Chapter 2: By The Time We Realized, It Had Already Begun... Again

The next morning, Yaegashi Taichi’s legs felt like lead as he trudged his way to school. He knew talking to Nagase Iori was going to be awkward... but even more so with Inaba Himeko. What would she say? No matter what, I have to make sure not to look at her boobs, he thought.

As it turned out, however, there was a more important crisis to deal with that morning.

The moment he walked into the classroom, an ashen-faced Inaba came running up to him. “There’s trouble. Yui and Aoki have been taken into police custody.”

It didn’t register at first.

Police custody. Two words he (fortunately) wasn’t used to hearing.

“What? Wait... What are you talking about? Yui and Aoki... as in Kiriyama Yui and Aoki Yoshifumi? That Yui and Aoki?”

“Who else, dipshit? Whatever. Just come with me!” Inaba grabbed Taichi by the arm and pulled him over to her desk.

There sat Nagase, staring blankly into space. “What do we do...?” she whispered in a tiny voice.

“What happened? What’s the current situation down there? What is ‘police custody,’ anyway? Are they arrested?”

“Hell if I know! All I know is, the teachers are currently shitting bricks in the staff room.”

“Oh my god... Have you tried calling them?”

“We tried... but...” Nagase’s fingers tightened around her cell phone.

“Damn... Is there anyone who might have more info?”

“You rang?”

Startled, Taichi whirled around to find a familiar figure standing there, her dark hair tied back neatly, her bangs pinned up, her trademark glasses glittering. It was Fujishima Maiko, president of Class 1-C, a girl who had originally appeared to be little more than your average teacher’s pet, but for some reason had recently blossomed into something of a motivational speaker, boasting a powerful influence over the class. Ultimately this resulted in Fujishima being christened “The Love Guru,” with rumors abound that she was now regularly doling out dating advice to dozens of lovelorn students.

(At one point Fujishima made the following statement: “You all should be proud. The CRC has opened a new door in my life—helped me discover my true calling. Thank you.” Everyone was confused by this.)

“Uhh... N-No... I don’t think anyone was talking to you, Fujishima-san...” Nagase muttered timidly.

Nagase had had some sort of bad experience with Fujishima once in the past, and ever since then, she had become noticeably uncomfortable around her.

(At one point Fujishima made the following statement regarding Nagase: “Relax. I have a new calling now. Nagase is no longer my top priority.” She didn’t elect to clarify what position Nagase had on her to-do list.)

“Oh really now? I thought you wanted to know more about what happened to Kiriyama-san and Aoki-kun.”

“You know something?! Spit it out, Fujishima!”

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you how to ask nicely, Inaba-san?”

“Nnnghh... Please tell us what you know, Fujishima-san.”

Even the arrogant, audacious Inaba couldn’t ruffle Fujishima’s feathers. In fact, Fujishima’s attitude suggested she had her beat. It was frankly terrifying.

“Alright. I’ll tell you... if you let me rent Nagase-san for two hours.”

“Mwegh?!” Nagase flinched and let out a weird, inhuman yelp.

“Uhh... I don’t think we can agree to that... Hahaha...” Taichi tried to laugh it off.

“A paltry request, is it not? Besides, I’m sure Nagase-san will have a great time.” Fujishima wiggled her fingers in a grabby-hands gesture.

“Not very cool of you, Fujishima!” Taichi shouted.

And once again, he heard a voice in his head.

[Don’t touch her.]

A feverish heat quickly began to build inside him.

Oh god no. It’s happening again.

He could feel himself slowly drifting away from his body, and yet his consciousness showed no signs of giving out.

It was the same sensation from yesterday. Once it combined with the emotions he felt right now, what would happen then? What would his body try to do?

Stop!

It was no use.

Taichi took a step toward Fujishima and raised his right fist.

Are you insane?! What are you doing?!

Taichi was completely lucid, and yet he could feel a separate will in control of his body.

You can’t do that!

But just as he prepared to take a swing at Fujishima—Inaba seized him by the wrist.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” Her hand clamped down like a vice as she shot him an icy glare. Meanwhile, his right hand felt like it was on fire. In spite of his perfectly functioning rational mind, it yanked itself from her grasp. Furious, she tried to hold him back, but she only enraged him more. He ripped her hands off him and—came to a stop.

The fever faded, and with it, the energy that spurred his actions.

A chill ran down his spine. Inaba stared at him.

“What are you two doing over there? Practicing the tango?” Fujishima asked with a frown.

“N-No...” A cold sweat ran down his back. His brain hadn’t yet processed what had just happened.

“Well then... How about it, Nagase-san?”

“Will you just drop it...?” Taichi retorted—or rather, tried to, but the words left his lips in a weak whisper.

“It’s okay, Taichi... For the sake of Yui and Aoki... Nnnngghh... Okay! I’ll do it! You can have your two hours! Or three, if you want! Now please, Fujishima-san! Tell us what’s going on with them!”

“Oh, that? I was just kidding. Obviously I was going to tell you regardless.”

Nagase collapsed face-first onto the desk. “Are you serious?! I worked up all my courage for nothing!”

“This really isn’t the time to be screwing around with us, Fujishima!” Taichi snapped. Desperate to forget that terrifying impulse, he shook the memory from his mind.

“Please. It was just a joke! Don’t you have a sense of humor?”

“If it was a joke, then why’d you say it with a straight face...?” Nagase asked in a tiny voice, her cheek still pressed to the desk.

“I just wanted to lighten the mood a little! You all look like hell... That said, I wasn’t expecting it to go over so poorly...” Fujishima looked away sadly. Evidently she did have a conscience knocking around in there somewhere.

“So, can you tell us what you know?” Inaba looked eager to get to the point already.

“Oh, right. Very well, I’ll start from the beginning. This morning, at Chuuou Station, a group of delinquents from that low-class Akitaka High School started to harass a girl from Yamaboshi for whatever reason. Naturally the station was full of morning commuters, but apparently that wasn’t enough to stop the fight from escalating. But before someone could alert a station attendant... a mystery heroine rushed in like a whirlwind and gave those delinquents a taste of their own medicine.”

“You don’t mean...” Nagase whispered.

“Indeed, it was your very own Kiriyama Yui-san.”

Kiriyama beat up a bunch of delinquents?!

“These delinquents you mentioned... Just checking, but... they were male, right?” Taichi asked.

“Why, Yaegashi-kun, I’m impressed! How very feminist of you to not assume the delinquents were men by default! That said, given the context, I’d say that much was implied. Yes, the delinquents Kiriyama-san fought off were all male.”

Kiriyama fought a group of men?

Kiriyama, as in, the girl who used to have such bad androphobia she couldn’t even touch a guy without trembling in fear?

While she’d made tremendous progress on overcoming her phobia in recent weeks, there was no way in hell she could have managed that!

“And?” Inaba asked, her expression perfectly composed.

“Well... She would’ve been fine if she’d stopped there, but evidently she lost control of her temper and went a little overboard. At that point, other Akitaka students saw their friends getting trounced and decided to jump in... and things went about as you’d expect. Kiriyama-san ended up taking out something like six guys.”

Taichi could practically see it—pint-sized Kiriyama flying around the station like an angry hawk, landing one karate kick after another.

