Chapter Five: Cream Soda of the Dead

1

On the way to school, I walked beside Sakuya Fumiduki, pulling her bicycle and deep in thought.

The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight. Yet, my mood was overshadowed by dark clouds.

I still remembered the position and depth of the cut Sakuya had made with a kitchen knife the day before yesterday because I had treated it.

However, this morning's bandage was wrapped in a different spot. There was nothing where the wound should have been. Her finger was unnaturally pristine and white.

Normally, such a wound wouldn't heal completely in just two days. And witches can't use healing magic.

—In other words, she's lying about something serious.

But pointing it out now was out of the question.

“We don’t meddle in what each other experiences over there.”

That was the friendship treaty we had forged to build a harmonious relationship, considering we were once enemies.

Talking about it would break the rules. It would ruin our current relationship.

Even with an additional clause, “unless it becomes a funny story.”

(...I guess it couldn’t be a joke.)

Now, should I pursue this lie?

—Even if it meant breaking our current relationship?

Katsuto always hid things. He’s great at keeping a straight face. If he wanted, he could dominate at poker.

While engaging in trivial student chatter about foolish assignments and preparations for tomorrow, our route to school ended abruptly.

“Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Asuka-san.”

The peculiar greeting was directed at Meme Nenezaka when I separated from Sakuya at the school gate and came alone to the bicycle parking area.

“Meme, are you on a bicycle too?”

“No, I take the bus to school. Mako does too. Oh, ‘Mako’ is short for Makoto Sasaki.”

I see.

“Why are you here?”

Meme grinned, placing a finger on her small chin, inviting me with a meaningful smile.

“After school, would you like to have tea with me, Meme?”

◇◇◇

“Oh, you’d like a cream soda? Or would you prefer a creamy soda?”

“So, you still go for tea. I’ll have coffee.”

After school, I went to the café owned by Meme’s grandfather, which is also where I work part-time. Today was a holiday. Meme walked through the empty store with a proud air.

“Of course, the owner’s grandchild gets the drinks for free.”

She probably helps out at the store occasionally. Her way of carrying things looked effortless.

I ordered an iced coffee for myself, and she took an ice-filled, brightly colored melon soda for herself. Even though we weren’t serving cream sodas to customers, there was a meticulously placed red cherry atop it.

Meme said,

“Isn’t a cream soda without a cherry impossible?”

“Really? I’m not familiar with this kind of drink.”

I had no recollection of ever going to a café or anything like that.

I tried to drink the coffee as is, remembering that I had a sweet tooth. I threw in four sugars.

“Ugh~ Is this the sweet nectar that a beetle sucks up?”

“It’s not that sweet.”

Well, a cream soda definitely has more sugar.

“So, what’s this about? I have another part-time job after this. Is this going to take long?”

“No. If you just give me the time of one drink, I have plenty to ask.”

…Something I want to ask, huh.

“Ah, I get it. It’s about what happened in the alley yesterday. Our true identities and stuff—”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter right now.”

Meme cut me off sharply. Huh?

“So what is it then?”

The untouched ice in the cream soda slid inside the glass, making a hollow sound in the silence.

Meme looked straight at me, smiling but with a serious expression.

“Hmm, I really want to get to the main topic quickly, but... Meme, I can’t figure out Asuka-san’s situation. If I ask you this, is that okay? Should I just sink into the sea? That’s how I feel right now.”

“Do you think it’s about me?”

“A dangerous terminator violating the sword and gun laws, I mean a suspicious person.”

“...Yeah, I guess.”

Logical point. Possessing a sacred sword is probably illegal in this world. Was I a criminal…

In other words, Meme must be wary of me. To the point where I can’t even talk about my purpose easily.

“So, before verifying things, I want to know more about you.”

But when Meme said that, I felt rather relieved.

“Got it, ask me anything.”

The relief came from realizing that the eccentric Meme was more reasonable than I thought.

After all, I was aware of being a suspicious person. It’s better to be cautious, and it’s great when the person you interact with is also normal!

“Well then.”

Meme took a stirring spoon and spun it in the air.

“What do you think is the best way to quickly understand someone’s true nature?”

Before I could respond, she pressed the spoon into my face.

“—That’s right, it’s a psychological test!”

“...Hmm?”

Meme brought the untouched cream soda with a red cherry closer to me.

“When is the right time to eat this cherry? At the beginning, or at the end? Please answer.”

She frowned her eyebrows.

“Is that okay?”

It’s basically like asking, “When do you eat the strawberries on a shortcake?” I don’t think something like that would reveal my true nature.

“It’s not just a simple choice. It’s not a multiple-choice question; it’s an essay-type test. I don’t want to know which one you choose, but the reasons you provide for your choice. When you explain your reasons, your personality shows, right?”

After explaining that, Meme emphasized,

“So, please think carefully. ...The time limit is until the ice melts.”

I see, this is more like a psychological test. Like those interview questions about which fruit you’d compare yourself to. In the past few months, I’ve gone through numerous part-time job interviews (and got rejected from most), so I’m prepared for odd questions. Although I’ve never actually been asked this. Is it only for job hunting?

Anyway, I understood Meme’s intent as the questioner.

