April 8th, Saturday.

That morning, the sound of rain woke Sakuta up. He got out of bed and, with a look of disbelief, opened the curtains.

He hadn't expected such a downpour in April.

"This kind of weather is perfect for a drive," he muttered, with a heart as heavy as the dark clouds outside. As he entered the living room, he saw Kaede, dressed in her panda pajamas, preparing breakfast.

Kaede noticed him coming out of his room.
"Good morning, big brother!" she said, beaming with a bright smile.

On the table, in addition to their usual breakfast, there were also two packed lunch boxes filled with food, left open to cool before being covered.

"Did you make the lunchboxes too?"
"Kaede is in her third year of high school now. I can do things like this!"
"But it's Saturday today, right?"
"I've got a Biology Club activity—we're going to the zoo to see the pandas."
"No wonder you packed lunch. You even made crab cream croquettes."
He glanced at the food in the lunchbox. The croquettes sat neatly on a bed of lettuce.

"These are frozen, bought from the store."
"And the fried chicken pieces next to them?"
"Delicious frozen food."
"What about the tamagoyaki (egg roll)?"
"I made that myself!"
"Well, it's going to be quite the feast today."
"Yep, I'm excited!"

After a lively breakfast with Kaede, Sakuta saw her off as she left for her club activities. It was barely past 8 a.m., and Kaede was brimming with energy as she headed out the door.
"See you later, big brother!"
"Say hi to the pandas for me."

Kaede, now a third-year student at Minegahara High School, attended the same high school Sakuta had once gone to. She was even participating in her school's club activities diligently.

Even though this version of Kaede was a kind of illusion caused by her Puberty Syndrome, Sakuta couldn't help but feel moved by the "reality" before him. It filled him with a warmth that was undeniably real and impossible to ignore.

After Kaede left for the zoo, Sakuta cleaned up from breakfast, did the laundry, cleaned Nasuno's litter box, and even brushed Nasuno's fur. Despite all that, there was still plenty of time before his scheduled meeting with Mitou. So he took out the course schedule and registration papers from his school bag and started working on his class timetable in the living room, staring down at the papers and course catalog.

First, he filled in his mandatory courses, then added some electives during his free time. Lastly, he slotted in the classes necessary for earning his teaching certification.

As time passed, it eventually reached 11 a.m. He finished eating the packed lunch Kaede had made for him as an early lunch. After that, he changed into more appropriate clothes and grabbed his umbrella before heading out.

Though the rain had eased a bit, it was still falling steadily. Sakuta listened to the sound of raindrops hitting his umbrella, carefully stepping over puddles as he walked toward Fujisawa Station.

Passing through the JR ticket gates, he took the stairs down to the platform. No matter which direction the trains were headed, there were about the same number of people waiting for each.

The train heading toward Tokyo arrived first, and Sakuta boarded it. After just one stop, he got off at Ōfuna Station. He climbed the stairs and exited through the main ticket gate. This section of the train line was covered by his commuter pass, making it convenient.

He looked around for Mitou but didn't see her. To avoid being in anyone's way, he waited near the green ticket counter.

The station wasn't empty; people were coming and going. Each time a train arrived, the area around the ticket gate became crowded for a while, but it wasn't so packed that he wouldn't be able to spot the person he was waiting for.

If things stayed like this, Sakuta figured he'd notice Mitou as soon as she arrived.

The clock in the station showed that it was almost noon, the time they had agreed to meet.

The minute hand moved, and both the hour and minute hands pointed to 12. But Mitou still hadn't shown up.

"..."

Sakuta glanced around the exit, looking left and right.

She was nowhere to be seen.

He checked both the east and west exits of the station.

As he repeated this process, time continued to pass. Soon, it was 12:05. Still no sign of Mitou.

Then it was 10 minutes… 15 minutes… 20 minutes... Time slipped by quietly.

At 12:25, Sakuta left the southern ticket gate and headed for the northern one, which required him to circle around half of the station.

Even after walking up the stairs to the northern gate, there was no sign of her.

Just to be sure, he also checked the ticket gate for the Shonan Monorail.

He had only told Mitou to meet him at the "Ōfuna Station ticket gate," so there was a chance she was waiting at a different gate. With her mischievous nature, she might have been purposely waiting at the monorail gate as a joke.

However, she was nowhere to be found.