“Even if they all deserved it, she was still acting out of line, so the police took her down to the station to hear her side of the story... Oh, did you hear ‘police custody’ and think she was arrested? No, that’s just the term they use when dealing with minors. Little bit of trivia for you. Anyway, you’d think that’s where the story ends... but unfortunately, a new challenger appeared on the scene.”

“Aoki?” Inaba asked.

“You guessed it. I don’t know the details, but I’m told he flew into a blind rage, yelling at the police ‘Where are you taking her?! Give her back!’ and such. Frankly, I didn’t realize he had it in him. Anyway, that’s how Aoki ended up going with her.”

Aoki was the comic relief of the group. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. On the contrary, he was the sort of person who could keep a level head in a crisis... or so Taichi had believed...

“Anyway, I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you. They’ll probably be fine. After all, it’s not like they had ill intentions. They’ll probably get a slap on the wrist, if that. And because they were both trying to protect a fellow Yamaboshi student, I can’t imagine the school will take disciplinary action against them. I mean, as far as the student body is concerned, Kiriyama-san is a vigilante hero. They’d almost certainly revolt if she saw punishment. But above all...” Fujishima paused to shoot Inaba a knowing look.

“...The school knows I’d never accept it, and I’d go to any lengths to make them reverse their decision.” Inaba finished with a smirk.

“I thought as much. But if it truly does come to that, I think I can be of some assistance. I have a few cards up my sleeve.”

Yamaboshi’s two biggest schemers began to snigger conspiratorially. Frankly, it was terrifying.

“Oh yeah, one other thing. I’m just wondering... Where did you get this information?” asked Inaba. “Was a friend of yours at the scene or something? You seem pretty confident in its accuracy.”

“No, no. My father just so happens to be a high-ranked police officer, that’s all. I can convince him to vouch on their behalf, if need be,” Fujishima answered casually. Taichi wasn’t sure what was more impressive—her father’s job, or the fact that she could manipulate his influence to her advantage.

“Well now... That’s good to know. Sounds like a very useful connection indeed,” Inaba grinned, rubbing her palms together like some kind of shady black market dealer.

“Feel free to make use of it anytime you like—within reason, of course. And not for free, obviously, but I’ll let you have a discount.”

“Why, thank you kindly...”

The two shared mischievous snickers amongst themselves once more. An eerie vibe emanated from the pair, keeping all onlookers at bay; Taichi could practically feel his hair standing on end.

Just then, the bell rang.

After first period ended, Taichi walked over to Inaba’s desk, where she sat with her arms folded and her eyes closed.

“Hey, uh... Thanks for what you did back there.”

She opened one eye to look at him. “Back where?”

“Earlier this morning? You know, when you... held me back?”

He couldn’t bring himself to go into more detail than that, lest he be forced to admit what his body had been trying to do... and he refused to concede that he’d actually felt that impulse.

“By any chance, did you hear a [voice] in your head at the time?” she asked, and Taichi sucked in a breath.

Yes, he had certainly heard a [voice]. It was just before the mystery impulse had overpowered his rational mind and taken control of his body. And full, willful control at that—far more than a mere subconscious reflex.

“Yeah, actually, I did. How did you know? Did everyone else hear it, too?”

“No, idiot. I said in your head. And I know because... because the same thing happened to me during... you know.”

“So it happened the same way for you, too? Like, you heard a [voice], and then your body started acting on its own...?”

She nodded quietly.

At this point, it was obvious what was happening. Once again, they were slowly being torn away from their ordinary lives. And Taichi had a horrible feeling he knew where this was headed.

Inaba sighed. “We don’t know exactly what’s going on yet, and I might just be overthinking this... but just in case, we should be prepared for the worst.” Her tone was one of grave resignation.

“Right.”

“For now, we should hold a club meeting today so we can discuss this. Hopefully Yui and Aoki will be back by the time school lets out. If not, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it... Hmph. It’s not every day I pray to God I’m wrong about something, but here we are...”

“Yeahhh...”

“But for the time being, I guess that’s all we can do. Just... pray.”

Unfortunately, coming from an aggressively ambitious girl whose motto was “maintain total control of the situation at all times,” the sentiment felt disturbingly mismatched. It just wasn’t like her.

■□■□■

Once again, it had struck without warning.

Well... Okay, to be fair, there was some... noticeable weirdness. If that counted as a warning, then so be it. But the warning struck without warning, and it was kind of a crappy warning at that.

They had no way of fighting it.

They thought they had escaped this hell, but clearly they had not.

After all, they had no say in the matter.

They were trapped.

Merely playthings to be toyed with.

That was their fate.

Because that’s just how the story goes, isn’t it?

Their desires were irrelevant. Utterly inconsequential.

Taichi knew that.

“Oh... This is «Heartseed»... Well, I guess that was obvious... Wasn’t it?” asked the being that turned up in Rec Hall Room 401, wearing the body of their class advisor and club supervisor, Gotou Ryuuzen. “Anyway... Long time no see, everyone... Well, I guess it hasn’t been that long... or has it?”

As usual, its expression carried about as much verve as a corpse as it droned on, uninterested in any response they might have had.

It was the first time they’d seen it since about three weeks ago, when it led them to believe that Nagase Iori would die—too distant to feel recent, yet too fresh to be considered a thing of the past. Had it been a long time? It was hard to say. All Taichi knew for certain was that he’d never wanted to encounter this thing ever again.

And it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t the only one.

“I gotta say, I sure never wanted to have to see your stupid face again after last time, «Heartseed», you miserable little cockroach,” Inaba growled. Even a non-human entity wasn’t enough to cow her into silence.

Ultimately, Kiriyama and Aoki never turned up for school that day. No official statement was made, but according to Fujishima, the two received no formal punishment beyond a phone call to their parents. Seeing as they didn’t turn up, Taichi, Nagase, and Inaba were forced to hold the club meeting without them... but then «Heartseed» had to appear.

As usual, it had chosen to possess [Gotou’s body]... and now they were all standing mere steps apart.

Well, not all of them. Inaba had chosen to remain sitting.

“So what the fuck are you doing back here? Didn’t you tell us to forget you ever existed or whatever?”

“Oh... That does sound familiar... Frankly, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t think about it too hard... Then again... The last time we saw each other, I seem to recall I also said I’d ‘see you again’ or something to that effect... Hmm... You have a photographic memory, don’t you, Inaba-san? Do you remember?”

“Go fuck yourself!” Inaba slammed her fist down on the brand-new table.

«Heartseed» was the ultimate mastermind behind the body-swap phenomenon. It called itself a mere observer, then turned around and used that title as an excuse to justify doing basically whatever it felt like. Its true identity was unknown, and they had no way of finding out more.

“What are you doing here? I... didn’t exactly miss you...” Nagase mumbled, unable to keep the nerves out of her voice despite her best efforts. And for good reason; if anyone had severe feelings toward «Heartseed», it was her. After all, it nearly killed her.

“Oh... Come to think of it, I still haven’t apologized to you directly... I sincerely regret what took place... from the middle-ish of my heart... so yeah... I’m sorry...”

“You think your apology means anything to me at this point?! It doesn’t! Nngh... If you actually regret what you did, then stay away from us! Leave us alone!”

Damn right, Taichi thought.

