier just for you."

"Do you even know what you're saying at the moment?" Inoue sounded mildly flustered. "Oh, never mind. Go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

~~[r]~~

'Tomorrow' was Sunday, and, in the interests of further research, and also because we thought it would be fun, we decide to take a bus across the city to visit the Kazamatsuri City Library. The library was a big, fancy, and somewhat traditional-looking building, situated next to the Kazamatsuri City Hall (which was also big, fancy, and somewhat traditional-looking).

However, unlink the city hall, the library's stony exterior appeared to be covered with…vines?

"Have you never really come here before, Kotarou?"

I scratch my head. "I've never been one for reading."

The interior was cool from a combination of air-conditioning and the building's own natural ventilation. Wide windows and high ceilings made for an airy ambience, and most of the illumination was from the sunlight that shone in, giving it a natural feel that one wouldn't get from purely using artificial lights.

"Sunlight's actually bad for books, you know?" Inoue explains to me, as we climb up the stairs. The library had seven whole floors. "But the windows have filters that make sure the harmful wavelengths of light don't get in."

"You really know everything, don't you?"

"I just know what I know." Inoue grins at me. "In this case, it's just because I've been coming here since I was young. Reading a lot helps with writing, you know?"

I just nod. The objective today was to catch up on some homework, as well as look more into familiars, summoners, and superhumans.

We had both already concluded that any real information would be hidden away by Gaia, so this was just a search for whatever remained, which was probably only myths and legends–that is, the closest place to recorded history where monsters had appeared.

That, and… "Let's have a date next week." I turn to Inoue and say.

"What's this all of a sudden?" Inoue looks back at me.

"I mean," I plucked more books of the shelves as I said, "we've never had one, right? A proper date. One where we're not doing investigation of any kind. Not that I don't enjoy investigating Kazamatsuri's mysteries with you, but–" The last statement was hastily tacked on.

Inoue silences me with a finger to my lips. "And here I was thinking someone like you would be bored if we did less exciting stuff. A so-called 'proper date' it is, then. Look forward to it."

Strange Happenings of Urban Japan and Mysterious Trees of Kagawa Prefecture were dumped into my arms, and I looked at Inoue again. "Were you…waiting for me to ask you out?" I said suspiciously.

"No." Inoue messes with her hair.

I thought back to the circumstances of her confession to me. Honest and straightforward. But maybe there were some things that she couldn't say?

Not even bothering to put down the books in my arms, I leant forward and gave her a peck on the cheek, and she blushes luminescent, down to the roots of her hair. "K-Kotarou."

"You don't have to worry about things like this. If you want me to do something, tell me. I like you, and I want to do things for you." I speak my mind, somewhat awkwardly.

"Fine." Inoue points a finger at me. "You got me. Or had a lucky guess. We're going on a date next week. I'll plan this one, and then you can plan the next one. How's that?"

"Sounds like a plan."

I finish my homework with surprising speed, and turned my attention to the pile of books, while Inoue continued wrestling with her assignments.

For a while, there was nothing but the quiet flipping of pages, and the scratching of pen on paper. In the quiet library, I felt as if I could hear the softest of sounds–the murmurs from people several tables over, the footsteps of someone walking through the shelves.

Rewritten senses. Again, I thanked whatever gods that were out there that my brain had adapted, that I hadn't somehow been driven mad by suddenly increasing the amount of sensory information that I received moment by moment.

Trying not to think too much about what might have happened, I flipped another page of my book.

This section was apparently on the practitioners of traditional martial arts that could apparently see into the future. Reading further, it wasn't anything fancy like predicting lottery numbers, but rather something more like precognition, reading your opponent's moves before they reacted.

Apparently, the grandson of one of the masters from those schools got involved with some suicide cult or something. Guess weirdness attracts weirdness.

Martial arts, huh?

I glanced back down at my wrists. I had superpowers, and a cheat ability, but the thing was…

A trained person could probably still beat me. Outspeeding your opponent would be useless if they could predict where you would end up. A powerful attack would be completely pointless if it missed.

You couldn't brute-force your way through everything, and besides…

Until now, I still didn't fully know what the cost of Rewrite was.

"Inoue," I say out loud, "do you know martial arts?"