With no luck, Sakuta dejectedly returned to the largest gate—the southern one.

By now, it was 40 minutes past the agreed time.

"Looks like she doesn't plan on coming after all."

This was no longer a case of "being a little late." It was clear she had intentionally decided not to show up.

Even though he understood that waiting any longer might be pointless, Sakuta still didn't leave his spot near the ticket gate.

An hour had passed since he first arrived at Ōfuna Station, and nothing had happened.

At that moment, it was 1:26 p.m.

He had given up on checking the various gates. He simply stood there, not moving, waiting aimlessly.

Then, 10 minutes later—

"Wow, you're still here?"

A tired-sounding voice came from beside him.

He turned his head to see her—the person he'd been waiting for. She was wearing a collared dress with a camo-patterned jacket draped over it. Her half-up ponytail looked slightly fluffy, as if she had just gotten out of the bath. With her usual lazy expression, Mitou gazed at Sakuta.

"Mitou."

"What?"

"You're an hour and 36 minutes late, and that's the first thing you say?"

"Sorry, I was debating what to wear."

Then, in a mock-apologetic tone, she said something that sounded like a girlfriend who'd been late for a date.

"Still, would anyone really wait for an hour and 36 minutes like you? I only came to see if you'd left."

"Mai waited for me for an hour and 38 minutes on our first date."

"And what exactly were you doing during that hour and 38 minutes?"

"Kicking each other's butts with a high school girl until the police took us in."

"Wow, that's hilarious."

Mitou laughed heartily.

It was the kind of laugh that made her seem genuinely happy, but at the same time, it was a laugh that kept others at a distance.

"You know, Azusagawa," she said, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

"What?"

"Are you hoping I'll reveal that I'm actually Kirishima Touko?"

Mitou gazed blankly at the people coming and going in front of the station.

"If we don't do something, Mai is going to end up becoming 'Kirishima Touko' for real."

"And isn't that good? All the attention and hype are great."

"Not at all."

Sakuta firmly rejected the idea.

"No one's getting hurt, are they?"

But Mitou didn't back down.

"If Mai gets busier, I'll have less time to spend with her."

"Ah, I see. That's a serious problem."

She smiled as if it had nothing to do with her.

"Can you live with this?"

"With what?"

"Having Mai replace Kirishima Touko?"

Sakuta looked at her, but she didn't meet his gaze. Instead, she casually averted her eyes.

"Since Touko was a big fan of Mai, she'd probably be happy about it."

It didn't seem like a lie.

But it didn't feel like her true feelings either.

"Is that why you're singing Kirishima Touko's songs?"

"..."

"Or is it something else?"

"Can I ask you something first?"

"What?"

"Weren't we supposed to go for a drive today?"

"I've already rented the car."

They could continue the conversation in the car.

With that, Sakuta left the ticket gate and headed toward the east exit of the station.

When they reached the car rental shop, the first thing Sakuta did was apologize to the staff for being late.

"I'm sorry, my companion was running late."

As Sakuta glanced at Mitou while offering his excuse to the rental car staff, she noticed his gaze and waved with a smile. Even though she hadn't overheard what Sakuta said to the staff, she played along perfectly, acting like his girlfriend.

After making a copy of his driver's license and going through the basic rental instructions, they finally got the car, a small, easy-to-handle vehicle.

Sakuta sat in the driver's seat, and Mitou in the passenger seat. They drove out of the rental shop's parking lot, heading along the Ōfuna-Nishi Kamakura line. The Shonan Monorail ran above them, at times racing alongside and occasionally passing by so close that it created a distinct feeling of pressure. Mitou was fascinated, exclaiming, "Wow, the monorail is so close to us, amazing!"

"Have you driven a car since you got your license?" Sakuta asked.

"No, and I don't plan to in the future," Mitou responded.

"Because your friend died in a car accident?"

"..."

Mitou didn't answer. She just looked out the window on her side.

They continued driving in silence, with the monorail running parallel overhead for a while. Before long, the rain stopped.

"Touko always urged me," Mitou suddenly said.

"..."

"She kept pestering me to sing the songs she wrote."

The car stopped at a red light. The engine idled, and silence filled the car.

"But I always refused her."

"..."

Mitou's voice was soft. Sakuta kept his eyes on the traffic light, listening quietly.

"She was so persistent that we ended up fighting."

"..."