“I can’t do that... I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but... you’re all just so fascinating... If anything, be mad that I noticed you... Oh, but ideally don’t be mad at me personally... I’d really prefer our time together to be enjoyable, after all...”

That last part sounded kind of like a threat... No, a lot like a threat.

“Hold it! Are you trying to say we’ll be spending even more time with you?!” Inaba cut in, panicked.

“Well, yes... This is round two, so I’m going to need you to entertain me again... No telling what will happen from here, but... Eh, this should be enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction, I think...”

“Wait... What do you mean, entertain you?” Taichi asked, his voice shaking.

“Hmm...? Haven’t you figured it out, Yaegashi-san? Haven’t you noticed a strange voice in your head, or felt your body moving of its own accord?”

Goosebumps prickled up on his arms. All at once, their beloved clubroom felt cold and alien, like they’d been pulled into a different world entirely.

“You son of a bitch! What, so this time you think you can just... control our bodies like puppets?! Is that it?!” Inaba raged.

“Control you? Don’t be silly, Inaba-san... I would never do that... That would defeat the purpose entirely...” It sighed. “In that case... While I’m here to give my advance notice, I suppose I’ll give you a brief explanation as well... Mm, I’m so thoughtful...”

“Advance notice? Explanation? For what?” Nagase whispered, trembling.

“Well, you do need an explanation for all this, don’t you...? Ah, but... then again, it strikes me as kind of fascinating to see you all panicking without one... But that’s not what I’m after right now... As for the advance notice, well... I notice we’re missing two of you at the moment... so I figure I’ll save the full explanation for when you’re all present and accounted for...”

“Why us? Why again?” Nagase choked. Judging from her expression, she had already resigned herself to her fate.

“Like I keep telling you, you’re all just so fascinating... How many times must I repeat myself...? Ugh... I’m so tired of this... Maybe I shouldn’t explain it... Then again, I’m already here... It feels like a waste to head straight back... Ugh... It’s so much effort to think about all this... Why don’t all of you decide for me? Which would you prefer?”

“For starters, we’ll hear you out, I guess... Then we’ll go from there,” Inaba replied, sounding a bit calmer as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“Great... Thanks. So, just to briefly explain... It’s nothing too complicated, really... In fact, I think you all might enjoy it... Oh... Well... Okay, maybe that’s overstating it a bit... Where was I...? Oh, right... So, put simply, I’m going to liberate the innermost desires that dwell within your hearts...”

“Liberate... our desires...?” As the words left Taichi’s lips, memories flashed through his mind—memories of the recent antics between the five of them.

Inaba’s seduction... Kiriyama’s fury... Nagase’s over-eager phone call... and his own uncontrollable wrath...

“Precisely... I call it ‘Liberation’ for short... Oh, wait... That’s not much shorter, I guess... Oh well... It doesn’t matter... Anyway... as you can imagine... humans bear countless ‘desires’ at any given time... and all of you are no exception... However, not all of them are plain to see... Not all of them are expressed in one’s behavior... After all, rational thought and other such mental fetters exist to hold them back... but that’s kind of unfortunate, don’t you think?” Uninterested in their response, «Heartseed» continued. “Unable to do what you want... Forced to conceal your heart’s true desire... Is this how humans are meant to live...? Oooh... That’s kind of deep...”

“You can’t always get what you want. That’s not how the world works, dipshit,” Inaba scoffed.

“Well... Ordinarily, yes... but that’s precisely why I think it might be interesting for you to give it a try...” In contrast to the gravity of the situation, «Heartseed»’s tone was light and casual. “So I’ll just Liberate you a teensy bit... Set you free...”

Set us free?

“You’re insane. Don’t you see how dangerous that is? The moment we start acting purely on instinct, we’re no better than animals,” Inaba spat.

“Ah... I had a feeling you’d point that out, Inaba-san... You’re exactly right. If a human were to unleash their every desire, all hell would break loose... Hence, I’ll be Liberating just one at a time, entirely at random... There are so many to choose from, after all... Hunger, lust, sloth, greed, ambition... other stuff... I forget what else...” «Heartseed» rambled on, looking utterly bored. “Oh, but I think the desire that gets Liberated will typically be whichever one you feel the strongest at that given moment... Well, human desires are always fluctuating... and each one has differing degrees of intensity...”

Taichi stood stock-still, utterly baffled.

“So... do you all have a general understanding of what we’re doing this time around...? I’m going to assume you do...” There «Heartseed» paused, and a brief silence descended upon the room. Then he continued, “I was thinking maybe I should explain a little more, but... seeing as this is just my advance notice, I think we can stop here for today... We’re still missing two people, after all... Yes... Good idea... Let’s stop here. I should save the full explanation for when you’re all together... though ultimately I can do it whenever I want... Oh, and please do pass on this information to the two absentees for me... Ugh... So much effort...”

“Why the hell are you fucking with us like this?! Just tell us what you want from us!” Inaba snapped. Evidently she’d well and truly had it with «Heartseed»’s enigmatic manner of speech.

“Ah... I see... In that case, I’ll be going now... I’ll see you again soon... Tomorrow after school, perhaps...”

“Answer me!” she roared.

“Tomorrow... after school...?” Taichi muttered helplessly.

“Yes... Like I said, today was just an advance notice... Ideally I would have liked to get it all over with today, but... two of you were missing, so... I’ll just have to come back tomorrow... I did consider not turning up today at all, but... I hate having to cancel my plans... so I decided to show up anyway... Besides, I knew it was the safer option...”

“They’re ‘missing’ because of your stupid Liberation shit,” Inaba hissed.

“Don’t be silly... This is hardly my fault... I just thought... if I don’t hurry up and let them know... it might end too quickly... That’s the whole reason I came... I’d rather things don’t end prematurely, you know...? Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘In that case you should have told us beforehand,’ but, well... it can be rather entertaining to watch you people get all flustered at the start...”

Evidently its goal was still to “watch” their “entertaining” behavior... but the significance of those words was still unclear.

“Anyway, see you...” With that, «Heartseed» headed for the door... then stopped short. “Wait... Upon further reflection... No one promised me they’d pass on the information to the other two... But I think it’s safe to assume one of you will do so... Perhaps Inaba-san with her perfect memory? I’d appreciate it...”

For a moment the entire room froze as Inaba glared back at «Heartseed». Then, balling her fists, she opened her mouth to speak. “And what if I say no?”

“I think that’ll just make things worse for yourselves...”

“And that will make things worse for you.”

She was trying her hardest to back «Heartseed» into a corner. How does she have the mental composure for that?

But while Inaba looked visibly tense, «Heartseed» didn’t even quirk a brow. “Wow... You’re so mean... You know I don’t have the energy to go find them... Ugh... I guess I’ll have to put everything on pause for now...”

“The fuck does that even mean?!”

“Well... I was thinking... I could make an exception just this once... and purposely set it so Liberation won’t strike... between now and when I see you all tomorrow.”

“Why are you doing this...?” Nagase whimpered tearfully.

“Are you listening...? I said I’d put the Liberation phenomenon on pause until I finish explaining everything tomorrow... Like a free moment of respite... A rest stop... Aagh... I don’t know how else to put it... and it doesn’t even matter...”

“You can do that?” Inaba asked incredulously.