"A bit," she admits. "I did some Aikido back when I was in elementary school–not in my school's club, but in the school my dad attends."

"I'm not surprised," I say, "but you never gave me that impression."

"Yeah, I hated it." Inoue puts down her pen. "I learnt a few things, but it was oo much standing still for me to deal with. I like to be free, you know?" She shoots me a grin.

I picture a mini-Inoue fidgeting around in a gi while under the stern gaze of some instructor, and smile myself. "I think I know what you mean."

"Eh? Somehow, that feels as if you're mocking me."

"I would never, darling," I say, sprinkling some sarcasm into my words. "But still. Maybe you could have punched some of those UMAs back in the forest."

"My dad also said to run away first, and that fighting was the last resort." Inoue's tone was somewhat sober. "He also said that a technique you only half-understand is more dangerous to yourself than to the opponent."

"Sounds very wise." I reply.

"He's an idiot, but he's smart sometimes. A bit like you, really."

"Gee, thanks."

More time passes. Inoue finishes her work, and moves on to reading. I myself burn through a few more books. "Oh, very romantic," she suddenly says.

"What is?"

She angles her current book towards me.

It was the tale of a miracle in a small town, where a man who had a very sickly and pregnant wife went to pray every day to the town itself, resulting in a childbirth without incident.

"Wait," I point out. "Surely this sort of thing happens very often."

"Apparently," Inoue flips a page, "some people also reported seeing a girl in a coma walking about. As an astral projection or something. Or a travelling spirit? It was weird enough that they collected strange incidents about anything pertaining to the town."

"Might be some sort of mass hallucination." I wasn't really convinced. Just because monsters existed didn't mean that ghosts had to as well, right?

I turn a few pages of my own. "Oh, what about this? Mayoi Tachibana, the Lost Blossom. A lone tree in some southern island that flowered out of pace with the seasons. Scientists say that the phenomenon can be explained by the chemical conditions of the soil, but the locals believe that the tree itself is removed from the flow of time, and that the spirits of the dead in the form of spectral butterflies are drawn to it." I look up at Inoue. "This sounds more summoner-like."

"It does have a strange level of detail." Inoue admits. "Actually, now that we've read this far…" her voice trailed off, "how much of our mythology could be explained by summoners? In fact, every single youkai or ayakashi out there…"

"Could actually be real." I concluded. A shiver ran down my spine.

Japanese folktales contained some horrific monsters. I didn't really want to think about the fact that each and every single one of them could indeed exist in real life.

"On the bright side, that means heroes exist, too." Inoue must have saw my expression. "The superhumans. Maybe someone saw a superhuman a long time ago and thought they were some sort of god."

"And now I feel like I want my faith back." Trying not to think too hard about last night's conversation, I leaned back in my chair and stretched. The sun, having passed its zenith a while back, could be seen through the high windows. "Want to head out for lunch?"

"That late already? Yeah, I'm starving."

Given that we were probably going to come back later, I decided not to loan any books.

The library only had one big entrance, which was also the exit. In the entrance hall were several scanners that one could use to borrow books without the need for staff, as well as as a reception desk for other enquiries.

"Are you sure you're fine from yesterday, Kotarou?" Inoue asks me as we walked. "I did some thinking about what you showed me. If that thing uses your blood, then you shouldn't be using it too much. And I think having salt supplements and iron might help if you're going to keep using it."

"I'll keep that in mind," I nod. Truth be told, I still wasn't sure what to make of my ability yet.

We pass the reception desk, where there appeared to be a small commotion– a tall blue-haired girl who looked like she was trying to check out the library's entire manga collection seemed to be arguing with the receptionist.

"Wait, that looks like a fresh scoop." Inoue had a glint in her eye, and somehow, a camera had materialised in her hands. She dragged me closer, and I followed.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." The receptionist seemed to be a bit flustered. "You can't borrow these many volumes without a library card. And even if you had a library card, eight is the maximum for now."

"But surely you can use this?" The girl seemed to be presenting some other identification card.

"Unfortunately, that is a My Number Card, which allows only for four books. You'll need to register for a library card with us if you want to borrow more."

"But I'm only staying here temporarily."

