Chapter 19: No One Knows

That night, Shido lay on the living room sofa, his mind racing. "..." As he stared absently at the light of the incandescent lamp set in the ceiling, he let out a long sigh. Kurumi would no doubt be at school the next day. In which case, his job would begin again. Increase his likability, kiss her, seal her power. Then everything would be resolved. Kurumi would stop killing people, so naturally, Mana would stop killing Kurumi. This was the only way of reaching the lone happy ending available to him. However... "..." He felt heavy like a giant weight had been placed on his body. He expelled gloomy air from his lungs. Then he heard the sound of the front door opening down the hallway. "Hmm...?" He somehow managed to sit his burdensome body up and looked toward the living room door. The only person he could think of who would come in without ringing the bell was Kotori, but she had said she was going to stay on the ship that night for work. So who was it? While he considered this, the door opened, and Tohka poked her face inside, acting timid. "Tohka?" "Mm. Can I come in?" Given that she had already come into the house, he couldn't help but feel that she had gotten the timing for that question a little wrong. He decided not to bother with such details. "S-sure. Of course." She stepped into the living room and ran over to him. She crawled up onto the sofa and set herself between it and him. "What are you doing...?" "It's fine. Just be quiet." She wrapped her arms around him to squeeze him tightly from behind. "T-Tohka? What exactly...?" he asked, perspiring when he felt something soft against his back. "Mm. The TV said to do this when you're feeling sad or scared." "...And which program was this?" "Mommy and Me...I think." The children's show of all children's shows. A smile slipped across his face. It seemed that they were right. He did feel a little better. He didn't know how long they had sat like that when Tohka suddenly opened her mouth. "...Reine told me." "Told you...?" "About Kurumi and Mana. I asked her why you seemed off, and she told me." "...! Sh-she did..." He swallowed hard. He knew that Reine didn't like to tell Tohka too much about the Spirits and the AST. She had probably assumed that Tohka's mental state would have taken a turn for the worse if she hadn't told her something. "Shido. Do you remember what I said when I came to live in this house? Huh?" "If another Spirit like me shows up...I want you to save them." "Ohhh." He nodded. He remembered that quite well. And he had said he would. That feeling wasn't a lie, and that resolve hadn't changed even now. "But Kurumi's—" "—The same as me "—The same as me." "Huh?" She pressed her face into his back. "You were there for me. You saved me. But no one's there for Kurumi. She's been there with no one holding out a hand to her a lot longer than I was." She squeezed him harder, to the point where it almost hurt. "If you hadn't been there, if I had kept going like that, constantly exposed to nothing but malice and hostility forever and ever...I might have ended up like Kurumi." "Y-you would—," he started and then cut himself off. Two months ago, when he had first met Tohka, she was so wild it was almost impossible to believe it now. Sick of a fight she couldn't see the end of, exhausted, worn to the bone, her heart was on the verge of being crushed. It wasn't his place to casually comment on that despair now. "If Kurumi is such a bad Spirit that there's no saving her anymore, then I'll protect you." "Huh?" "So... Shido. Please. Just look at her one more time. Don't let her slaughter any more people. Don't let her heart be worn down anymore." "...!" He gulped. Aah, I finally get it. He couldn't stand the idea of Kurumi killing people. He absolutely could not allow Mana to murder Kurumi. He had resolved to stop Kurumi to end this cycle. But there was an important piece missing from this thinking. "...Thanks, Tohka." "Mm... Mm? Wh-what for? I didn't do anything." "...No, it's thanks to you." Right. Even though what he needed to do was kiss Kurumi and lock her power away, he had been focused on the people Kurumi killed and on Mana. The incredibly shocking scene he'd witnessed had knocked the very obvious fact of saving Kurumi right out of his head. The Spirit Kurumi had indeed killed any number of people. This was something that could not be overlooked, no matter how she tried to atone for it. But...when he'd sealed Tohka's power, he had wanted to save her from The bottom of his heart. He'd prayed he could somehow help this girl with such irrational malice turned toward her. That's why he had been able to act. He had the power to recover what went beyond human intellect and the ability to seal away the powers of Spirits. But the only reason a high school boy with an average physique, strength, and brains could even attempt to make this happen, coughing blood all the while, was his single-mindedness. Save Kurumi. Rescue this girl trapped in a chain and cycle of murder. And Mana, too. He couldn't let this girl who said she was his little sister kill Kurumi anymore. He wouldn't let her wear down her heart any further. Fine if it was an illusion. Fine if it was empty imaginings. Unless he truly believed he could do this, it would be impossible for him to reach out his hand. "—Tohka. I'm all right now." "Mm. You're not sad anymore?" "Nope." "You're not scared anymore?" "...Well, I'm maybe a little scared." He looked sheepish and smiled wryly. "But I'm okay." "Mm...okay." She loosened her arms. He got to his feet and stretched. At the same time, his stomach growled. Now that he was thinking about it, he had thrown up all his lunches on the street, so he felt like he hadn't had anything to eat all day. "How about I whip something up? You're