Chapter 5: Stronger Together

The day after the incident with Aoki Yoshifumi and Nagase Iori in the clubroom, Yaegashi Taichi headed to school, same as always.

Truth be told, maybe an arrogant, self-obsessed asshat like him was better off staying home... but something told him that would only make things worse. After all, his house wasn’t exactly free of risks—his whole family was there.

Besides, if he went into isolation, Nagase would almost certainly blame herself, and he didn’t want to hurt her again, either physically or otherwise.

But at the same time, if that was how he sincerely felt, then wasn’t it kind of selfish of him to go outside in the first place when he couldn’t even control his own actions?

He didn’t know what the right answer was. He was just stumbling blindly at this point.

And now here he was at school... but that latent fear of losing control continued to fester in the back of his mind.

He decided to keep his distance from everyone, focus on schoolwork, and try to survive the day. He’d already told Nagase his plan by email, so whenever she came around, he purposely avoided her.

As for Aoki, he’d sent him an email apologizing for everything he’d said yesterday... but he had yet to receive a reply. When gym class rolled around, it became obvious that Aoki was intentionally ignoring him.

At the end of the day, Taichi found he lacked the courage to go to the clubroom.

The next day, he continued on just the same as the day before.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone for so long without talking to Nagase or Inaba when they weren’t even absent. Normally they said hi to each other at least once a day during break.

At this point, Watase Shingo and his other friends had started asking “Are you in a bad mood or something?” with increasing frequency. As it turned out, pulling away had the tendency to attract unwanted attention.

Last but most assuredly not least, there was the matter of Kiriyama Yui. Over a week had passed since the incident at the station, and she still hadn’t turned up at school—not today, nor the day before.

According to what Taichi had heard—as in, he was straight-up eavesdropping—Nagase had gone to Kiriyama’s house alone the day before, to no avail. And supposedly she was planning on going again later that day as well. She wasn’t the only one, either; apparently there were other girls in Kiriyama’s class who were starting to make similar attempts, though without knowing the context behind her isolation none of them had any real success.

He needed to figure out what to do about Kiriyama, but if he got Liberated in the process, there was no telling what might happen. Thus, he was better off discussing Kiriyama in a group with the rest of the CRC—but even that was a gamble. If any of them, particularly himself, started to get emotional, chances were high that someone could get hurt. He was perfectly boxed in on all sides.

Granted, he was still a dick, but at least now he was somewhat self-aware.

And so time continued to pass by fruitlessly. Once again, Taichi couldn’t bring himself to go to the clubroom.

Then the weekend rolled around.

On Saturday, Taichi stayed home, holed up in his room. The time he spent alone in perpetual dread of Liberation seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Even his sister Rina was concerned for his health.

He just wanted to figure it all out—but there was no telling what he might do once he started to think about it in earnest. It was so depressing.

At one point he got Liberated, and the next thing he knew, his alarm clock was in pieces. Somewhere deep down, there was a destructive impulse waiting to strike... The thought paralyzed him.

Whenever he was alone, he couldn’t help but overthink everything. And now he was starting to think there was no hope left—that he was just a monster.

On Monday, he tossed his obsessive worries out the window and headed to school.

All day long, he did his best not to think negative thoughts. He kept his mind perfectly blank, focusing only on the here and now.

Truth be told, he didn’t think he was doing a great job of controlling his emotions. Every little thing set off a new torrent of anxiety. But at least he managed not to hurt anyone with his Liberation.

Did I just get lucky, or am I not actually all that dangerous?

Either way, another day came and went—another day of not speaking to anyone else in the CRC.

■□■□■

Scene: Monday afternoon, sixth period homeroom, Classroom 1-C.

Class president Fujishima Maiko stood at the lectern, leading a discussion regarding the traditional school event set to take place at the end of the week.

Taichi focused his full attention on the conversation at hand—or at least, he tried to, at any rate.

“Man, I’m sick of this crap. Why should we have to decide? Just figure it out yourself!” Watase Shingo muttered. He now sat just one desk away from Taichi; they had been seated relatively close at the start of the semester, when the seating chart was organized alphabetically by name, but the recent seating change had put them even closer.

“The whole point of this trip is that we get to choose,” Taichi replied.

Yamaboshi High School’s traditional fall semester event consisted of a field trip in which each first-year class was allowed to choose their destination and planned activities. They had been talking about it every homeroom period for quite a while now; this would be the last time.

“Ugh, what a drag... Whatever we do, it’s just a stupid hike. The only reason we’re ‘allowed’ to choose is ‘cuz the teachers are too lazy to do it themselves.”

“Who are you to complain? You haven’t contributed hardly at all.”

“No need when we’ve got the illustrious Queen Fujishima on our side! Man, she is looking radiant today.”

Watase had a bad case of mentionitis when it came to Fujishima. Was he a masochist or something?

“Since when is she your ‘Queen,’ anyhow?” Taichi asked, glancing over at the girl in question. As usual, today she wore her hair tied back, with her bangs neatly pinned up.

“Now then, this year’s main event will be a cooking competition. We’ll split into teams to determine who here can cook the best curry!” Fujishima declared. Their class advisor, Gotou Ryuuzen, had given her full authority over the event, and clearly she wasn’t about to let it go to waste. “There will be eight teams of five students each. Admittedly I would have liked to go with a full ten teams, but as we’ll be sharing the facilities with Class 1-A, there just isn’t enough room.”

All at once, the class began to give feedback for (read: gripe about) her decision.

“That’s way too many teams!”

“Why can’t we have more people?”

“Are you hearing yourselves right now?” Fujishima scoffed, shaking her head in exaggerated disbelief. “Yes, in the scrapbook of life it is certainly important to fill a page or two with friendship and fun. But is that really enough? Isn’t there something we’re all forgetting?”

The class fell silent, absorbed in her sermon.

“Yes, you all know what I’m referring to... Romance!” she declared, pointing ostentatiously into the distance like a detective naming the true culprit of a heinous crime. “The fewer members to a team, the more closely you will be forced to work together to achieve your goal. And by splitting the class into eight, this prevents us from taking refuge in giant all-girl or all-boy teams. Your task will bring you together... sparking feelings for each other... skin against skin... Yes, this is a rare chance for teenage love to blossom... and you people want to throw it all away?! Now, let me ask you again... Are you sure you want to reduce the number of teams?”

“EIGHT TEAMS, PLEASE, LADY FUJISHIMA!” a large number of male classmates shouted back, including Watase.

Was she always like this? Taichi found himself wondering. For some reason he seemed to remember her being more... studious and boring... Actually, come to think of it, he couldn’t recall ever seeing her studious side...

“Very well. Now then, our class happens to have precisely twenty boys and twenty girls. So, we’ll have four teams of three boys and two girls, and four teams of three girls and two boys. If you prefer, you can form same-gender groups of two or three and match up with each other from there. Or else I’ll match you up myself. Go!” she commanded, and with that, the students began to move around the room, chattering excitedly.