What’s required is, in other words, self-disclosure. To extract what she wants to confirm by calling me after school, I won’t give a vague answer here.

Facing the tilting cherry atop the melting ice, I thought for a few seconds.

“I’d say the first one.”

“Oh? What’s your reasoning?”

Meme squinted her emerald eyes behind her glasses, as if assessing me.

Of course, I have reasons prepared.

But before explaining the reasons, I needed to outline the path to get there. So,

I answered,

“First, let’s assume that ‘this cherry has consciousness.’”

“Wait.”

Meme hastily interrupted my speech.

“Wait, what? No, suddenly saying something like that, you’re out of line.”

“What’s wrong with that? You’re the one who asked me to make breakfast.”

“That’s weird.”

Meme showed a desperate expression.

“No, first, I said to assume that the cherry has consciousness, right?”

“Are you saying you won’t bend the argument no matter what?”

Even tiny creatures have a fraction of a soul, and even a cherry has a bit of consciousness.

Rubbing her eyebrows, Meme strained out her voice.

“...Meme, who gave me this topic, was in the wrong. I give up. Please continue.”

Alright, no problem.

Prompted, I resumed my argument, pointing at the cherry.

“Meme, you said ‘a cream soda without a cherry is impossible,’ didn’t you?”

“Yes. As long as Meme’s eyes are black, I won’t allow removing the cherry from the drink.”

“But your eyes aren’t black. They’re green.”

“However, apparently, that’s not the case in society.”

I checked my smartphone. According to image searches, simple drinks with just soda and ice aren’t uncommon.

“So, a cream soda without a cherry is like curry without pickles—impossible.”

“I won’t allow it.”

“You should accept it. It’s not like Sakuya’s curry doesn’t have it.”

“In other words, the premise is that the ‘definition of cream soda’ includes soda and ice as essential components, and the cherry is just an extra—”

That’s it. Putting aside the assumption for now, the premise.

“Is that clear so far?”

Meme nodded reluctantly.

“Good. From Meme’s perspective, I’d want to expel this from academic society, but sometimes I have the leniency to bend my own theories. ...But what is a ‘definition’ anyway?”

“What do you mean by academic society?”

I continued.

“So, cherries are unnecessary for cream soda. Here’s another assumption. If a cherry has consciousness—what happens?”

“It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Surely, it would define what it means to be ‘what it is.’ Humans can’t help but think about their identities.”

“First of all, it’s not human. ...You’re not listening, are you?”

“And this cherry must be proud of being a part of the cream soda. After all, in the world of syrup-soaked cherries, being on top of a cream soda is a popular career choice.”

“Are you being whimsical? By the way, Asuka-san, you said earlier that ‘you’re not familiar with this kind of drink,’ didn’t you!?”

“I’m not familiar, but it’s a popular career choice.”

“This guy is being so casual and inappropriate with a straight face!!”

I’m serious.

“In other words, this cherry’s consciousness, self-recognition, and identity is based on ‘being part of the cream soda.’ It can be assumed, right?”

—And that was the introduction.

Meme held the stirring spoon in one hand, her mouth agape.

“...The assumption and premise are flawed! What the hell are you saying!?”

“Maybe you don’t understand? Then let’s start over from the beginning—”

“No, it’s fine! I understand the story! It’s you who doesn’t understand!”

She switched from addressing me as ‘you’ to ‘you’ in a more confrontational manner. That’s strange. I was only answering what was asked.

I composed myself. The main topic starts now.

“So, if Meme eats the cherry ‘last,’ what would you do first?”

“Let me see, I’d do this.”

Meme took the cherry from atop the ice and placed it on the plate beneath the glass.

Because my answer took too long, the ice had melted quite a bit. “I guess I’ll eat it now,” Meme took the glass, now only with simple green and white remaining, and began to eat it.

“Right, first, the cherry is removed from the cream soda.”

The remaining red fruit was left alone on the plate.

“And when the time comes to finally eat it, the glass will be empty.”

Breaking the frozen part between the ice and soda, Meme glanced at me and stopped her hand.

“…So, what does that mean?”

“The essential elements of cream soda were only what's left in the glass. Even if you leave the cherry, it doesn't hold all the things that make it cream soda. The cherry left on the plate is no longer ‘just a cherry,’ is it?”

Click. Meme placed the spoon down and looked at me, prompting my words with her gaze.

“In other words, it’s the collapse of the consciousness of ‘being cream soda.’ After losing your self-identity, having only ‘this’ left, what’s the point?”

Conclusion.

“So, eat it first. While it's still on top of the cream soda—while it’s still itself. That’s what mercy is, right?”

That’s the reason.

In the empty store, in the silent atmosphere, Meme sighed deeply.

“See, humans aren’t made to empathize with the consciousness of a cherry, Asuka-san.”

“It’s just a hypothetical. There’s no way a cherry has consciousness. It’d be scary if it did. What are you talking about?”

“Huh? Seriously, what the hell are you saying? In your next life, you’re a pickled plum seed. Be prepared.”

Damn it, I have no choice but to place it on the white rice.

After exhaling a deep sigh, Meme pushed up her glasses.

“But thinking with that logic, Meme’s answer is the complete opposite of what you think.”

“Opposite?”

