Morning finds you walking to school with Mariko again, idly chatting about some of the upcoming assignments due by the end of the week. Neither of you has mentioned the events of last night, which suits you just fine. You'd rather not have to think about Hayate until it's absolutely necessary, and what's more, the discussion you had in the Velvet Room still has you somewhat shaken.

The things Elizabeth and Minato told you did little to alleviate your curiosity. Frankly, there are more doubts whispering within your mind than before. Their insistence upon secrecy and allusions to some kind of mission suggest that this crusade against the Shadows is part of some larger game they're playing, and along with that comes the implication that you're some kind of pawn. The situation gives you mixed emotions. Elizabeth and Minato haven't given you any particular reason not to trust them, but their refusal to be forthcoming with you makes you uncomfortable. However, you can't think of any alternative to doing what they say, so for now, you'll just have to trust that they'll open up eventually.

"So, do you have any plans for Golden Week?"

"Ehh..." you stammer, recollecting your thoughts. "Is that coming up already?"

"Mmhmm. I almost didn't realize it either until my aunt said something. Toshima starts so late; it's here before you know it! Of course, we've been so busy the last couple of days that it feels like it's been longer..."

You're not quite sure how to answer her. Try as you might, you don't remember what your family does for Golden Week. You can't even recall what you did last year. Either way, it must not have been something terribly interesting, but you're too embarrassed to admit that to Mariko.

"I dunno," you settle on, "I guess we haven't talked about it yet. What about you?"

She stares off at some point in the sky. "My aunt and uncle actually don't have anything planned, so nothing, I guess. That's okay with me, though. I'm used to it."

You're getting the feeling that Mariko's pressuring you to come up with something to do for Golden Week, but you've got nothing to offer. You've never been one for making plans.

"Maybe we can figure something out," you offer, hoping that's vague enough to satisfy her. Sure enough, her face lights up at the suggestion.

"Great! I've never spent Golden Week in the city before! I bet you guys have all sorts of neat stuff to do!"

"What are you used to?"

Mariko puts a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Well, when we actually did something, we usually went somewhere, like on a picnic, or Junes."

"Man, don't tell me you wanna go to the store over break."

Your words have the opposite effect that you intended - now Mariko seems more excited than before.

"Oh, could we? I could use some more clothes, and we could buy food to make boxed lunches...what's wrong, Tetsuo? You don't look very interested..."

You catch yourself and draw your lips into a forced smile. "No, no, sounds great...but I mean, I don't think we can spend an entire day in Junes..."

"Alrighty then! You know the city better than me, anyways. I'll leave the rest of the planning to you!"

"S-Sure thing..." you croak, wondering how you managed to get saddled with this. But Mariko seems awfully pumped about Golden Week now, so you'll have to work it out.

A few blocks from school, the two of you are waiting at a stoplight when you think you hear someone calling your name from across the street. Glancing to your left, you see a single hand struggling to raise itself above the sea of heads. The light you've been waiting for turns green, and as the crowd of morning commuters surges across the street, you make out a familiar pair of shades resting upon a combed-back lick of bark-brown hair.

"Hey! Tetsuo! Mariko-chan!"

"Is that...Hayate-kun?" Mariko says, peering at the boy standing out front of the coffee shop on the corner.

"That's what it looks like." You're unable to keep the disappointment out of your voice. You were hoping for more of a buffer zone than a few hours. And given how awkwardly you parted, the apparent one-eighty in his attitude is more than a little confusing. However, it's too late to pretend that you haven't seen each other, and Mariko's already crossing the street, so you resignedly fall in behind her.

When you approach, he presses a steaming paper cup of coffee into each your hands and gives you a hearty clap on the back, which almost splashes coffee on your shirt.

"Black for my man here, and cream and sugar for Mariko-chan!" he says, beaming.

"Uhh, thanks. You seem to be...feeling better," you say ("I like it black.." Mariko mutters). Hayate gives a little half-shrug and smirks, pulling his glasses down onto his nose.

"I've felt better, but it coulda been worse if it wasn't for you guys. Sorry I didn't get the chance to say 'thanks' last night."

