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 Pursuit of Strength

Her words, however, were much more supplicant.

"I'm sorry!" Tanuma speaks up. "I forgot to pay for the food the other day!"

"The other day?" My thoughts circled around before they landed on what she was referring to. "Oh, the fries. It's fine, though–"

"I insist." She holds out a few bills, more than twice the cost of the food.

Inoue simply gave the girl a look. "It's our treat. You know, since we're friends and all." Her voice was exasperated, and a bit waspish.

"A-Ah." Tanuma's face fell, and she seemed to shrink back at the force of Inoue's attitude.

I sighed. If I didn't say anything, she would probably just be frozen, stuttering, or frozen in a loop of stuttering, much like an old computer. "Tanuma."

"Y-Yes!" She snaps to attention.

"We're not going to accept the money, because, like Inoue said, we're your friends." I spoke patiently. "Did you have something else you wanted to ask? I know you were curious about," I lowered my voice, "our excursion."

Tanuma nods hesitantly. "Yes, b-but…"

"Are you free today after school?" Inoue advances on the girl. "We can go back to your house. It'll be safe there, right? With nobody to spy on us?" The word spy had the faintest possible emphasis.

"Yes, but–"

"It's settled, then." My girlfriend sits back down. "We'll come get you when school ends. See you later, Tanuma."

"Y-Yes."

Watching Tanuma's retreating back as she all but fled the classroom, I spoke quietly to Inoue. "A bit forceful there, don't you think?"

"Sometimes force is what you need." Inoue resumes eating, but traces of her zombie mode still remained in her expression. "Finally," she muttered, "finally, I get to see the Messiah's house. I'm going to bug the living daylights out of it. She won't know what hit her…"

Guess she still is a reporter at heart. I lightly kicked Inoue under the table. "Be nice. Also," I said, as another thought occurred to me, "are we really going right into a summoner's house without any form of protection?"

"You're enough protection for me." Inoue said dismissively. "Besides, I don't know when another chance will come."

I shake my head. This girl has too much faith in me. More than she should. "I'm not a good fighter. Against someone who knows what they're doing…"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Inoue looks me in the eye. "It'll be fine."

~~[r]~~

When classes ended for the day, however, there was a significant crowd milling about in the corridor, and for good reason.

"Test results are out?"

"That appears to be so." Our ever-diligent Class Rep replies to me from the side. "How well do you think you did, Tennouji?"

"I've always been average at my grades." I say. "I think finding out how Chihaya-san did would be more interesting."

Said orange-haired girl spoke up in her distinctive timbre at her name being mentioned. "What is that supposed to mean, Kotarou?"

"Nothing." I just grin.

"Ko–ta–rou!"

I continued grinning and scanned the noticeboard for my name. Yep, middle of the pack as always.

I also spot Inoue's mop of brown hair, as well as a distinctive dark green beanie, and make my way over to where they stood, at the end of the board. Tanuma looked overwhelmed with the sheer number of people around, and her hands were once again at her ears, holding the sides of her knit cap.

"Yo, Kotarou." Inoue shoots me a grin of her own. "Look at who took the number one spot."

My eyes shoot to the board's corner.

Above an "Mera Azusa" and a "Kakei Kyoutarou" was a very familiar name.

Tanuma Imako.

I looked at the top scorer, who was still clutching her hat as if she wanted to disappear. "Let's get out of here, I think."

"S-Sorry." The look on Tanuma's face was a mix of apology and terror.

"Yes, yes. Let's get going. To your place!"

With Inoue's proclamation, we headed off.

"Are you seriously going to stalk me all the way to my house?" Even with the crowd now distant, Tanuma still spoke in a lethargic drawl, for a completely different reason.

"Of course!" Forget about those wolf familiars that Gaia's summoners used; Inoue when she was fixated on something was almost as fearsome, and much more rabid.

I just shook my head in exasperation. With her, it was best to go with the flow…probably.

As we walked, however, I began to find myself in familiar territory. "Wait a minute."

"What is it, Kotarou?" Inoue turns to me.

"This is the way back to my house." I looked at Tanuma. "Are you sure you're not stalking me?"

"Don't be disgusting." Tanuma refutes me immediately, shooting me a glare through thick frames. "I don't even–you're the last person I would want to stalk, Tennouji."

"You wound me, Tanuma." I feign excessive hurt at the rejection of my joke.

Inoue simply had a thoughtful look on her face, while the summoner just sighed. "Sorry. I spoke too harshly. But I still don't–never mind."

"Oh, it's fine. It's just a joke."

"I'm not good with jokes." Tanuma's expression was gloomy.

"But still," Inoue looks around, "a bit of a coincidence that you both live in the same neighbourhood."

"Don't look at me like that. I've been living in the same house since I was born…I think." A mild sense of disorientation washes over me, but I wave it off. I had felt worse these few days, after all.

"As have I." Tanuma concurs with me.

The Tanuma house resembled mine, in an upper-middle-class sort of way. "Don't stand on ceremony," she says, still in the same listless tone. "There's nobody home this time of day."

"Pardon the intrusion, then." I took off my shoes and stepped in.

The interior, too, was nice and clean, also reminding me of my own house. Inoue was already casting an appraising eye over every single fixture.

I wasn't sure if Inoue's observation skills had rubbed off on me, or rather if it was because the only house I had visited was hers, but compare to the Inoue apartment, the house felt…

"You don't have any family photos around, Tanuma?" Inoue asked.

"No." The summoner spoke in a voice that did not invite a reply. "And before you ask, I have an older brother. He's studying overseas. We don't talk."

"Harsh." Inoue commented. She was still looking around, in the manner of a detective searching for clues.

"Um," Tanuma speaks up, a pause later. She had disappeared into the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"

It takes a few moments to figure out exactly what she was asking. "To drink? Oolong tea."

"I d-don't think I have that at home."

"Plain water, then." Inoue's voice echoed from above.

Wait, did she already–

"Is this your room, Tanuma?"

There was a high-pitched sound between a shriek and a whine, which sounded much like a kettle boiling. "Don't go in there!" With surprising speed, the summoner bolted out of the kitchen and flew up the wooden stairs.

"Good grief, Inoue." I got up from the couch, and followed.

The sight that met me at the second floor was almost comical. Tanuma had fallen on her knees, a perfect picture of despair, and Inoue was peering into a room that seemed to be emitting an almost ominous aura.

I had to admit, I was also curious as to what Tanuma's room was like, so I looked.

It was almost perfectly dark; the curtains were drawn shut, and sunlight only peeked in from the cracks between. In front of the windows was a desk, and a powerful-looking computer sat below it, with its monitor and keyboard above. It was on, and the LEDs emitted a soft, multicoloured glow.

Fiddling around on the wall, I flicked on the light, and was greeted with–

Many religions thought that before everything came to exist, the world was just primordial chaos, a messy soup where everything was mixed together with no order at all.

Looking at the state of Tanuma's room in full illumination, it seemed that a bit of that soup had lasted up until the present day.

Food wrappers and emptied cup noodle cups littered the floor, alongside other trash such as crumpled-up balls of paper and tissues. With the various manga and magazines strewn everywhere, there was almost no place to walk. Tanuma appeared to have no proper bed, but the futon was unmade, blankets and pillow a jumble.

The walls, apart from a wardrobe, were covered with bookshelves, which held books of all kinds: not just more manga volumes, but also light novels, actual novels, study guides for examinations, and also several complicated-looking tomes on a variety of subjects: biology, chemistry, history, ecology, mathematics, physics…

The desk and the shelves were also adorned with several figurines of anime girls in various costumes, some showing more skin than others.