"I think I ignored her for about a week."

"..."

The light turned green. Sakuta gently restarted the car, and the scenery outside began to flow past them, including the cars driving in the opposite direction. Mitou continued to gaze out the window, making it impossible for Sakuta to see her expression.

"So that night, I was planning to make up with her."

"The night she had the accident?"

"Yeah, Christmas Eve. We were going to split a curry bun, share it, and make up."

Mitou gave a faint, fragile smile.

Sakuta couldn't fully grasp the emotions behind her brief words. There seemed to be regret and sadness, but he couldn't clearly feel the warmth in her voice. Mitou's heart was hidden deep, unreachable, making it difficult to understand her emotions. It almost felt like she was entirely devoid of them.

So, Sakuta didn't know how to respond.

But, gripping the steering wheel tightly, he found himself naturally saying, "Well, today, why don't we split a curry bun?"

He glanced over at Mitou.

"I'm hungry right now, and I want two buns for myself," she said, brushing off Sakuta's suggestion with ease.

"Then we'll buy four and split them."

Sakuta wasn't about to let the topic go.

"Wow, you're really persistent," Mitou laughed, genuinely amused.

Even though the mood in the car was light and fun, the distance between them didn't shrink. The happier Mitou seemed, the more Sakuta could feel how distant she truly was.

On the way, they stopped by a convenience store and, as promised, bought four curry buns, clearing out the store's stock. After driving alongside the monorail to Nishikamakura Station, Sakuta turned south onto a coastal road.

They took Route 134 from Koshigoe, driving along the coastline with the ocean to their right. First, they passed near Kamakura, then retraced their route to enjoy the ocean view once again.

Now, the car was parked at a rest stop in Shichirigahama.

They got out of the car, walking along the sandy beach of Shichirigahama while munching on curry buns.

"Watch out for the hawks—they might snatch your buns," Sakuta warned.

Above them, three hawks were gracefully circling, likely eyeing the curry buns Sakuta and Mitou held.

"The sound of the waves is really loud," Mitou commented.

Just as she said, the waves were unusually loud, easily drowning out any softer noises.

To their right was Enoshima. On a clear day, they would have been able to see Mount Fuji in the distance, but today the sky was covered with thick clouds. They were lucky the rain had even stopped.

Before any hawks could swoop down, they quickly finished their curry buns. They washed them down with canned tea they bought along with the buns and stared out at the horizon, about four kilometers away.

"When I was in my third year of middle school, my younger sister, two years below me, was bullied… She ended up with Puberty Syndrome."

Sakuta stood a few steps away from Mitou, watching her from the side as he spoke.

"The words of her classmates cut into her skin like knives. She actually bled, and scars were left behind. But no one—neither the teachers nor the students—believed what I said."

"..."

Mitou looked at Sakuta but said nothing.

"I didn't want to deal with those people anymore, so I threw my phone into the ocean here."

Sakuta's voice naturally grew louder to compete with the wind and the sound of the waves.

"I don't agree with littering in the ocean," Mitou said.

"Mai told me something similar. She told me to throw my trash in the trash can."

That was a long time ago.

"Did you throw your phone away because you thought it was your messages that led to Kirishima Touko's accident?" Sakuta asked.

"No, that's not it," Mitou responded immediately.

"Then why?"

"Everyone at school knew how close I was with Touko. So, they kept asking, 'Are you okay?' 'Stay strong,' 'Let me know if you need anything,' and it was just too much, so I threw my phone away."

"Classic you," Sakuta said.

"Right?" Mitou smiled, satisfied with her response.

"Probably drew some jealousy from the girls too, having so many boys concerned about you."

"I'm a bad girl," Mitou said, smiling as if mocking herself. She didn't deny Sakuta's comment. It was her usual troubled smile...

"Mitou."

"Yeah?"

"Earlier, you asked me if I've ever killed anyone, right?"

"I did."

"I have."

"Then you should turn yourself in to the police."

"I was supposed to die on Christmas Eve, during the winter of my second year in high school…"

"...?"

Mitou looked at Sakuta with a sudden spark of interest. It felt like her full attention was now on him, so Sakuta decided to keep going.

"I was supposed to be hit by a car at an intersection in front of Enoshima, the car slipping on the icy roads due to heavy snow."

"..."

"Even after being rushed to the hospital, I was in a deep coma. Eventually, my heart was transplanted into a middle school girl."