"Yeah, you kinda left in a hurry," you reply, rubbing your jaw. He winces.

"Ah. Yeah. About that...I'm uh...sorry 'bout that. I wasn't feeling like myself, you know. I got to thinking about it this morning and felt pretty awful. Hope you don't take that the wrong way, bro."

"No harm, no foul," you say. Hayate pauses, presumably to work out whether that means you accepted his apology or not. You don't feel like waiting for him to come to a conclusion and resume your walk to school.

Hasty footfalls sound behind you and Mariko and Hayate fall in on either side of you. Mariko leans in close to your ear and hisses, "Tetsuo! Don't be rude! He just woke up from a Cloud last night, act a little nicer!"

"I'm sorry. He just...irritates me."

"Yeah, and he knows that. Don't you remember what the Dreamweaver was saying? No fighting, and no sarcasm, at least for today, OK?"

For having known her for such a short time, Mariko sure knows how to pull your strings. The mention of the Dreamweaver dredges up enough fresh guilt to convince you to dial back the snark. Who knows, perhaps the experience has changed Hayate. The coffee was a nice enough gesture, at least. However, most of the walk to school is dominated by an awkward silence until you reach the gates and Hayate takes you by the shoulder.

"OK, sorry, I just can't take this anymore. Are none of us seriously going to address the elephant in the room? What the hell just happened to me? Who the hell are you guys exactly? What the hell were all those things? Why did you guys beat the shit out of me, but I feel totally fine? And more importantly, did I get laid last night or what?"

"For fu-" you begin, but an icy stare from Mariko seals your tongue. "For now, how about we just worry about not being late to class, and we can talk at lunch. Somewhere quieter."

"Nuh-uh, no way. I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night 'cause I couldn't work out whether or not all that actually happened, or if it was just a dream."

"Well, that's kind of yes and no," Mariko says with a shrug.

"See!" Hayate exclaims, thrusting his arms out in front of him in frustration, spilling the rest of coffee onto the sidewalk. "How am I supposed to take it when you start saying stuff like that? If I gotta wait another four hours, my head's gonna explode!"

"Easy - like this," you say, turning to the entrance and leaving him to stew in his bewilderment. You don't have enough patience to sustain an argument with him this morning.

"I can't do this," you groan once your back is turned. Sustaining a conversation with Hayate is like holding a very heavy object for a long period of time - exhausting, and usually pointless. Mariko gives you a reassuring pat on the back.

"You can do it, Leader. Now c'mon, I don't wanna be late."


Thankfully, Hayate behaves himself rather well throughout the morning. His eyes remain hidden behind his shades, but the way he constantly gnaws on his bottom lip betrays his anxiety. Once the bell chimes for lunch, he practically leaps from his seat, following you and Mariko on your way to pick up Nisekao. Hayate raises a skeptical eyebrow when he sees that Nisekao is coming with you, but even he knows better than to say anything. Nevertheless, the expression still irks you.

Again, you choose to meet in the abandoned classroom in the old annex for the benefit of privacy. The chairs inside the room are exactly as you left them, save for a thin layer of fresh dust. Hayate brushes off another one and twirls it about on one leg before plunking himself into it backwards.

After a quick finger-combing of his hair, he says, "Alright, let's get down to it - am I crazy or not?"

It's difficult not to take advantage of an opening like that, but you manage to control yourself. Time's limited, and there are questions that need answering.

"First, we need to you promise not to breathe a single word of this to anyone. I know how loose your lips are-"

Hayate starts to protest, but you keep talking over him.

"-but so help me if I hear a single bit of what we're about to tell you leave this room, I will put my foot so far up your ass that you taste shoe polish. Got it?"

Hayate cringes. "That's a little intense, but yeah, sure. I promise I'll take this to the grave."

"Works for me. Now, a lot of this'll probably be tough to swallow, but save your questions until we're finished."

And with that, you begin explaining your situation to the best of your ability, with Mariko and Nisekao jumping in at times to fill in the gaps. The entire time, Hayate listens intently while doing a terrifically poor job of masking his reactions. By the time your story reaches the end of your expedition into Cloud Two, his glasses have almost slipped all the way down his nose, revealing a pair of wide eyes brimming with unmistakable childish excitement.

