9:26 A.M.

9:26 A.M.

 

“Ew, rain!”

I was on my way to turn in an application to a cram school, but now I hastily took cover inside the nearest building.

I rummaged through my bag, looking for the folding umbrella I swore I’d put in there.

But then my hands froze.

There was a boy standing in front of me. He seemed out of it, like he hadn’t noticed me standing there. He drained the paper cup in his hand, then went back to the bench behind him.

I fled before he saw me. I didn’t actually need to run away, but I did anyway.

The boy’s name was Takeda Keiji-san.

I’m Niitoki Kei, President of the Student Discipline Committee at Shinyo Academy, a private high school. And he’s the boy who recently broke my heart.

No—maybe not that recently. It was like six months ago. But to me it still felt like just the other day.

I’m extremely short, and look young—people often think I’m still in elementary school. I don’t know if that has anything to do with me not being able to get over this, though. My friends all think I’m great at compartmentalizing, so I must look like I’m handling it well, but that’s just on the outside. I’m doing no such thing.

“Hahh, hahh…”

The sound of my own breathing snapped me out of it. I was running around, out of breath, bag open… I hadn’t even pulled the umbrella out.

“I’m an idiot.”

The rain was still coming down, so I found the umbrella and opened it. But I was already soaked through. I dabbed my hair a bit with a handkerchief, feeling gloomy. How much sadder could one girl be?

There was a lot of commotion going on around me.

Right, I’d heard about this… there was some event starting today at the Moon…something. I was too busy studying for entrance exams to pay attention to that sort of thing.

There was a long line of people filing into some weird-looking building. Guided by some poor souls dressed as Hopper-kun. That must be the worst job, I thought. How hot did those costumes get?

Lots of couples. Just looking at them annoyed me.

…none of my business.

I sighed and turned to forlornly hand in my application to the cram school, my world devoid of dreams.

But I only took a single step before I froze in my tracks.

There was a girl standing at the crossing ahead of me. She had a large Spalding sports bag slung over her shoulder. My classmate, Miyashita-san.

“………”

She was staring up at the sky.

Or not the sky—maybe she was staring at the building.

But for Miyashita Touka to be here made no sense at all. She was Takeda-senpai’s girlfriend. She should be heading to meet him.

And that glint in her eyes wasn’t what you’d expect from any girl out on a date.

I gasped. I’d seen her—or rather, someone with her face—with this exact same expression. And not under ordinary circumstances.

N-no way…

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than she spun and ran across the crosswalk. Away from where senpai was waiting.

“W-wait, Miyashita-san?!”

Concerned, I moved to run after her.

But there was no need.

Seconds later, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Black lipstick on a white face. A black hat, and a black cloak, wrapped around the whole body so their silhouette looked like a pipe. A look I knew only too well—

“B-Boogiepop?!”

That name was a legend. Rumors spread among the girls in the area. A shinigami, identity unknown, said to kill people when they were at their most beautiful, before they had a chance to grow ugly.

And Boogiepop had the same face as Miyashita-san. I was decidedly less certain if he shared her gender.

Boogiepop flew past me like the wind, slipping through the crowd. He opened a door on the side of the strange building—a hidden door, one that looked just like part of the wall—and went in. An employee exit?

But nobody seemed to think this was the least bit strange. With that getup, maybe they just assumed Boogiepop was part of the event.

“W-wait! Stop!”

I knew better. Kirima Nagi had told me what made him appear.

This meant the world was in danger.

“Excuse me! Let me through! I work here!”

With this lie, I cut through the crowd, chasing Boogiepop. I’d been working with the discipline committee a while now, and knew just how to give my voice the right level of authority.

Everyone bought the lie and stepped out of the way. I hopped over the fence and went inside the building.

It was like being slapped in the face with cold water.

I continued inside…