“Apparently... It’s not exactly kosher on my end, I don’t think... but it’s better than having everything end prematurely... But most of all... it seems like it would be fun to try, just once... Anyway, I’ll see you again... tomorrow, same time, same place... or maybe not... See you sometime.”

With that, «Heartseed» left the clubroom.

No one tried to stop him—no one could.

After «Heartseed» left, a long silence fell over the room.

Then, finally, Inaba spoke. “Again...?” she muttered.

Meanwhile, the other two were still at a loss for words.

Taichi didn’t have the first clue what to do, or how to even react to this. He always knew there was a slight possibility... No, more than slight. After all, it had already happened once. But deep down, he’d hoped they’d never have to go through anything as surreal as the body-swap ever again.

Unfortunately, it seemed this supernatural entity known as «Heartseed» had it out for them.

“Why...?”

Nagase barely seemed to register that she’d spoken out loud.

The word spun around and around inside Taichi’s head. Why? Why? Why?

Was there any way they could have avoided this? Sadly, the answer was no. And it was crushing.

“Okay, uh... Anyone have any ideas on how we can circumvent this shit?” Inaba asked.

Neither of them had an answer.

“Figured as much. I’m coming up empty myself.”

They’d attempted to brainstorm countermeasures during the body-swap, too—only to realize there really weren’t any. And without any new hints to go on, there was simply no way of gaining the upper hand.

“Do we just have to... accept it?” Nagase whispered.

“There’s gotta be something... Something we can do... Personally, I’m gonna keep thinking. But right now...”

Both Nagase and Inaba looked utterly despondent.

Taichi was feeling pretty shattered himself... but he knew he had to say something.

“We survived it last time, didn’t we? So we’ll survive it again... somehow!” he quickly added as he realized he had no real basis for his statement. It came out sounding so stupid, however, that he hastily continued, “What I mean is... We need to believe that we can survive this. I know we shouldn’t look too lightly on the situation, but despairing about it won’t help us either... Again, I’m not saying we should be too optimistic—!”

As he struggled to find the right words, Nagase and Inaba burst out laughing.

“C-Could you guys not laugh at me right now?!”

“Look, dumbass, I get what you’re going for, but do you have to be so goddamn awkward about it?”

“You coulda pulled it off if you’d had a little more confidence... Too bad.”

“Gee, sorry I didn’t meet your standards, then!”

“Hmph... Oh well. Apparently that thing has more it wants to tell us... and allegedly it’s put the whole phenomenon on pause or whatever... Maybe you’re right. Maybe all we can do for right now is tell ourselves that we’ll be fine.” Inaba folded her arms with a sigh.

“It all starts tomorrow, once «Heartseed» comes back... Now that we know it’s coming, maybe we should set up some sort of ambush,” Nagase suggested half-jokingly.

“What, like a booby trap?” Inaba retorted.

Their quiet laughter filled the room... and that was all it took to breathe life back into the world around them.

“Alright. It all goes down tomorrow. I’ll let Yui and Aoki know. Seeing as nothing will happen for the next 24 hours or so, I say we all go home and rest up... Ugh, that makes it sound like I’m looking forward to it...” Inaba grumbled.

And so club activities ended for the day.

But Taichi didn’t get much sleep that night.

■□■□■

The next day, as expected, Kiriyama Yui and Aoki Yoshifumi were let off without a formal punishment.

After first period let out, Taichi, Nagase, and Inaba met up with Aoki in the hallway. He seemed a bit tired, but otherwise no worse for wear.

“I’m sorry for worryin’ you guys,” he said, lowering his head in a bow.

“No need to apologize. You weren’t the one we were worried about, anyway.”

“Wow, rude enough?! Would it kill you to be nice to me for once, Inabacchan?!” Aoki was back from the front lines, and yet Inaba showed no signs of sympathy. “Then again... I know you’re just treatin’ me the same as always so I won’t feel weird... Maybe that’s just how you show your love!”

“Whoa there, buddy... That sure is positive thinking, alright... Even I wouldn’t go that far...” Nagase leaned away from him awkwardly.

So that’s how it is... Anyone who was genuinely worried for this overly optimistic dumbass would just end up looking stupid anyway... I should try to remember that.

“Anyway... You okay, dude?” Taichi asked.

“Yeah, I’m totally fine! Thanks. It was no big deal, really.” Aoki grinned. Despite the recent whirlwind of events—despite everything Inaba had told him over the phone about the return of «Heartseed»—he seemed just as cheerful as always.

I wish I could do that, Taichi thought.

But then, Aoki’s face fell. “I’m a little worried about Yui, though.”

Their expressions darkened.

Kiriyama hadn’t turned up at school that day, either.

■□■□■

Sure enough, «Heartseed» turned up at their clubroom after school that day, just as it had promised. Once again, it was piloting the body of their class advisor and club supervisor, Gotou Ryuuzen.

Although they’d known in advance it was coming, they hadn’t thought of any countermeasures. They’d barely even managed to prepare themselves emotionally.

“Oh... I see we’re still missing Kiriyama-san... Oh well... I don’t feel like waiting any longer... Just pass the message on to her at some point later, if you would... And here I was trying to make sure everyone could be present for my explanation... What a waste of effort... Anyway... Do you remember what we discussed yesterday? I feel like I went over the basic rundown, at least... You have a photographic memory, don’t you, Inaba-san? What do you think?”

Inaba grimaced, then quickly pulled herself together and turned to face «Heartseed».

“You said our desires will be ‘Liberated’ at random—usually whichever one is strongest at that moment. Hah... So you’re not fucking with our heads or controlling our bodies. Instead you’re gonna mess around with our hearts? Disgusting.”

“Oh... Good... Sounds like I explained it fairly well... But... ‘mess around with your hearts’...? I’m insulted... While I might chemically alter your inhibition levels, I would never forcibly strengthen, weaken, or change your desires outright... If anything, I’m just setting you free... Depending on how you look at it, this might even help you discover your true selves... After all, even your most subliminal desires will be affected...”

“Setting us free...? Our true selves...?” Nagase mumbled to herself.

“How do I put it...? I take the Liberated desire and give it absolute authority over your body... so much that you cannot fight it... and then that desire reveals the person you are on the inside... Not to repeat myself, but just to be clear, I’m not meddling with your heart or the desires themselves... Everything you do while Liberated is something you yourself wanted to do in the first place...”

“That doesn’t make it fucking okay! So you’re telling me if I were to get pissed off, like, ‘Fuck, I wanna kill this asshole!’ and then this stupid Liberation shit kicks in, I might actually straight up murder someone?”

Murder.

With this logic carried to its extreme, it was entirely possible.

A faint shiver ran down Taichi’s spine—a different kind of fear.

But «Heartseed» didn’t even blink.

“Interesting... So you’re the sort of person who contemplates murder whenever someone makes you the slightest bit angry... How creepy...” it mused aloud.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying... That would only happen if you sincerely wanted to... So you must have a lot of homicidal urges knocking around in there...”

“It... It was just a hypothetical question! I don’t actually want to kill anyone, obviously...!”

“Right, of course not... After all, most people aren’t boiling with bloodlust every minute of every day...”

Gritting her teeth, Inaba balled her hands into fists. It seemed even she couldn’t outsmart «Heartseed». Even with all the “advance notice” in the world, there was simply nothing any of them could do.