Meanwhile, Taichi contemplated his next move. He could probably find a guy or two to team up with, but what about girls? Should he join up with Nagase and Inaba to prevent any major incidents? But... wasn’t preventing those incidents precisely the reason he was avoiding them right now?

Stop. I can’t overthink this or else—

A vision of Nagase crashing headfirst into the locker flickered through his mind.

Ultimately it hadn’t been a big deal at all. It hadn’t even left a scratch. But what if they’d been standing somewhere else? Next to a window, for example?

“Let’s team up, Yaegashi,” Watase suggested.

“...Sure, sounds good,” Taichi nodded.

“As for the girls... I want to team up with Fujishima-san!”

“...Uhhh...”

“Oh, I get it. I bet you want to team up with Nagase and Inaba like you always do. Well, too bad! You guys can go have fun in your clubroom whenever you want!” Watase seized Taichi by the shoulders, his gaze intent. “Help a brother out for once, would you? I’ll make it up to you by telling you all the best places to take a girl on a date!”

Unable to find a solution—unable to even think of any solution—Taichi decided the next best thing would be to change the subject to literally anything else. “The CRC’s not all it’s cracked up to be, alright? Anyway, listen, Watase. I know you’re popular and get a lot of dates and all, but trust me, Fujishima is more than you can handle.”

“Says you! That’s why I like her! What makes you some great authority on Fujishima-san, anyway?”

“Well... I’ve had... some experiences with her,” Taichi answered vaguely, glancing around the classroom. His gaze landed on Nagase and Inaba a few desks away.

“We should probably stick together, right, Inaban?”

“I told you, stay away from me,” Inaba snapped.

“E-Excuse me? I really don’t appreciate the attitude,” Nagase shot back.

This could get ugly.

“It’s for your own good.”

“L-Look, I’m just trying to help you—”

“Yeah, well, you’re going about it the wrong way.”

“You don’t know that!” Nagase shouted, and several people nearby looked at her in alarm.

The tension in the air was now spreading through the room. Was Nagase Liberated? Should he go stop them? But... if he were to get in between them—

“I told you, don’t get all emotional, dumbass! Tch... Now get lost.” Inaba’s tone was biting cold, made even worse with the knowledge that she wasn’t Liberated.

Nagase gritted her teeth. She looked to be on the verge of tears.

“I’m... gonna go wash my face,” she muttered to no one in particular before walking out into the hall.

Silence descended over the room.

Taichi knew he needed to go after her this time. He jumped to his feet. “Nagase!”

But before he could take another step, a voice rang out across the room.

“I’ll be forming a team with Inaba-san and Nagase-san.” It was none other than class president Fujishima Maiko.

Inaba rounded on her. “What the hell?!”

“I need you and Nagase-san to get along or else it’ll spoil the fun for the whole class.”

“It is none of your business!” Inaba roared furiously. So much for her perfect self-control.

“Oh, but it is. You see, it’s my job as president to maintain an atmosphere of love and peace within our class.”

Love and peace? She was starting to sound like a superhero.

“So what? You have no right to decide for me!”

“Sure I do. I’m class president.” Fujishima turned to look in his direction. “Does that sound good to you, Yaegashi-kun?”

“Wh-What?!” Taichi yelped in a strangled voice. He hadn’t expected to be roped into this conversation.

“Let’s see... You’re partnered with Watase-kun, yes? Perfect. Then that makes five. You don’t mind all of us teaming up, do you?”

“Wh-Why are you asking m—”

“Hush.”

Were you asking my consent or not?!

Fujishima had turned into something of a wild card as of late. Inaba clucked her tongue in frustration.

Meanwhile, Watase put his hand on Taichi’s shoulder. “Yaegashi, my man, I’m gonna buy you a drink! No, make that two!”

■□■□■

Homeroom period ended, and school let out for the day.

Taichi looked over at Inaba to find her walking over to Nagase. She said something, though he couldn’t hear exactly what, then promptly turned and walked away.

“Inaban!” Nagase called after her, but to no avail. Inaba ignored her and left.

Nagase’s shoulders slumped so hard, Taichi could see it from halfway across the room. Then her bookbag slid off her arm and hit the floor. As she lethargically stooped to grab it, she suddenly looked up. Their eyes met.

Taichi hastily averted his gaze... then immediately regretted it.

Why did I do that?

Worse, he’d waited until after she’d already caught him, almost like he was intentionally rubbing it in her face. Just because he was keeping his distance didn’t mean he had to ignore her. He needed to get his priorities straight.

He stared down at his desk in contemplation for a moment, then looked up—just in time to see Nagase slinking from the room, utterly defeated.

At first, he felt the impulse to call out to her and reassure her, but then he wondered if it was just his own selfish desire to avoid seeing her suffer...

And so he sank into self-loathing.

Taichi sat in the classroom until he was the last person there.

According to the clock on the wall, it was well past 4 PM. Some students had gone off to take part in their club activities, while the rest had gone home for the day.

He knew he needed to just go home where it was safe... and yet he couldn’t bring himself to get to his feet.

As he sat there, staring blankly into space, the classroom door slid open and Gotou Ryuuzen, advisor to Class 1-C and supervisor for the CRC, walked in.

«Heartseed»?!

“Oh, hey, Yaegashi. Whatcha doing here all by yourself?”

No, it wasn’t «Heartseed». Just regular old Gotou.

“Oh, nothing much,” Taichi answered.

Gotou walked to the front of the room. “Get a load of this. Supposedly one of the other teachers has been complaining about the lectern in here. Said it’s too wobbly. So when I went to ask for a new one, you know what they told me? ‘Go get it yourself!’ Can you believe that? That’s not my job, y’know? Technically I could just wait for someone else to do it, but you-know-who has a class in here tomorrow. Noisy old windbag.” He hefted the lectern up off the ground, then paused and looked at him. “Say, you look bored. Help me out.”

And so it was that Taichi got press ganged into carrying a lectern with his teacher.

He kept his face pointed in the direction they were headed, careful not to look at Gotou. Gotou himself hadn’t done anything wrong, but, well... whenever Taichi saw his face, he was viscerally reminded of «Heartseed». It wasn’t pleasant.

“Man, I’m so glad you were around! Woulda been dangerous carrying this thing on the stairs all by myself.”

“Yeah,” Taichi answered absently. Normally he was capable of keeping Gotou and «Heartseed» separate in his head, but right now he was so agitated, he was afraid he might lash out.

They turned a corner and headed into another wing of the building.

“So.” Gotou’s tone had shifted ever so slightly. “You’re feeling a little depressed lately, huh?”

Taichi was so caught off-guard, he nearly dropped his end of the lectern. Hastily, he secured his grip once more. “N-No, I’m not...”