"So, the person standing in front of me right now is a ghost?" Mitou joked, smiling at her own question because it seemed impossible.

"I changed the future. Using Puberty Syndrome, I reset everything and found a new possibility."

"..."

Sakuta stared at Mitou, trying to make her believe what he was saying was true.

Mitou stared back at him. She blinked a few times, as if she needed time to process what Sakuta had just said.

"And what happened to the girl who was supposed to receive your heart?"

The first question Mitou asked cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"She got a heart from another donor, and now she's living a healthy life."

"I see," Mitou muttered, as if understanding something. She then said quietly, almost to herself, "And that donor was Touko."

"That's right," Sakuta said, nodding slowly, clearly, and seriously.

"So, Kirishima Touko's death… could be considered my fault."

"..."

Sakuta faced Mitou's gaze head-on, not daring to blink.

For a moment, time seemed frozen. Neither Sakuta nor Mitou moved.

The silence that enveloped them lasted less than ten seconds, but it felt like it would last forever.

Finally, Mitou lowered her gaze slightly and said, "Are you telling me this because you think you can reset everything again and save Touko too?"

Her voice was dry, devoid of hope or expectation. She was expressionless, and her face even showed a trace of her usual troubled look.

"I'm telling you this to say I can't do that. Even if I can return from the 'future' to the 'present,' people can't go back from the 'present' to the 'past.'"

That one sentence was difficult to fully grasp and even harder to accept. But for Mitou at that moment, the most important thing was hearing the answer: "I can't."

The process of understanding or rationalizing wasn't important to her. What mattered was the truth and the conclusion.

"Then what's the point of telling me all this?" she asked. She didn't seem upset—she was simply confirming Sakuta's intentions. She looked straight at him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakuta said.

"Is it?"

"If I keep hiding things from you, we can't be friends."

"I clearly remember rejecting you before, though," Mitou replied softly as she picked up a small seashell from the beach, a half-broken scallop. She examined the shell carefully as she spoke in a low voice.

"When Touko died, I didn't feel sad at all... and I didn't cry."

"..."

There were no tears on Mitou's face, and her voice wasn't choked with emotion.

"I just thought blankly... 'How did she end up dead?'"

That was her usual state.

"Even after attending the funeral, even after going back to the classroom she could never return to, I didn't feel anything. Somehow, I had this strange feeling that she'd be back tomorrow."

It seemed like she still felt that way even now.

"But... I'll never see her again."

"Yeah... as the first Christmas Eve after she was gone approached, no one was talking about her anymore."

"..."

"So, I decided to sing the songs she left behind. Because she wanted me to sing them. On the anniversary of her death, I uploaded the first song to a video site."

It was on the day of Touko's accident, December 24th—Christmas Eve.

"And to my surprise, it was a huge hit."

Mitou placed the shell on the border between the waves and the sand.

"Because Touko left behind a few other songs—"

The shell, now soaked in the wet sand, was soon swept away by the next wave, drifting off to who knows where. Just like how Touko drifted away from Mitou's heart.

"So I uploaded them one after another..."

Mitou looked out toward the sea.

"More and more people started praising 'Kirishima Touko.'"

She gazed at the horizon.

"More and more people started talking about 'Kirishima Touko.'"

But Sakuta felt that when Mitou said these things, it was more like she was talking to herself.

"But that wasn't the Touko I wanted to see."

"..."

"No matter how much I sang, I still couldn't see Touko."

"So, you stopped singing?"

"Because I had sung all the songs she left behind. By the second Christmas Eve after I started uploading, I had finished uploading all her songs."

"But after that, new 'Kirishima Touko' songs kept appearing."

"I never imagined it would turn out like this."

Several people had started impersonating 'Kirishima Touko,' singing under her name.

Mitou let out a bitter and troubled smile.

But her smile quickly faded into a more neutral one as she looked back out toward the horizon.

"Sakuta."

"What?"

"Would you still want to be friends with someone like me—someone so cold they didn't shed a tear when their friend died?"

"I would."

"Really?"

"What do you think?"

"Me?"

Mitou turned her face toward Sakuta. Her eyes reflected his face.

"Would you still want to be friends with someone like me, someone who caused your friend's death?"

"... What do I really want...?"

She mumbled, looking back out at the sea. It felt like a response meant to brush him off, but at the same time, it was her honest thought in that moment.