"You can still register with us. The fee is 4000 yen, but it lasts for life." The receptionist looked as if she had been retreading the same ground for hours. Noticing us, she turned, probably glad for a distraction. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"It's fine. We were just wondering what was going on." I explain.

At the point, the girl looks at us. Her teal blue hair was tied up in a short ponytail that ended at the base of her neck, and her eyes were brown. With her sharp features and slim, wiry build, she looked like she could be some sort of model.

Her clothes made me do a double-take–what I had mistaken for a black Gaian robe for a moment was just a long, dirty-green jacket. Underneath that jacket was a simple white T-shirt, and a pair of somewhat worn-looking dark blue jeans. Her brown laced boots, which looked both fashionable and practical, were somewhat out of place on the carpeted floor.

"Yo." She greets us in a familiar manner. Somehow, her eyes light up in recognition. "Hey, you're Tennouji Kotarou, aren't you? Of the Occult Club?"

"Uh, yes?" Was I supposed to know her?

"Oh, don't look so shocked. Shizu–I mean, your name was all over the school." She turns to Inoue. "And that means you're Inoue Akira, aren't you?"

"Who are you?" Inoue looked confused.

"Shinsaibashi Hitomi." The girl cheerily introduces herself. "I'm a first-year from Kaza High–ah, but that means you're my seniors, aren't you? Should I have been calling you senpai all this time? Tennouji-senpai, Inoue-senpai?"

I look her girl up and down. She was a whole seven centimetres taller than me, maybe even more. "Nah. Don't sweat it."

Then, her name fully hits me.

"I don't mind not being called senpai, either." Inoue says. She catches me trying to catch her eye, and gives me a subtle nod.

She's the other one!

I try not to blurt out anything about scissors. "So, Shinpai–Shinsaibashi-san. What's up?" I trip over the syllables in her name.

"You can just call me Hitomi." She waves a hand, then gestures towards the stacks of volumes. "I'm trying to borrow all of these, but they won't let me."

I take a quick glance at the titles. "Mahou Shoujo Heartful Homura?" A dark-haired girl with red glass and braids was on the cover. "Dragon Girl's Fugitive Diary?" This one had a half-dragon girl with teal hair and a katana striking a pose.

My eyes drift back to Shinsaibashi. "Yeah?" She notices my gaze.

"Nothing." I pick up another volume, which had a cloaked man with a strange saw in one hand and a shotgun in the other against a dark background. "You sure read a lot of manga, don't you? I'll help you borrow some."

"Really?" Her eyes brighten. "That'll be great."

"Do you even have a library card, Kotarou?" Inoue speaks words of common sense at me.

"No time like the present to sign up." I make an act of rolling up my sleeves.

In the end, both Inoue and I chip in to help her loan some manga.

"Hey," I whisper. "We're having lunch now, right? Do you think we should ask her out? Do a bit of fishing?"

Somehow, Inoue looks mildly conflicted. Did she want it to be just the two of us today? I decided to leave it up to her.

"Yeah. Let's ask." Inoue eventually nods at me, then walks up to Hitomi. "Hey–"

"Oh yeah, senpais. Are you headed for lunch now? Do you mind if I joined you guys? I don't really know where's good to eat around here, and I want to get to know you both better."

It appeared that our tall junior was ahead of us.

Inoue looks over her shoulder at me, and I just shrugged and smiled.

~~[r]~~

We sit down at a table in a nearby food court, Inoue beside me, and Hitomi across the both of us. After the customary thanks, the blue-hair girl tucks into her oyakodon with a voracious ferocity.

"You aren't from around here, Hitomi-san?" Inoue asks the opening question.

Shinsaibashi looks up. "Nope. I have to move around a lot because of my, uh, circumstances, but I'll be living in Kazamatsuri for the next few months at least."

"Circumstances?" I eat some of my own rice bowl (tempura).

"It's complicated. I live by myself, and my job requires me togo around the country." Hitomi answers easily. "I'm on something like a scholarship, you see."

The mention of a job makes me recall a conversation I had a few days back in the Occult Club clubroom–and the suspicions I had about Hitomi at the time.

This girl might be an actual superhuman. A superhuman from–

Unconsciously, my hand reaches out for Inoue's, and gives it a squeeze. Inoue doesn't say anything, but she squeezes back in response. "Your job?" I ask Hitomi.