“...He says, with a look on his face like somebody killed his dog. I’m not buying it, buddy. Let me guess... You got rejected, yeah? Was it Nagase? Inaba? No, wait... maybe Kiriyama?”

“I was not rejected,” he answered flatly. He was getting really sick of people turning everything in his life into a romance thing.

“You ought to talk to your friends about it.”

“What?”

It was such an... earnest, teacher-like suggestion. Taichi couldn’t believe his ears.

“I said, talk to your friends! Oh, did you think I was gonna give you advice? No can do. I’m not interested in your little teenage love life.” Before Taichi could find a response, he added, “I find that talking to your friends tends to solve most things,” in a low voice.

For once, he wasn’t the incompetent nitwit that half-assed his teaching job. For once, he was a decent, trustworthy adult.

Before he knew it, his guard was down, and the words left his lips before he could stop them.

“But... if I talk to them about it, I might hurt them.”

In all their discussions about Kiriyama, no one had come out unscathed.

“Oh, please. Look, sometimes you’re gonna cause problems and hurt each other. Isn’t that what being friends is all about?”

What?

Taichi looked at him in surprise. Gotou looked back with incredulity.

“How would talking to your friends hurt them, anyway? Oh, wait, I know... Must be a love triangle sort of thing...” He nodded to himself without seeking any kind of confirmation. “Well, in any case, you can’t run from it forever. You gotta tell them, face to face. If they’re really your friends, they’ll understand. Granted, sometimes these things don’t go perfectly according to plan, but I’m telling you, if you keep it all bottled inside and let it fester, you’re gonna regret it for the rest of your life. Easier to just take a chance and get it over with.”

Not too optimistic, yet not too risk-averse. Just... trusting that everything will work out and taking steps from there.

Gotou had his full attention now.

“Because, yeah, you might screw up, but you gotta be honest with them. Otherwise it’s not real friendship, y’know? It’s like... how do I put this... If you spend all your time walking on eggshells, you’ll lose sight of the real important stuff.”

The words sank deep into Taichi’s heart.

“Man, that was a real teacher moment just now, huh? Am I cool or what?”

“You were. Until you pointed it out.”

“Aw, c’mon! You were supposed to say ‘You’re the best, sensei!’ Throw me a bone, would you?” He glanced over at a passing student. “Hey, Fujishima! What are you up to?”

“I’m just on a minor errand for the upcoming field trip. I see you’ve been tasked with something as well? Your hard work is appreciated, as always,” Fujishima answered politely.

“Eh, I do what I can. Say, Fujishima, think you could try to help Yaegashi with his problems?”

“What?” Taichi and Fujishima exclaimed in unison.

“He’s struggling with something right now, and I just got done explaining to him the importance of reaching out to his friends. So, could you be a friend and hear him out?”

“Listen here, sensei. I understand that you’re the class advisor and I’m the class president, but don’t you think you’re putting a little too much on me? And another thing—Yaegashi-kun is not my friend. He is my respected rival.”

Apparently she had promoted him to rival status.

“Say what?! Wait, are you part of his love triangle thing?! Good gravy, this sounds complicated... Teenagers are getting more progressive these days, I guess... Well then, if you’re involved, then that’s all the more reason for you guys to talk it out. Alright, you kids have fun! Buh-bye!”

“G-Gossan! Wait!” Taichi shouted, but naturally he wasn’t listening. Instead, Gotou hefted the lectern out of Taichi’s arms and hurried away, unslowed by the massive misunderstanding he took with him.

With that, Taichi and Fujishima were left standing in the middle of the now-deserted hallway.

“That was weird... Well, whatever. Tell me, Yaegashi-kun. What are you struggling with?” Fujishima asked, adjusting her glasses.

“Nothing, really...” He couldn’t think of anything he felt comfortable confiding in her about. Worse, he had already come close to hurting her once before, so he was probably better off keeping his distance—

No, stop.

Something told him he was going about this the wrong way.

“Nothing? I won’t force you to tell me, obviously... Oh, I know. Does it have something to do with Inaba-san or Nagase-san, perhaps?”

“Nngh...” He knew it had to be written all over his face.

“Oho. In that case, in the interest of upholding love and peace in Class 1-C, I’m afraid I must intervene. What happened? Tell me.” Behind her glasses, the look in her eyes suggested she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.

Taichi knew he couldn’t get out of this until he came clean. Plus... he had the feeling he might actually get closer to a solution if he opened up a little.

It was nice to feel hopeful for a change. The thorns in his heart didn’t feel quite so sharp... and maybe that meant he was safe to be around, Liberated or not.

He decided to ask her the same thing he’d asked Gotou.

“Fujishima, what would you do if... if you knew talking about something with someone would hurt them?”

At the end of his question, she sighed heavily, like she was baffled that she had to even explain it. “Then just don’t talk to them about it?”

“Oh, uh... I think I phrased the question wrong. What if you have to talk to them because it’s getting in the way of something else?”

“Then talk to them, I guess?”

“No, I mean, you have to talk to them, but you know it might hurt them—”

“Okay, well, let me ask you this, Yaegashi-kun. Which is more important: not hurting the other person, or talking it out so you can move on? What is your goal here? What is it that you truly care about above all else? Have you given it any thought?”

Her rapid-fire questions hit him like a spray of bullets.

“As long as you know what truly matters to you, all that’s left is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. You’d be surprised, though—these things have the tendency to work themselves out, strangely enough. Likewise, if you can’t get your priorities straight, then there’s often not much else that can be done.”

She smiled slightly. Considering she typically carried herself with a steely countenance at all times, part of him almost didn’t feel right seeing it... but another part of him was captivated.

“Full disclosure, I believe we humans are designed to hurt each other. That said, you’re free to agree or disagree as you see fit.”

Designed to hurt each other. She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But before anything else could be said, her bookbag began to buzz loudly. “Oh, sorry. Just a minute,” she told him as she pulled out her cell phone. “Hello? Oh, hi... What’s the matter? Uh huh... Hmm... Relationship troubles, is it? Just leave it to me.”

Evidently their beloved class president was quite the busy woman.

“Okay. Talk to you later.” Fujishima closed her flip phone and looked back at Taichi. “Sorry to cut this short, but I need to go take care of something. Did you have any other questions?”

“...Nah, I’ll be fine. You should get going.”

“Alright. In that case, I’ll be leaving now. Just remember, if you need me, you know where to look. I’m more than happy to help, especially if it’s something that will affect our class.” With that, she turned and strode down the hall.

Damn, she’s cool...

“What kind of badass are you, Fujishima?” Taichi asked playfully.

“Me, badass?” She turned back to look at him, her ponytail fluttering behind her. “Hmmm...” Then she slid her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I prefer to think of myself as... an apostle of love.”

As usual, she said it with such a straight face, you’d think she wasn’t joking.