staying for supper, right?" "Yeah!" Tohka nodded vigorously Hikaru stood beside Kotori, her eyes fixed on the screen displaying the conversation between Tohka and shido. Hikaru's attention was fully absorbed in the conversation, and she stood motionless beside Kotori. Turning to Hikaru, "Did you watch how the work was done?", Kotori asked. Hikaru ignored her as she still focused on the screen. "i heard what you told Kurumi back then" Her expression stiffened, and she flicked her Chupa Chups stick upward, "something about traumatizing him can make him grow up?" she finished. Finally turning to face Kotori, Hikaru snapped "Say it directly. What do you want to say?" "You lied in your reason for not helping Shido. What was the real reason?" Kotori asked, her voice calm but insistent. Hikaru's eyes narrowed as she replied, "Let's say you're right. What would change if I told you?" Her anger was palpable, and she made a move to leave. "yeah you're right, there's no point in that so let's change the subject," kotori said as she pressed some buttons, and the screen in front of them changed its content. Hikaru eyes widened as she turned to see what was showing. "That--?" "yes! The picture of your first meeting with shido or that's what it should have been" kotori said Hikaru's face was surprised for some time just to go neutral after a few moments. "The image was pulled from data from a previous live video. After the incident involving the dog that you mentioned, we conducted extensive research on the matter. What we found was quite troubling. We are aware that you possess the power to manipulate light and can become invisible, but this is not the case in the image. We monitored you during that time and you were not invisible. This seems to be a recurring issue as all live videos capturing you appear the same - you are invisible in all of them. We even took some pictures of you and, after some time, usually a few hours, you disappeared from them. " She paused to take a deep breath before finishing her question. " So, can you please explain what happened?" Teeth grinding could be heard throughout the room as the blaring sirens signaled a disturbance. "Captain, her mood is-!" Suddenly, Hikaru approached Kotori, grabbed her by her clothes, and lifted her. "Captain!" Kotori raised her arm, signaling for them to stand down. "I've had enough! Question after question, do you think I am some kind of prisoner to you?" She shouted, clearly agitated. "You're my friend," Kotori remained calm. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. We're only trying to help you. Remember, you promised me not to let your emotions control you. So, calm down," Kotori finished, fixing her eyes on Hikaru. "Tch!" Hikaru let go of her, clearly still upset. "I want to go home, as for your questions" she glanced at her," You said it, i don't have to answer" "as you want, sorry for my behavior," kotori said as she bowed in apology. ".... please stop," she mumbled as she left. Kotori collapsed into her chair, her head in her hands. She could feel the eyes of the others on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look up. Kannazuki Kyōhei, a handsome man with golden hair, approached her. "Captain, are you okay?" he asked. "I'm not the person you should ask this question to," Kotori said, her mind still reeling from the encounter with Hikaru. 'She was about to cry,' Kotori thought to herself. 'What in the world is she going through to show those expressions?' ... Hikaru stood in front of Shido's house, her head on the door as she mumbled to herself. "That's not me, that's not how I believe I would act," Hikaru muttered to herself, trying to make sense of her emotions. "Every time I try to act calm, something inside makes me lose control... I don't understand." she finished as she raised her head from the door, "Should I apologize now, how many times did I already apologize," She hesitated before raising her hand to ring the bell, but the door suddenly opened before she could. "Oh, Hikaru, it's you," Shido said with a smile. "I heard some weird knocks on the door, so I came to check. Come in, I made some hamburgers for you." Hikaru stepped inside, and Shido closed the door behind her. He could see the tension in her body and wondered what was bothering her. "Is everything okay?" he asked, hoping to ease her worries. "Y-you could smile as if nothing had happened," Hikaru said, her voice trembling. She watched as Shido smiled again, and although she was glad to see him happy, she couldn't help but feel envious. It seemed so easy for him to overcome everything, to move on from pain and trauma as if they were nothing. "Thank you" "HUH?!" "You make me understand something important," he smiled, "From the start, I tried to apply the logic of someone who lived their whole life with everything to someone who lost everything. Each one of you guys goes through hard and painful experiences that change your view of life. I was an idiot, a big one, and that's why I'm going to change my ways to save everyone... to save you, Hikaru," he finished with conviction. Hikaru felt a lump form in her throat as she listened to his words. She knew he meant every word he said. "That's unfair," She mumbled to herself and a single tear slipped down her cheek. Shido stepped back, taken aback by the sudden change in events. "Ohh! Hikaru, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong--" "Hngah?!" Before he could finish his sentence, Hikaru launched a sharp fist into his solar plexus, and Shido bent over, groaning in pain. "Idiot! You talk too much," she said as she passed him, heading to the living room. "I hope you prepared the bigger piece for me." Shido just laughed awkwardly, rubbing his sore stomach. "Why does everyone love to hit me?" he wondered aloud.