Inoue Akira and Tennouiji Kotarou are from Rewrite, a 2011 visual novel published by Key, translated into English by Amaterasu Translations, and adapted into an anime by Studio 8bit. Elements of the following story were also inspired by Inoue's story in the now-defunct mobile gacha game, Rewrite: Ignis Memoria (which never received any English translation), as well as her appearances in the fandisc Rewrite Harvest festa!

Spoilers and references to all other heroine routes, as well as Moon and Terra. Minor spoilers for heroine scenarios in Harvest Festa.

Records of the Harvest Festival, Part 4

Another view

It was night.

The ground outside was still wet from the rain, and Hitomi could still hear the distant sound of the festivities from within another of Guardian's mobile command centres. She had played off her mistake as a simple slip of the mind, and received an extremely mild reprimand from Nishikujou-sensei.

I don't think I have clearance, and historical stuff isn't likely to be there anyway.

Now, alone in the meeting room, she tapped away at a borrowed laptop–one of the standard ones, with access to Guardian's intranet.

Doing her part, as it were, for the cause.

On the screen, she was looking at a report. It detailed the unnatural bloom of forestry that had happened some years ago in a remote South American town, and the sighting of a mysterious childlike figure which she now knew was the Key.

As it turned out, she did have clearance–some, anyway, for the purposes of continued self-study, although most superhumans didn't seem to bother once they became full-fledged operatives.

A series of satellite images showed the forest expanding to three times its thickness in a few hours, and ten times its thickness in a day. At least, what was what it seemed–she didn't really understand the numerical annotations on the side.

She opened another report. This one detailed tidal waves obliterating a coastal village in the tropics. A photographer had managed to capture a wall of water rising into the air.

"So, Salvation doesn't happen all at once, huh?" she breathed out.

She stuck a memory stick into the laptop's side. The computer did not explode with warnings or otherwise, so she copied over several documents and images, before yanking it out again and returning it into her pocket.

She looked at the screen again. Truth be told, she was scared out of her mind.

It's my duty to dream of how things could be!

But she wasn't going to let that stop her.

No hero, no magical girl ever backed down out of fear.

The meeting room's door opened, and she turned with a jump–only to spring up in a full salute as she realised who was present. "Sir!"

"At ease." Esaka Sougen said. "It's late. I didn't realise there would be anyone in here." His eyes shifted from Hitomi's face to the computer's screen. "Doing some research of your own, are you?"

"Yessir." Hitomi still stood stiffly, stifling her internal turmoil. Thank god I finished copying the files!

"That's a good attitude to take. Most people stop trying to better themselves once they get old. Us superhumans are a bit like weapons–we need to maintain ourselves and keep ourselves sharp."

"Yessir." There was something to be said about bumping into the legendary Esaka Sougen, leader of the Bayern Knights, but the blue-haired girl was too tired to react.

Esaka gave the screen another look. "Are you worried about this upcoming conflict, young one?"

"Yes." Hitomi gave her honest answer.

"I wouldn't tell you to let your guard down, but instead, have faith." Esaka's monocled eye was steady. "Humanity has not gone extinct thus far. That is a testament to Guardian's–and humanity's–strength."

Her nerves frayed, Hitomi could not resist asking a question. "What happens if we fail? If Salvation really begins?"

Esaka examined the young superhuman once more, before appearing to come to a decision. "There are ways to survive the end of the world. Shelters. Safeguards." He took in the girl's sigh of relief. "But again, you need to remember. Much of humanity lies in civilization. If Salvation comes to pass, much of civilization, and much of what we have built up over the past few thousands of years, will be destroyed."

"I understand, sir."

She dared not look at the legendary warrior's face.

~~[r]~~

The next morning.

We were gathered.

In Imako's room, where light only shone through the cracks between the curtains, Inoue's briefing rang loud and clear.

"The objectives of this mission is to find information: both about the workings of the supernatural to expose Gaia and Guardian, and about Salvation, in order to prevent it from happening, both now and in the future."

I looked at everyone's eyes. Neither Imako nor Hitomi looked like they had slept well, but determination was still clear on their faces.

"To that end, we are going to infiltrate Gaia's inner sanctum, believed to be within the headquarters of Martel Japan. However, we will not be breaking into Kazamatsuri Cultural Hall directly. Instead, we will enter through the otherdimensional space that is used by Gaia's summoners that is connected to the restricted areas of the Cultural Hall. The entrance to the otherdimensional space we will be using is in Kaza High."

At this, Inoue looked briefly at Imako in confirmation, and the summoner nodded. "One last thing." From her desk she picks up three objects–three pieces of origami, all flat.

A plain heart. A six-pointed star. A simple boat.

"These are rudimentary familiars that are like GPS trackers. Keep them with you at all times." Imako nods. "They can also–never mind. Just think of them as a good-luck charm."

A talisman. A shikigami.

My mind flashes back to what Akane had casually given me, and I take the boat with care. Somehow, it put me in mind of a canoe, except for its wide triangular sail.

"Then, if everyone is clear…" A quiet fire seems to burn in Inoue's eyes, and her fingers reach up to touch her camera, hanging around her neck.