“Okay... I don’t want you all to get the wrong idea, so I guess I’ll explain a little further... Liberation won’t cause you to go on some kind of crazy rampage, alright...? Nothing like that will happen unless you sincerely want to do it...”

“Crazy rampage... Are you talkin’ ‘bout Yui?” Aoki asked coldly.

“Am I...? Who knows...”

“Quit dickin’ me around, pal!” Aoki started to rise from his chair, but Inaba stopped him.

“Look... Aren’t we meant to control our impulses? Isn’t that what makes us human?” she asked «Heartseed».

It paused for a moment, its expression as stoic as ever. Was it trying to think? It wasn’t clear.

“Says who...?”

Touché.

“Do humans often wish to kill another, but their common sense hides it below the surface...? Or do humans only think they want to kill someone, when in actuality that desire is much, much rarer...? I hope for your sake it’s the latter... Otherwise things could get sticky...”

This was murder they were talking about—the greatest sin of all. Sticky was an understatement. Not only would it destroy their friendship, it would destroy their entire lives outside the club.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out...”

“Fuck you! We’re not your goddamn guinea pigs!”

“Ugh... Please stop shouting, Inaba-san... It won’t help you... Please just accept that this is how things are going to work... and try your best... And as for me, I’ll do my best to observe you... Once things get nice and interesting, it’ll end eventually...”

“Fuck you...” Inaba repeated weakly. Evidently she was starting to come to terms with it.

“Oh, one more thing... When your desires are unleashed... You may hear a [voice] in your head... Think of it as your true self crying out to be heard... It’s a sort of side effect of the Liberation... Don’t worry about it... Ugh... I’m so tired of talking...” «Heartseed» muttered. “Okay, well... I feel like I’ve said everything I needed to say... or have I...? Oh well... Any questions? For once I’m actually willing to entertain your concerns for a moment...”

“...You’re not going to add the body-swap back in later or some shit like that, are you?” Inaba asked after a small pause.

Oh. Right. Taichi hadn’t thought of that.

“No, that won’t be happening... After all, it’s already over.”

“Hmph. Is that so? I find that a little hard to believe, since you’re in [Gotou’s body] right now. Clearly you’re still capable of it.”

The others could only watch as Inaba continued to argue with the supernatural entity like it was nothing.

“Ah, I see... You’re right... Truth be told, using this fellow is simply more convenient... I have other methods, but... this one is the easiest.” «Heartseed» patted its own—or rather, [Gotou’s]—chest.

“Right, right. God forbid anything be hard for you... Haah... I guess there really is no beating you...”

“Well... I imagine it would be akin to you ‘beating’ a natural disaster...”

What an apt comparison.

“And let me guess: you say it’s all random chance, but the truth is, you can control it at will, can’t you?”

“If I said no, I doubt you would believe me... so I’ll say yes. But for the most part it’ll be at random, so don’t worry... Oh, right... That’s not much in the way of reassurance...”

“Uggghhh! God damn it! What the fuck is wrong with you, you psychopath?! You really piss me the fuck off, you know that? You act like you’re gonna ‘entertain our concerns’ but you won’t even tell us who the fuck you are! Fuck yourself!” Inaba bit her fingernail and glared venomously at «Heartseed».

“I feel like I keep having to say this, but... You should try not to think too hard about these things... I would really appreciate it if you could just accept your reality... and move on to brainstorming what actions you all should take... It’s for the best... for all of us... I mean, we both want this to end as quickly as possible, yes...?”

“One more question.”

“...Go ahead... I’m feeling charitable today...”

“Is there a rule against isolating ourselves?”

Taichi didn’t understand where she was going with that question, but judging from her voice, it was critical.

«Heartseed»’s lips curled in a faint, eerie smile. The sight of it made Taichi’s skin crawl.

“I see... You truly are a smart cookie, Inaba-san... I’m probably better off not answering those sorts of questions... but I’ll answer anyway, out of respect for you...”

They were playing some sort of mental chess with each other, and Taichi couldn’t even begin to follow it.

“I’ll say this... It sounds interesting... Alternatively, if need be, I can... make it interesting.”

“Hmph... You’re such a dick,” Inaba spat, arms folded.

“Say whatever you like... it won’t change anything... Can I go now...? Yes? Off I go, then... Homeward bound... Ugh... I can’t believe I put in all this effort two days in a row... Maybe I’m improving... Don’t you think I’m improving...? Oh, right... There’s no point asking you... Now then, let’s see... Yes, the moment I take my leave of here, the Liberation will resume...”

The Liberation will resume.

This was their last chance.

“...Hey, wait!” Taichi called out at the last moment, upon finally finding his voice.

“...Did you need something, Yaegashi-san? I get the feeling you don’t.” «Heartseed»’s dull, lifeless, half-lidded eyes seemed to look straight through him, and he froze like a deer in headlights. It felt like he was staring into the void.

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak.

“Didn’t think so... I’ll be going now...”

Show up, drop a bombshell, and leave. That was the «Heartseed» way. And they had no choice but to let it happen.

But just as it was about to walk out the door, Inaba called out to it.

“You wanna know something about natural disasters? It’s true that most people might run and hide... but if you think 100% of humanity is like that, you’ve got another thing coming.”

She grinned and flipped the bird.

“...Yes, I know... Now then... Best of luck to you all.”

And with that, the door clicked shut behind it.

■□■□■

Taichi and the others sat collapsed in their folding chairs.

Now that «Heartseed» was gone, it felt like a vicious hurricane had swept into the room and destroyed everything they held dear, sparing only their lives. They knew they needed to do something, but what?

They were so naive to think that it was over. No, it had only just begun. And now they would have to endure yet another supernatural phenomenon for who knows how long.

Are we sure we can handle this? Taichi asked himself.

Could they survive the storm without anyone getting hurt... ideally himself included?

He knew it wouldn’t be easy. He could feel it in his bones.

For a while, no one spoke. They probably needed time to think as much as he did.

“Tch... I knew that thing was coming, but I still couldn’t do a damn thing...” Inaba grumbled finally.

“No, I think you did great... I mean, personally, I froze up completely,” Taichi muttered as the memory of [Gotou] «Heartseed» floated through his mind. His heart was still pounding hard. Something about that unspeakable, unearthly presence was so... viscerally repulsive.

“...We all agreed Inaban would be the one to do the talking... though I get the feeling it would’ve happened either way...” Nagase laughed weakly.

“Yeah... I kinda lost my cool back there... Sorry, guys. It’s just... when it comes to Yui, I...” Aoki’s voice petered out.

“It’s not your fault. I guess... our only choice is to accept it.” There was a quiet warmth in Inaba’s voice.

“I guess so... It’s a little late now, but... does anyone have any other ideas...?” Nagase mumbled.

No one said a word.

Taichi had spent all of yesterday and today trying to think of ways to counteract the phenomenon. He even contemplated skipping school and going somewhere far, far away. But somehow he just couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. How could any of them even escape when they were dealing with the sort of entity that could possess their bodies at will?

“If last time is anything to go by, this should only last for about a month... I think all we can do at this point is grit our teeth and bear it,” Inaba answered quietly. “Something tells me we just can’t escape that thing.”