"You're not joking, are you?" he breathes once you finish. "Of course you're not, how could you make something like this up? I mean, there's no way you could've known otherwise...this is unreal."

Hayate stands, gives his head a shake, and exhales loudly. "Unreal," he repeats. "I dunno whether I should be disappointed or relieved."

"Disappointed?" Nisekao asks. You think you know what he means. Hayate shoves his hands in his pocket and absentmindedly kicks up a puff of dust from the floor.

"It's kinda embarrassing now that I know the whole story, but I-I wasn't ready to leave. How would you feel if you were someone...someone like me one day, and then the next, you're not? Well, I mean, you still are, but...different. I know this might be hard to believe, but I'm actually not so good with girls."

You're sure you wouldn't be able to convincingly feign surprise, so you don't. Sensing your lack of reaction, Hayate awkwardly continues.

"Right...well, when I was him, it's like something clicked. Like I'd been trying all my life to figure out how to be the person I wanted to be, and someone found some switch in my head in the wrong position, said 'Here's your problem,' and flicked it on. Just like that, people didn't just like me, they wanted to be around me. And then you guys come along, and I find out it was all a lie..."

For a brief moment, a different side of Hayate peeks out from beneath his veneer of machismo and philandering, something vulnerable and insecure. "I just want to be somebody to someone else," is what the Dreamweaver claimed he'd said. How did it look to him for you to go out of your way to crash his party and rip his newfound popularity out from under him? This cause you'd painted as black and white suddenly doesn't seem so much anymore. Perhaps you really deserved that punch.

"We didn't do it to be mean," says Mariko, mirroring your thoughts. "It just didn't seem right to let a Shadow take your place."

"Even if he was better than the real thing?"

"For what it's worth, Hayate-kun, I don't think that's true at all. You're...umm...way less creepy than him!"

Poor Mariko had to reach a little for that compliment, but it seems to satisfy Hayate all the same. A wide grin breaks out across his face and he eases back into his chair.

"Aww, Mariko-chan, you're a real sweetheart. You're a lucky guy, Tetsuo."

Mariko's face scrunches up as she processes that comment. Then, her cheeks flush and her eyes widen, locking onto yours as she arches her brow.

"I-Is that so?"

Whatever pity you had for Hayate begins to evaporate as you feel your own face begin to warm. Nisekao coughs loudly and pretends to check the alignment on his wheels.

"Listen, I just - we'll talk about it later, OK?"

Hayate looks from you to her, puzzled.

"Wait, does this mean-"

"Nothing," you state flatly. "Moving on...we've told you our side of the story, now it's time for yours."

"All right, all right," says Hayate with a sly look on his face that you don't care for in the slightest, "whaddya wanna know? To be honest, I can't remember all that much from when it happened, so if you're interested in that, you're S.O.L."

Mariko takes a deep breath to refocus herself, and glances at you as if to say, "This isn't over." Then, she says, "What about the last thing you remember when you were still you?"

Hayate runs a hand across his scalp and lets out an exaggerated sigh.

"Kinda hard to tell...let's see...I know the night before I got home late from Pop Miracle with the buds. You know, Pop Miracle, right?"

He pauses to gather your reactions, but finding only skeptical silence, moves on with reddened cheeks.

"Aaanyways, I got home late and crashed pretty much instantly. You know, when I have booze, it goes right to my head and-"

You clear your throat loudly so he'll cut out the bullshit and get to the point.

"-and that's besides the point. Long story short, I woke up, went to school, and everyone wanted a piece of this. That's all she wrote."

"Th-That's it?" Nisekao asks. "Not that I'm saying you'd lie or anything, but...you didn't wake up in the middle of the night, or have a bad dream, or...anything?"

"Well, technically, I guess everything that happened yesterday was a dream to me, wasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah...sorry, stupid question."

It doesn't come as a surprise to you that Hayate's having memory issues - even Mariko couldn't recall every last detail of what happened to her. However, there's one loose thread that's been bothering you ever since your conversation with the Dreamweaver, and Hayate the only person you can think of who would know about it - whether he's aware of it or not.