"Operation start!"

~~[r]~~

"Any chance of the K–of Kagari-chan letting go of you?" Hitomi raises an eyebrow. It seemed that she was no longer affected by the Key's mental interference.

"I don't think so." Kagari's condition seemed to be getting worse and worse. She had been relatively quiet before, but now she wasn't saying a word. She just clung on to either me or Inoue and followed, like a chick after its mother.

"I don't know how to say this, but it seems stupid to bring it–er, to bring her into a dangerous situation."

"Don't I know it."

"I especially don't like how, if anything goes wrong, we've essentially delivered the Key straight into the hands of Gaia." The superhuman made her disapproval known. "Can't we have left Inoue-senpai out to babysit? It seems dangerous for a normal human being to be going in."

"We've also thought about that, believe me." I sigh. "But what if, somehow, something goes wrong on the outside during the mission, and we're not there to help?"

"And I don't think you'd be reassured enough to just let Inoue go in alone with me and Imako." Hitomi nodded.

"You understand." There was one other reason why I wanted to enter the Gaian archives personally, but I wasn't about to reveal it…until the appropriate time.

"At least it'll be reassuring having you watching my back." The younger girl smiled. "A veteran."

"I was injured fresh out of graduation, remember?"

"Don't you have ten years of experience?"

"No, I–" I stopped. "Where did you get that from."

"When we were fighting." Hitomi gives me a look. "You said something about ten years."

I swore under my breath. "That's supposed to be a secret."

"So you weren't recruited as an elementary schooler?"

"You were?"

The superhuman gives a nonchalant gesture. "Yeah. So were Lucia-senpai, and Shizuru-senpai…I think."

Fantastic. If they were recruited as children, then it meant that they showed incredible potential even from young. And that meant…

"Hey! You're deflecting!"

"It's only going to be a stupid distraction if I tell the story now. Besides," I pointed at the gate, "we've reached the school."

"Kind of weird to be at school dressed like this," Inoue quipped, coming from behind us. She gives me a knowing look that tells me she overheard our conversation, while also reassuring me.

"It's for the best." Imako adds. "Ga–Martel will notice right away if a bunch of teenagers in school uniforms turn up."

I cast my eyes around cautiously. Nishikujou–Touka, would likely be out in the city, where she could better keep watch for Guardian. That was my hunch.

But there weren't many people around. It seemed that there were relatively few students doing independent study, compared to those participating in the festival. "Where is the entrance?"

"Fourth floor corridor," Imako replies. "We'll know if we've transitioned to the sealed space when we detect any spatial abnormalities."

"Spatial abnormalities?" I had a hunch where this was going, but I still needed to ask.

"The most common being the corridor stretching longer than it is in real life."

"I think I accidentally wandered in there once. By accident."

"Are you sure? It could have been something-or-other syndrome. Hallucinations that you get when you're tired from studying," the summoner says.

"You're talking to the person that made it up in the first place." It had been something I told a random student when it looked like they actually had stumbled on the extradimensional space.

Not that it had been the first case. No, the first time I had accidentally stumbled on the endless corridor was with–

"Tennouji! What are you doing here?"

"Yoshino."

"You're not in uniform either. Have you finally decided to be a delinquent for real?"

I look down at my clothes. In the spirit of the occasion, I had on the jacket of the Earth-Saving Hunter–plain black, with a red banner and golden star. My usual white overshirt had been left at home, and the tartan green coat that I usually tied around my waist was now worn by Inoue.

Before I could reply, Hitomi interrupts. "It's because we're on a secret mission, Wolf."

"It's you!" Yoshino's eyes widen. "Hayabusa. What are you doing?"

"Like I said," Hitomi says cheerily, "secret mission. By the way, how was that sanctuary I recommended you?"

"Good. I give my thanks." Yoshino gave a short bow.

Colour me surprised.

"Better than training in the woods, right? They're very accommodating, as well." Hitomi nods. "It's been good seeing you again, but we need to go."

"Wait. Where are all of you going?"

"It's a secret mission." I repeat Hitomi's words, without any hint of joking.

Yoshino looks me in the eye. I look back at him.

It was a funny feeling. I was actually much older than him as well, right? And to think that we were all outcasts together…

"That reporter." He indicates Inoue, and his voice becomes quiet. "She's your girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"What about Kanbe?"

"For various reasons, it's impossible between us." I meet Yoshino in the eyes again. "If you like her, don't wait to confess."

A strangled sound comes from my friend's throat.

Really, it was quite obvious that he had feelings for her all along. It shouldn't have taken me regaining my memories or rewriting myself more intelligent to have realised this.

"You have my blessing, as her childhood friend." Maybe it was stupid, but I couldn't resist messing with him…even while it was on a serious topic like this.

"Don't screw with me, Tennouji."

"I'm not. But I'm going to warn you–she has some heavy things in her past." And her present, I think to myself. "I'm not going to tell you not to go for it, or otherwise. It's just something you need to know."

"Screw that," Yoshino says roughly. "What about you?"

"I have a girlfriend–"

"I don't mean that, you idiot. What are you planning?"

"You'll need to wait and see. If everything goes well…you'll know when it happens."