"It's complicated." Hitomi says. "It's something like conservation work, park ranger stuff. They wanted me to study in Kazamatsuri because it's a city full of nature."

I nod at the explanation, and tried to keep my expression neutral at the sudden pounding in my heart. "That's what a lot of people say."

Well, it had been what Chihaya had said, when she had first transferred here. I don't know why that suddenly came into my mind, but it did.

And–

Kazamatsuri was Gaia's holy ground, wasn't it? Of course it would be full of nature. Full of life.

"Do you know Shizuru?" I continue speaking. "She mentioned that she worked with you before in a part-time job or something."

"Oh yeah, Shizuru-senpai." Hitomi breaks out into a smile. "Yeah, we've worked together a few times now."

"Senpai, huh." I also smile at the mental image of the tiny and adorable Shizuru leading around this girl one and half times her size. "Do you know Lucia as well? She's Shizuru's close friend."

Hitomi gives another nod, and scoops up another spoonful of her meal. "Yep. They're really close, aren't they? Sometimes when I'm around the two of them I almost feel like a third wheel. Kinda like right now, actually."

"Uh–"

"Relax, it's a joke. You've both been very friendly, for people I've only just met. But enough about me." Hitomi's eyes light up. "How was the forest? Did you have fun? Did you both, you know…" The girl connects her left index finger and thumb, and moved her right index in and out of the formed ring.

I felt heat creep up my cheeks.

"We didn't!" Inoue protests. Stealing a sideways glance at her, she appeared to be having the same reaction.

"Might want to fix that soon, then." Hitomi said with a teasing look. "Some other girl might come along and steal him, you know?"

Before I could even protest, Inoue had grabbed on to my arm. "As if I would let that happen!"

"Inoue…" I said slowly, then gave Hitomi a look.

"Sorry, that was another joke." The blue-haired girl chuckled. "I don't think Tennouji is the type, be assured." She nodded to Inoue, then turned back to me again. "How's the Occult Club? How are Shizuru-senpai and Lucia-senpai?"

"It's fun." I say immediately. "We call it the Occult Club, but we haven't actually found anything supernatural. We're just enjoying ourselves fooling around and going on adventures." There must be something ironic about having my biggest occult finding happen on an adventure outside of the Club. And… "I've known Shizuru since I helped her out a while back, and she's a good friend. Lucia's also my Class Rep and gives me trouble sometimes, but I think we're on good terms as well. I think." I give my honest opinion on things.

Hitomi nods. "I see." For a moment she seemed to be deep in thought, before her face returned to her normal cheerful look. "Well, that's good, then." She looked at the both of us again. "So, who was the one that suggested going into the forest?"

"It was Inoue." I admit.

For the rest of lunch we tell her about our time in the forest, being careful to leave out any obvious mention of familiars. Hitomi seemed to hang on our every word. We also make some small talk and ask Hitomi about herself.

It turned out that she was quite the avid otaku, and played many video games apart from reading lots of manga. She also seemed to know several fine details, and I could feel my eyes glaze over when she went on a tangent about so-and-so character in a series I had only heard off by name.

"...and a sword that can split into two is just cool," she eventually finishes, before fishing out her phone. "Oh, I need to go! Thanks for having lunch with me, senpais. Be seeing you!"

With that, the girl left, and both Inoue and I slumped in synchrony. "She's amazing. In more ways than one." The conversation had drained us both.

"And we completely missed our chance to ask her about the scissors." Inoue, who was resting her head on the table, turned to look at me languidly. "I don't know. I don't feel comfortable around her."

I turn to my girlfriend. "You don't?"

"It's a weird feeling," Inoue admits. "I think she's genuine, but at the same time, something about her just…rubs me the wrong way."

"Hmm." I simply made a non-committal noise. I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary with Shinsaibashi, but if Inoue did, it was best to trust her.

~~[r]~~

The past few days had given me a terrible lot to think about, and I staggered back into the classroom on Monday morning looking all the worse for wear.

"What's up with you?" Chihaya's eyes were wide. "You look as if you've been through the wringer."

"That bad, huh?" I give her a smile. "I just slept poorly last night. It'll go away."

The last time I felt this drained was back when that stupid ghost had been haunting me. Somehow, the amulets that Pres had given me made it stay away, but I had run out after, and it hadn't come back.