She poked and traced the condensation on the glass with her finger while talking.

“Yes. Even if the contents of the vessel are completely empty, from the moment the cherry was placed on top, this cherry is part of the cream soda. That fact is unshakeable, Meme knows that. Knowing it maintains this cherry’s identity.”

Poking the cherry on the plate, Meme looked up at me mischievously.

“She said, ‘―Thinking that way is more emotional, isn’t it? So, Meme has decided to eat it last.’”

Meme’s childlike voice, speaking hesitantly, strangely resonated in my heart. Perhaps because she earnestly went along with my slightly reckless assumption and answered.

“Is that so? That’s nice. I like that way of thinking.”

“Thank you. Your answer, Asuka-san, is emotional under a layer of logic. I don’t dislike it.”

Meme casually drank her soda and continued,

“And also, Meme, I’m the type who keeps the things I like for last, simply.”

“…Could it be that the answer was okay being that simple?”

“Yes, it is. I told you it was a ‘psychological test’. I just wanted to test your taste a bit, like a jab. Who suddenly said, ‘Discuss your ego’? Who, you say. You started it on your own. Overanalyzed it too much, causing ground subsidence. Too much context dependence, high context, right? Seriously, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Reflect on it, you animistic jerk.”

He was verbally attacked in a super fast pace.

“Sorry.”

The current world, it’s difficult.

“Oh well. Meme, even though I was a bit serious like this…”

Meme puffed her cheeks.

“But thanks to that, I realized. Hi-kun isn’t thinking about anything!”

She said with a bright smile, “Rounding up to a safe judgment, right?”

“Hi… what?”

“My nickname is ‘Hi’. Cute, right? ‘Hi’ from Hinami Hinami, ‘Hi’ from Asuka-san, and ‘Hi’ from the terrible senpai.”

…Senpai?

She is indeed two years older, but as someone I met in the same grade, calling her senpai felt awkward.

Clasping her slender fingers on the desk,

“Now, shall we get to the main topic, Asuka-senpai?”

Meme posed the question.

“Actually, you don’t have memories from the past, right?”

That was just a confirmation in the form of a question. Even beyond her glasses, her unwavering eyes held a straight conviction.

“I don’t know what happened in those two years, but if you show me things like swords and arms, I can pretty much guess. It’s an occult case, right? If I touch it, it might curse me, so I have no intention of asking deeper questions. It’s gross.”

What the hell is this person? Their comprehension is off.

I responded,

“…How did you notice?”

Affirmative. When I returned from the other world, 90% of my 16 years of memories in the current world were missing.

It was the cost of spending two years in the other world. That’s why I struggled with exams. What the hell is trigonometry? I had already forgotten my multiplication tables.

Moreover, I remember about half of common sense, and after returning, after three months, I’d have recovered some memories of my upbringing. And – important things, I haven’t forgotten from the beginning.

In response to my answer, Meme grinned proudly.

“Meme, I’m a British quarter. In other words, it’s not an exaggeration to say I’m a descendant of Sherlock Holmes.”

If that’s the logic, then I could also say I’m a descendant of a samurai.

“That’s basic reasoning,” Meme said, chuckling.

I see, she didn’t tell anyone about her missing memories, but she deduced the answer from the slight discomfort. After all, she had forgotten about half of common sense. My behavior must have seemed a bit odd to others. It was possible to speculate.

“Just kidding. It wasn’t really about reasoning or anything.”

Meme revealed the joke without any remorse.

“Because, Meme is originally Hi-kun’s junior. We were in the same middle school.”

…Huh?

She rummaged through blurred memories in her brain.

—Somehow, I feel like she was there before. A junior with orange hair who lingered in the middle school's astronomy club room even though she wasn’t a club member.

A junior with the same hair color, playing with her hair right in front of me, both a former junior and current classmate.

“Meme, I’m pretty unique, you know. It’s impossible for my senpai to forget me even after meeting for two or three years~”

I see. Well, of course, if we were acquaintances before, it's natural that they remember.

I took a deep breath.

“So then, what was it for? Pretending to be first-time meeting!?”

“Oh no. Because I thought it’d be fun.”

“You’re not a liar, are you!?”

“Don’t call me a liar, call me a cheerful criminal!”

“Now you’re being even worse!?”

“And besides, the senpai Meme knows wouldn’t suddenly discuss a cherry’s consciousness.”

Is that so? That seems like an irrelevant basis since she has memory loss.

“Back then, my head was so hard.”

“Now, isn’t your head stuffed with tofu or something?”

“Because I have no memory, it’s completely blank, right?”

I responded cautiously. She grinned broadly.

“Ku-fu. Our sense of jokes matches, huh? Meme and you.”

“Yeah. Coffee and jokes are best when they’re black.”

“No, even without milk, you put in a ton of sugar, don’t you.”

The initial tension was gone. After a conversation that resonated as if we were old friends, smiling happily, Meme took out her smartphone.

“Oh, by the way, do you use Instagram? …Did you lose your account? If you have amnesia, you’d have lost your password too, right? Then let’s add each other as friends here. Hehe, I’ll send you loads of rare stamps…”

“Is it ‘dead storage’ instead of ‘secret storage’?”

“It’s sufficient to send them to the stamp graveyard, where Hi-kun’s talk area has no use for stamps.”