She squinted slightly, staring out at the not-so-glimmering ocean, as if trying to find where her true feelings had drifted off to.

If she had only been trying to brush off Sakuta, she could have come up with a more clever excuse.

"All I wanted was to see Touko."

Her words were barely audible above the sound of the waves and the wind.

But Sakuta believed that this was her true feeling.

"So, you rewrote reality?"

"...It wasn't long after I stopped singing her songs. Every morning when I woke up, I started noticing small changes. Things were changing little by little."

"..."

"The deep blue curtains in my room turned light blue. The print on my favorite mug changed from a cat to a dog. My homeroom teacher became someone completely different."

"Did you want those changes to happen?"

Mitou neither nodded nor shook her head. She continued in a detached tone.

"If I could rewrite reality, why didn't I make it so Touko was still alive? It's frustrating."

"Why do you talk like it's already over? Don't you still want to see her?"

"Because one day, my reality stopped changing."

"One day...?"

"Last fall. On the day we met at the seminar party."

"..."

Sakuta hadn't expected this to involve him, so his surprised expression was understandable.

Seeing his reaction, Mitou smiled, satisfied.

"Sakuta, what did you do to me?"

"How are you so sure it's my fault?"

"Because it was the first time I met you without a phone."

"As if you've met many different versions of me."

"I have. I've met you with glasses, you studying in the medical department, and you looking quite handsome. I was curious about who Sakurajima Mai's boyfriend was, so whenever reality changed, I'd come find you. I must've met at least 50 versions of you."

"Did any of those versions become friends with you?"

"Not a single one."

"Then I guess I'll be the first. I'm honored."

"Let's hope."

Mitou answered in a detached manner, devoid of any emotion.

"Sakuta, anyway—"

"What do you want to say?"

"Can you make it so I can go to a reality where Touko is still alive?"

"And in return, will you come forward and reveal that you're actually Kirishima Touko?"

"Should we pinky swear?"

Mitou held out her little finger.

"No need, I trust you."

When Sakuta gently refused, Mitou let out another laugh.

"You're really a pain, aren't you?"

Then, with that smile still on her face, she said to Sakuta—

"I have work today too, so it's time to call it a day."

She waved goodbye to Sakuta.

"I have a car, how about I give you a ride?"

"No need, it's close by."

"How close?"

"Just at the café next to the parking lot."

Mitou turned her back to the sea and started walking up the stairs leading to the top of the breakwater. Sakuta silently watched her figure grow smaller and smaller.

The two of them remained parallel lines. No matter how far they extended, they would never intersect. That was the nature of their relationship at that moment.

By the time Sakuta returned the rental car to Ofuna Station, it was nearly five in the afternoon. After dropping off the car at the rental shop, he boarded the Tokaido Line back to Fujisawa.

In less than five minutes, the train brought him to Fujisawa Station.

Following the crowd off the train, he walked up the stairs, swiped his commuter pass, and exited the station. Although he usually walked straight home from the north exit, this time, he headed toward a nearby cram school.

He wasn't scheduled to work as a tutor today, but he knew that on Saturdays, Rio worked as a tutor during this time. He wanted to discuss Mitou with her.

As he approached the building where the cram school was located, he saw a tall figure.

Kasai Toranosuke.

Sakuta called out to the nearly 190 cm-tall figure.

"Are you heading to the study room?"

"Huh? Oh, Mr. Azusagawa. Yeah, I'm going to review my last mock exam."

They entered the elevator together.

Toranosuke pressed the elevator button, and as they ascended, he let out a sigh, seemingly unconsciously.

"You don't seem very energetic."

"No, it's nothing."

"Was your mock exam result bad?"

"Yeah, it was."

"So the dream came true?"

"...?"

Toranosuke frowned at Sakuta's cryptic comment. It seemed, like Tomoe and Sara, he had no memory of the "dream."

"Don't worry, you've still got almost a year until the actual exam. My spring mock exam in my senior year of high school was terrible too."

"Okay..."

His response was still lackluster, as if his mind was elsewhere.

When they entered the cram school, Sakuta quickly realized that Toranosuke's mood wasn't just about his bad exam results.

"Hello, everyone."

Toranosuke opened the door, greeted the teachers in the staff room, and walked into the cram school.