A strange smell was in the room's still air.

I looked back at Tanuma. She hadn't moved from where she had collapsed on her knees, and seemed almost catatonic. "You overdid it this time, idiot."

Inoue caught my quietly muttered remark. "Maybe." Her expression was one of uncertainty. "Lend me a hand, Kotarou." She was already bending down and picking up a wrapper.

I caught on. "The trash bin should be in the kitchen, if this house is similar to mine."

Together, we worked quietly to clean up Tanuma's room, all while the summoner remained frozen in shock.

"At least she's not attacking us," I half-joke to Inoue downstairs.

"Yet." Inoue retorts. She had a contemplative look on her face. "You'd better watch out tonight, Kotarou. I wouldn't put it past her to search the whole neighbourhood for your house and then assassinate you in your sleep."

"Ha, ha."

"And by the way, don't touch the tissues and let me handle them."

"Why?"

"Just don't, Kotarou."

I was starting to get a strange feeling as to what they were, but I wisely shut up and agreed.

Halfway through, Tanuma herself joins us. "Give me that." Her voice was still emotionless, but she gestures to a semi-open journal I was holding in my hand. The open pages showed a labelled sketch of…a branch of some tree?

Not waiting for me, she simply swiped it out of my hands, snapped it shut, and placed it on her desk, next to a figure of an elegant katana-wielding Victorian lady with a feather in her cap.

Finally, after about two hours, we were done. Tanuma sits down on her roller chair at her desk, while Inoue and I simply stood side-by-side, admiring our handiwork. The afternoon sun shone in through the window.

"Not bad," I say. "I thought it would take much longer than this."

"I'm sorry." Tanuma said suddenly. "I've just been nothing but trouble for the both of you, haven't I?" She had that same far-off and tired look on her face once more.

"It's probably stupid to say that right after we're done, but forcibly cleaning up someone's room is also kind of rude." I scratch my head.

"It's fine." The summoner's voice was as drained as she looked. "I…if I had wanted you both to stop, I would have said so." Wheeling around on her chair, she opens a drawer, and retrieved a small cardboard box…of Pocky. "Want one? I opened this only yesterday."

A chocolate-covered biscuit stick was extended to us, and Inoue and I exchange a look. After a pause, we both accepted. "You know," Inoue said, "I'm kind beginning to forget why we came here in the first place."

"I would surmise that you wanted to see my living conditions, and get to know more about what type of person I was." As Tanuma nibbled on the snack, some energy began to return to her voice, which took on a degree of incisiveness. Pushing up her glasses, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes looking a lot more steely.

"Getting more full of confidence already, are you?" I lightly prodded.

"Well, that depends. How many people did you tell that you were coming over to my house today?" Her fingers were steepled, her elbows resting on the chair's armrests.

"Um…"

"None, right?" A breeze came in through the open window, and the summoner's messy black hair shook slightly. "So if I kill you both right now, nobody will ever know about the full depths of my pathetic self. You've already went missing once, after all."

Without even a thought, I had stepped forwards, my claw of green materialised in full. "Don't try anything."

"You're a remarkable superhuman, but my Asper is much faster than you'll ever be." Tanuma's gaze was sharp, focused, intense. It was fixed…on my claw. "I knew it," she said.

"Know what?" I was still poised to attack. Inoue was still keeping silent, watching everything.

"You met 'it', didn't you?"

Tanuma's simple question sent ice down my spine. "...it?"

"That thing." Tanuma spoke in a grave tone. "I do not wish to speak its title aloud. Gods know who or what might be listening."

"Even in your own house?" Inoue asked.

"Especially in my own house. Or have you both forgotten what organization I belong to?"

Inoue was sceptical. "Even in your own room?"

Tanuma just sighed, before she got up from her chair. Closing the windows that we had opened to air the room, and drawing the curtains shut, she pressed a button on a remote, and an air-conditioner whirled into life. "Close the door, would you?"

I did as we were told.

After the room was once again not-so-bright, Tanuma appeared to relax. "As I thought, I can't keep this up." She slid off the chair, went and sat on the futon. "Tennouji, you can take my chair. Inoue-san, you can sit beside me."

"So I don't get to rest on the bed, huh?" I sarcastically asked.

"I won't have you taint where I sleep." Tanuma's reply was quick, but then, she appeared to wilt. "Then again, you've both already laid your grubby fingers all over my room."

"As if your room was less grubby than my fingers," I snorted.

"Yes, yes." Tanuma's voice grew quieter. She looked around the room again, then spoke. "The Key. You met it, didn't you?"

A superior existence. A being that could obliterate me with a thought.

Unknowingly, my fingers curled up into a fist, which I only realised when Inoue laid her hand on mine, and gently pried it open. "I couldn't see it," my girlfriend said, "but it freaked the hell out of Kotarou. We were running away from this…leaf dragon. Kotarou disabled it for a while, but then something destroyed it in a single hit."

"You disabled the leaf dragon? By yourself?" Tanuma sits up straight and looks at me.

"Yeah." I did not offer further details.

The summoner pondered over this, but eventually chose not to press further in favour of asking another point. "What did it look like? Can you remember?"

"Yeah," I said again. "A small girl. A black dress. Short ash-white hair."

"And red ribbons, right?"

I look over at Tanuma. "You've seen it?"

"In my dreams." Her expression beneath her glasses was perfectly serious.

"So the whole 'Messiah' thing…"

Tanuma turns to face Inoue. "...is stupid. I blurted out something I shouldn't have, and the rumours got out of hand, because god forbid the quiet girl says something for once."

Even I could tell she was hiding some pent-up emotions. Tiptoeing around it, I asked my next question. "What are the dreams?"

"It's of the Key. With your description I confirmed that I wasn't actually hallucinating everything, and that there's an element of truth in them. I gained information that I otherwise shouldn't have known, after all."

"So you dream…of the…"

"Yes. I see it, or maybe her. Fighting, killing. It's always in a forest, with the full moon overhead. And then…Salvation occurs."

I had the strong feeling that it was 'Salvation' with a capital 'S'. "What is it?" I asked. Kotori had also mentioned the term, though she hadn't known what it was.

"It's an ending. All current life ends, and the cycle of rebirth begins anew."

"That's the end of the world, isn't it?" Inoue speaks quietly.

Tanuma looks down at her hands. "You could say that. But it is also a new beginning. With so much of the world corrupt and full of malice, we might be better off starting anew, even if none of us will be around to see it."

I could feel the same anger that I had felt back at the restaurant coming back to me, but this time…

I had seen Tanuma's room, and was starting to get a better grasp on her personality. I had a mild idea of what kind of person would let their room become that messy and filthy.

Memories from a long time ago surface.

A nighttime hunt. A single sprout growing in the darkness.

I wish everything would just melt away–

"Oi, Inoue." I speak up, my voice sounding more hoarse than normal. "Give us a rousing speech or something."

"Seriously?" She looks at me, then at Tanuma. "Oh, I see. Well…" She takes a moment to think, before she stands up. "I'm not going to say something like 'actually, the world isn't that bad enough for you to want to end it', because I don't know myself. So!"

Inoue suddenly raises her voice, and both Tanuma and I jump. "W-What?" Tanuma says.

"Come find out the truth with me." Inoue puts her fist over her heart. "That's my job as a reporter. We'll find out about the truth of the world together, and see if it's really as irredeemable as you think."