Meme Nenezaka was an insolent, well-behaved former junior.

But I don’t dislike her. In fact, I rather like it, maybe because I have few friends.

With a wry smile, I added her to my now-empty messaging app, which had only a few friends, and said, “Nice to meet you.”

“And also, as an apology for messing around, it might not be appropriate to say, but with the friend registration campaign, Meme is willing to help you with anything now. You seem to be going through various difficulties. Also, because she’s a former junior. Even though she looks like this, apparently Meme is surprisingly helpful, you know?”

Ehen, I puffed my chest out. I truly thought she had a great personality. Despite seeming like she’d boldly step in, she was considerate and meticulous. I wanted to emulate this kind of attentiveness because I had forgotten the salt and pickles around here.

After all, I have few friends now. Because when I returned, I lost most of my social connections.

Because I barely remember the other person, of course.

―Even being disliked by Ruri Rindou, my former junior.

But more than such sentiments, what occupies my mind now is the first and most concerning friend I made.

“Hey.”

She seemed to be messing around, but thoughtful and deep, I felt I could consult with this new friend.

“If an important friend was lying to you. If they were keeping secrets, what would you do?”

Meme blinked slowly, as if contemplating.

“Hmm. If it’s a necessary lie, I’d just act like I didn’t notice.”

Meme prefaced, “It’s a bit of a detour, but…”

“Meme, I like the occult. The secrets of the world. The hidden truths. But I don’t necessarily think that exposing the hidden things is always the right thing. I don’t want to become like a mummy hunter for a mummy. ...Especially if it’s something my friends want to keep hidden.”

“There are necessary lies in this world, right?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. I don’t tell lies, though.”

“Ahaha. Hi-kun seems to be having a hard time, huh. ...Wait, didn’t you just say you were being half-hearted earlier?”

“A lie that’s based on knowing it’s a lie isn’t really a lie.”

“Cunning argument!”

―That’s right, as Meme said. Knowing the truth isn’t always the right thing.

Her lies must have significance and necessity. Telling the truth isn’t always right.

So, asking whether it’s right or wrong is not appropriate.

Because, I’m just as wrong.

So――.

I swallowed the sweetness that hadn't fully melted and sank to the bottom of my coffee. My throat just felt burnt.

I made up my mind.

(…I also have to stop hiding things.)

About my memories.

And other things.

◆◆◆

As Asuka had said he had plans later, we finished our coffee and parted ways.

Meme watched Asuka’s back, which was much larger than she remembered. Listening to the sound of the café’s door closing, the familiar bell, she swirled the contents of the glass with ice left in it.

“…Senpai, you were just like Ruri-san said.”

He had changed quite a lot. Thinking that, Meme let out a giggle.

In the past, she never said cold things like not introducing herself. She never made impudent jokes happily. She never discussed the consciousness of melon soda, which was uncouth.

She was like a different person.

On the closed day, the usual jazz didn’t play inside the store. The sound of ice hitting the glass echoed clearly.

“Well, I prefer Meme as she is now.”

Rather than the formerly conventional, stiff, serious, boring senpai.

The current older friend, who I didn’t know what she’d start saying, seemed more fun to hang out with.

―Meme Nenezaka’s way is being a fun-loving person in daily life, and what’s important is whether it’s fun.

She rolled the last remaining fruit with her tongue and swallowed it.

She licked her thin lips.

“Now then, I wonder how things are over there now.”

A seat by the window, bathed in evening light.

Only the empty glass remained.

2

After school, Asuka left early, saying he had plans.

Left behind, I was annoyed at the entrance hall. Plans? Who’s that? A friend I don’t know?

No, it’s okay, but I didn’t particularly want to go home together, and he probably had a part-time job, so he can only go part way.

So, naturally, no plans for dinner. I’d probably have nothing to do tonight.

Maybe I’ll practice making curry. Even though it’s the third day in a row, I’m immortal, so it’s fine, I won’t die from getting tired of the taste.

―This time, I’ll definitely succeed!

I tried to clench my fist and say that, but my cooking skills don’t actually improve between morning and evening…

(…If I use high-quality ingredients, it’ll taste better, right!)

It’s the money is power thing. I’m an Ojou-sama (young lady), so I know details.

While lost in thought, I noticed a single footstep sound coming from behind me.

Footsteps in front of the shoe rack at dismissal time should have already faded. Amid the students’ chatter and bustle, that quiet footstep was surprisingly annoying to my ears. Because the sound was coming straight towards me.

I turned around.

There stood an androgynous, beautiful girl with black hair in a side tail. Her healthy legs extended from her short skirt, slender enough to match the lightness of her footsteps, yet firmly planted on the ground.

Her posture suggested she was physically strong, even though she didn’t seem to play any sports. Contrasting her lively, energetic silhouette, she had a pensive expression. Her slightly dark eyes, long downward eyelashes, and a tear-shaped mole gave off a mysterious aura.

“Hey. You’re Fumizuki-chan, right?”

Her husky voice, reminiscent of an old bell. Without any hesitation, she callously addressed me as if we already knew each other.

“Is it okay? Can I borrow your face a bit?”