"Bullshit," Yoshino mutters, but he doesn't press further. A long silence comes between us. "Whatever," he finally says. "Get on with it."

He leaves.

"What an interesting person," Inoue remarks.

"You tell me," I mutter under my breath.

Me. Kotori. Yoshino.

For a long time, it had been the three of us.

Because we had all failed to fit in with the others.

But it didn't mean that we had been all alike.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my upper arm, where Inoue had punched it, more as a form of speech than to deal any real damage.

"Chin up, Kotarou." My girlfriend was grinning. "No point moping about during an adventure, right?"

Despite the danger we were throwing ourselves into, I smile. "You're right."

~~[r]~~

[BGM: Quaesitor – Rewrite Harvest Festa! Original Soundtrack]

After Imako had somehow gotten us into the sealed space, we headed down a flight of stairs which seemed to go on forever.

"This is one eldritch location." Inoue was practically vibrating with barely-contained excitement. "Reminds me of that weird city."

"It is as I mentioned. Connections to the other dimension are everywhere."

"We entered the City of Stone through the forest, though."

Imako looks at me. "Don't think too hard about it. It's just non-Euclidean space. Even I don't know why it exists."

The stairs took us down several floors lower than the lowest floor that would have existed back at the real Kaza High. We reach a set of double doors that seemed to blend into the wall, and Imako gives us a nod.

Hitomi and I take one side each, and we push…to reveal another weird corridor. There were no visible light sources, but somehow it was still bright enough to see, though a mysterious fog seemed to permeate the entire area.

"This is it," Imako said. "Stay close. Don't wander off. Don't make any noise. And put these on." From her bag the summoner produced two cloaks, both in a familiar shade of red.

"Are those what I think they are?" Inoue tentatively runs the fabric through her fingers, then slips on the robe above her jacket.

I do the same with the other one. "Only two?"

"Unfortunately, that was all the laundry room had at the time. There's a white cloak, but those are for the Holy Woman's choir, and it'll likely arouse more suspicion than normal clothing where we're going. Hitomi–" Imako flinches without finishing her sentence, and we look at the superhuman, only to see that she had somehow a black cloak of her own.

"You left this behind at my place," the tall girl said, slightly abashed. "I was going to return it to you, but–"

Imako closed her eyes for a moment, before reopening them. "It's fine. You can keep it."

"I must say, this looks cool." Hitomi does a little twirl, and the robe flutters slightly at her knees. "I tried it out in the mirror, and it really has a Black Mage look. Though I think my class would be closer to Rogue."

"Don't sell yourself short," I joke. "You'd be a Swordmaster at least," Of course our quirky kouhai couldn't resist wearing a Gaian cloak. "You damn otaku chuunibyou." I finished under my breath.

"Who are you calling a chunnibyou?" The superhuman lightly jabs me, but she was smiling.

"So you don't mind being called an otaku?"

The summoner averts her eyes. "You look really cool in it. Though regulation says this type of cloak is supposed to go to the ankles…"

"A-hem." Inoue clears her throat.

"R-Right!" Imako shakes her head. "This way. Stay close to the wall."

We continue. Even our footsteps, which we kept light, sounded too loud in the strangely dead air.

I glance back at Inoue. One hand was on her camera, and the other was being held by Kagari. With any luck, the Key's mental interference would extend to all of us, and we would be able to pass completely unnoticed–but that was probably too much to ask.

The corridor opens up into a large space, and a towering shape in the mist catches my eye. I stop myself from gasping aloud.

"Gaia uses this space to store and maintain familiars. Within Kazamatsuri, it's also possible for a Gaian summoner to instantly teleport a familiar to their side from this space."

The shape resolves itself into a colossal armoured insect-like thing, with several appendages that looked like tentacles, and a pair of nasty pincers on what was its 'face'. The eyes were open, but no light was in them, indicating the absence of a active contract.

I could feel my fingers curling. Somehow, I didn't think either of my claws would be able to cut through that armour, which reminded me of iron plates. "Let's just hope we never have to fight that thing," I muttered.

"This way," Imako urges.

We continue, following the wall.

In the mist, the outline of another large creature comes into view–along with the drifting sounds of muttered voices.

"They must be doing maintenance." Imako mutters. "Just follow me."

"Hey!"

We freeze.

"Hurry it up with those repairs!" A somewhat muscled man storms in. The hood of his red robe was pulled back, and he had messy dark hair.

"Sir, Kirvoy Rog is already–"

"I don't mean Kirvoy Rog, you idiots! Kilimanjaro is the one damaged. Get to it!"

"Tenma." Another man, this one bald, his tone slightly exasperated. "There's no need to–"

"My ass! It was the Strongest that was in the forest. Get Kilimanjaro back up and it's time to go hunting! I don't care what Suzaki says, I want his head for daring to interfere! And where the hell is Midou!"

Both men departed, and the two other summoners that remained began to work on the side of the familiar–a large dragonfly-like creature which I vaguely recognised.

It put me in mind of mechanics repairing a car, or maybe, in this particular case, a tank.

"Midou." I muttered the name under my breath.