"That's it?" I say.

"I'm not that good at pep talks." Inoue gives me a look. "And I don't remember having to give you one!"

"Because just having you by my side is enough." I smiled at her, saying something half-joking, half serious.

Inoue goes slightly red. "K-Kotarou."

"If you two lovebirds start flirting while I am right here, right in my own room, moreover, I am going to murder the both of you." Tanuma gives an exasperated sigh. A stray whoosh of wind blew around to punctuate her statement, and we both snap to her. "I've heard better speeches in RPGs, but fine. I'll join this little conspiracy of yours. And I even know what you want. You want me to spy on Gaia for you, right?"

"Er…" I started, but Inoue was ahead of me.

"Glad you caught on so quickly."

Tanuma gives a self-deprecating smile. "And what if I just feed you lies and nonsense?"

"We'll just have to trust that you don't do that." Inoue grinned.

"I'm honoured." The summoner gives a short bow. "Of course, I'll be making as much use of you both as you are me."

So much for being friends. Then again, perhaps it was just Tanuma's own awkward way of speaking?

"I'll even give you something on the house," she continues. "There's been a scout bird following you around for some time. You've caught the eye of a Gaian."

"What?!" I spring to my feet, and look around. If anyone had been following us around–

"The probability is not a hundred percent, but it might have been since we left the school."

"Meaning the summoner was at school?" Inoue frowned.

"That can be worked out later. What I want to know is if it can hear us." I spoke tersely. So this is why you never say the word 'Key' out loud, eh?

"It's a normal scout bird. They have excellent eyesight, but only average hearing. You'd have to be shouting before they could hear you clearly, from how high they normally fly." The summoner also stands up. "Well, time for me to earn my pay."

At Tanuma's instructions, Inoue and I grabbed our bags and left the house, pretending to head home. As soon as we went onto the driveway, however, there was a loud thwack from overhead, and something fell to the ground.

"She said to not look, right?" Inoue asked.

"Yeah, untill–"

A quiet tap on my shoulder interrupted me. Tanuma had a finger on her lips, and in her other hand was–

A strange bird that seemed to be a cross between a canary and a hawk, its feathers sky blue and pale pink. On its head was a covering that seemed to be made of many layers of paper, which looked like, and probably served the function of, a falcon's hood, which blinded it.

We remained quiet all the way until Tanuma dumped the bird into an plastic box that looked like it been designed to hold small animals like a hamster or terrapin, but was now wrapped all around with thick black tape, making it fully opaque.

"Can't be too careful," she finally said, straightening up. Her voice was still quiet. "I'll do some analysis, get back to you by tomorrow."

"Will you be fine, Tanuma?" I looked at the girl, meeting her eyes through her thick square black-framed glasses. "You're also from Gaia, aren't you?"

A complicated expression was on the summoner's face. "I…well." Clearly, there were still many things she hadn't told us. "Don't worry about it." She bowed politely again. "Th…thank you for today. For cleaning up my room."

And for the other things as well. That was what her face seemed to be saying.

"We've given you a lot to think about, eh?" Inoue grinned again. "You have my number. Drop me a message if you ever need to talk."

The sun was beginning to set as we made our way home.

"Since when did you give her your number?"

"This morning. It wasn't a very long chat." Inoue said simply. "Just trying to be a friend, that's all." She seizes my hand, and we walk. "Are you coming over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I say.

"You still haven't told me what this is about. Are you going to fight my dad for my hand in marriage? That's be cool. I'd watch."

I snort. "Ha, ha. It wouldn't be fair, though, since I have superpowers and all."

"I wouldn't be surprised if my dad still managed to beat you up." Inoue smirked.

"That's what I thought you would say."

Still, it was pretty close to what I wanted to ask Satoru-san about.

~~[r]~~

"You want to learn martial arts?" It was the next day, after dinner, and Inoue's father and I were standing on the balcony of the Inoue apartment, looking out over the town in the cool evening air.

"Yes, sir."

"No need to be so stiff with me, Tennouji-kun. You can feel free to call me Satoru." The lean, black-haired man took a bite out of an apple slice, which was dessert. "And I take it Akira told you about her aikido lessons?"

"She did. She said she hated them." A small smile makes its way onto my face.

Satoru-san gave a small chuckle. "That she did. But I think it did her some good, and gave her something to rebel against. That's important: to learn that things may not always go your way."

I simply nodded.

"I can recommend you a school, no problem. But," Satoru-san turned his amber eyes on me, "why ask me in particular? We've only talked once before, strictly speaking. And why now, of all times?"

I decided to be honest. "Because I don't have anyone else to ask."

"Understandable." There was a slow nod, and Inoue's father scratched a bit at the stubble on his chin in a thoughtful motion. "And the other question?"

"Because…" It was hard, to put it in words. "I feel like I need to be stronger."

What the hell was I saying? That sounded so juvenile, so childish.

"Also understandable." Another slice of apple disappeared into the man's mouth. After he had chewed and swallowed, he spoke again. "You seem to have a lot on your mind. Perhaps some physical activity would be good for you. A word of warning, though."

I felt my own back straighten at Satoru-san's last sentence. "Y-Yes?"

"Don't do anything foolish that will hurt Akira. I trust that you know what I mean; I did not raise my daughter to go after dullards."

A scene came back to me: Inoue's words, and her quiet breathing in the darkness of the forest, where we had slept side by side.

And I had rewritten myself to be a little bit closer to what she had wanted.

My chest tightened. "Yes, sir."

In other words, I had better not also hurt myself doing anything dumb. I was no longer alone; there were people who cared about me, and that meant that I also had to care about myself.

"Good." He heads back inside, and writes an address on a notebook, the page of which he tore out and handed to me. "I'll give them a call, tell them you're heading over. The first lesson's even free." He then smirks, an familiar expression which I had seen often on Inoue's own face. "A word of warning. It's not going to be anything conventional like what Akira did when she was young. Keep your mind open."

~~[r]~~

The next day after school, Inoue went to the Newspaper Club, while I stood in front of an old building, which had its entrance in an alleyway, in an older part of town.

To be honest, I wasn't completely truthful with Satoru-san last night. There was someone else I could have asked, if I had really searched my mind.

Esaka Sougen, the proprietor of Forest, the antique shop. He seemed like a friendly and dependable sort, and hadn't laughed me off when I talked to him.

But call it instinct, or call it something else–something was telling me not to. I was getting the strange feeling that he, somehow, was dangerous. That telling him about what I had been feeling the past week, or even anything to do with the supernatural, would be the wrong thing to do.

It was nothing but a strange sensation, like a half-forgotten dream.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. The fading sign above me read "Minakami Gym".

After climbing up a flight of somewhat-dirty stairs, I emerged into a…perfectly normal-looking gym. There were weights and benches, some machines, and an open area that looked like it was for sparring, with a few people here and there.

"Welcome!" The lady at the counter chirped. She looked to be quite young, like someone's older sister or something, with her long dark hair tied back, and friendly eyes. A cigarette was in her mouth, which she took out. "How can I help you?"

"Er…" Great. Inoue's father hadn't said anything.

"Oh, that's a Kaza High uniform. You're Tennouji Kotarou, then?"

"Yes."

"Ah, Satoru-san did mention you were coming. You'll have to wait, though, because the–"

"RutataTATATATATATA–" Loud shouting interrupted her, and I peered around the corner to see what was going on, only for a ridiculous, unexpected sight to meet my eyes.