Taichi watched her go until she disappeared around the corner at the stairs. With that, he was now alone in the hallway... but strangely enough, he didn’t feel alone at all.

Just then, the school intercom crackled to life.

“Gotou-sensei, please report to the staff room immediately. I repeat...”

Uh-oh. Wonder if there was a staff meeting he forgot about or something.

Taichi exhaled slowly, then turned and walked off down the hall.

Ever since «Heartseed» had started forcing its supernatural phenomena on them, the CRC would often brainstorm amongst themselves in order to find solutions to their problems. That was the obvious course to take, considering the nature of their circumstances. At the same time, however... the five of them weren’t the only people on the planet. There were so many other people in the background of their lives—people who influenced them, helped them, or dealt with the problems they caused. And the world around them was built on these social bonds.

At last, Taichi remembered the thing he’d nearly forgotten—the most obvious thing of all.

■□■□■

Alone, Taichi walked into Rec Hall Room 401.

In reality it had only been a few days, and yet somehow it felt like years since he’d last visited.

He sat down on the black three-seater sofa and stared at the empty folding chairs positioned around the two tables. It had now been two full weeks since the last time all five of them had gathered here.

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. He needed to figure out his next move.

Before now, he would always hesitate, worried about the impulses he might trigger if he spent too much time thinking alone. But now things were different. Now he wasn’t worried about that at all.

He was still scared, of course. Whenever he felt the urge to help someone, he often stopped caring about anything else—including whether he might hurt someone in the process. It was risky... but in that moment, he finally felt like he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Thanks to Gotou and Fujishima, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and he needed to keep it in his sights, lest he forget what mattered most.

And so Taichi began to think.

Right now, he was keeping his distance from the rest of the CRC. Why? Because he didn’t want to hurt them. His fight-or-flight response had chosen flight. But was that truly the best option?

They wouldn’t be able to keep running forever. Eventually the only option would be for all of them to isolate themselves. Sure, it was possible they might be able to wait it out until the Liberation phenomenon ended... but there was no guarantee that it would, and either way time was against them. With all of this building stress, someone was going to snap. It was only a matter of when.

That was the one thing they needed to avoid above all else.

So... what was it that he cared about most?

Lately he’d been entirely focused on not hurting anyone. Of course, this wasn’t a bad thing in and of itself; it was perfectly natural to seek to avoid hurting those around you. But was that his ultimate goal? Was that all he wanted? Was that his purpose in life?

No. Of course not. So why was he so desperate not to hurt anyone?

Well, because they were his friends. Because he cared about them. Sure, there was a part of him deep down that didn’t want to have to see anyone suffer. That much was fact. But his life goal was not to simply avoid hurting anyone.

Why was he so miserable right now? How could he resolve it? What was it that he really wanted?

Maybe he just... wanted to be with his friends, like always.

Kiriyama’s emotional trauma had caused her to isolate herself. At first, the rest of them tried to fix the problem, but then they fought and ultimately fell apart.

So what was the best course of action? What was the ideal outcome? What did he want more than anything?

—For the four of them to reunite and get Kiriyama out of her house.

Wasn’t that their ultimate goal? It was obviously the most ideal option. So why wasn’t he working towards it?

He had messed up. He had forgotten. He had lost sight of what was truly important.

Playing defense would only lead to an unwinnable battle of attrition. He needed to get aggressive. “The best defense is a good offense,” as the saying went.

He hated seeing people get hurt. Seeing them suffer. He hated it more than anything else, and this always led him to want to sacrifice something else in order to stop it—that was just the sort of self-important asshole he was.

Were self-important assholes allowed to want the things he wanted? He didn’t know.

But he could always just ask.

Even if the phenomenon had made a mess of everything, he could just set the record straight.

But would the others accept his request?

One by one, their faces floated through his mind—Nagase, Inaba, Kiriyama, then Aoki. He wanted to be with them. He wanted to hang out with them here in the clubroom. Maybe it was selfish, but it was what he yearned for more than anything.

Now for the million dollar question: What did they want?

■□■□■

Taichi decided he would start by contacting the one member of the CRC who wasn’t actively keeping their distance from the others—Nagase Iori.

Supposedly she was still somewhere on campus. Now he sat in the clubroom, waiting for her. She would probably be here any minute—

The door flew open with a loud BANG.

“T-Taichi!” Nagase shouted, shoulders heaving as she gasped for breath.

“H-Hey... You didn’t have to rush straight up here, you know...”

She doubled over, hands on her knees. “Well... you... said you... wanted to talk...”

Taichi decided to give her a minute to catch her breath. She looked like she needed it.

A moment of silence passed—well, save for Nagase’s heavy breathing.

Now that she was actually standing here, Taichi felt his fear creep up all over again. He could make all the excuses in the world—I never meant to; if only I hadn’t been Liberated—but that still didn’t erase the fact that he had hurt her. Plus, he’d nearly hurt Fujishima as well. That was the inescapable truth.

There was nothing more terrible than physical violence. And for what he’d done, he was a terrible person. Even if Liberation was to blame for him acting on his impulses, the bottom line was that it was his impulse.

Whenever he was overcome with one single emotion or desire, he would lose sight of all else—including the consequences of his actions. That was just the kind of person he was.

But maybe that didn’t have to be a bad thing.

“So... what’s up?” Nagase asked after she’d finally caught her breath.

Taichi looked straight at her, and she looked back, eyes glittering like jewels. She didn’t try to run. Instead, she stood her ground, waiting to see what this moment held.

Would she accept his plan?

“Nagase, there’s something I want to say... Recently I’ve come to realize just how selfish and stubborn I am. The second I form an opinion on something, I commit to it one hundred percent and refuse to consider anything else. Not only that... I never admit when I’m wrong, either.”

Because of this, he’d hurt Inaba, fought with Aoki, and ultimately hurt Nagase too.

She continued to listen quietly as he spoke.

“Ultimately... I’m just an egomaniac.”

It was something he knew he needed to accept.

“So yeah... You probably already know this, but... I convinced myself that a jackass like me was better off staying away so I wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

He had messed up, and it had destroyed him inside.

“But... while we were apart, I realized... the truth is, I want to be with you guys.”

Was it really that selfish?

“But like I said, I’m an egomaniac. I can promise I’ll do everything I can to prevent my stupid narcissism from hurting anybody, but it’ll probably happen eventually.”

Could he possibly go through his whole life without hurting a single person?

“And I really hate that about myself, you know? Like, obviously nobody enjoys getting hurt, but... God, I just want to be with you guys so bad...”

The club meant so much to him.

“So I’ve decided: If being with you guys means we might hurt each other, then that’s a risk I’ll just have to take. So... if you’re willing...”

Ask her.

“If you’ll consent to the possibility that you might get a little hurt now and then...”

Ask her.

“...can we still be friends?”

How would she feel about it?

For a moment she simply stared back.