"Like I mentioned, he didn't come alone," Imako said quietly.

We went through the doors the men left through and emerged into a normal-looking underground corridor.

"This is under Martel?" Hitomi casts a wary gaze around. There were no sign of the two men.

"It should be." Imako answered the superhuman. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Moving's better than standing still." I suggest.

I tugged at the brim of my cloak over my head as we walked. My parents worked with Martel. Kashima Sakura had spoken to me personally.

And I certainly held enough dissatisfaction with the world.

Even if their ideals had repelled me back then…if I had never run away, if I had never joined Guardian, could I have become part of Gaia, somehow?

I certainly had enough affinity with summoning. I could form contracts with familiars.

I look at Imako's white-sweatered back in front of me. The unsociable girl had mentioned that her rank was around the same as mine, but I strongly suspected that she still had more tricks up her sleeve…even if that strong familiar of hers was now gone.

Right behind me, Inoue was scrolling intently through both her camera and her phone, probably having taken fresh pictures. Kagari was still latched on to her.

Bringing up the very back was Hitomi, her watchful eyes constantly darting around. Hidden slightly by her cloak were her two curved swords, both in their holsters at her belt, one on each hip. She caught me eye, and gave me an awkward smile. It seemed that even she was slightly nervous.

We reached an unlabeled door, and my hand reached out to open it…before I stopped myself.

I exchange a look with Imako.

"I don't even know what rooms are on this level. Or even what level we are on." The summoner was trying to hide it, but it was clear that she was also tense.

"No card reader. Looks like the lock is just mechanical." Inoue examines the door, then puts her ear to it briefly. "And nobody's inside."

From her bag she extracted a simple-looking tool that looked like a screwdriver but instead had an L-shaped hook tip.

"Picking the lock?" Hitomi's eyes light up.

"I'll do you one better." She fiddles with the door near the handle, and, as if by magic, it opens.

"How–"

"You can push back the dead latch in most doors, since most of the mechanisms aren't installed properly. " Inoue was smug. "That includes the Occult Club room, by the way."

"I'll be sure to tell the Pres if I ever get the chance." I smile faintly. This girl was terrifying, and it made me love her even more.

The room was empty. It was small, and looked like a shared study, judging from the many desks and shelves. There were some papers on the table, and I took a quick look.

On the Viability of Non-Tetrapod Ichthyes Familiars for Combat Usage in Kazamatsuri

Prepared by: Futaba Sana (Marine Biologist, Creature Research and Development, Thalassa Wing), Aoba Chika (Surveyor, Terrain Protection Division, Verdant Wing)

Abstract: This report evaluates Kazamatsuri City and the surrounding forests and provides a cost-benefit analysis regarding greater research into developing new aquatic familiars, with particular attention to Chondrichthyes and Euteleostomi templates…

I put the paper back down. "You're right. I don't understand any of this at all."

"Give it here." Imako practically snatches it from me, and her eyes dart left and right, scanning the page. "Apparently Gaia doesn't use any fish-type familiars."

"What?"

"It makes sense." The summoner pushed up her glasses. "If you need water-capable familiars, you can simply use an aquatic reptile or amphibian, and retain the ability to move on land. There's no body of water large enough around here that those can't cross."

"So…"

"If you find a monster fish in any of the rivers around here, it's not us." Imako summarised.

One more quick scan around revealed nothing of importance.

As we emerge back into the corridor, I tense. For a very brief moment, I thought I sensed a presence other than our own, but nobody was there.

"Kotarou?" Inoue asked.

"I thought I sensed something." I say. "But nobody's around."

"I'll keep an eye out." Hitomi nods at me.

More rooms open to Inoue's skills, but nothing especially interesting was found. Inoue herself took a few notes here and there, but that was it. We take care to move quietly past the few rooms that had seemed to have people within.

"Did you really need a tool to open the door like that?" Hitomi, meanwhile, was still interested in the skills of breaking in.

"Not really." Inoue grins. "I could have used a wire, like a thin metal wire. You loop it through the doorframe, and you either look for a latch or try to turn the lock handle."

This room seemed to be more personal–someone's private study. The nameplate on the desk read "Hibarigaoka Ruri", and apart from books, the shelves also contained potted plants and a few occupied bell jars.

"Plants, huh?" Inoue idly examines a note on the desk, before she lets out a small gasp. "Kotarou."

"What is it?"

She shows me.

"'Todo: check catalogue of Tennomifune botanical–'"

"The other line!"

"'Connection between the Key and sacred trees'," I read. "'Examine folklore literature for sites, cross-reference report by Section Chief Ootori–' wait a minute."

"I don't think it's a coincidence." Inoue nods. As one, we turn to Imako.

The summoner raises an eyebrow. "You know what my family circumstances are like. It wouldn't be out of the question for Ootori Chihaya's parents to also have worked for Gaia."

I replace the note on the table with a strange feeling in my heart.

Again.

Even though I had said my goodbyes.

There was still doubt in my heart.

Unlikely as it seemed, was there a world where I could have kept the Occult Club together? If I had worked harder, gotten to know everyone, and kept everyone all together, despite the whole summoner/superhuman thing?

Would I ever stop questioning myself?