In the free space, with his shirt off, Yoshino Haruhiko was doing a bamboo dance.

"-TATATATATA–"

"Uwoooohhhhhh!"

And, with an impressive battle cry, he was actually keeping up!

-TATATATATA!"

Finally, the dance ended, and Yoshino bowed low to the two instructors, before turning around and spotting me. "Tennouji!"

"Er, hi." I gave a jaunty wave, while trying not to laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"That's my line, Yoshino. What were you just doing?"

"Lone wolves need to keep their fangs sharpened, Tennouji. Do you not understand that basic fact?"

"I thought 'lone wolves' trained by themselves in the forest by beating up trees?"

Yoshino smirks. "Heh. I'm in a good mood, so I'll forgive you that remark. A falcon flew down to me and told me of this sanctuary. Anyway, I'm done for today. Be seeing you."

Putting his shirt back on, he leaves.

Really, what the hell did Inoue's dad rope me into?

"As I was saying." The clerk speaks up from behind me, and I jump. "Satoru-san signed you up for 'some time to learn a bit of everything'."

"I don't like how that sounds." I give my honest opinion.

"Oh, cheer up. Well, footwork is part of the deal, and since the setup's already here, why not begin right away?" She looks at the two men, the pole-holders. "Murata! Katou! Can you still keep going?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Two simultaneous cries sound. "These dudes sound kind of serious," I remark to the clerk.

"They're professionals who have risked their lives for their dance." The clerk says with a face so straight I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Oh, and Satoru-san left a message for you: 'With nobody there to guide you, you must learn to guide yourself.' That is all. Good luck!"

I really, really hoped this wasn't some elaborate prank. Well, I guess I just had to trust in my girlfriend's old man.

"With nobody there to guide me, I must guide myself, huh?" I muttered.

Well, if there ever was a time…

I take a deep breath, and close my eyes.

What did it mean, to guide yourself?

I could feel it, now. The horizon, the point of no return. It was far off in the distance, but it was there nonetheless.

Divide it smaller. A single drop, the faintest increase.

And with it, I wished. I tapped into the mysterious power that let me become what I wanted.

A little bit smarter, a little bit wiser.

In the hope that I could guide myself, to reach a future even I did not know–

No, to prepare myself for all of the unknown futures, and the challenges that would come–

To become stronger, while not becoming a monster–

I opened my eyes. Everything felt a little sharper, but I could just have been imagining things.

The two buff men, Murata and Katou, were looking at me patiently.

I stepped between the bamboo poles. "Let's do this."

One man nodded to the other, and they began.

"Run ta ta! Run ta ta!"

I hissed in pain. Of course, I got hit right away.

No, I just needed to feel the rhythm. To adapt to it.

I've read about this before. It was not the strongest of the species that survives, nor it is the most intelligent. Rather, it was the one most adaptive to change.

"Let's go again."

"Run ta ta! Run ta ta! Ru ta ta tatata tatata!"

I gritted my teeth. I could keep up with this!

Of course, as soon as I thought that, I fell over.

"Again."

"Ru ta ta! Ru ta tatata ta!"

Focus, but not too hard that it would make one nervous. Find that sweet spot. Dance in the moment.

"Ru ta ta ta tatatatatata ta! Ta!"

I fell over again. "One more time."

"Ru tatatatatataTATATATATA!"

"Again."

"RutataTATATATATATA–"

"Again."

…

"Again!"

…

"Your time's up, sir."

I blinked.

"It's been two hours."

I glanced up at the wall clock, then out a window, where the sky was beginning to turn orange. "So it has," I say absentmindedly. Even with my rewritten legs from that time in the forest, I was beginning to feel some fatigue.

One of the men, which I think is Murata, speaks up. "Not bad, kid. Ever did this before?"

"Nope."

"Not bad at all." He nods approvingly. "You've got some guts, too, to keep pushing yourself on your first time."

"I guess I was just feeling motivated." I scratch my head awkwardly, and the man nods again. With a gesture to his partner, the pair tidied up and left.

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, you've spent all of the time on footwork. That leaves only your complimentary free entry left." The clerk makes a note.

"What?" I squawk somewhat indignantly. "You should have stopped me if that was the case!"

"We make it a point to never disturb the customer when they're deeply engaged, sir."

I couldn't argue with that. "Can I at least look around a bit before I leave?"

"Certainly."

The gym appeared to take up the building's whole floor. It wasn't a big building, but still, it was the whole floor. The rest of the space was taken up by weights and machines, and there were also some punching bags hanging from the ceiling in a variety of sizes.

Apparently, there was also a second floor.

It was divided into a few large sections, though I saw that the partitions were of the movable sort. There were also bins holding what looked like a variety of training weapons.

And inside one of the spaces was the second unexpected person of the day.

He was seated cross-legged, dressed in traditional clothes as opposed to his usual uniform, and appeared to be meditating. The glasses that were normally present on his face were not there.

"Ootori Sakuya." The name escapes my lips.

"Tennouji Kotarou." The butler opened his eyes. "Had a good training session?"

"I did," I say neutrally. "How did you know?"

"I walked past on my way in, though I suppose, engaged as you were, you did not notice."

I sigh, though only mentally. From someone who'd decided they'd hate me from the first time we met–what do you even say? What could you even say? "I guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings next time."

In a roundabout way, that had been a lesson of sorts. Maybe I should even feel thankful?

"Indeed." Sakuya inclines his head.

"What are you even doing here?"

"I come here to relax when I am free of any duties. It is a rather tranquil place, free of disturbances." The butler begins to stand. "Though, seeing that it is almost time to prepare my lady's dinner, I should be heading back."

I nod silently.

"Can I ask you, Tennouji Kotarou? Do you intend to continue down this path?"

His cryptic manner, and how he sounds like he looks down on me, as always, rubs me the wrong way.

No point getting riled up, I chide myself. I have a rough idea about what he means, but I don't intend to give away any information.

After running through a list of possible answers in my mind–

"What answer will you find acceptable?" I ask neutrally. "Especially as someone who hated me from the first time they ever saw me?"

The butler laughed. "Haha. So you are curious about that, aren't you? Well…" He eyes me with a piercing gaze. "I suppose, seeing that you're less of an oaf now, I could tell you. You remind me of my destiny, Tennouji Kotarou."

"Must not be a very good destiny, then."

"Indeed." Sakuya says again. He walks to leave, but at the stairs, he turns to face me. "I understand that you are romantically attached now."

"Yes."

"Even so, I humbly request that you continue to be friends with Lady Chihaya. And perhaps Lady Akane as well. The Occult Club…" He stops himself. "It might not be such a bad place."

He disappears down the stairs, and I let out a breath.

Seriously, I think every conversation I have with the guy shaves a year off my life.

"'You remind me of my destiny'...what a drama queen." I mutter to myself.

Then again, I've never known him to be anything other than serious. He's not like some chunnibyou who'd spout these lines just because they sounded cool.

Looking at you, Yoshino.

But maybe that meant he was so deep into it he thought it was perfectly normal? That didn't seem right either.

Which meant that it was becoming increasingly likely that he was related to the supernatural.

"Chihaya and Akane…"

Then, by extension, were Chihaya and Pres related to the supernatural as well?

Maybe not Chihaya, but Pres…

Come to think of it, wouldn't it be perfect? Take over the place where anyone interested in the supernatural would flock to, then cover up the actual supernatural stuff.

Definitely something I could see her doing.

"Man, I hope I'm not jumping to conclusions here." I turned to leave.