You pull out your phone and open your G-Net messages.

"I don't know if this is important or not, but what's this? What's The Book of Avalon?"

You hold out your phone to Hayate, who accepts it and pushes his shades to the top of his head so he can read the screen.

"Oh yeah...I forgot I sent you this thing. I wouldn't worry about it, it's just some dumb app. Hocus-pocus medium bullshit. You know the kind."

Leveling a glare at him, you say, "After what you just went through, I'd be putting a little more stock in 'hocus-pocus medium bullshit'. Now what is it?"

Hayate shrugs. "Install it. It's easier if you see for yourself anyways."

With your thumb hovering over the link in the message, Mariko puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Wait - do you think it's safe to do that?"

Hayate regards her skeptically.

"C'mon, Mariko-chan, you don't really think it was that thing, do you?"

"You won't know unless you try," says Nisekao.

You lift Mariko's hand off of you and give the others your best reassuring smile. Then, you tap the link.

Within a few seconds, the icon for the app winks to life on your home screen - far faster than any app you've installed before. "Must not be much to this one," you mutter to yourself. The idea of an app having anything to do with any of this is hard to take seriously, yet you experience a moment of trepidation before allowing yourself to open it. Then, before you can dwell on it any longer, you take the plunge.

The app opens onto a startlingly lifelike image of the deepest blue water you've ever seen. Every ripple and glitter of light arcing across its surface looks as if you could reach in and dip your fingers in it. But before you can, a vortex forms in the center of the screen, frothing and swirling until it reveals a book at its center resting upon a patch of dry stone. It rises from the eye of the raging waters, coming closer until you can read its title - The Book of Avalon.

It opens in a flurry of browned, aged pages. As they fly by, you catch glimpses of dense, curved script that covers each page from top to bottom, margin to margin. When it reaches the next blank page, it halts, and thick, florid, golden letters materialize upon the screen.

Dream fuels the hungry soul,

A debt the body cannot repay.

Entrust to me your dreams, son of man,

No longer fantasy they shall stay.

They linger just long enough for comprehension before collapsing into shining dust, carried offscreen by an invisible gust of wind.

You glance up from your phone.

"And you got this where, exactly?"

Hayate breaks eye contact. "Err, one of those sidebar ads on G-Net, actually. Total misclick. Normally I don't touch those things, but one thing led to another, and I just...went with it."

You can hardly suppress a groan.

"None of this seemed sketchy to you?"

"I'm sure he knows that, Tetsuo," says Mariko, "but think about it: if he'd ignored it, we might have never known it exists."

"Yeah!" Hayate chimes in, pleased as hell to have someone backing him up. "Someone had to try it out, right?"

"All according to plan, huh? We don't even know that this has anything to do our Shadow problem," you snort. Mariko has a point, but you'd rather she didn't encourage him.

Nisekao opens and closes his mouth a couple times before saying, "I don't know why, but I've got this feeling about it...I think it's real. That poem...it was about dreams, right? And Hayate-kun used this the night before the Dreamweaver took him. That can't be coincidence. At least, that's what I think."

Sighing, you turn back to study the screen. The evidence certainly is hard to ignore. Hayate's Shadow had mentioned something about a book as well. And Nisekao wouldn't argue with you unless he really believed what he was saying, right?

You take a deep breath.

Your dislike for Hayate is messing with your ability to think clearly, and honestly, you're being a little hard on him. Mariko's right - he's only trying to help. And as the band's de facto leader, it probably wouldn't kill you to be more level-headed.

"All right. Well, there's really only one way to know for sure. Hayate, what did you write down?"

He turns red as a ripe tomato and flips his chair away from you.

"I, uh...don't remember exactly. Guess that's where my memory runs out..." he says, laughing shakily.

"C'mon, man, just tell us. We know what you dream about now, I don't think it's gonna get much more embarrassing at this point."

He turns back around and grins. "That's what you call 'embarrassing?' Naw, that's every man's dream! It's just...more of a matter of reputation for me. If people knew I was writing this kind of stuff, I'd never live it down."