Then she sniffled. Her lip twitched. Her brows furrowed. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Wh... uhh... Hey now...!” Taichi stammered. He hadn’t expected to make her cry.

The next moment, she collapsed to the floor. “You’re such a jerk, Taichi!”

“I... Listen... uhh... Sorry, um... I should’ve phrased it bett—”

“That’s not it!” Nagase yelled. She hung her head. “All this time, I tried my best to get everyone to stay together, even when they told me to go away! I told myself I’d go to Yui’s house with or without you guys! And I did!”

Then it finally hit him.

He had been keeping his distance to prevent his friends from getting hurt—and yet he failed to notice Nagase suffering right in front of him. He’d been trying to keep their best interests in mind, but ultimately his actions hadn’t benefited anyone at all.

“Then I started thinking... if you guys are all so sure we’re just going to hurt each other, then maybe the club’s just destined to fall apart...” She looked up at him. Her eyes were red, but she wasn’t crying. “But now you turn around and say we should just go for it anyway? You really think that’ll work?”

He didn’t know. It would depend entirely on how she and the others felt about it.

She stared down at the floor for a moment, then looked up again... and grinned.

“Works for me, I guess.”

Taichi smiled for what felt like the first time in years. He held out his hand, and she took it. He pulled her to her feet, and for a moment they gazed at each other, less than an arm’s length apart.

A moment later, they bashfully averted their eyes and stepped out of each other’s bubble. Maybe it was a little early to be getting that close.

“S-So... Are you gonna go give that speech to everyone else and drag them back here?” Nagase asked, her cheeks pink.

“Yeah. That’s the plan.”

It was what he wanted more than anything. Surely the others felt the same way deep down; Taichi was convinced they did, though he couldn’t be certain. So, what was the best way to find out for sure? The answer was painfully simple: ask.

“Gotcha... But aw man, this sucks. I was trying my best to solve this thing, but now you’re totally gonna steal my thunder,” Nagase pouted.

“Oops...”

“Just messing with you, silly! I’m not really mad about it. As long as one of us puts this thing to rest, y’know?”

Just when he thought their relationship was dead in the water, one touch was all it took to get things moving again. As it turned out, the distance hadn’t damaged anything.

“Anyway, what was it you called yourself a minute ago? An egomaniac?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“I agree.”

“Gwah?!”

It stung a lot more coming from someone else.

“Either way, though... you still try to do the right thing most of the time, even if you tend to go about it the wrong way. Like... how do I put this...” She tilted her head in thought. “You never hesitate, even when you should. Like a stubborn old grandpa.”

“M-Mostly the stubborn part, right? I don’t come off as old, right?”

He’d become a little over-sensitive to comments like that ever since his kid sister had called him a “grumpy old man.”

She laughed. “Welllll... Maybe a little!”

It made him feel whole again, chatting with Nagase after so long. Somehow the Liberation didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Maybe its effects wouldn’t be as drastic as he’d feared.

“Anyway... I never thought you of all people would suggest we risk hurting each other.”

“I mean, I’m not crazy about the idea, obviously! I just... I feel like we’re all going to be even more miserable if we stay like this... Maybe that’s why.”

He didn’t entirely understand it, but he knew one thing for certain: right now, his desire to stay with his friends outweighed all else. Maybe it was proof of just how important they were to him.

“Oh yeah... uh... I wanted to apologize again. You know, for knocking you into the locker.”

Nagase’s expression clouded over slightly. “How many times are you going to apologize over the same thing? It was just a stupid accident! And you were Liberated anyways!”

She had a point, but... somehow it just never felt like enough.

“But I—”

“Taichi,” Nagase interrupted. “What happened to ‘sometimes we just have to risk it’?”

“...Okay, but this is different!”

“Hmm... If you say so... Well, either way, it’s fine! I’m over it, okay? Just try to be more careful next time.” She smiled at him gently.

“You’re right... I guess I just need to make sure it doesn’t happen again...”

“Yup!”

“But I’m not sure if I can... No, I will. I have to.”

Just because they were willing to accept the possibility of hurting each other didn’t make it okay to stop caring altogether. They still needed to put in effort to avoid it. Whether the Liberation would negate that effort, it was hard to say—but with a little extra mindfulness, maybe the worst case scenario could be mitigated.

So, what sort of person was Taichi? What sort of person did he want to be?

“Well then, mister, sounds like we’ve got a job to do! One down, three to go!” Nagase grinned.

It was precisely the motivation he needed to push forward.

“Damn right. I want us all to hang out here again, and I’m going to make it happen. I think it’s for the best that we do... though ultimately it’s their decision, of course.”

“Alrighty! What’s the plan, Stan? Are we calling them, or—Nah, I guess we should probably talk to them in person... In that case, I wanna go find Inaban. Especially after that fight we had in the classroom today.”

“Right... Okay, then I’ll try to get in touch with Aoki. You two are probably better off talking it out one-on-one. Besides, Aoki and I really got into it the other day, so... I’d like some time alone with him myself.”

“Gotcha. Then that just leaves the final boss... Yui.”

“Yeah.”

Kiriyama had suffered the worst out of all of them, and she likely wouldn’t be swayed by the idea that hurting each other was to an extent inevitable. Still, Taichi had a feeling that if they put their heads together, they could make miracles happen... Once they got the rest of the group back, he wanted to give it one more shot. The Cultural Research Club just wasn’t the same without her.

“Alright then, let’s get going. Hopefully the next time we’re here, it’ll be with everyone.”

“Heck yeah!”

The two of them shared a hearty fist bump.

■□■□■

When Aoki answered the phone, Taichi begged him to meet up in person so they could talk. Aoki sounded a little startled by his desperation, but he agreed nonetheless. And so, unwilling to waste even a single second, he headed straight over to Aoki’s neighborhood.

They met at the riverbank near the train station. Aoki was still in his school uniform; when he spotted Taichi, he smiled awkwardly and waved.

“Hey... Long time no talk,” Taichi called out as he jogged over. It had only been four days, but with all the emotional distance between them, it had felt like an agonizing eternity.

“Yeah, for sure.” Aoki averted his gaze. Ordinarily he radiated goofy, lighthearted energy at any given moment, but now the mood in the air was different.

Taichi couldn’t remember the last time things between them had felt this tense. He’d dashed all the way over here on a whim, but now he found himself hesitating, overcome with fear at the possibility of what he might say or do or even think. What if he messed up again? What if they fought?

The Liberation would bring everything to the surface... but if there was even a tiny chance that they could still be friends despite that, then this phenomenon was nothing they couldn’t handle.

—Who the hell do you think you are, Taichi?! You think you can do anything, is that it?!

It made him sad to know that Aoki thought of him that way, but at the same time, it was the undiluted truth. This led him to decide that if Aoki didn’t like him, then he was better off keeping his distance. But in his heart, Taichi still wanted to be friends.

So what was it that Aoki wanted, ultimately?