But then again, Akane was already plenty suspicious, even without the supernatural. She lives out of the clubroom and somehow has blackmail on everyone, for heaven's sake.

Well, there'd be more time to think about this tomorrow.

~~[r]~~

Or so I thought.

"Tanuma? What are you doing here? How did you even–"

"I asked your girlfriend." Tanuma was waiting at my gate when I arrived with my convenience-store dinner. She was dressed in a maroon tracksuit that some Kaza High students wore during P.E., though on her frame it was baggy, and her dark green beanie hat was still present. "S-She said it was fine."

I blinked. "Well, if Inoue says it's okay, then I guess it's fine. What's up?"

"It might be better to t-talk inside the house."

"Oh, fine."

I dumped my bag on a dining-table chair, and sit down in one. "You don't mind if I eat as we talk?"

"It's fine."

"So," I started, cracking apart my chopsticks and taking a bite of rice, "what's so urgent?"

"I finished the analysis on the captured familiar. It belongs to," she took a breath.

"To?"

"To someone at Kaza High. A student."

I nearly planted my face in my meal. "Didn't we already establish that?"

"Now we're more certain." Tanuma pushed up her glasses. From her tracksuit's jacket she retrieved an origami crane of grey paper, which she placed on the table. "The summoner eventually extinguished the familiar remotely after it was clear they wouldn't be able to overhear or see anything, but I managed to get a sense of the nature of the contract."

Teriyaki chicken went into my mouth. "I assume this crane will help us?"

"Correct. It's a rudimentary familiar I made myself. Normal familiars, and the ones summoners would be more familiar with, resemble animals. This is a highly simplified version, more akin to a single-celled organism. It can't move by itself, and has no usual sensory functions like sight or hearing. In fact, its only sensory faculty is detecting if it's close to our target summoner, upon which it will grow warm."

"How does that even work?" I ask.

"More specifically, it detects the remnants of a target summoner-familiar contract, or contracts similar enough to the nature of the target." She exhaled. "A skilled enough summoner can do that, yes. There's also rumours that Kashima Sakura, the Holy Woman, can even trace contracts just by sight alone."

Kashima Sakura. That name gave me an ominous feeling, which I dared not ask further about.

"What's this thing's weakness, then?" I said instead. "There's always one, right?"

"There is." Tanuma was in her element. "To conserve energy, it can only be active for an hour, from the time you tug on its tail. Don't do that now!" She snapped at me as I reached for the paper bird.

"So I have to run throughout school and pray?"

"That's the idea, yes." Tanuma says. "I would do it myself, but I hate crowds."

"Gee, thanks."

A few moments of silence passed as I continued eating, before Tanuma suddenly speaks up.

"Show it to me again."

"Show what?"

"Your claw of Aurora."

I put down my chopsticks. "I don't know what Aurora is, but I assume you mean this." I materialise my claw of luminous green.

A set of three blades protrude over the dining table, and Tanuma move around the table's side, coming closer to examine it.

But the blades weren't her focus. It was the tendrils.

Trails of blue-green that floated in the air, like paper streamers or seaweed underwater. Tanuma reached out, poked at it, prodded at it.

So that's how it is. I thought to myself, looking at the girl's focused expression. When you're in school or talking with others, you're timid, but now, when it comes to summoning and the occult, you're sharp as knives, huh?

I cleared my throat.

"Sorry," Tanuma withdrew her fingers. She looked at me. "How did you get this?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Tennouji Kotarou. I'm asking you how you have some of the Key's ribbons embedded in your arm."

"What!?" I lose my focus, and the claw disappears. "What do you mean?"

"So you don't even know." The summoner's tone was much like how a parent would remind a child to finish their food because there were starving children in some far-off country. "How many times did you meet the Key?"

"Only with Inoue in the forest," I reply instantly.

"Bullsh–I mean, that can't be right." She cut across me immediately. "Do you know how deeply buried this is in your arm?"

"Look." The girl was beginning to wear on my nerves, and I was getting grumpy from not being able to enjoy my dinner in peace. "It's like I told you. These things only appeared when one of the dogs–when one of Gaia's hound familiars tried to bite my arm off. I had no idea that it even existed beforehand."

Tanuma took a deep breath. "Then you're suffering from amnesia. You've met it once before, and you forgot. That's the only other explanation."

She said it plainly, with such absolute certainty, that I recoiled. I quietly swore to myself under my breath. "Don't tell anyone."

"You're admitting it?"

"I…" I didn't want to tell Tanuma, a member of Gaia, anything to do with this. Scratch that, I didn't even want to tell anyone, not even Inoue.

The summoner seems to take pity on me. "I guess you don't even know yourself, huh?" She stood to leave. And, as if suddenly remembering to follow a script, she speaks. "Sorry."

I look her in the eyes, where her gaze was flat beneath her glasses. "Don't tell anyone." I repeat.

"I won't." She then smirks. "You know, seeing you like this gives me some hope for myself."

"I'm pretty sure you just said something really rude," I sighed. Was this what Chihaya felt all the time?

After the summoner had left, and I had washed up, I got in a call with Inoue.

"What's up?"

"You sent Tanuma at me." My tone was accusing, but only jokingly.

Inoue's response was tinny over the phone. "Well, it was convenient. Besides, you two live in the same neighbourhood, so we might as well take advantage of it."

"Uh-huh." I was not convinced. "And you gave her my address."

"I think we can trust her. And if she does do something, it won't be anything like assassination. More like…she'll attack you to your face, if it ever came to it."

"Very reassuring, dear."

"A ha ha. Like I said, trust my judgement." There was a pause. "Also, Kotarou."

"Hmm?"

"Is there anywhere you want go for our date this weekend? Since I'm planning and all."

"Not really," I speak honestly.

"So we can just go have some pizza, and walk around a mall for a bit? Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine." I lie down on my bed.

"Are you sure, Kotarou? You're not just agreeing to make me happy?"

"I wouldn't be that much of a wuss, Inoue." I snorted. "I'm fine with anything if it means spending time with you. In fact, I'm kind of worried I'm not doing enough myself. Seeing as this is my first time dating and all."

"Oh, you're fine. You're already doing lots," she chirped.

"Really?"

"Really. Knowing you've got my back is reassuring. And you're working hard for my sake too, aren't you?"

"You overheard my conversation with your dad?" Well, I should have known.

"I did indeed. Wait." I could picture her eyes narrowing. "You are working hard for my sake, right? You're thinking of me as you undergo gruelling physical training?"

I think about the question. "Yeah. I am, actually."

"Whoa, you answered more seriously than I thought you would."

"Damn it, Inoue. Do you want me to be serious or not?" I give an exasperated smile to the ceiling.

"Either is fine." In my mind's eye, I could see her easy grin. "Okay, consider me reassured. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

I might be an amnesiac. I might have encountered a mystical harbinger of doom some time ago and just forgot. "No." I say. "But, er."

"Spit it out."

"I guess knowing you've got my back too is also reassuring," I say.

"You dumb idiot. Okay, go and rest. We've got a long day tomorrow."

~~[r]~~

The moment the bell rings the next day, I take out the paper crane and tug on its tail. The grey paper turned a dark green, which I took to mean that it was working.

"What's that you got there?" Chihaya peers from her desk.

"It's my pet," I respond immediately. "I need to take it for a walk." Not saying anything more, I leave.

Chihaya didn't even bother to respond to the gag. "Are you coming to club today, Kotarou?"