Silent, we emerge back into the dim corridor–and my ears pick up a presence.

My head snaps around.

From end to end, the corridor was empty.

"What is it?" Hitomi's hands had moved to rest on the hilts of her swords.

"A presence. Maybe. But I don't see anyone." Not even with rewritten sight.

"There shouldn't be any active familiars down here." Imako looks around slowly as well.

Inoue shakes her head. "No point waiting around."

We break into many more rooms. Each was a lab or study of some sort, and there were a large variety of disciplines.

Ecology. Chemistry. Zoology. Mineralogy. Even physics, which Imako explained was useful to understand a variety of things such as plate tectonics and weather systems.

"There's a famous saying by an American mathematician," Imako speaks as we pry around another room. So far, we were lucky to not have encountered any active familiars, though there had been a few inert ones, and what looked like familiars partway through being constructed. "If a butterfly flaps its wings, a tornado is set off on the other side of the world. It means that even the smallest of changes can lead to big differences in outcome."

"You're really passionate about this, aren't you?" Hitomi says.

"H-How do you figure?"

"Just the look on your face." The younger girl was smiling.

"D-Don't psychoanalyse me like that." Imako tugs on her woollen hat, pulling it downwards.

"It's fine! You should be like that more often."

"Less flirting, more paying attention to your surroundings." Inoue rolled her eyes.

"Yes ma'am." The superhuman gave a mock salute.

At the end of the corridor, we find a flight of stairs. "Downwards?" I ask.

"Downwards." There was unanimous agreement.

There was still nobody in sight.

"How come there aren't any security cameras?" Inoue asks. "I was half expecting to need to do some fancy dodging."

"The main security checkpoints are at the areas connected to the Cultural Hall proper." Imako had a satisfied smirk on her face. "I believe this is an older part of the building that, for one, hasn't been renovated in a long time, and for two, is so deep in headquarters that nobody would have ever dreamed of intruders getting in."

"That explains the older infrastructure," Inoue muses.

Ironically, just how uneventful the whole expedition had been so far was making me nervous.

"Is it just me, or is it darker down here?" Hitomi asks.

"It's not. They probably didn't bother installing good lighting, since this isn't a place many people pass through." Imako answers.

True to her words, the walls indeed seemed to be–not older, but more dust, and less well-maintained.

Perfectly suiting the atmosphere for secret archives, I thought.

Sadly, Martel, or more accurately, Gaia, didn't put up signboards, so it was a while before we came upon the next door, which looked older and much more sturdy. "We're not going to trip an alarm by entering, right?"

"Doesn't look like it." Inoue confirms.

After I strain my ears for signs of life and find none, I make to open the door, only to notice a padlock.

A numerical padlock, that is. "Want to try guessing?"

"How about you leave this to me, senpais?" Hitomi draws her sword. "If we're not planning on coming back…"

We all look towards our Gaian.

"Do it."

The superhuman braces herself against the wall, then slams a sword hilt into the lock. Somehow, the sound of it breaking was quieter than I thought.

It was narrow in the dusty room, which seemed to extend further into the darkness. Switching on our flashlights, the only furniture seemed to be shelves, and on the shelves were what looked like rocks.

No, fossils.

Ancient animals, of the bony and many-legged kind, immortal in stone. Plants, too.

Imako reaches out to touch one, then withdraws her fingers after a few seconds. "This is it."

"What?"

"These are familiars that pass on memories." The glasses girl looks at us with a piercing stare. "You want records? Here they are."

I touch an ammonite, and immediately, I hear a voice, like a person speaking to me in conversation.

"This discovery is too important to be left in paper alone." There was a pause, along with the 'sound' of the man, vaguely orange-haired, clearing his throat. "As detailed, we have found traces of a possible natural humanoid familiar that is not the Key. Such existences, myths in Gaia's long history, may be closer to reality than previously thought."

There was another pause, and I had an impression of nervousness. "In particular, the cherry blossom near the power spot in our settlement seems to be noteworthy. I have detached a single branch for safekeeping and will conduct further study. It seems like there might be a link between 'trees' and 'humanoid familiars', given the observation that the Key takes on treelike properties close to death or Salvation. It is unknown how such non-Key humanoid familiars are related to the Key, but I suspect a deep and intimate link."

Many facts line up in my head to form conclusions, and I let out a curse. "Can you hear what they say, Inoue?"

She shakes her head, frustration clear on her face. "I touched them, but I couldn't feel anything."

"Me neither." Hitomi adds. "Guess that's one form of security we can't crack."

"Hitomi, you keep watch." I direct. "Inoue, I'll just tell you what this says…"

As I recite, I glance at the rest of the shelves. It would take too long to get through everything. "Imako," I say when I finish.

"Yes?"

"Can you help me look out for–" my voice catches in my throat.

"Look out for what?" The glasses girl looks at me strangely.

"Look out for–" I fall silent again. After all this time, sheer habit made it hard for me to even speak about the the topic, especially in a tense situation like this.

Imako gave me a strangely compassionate look. It reminded me of the time she guessed I had amnesia. "Speak your mind."