"Please, Hayate-kun. This could end up being really important, and you're the only one who can help us," says Mariko, who's really pouring on the charm. Hayate lets his shoulders slump and groans.

"OK, OK. 'I just want to be-'"

"'-somebody to someone else,' right? The Dreamweaver said the same thing," you finish. Hayate's eyebrows pop up from behind his darkened lenses.

"A-Ah. Yeah. Well, there it is. Believe me now?"

You swipe a couple pages back in the book until you find an entry dated two days ago that catches your eye. Sure enough, those exact same words stare up at you from the page, bookended by the wishes of two other unfortunate users.

"Everything checks out. Take a look," you say, passing your phone to Mariko and Nisekao so they can see for themselves. Upon studying the screen, Nisekao furrows his brow. Handing the your phone back to you, he whips out his laptop and begins frantically typing away.

"But still," you muse out loud, "it's a strange way to go about it, wouldn't you agree? A phone app? And you said what? That it was on a sidebar ad on G-Net?"

Hayate nods in confirmation.

"Maybe it's not that strange," says Mariko. "Think about it. G-Net has a ton of users, which means the ad gets a lot of exposure. And if most people know better than to follow random links, there's always going to be some that will. I can see why someone would put it there."

"But who'd do something like this?" says Hayate, snatching the words right out of your mouth. "Actually, how about 'why'? What's the point?"

"The 'who' shouldn't be too hard, right? All we gotta do is find out who put up that ad. I'm sure there're records for stuff like that out there somewhere."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think it's going to be that easy," Nisekao chimes in, peering over the lid of his laptop. "I just tried looking into it, but I can't find anything about The Book of Avalon on any search engines. And on top of that, the link in the ad just downloads an installer. There's no developer website or anything."

"What? You're sayin' there's nothing we can go on?" asks Hayate.

Nisekao blanches and replies, "S-Sorry. There aren't even any extra details in the installer's properties. I think whoever made this didn't want anyone finding out."

"Pfft. Surprise, surprise. Now what?"

"I guess we just try to figure out the 'why', then. We know by now that Shadows are trying to make it into the real world, but we don't have a clue why whoever made this app wants that to happen," Mariko offers.

"Coulda been made by a Shadow," says Hayate.

"You think they get Internet service wherever they're from?" you rebut.

Hayate raises his hands disarmingly. "Just an idea. I mean, it'd be even more confusing if it was a real person behind this thing, don'tcha think?"

You don't have an adequate answer to that, and all four of you go silent. The sounds of chatter from the grounds outside leak through the cracks between the windows and walls. Nisekao's laptop quietly buzzes as it sits idle in his lap. And the echoing of large footsteps resound from down the hallway, swelling in volume as they approach the abandoned classroom.

"Do you hear that?" squeaks Nisekao, and the rest of your heads snap towards the door like puppets on a string.

The footfalls are heavy and rhythmic - the sound of someone moving with purpose. There's only one person you know that walks like that.

"KATSUUUUUUUUJI!"

The door slams open, and the massive frame of Shigesato Shibutani fills the empty space, nostrils flaring, shoulders heaving, and his eyes wide and white. Nisekao and Mariko jump in their seats, while Hayate leans too far back in his and tumbles to the floor.

"Sh-Shibutani-senpai..." you croak, feeling as though the room has suddenly swollen around you. He whips his head towards you, and a corner of his lips curves into a smirk.

"Hmm hmm hmm. As expected, the guilty always return to the scene of the crime."

He points to the others.

"Tsukino. Hirada. Err...and your name?"

"F-F-Fukui, senpai..." Nisekao squeaks. He looks about ready to piss himself.

Shibutani nods. "Ah, thank you. It is a sincere embarrassment to betray such lack of knowledge. Accept my apologies."

Nisekao mutters something unintelligible.

"At any rate, the three of you - out! My business is with Katsuji alone! Go! Get! The bell will be ringing soon anyhow," Shibutani bellows, shooing your companions out the door. Mariko is the last to leave, shooting you a pitying glance before ducking into the hall. Sure enough, the bell signaling the end of lunch sounds not long after they leave.