“So we got no choice...” Aoki muttered.

For a moment, a heavy silence descended upon the clubroom... Then Taichi shattered it.

“Let’s do it.”

Taichi knew he was mostly powerless, and at times his fears threatened to crush him into paste—but nevertheless, he had spent all of yesterday gearing up for today. If running away wasn’t an option, then his only choice was to confront it head-on and limit the damage as much as possible.

Because that’s how you weather the storm.

Nagase clapped her palms to her cheeks, as if to snap herself out of her funk. Then she looked around the room with determination in her eyes. “Let’s do this, guys!”

They nodded. They all knew what they had to do.

From there, it was Inaba who took control.

“Alright then... Real quick, let’s get the facts in order. What we know about the phenomenon is... well, that fucker already told us everything, so we’ve got that covered, I guess. As for Yui, I’ll talk to her myself later. The first thing we should try to figure out is what exactly this ‘Liberation’ does to us.”

“I’ve been thinking... maybe the incident at the station...” Nagase glanced hesitantly in Aoki’s direction.

“Nngh... Yeahhh... When I saw them takin’ Yui away, I... I remember thinkin’ ‘Don’t you dare!’... I mean, you know Yui’s condition! She was scared witless surrounded by all those dudes! And then I heard this [voice] in my head... and after that I kinda lost my temper... Always thought there was somethin’ weird about it...”

As Aoki fell silent, Inaba piped up. “Yui must have thought ‘I want to protect that girl, even if it means I have to fight those men.’ And you must have thought ‘I want to protect Yui, even if it means getting in trouble with the cops.’ Normally common sense would have kicked in at that point, but...”

“But you were both Liberated, so you went through with it,” Nagase finished.

“Yeah... I guess that musta been what happened. Sorry, guys.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault.”

“Then... do you think maybe the reason Kiriyama broke the table the other day was because she thought to herself ‘I demand to know what’s going on, even if it means I have to make a scene’?” asked Taichi.

Inaba nodded. “Yeah. Conversely, I imagine ‘making a scene’ was as far as she went. I wish I could say for sure, but, well... it makes sense, if that fuckhead is to be believed.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“What I mean is, Yui didn’t think to herself ‘I’ll punch them if I have to.’ Maybe she knew she didn’t need to go that far, or maybe she would have escalated if the table thing didn’t work. It’s hard to say.”

“Right...” Taichi nodded.

According to «Heartseed», this “Liberation” would simply force them to act on the desires lurking deep down inside. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Wait... So when you tried to climb on top of m—”

“HYAH!” Inaba promptly karate chopped him in the throat.

“GGHH?!” Taichi began to sputter and choke. “Th... That really hurt, damn it...!”

“Fuck off! Maybe that’ll teach you to shut the fuck up, you fucking clod! Have some common fucking decency, would you?! Don’t go parading my shame around in front of everyone! Just forget it! Or do you need me to beat it out of your thick skull?!” She was so furious, she had completely lost her composure. Was she Liberated...? No, it didn’t seem that way.

“Oh yeahhh... Come to think of it, we never really got to the bottom a’ that, did we? Taichi, you’d better explain—Oh, wait, maybe not in front of Iori-chan...” Aoki managed to catch himself, but by then it was already far, far too late.

“Ummm... What’s this about Inaban climbing on top of Taichi...?” Nagase asked, head tilted quizzically.

“See?! Now look what you’ve done, dipshit! You stupid asshole!”

“S-Sorry...” Taichi hung his head in shame.

“Yeah, well, if ‘sorry’ could fix all the world’s problems, we wouldn’t need the cops, now would we?”

“Uh, guys? Can someone clue me in here?”

“Nngh... Look, just don’t tell anyone, alright?! ...A couple days ago, me and Taichi were alone in the clubroom, and I... I kinda tried to climb on top of him... But nothing ended up happening, okay?! We barely even touched each other! And then Yui and Aoki shown up. Showed up!”

Inaba was so nervous she was stumbling over her words, but Taichi didn’t even crack a smile. He nodded along desperately.

“O-Oh... Gotcha... So what made you wanna do that? ...Wait, don’t answer that. I don’t wanna pry. Sorry! Forget I asked!”

“No, it’s fine! I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of perpetually horny slut or whatever! At the time, I was browsing around online, and I accidentally... clicked on a porn website.”

The three of them froze, staring blankly. Taichi tried his best not to laugh.

“Look, I... I don’t know how far I would’ve gone, but... p-probably nothing too crazy, okay? Not like I have any experience, anyway...” Inaba’s face was now so flushed, Taichi was too embarrassed to look her in the eye. Instead, he vowed never to make mention of that incident again so long as he lived.

Meanwhile, Nagase and Aoki stood side by side, knowing looks on their faces, hands clasped together in quiet prayer.

May we all soon forget Inaba’s greatest shame.

“Ahem.” Inaba cleared her throat, and everyone hastily straightened up. “Anyway, as I was saying... Basically, once we’re Liberated, it becomes a matter of what exactly we want to do and how badly we want to do it—possibly even on a subconscious level... Ugh, I can’t believe it’s gonna fuck around with our subconscious... This sucks...”

“As long as we’re aware of the desire we can reasonably predict the outcome, but if it’s subconscious then it’s harder to anticipate, right?” asked Nagase.

“Precisely. This is just my speculation, so take it with a grain of salt, but... I think we can expect it to affect the really ridiculous ones, too. The sort of irrational subconscious desires that our common sense would reject on the spot,” Inaba continued. As usual, she was one step ahead of the rest of them.

“Uggghhh... All that ‘subconscious’ talk is flying right over my head, but it sounds hecka dangerous... I mean, I already caused a scene back at the train station...” Aoki moaned.

“Our innermost desires... Our hearts... Our true selves...” Nagase whispered slowly, mulling it all over.

“Iori, I wouldn’t equate your inner desires with your true self if I were you. Anyway... Real talk, this is some serious shit. Way worse than the body-swap ever was.”

“I don’t know... I think the body-swap was pretty bad, all things considered,” Taichi replied.

“Put some thought into it, Taichi. Did the body-swap ever have adverse effects beyond the five of us?” She regarded him with a level gaze as she continued. “I know you know what I’m talking about. Just think about what you tried to do to Fujishima yesterday morning.”

Her words pierced his chest like a knife.

He’d heard a [voice]... and then the fever kicked in... and then he tried to...

He could feel himself start to sweat just thinking back on it.

Truth be told, he didn’t want to admit it. He wanted to believe it was all just a figment of his imagination. If he could forget it, he would in a heartbeat...

But there was no point in running from the truth.

And the truth was that he had attempted to hurt Fujishima Maiko.

He didn’t know how far he would have gone without Inaba there to stop him. Maybe he would have just shoved her, or grabbed her by the collar. There was no way to know for sure.

Ultimately, however, it didn’t change the fact that he had felt a violent impulse... and that knowledge weighed on him like a ton of bricks.

From there, Inaba continued to review what they’d learned, and together they discussed possible countermeasures. Admittedly, they were more prepared this time around than they had been for the body-swap... but the thought that they were already conditioned to surviving these supernatural phenomena was an unpleasant one, to say the least.