“Listen, Aoki... I said some pretty awful crap the other day. I was arrogant and self-centered, and I convinced myself that I was in the right... and that I was all-powerful. But I was wrong... and I know it won’t undo what I’ve done, but I still want to apologize. I’m really sorry.”

Taichi bowed his head, and for a moment, Aoki didn’t respond.

Silence fell between them.

Confused, Taichi timidly glanced up.

He found Aoki clutching his hair in his fists. He turned towards the river and screamed at the top of his lungs—

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! GODDAMN IT! YOU BEAT ME TO IT! GAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

“Damn, man, keep it down! People are staring at us!” Taichi hissed.

Aoki shot him a goofy grin. “Let’s sit down for a bit, Taichi. Just two guys, talkin’ it out on the riverbank while the sun sets in the background... Sounds like a scene out of a movie, am I right?”

Like he asked, Taichi sat down next to him on the grass.

The flowing river glittered beneath the rays of the setting sun as a light breeze brushed against his cheek. It was getting late, but the temperature was just right.

“Man... To tell the truth, I was thinkin’ about apologizin’ too... but the second I got your call, I knew you’d beat me to the punch.” He laughed. “Sorry for, y’know, ignorin’ your email and stuff. I just... Well... That thing Iori-chan said about me really hurt, dude. It kinda destroyed me, actually. I mean, not that I’m blamin’ her or anything... It just stung ‘cuz I knew she was totally right.”

“I can relate to that...” Taichi muttered.

“No, seriously. I mean, you always help everyone, and I’m just kinda there. Who wouldn’t be jealous of you? But there I was, tryin’ to pretend I wasn’t. Classic me, am I right? And the worst part is... I was tryin’ my best to put Yui’s needs first, but then it turned out I was only ever thinkin’ of myself. I was crushed.”

“Nah, man, I just got lucky. Besides, you weren’t the only one using Kiriyama as a pretext.”

The two of them sighed in unison.

“Look, Taichi... I’m really sorry, dude. I got stupidly jealous and said some pretty messed-up stuff. I know I hurt you, but if you’re willin’ to forgive me—”

“It’s fine, Aoki. You were completely right about me, and I need to come to terms with that.”

Ultimately, Aoki had seen just what sort of person he was.

“Listen... I know I can be a little full of myself, and I can’t promise that’ll be the last fight we ever have, but... will you still be a part of my life? There are so many more memories I want to make with you.”

Aoki stared at him for a moment, blinking. “Huh? Didja even need to ask? But... that phrasing. Why’d you make it sound all romantic?! I don’t swing that way, bro!”

“Me either, genius!”

The two of them burst out laughing.

“Man, I’m so pathetic... I went and took my frustration out on you for no reason, and then you apologized to me...” Aoki sighed.

“Like I said, you were right about me, though.”

“Nah, think about it. Deep down, you were desperate to help Yui no matter the cost, weren’tcha? That’s pretty awesome, if you ask me. And if you hadn’t been Liberated, I know you woulda been a little more careful not to hurt anybody.”

“That’s putting a positive spin on it, I guess... You’re hardly any different, though. I mean, you’re always thinking of Kiriyama.”

“Yeah, I guess... Maybe I’m just doin’ it for my own selfish reasons, but... I think maybe it’s just not possible to be completely altruistic, y’know? You’d have to be a saint to manage that,” Aoki muttered quietly as he gazed out into the distance.

As it turned out, sometimes Aoki could be really deep. While at first glance he seemed like a brainless buffoon, in actuality he had a pretty solid grasp of the stuff that really mattered.

In the end, they were all just kids. They couldn’t live their whole lives dedicated purely to someone else. And they needed to accept that.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe we’ve all got our own selfish reasons. But when it comes down to it—”

“—we all still wanna help Yui, right?” Aoki cut in. He slapped his thigh. “Alrighty then! Let’s try one more brainstormin’ sesh! Oh, wait... But what if we get Liberated partway through like last time...? Hmm... Actually, nah, I think we’ll be okay this time.”

“Yeah... Speaking of...” Taichi began, then shook his head. “On second thought, never mind.”

He’d been about to suggest that he get in touch with Nagase to find out how things with Inaba were going and/or possibly arrange a meetup somewhere, but he changed his mind at the last second. If Nagase was struggling, she would have called him by now.

If he and Aoki worked together, he had a feeling they could move mountains. If they managed to help Kiriyama recover, awesome! If not, they could cross that bridge when they came to it. Plus, they could always ask the others for help.

“First things first, I guess we should figure out how to help Yui—nah, that sounds too conceited. Let’s figure out what we want from her,” Aoki declared.

“I still think she needs to leave her house. There’s just no telling when this phenomenon will end.”

Worst case scenario, she could keep her distance from them and stop coming to the clubroom if that was her preference. But skipping school and hiding out in her room at home was absolutely not healthy.

“I just hope nobody gets hurt...”

“Hmmm...”

Together they racked their brains.

“You know... This might be stating the obvious, but... I don’t think we can do this all on our own. We need Kiriyama to cooperate with us on this.”

“Preach it, brother...”

Ideally they needed to find a solution for the root of the problem, but that was proving difficult under their current circumstances. They needed Kiriyama to shoulder some of the risk with them.

“We know for sure that we can limit the effects of the Liberation as long as we keep an eye on our emotional state... although it’s not foolproof...”

“Yeah, and that’s kinda the problem,” Aoki replied. He was right, of course.

“Maybe we can stop her from lashing out if we just keep an eye on her...?”

“This is Yui we’re talkin’ about. You really think we can hold her back?”

...They didn’t stand a chance against a former karate prodigy.

“Well, maybe we ought to just tell her she’ll be fine as long as she keeps her emotions in check!” Taichi pressed.

“What? Dude, how can you be that naive? Is your brain even workin’ right now?”

“I can’t believe I’m getting schooled by Aoki of all people...”

It was pretty gutting.

“Man, you’re so dense, it’s a miracle you were able to help her with her phobia at all... Then again, your plan was kind of genius... Seriously, how do you come up with this stuff?”

“Well, at the time, I just figured... if the body-swap could create all these problems, maybe it had some practical use as a solution, too.”

“Jesus, dude, that optimism of yours is something else! You flipped the whole thing on its head!” Aoki tilted his head back and laughed. “I sure wish this one could solve—”

Cutting himself off, he collapsed back against the grass. His hands shot straight into the air. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Taichi asked.

“I... I think I just got an idea!”

“R-Really?!”

“Really really! I’m not sure if it’ll work, though... Just gimme a minute to figure out how to explain it! Nngh... If only Inabacchan was here... I bet she could totally BS her way into a sound argument...”

At this, Taichi immediately thought of a response, then debated whether to actually say it out loud. It probably wasn’t something to be proud of, but it fit the overall tone of the moment... so in the end, he decided to go for it.