When their hurried footsteps are finally swallowed by silence, Shibutani turns to you and crosses his arms. Now that you're alone with him, he seems less ogrish and more like a disappointed parent.

"Katsuji, you're making me look foolish. I'll have you know that I haven't vouched for the character of a delinquent the way I have for you very often. In fact, I believe I could count the number on one hand."

"Sorry..." A weak response, but it's all you can manage.

"I should imagine so!" he harrumphs. "However, apologies won't get you any more pardons. As you know, the rules at Toshima are-"

"-steadfast and invincible," you drone in tandem with him, eliciting a grin.

"Precisely. Harming another student on school grounds should, by all rights, be grounds for suspension." Your breath catches in your throat as he pauses for dramatic effect. "But once again, my limitless mercy and influence has delivered you from such a traumatic fate. What empathy! What grace! Truly, my generosity knows no bounds! Gyeheheh!"

"Then…what do you want me to do?"

A smug, Cheshire grin slips slowly from cheek to cheek, telling you that this was what he'd wanted to you ask the entire time. "A question I've puzzled over long and hard…clearly you have demons that need excising…so! I have devised a symbolic exercise for your punishment!"

"And what's that?" you say, and almost immediately wish you hadn't asked.

Shibutani raises a sweeping arm about the dilapidated classroom.

"Your atonement will be to cleanse every inch of this revered establishment from top to bottom until not even a single fleck of filth remains! You will swab these hallowed halls as you would the stains of delinquency from your heart! Bwahaha!"

You can feel the color draining from your face as he speaks. He can't seriously mean the entire annex. Not on your own. You make to ask him for clarification, but the consternation that chisels itself into his expression as you open your mouth stonewalls that idea.

Instead, you say, "I-I was only doing what I thought was right. I know it wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had, but if you'd seen the kind of stuff those guys were doing to Nisekao...I mean, what would you have done?"

Shibutani gives a smug chuckle at that. "You mean, what have I done? Rest assured, Katsuji, as long as I am Chair of the Disciplinary Committee, justice will be meted where it is due. I've banished him to a place fitting of his crime, a vile place where he will certainly have cause to reflect upon his equally vile actions."

"The first year bathrooms?"

"A hell unlike any other! Ohohoho!"

"But…how'd you know? Did Nisekao tell you?" A bit of a stupid question. If Nisekao had it in him to rat out his tormentors, he'd have done it already.

"No. An anonymous tip. Needless to say, it was quite simple to prove the authenticity of the claim. The worms confessed quickly, overwhelmed by my sheer devotion to the truth! There is no one who can possibly resist the force of my radiant energy!"

Undoubtedly their confession had nothing to do with any sort of "radiant energy", but nevertheless, you feel better knowing that those bullies got theirs.

"That's good to hear at least," wondering who sent in the tip.

"Would that there were more students with such a thirst for justice. To think that this school is in such a state that those who wish to do good disguise their identity! Pah!" he says.

"Well, I mean, there's your committee," you offer. Shibutani's head suddenly whips towards you, and he leans in, resting his stubbly chin on one giant fist. Then, gradually, a smile creeps across his face in a way that makes you uncomfortable.

"Indeed. So there is...you wouldn't happen to be a part of any clubs, would you Katsuji?"

"No. I don't think sign-ups are until next week, actually," you respond. You have a bad feeling about the direction this conversation's taken, a mild nausea that gnaws at your innards.

He then pivots sharply about on his heel, turning his back to you. Speaking over his shoulder, he says, "Consider yourself fortunate, Katsuji - I've had a change of heart - or perhaps a spark of inspiration. Meet me on the third floor landing immediately after the last bell and we will discuss an...alternative to your punishment."

Without waiting for your input (as if it mattered), he strides through the doorway, sliding the door shut after him. It's only as you sit there immobile for a few seconds that you realize that he hasn't arranged to excuse your tardiness. Dust motes swirl and dance through the air in his wake as though taunting you. There are a number of equally frustrating thoughts running through your mind, but at the moment, the most eloquent way you can express them is "Dammit."