"Yeah, I'll stop by for a bit. But I do need to go do some reporting."

"That reporter girlfriend's of yours been a strong influence, hasn't she?" The orange-haired girl walked up next to me on my way to the clubroom.

"She has indeed," I say happily. Privately, I was still clutching the crane gently. Since it hadn't turned warm, I guess Chihaya wasn't the culprit.

But if she's also related to the occult… "Say, Chihaya. How exactly do you know Pres? You said she was the only one you knew before you transferred in, right?"

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say that."

The strange wording would probably have been written off as a quirk had I not known any better, but now… "Allowed? What do you mean?"

"Well, it might be an invasion of Akane's privacy." Chihaya considers my question.

"As if I'm going to tell anyone. I'm just curious, that's all." A thought then came to my mind. "Is this about your, er, family situation?"

Chihaya sighs. "Well, that's a good guess. Fine, I guess it can't hurt to say it. But don't let Akane know you know, okay? She likes to be mysterious."

"Don't we know it." I snorted.

"When I was young, I stayed with Akane a while in the same orphanage. It was here in Kazamatsuri, actually."

"The House of Ties?"

"Yeah, it was the House of–wait!" Chihaya stops in her tracks. "How did you know?"

Shit. The name had just popped into my consciousness, and I had said it out loud like an idiot. "I guessed at random," I smirked, and made something up on the spot. "Inoue's been doing an article on the plight of the less fortunate, and I've been helping."

"Hmm." Chihaya did not seem convinced.

Trying not to sweat buckets, I went on. "Yeah, Inoue's great. She writes and reports about pretty much anything. Why, the other day–"

"I understand, I understand!" The orange-haired girl put her hands over her ears. "I don't need you to keep going on about your girlfriend!"

"Why not?" Internally, I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Because!"

At this time, we reached the club room, and I opened the door with my free hand. "Wassup!"

"Imbecile." Pres says as a form of greeting, running a hand through her pale hair.

"Hope you haven't been too lonely without me," I remark, as I set my bag down, trying to keep my face normal.

"On the contrary, I am pleased that some semblance of peace and quiet has returned to this room." The Pres spreads her hands magnanimously. "Truth be told, what irks me more is knowing that you're out gallivanting with that reporter."

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry you don't approve, mom."

"Yes, yes. You've been a wayward son." She returns to tapping away at her gaming laptop.

"This wayward son will excuse himself for a while, then."

And then I all but fled the room, because the crane had began to grow warm in my hand, and now burned in my pocket where I had stuffed it.

~~[r]~~

It's the Pres. I fired off a quick message to Inoue, then went to find Tanuma.

Of course, the girl had chosen today of all days to not be in her classroom. Not sure where else to go, and hoping she hadn't yet made her way home, I made my best guess and headed to the school library.

My senses were now good enough that I didn't crash into anyone, but still–

"Whoa there."

"Sorry," I reflexively apologise. "Wait, Shinsaibashi-san?"

"Senpai!" The slim girl greets me, upbeat as usual. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Finding a…friend. Have you seen a girl around? Thick black glasses, messy dark hair?"

"That description fits many, senpai."

I think of some of Tanuma's distinguishing features. "She has this dark green beanie on sometimes."

"Oh, I know who you're referring to." Hitomi nods in recognition. "I think I saw her in the library. I can lead you to her, if you like."

I nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Hitomi-san."

"Oh, Kotarou." Another person joins us: a girl that was short instead of tall, blonde instead of dark-blue-haired, and had twintails instead of a singular ponytail. "Hitomi."

"Shizuru-senpai!"

"I told you not to call me that when we're at school." The eyepatched girl looked slightly grumpy.

Hitomi looked mildly put out. "But senpai is senpai."

"Shizuru." I greet. "Are you going to the club?"

"Yes. You're not coming today again?" She looks at me, only mildly resembling a hurt puppy.

I scratch my head. "I need to settle something first. I'll drop by soon."

She nods, then tilts her head. "You two know each other?"

"We met in the city library last week by chance. Kotarou-senpai helped me borrow some manga." Hitomi rattles off, then turns to me. "Thanks, by the way. I already returned the stuff that was loaned under your name."

"No worries. But, er…" I wanted to get back to finding Tanuma, and Hitomi seemed to understand.

"Okay, gotta go. See you, Shizuru-sen-Shizuru!'

Shinsaibashi hurries off, and, with a last wave at Shizuru, I follow.

The blue-haired girl leads me to a quieter part of the school library that seemingly contained older books that less people wanted to read. Sitting at a table by herself was a girl with a familiar dark-green beanie, as well as an orange button-up sweater over her uniform. She appeared to be doing some homework, but looked up as soon as we approached.

"Thanks, Hitomi."

"No problem. See you around!" With a wave, my energetic junior departed as quickly as she came.

Wasting no time, I slide into a chair next to her, and pull some of her books in front of me to make myself seem less suspicious. "It's Senri Akane."

"Senri Akane attends this school?" Tanuma raised an eyebrow.

I mirror her surprise. "She's a ghost student, and actually is the President of the Occult Club. Wait, how do you even recognise that name?"

Tanuma swore under her breath. "Bloody celebrities," she muttered. "And somehow in the same club, too."

"I get the feeling I'm missing a lot of parts."

"Yeah, you are." Tanuma looks around furtively, then continued working on her homework. "She's the successor of the Holy Woman." The words were said quietly, out of the corner of her mouth.

"The what?"

The summon just sighed in exasperation. "Call your girlfriend here. I don't want to have to explain this twice."

Inoue had a better idea.

Which is why we were back at the Newspaper Club's clubroom.

"Akira-chan…"

"Shut up, Yuki." Inoue preemptively strikes at her redhead senior and comrade-in-arms.

"I know, I know." The Newspaper Club's president looks over at me. "Hey, Tennouji-kun. You really should consider joining, if you're going to keep working with Akira."

"But part of the fun is that we're not in the same club," I reply, my intonation slightly rising.

Inoue snags on to my arm. "Stop trying to recruit him!" She drags me off to an interview room, which, by some weird coincidence, was the same one as the last time.

And to think that it was only a week ago. This is nuts.

"The Holy Woman," Tanuma began, with only a weary look at our antics, "is a special figure within Gaia. The organization doesn't officially have a leader, but this is the leader that we do not have."

Inoue and I both nodded.

"This is kind of moot with Kashima Sakura, who is the current Holy Woman, and also the current chair of Martel Japan's board of directors." She stared pointedly at both of us. "You see how it is?"

"This can't be that simple." Inoue was frowning. "Can it?"

"Fortunately for you, it isn't." A crooked smile was on Tanuma's face. "Any organization as large as Gaia or Martel will have several competing interests within. In Gaia's case, a faction of the more practically-minded oppose Kashima, and only want to capture the Key to monitor the state of the world."

"As opposed to wanting to bring about the end of the world." I was beginning to see the picture, but there was something nagging at me. "You sound like you're not in Kashima's camp."

"I indeed am not. At least, not in any official capacity."

Weren't you saying stuff about wanting to end the world?

"I can see the question in your eyes." Tanuma continued. "But it's just something I happened to be born into."

"Your parents are summoners?" Inoue asked.

Tanuma sighed. "Officially they're scientists with Martel, but they're actually researchers that work with summoning and familiars, yes. I guess there was no avoiding this since we're on the topic."

Inoue finishes scribbling on her notebook, and shoots an aside glance at me for some reason. "We're getting off-topic here. What does this have to do with the Witch?"