Her tone sounded as if she was seeking permission upon hearing it, leaving me no choice but to agree.

In other words, her intention translates to—‘Can you lend me your face a bit’…is what she means!?

The girl of average height stood before me, looking up, but her smile had a hint of quiet contempt. Showing her guard, I replied,

“Who are you?”

In other words, it’s like saying ‘What the hell are you’ in a rude way. As an Ojou-sama (young lady), I don’t spit out abusive words even when irritated; it’s part of my etiquette.

“Well, did you notice my sales pitch?” She answered with a cool face.

“That’s right... Maybe if I say it like this, you’ll understand. My name is Ruri Rindou. My title is Student Council Vice President, former Astronomy Club member, and then…”

Then she narrowed her dark eyes, even slightly gloomy, and started provoking a fight.

“Senpai—Asuka-kun’s... old girlfriend, right?”

◆◆◆

“But that doesn’t explain why it’s at the game center.”

With such an introduction, I had no choice but to lend her my face, as she wished.

The place Ruri specified was a gaming arcade underground that I was also familiar with. It was the place where I became friends with Asuka.

As soon as we arrived, Ruri said, “Let’s play that game,” and as she inserted coins into a cooperative zombie shooting game we decided to play, I asked Ruri why.

“Because, just because I have something to talk about doesn’t mean I want to have a friendly chat with you. Besides, private discussions like this are usually done underground, right? Here, others can’t easily overhear what we’re talking about.”

But even so, I didn’t have the obligation to hang out happily.

But coming all the way to the game center and then not playing would be against my manners. It can’t be helped.

――Ruri Rindou. I only knew her name because it was at the very top of the test score list after the exam. In other words, she was the top of the grade, the ultimate honor student. Thinking that way made her haughty and unhumble attitude understandable. Though I don’t accept it.

While gripping the gun-shaped controller built into her body, Ruri spoke calmly.

“Besides, this place holds sentimental value for me. Not just for you, but for me too.”

A chill ran down my spine. Why does she know that I have sentimental attachments to this place?

“Because I was watching. Seeing you interact with Senpai.”

Ruri smiled brightly. I felt repelled.

“Not a stalker...”

The game screen had just started. Facing the sudden onslaught of zombies in front of me, perhaps because I was shaken, my gun's aim wavered immediately. ...Ugh, am I bad at games?

“That’s unfair. I didn’t bother moving next to you on purpose. The biased affection is on your side, isn’t it?”

“How come you know that! I’m not a stalker!!”

Ruri raised her gun with an air of composure, narrowing her eyes.

“We’ve known each other since a long time ago. I’ve seen that person overtake me during their growth spurt, and I heard about their voice change. I know everything about Senpai. So, I also know about the women who approach Senpai.”

Hiss. She was really a stalker...

Distracted by Ruri, the moment I looked away from the screen, about to be eaten by a zombie, Ruri swiftly took a headshot to finish it off. Then she shot the rest without missing a single shot. “…You’re really into this,” she said. “No, it’s my first time playing this game, I guess.”

She didn’t seem to be lying. She must be unusually adept. She’s a type I don’t like.

“Don’t worry, stalking is something unproductive, so there’s no point in actually doing it.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing with that excuse?”

“With that time, I would do something more productive. For example—motivating the teachers a bit from the student council’s standpoint, increasing the difficulty of exams, or something like that.”

Come to think of it, the exam after two years was unusually difficult. It’s strange. At a high school known for its free school culture, it shouldn’t have been like this before.

“I was floored two years ago. Senpai suddenly disappeared. It was like an alien abduction. Facing something supernatural like a UFO, even someone as capable as me was at a loss.”

Even with memory-blocking magic, close people wouldn’t forget our disappearance. Being able to mention the disappearance without any friction in recognition is proof that we were close in the past.

“So, at least, I thought I’d do something I could do. While Senpai was missing, I made the exams harder to increase the number of repeating students.”

“…Huh???”

Huh, what’s going on? What does that mean?

“Because if Senpai came back and was outstanding, wouldn’t that be bad? It’s better to have some classmates who are repeating, right? ...Well, it seems like it was useless, though.”

With Ruri justifying it as if it were obvious, my voice trembled.

“A-A… Devil!!”

What’s with the ‘more productive things’!? Mass-producing repeating students is not unproductive evil acts!?

“No, Senpai was good at studying. I thought he’d be fine even if the exams got harder~”

“You can’t just ruin other people’s lives, other than Asuka’s, right!?”

Which is stronger, demons or witches...? Reloading the bullets while despairing.

“I’m sorry, to the unknown someone who had to repeat a year because of Asuka’s mishap... I apologize on behalf of Ruri, the harmful creature to humans and livestock.”

“Now, with the dedication I’ve shown while missing, is that enough evidence that I was your ex-girlfriend?”

Dedication... self...? Could this girl be counting her misdeeds as good deeds!? Unconscious evil, isn't that the worst! No, but that means... could it be that she’s above me in being evil!?

I-I lost…

For a moment, I was devastated. But I don’t have time to lose by losing here. Being outdone by a normal person (?) as a witch committing evil acts is unbearable. ―More than that.

Her self-proclaimed “ex-girlfriend” grated on my nerves. More than that, my current female friends are better, aren’t they?

