The commander’s restrictions were finally over, and I had a rare stretch of free time. I was in the middle of buying a new computer and getting ready to game in peace when the commander called me.
“What is it?”
[We’ve got a big problem!]
“What happened?”
[Tohka’s spirit waves have started going out of control! Shido might die if he stays nearby!]
“What?!”
The commander’s words were shocking. If Tohka’s spirit waves were going berserk, Itsuka-kun could be killed. I hurriedly asked for their location.
“Where are you?!”
[The school rooftop!]
“I’m on my way!”
Now that I knew where they were, I immediately bolted out of the mansion and raced toward the school rooftop.
As I drew closer to the school, I could feel an enormous power. The pressure began to weigh down on my body as if it had physical substance.
“What the hell is this?!”
I forced my way into the school, enduring the crushing weight bearing down on me.
“Please... I can’t be late!”
The pressure grew more intense the closer I got to the rooftop. Refusing to give up, I forced my reluctant legs into motion and finally burst onto the roof.
“Itsuka-kun!”
“Hieta! Don’t come any closer!”
At Itsuka-kun’s shout, [Sandalphon], which Tohka was wielding, began to glow.
Something was clearly wrong. Ignoring Itsuka-kun’s warning, I sprinted forward.
Bang!
I slammed my foot down with every ounce of strength I could muster in my current state.
The recoil propelled me right toward them, giving me a clear view of [Sandalphon].
The sword wasn’t just emitting light; it was trembling, as if resonating with some unseen force.
“Hup!”
I quickly deployed [Force] between Itsuka-kun and Tohka.
At that moment, a pure white light enveloped the three of us. At first, I thought it was my [Force], but I was wrong.
[Force] is meant to push things away; it should never cause damage to recoil back onto me.
But the light surrounding me now felt predatory, as if it were intent on destroying everything in its path.
“Damn it—!”
Tohka’s rampage covered a wider area than I had anticipated, and the light reached Itsuka-kun as well.
In the end, the light swallowed both Itsuka-kun and me, and I lost consciousness.
*
“Huh—!”
I saw a ceiling that looked vaguely familiar.
“The mansion?”
I should have passed out on the school rooftop, yet somehow I had woken up in the spirit mansion. I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling as if I had been asleep for hours.
“F-first of all, what happened to Itsuka-kun?!”
Something felt off, but since I was unharmed, my immediate worry was Itsuka-kun’s condition. I quickly called the commander.
The phone rang for a moment before she picked up.
[What? You’re awake—]
“Commander! What about Itsuka-kun?! What happened to him?!”
[Ugh! You’re too loud! Shido woke up at home just fine!]
“Was he hurt?! Is he injured anywhere?!”
[He isn’t, so calm down. The only one who actually got hurt was you.]
“What...?”
The commander explained that when we were caught in Tohka’s rampage, Itsuka-kun had been further away from her than I was, so he had merely lost consciousness without sustaining any injuries.
I, on the other hand, had apparently been bleeding heavily from across my body. She told me that I was only alive because of my regeneration and resurrection abilities; if I had been an ordinary person, I would have died on the spot.
“I see. Then why was I moved back to the mansion?”
[Because we recovered you both after you collapsed and moved you back to your respective homes. Be grateful.]
“Thanks.”
[Hah, what a surprise. You’re actually being obedient—]
“I was just about to say the same. I’m not grateful at all~”
Grrrind
I could actually hear her grinding her teeth through the phone. If I teased her any more, the commander might actually go berserk.
“Sorry, sorry.”
[Sigh... Anyway, come over to our place. Since you’re awake, you need to get back to school.]
I turned on the computer to check the date and realized that two whole days had already passed.
I felt depressed that my break had been blown to pieces, but since school was mandatory, I changed into my uniform and headed to Itsuka-kun’s house.
A little while later, the door opened and Itsuka-kun, Tohka, and the commander stepped out.
“Ah! Hieta!”
“Good morning, Itsuka-kun. Are you feeling all right?”
“Thanks to you.”
As the commander had said, Itsuka-kun looked perfectly fine.
While I didn't distrust the commander, seeing it with my own eyes put my mind at ease.