"Rewrite." I finally get out the word. Maybe it was a testament to how much I trusted Inoue that I could tell her about my first and most hidden ability so easily. "If you come across anything about rewriting, or a rewriter, tell me."

The glasses girl nods, and touches the brim of her beanie. "And what exactly is being rewritten?"

Right. It had been a name that I had come up with myself, but nobody would know what it meant, would they?

I collect my thoughts, and speak again. "I'm looking for records that detail anything about a superhuman that can enhance their own abilities." I pause. "No, not even that. It would be someone that could become whatever they wanted to be."

Inoue remains silent and simply gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. The warmth in her hand restored some of my own.

Meanwhile, Imako's eyebrows had widened slightly in surprise. "Rewrite…" She was deep in thought. "Or rather, the ability to overwrite your own physical parameters to fit your desired mental image. Is that it?"

I nod.

"I'll keep an eye open." The summoner's expression had returned to being neutral and unreadable.

I dictate a few more records to Inoue. They were many and varied.

Records of past settlements, and prehistoric human civilizations.

Records of how familiars were made. Of how mankind had learnt the art of creating familiars from the Key.

I think about the adventures the Occult Club had been on. About how much was real, and how much was a cover-up.

I think about druids, and about Kotori. I think about all of what Imako had told me, about the emotions behind summoning and superpowers.

I find a record about the discovery of the other dimension, and how summoners used it, and I nearly drop the piece of trilobite I was holding. "No way."

"What's up?" Inoue asks.

"Otherdimensional space is…" I struggle to find the words. "...the gaps…in between…possible worlds?"

I glare at the coral. What the hell?

"Let me." Imako handles the fossil, and her eyes widen.

"If you both don't start explaining–"

"Do you know about the dimensions of space?"

"Our world is three-dimensional, right?" I say. "And it has one time dimension, right? That only moves forward?" Score one for lazing about watching random videos on the internet.

The glasses girl touched her beanie, looking slightly impressed. "If you understand that much, then it's easier to explain. Basically, space and time are effectively the same within this system of physics. If you can manipulate space, you can, to an extent, manipulate time."

"But–"

"Do you know about the many-worlds hypothesis?" Imako carries on. "Different timelines?"

I just stare at the girl blankly.

"You've played a dating sim, right? Imagine what happens when you pick one choice versus another. There are many possible versions of what might happen in the game."

"I don't see how this is relevant."

"A different metaphor would be to imagine a tree. Imagine that the tree represents everything that could ever possibly happen. Each branch of the tree would be like one possible version of events. Like, in this world, you're dating Akira, but maybe in another world something else happened, and you're dating Ootori-san instead, or something."

"I still don't see how this is relevant." My eye twitched.

"You know how a tree isn't a solid block of wood? That there is space between each branch?" The summoner removes her glasses, wipes them, and returns them to her face. "That space is what the other dimension is."

"But there isn't a real tree out there. It's all a metaphor."

"And the other dimension is that metaphorical space." Imako looked as if she wanted to add 'you blithering idiot' to the end of her sentence. "Therefore, by investigating otherdimensional space, we can possibly glimpse other timelines." The summoner shakes her head. "This is an insane discovery. Why the hell is this in here?"

"Maybe someone wanted to hide it," I say darkly.

Inoue's pen pauses. "This is too technical for an expose. People will already be overwhelmed by monsters and superhumans simply existing." There was a look of mild frustration on her face. "But it also seems to be very important."

With little ventilation in the room, the air seemed heavy as the grave.

We go further in.

"I think this is–ah!"

"Imako?"

There was no reply. We hurried to her voice, and found her at the room's very end.

Alone on its shelf, which almost seemed like a pedestal, was a skull.

A skull that was unmistakably human.

"Don't touch it." Imako's voice was weak. "It's…it's cursed. There's nothing but bad memories in it. I nearly…"

Bad memories.

The opposite of the good memories that the Key–that Kagari was seeking.

I glance at the girl. Down here, with silence all around us, she drifted with equal quiet, simply remaining at our side. With her black clothes and pale hair, it was hard to not think of a ghost.

I look back at the skull. Then, I glance at Inoue. "I'll take the risk."

My girlfriend looked uncertain. "I don't think we'll have another chance to come down here, and this looks important," I add. Before giving her a chance to object, I touch the skull.

And I am immediately assaulted with pain.

Inoue had cried out in alarm, but I couldn't hear it.

My stomach burned with hunger, and my head throbbed with pain. My limbs also ached, and it seemed to reach all the way to the bone–

But the physical sensations paled in comparison to the mental anguish.

Despair. Anger. Hatred. Hopelessness.

The crushing weight of the world.

These were memories of suffering.

Without a doubt, these were bad memories.

"I can see why you told me not to touch it," I grit out of the side of my mouth.

In the haze of negative emotion, I focus myself.

Words came to me.

███████ has betrayed us. They are coming to the village.

But I refuse to be enslaved. █████ has long gone before me, so I shall bite out my tongue, and perish–but alas! 'I' will continue. Not as myself, but as just one more in the endless line. Tell me, why does Men perform such heinous acts on itself? This question I have pondered, ever since I received the memories of my predecessor, and bore witness to their suffering.