I tensed deep in my gut. I grip the gun tightly.

Only those who are prepared to take the mount should do so!

I shot down the enemies on the screen. Stage clear, onto the next battlefield. If I take a breath, my head clears too.

I laugh.

“Hah. After all, ex-girlfriends are just wild stories, right? I’ve never heard a story about you having a girlfriend, Hinami-kun. Even though I used to have a lot of friends back in the day.”

Moreover, Ruri used to have a talkative close friend. It couldn’t have been a rumor, and I must have known.

Indeed, Ruri is a beautiful girl. With an androgynous impression and a delicate, girlish touch, she’s healthy yet mysterious, with a paradoxical, strange charm. ...Though I’m confident in my looks, I feel a bit inferior. But!

Her gentle upper body. A cliff without any friction, a sheer precipice. Inside her clothes, she has a hollow chest that I could only imagine. It’s at an elevation incomparable to mine.

—I won!

“(Mine is gigantic, galaxy-like, and gorgeous...!)”

I proudly said it in a low voice.

Ruri sensed the movement of my lips from my gaze. But she puffed up her chest defiantly.

“My one is the ‘Ultimate,’ you know?”

“What…!?”

“—No, it’s not A, it’s U, ultimate!?”

“Yes. It’s U, so it’s bigger than yours. My vessel.”

…Is that true!?

I shuddered.

But, but my mother said all men like big breasts! She did say that! I can still win!

But Ruri mercilessly put the final blow.

“By the way, Senpai was a slender type.”

I lost... And knowing my preferences, maybe she really was my ex-girlfriend…

I was slightly shocked.

“In other words, trying to compete based on breast size is so outdated, isn’t it? People don’t follow that trend nowadays. Are you okay, Ruri? Are you two years behind the current societal trends?”

Overkill. I wish she would stop attacking me with logical arguments.

Moreover, her talking nonsense and then flipping the argument in her palm sounds somewhat like Asuka—so she really was my ex-girlfriend…!?

While being one-sidedly mounted, I repeatedly came to my senses.

—No, when I think about it, it doesn’t matter!? Even if it’s my ex-girlfriend and her preferences! Because we’re friends. Just friends!?

In a state of distress, I shot at the screen rapidly. My bullets were spent in no time.

Ruri narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as if she could see through me, as if reading my inner thoughts.

“Don’t worry. Even without looking at me like that, I won’t take and eat you. I really hate you, current Hinami-kun…”

She said it in a low, dark tone.

“But I came to advise you. Your biased affection is meaningless for those who have already decayed.”

“…What do you mean?”

Last Stage. Before I could question Ruri, a wave of enemies suddenly came. A horde of corpses unlike any before. At this point, there was no charm in cowering at the monsters in the game.

“Even among ghosts, zombies are cute, right? Their appearance and movement are rotten and smelly. You can quickly tell they’re not human.”

“I agree with that.”

I laughed at the fact that entities that can’t be recognized as non-humans at a glance are troublesome.

“Hey, Sakuya-chan. Do you know what a philosophical zombie is? You do, right? After all, you’re like a literary girl, aren’t you?”

“…I know. Ethics is my strong subject. I don’t need anything else.”

It’s a thought experiment. Wasn’t it the hypothetical of having a person with the same appearance and behavior as a human, but without a “heart”?

“Yes. If there’s a creature that’s only pretending to be human, it would be difficult to distinguish. Even if it was originally human—if you don’t know their original humanity—”

The conversation is incomprehensible, disconnected. But there’s a negative trust in the girl in front of me that she wouldn’t talk about unrelated things.

A bad premonition made my heart beat.

“What are you talking about…?”

Because I stopped my hand, I died. Even if rotten, it’s cooperative play. No matter how well the other half plays, alone I couldn’t reach the ending. Ruthlessly, the words “Game Over” floated.

“What? It’s about that person.”

Ruri lowers her gun. Her eyes are quiet.

“You—the person who came back—”

I know the color in her eyes. Resignation, or perhaps hatred.

“—Do you really think he’s the same Asuka-senpai?”

3

I held the toy gun tightly. I didn’t even ask what she meant.

My heart was beating. I didn’t want to understand the meaning of Ruri’s words.

Whether she knew that feeling or not.

In the result screen of the game, illuminated by the pale blue light, Ruri continued to speak impassively.

Tension enveloped us like a membrane, separating us from the noise of the place. I couldn’t see anything around.

“When Senpai had just returned, he was in the hospital, wasn’t he?”

“…Yes. Because he was injured.”

Because he shielded me when returning from the other world.

“I went to visit him. It was only natural.”

I visualized that scene. The sterile white wallpaper, the overly clean scent of alcohol, the breathing of others typical of a large room, his face rising from the bed in the back was invisible due to the backlight from the window.

The scene was just imagination. ――Because I didn’t go to visit him.

When we had just returned, we weren’t even friends yet, and we were too drained to still claim to be enemies. During that period when our relationship was ambiguous and hanging in the balance, I didn’t have any excuse to go see him.

Only in my imagination, I gave Ruri a bouquet as she opened the hospital room door. As a minimal resistance, I gave her purple flowers, which weren’t appropriate for a visit.

