Waiting for Itsuka-kun and me after we were recalled to the [Fraxinus] was the commander. She led us to a room where Yoshino was already fast asleep on the bed.
The commander glanced at Itsuka-kun’s hand, guided him to a chair, and fetched a first-aid kit to begin wrapping his injury in bandages.
As she worked, Itsuka-kun spoke up, his voice hesitant.
“What we’re doing... we're doing the right thing, aren't we...?”
“What do you mean?”
“The spirits causing spacequakes... those are accidents. I believed they didn’t want to hurt people. But... Kurumi was different.”
“And?”
“It’s just... it's too much for me...”
Upon hearing this, the commander stood up abruptly, looking as if she were about to slap some sense into him. I immediately stepped in and blocked her hand.
“Let go.”
“Please, calm down. I'll handle this.”
I turned toward Itsuka-kun and cast [Emergency Treatment] to fully heal his hand before continuing.
“Itsuka-kun. I know this is hard and terrifying. You probably want to run away, and I won't blame you for that. It's only natural to feel that way. But please, understand one thing: if you give up, that woman will only kill more people. And Takamiya-san will continue to kill her own heart every time she is forced to kill her.”
“Hiki is right.”
Itsuka-kun lowered his head, his expression clouded with complex emotions. Leaving him to process everything in silence, I headed home.
*****
On his way home, Itsuka Shido ran into Tohka.
“Shido! Is your injury okay?”
“Uh... Hieta treated it...”
“I see! Then let’s go!”
Tohka grabbed Shido’s hand and practically dragged him into the streets, declaring that their date was still very much in progress.
She led him through the city, treating him to every kind of street food she could find.
“Th-thank you...”
The feast included soybean-flour bread, grilled sausages, and xiaolongbao. Without a moment's pause, she whisked him away to yet another shop.
Shido had mentioned earlier that he was broke, but after seeing the black card Tohka produced—the one Reine had given her—he gave up in disbelief and simply followed her lead. They ate and walked for hours; by nightfall, they found themselves strolling through a quiet alley.
“Too bad there’s no castle here... Oh well. Next is the game center!”
At that, Shido realized something. The date Tohka was leading him on was an exact mirror of the very first date they had ever shared.
“Wait, this is... the first date we ever went on?”
Tohka nodded once. “Reine taught me. About Kurumi and Mana.”
“I see... I have to stop Kurumi from killing any more people.”
The two of them talked as they walked toward the park, their final destination.
“But I’m not confident about how to act. Kurumi is a spirit, but she’s so different from you or Yoshino.”
“That is not true, Shido.”
Tohka took Shido’s hand, sensing his anxiety about how to approach Kurumi.
“Kurumi is not that different. She isn't different from me. I had you, Shido. You saved me. You took me on a date and showed me the warmth of this world, did you not?”
Shido’s eyes widened slightly. Unaware of his reaction, Tohka continued, gazing at the scenery around them.
“If you hadn't been there, I might have ended up just like Kurumi. If there is one difference between us, it is...”
Tohka’s hand tightened, overlapping with Shido’s.
“Whether there was someone there to reach out a hand to you.”
A brief silence fell between them. Shido closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, the hesitation was gone.
“Thanks, Tohka. You reminded me of something important.”
“Are you not scared anymore?”
“A little, yeah...”
Rustle, rustle!
“Who’s there!”
At the sudden sound from the bushes, Tohka immediately manifested her weapon and shifted into a defensive stance.
“Haha, you caught me.”
A man emerged from the foliage. Higakieta Hai had been lurking there, watching them the entire time.
“What, it was just Hieta.”
Confirming he wasn't an enemy, Tohka dismissed her weapon with a sigh of relief. Beside her, Shido stared at Hieta with a dazed expression.
“So, have you made up your mind?”
“...Yeah. I’m definitely going to save Kurumi.”
Satisfied with the answer, a faint smile played at the corners of Hieta’s mouth.
“Then please, both of you, enjoy the rest of your date. I’ll be taking my leave.”
“W-wait a second... how much of that did you see?!”
In response to Shido’s panicked question, Hieta simply vanished back into the shadows with a mysterious smile.
*****
The next day, Itsuka-kun and I ran into Tokisaki at the shoe lockers.
“Oh my, Shido-san, Hai-san. Good morning~”
“Morning.”
“Good morning.”
Tokisaki calmly remarked that she had expected Itsuka-kun to be absent today, so seeing him was a surprise. Then she looked at me and gave me that same enigmatic eye-smile again.
I had no idea what that smile was supposed to mean.
I truly couldn't tell what was going on in her head.
Regardless, Itsuka-kun spoke to Tokisaki in a quiet, steady voice. “Kurumi. I’ve decided to save you.”
Tokisaki looked momentarily startled, but she quickly recovered her usual composure.
I simply watched from the sidelines. It wasn't my turn to intervene. Itsuka-kun had overcome his fear and grown; I judged that the right thing to do now was to trust him.
“You’re saying such strange things~”
“I won’t let you kill people anymore. And I won’t let Mana kill you either.”
As if confirming my judgment, there was nothing but firm resolve in Itsuka-kun’s voice.
Tokisaki glared at him for a moment before turning and walking away.
Some time later, the bell rang for dismissal.
“All right!”
[Tokisaki Kurumi still hasn’t left school. The question is whether she’ll actually listen to us, though.]
“Huh? Where did the commander go?”
It wasn't the commander on the intercom this time, but Murasame-san. Apparently, the commander had been called away for something urgent, so Murasame-san was filling in.
“Understood. We're on it.”
Itsuka-kun didn't seem to mind the change in personnel, nor did I. But just as we began to move toward Tokisaki’s location—
“Guh!”
“Huh? What’s happening?”
A strange curtain of light suddenly enveloped the school, and all around us, students groaned and collapsed.
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