As I let out a quiet sigh of relief, Tohka suddenly bowed her head to me.
“T-Tohka?”
“I’m sorry, Hieta. Because of me, you were badly hurt.”
Tohka was distressed that I had been injured because of her. She likely hadn't done it on purpose, so it was admirable that she was apologizing so sincerely.
“I’m fine. Lift your head.”
“Thank you for forgiving me.”
After Tohka finished her apology, I noticed Itsuka-kun’s gaze was fixed on something in the distance.
“What is that...?”
Following his gaze, I saw a building that looked completely different from everything else—something utterly out of place.
Its shape resembled a giant plant stem stretching up into the sky, with a strange sphere attached to the top.
“...A stem?”
“Hieta, you can see it too?”
“Yes...”
As we stared blankly at the bizarre sight, the commander sighed behind us. “...Hey, Shido. Hiki. Are you serious? If you really think that's what it is, your brains are so broken I should call an ambulance right now.”
“What? No, what *is* that?”
“How could you forget Shin-Tengu Tower, the new symbol of this town?”
I couldn’t understand the commander’s exasperated tone at all.
That thing was the new symbol?
It looked more like something that belonged in the Smouldering Lake from Dark Souls.
“S-Shin-Tengu Tower? That building?”
Apparently, Itsuka-kun was just as confused as I was, as he was seeing the exact same thing.
“It was built recently, so it’s still a hot topic. Well, I guess it’s not opening until August, though.”
Sure, if that kind of monstrosity was the symbol, it would definitely be a talking point.
But judging from the commander’s reaction, she definitely wasn't seeing what we were seeing.
“Commander. What does that look like to you?”
“Huh? It’s just a normal tower, isn’t it? Are you really okay? Should I send you to the hospital?”
It was confirmed. Right now, everyone except Itsuka-kun and me perceived it as an ordinary building.
“Itsuka-kun. It looks like—”
“Shido!”
Just as I was about to speak, a girl’s voice called out from behind us, calling Itsuka-kun’s name.
I turned around to see a girl standing there.
She had pink bobbed hair and a gentle expression, wearing the Raizen High School uniform.
“Huh...? Y-you...?”
Itsuka-kun reacted as if he were seeing her for the first time as well. I had never seen this girl before, despite living here.
“Wait, Shido. Are you really okay?”
“What?”
“Rinne! Good morning!”
The commander and Tohka greeted her as if they knew her well.
The girl’s name was Rinne. I didn’t know if that was her surname or given name, but one thing was certain: she was an unusual girl.
“Hehe, good morning. Tohka, Kotori.”
“Good morning, big sis Rinne~”
It was a heartwarming scene of cheerful greetings, but I couldn’t see it that way. Memories were suddenly pouring into my head.
It felt as if some external force was being applied, forcing me to believe that this girl was Itsuka-kun’s childhood friend.
Not only that, but I was remembering things from before I arrived in this world. I was clearly an outsider, yet these were memories that should never have existed in my mind.
What made me even more furious was that my actual past—my memories from before I was possessed—were being tampered with.
It felt as if something was trying to rewrite my existence, claiming I had always been a part of this world. It was denying the life I had lived, my everyday routine, my relationships... even my family.
“Hieta too, good morning?”
I spoke coldly to the girl who had greeted me so cheerfully.
“...I don’t know you. How do you know me?”
It was a tone I would never normally use. At my coldness, everyone, including the girl named Rinne, looked flustered.
“H-Hiki! What’s wrong with you!”
“Hieta! What is the matter with you!”
“Hieta, calm down! Your voice is scary!”
“Haa...”
Following Itsuka-kun's lead, I decided to calm down for now. Right. There was still no concrete proof that this girl had done anything.
Once I steadied my breathing and cleared my head, the fog lifted.
“Sorry, I guess I was a little on edge.”
“N-no. I’m fine.”
The girl who replied was Rinne—or more precisely, Sonogami Rinne. That was a detail I had learned from the memories that had been forcibly implanted in me.
“Hiki, you still haven’t fully recovered from your injuries, have you?”
“...Maybe. Still, I have to go to school.”
And so, my everyday life with this mysterious girl began.
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