The answer that I arrived at, after so long, was that there was none. It is simply the way it has been, the way it is, and the way it will be. Nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change.

Perhaps the ultimate irony is how none of this even matters, for the world is not real.

I believe I am the first of Us to realise. That the roots of this world lie somewhere else, and we are all but actors making believe.

Like how ███████'s sweet words had all been lies.

Then, was love also a lie? Just some biological impulse for humanity to make more of itself?

What a curse we all suffer, in order to continue.

So I swear.

If these roots are the one chaining Us to this accursed role, and if it were these rotten roots that were responsible for the sake of everything, We will destroy it all.

It is too late for Us now, but there will be another time.

We will curse it all. We will end it all.

And the world will rue the day it gave birth to Us.

With effort, I wrenched my hand from the skull. "It's the memories of a Holy Woman. The Holy Woman." With the back of my hand, I wiped sweat from my forehead. The words 'Holy Woman' hadn't been said, but it was in the memory nonetheless, sure in the identity of the speaker.

"How…how could you stand it?" Imako looked at me. "I touched it once, and nearly…"

"It's not as bad as the time I…" Regained my own memories, I finished in my head.

No, that wasn't quite right.

What I had just saw was undoubtedly worse.

The feelings. The sensations.

I look at the summoner, and a theory comes to mind. "It's probably because you relate too much to it."

"'Relate'?" Imako's tone had a sharp edge to it.

"To the Holy Woman's feelings. To," I cast a nervous look at Hitomi's dark-robed back, "wanting to destroy the world."

"I suppose you aren't completely wrong." The glasses girl looked at her feet.

"What did it say?" Inoue demanded.

A wry smile comes to my face at my girlfriend's tone. "It's the memories of a Holy Woman who got betrayed, and swore to end the world." I outline her thoughts.

Love is a lie. Conflict was eternal.

To live was to suffer. Living is suffering for any form of life.

If that was how it was, then life was hell.

And hells should be destroyed.

That was how the Holy Woman thought.

"The world isn't real?" Inoue questioned.

"She thought so." Already, I couldn't remember the exact words, and I wasn't about to touch it again. "There was something about destroying the roots, but it wasn't clear."

Inoue scribbles away. Her notebook was appearing quite full. "I'm starting to see a few patterns here."

"Got enough for a scoop?"

"More than enough. I can sort of see how Gaia evolved through the ages, and those parts about previous human civilizations were also quite…illuminating." Her gaze sharpens. "But we haven't found out anything about rewriting yet, have we?"

I catch the embedded question. "Sorry I didn't say anything."

"Don't worry. I can understand." She casts her flashlight around the room, causing the long shadows of the shelves to shift. "You'd been born with it, right? And you said it's not the normal kind of superpower."

"It feels different."

"If you can manipulate blood, making yourself stronger might not be that unrelated." Hitomi chimes in. "Sorry, couldn't help overhearing."

"I can't explain, but I know they're not the same thing," I say. Kneeling down, I pick up a piece of what looked like sea sponge. The tingle of a contract comes to my fingertips, and I listen.

Forgive me, my brothers. The monster…got me.

How could one person be this strong? How could one person be this cruel?

He wiped out three whole tribes just to get to the Sacred Icon.

Try as I might, I cannot think of a weakness. Every single time, he becomes stronger than the strongest of our Yekyua. Faster than the fastest. Of the glaive, the knife, the sword, and the bow–he is a master of all.

And he will stop at nothing to hunt the Icon.

It is as if he knows nothing else.

A demon. He is a demon in Human form.

If I may have a last prayer, let the Icon be safe, and let her lead all of us into Salvation.

I open my eyes.

Yes, that sounded like a superhuman.

Guardian showed no mercy. Not to anyone. Only the physically fit could be a traditional soldier, but a summoner could be anyone–a child, the old, the sick.

And thus, they needed to be eliminated.

That had been drilled into my head, again and again.

"Something important?" Imako asked.

It is as if he knows nothing else.

It felt like I had a piece of the puzzle in my hand, but I wasn't certain yet. "I'm not sure."

The relics in the room's depths were a stark contrast to the ones nearer the entrance. Most of them were older, more unrefined, and, unlike the Holy Woman's skull familiar, more incoherent. More echoes than recordings.

And almost all of them were unhappy memories.

Bad memories.

No love, only loss and hatred.

No hope, but only despair and grief.

Every wish for a better life seemed to turn into a curse upon the world.

It was probably all in the mind, but I could feel myself becoming slightly sick. "Nothing useful here," I stand up. Noting the grim expression on Inoue's face, I made a suggestion. "Maybe it's time to get out of here?"

"Seconded," Hitomi chimes in. "I want to say that the air is getting stale, but the dark aura of this place is giving me severe heebie-jeebies. Heck, if a psychometer had been here, they probably would have told us to leave long ago."

"What's a psychometer?" Imako asks.

"A person that can pick up impressions from objects or places." There was a faint tilt of nervousness in our kouhai's voice. "Kind of like an esper." She turned to Imako. "I thought you would have known, but maybe you're only familiar with fantasy instead of the occult."