"The…Witch?"

"The Witch of the School, Senri Akane." My girlfriend clarified.

"Ah, yes." Tanuma's mouth curls up at the corners. "Senri Akane is Kashima Sakura's appointed successor."

"What?"

"Oh, yes. You should see the meet-and-greet sessions that she conducts. She's practically a celebrity." The bitterness was clear in Tanuma's voice.

My gaze met Inoue's. "So," my girlfriend says, "you're saying that a member of Gaia's more fanatic side has taken an interest in Kotarou."

"Pretty much." Tanuma looks at Inoue. "She's the president of Kota-Tennouji's club as well, right? You ought to be careful, before she makes a move on him or something."

I could feel Inoue's grip tighten on my hand.

"That," I rebuke the summoner, "was uncalled for."

"Apologies." Tanuma inclined her head, not sounding apologetic in the slightest.

"You're actually pretty mean yourself, aren't you?" Inoue says plainly. "You're quiet and appear timid, which makes you look like a victim, but you're actually rejecting all those around you in turn."

Tanuma had a self-deprecating smile on her face. "I suppose I am. Whatever. I've already resigned myself to my fate."

"Tanuma…"

"Oh, that reminds me." The summoner looks at me. "Who's that girl you were with?"

Inoue glances at me. "Kotarou?"

"Are you trying to be rude on purpose?" I demanded. "She just told me where to find you."

"So you don't know her?"

"I happened to. She's Shinsaibashi, a junior."

"You were with Shinsaibashi?" Inoue demands.

"I ran into her while trying to track down this beanie-wearing idiot." I jerked a thumb at Tanuma. "It's not like I went on purpose to find her."

"Shinsaibashi Hitomi, the junior that recently transferred in?" Tanuma asks further. "The t-tall a-athletic girl with the ponytail?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?" My eyes narrowed. A confirmed member of Gaia, taking an interest in a likely member of…in a likely superhuman. That probably would not end well.

Tanuma opens her mouth, then closes it. Compared to her prior confidence, she seemed to now be wilting. "N-Never mind."

Inoue takes a deep breath. I could sense she was reaching the end of her patience. "So, do you have any more tips on how to deal with Senri?"

"None. Not at the moment." Tanuma shakes her head. "I don't think she knows for certain anything yet, or more drastic actions would have been taken."

"Makes sense."

"In fact, if she doesn't make any more moves, I don't think there's anything to do." The summoner further elaborates. "And any articles exposing Martel will likely get you killed, or worse, have your life ruined in Kazamatsuri for all eternity."

"Thanks for the warning." Inoue shakes her head, then sighs. "Even I know that."

I gave Tanuma a wry smile. "Death is worse than having a ruined life, huh? That's very like you."

~~[r]~~

"Tennouji?" Lucia's voice was questioning. "You don't look too good."

I had returned to the clubroom to retrieve my bag, and found all the members of the Occult Club to be present, even Kotori.

That's right, I think to myself. The Key…is also still missing. An active power spot, with no sign of the being at all.

The lights are on, but nobody was home.

"Yeah," I mutter. "Which is why I'm going to be taking the rest of the day off. Sorry, guys."

"Wait." Class Rep stops me with the force in her voice alone, and walks right up to me. "If you're facing any problems, you should be telling us."

"That's right, Kotarou!" Chihaya speaks up. "You really haven't been coming often recently. Since…"

The words were unspoken, but I could guess what she meant.

Since you returned from the forest.

Since you got yourself a girlfriend.

Unfortunately, I couldn't answer their demands. "I'm doing fine, guys. Just a bit busy with personal stuff is all."

With that non-statement, I left.

Kotori, a druid. Chihaya and Akane, suspected summoners. And Shizuru and Lucia…

The thoughts occupied my head as I walked. I felt as if something within me was crumbling.

It was strange, wasn't it? I could return from a forest full of monsters and be fine, but just knowing that the people close to me were hiding something all along…

But that isn't fair, either. I could not deny the voice of reason. You, yourself, also have secrets of your own, right? And you're hiding them as well–

My superpowers. The ability called 'rewrite'. And even my amnesia.

Why had I started the Occult Club in the first place?

"Back again, Tennouji?" Yesterday's clerk was also present, and so was the cigarette in her mouth.

Somehow, my feet had carried me back to the Minakami Gym. Physical activity, was it, Satoru-san? "Er, yes. You remember my name?"

"A personal touch for our new customer, sir." She grins at me. "What are you going to do today?"

"I don't know." I speak plainly. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Follow your heart."

"Gee, thanks."

With that unhelpful advice, I change and head upstairs. There were punching bags downstairs, but a few people were present, and I felt embarrassed to be punching a bag in the presence of others, having zero idea as to what I was doing.

And so, I faced a training dummy in an empty space upstairs. Noise was coming from the next partition over, which I ignored.

Really, what the hell was I doing?

I reach out and punch the dummy, just to test the waters. Not at full strength, and certainly not pushing myself to my rewritten limits, since I didn't want to damage anything.

There was a dull thud.

Well, I didn't know what else I was expecting.

Right, left. Right, left. I get into the motions. Straight punches, trying to pay attention to how my body worked, trying to get used to it. I switch it up, going for hooks that I had once seen a martial arts show. The curving motions felt more suited to my claws.

Maybe I should try something more complicated out?

But…

A line surfaces in my memory.

Simple but effective use of power is the basis of combat and the key to success.

It felt sensible. I wonder where I had read it from?

My arms droop back down to my sides.

I really, really had no idea what I was doing, in more ways than one.

A few more clatters and shouts came from the next section over. It sounded as if the person there was working hard.

I decide to go searching for inspiration, and I found–

Another dummy in the section's centre.

And a girl was dancing through the air, a shinai in each hand. Leaps, whirling slashes.

Tap, tap. The wooden sword deftly hit the dummy. Front and back, torso and head. Each side.

And–

"Spinning Slash!"

A hit, and then another.

This girl was seriously naming her attacks. It was like watching a game character perform combos, but in real life.

But it didn't feel as stupid as it could have been. Her movements were graceful, and the strikes were precise. It was the real thing.

"Cross Scissor!"

The twin swords crossed each other, and she slashed outwards to both side. If it had been real swords, the dummy would probably have been bisected.

She spun around again, and delivered twin slashes, high to low, one sword landing on each shoulder, before she came to a stop. "Oh, senpai. Fancy seeing you here."

"Shinsaibashi." I greeted neutrally. The girl was looking at me with shining eyes right above the dummy's shoulders.

Inoue's notes came to my mind. I no longer had any doubt–she was definitely a superhuman. A trained one, at that. "You come here often?" I manage to say. Doesn't your organization have their own training facilities? I barely stop myself from asking.

"When I want to hit things without worry," she says cheerfully, without a hint of shame. "What about you?"

"I'm, er, trying to get into martial arts," I say lamely.

"This place has a lot of freedom, but it's not good for someone who doesn't know what they're doing." Hitomi appears to think about something for a moment. "Hey, how about I help you practise for a bit?"

"But–"

"No worries, I'm not doing anything serious at the moment. Plus, if you'll forgive me, you look lost. Very lost."

"Then, I guess I'll accept."

The superhuman finds two pads, and raises them. I get into something like a fighting stance, right foot behind, my hands at the ready. "Right," she says. "Just hit the ones that come for you. Don't worry, I'll go easy."