Sakuta followed behind him, but Toranosuke suddenly stopped, causing Sakuta to bump into his back.

"Oh... what's wrong?"

Peeking around Toranosuke, Sakuta saw his expression. Toranosuke was staring intently at the space between the staff room and the free activity area.

There was Rio, answering Sara's question from across the counter. She was explaining a problem, pointing at the notebook with focused intensity, while Toranosuke's gaze was even more fixed on her face than her own concentration.

"Having a one-sided crush on the girlfriend of the senior who looked out for you in the basketball club must be tough."

Even though reality had been rewritten, Tora's feelings for Rio hadn't changed. However, due to the significant shift in Rio and Yuuma's relationship, the situation had become somewhat complicated and rather pitiful.

"I... I don't have a crush on Professor Futaba..." Tora stammered, trying to deny it, but his attempt lacked any conviction.

Just then, Sara, having thanked Rio for her help, closed her notebook and noticed Sakuta and Tora standing at the entrance.

"I'm heading to the study room," Tora quickly made his escape into the study room.

A moment later, Sara walked over and asked, "Sakuta-sensei, do you have a class today? I heard Yamada and Yoshikazu-kun were planning to go to Kamakura on Saturday."

"I'm actually here to talk to Futaba."

"But I have a lesson with Himeji next," Rio said as she came out of the staff room, her usual calm demeanor unchanged.

"I can wait until you finish the lesson."

"After class, I'm meeting up with Kunimi for dinner."

"What time?"

"Around 8 o'clock."

It was currently 6 p.m., and the class lasted for 80 minutes, meaning it would end around 7:20.

"Then, in the 40 minutes afterward, I'd like to talk."

"...Fine, if it's just to talk," she replied, her tone lacking enthusiasm. In fact, she seemed rather indifferent, as if it were a hassle.

Understanding her reasoning, Sakuta simply responded, "Thanks."

Sara, observing their conversation with interest, said nothing, while Sakuta pretended not to notice.

After Sakuta had finished explaining everything to Rio, their mugs on the table were already empty.

They were now seated at the counter of a café just a few minutes' walk from the cram school. Through the glass windows, they could see the flow of people passing by outside.

Inside the café, which also served alcoholic beverages, a couple in their twenties sat in the back, laughing loudly. They seemed to be regulars, chatting comfortably with the staff.

"What I just told you is everything I've experienced these past few days."

Mai had suddenly declared that she was Kirishima Touko. Kaede had reappeared at home... along with the other altered realities. Then, Sakuta had learned that the real Kirishima Touko had already passed away and had become the donor of Shouko's heart. Meanwhile, Mitou Miori, who Sakuta knew from university, turned out to be the real person behind 'Kirishima Touko.'

"So, what do you think?"

After listening silently to the entire story, Rio let out a long sigh. She stared absently at the large windows of the café, gazing out at the street beyond.

"I'll take your absurd story at face value for now... So, what do you plan to do?"

She opened with a probing question.

"What do you mean by 'what to do'?"

"Do you want Sakurajima-senpai to go back to normal?"

"Of course."

That was, without a doubt, his biggest goal.

"Do you also feel the need to atone for Miori Miori and Kirishima Touko?"

"..."

Sakuta couldn't answer the second question right away. He averted his gaze from Rio's face and looked out at the road beyond the café window.

"I don't feel any guilt toward Miori."

He couldn't be sure if his altering the future had led to Touko's accident—if one were to explain it using Rio's butterfly effect.

"So, how do you feel about her?"

"I want to be friends with her."

After thinking for a moment, that was the answer he settled on.

The meaning of 'being friends' wasn't so straightforward. After learning that Touko was Shouko's heart donor, 'being friends' had a different weight compared to what it meant before he knew this fact. However, if he had to define his ideal relationship with Mitou, 'friends' was the only fitting word.

"And lastly, do you want to return everything that's been rewritten back to normal?"

When Rio asked this third question, her tone was distinctly different from before. There was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, a certain tension and pressure behind her words.

The reason for this shift was obvious.

If reality were to revert to its original state, Rio's circumstances would change, and her relationship with Yuuma would revert from being lovers back to just friends.

So, this was the one question Sakuta couldn't answer. Instead, he turned it around and asked Rio something of his own.

"What do you think? If Mitou keeps rewriting reality, could she eventually reach a version where Kirishima Touko is still alive?"

"No."