"Yeah."

"Please don't tell me there's a third group of people with supernatural powers," Inoue sighs. "Everything about G–about the both of you is already hard enough to believe."

"A third group of overlords we could all band together and fight would be fun, but sadly, most 'psychic powers' are just–"

"Applications of hunting instinct," I finish, putting the puzzle together. "In other words, they're just superhumans."

Yet, I think back to the few cases I had seen. Telekinesis was a stereotypical esper powers, but all those people that moved dolls and stuff around were summoners, weren't they?

And there was one more thing.

Chihaya.

She was a summoner…but didn't she have superhuman strength?

At the time it seemed like a funny gag, a schoolgirl carrying that heavy box around and lifting desks without effort, but now that I knew the supernatural was real…

Maybe there wasn't a neat line between superhuman abilities and summoning. Maybe superhumans and summoners were one and the same–

–but we already knew that was true, didn't we?

All of them–no, all of us were dissatisfied with the world.

All too similar, but different in very fundamental ways.

"Inoue?" I look to my girlfriend. "Shall we?"

"Not yet," she said. Her hand was on another relic–what looked like the beak of a bird, small compared to the others. Her face was screwed up in concentration, and it was quite obvious what she was trying to do.

"I don't think you have the right temperament for it, Akira." Our resident summoner throws us a remark. "I know I said that it was theoretically possible for everyone to use summoning, but–"

"Then it should be possible for me," Inoue said grimly. "It's a mindset thing, isn't it? Be dissatisfied with the world, then channel it–"

"It's not going to work." Imako said. "It stems from a feeling of powerlessness. Of inability. And I wager my entire game collection that you're not the type of person to…"

"To what, Imako?" Inoue's voice was sharp.

"To give up." The summoner was once again staring at her feet. "To feel as if nothing they did mattered. To despair. I bet you could be within an inch of your life and still have hope-ah!" She was interrupted by Hitomi seizing her in a hug from behind.

"I didn't know you felt that way!"

"Keep it down." That was Imako's only reply, but her expression seemed to have softened somewhat from the superhuman's embrace.

"I don't believe I can't form a single contract at all," Inoue said stubbornly, proving Imako's point. She went back to focusing intently on the bird beak.

Gently, I wrapped my hand over hers, and my fingers brushed against the relic–

Much like the other incoherent memories, there were no words. Images flashed through my mind: a pale, fluorescent-lit room, a group of women, then comfortable, warm lamps in a cozy study.

I withdrew my hand. Unlike the rest, there didn't seem to be much negativity, and it also seemed to be 'easy' to read.

I told Inoue as much.

She looked slightly put out. "I really wanted to try it out for myself."

"It's probably fine for you to not have this particular ability."

"Listen to your boyfriend, Akira." Imako rolls her eyes, but the sarcastic words held an element of seriousness. "There's an ancient saying in Gaia." She paused. "'No matter how great a familiar you create, it cannot change the world.' Summoners are doomed to despair… for all eternity."

Inoue didn't reply, but it was clear her heart was still set on trying to read a relic herself. She takes a breath, and meets my eyes. "I didn't really mind not getting it when Imako taught us the first time, but now with all this," she gestured at the shelves, "it bothers me. Quite a bit."

Well.

I should have expected this.

This girl's life's purpose was to uncover secrets, after all. Passwords and locked doors gave off the scent of hidden things, which she pursued much like a shark after blood.

Being in this entire room was probably like being a starving man at an especially scrumptious buffet, except that you didn't know how to eat.

"Imako taught the both of you summoning?" Hitomi asked. I didn't need to look at her to know she disapproved.

"Unlike superhuman abilities, it's a teachable skill," I say. "And we needed to know for ourselves that summoning was…real, basically."

"Yeah, I can see Akira-senpai doing that." Our junior sighed.

A creak sounded before I could reassure Inoue, and all of us turned to the door.

"Lights off," I whispered. Immediately, the room returned to complete darkness, and I focused my hearing.

I could practically hear it all. Breathing. Heartbeats. Distant footsteps.

But here and now–

It was just one person. One person, and no familiars.

I pull my red hood over my head, and creep closer to the entrance. In the back of my mind, I keep my claw ready to be called.

Tiny footsteps exited the room, and I followed–

In the corridor, waiting for us, was a little girl.

A little girl that I had met once before, with a mysterious connection.

"Shimako?" I asked quietly.

Sorry for the wait. Some notes to go with an exposition-heavy chapter:

Harvest Festa makes it canon that a relatively underpowered superhuman and a single summoner-druid can sneak into Gaia's HQ and a regional branch outpost of Guardian and then leave both places undetected.

The report Hitomi looks up in Guardian's database is inspired by the one in the anime's episode 21.

The term that Kotarou uses in Terra that got translated into English as 'rewrite' is 上書き, uwagaki. It technically means 'overwrite', particularly in the context of data or files on a computer. By the way, the Japanese title of Rewrite is literally リライト, which is just…the English word 'rewrite'.

'Yekyua' is the name for the familiar spirits of Siberian shamans.

And lastly, bonus points to you if you get all my references. Sorry, I couldn't stop myself.

Review please!