Her padded hand sails at me, and I strike it with my right. "Good hit. Now–"

Left. Right again. Left right left. She sweeps the pad at me from the side, at head level, and I dip down low without a word. I hit another few strikes. "You've got good instincts," she remarks. "With a bit of practice, you'll do well."

"Thanks."

This carries on for something like twenty minutes, and then we take a short break.

"Say, Tennouji-senpai." Hitomi looks at me. "You want to try fighting me?"

I nearly spit out my drink of water. "What?" I'm going to get absolutely destroyed!

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Please? Please please please?"

Did she just train me up so that she would have someone to fight against? Good grief, this girl… "Are you going to use those swords of yours?"

She seems to fidget. "Honestly, I would prefer to. But if you would prefer I don't–"

"Nah. It's fine. Could I also get a weapon, then?"

She jerks her thumb over to a large basket-bin, a kind similar to those found in a P.E. equipment shed. "Help yourself. And thanks, senpai."

"Don't mention it," I say with a hint of sarcasm.

Because an idea had hit me. At some point, we were going to have to expose the other side of the supernatural, as well.

And when that day came, superhumans might also come after us.

This was a opportunity for some rare experience points, if you catch my drift.

The basket had a surprising variety. Normal shinai, like the ones Hitomi were using, but also things like axes, smaller knives, long poles or staves, and–

A pair of wooden claws. Obviously blunt and not really pointed, and smaller than my own supernatural power, but claws nonetheless. I slip my hand into the grip.

It felt like using those brass knuckles that Yoshino had somehow gotten his hands on, though he had never really used them. 'Honour can only be found in flesh', or something.

A few experimental swipes, and I was satisfied.

"Oh? That's a weird weapon."

"A pair of claws befit a lone wolf," I joke.

Hitomi snorts. "All you lone wolves should just go make a pack, already." She readies her two shinai, having already pushed the dummy out of the way. "Are you good and prepared?"

"Wait, wait wait wait." I hold up a hand–well, a fist, seeing as I couldn't release my grip without my weapon falling out. "Remember that you're supposed to go easy!"

[BGM: Reaping – Rewrite & Rewrite Hf! Arrange Album "dye mixture"]

"Yes, yes. Let's go!"

This was a practice fight, so why did it feel like some super-serious battle music suddenly started playing?

She leaps at me, and slashes come from top-right and top-left, which I block and block, and I counter with a right swipe to her face, which she avoids by falling back. "Not back, senpai. Good instincts."

"I'm awakening to my true power!" Perhaps infected by Shinsaibashi's enthusiasm, I shout out a Yoshino-like line, then go on the attack, a straightforward charge aiming for her midsection.

A clatter sounded in the air as wood met wood, then Shinsaibashi slipped away from the lock with a twirl, coming around to–

My left! I parry a swipe that comes from low to high, then another from right to left, then another, and another–

She gains the initiative, and a relentless flurry of attacks come my way.

Clonkclonkclonkclonkclonk–

This was ridiculous. Were all superhumans this fast? If I had to fight more than one of them at a time, I was going to be doomed.

A slash comes for my face, and I lean my head back just in time. Moving air brushes the tip of my nose, and I disengage.

"Don't get distracted, senpai! We're fighting here!"

Now I was being lectured by my underclassman on fighting. But she was right. I shouldn't be distracted by other thoughts–

And should just focus on the fight right in front of me!

"Only when you go all out and hit your absolute limit will your skills improve," I mutter to myself.

"What was that?" Shinsaibashi tilts her head.

"Nothing. Just a thought." I blink, refocusing my eyes on her, and raise my claws again. "Let's go."

I wasn't going to get experience points just sitting around. I had to push myself, challenge myself. And so–

I cast aside the dark thoughts that had been clouding my mind, and think.

Think. Think of a good plan, a simple plan, and then execute–

"What the–!"

Down and to the right, and I surged forward. Staking everything on one big attack–

–which missed completely, Shinsaibashi literally somersaulting over my head in evasion.

"Oh?" She twirled around as she landed, sounding really interested now. "If it's going to be this way…I'll show you what a real charge looks like!"

I tensed myself–

"Wolf's Claw!"

She vanished.

No, that was incorrect. To anybody else, it would be as if she had vanished, fast as she was.

But, with my eyes, I could see it. Her body low to the ground, one sword held high like a sail, the other a guillotine at knee level–

And if I could see it–

–then I could react to it!

I drop into a kneel on one leg, and my fists move into position. One like a shin guard, and one over my head.

An almighty crack sounds through the air, and I was face to face with Shinsaibashi Hitomi.

But only for a moment, because I was forced to disengage once more, as she surged upwards, her swords spinning around her like a tornado.

"Hmm. You've done well to survive this far."

Excuse me? I thought this was only a practice fight?

Was this girl a complete battle nut?

A devilish grin came to Hitomi's face, and she braced herself once more. "To honour that, I'll show it to you. My ultimate attack."

I grit my teeth. "Bring it on."

A single quick step or leap forward, and her two shinai were now high in the air, above her head.

In a split second, I saw that her sides were completely exposed. But even I could tell.

To take such an obvious opening…would be to charge headfirst into death.

Instinct made me raise my claws in defence, and I stepped back–

–before the swords descended.

"Dankuuken!"

A sky-severing blade, swung down at full force. A gust of wind blew back my hair and stung my eyes, and when I quickly looked back–

"Oh no! I did it again!"

The two wooden swords were now stumps, half their blade portions missing. A conspicuous amount of splintered wood now littered the floor.

I blinked. The wooden claws that I had been using, too, were reduced to stumps, like I had been on the receiving end of a very violent manicure.

Shinsaibashi now looked like a shell of her former self. "What do you mean, again?" I couldn't resist asking.

"Oh." She glances up at me. "I've broke like, six or seven."

"I'm surprised you haven't been banned from this place."

"Well, I do get asked to pay for everything. And Minakami-san is very accommodating." Shinsaibashi shook her head and went to get a broom. "Well, I guess that's it for today. Though I do have a question."

"Which is?"

"You're a superhuman, aren't you?"

Oh, crap. I've gone and done it. "What do you mean?"

"You were keeping up with my speed. I've never seen anyone outside of–um, I mean I've never seen a normal person do that before." Life seemed to return to her eyes as she spoke. "That means you're just like me!"

I blinked. "Just like you?"

"Yeah!" She speaks enthusiastically. "I'm a superhuman too!"

"Wait wait wait wait wait." I raise my hand to stop her. "Are you sure you should be telling me this?"

She pauses in her movements. "I think it's fair. I know you're one, after all. Of course, don't go around telling others about me, and I won't about you."

Does it count if I just confirm someone's guesses? "And I suppose you want to fight me again?"

"Of course!" she chirped immediately. "Ah, but after today…"

"Actually, I'm fine with the idea, if you're going to keep helping me train." I shoot the now-confirmed superhuman a friendly look. "Just don't accidentally kill me."

"Hooray! Thanks, senpai!"

I roll my eyes. "Never knew you were this battle-hungry. Though I guess you can't exactly go around beating up normal people, right?"

Hitomi looks at me as if I stated the obvious. "Of course. Besides, there's no point. Or no experience points, if you catch my drift."

"Huh."

The Minakami Gym is based half off an actual gym I go to, and half off a certain place in Lyrical Nanoha Vivid. It's a convenient gathering place for oddballs. Points if you can guess who the clerk is a reference to, though the name is a big hint already.

Next chapter: the Key finally appears.

Review please! And Merry Christmas!

~~[r]~~