Rio didn't hesitate before giving her clear answer.

"Why not?"

"Because most of the changes you're seeing in reality are connected to that so-called 'dreaming' that happened before reality was rewritten."

She also had a clear explanation for this.

"Yes, Mai said she was Kirishima Touko, 'Kaede' came back, and your relationship with Kunimi changed—these are all things someone dreamed of beforehand."

Tora's poor performance on his mock exam and Ken and Juri's deepening relationship were the same.

"You should remember what I told you about the essence of those dreams before reality was rewritten, right?"

"They're observations of alternate possible worlds?"

Rio nodded.

"So, it makes sense to think that someone observed a possibility through a dream and turned it into reality, right?"

"In other words, if no one dreams of a reality where Kirishima Touko is alive, Mitou will never reach the reality she wants?"

"Logically speaking, the person most likely to dream of 'Kirishima Touko living' should be her."

"That's true."

After all, that was Mitou Miori's wish.

"So, it means that deep down, she doesn't really want to see Kirishima Touko."

Rio suddenly offered a completely contradictory answer.

However, it wasn't a surprising one.

"..."

Sakuta pursed his lips, realizing there was some truth in it.

"It seems you've noticed it too."

Mitou's behavior had indeed suggested this.

The fact that Rio pointed it out only underscored how serious this was.

"Adolescence Syndrome tends to manifest in a way that fulfills the patient's desires."

"Right."

"But even though Mitou claims she wants to see Kirishima Touko, she still hasn't seen her."

"Maybe she's avoiding it."

"Avoiding Kirishima Touko?"

Rio lowered her gaze and nodded.

"At the very least, she's probably avoiding the reality that 'Kirishima Touko is dead.'"

So far, Mitou's attitude had indeed reflected that avoidance. The distant, untouchable feeling she gave off seemed to confirm it.

Their conversation was interrupted at that moment by the vibration of a phone on the table.

Rio glanced at the screen.

"It's Kunimi?"

"Yeah, he says he's almost here."

Within a minute, Sakuta spotted a familiar face outside the café. Yuuma waved at them through the window.

Rio stood up.

"Sakuta."

Without turning around, she spoke to him.

"What?"

Sakuta looked at Yuuma outside as he responded.

"I've done all I can to help you."

Her words were loaded with meaning.

"You've done enough."

Sakuta tried to smile cheerfully, but it didn't quite work.

He couldn't smile easily, knowing what she meant.

"I prefer things the way they are now."

Rio's gaze was fixed on Yuuma, who was waiting at the café door. Oblivious to what was going on, Yuuma smiled warmly—a happy, carefree smile.

"See you."

Without waiting for Sakuta's reply, Rio left the café. She and Yuuma walked off together toward the station. Halfway there, Yuuma turned and waved at Sakuta again.

It was a perfect picture of happiness.

But to Sakuta, it also felt fleeting and tinged with sadness.

After watching Rio and Yuuma walk away, Sakuta soon left the café as well. He passed through the station square illuminated by streetlights and headed home.

His steps were slower than usual.

It was because of what Rio had said earlier.

—I prefer things the way they are now.

Seeing Rio and Yuuma walking side by side had made him feel the same way. That's why he slowed down, wanting to give his emotions a clear answer before he returned home.

A walk that normally took 10 minutes took him 20 today.

Even when he reached his apartment building, he hadn't found an answer.

In fact, his thoughts only became more tangled.

Even as he entered the elevator, his mind remained in disarray.

And when he opened the door and said, "I'm home," he was still replaying Rio's words in his head.

Kaede greeted him at the door, snapping him back to the outside world.

"Welcome home, brother! I said hello to the pandas for you!"

She still remembered what he had told her earlier before she left.

Facing Kaede's innocent smile, Sakuta couldn't help but ask:

"Kaede, do you like how things are now?"

Sakuta couldn't help but ask that question.

"What do you mean, brother?" Kaede tilted her head in confusion, looking puzzled. She tilted it so far that she almost lost her balance.

"Never mind, just forget it." He took off his shoes and walked into the house.

"I want to be with you forever, brother," Kaede said. It was an ordinary phrase for her, something she often said. But this time, that simple statement, along with her innocent smile, warmed Sakuta's heart. The warmth surged through his entire body, almost spilling out from his eyes.

"..."

"Brother?"