All of the past week's excitement had made it slip my mind, but now that I remembered…

Maybe ghosts were real after all?

"Oh? What were you doing?'

A familiar but unexpected voice interrupts my thoughts, and I turn my head. "Kotori? What are–" I silence myself just in time. Wasn't supposed to know about familiars, right.

"You're back!" Chihaya greets my childhood friend a bit more warmly than she had me. "Are you okay?"

"It was just family business. I wasn't sick." Kotori smiles. "But thanks, Chi-chan."

I watch them chatter away. Not that I wasn't glad to see her, but how could this be possible? Didn't she need to defend the power spot? What about looking for the Key?"

At break, I take Kotori aside and ask her.

She still didn't look too happy about me being involved, but told me anyway.

"The Key's still missing?"

She nods. "It's very strange. It hasn't come back to the power spot. At all. All my searches turned up dry. So I'd thought I'd come back, to check up on the Club, and you and Inoue-san." Her gaze seemed to imperceptibly sharpen.

I simply smile awkwardly. "Heh. You were concerned about me, eh?"

"Yes."

"Kotarou?" And now here came Inoue. "Kanbe-san." My girlfriend had a mixed expression on her face.

"She was telling me about the you-know-what," I explain the past minute.

"I also shrunk the perimeter of the bounded field," Kotori carries on. "There's less resources, but it's a small area to defend."

"It'll also be less conspicuous." Inoue catches on quickly. "There's been more people coming and going to the forest lately. If they're also…people like you, then they'll notice something sooner or later."

Kotori flinches at the comment. "More people…"

"Just something I noticed," Inoue says to her, and turns to me. "You're going to club today, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I'll just see you at lunch?"

I give a nod, and Inoue departs with a cheery wave.

All the while, Kotori held a sombre expression on her face.

~~[r]~~

Lunch was spent in Inoue's classroom of 2-A.

A few people look at me as I entered, but since my relationship with Inoue's was now all but common knowledge, they didn't keep looking for long.

"Tennouji-san? Looking for someone?" A girl with dark hair and thin glasses calls out to me, and I turn.

"You know it, baby." I shoot her finger guns and make a joke on impulse.

She made an expression that was many parts bemusement, with a sprinkling of contempt.

"All right, settle down there." Inoue cuts in. "You too, Tamako."

Tamako simply gave my girlfriend a small smile, and departs with a polite bow. "I'll leave it to you, Akira. You can use my chair."

"Stupid fox." Inoue had a rueful grin on her face as the girl left.

I pulled up the offered chair. "Friend of yours?"

"Tamako's a comrade, yes. Don't be fooled by her appearance; she can get quite devious when she puts her mind to it." Inoue opens her lunch, and I unwrap my purchased sandwich. "You really should make proper lunches, Kotarou. Bread alone is not enough for a growing boy."

"Eh, that's too much trouble." It was already hard enough for me to wake up in the morning. "How about you make lunch for me every day?" I say jokingly.

"Don't make me take your joke seriously and spoil you rotten." Inoue rolls her eyes. "Also, you know that's a marriage proposal, right?"

"Is it?"

"Same as with 'I want to drink your miso soup every day'." Inoue scoops a spoonful of rice, which was sprinkled with black sesame, into her mouth.

"Oh." I look down.

"With all these lines, maybe you have a gift. A gift for being a clown. Fortunately, I like clowns."

I raise an eyebrow at Inoue. "You do, do you?"

"No, that was a joke. The only clown I like is you."

"Very sweet," I grin.

Our flirting, however, was interrupted by Tamako. "You're a popular girl today, Akira."

At the door was a familiar beanie-wearing girl with messy black hair. Thick square glasses framed her dark-circled eyes.

"Oh, I will wring every last drop out of her this time," Inoue muttered to herself. "This is the second time in two days my alone time has been interrupted."

I shoot a glance at Inoue, and saw that she was in what I liked to call zombie mode.

"Well, time to see what she wants." I give Tanuma Imako a jaunty wave, and she shoots me a look of disdain.

This chapter features multiple references, some of which are actually relevant to the plot.

What do you think of Imako and Hitomi so far? I hope you like them.

Review please!