“...So, I’m thinking we have two options here,” Inaba said after a moment of silence. “Either we try to suppress our emotions by choosing not to ‘want’ anything, or we just go hog-wild without holding ourselves back or overthinking it... Well, more accurately, I imagine we’ll probably need to switch between the two as the need arises...”

“Whaddya mean, Inabacchan?” asked Aoki.

“Well... Keep in mind that this is just my hypothesis based on that asshole’s explanation, so it might be bullshit, but here’s how I see it. For the first one, you gotta will yourself not to react emotionally to anything. If you can make yourself completely zen, like a monk or something, then hypothetically that fuckface could Liberate you all it wants and it wouldn’t matter.”

She had a point. If they were being forced to act on their desires, then the easiest way to circumvent that would be to not have any desires in the first place. However...

“Won’t that be kinda hard, though? «Heartseed» said it would even affect our subconscious... and I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not that zen,” Nagase muttered with a frown.

“You’re not wrong. Hence, the second option: choosing instead to pursue our desires full-throttle. My conjecture for this one is, if we’ve already satisfied our desires by the time Liberation strikes, then maybe nothing much will come of it.”

“Oh, I get it... They sound like total opposites, but both of them would reduce our inner desires, right?” asked Taichi.

Inaba nodded. “In principle, yeah. The asshole said it himself: ‘human desires are always fluctuating.’ So clearly he’s not referring to our long-term goals or ambitions here. And we’ve seen for ourselves that it tends to affect passing whims more than anything. So I reckon we might be able to control it somewhat, as long as we’re careful.”

Thanks to Inaba, there was now a single ray of hope in the darkness. Its light was feeble at best, but to Taichi, it was so much better than nothing.

“That said, obviously neither option is completely foolproof. With option one, if you try to suppress yourself too much, you might explode. And with option two, the more you sate your desires, the more you run the risk that they start snowballing out of control.”

“Nngh... So whadda we do?!” Aoki asked, clutching at his hair.

“Truth be told, I don’t know,” Inaba responded. Even she wasn’t omniscient. “This is ultimately just a suggestion, but... keep them both in mind. It’ll be one hell of a balancing act, but if you can manage it... try to go with the flow and pursue your desires while carefully letting go of any strong emotions.”

“So... act normal, be ourselves, don’t overthink things, but pay close attention?” asked Taichi.

“Sure. That’s one way to paraphrase it, I guess. I’d say those are the main points... That said, I already know you go with the flow by default, Taichi.”

“What? No I don’t!”

...Do I?

Taichi tilted his head, puzzled. Inaba scoffed.

“If it gets bad—I’m talking really bad—it might be in our best interests to just act normally. No reagents, no explosion, after all. And overthinking might lead your train of thought down the wrong path... That said, you probably should think a little about some things... Gah! I’m just going around in circles!”

“No, no, this has been a huge help! You rock, Inaban! Your analytical skills are out of this world!” Nagase piped up with a smile.

Personally, Taichi was inclined to agree. Once again they had found themselves thrust into the midst of a supernatural crisis, and yet Inaba still managed to memorize every tiny detail «Heartseed» gave them and turn it into something they could use to their advantage. All that time dedicated to information gathering and analysis had clearly paid off.

“Yeah, yeah. Suck-up.”

“Oh, I know! We should all try to cover for each other as much as we can. Like, if somethin’ bad happens to one of us, the rest of us should try to laugh it off. That’ll help keep us outta trouble, don’tcha think?” Aoki suggested.

“Definitely,” Taichi agreed.

“Plus, we got me an’ Yui in one class, and everybody else is in 1-C, so it works out perfectly! ...And I don’t mean that in a weird way!”

“Right. Yeah, that’s an option, I guess...” Inaba looked down at the table as if in thought.

“Hmm? You don’t like it, Inabacchan? Thought it was a pretty good idea myself...”

“No, that’s not it... It’s a fine idea. It certainly can’t hurt to cover for each other... Anyway. Guess that’s about it for today. It’s getting late, so let’s all head home. All that’s left is to roll with the punches and play it by ear.”

And so the four of them began to pack up their things.

They’d managed to come up with some semblance of a game plan, but Taichi’s anxiety still lingered. He took his time packing up, desperate to stay with the others as long as possible.

“Yui’ll prolly be back at school tomorrow, so we can just go from there,” said Aoki.

“Yeah... I’m not really sure what the right answer is, but... as long as we work together, I’m sure we’ll figure it all out. We got this,” Nagase replied with a soft, slightly awkward smile. After everything she went through last time, she had every right to be scared witless, and yet here she was, trying to be strong for everyone else.

Taichi shook away his internal whining. Their only choice was to move forward.

“Damn right. And I’ll be sure to do everything I can to get us through this,” he told them.

Whatever it takes to keep that smile on her face, he vowed silently.

“I’m counting on you, Taichi. I need you to be there for Iori, too.”

His heart skipped a beat. Had Inaba read his mind?

“Oh, uh... sure thing. But not just her, of course! I’ll be here for all of y—”

“You just worry about yourself and Iori, alright?” Inaba interrupted. “And Aoki, you look after Yui! Oh, wait... There’s no way in hell I can entrust her to you...”

“You talk smack now, Inabacchan, but you will surely rue the day you underestimated the power of love!”

“You make her sound like the villain here,” Taichi retorted.

“Wait... Inaban, where’s your stuff? Aren’t you heading out with us?” Nagase asked.

Inaba was the only one still seated.

“Huh? Oh, right... Well, we still need to turn in the damn Culture Bulletin. We were supposed to go over it together the other day, but...”

Oh, right. It had slipped Taichi’s mind entirely.

“Oh crap.” Evidently Nagase had forgotten, too. “Well, we kinda have more important stuff on our plate now...”

“Agreed. So yeah, no sense in all of us worrying about it. I’ll just look over it myself before I submit it to Gotou. Sound good?”

“I could help with that,” Taichi suggested.

“Me too! Oh, wait... I’m no good at nitpicky stuff... I could go buy drinks, though!” Aoki offered.

But Inaba shook her head. “I don’t need help. There’s just a few quick edits I want to make and then I’ll be done. Just go home, you dorks. Who knows what fresh hell awaits us tomorrow,” she replied, pushing them out the door with a rare, genuine smile on her face.

“What’s gotten into you, Inaban? You okay? You’re acting kind of weird...”

“It’s nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over, Iori.”

And so the three of them left the clubroom.

Conflicted, Taichi turned back, but Inaba simply grinned and waved before summarily closing the door in his face.

■□■□■

She leaned back against the door, feeling the slight chill of the solid wood through her jacket.

After a brief conversation outside, Taichi, Iori, and Aoki had finally headed downstairs. But even though she knew they were gone, she remained rooted to the spot.

Silently, she began to count.

One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten.

Then she slid down to the floor, where the cold linoleum greeted her through her skirt. She knew she was going to get her uniform all dirty, but she didn’t care anymore. She couldn’t take it.

“Did I do a good job...?” she whispered feebly to herself, her voice shaking with emotion. But the room was empty now, and there was no answer.

Her heart had shattered the instant «Heartseed» finished its full explanation of the phenomenon. The moment it all clicked in her head, she’d nearly had a breakdown. She wanted so badly to cling to someone and cry... but she knew she couldn’t.

She was Inaba Himeko, and she had to be strong.