“They say I’m pretty good at it, too, you know.”

■□■□■

With their doubts cleared away, Taichi and Aoki decided that there was no time like the present.

They arrived at the Kiriyama residence that evening, a bit later than they usually would have visited. Outside, they encountered Kiriyama’s mother and had a brief chat with her. As it turned out, she’d forgotten to buy something at the grocery store and was headed back to get it.

Scarcely more than a week had passed since the last time Taichi had spoken with her, and yet she was looking visibly more emaciated. The change was readily apparent, even to a near-total stranger like him. He could only imagine the emotional toll this was taking on her... The rest of the family was probably worried sick, too. Taichi knew he needed to help Kiriyama for their sake as much as her own.

They asked for permission to go inside, and Mrs. Kiriyama happily allowed it. From there, they headed upstairs to Kiriyama’s room. Taichi was a little surprised to find the house empty—or rather, surprised Kiriyama’s mother would allow two boys to visit her daughter unsupervised. On the other hand, it came as a huge relief. Considering the nature of the conversation they were about to have, the last thing they needed was for anyone to overhear them.

When they reached Kiriyama’s bedroom door, he and Aoki exchanged a look. Their plan was... well, it was really something. In more ways than one. Aoki gave him a firm nod, his steely countenance reminiscent of a soldier conscripted into the war, and Taichi nodded back. Then Aoki raised his hand and knocked on the door.

“...Who is it?” Kiriyama asked weakly from inside.

“It’s me and Taichi.”

“...Come in.”

Following their first visit, Kiriyama had stopped trying to bar their entry. This was now their third time stopping by her house.

With her consent granted, they entered her bedroom, the bright colors and cutesy decorations now a familiar sight, the whimsical femininity a stark contrast to the dull gloom that hung in the air.

Kiriyama was deathly pale. She looked utterly exhausted, almost on the brink of collapse, like a sputtering flame on a candle wick—a mere shadow of her formerly energetic self.

Taichi was the first to speak. “So, uh... Long time no talk, huh?”

“Yeah...” she replied, though her voice was almost too quiet to hear.

“Come outside with us, Yui,” Aoki said without so much as a hello. He hadn’t even taken a seat. “You can come back to school now. It’ll be okay.”

There would be no mind games. No tricks. The two of them weren’t that clever to begin with.

“Ooooh my god... Not this stupid crap again... I already told you... How can I possibly go outside when I could punch someone’s lights out at any time...?” Her expression twisted bitterly. “I know Inaba’s right, but I just...”

“I know. I get it. But if you stay cooped up like this, it could ruin your whole life,” Taichi said.

“But... but...!” Kiriyama hung her head and mumbled the word to herself over and over.

So far, this was no different from last time or the time before that.

Here was where the real battle began.

Taichi took a step back. He wasn’t the star of the show today; that was all Aoki. Today his role was to watch them from the sidelines and lend his support as needed. After all, this message would mean nothing if it didn’t come from Aoki Yoshifumi himself.

“You’re overthinkin’ this, Yui. You’ve already learned your lesson, so you’ll be fine, I promise. You won’t punch anybody. And even if you find yourself wanting to do it, I know you can hold back!” Aoki declared, his voice firm, as if bolstered by Taichi’s wordless encouragement.

“G-Give me a break... You can’t ‘hold back’ once you’re Liberated... You and I both know that...”

“No, for real, you can! Even if you really wanna punch ‘em, as long as you got an even bigger desire to not punch ‘em, it’ll cancel out!” Aoki was expressing himself not only with his words, but his whole body.

“But... that stuff doesn’t matter when you’re Liberated... Once you ‘desire’ something, it’ll happen whether you try to stop yourself or not... Isn’t that how it works?”

“I mean, yes and no!”

“...Excuse me?” Kiriyama furrowed her brows and tilted her head.

“Trust me, it doesn’t work the way you think it does! You’ll be fine!” Aoki insisted.

“...What?” Her brows furrowed even deeper.

Uh oh. Looks like she doesn’t get it.

Aoki was so worked up, his explanation wasn’t making a ton of sense.

Is this going to work out? Should I step in?

Somehow it was even more nerve-wracking to just stand around and let things happen.

“If I can prove to you that you’ll be okay—that you can stop yourself from doin’ stuff you absolutely don’t wanna do—will you promise to leave your house and come to school and hang out in the clubroom?!”

“Wh... huh?! I mean, if I knew I could hold myself back, then—”

She hadn’t finished her sentence, but Aoki barreled forward regardless.

“Alrighty then! We got a deal! Let’s do this!” He flashed his pearly whites at her. “Not to brag, but I have big feelings for you. I really like you. Like, a lot. I’m crazy about you.”

In that moment, he was startlingly swoon-worthy. Kiriyama herself seemed entirely caught off-guard. She didn’t even blush—just stared back blankly, jaw agape.

“And, again, not to brag, but I’m also fairly... thirsty. Okay, real talk, I’m pretty darn thirsty. Really thirsty. Extremely freakin’ thirsty.”

So much for swoon-worthy.

Granted, it was all part of the plan, but still, it was a crying shame.

“So, if all my horny desires got Liberated... well, honestly... it’d make sense that I’d try to do stuff with you, right? Logically speaking!” Aoki declared with a big smile, all the while sounding like a sex offender.

Kiriyama’s face began to flush bright red. “Wh... wh-wh-wh-what the heck are you talking about, you FREAK?!” she screamed, flinging her pillow in his direction.

“Buh?!”

It struck him right in the stomach. Admittedly, it was well earned.

“W-Wait, Yui! Just hear me out!” Aoki straightened his posture. “Uhhh... Where was I... Oh, right! So logically I would totally force myself on you... but the thing is, I’d absolutely never want to do that to you no matter what! So I’m gonna use that iron-clad willpower of mine to stop the desire right in its tracks!”

It was the sort of statement that only held value because of the Liberation phenomenon.

“You’ll see! Once I show you that I can endure my desire without makin’ a move on you, it’ll be undeniable proof that you can beat the Liberation as long as you believe in yourself!”

The sort of message that only had an impact because it was coming from Aoki.

“Wh... Are you braindead?! That makes no sense! ...Well... Okay, maybe a little...”

“See?! Okay, Yui, here’s the plan! Let’s make a reservation at a love hotel, and if I manage to keep my paws off you, then you’ll know I’m tellin’ the truth!”

Truth be told, it was a horrifying plan, even to someone like Taichi who wasn’t directly part of it. It made his cheeks burn with shame.

“Hell no! What kind of idiot would purposely put herself at risk like that?!” Kiriyama’s voice was growing steadily louder. Evidently she was getting a bit flustered.

“There’s no risk, though! I won’t do anything!”

“But how can you be so sure?!” she howled.

Aoki simply gazed at her for a moment. “Because the last thing I wanna do is hurt you. Y’know, ‘cuz I’m in love with you.”