“And then, two years later, when we reunited and faced each other, I said, ‘Who are you?’”

…He? Ruri Rindou, who should have been a long-time acquaintance?

No way――

“Did you lose your memory or something?”

I wasn’t strangely surprised by the answer I arrived at through a bad imagination. I was convinced. It was because when he talked about the past, even though it was about himself, he always spoke in such a vague manner.

But Ruri shook her head from side to side.

“That’s right. But, it’s not like that.”

Her pitch-black eyes gazed directly at me.

“Indeed, Senpai hadn’t remembered my face or name. But you know, it wasn’t just Senpai who said that. It was us.”

—and that was the introduction.

Ruri dropped the bouquet in my imagination.

“You’re the one, who are you?”

The flowers crumbled onto the linoleum floor.

“That’s right. Because I also met you after two years and didn’t recognize you then. You had changed too much in appearance.”

My heart was beating rapidly, and my speech speed increased. As if trying to cover up the lingering bad premonition.

Ruri spoke slowly with a trembling voice, as if advising me.

“It’s not about appearances. It’s about what’s inside.”

She asked.

“Don’t you also think that, deep down, the current you think that person is strange? Was the old Senpai like that?”

I recalled the old him.

…He had many friends. He wasn’t someone who, like now, messed up during the new semester introductions.

He was someone who paid attention to his surroundings, noticing my struggles during the cultural festival. Yet now, in May, he barely even remembers the faces of his classmates.

He was meticulous and polite. I feel like he brought his own lunch every day. It’s impossible for him to be so hungry that he’d collapse with an empty refrigerator.

The old Hinami-kun wasn’t such a rough, muscle-brained guy, and his casual clothes probably weren’t strange. He never made impudent jokes and laughed about them.

To reconcile all those mismatches, I labeled it as “otherworldly fog”. If, in reality, that wasn’t the case…

“…Because of memory loss. No, that’s not it…”

Because if that were the case, why did you keep quiet??

It wasn’t something that needed to be hidden deliberately. Especially if it was lost in the other world.

Because we became friends to share the secret of the past.

I recalled the contents of the friendship treaty we once made.

“We don’t meddle in what each other experiences over there.” In other words, we exercise the right to remain silent about inconvenient things. He was the one who proposed that agreement. But he was also the one who added the exception clause, “unless it becomes a funny story.”

Given his personality, even with memory loss, it wouldn’t have been weird for him to treat it as a casual joke.

In response to my mutterings, Ruri nodded.

“That’s not all, is it?”

Yes, even for me to hide something. It means it’s a story I can’t tell beyond just memory loss.

In other words, it means I’m hiding something similarly, a secret comparable to immortality.

It’s a story that can’t be laughed at.

If that’s the case—what?

“From here on out, it’ll be difficult for you, right?”

“No, it’s okay,” I shook my head.

“I always thought ex-girlfriends were difficult from the start.”

Then, at this point, even if I listened until the end, it would be the same. It’s not bothersome.

Ruri smiled silently. I thought she was probably dissatisfied with the difficult handling. I don’t know.

So hurry, say it.

“Well, I’m a bit more intuitive than others. So this is just a ‘sixth sense’, an occult story that’s not worth believing in.”

But for me, magic occult is the only thing worth believing in.

I listened intently. She spoke.

“I can tell. That person who calls himself Asuka-senpai was pretending to be human—”

“—That is, ‘______’”

Ruri Rindou's voice was low and calm.

But it was unmistakably venomous.

“...What, is it just the ramblings of someone who calls herself an 'ex-girlfriend'? Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But if you're smart, you know what to do, right?”

◇◆◇◆

Asuka noticed Sakuya’s message just after finishing his physically demanding part-time job, around ten o'clock at night, near the bustling station area.

'We need to talk. If possible, immediately.'

The message had been sent just a few minutes before, timed perfectly to coincide with his shift ending. He replied, but it remained unread.

He called her. 'Immediately,' she had said. Her urgency made him feel uneasy.

But the call didn’t connect. He couldn’t bring himself to leave a voicemail.

A little outside the bustling downtown, the dark night path was lit by fewer streetlights than stars. He sped his old, possibly on the brink of breaking bicycle through the dark roads.

Eventually, he arrived in front of each other’s houses. Sakuya's room window was dark, signaling her absence.

Finally, his phone rang back. Almost simultaneously, he pressed the answer button. "What’s wrong?" he asked seriously. She left such a message for a reason. Something must have happened.

But she spoke calmly over the phone, without any sign of distress or preamble.

'Can you come to the place where we first talked alone? Now.'

Her sweet voice, slightly garbled by the signal, cut off without waiting for a reply.

—The first place.

He thought for a moment, looking up at the foot of the mountain. The school was atop the hill.

That's the one.

He sped off, abandoning his bicycle. Beyond this point, he could only go faster on foot.

Normally, night school would have strict security, especially since two years ago, two students had disappeared here. But today, the surveillance equipment wouldn’t function. Slightly glowing red magical residue clung around the cameras.

—That’s proof she’s here.

He grabbed the school gate, jumped over it, and approached the school building. Though security was likely deceived, he didn't dare enter boldly from the front. He found a window open on the second floor. If he kicked and climbed the wall, infiltrating would be easy.