That was the version of her the others wanted her to be, and she wanted that for herself, too. She wanted to be strong for her own sake...

But unfortunately, that was looking next to impossible this time around.

“I hope they’ll be okay...” she muttered, then scoffed derisively at herself.

As if I’m in any position to be worrying about them right now. Who am I kidding?

Hugging her knees to her chest, she curled into a ball. She could no longer feel the hard wooden door at her back; instead, all that remained was the faint warmth of her own body heat.

Now that the clubroom was empty, the air felt so... cold.

“What do I do...?” she asked aloud, hoping to find some kind of solution, but in vain. There was nothing there to find but the silent void.

No one had an answer for her.

What if I just... stayed like this?

No sooner had the thought occurred to her than she shook her head dismissively.

“...I gotta get shit done.”

After all, Gotou might leave campus soon.

She let out a long breath, then put her hands on her knees and staggered to her feet.

I’ll be fine. I can hold out a little longer.

And yet she found she lacked the energy to brush the dust from her skirt.

■□■□■

“Heya, Taichi. Got time for a chat?”

That night, Taichi was sitting in his room when his phone rang. It was Nagase.

Unlike last time, she seemed calm. Evidently she’d called of her own free will this time around.

“Oh, sure thing. I’m surprised you’re calling so late.”

“Yeah... Sorry... I just need to get this off my chest.”

“Totally fine. Go for it.”

Taichi tensed slightly. Her voice had a hardness to it; whatever it was she wanted to discuss, apparently it wasn’t pleasant. And now that «Heartseed» had shown its face again, anything was possible.

“It’s about... the thing we talked about last time I called.”

His heart skipped a beat, and his ears flushed red.

“O-Oh. That,” he stammered. It had caught him entirely off-guard.

The day before yesterday, they had reassured each other that they still had feelings for each other. And now there was more to it?

“I know we kinda have more important stuff to worry about... but I thought about it, and... this is important, too.”

Crap.

He should’ve been giving it more thought, but he’d put it off, what with all the chaos in their lives lately. It was too late for regrets, however.

They needed to take the next step, and he wanted to be the one to initiate it... but how? Was he better off just cutting straight to the point, like before? In the past, he’d sort of blurted his feelings out in the heat of the moment.

Maybe I should spice things up this time around? Or maybe it doesn’t matter? Oh god, I’m thinking too much and nothing’s coming to me!

Before he could make up his mind, however, Nagase spoke.

“Is it cool if we... maintain the status quo?”

“The... status quo...?” He hadn’t quite anticipated that.

“I don’t mean it in a bitchy way... I just think we should keep our distance for a bit, you know?”

“Keep our distance? As in, just stay friends?”

Was that really what she wanted?

“Oh, umm, not to give you the wrong idea or anything! I just mean for right now, that’s all!”

He didn’t quite understand where this was coming from. “Why?”

“Well, I mean... now that we’ve got «Heartseed» doing this weird ‘Liberation’ stuff to us, we’re not quite ourselves, you know? I just... I don’t think it’s a good idea to start a relationship in the middle of all that.”

She had a point. Once again, they were in the middle of a crisis. Truth be told, Taichi didn’t really comprehend just what «Heartseed»’s Liberation phenomenon was doing to them... and it would be foolish to make any important life decisions while they already had so much on their plate. That much was obvious.

“You’re totally right... Sorry, I didn’t even think of that.”

“No need to apologize. Anyway, cool! Just wanted to put that out there. So if anything weird happens between us, let’s just agree to not take it too seriously.”

“Yeah, for sure. Things are kinda precarious for us right now. I mean, anything could happen.” He ran his free hand over his body. Nothing felt particularly out of place... but that only made it all the more uncomfortable. How many terrifying urges were lurking in there?

“Precarious... Yeah, definitely. Who knows what we might do... Listen, umm... I need to confess my sins.”

What am I, your priest?

“Uh, sure, go for it... Is it something I should be concerned about?” he asked.

“No, no. Technically it doesn’t involve you, but I just feel so guilty... Okay. Truth is, I just want to use you as an outlet so I can try to feel better about it. Sorry. Not super cool of me.”

“You’re not using me, silly. You can vent to me all you want and I’m more than happy to listen.”

That’s what being a boyfriend is all about, he thought, but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Thanks, Taichi... I really need this.”

“Lay it on me,” he replied casually.

“I’m just... I’m still so insecure, you know?”

Nagase hadn’t opened up about her fears in quite a while. She was constantly looking to others for approval and trying too hard to keep up all of her various outward personas to the point that she had now nearly lost sight of who she truly was. In the past, she’d told him she felt a lot better after talking to him about it, but evidently it wasn’t enough to wipe away her anxiety completely. Then again, that much was to be expected. It was a complicated issue, after all.

“I see...” He couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Oh, but I’m doing way better than I was before, obviously! You’ve done so much to make me feel better about everything. Like, real talk? These days I’m starting to feel like I can actually be myself around everybody.”

“That’s good...”

“Yeah. Thank you so much! But... there are still times when I ask myself, ‘Am I sure this is what I want?’ So... I’m kinda looking forward to what «Heartseed» might do to me,” she explained in a hard voice.

He pictured the icy, mirthless expression he’d seen on her face a few times previously.

“Like, maybe this Liberation will dig up all my most suppressed desires, and then I’ll get to see the real me, not the edited version... I know that’s probably not how it works, but still... I just can’t help it. I’d do anything to find the person I was meant to be.”

Suppressed desires. The real, unedited version of oneself. Taichi didn’t have all the answers, but he understood what she was trying to say and why she felt the way she did.

“I really hate myself for thinking like that, you know? Liberation is dangerous—we know that for a fact after what happened to Yui and Aoki. I can’t stand how self-centered I am... but I can’t stop myself either...” she muttered. “Anyway, confession time over! Sorry for babbling at you! I’ll buy you lunch sometime!”

As usual, she was quick to change tack. The darkness had left her voice entirely. But what was she really thinking?

Taichi struggled to think of something to say to her.

“Anyway, thanks for letting me keep you up. See you tomorrow.”

She’s gonna hang up! Say something! Anything!

He still hadn’t thought of anything valuable to contribute to the conversation, but his mouth was already moving.

“I feel like that’s an important part of who you are, though!”

“What?”

“W-Well, you know... You always try to look at things objectively, even when it comes to yourself. To me, that’s the real you!” he blurted desperately.

“Oh... umm... You think so?”

“Yeah... Pretty sure, anyway... I just think, you know, you’ll probably figure yourself out with time.”

She giggled. “You know, even when things get all crazy, as long as you’re around, I feel like everything will be okay... I’m gonna do my best to be more like you, I think. Anyway, see you.”

“Okay, see ya.”

With that, the call ended. Taichi closed his flip phone and set it down.

Something still didn’t sit quite right with him, but the more he tried to probe it, the further away understanding became.

“Forget it.” He jumped to his feet, walked over to the window, and opened it. A cool breeze rushed in, quickly negating the stuffy air inside. Beyond the window, the night sky had clouded over, with not a star to be seen.

What would the next day bring? What would happen? What would change?

They had decided to accept their fate, and so their battle would begin tomorrow. No, actually, technically it had already begun.

“We’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it,” he muttered to himself before closing the window once more.