Sakuta felt that if he spoke, his emotions would overflow. Just then, the phone rang, cutting through the atmosphere like a dam stopping a flood of feelings.

He hurried to the living room. The display showed Shouko's number.

"I'll get it," he told Kaede before picking up the receiver.

"Hello, this is Azusagawa."

"Sakuta? It's me, Shouko."

"I was actually about to contact you about Miori."

"How about we meet now?"

"Now?"

Sakuta checked the time. It was already past 8:30 p.m.

"I have something I want to show you."

Her tone was so sincere and determined that it seemed to be something important.

"Got it," Sakuta answered without hesitation.

They arranged to meet at a fast food restaurant near Fujisawa Station, where Sakuta usually worked part-time. When he entered, Shouko was already sitting by the window and waved to him.

The restaurant was about half full, not too busy. Sakuta ordered a soft drink with free refills and sat across from Shouko.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No worries, I just got here too."

"So, what is it you wanted to show me?"

Shouko looked at Sakuta with a slightly puzzled expression as he got straight to the point.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Is something bothering you, Sakuta? You didn't even react to the classic date line I used earlier. That's not like you."

"..."

Sakuta gave a wry smile.

"I met with Futaba today. She told me she prefers things the way they are now."

He decided to be honest and not keep anything hidden.

"That's... quite the dilemma."

"And then when I got home, Kaede greeted me with 'Welcome home,' and to be honest, I can understand how Futaba feels."

Having Tomoe at the same university and Uzuki never having dropped out were things that brought no disadvantages to Sakuta. In fact, they were all positives.

"So, Sakuta, do you also prefer things the way they are now?"

"But I want to bring Mai back to her original self."

It was hard to say if the rest of it was better or worse—it had its pros and cons.

Hearing his answer, Shouko smiled knowingly and then continued.

"Did you have a good talk with Miori today? I heard you two went on a drive."

"Miori said she just wants to see Kirishima Touko. But when I talked to Futaba about it, she suggested the opposite—she thinks Miori doesn't want to see Kirishima Touko."

"Doesn't want to see her?"

"I don't know why Miori might feel that way, but I agree with Futaba—it seems to be the case."

"Then it might have been the right decision to contact you tonight."

"Huh?"

"This is what I wanted to show you."

Shouko pulled out something from her bag—it was the exchange diary between Touko and Miori, which Touko's mother had given her. She placed the diary on the table and began flipping through the pages.

She stopped at a specific page.

The date on it was December 24th.

"This is from the Christmas Eve when Kirishima Touko had her accident?"

"Yes, it's from that exact day, December 24th."

What was written on the page struck a chord with Sakuta. It was no wonder, as the words had been turned into the lyrics for one of 'Kirishima Touko's' songs. It was the song Mai had sung on stage on April 1st.

People always say it was good to meet you
But I don't think so
The one I was meant to meet is no longer here
But the love song we listened to together tells me
That we're destined to meet again
Don't be afraid of getting lost
When the sun rises, open the door and walk out
But no one can prove what the future holds
Tomorrow, I'll be alone again
Unable to share it with you
It feels like there's a hole in my heart
If I had known it would hurt this much
Maybe it would've been better not to meet you at all

At the end of the lyrics was the title of the song: "Turn The World Upside Down."

With that, the exchange diary ended. The rest of the pages were blank.

"Kirishima Touko wrote this?"

"I think so. Their handwriting is distinctly different."

Miori's handwriting was sharp and defined, while Kirishima Touko's was more rounded and soft.

"Miori said that on that day, she and Kirishima Touko had planned to meet. They had been in a cold war for nearly a week, and that day was supposed to be the day they made up."

"But on her way to meet Miori, Touko had the accident."

"Yes."

"So, for Miori, what Touko wrote in this diary must have felt like her final words."

Shouko pointed to the last line of the lyrics with her finger.

"...'Maybe it would've been better not to meet you at all.'"

"Exactly."

"That could explain why Miori is 'avoiding' it. Hearing such words from her closest friend must have been devastating."

"But that's not the truth."

Shouko quickly rejected Sakuta's theory.

"It's not?"

Sakuta didn't understand what she was trying to say.

"I need to talk to Miori about these lyrics."

"..."

"So, Sakuta," Shouko looked directly at him, and Sakuta could already guess what she was going to say next.

"Please let me meet Mitou Miori."