He bypassed the silent corridor, searching quickly inside the school building. His target was the door leading to the closed rooftop—only that door.

The door was securely locked. The Astronomy Club, which once had access to the rooftop, had been disbanded, so no one held the key now.

But faint red particles glowed, and the door opened easily.

A key was meaningless in front of her. —Before a witch who controls keys with her Maga Eye.

The moment she opened the door, a strong wind blew through. The rooftop smelled of dust and had no other scent. The sky was clear with a full moon shining brightly overhead.

At the edge of the rooftop, he spotted her profile—standing in her uniform, looking sorrowful. He stopped.

“...Sakuya.”

Calling her name made him hesitate for some reason.

“You were quick.”

She turned around, leaning against a railing. Her smile was unnaturally perfect, but her red, glowing eyes and matching red lips clashed discordantly with the surroundings and her uniform, making them look almost poisonous.

In her hand was a lipstick case, presumably red.

He realized why he hesitated to call her name. Unlike her usual light makeup, her lipstick was blood-red. That smile tinted with crimson flashed him back to their time in the other world.

Instead of calling her by name, it felt more appropriate to call her a witch.

“What the hell are you doing here at a place like this?”

He asked, just like during their final showdown.

She—this witch—maintained a quiet smile amidst the faint darkness a few steps away, not answering the question.

“I thought you had amnesia, but you remember this place. You didn’t forget everything, did you?”

He realized she was testing him. But he couldn't tell what she was talking about as she had a blank expression.

“If you didn’t remember, could you have called me by my name when we met in the other world?”

“Oh. Even the name of a close junior, you don’t remember?”

He clicked his tongue in frustration. —Did someone accuse me of something? Was it Meme? No, it wasn’t.

She interrogated him.

“You only happened to remember me, didn’t you?”

Silence. She didn’t affirm it.

She twirled the lipstick with her fingers, laughing mockingly.

“—Unlike me, you don’t lie much. But you do keep secrets, don’t you?”

He wasn’t good with lies. Even though he could tell when someone was lying, when confronted with the truth, he couldn’t help but react.

He admitted it.

“Then, what did you do?”

He thought to himself how coldly he sounded. Without any sense of emotion, he thought.

“Did you bring me here to confirm that? You even broke into the school.”

She diverted the topic, attacking the risks and immorality of trespassing the school at night.

She peeled off her mask, the witch’s smile disappearing. Only a beautifully expressionless face remained—Sakuya Fumiduki’s true face. But her lips stayed red.

She said quietly,

“That’s right. ...If I were smart, I could have dismissed Ruri’s words about you being 'weird' as just the ramblings of an ex-girlfriend. But I’m a foolish woman. I can’t help but verify the doubts implanted in me myself.”

At her shifted question and her off-target answer, he frowned.

“...Hey, what do you mean by 'ex-girlfriend'?”

Sakuya nodded with a smug expression.

“I know, you don’t remember anything about her, do you?”

—But he didn’t remember anything.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to interrogate you.”

—I want to interrogate you!!

What does “ex-girlfriend” mean, seriously. But he understood that the atmosphere wasn’t right for her to say that. That it didn’t matter now.

He saw her take a light breath and raise both hands. Sakuya thought, she was probably just posing, likely her stance only.

“I’m sorry for being quiet. But I quickly remembered your name, your family, and where your parents live, and I’m recalling other things too, right? So, I decided it wasn’t a problem to stay quiet.”

He said, smiling slightly, casually.

“Besides, I’ve been remembering everything about you from the start.”

Yes, that’s why Sakuya couldn’t notice. She hadn’t forgotten herself, so she didn’t doubt his uncertain memories.

“So, there’s no problem.”

Her voice was overly sweet. He thought she was being serious.

He clenched his fist.

“'There’s no problem'...?”

Inside his fist, the lipstick case clicked noisily as his nails cracked. Ignoring the pain from the shards digging into his palm, he kept clenching in anger.

The girl with the black eyes whispered from the past.

‘You realize it too, don’t you?’

Ah, he finally realized.

Now too late.

‘—That was a "Bakemono."’

Now,

Now!

Too late.

There Exists the Concept of Summoning to Another World

One day, out of nowhere, boys and girls are summoned to a different world, being implored by the dying remnants of humanity.

"Please, Hero, save this other world," they plead.

Yet, that request is unreasonable.

Ordinary individuals from another world have no reason to save an unfamiliar realm where they have no friends or family.

Even if endowed with special powers, ordinary modern-day boys—who were born and raised peacefully, without even knowing how to fight—have no aptitude for saving a world on the brink of destruction.

Nevertheless, if they have no choice but to utilize the person they have finally summoned...

Still, if they must elevate him as the hero, using him as a trump card...

How can they make this logical?

"The answer is already decided," humanity declared.

――They can simply remodel his body, rewrite his brain, strip away his humanity, and turn him into a soldier capable of saving the world.

And by commanding him to "save the world," he would properly become the Hero.

Logical and efficient――that was the conclusion.

With that truth, her speculation finally reached an understanding.

――The person standing before me, that man, is the "final form" of Asuka Hinami.

And that.

◆◆◆

Nevertheless.

My resolve had been set long ago.