Kiriyama froze completely, her expression blank, almost as if she’d forgotten how to react.

“Bottom line is, I’m confident that my desire to not hurt you will trump everything else!”

This was the same guy who, hours earlier, claimed that it was impossible to take action purely for someone else’s sake—and now here he was, insisting he could, in fact, prioritize another person over himself. He wasn’t just saying it in the heat of the moment, either. It was his rational conclusion. He could never claim his love for her was invincible unless he truly believed it from the bottom of his heart; how many other people on this earth could say the same? Certainly not Taichi himself, whose Liberation had caused him to shove Nagase.

Hopefully someday I can get on Aoki’s level.

“Oh, and one more thing. There’s like a zero percent chance of this happening, but... even if the Liberation were to win somehow, nothin’ bad would happen to you regardless. The second I try anything, you can just kick my ass!”

“Th... That’s even worse... I... I don’t want to hurt anyone... especially not you...” Kiriyama forced the words out in a wobbly, tearful voice, her tone soft and bittersweet.

“You won’t have to as long as I don’t screw this up. But if I do, well... Any guy who forces his desires on other people probably deserves it, y’know? Makes sense to me, at least. But unfortunately for you, I ain’t losin’ to no Liberation, toots!” Aoki declared boldly, grinning.

Evidently it was a little contagious, because Kiriyama smiled too, in spite of her tears. And what a beautiful smile it was, even if her lips were trembling. Somehow the air in the room felt just a little bit warmer.

Meanwhile, Aoki continued his impassioned tirade. “You can even wear a sexy costume if you want! That’ll make my argument even more convincing when I win! You could just strip down to your bra and panties, or maybe like a bunnygirl costume, or just wear nothin’ but an apron—”

Just as Taichi began to worry Aoki was starting to cross a line—

“Keep your dirty fantasies to yourself, PERVERT!”

—Kiriyama grabbed a box of tissues off of a nearby shelf and flung it at his face.

“OUCH! Those corners are sharp, damn it!”

“You dumb stupid jerk!”

It was such a classic Aoki and Kiriyama interaction that Taichi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“T-Taichi! This isn’t funny, bro!” Having recovered from the blow, Aoki turned to look at him. “Okay, dude, so far so good. Now it’s time to seal the deal with some of your devil’s advocate BS!”

“Don’t call it BS! Call it a crackpot theory if you have to!”

Kiriyama exploded into a laughing fit. “Hahaha! Oh my god, you guys are so stupid!”

It felt like eons since the last time Taichi had heard her laugh.

“Hahaha... Ahh, my sides... Whew... Okay, let’s hear this BS theory of yours.”

“Oh, come on! Not you too!”

Great. How am I going to say this with a straight face?

“Fine, whatever.” Taichi shook away his annoyance. “Again, full disclaimer, it’s just a theory, but... You know how Liberation typically affects whatever desire is strongest at that given moment?”

“Yeah, supposedly.”

“Well... Other than the incident at the train station, have you ever hurt anyone like that at any point in your life?”

“I mean, if you count all that karate I did... Then again, I wasn’t, like, hurting them on purpose or anything... So I guess in that sense, the thing at the station was my first real fight...”

“Bingo. I thought as much. So, I’m guessing you had no idea how it felt to really hurt someone until after that fight.”

“Um... No, I guess not...”

“See, but now you understand just how serious it is. Now you’re fully aware of how much pain that sort of violence inflicts—not just on the recipient, but yourself, too. After all that, you feel a strong desire to never hurt anyone else like that ever again.”

As it turned out, sometimes being open with your emotions could lead to pain the likes of which you never knew existed.

“And I’d wager that desire would trump any fleeting impulse you felt to punch someone.”

“W-Well... I definitely feel pretty strongly about it... so I guess you could consider it a ‘desire,’ sort of...”

The logic was sound, but there was no telling whether it was actually valid. After all, they didn’t truly understand the Liberation phenomenon in the first place. But right now, the only thing that mattered was that they persuade Kiriyama. They needed to lend a helping hand so she could find the courage to take that first step. Sure, maybe it was ultimately just BS—but it was enough to change their world, and that was good enough for Taichi.

“Actually, uh... I hurt someone when I was Liberated, too. I hurt Nagase.”

“What...?” Kiriyama gaped at him.

“I mean, I didn’t punch her or anything, obviously... but yeah, I hurt her. And... not to make it about me, but it kinda wrecked me. So I decided I’d distance myself from everyone else... and then I thought to myself, maybe this is how Kiriyama feels.” He couldn’t stop himself from grimacing slightly at the memory.

Kiriyama’s gaze softened just a bit—almost like she was reassuring him with her eyes.

“But... despite everything, I still want us to hang out together. I know it’s stupid and selfish of me... but I think maybe you want the same thing. So... could you find it in your heart to trust yourself again?”

It was what he wanted for her more than anything.

“You nailed it, Taichi! Good job! Buuut we still haven’t tested it yet. Now c’mon, Yui! Let’s go to a love hotel!”

Thank god her parents aren’t around to hear this...

“Go to hell! I mean, even if we did go, what are the chances you’d conveniently get Liberated during that time frame?!”

“We’ll stay there as long as it takes until you come around!”

“Oh my GOD, FINE! I get it, okay?! I’ll go!”

Taichi and Aoki looked at each other in shock.

“What?!”

“For reals?!”

Cheeks flushed pink, Kiriyama hung her head, averted her gaze, and whispered in a tiny voice, “To school.”

“Wait, so... you mean you’ll stop hiding in your room...?” Aoki asked timidly.

“W-Well, it’s like a hundred times better than letting you take me to some sleazy hotel, obviously!”

“What? C’mon! Ten times better, tops!”

“Does it matter...?” Taichi muttered.

“But... I’m still scared... I mean, I don’t know what might happen, so... if things start to look dicey... please do whatever you can to stop me.” She bent forward from her sitting position atop the bed until she was practically prostrating herself.

But before Taichi could agree—

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Aoki folded his arms and waggled his index finger at her. “Stop you? I don’t think so.”

“Wh...? So... you won’t help me...?” Kiriyama’s eyes welled with tears.

Taichi couldn’t let that slide. He rounded on Aoki. “What the hell, man?!”

“N-No, that’s not what I mean! Look, Yui... I think what you meant to ask was...” He mouthed something at her, and she squinted at his lips.

“‘Please... protect me’...?” she murmured.

“Gladly.” The lanky knight dropped to one knee and bowed to his long-haired princess as she hung her head once more.

Fact: The easiest way to avoid hurting someone was usually to avoid their presence entirely. You couldn’t hurt someone if you didn’t interact with them, after all. But by isolating yourself, you stood so much to lose. Some things were simply impossible for one single person.

But with a little assistance from a friend, together they could make miracles happen.

Granted, there was no guarantee it would work out perfectly every time, and they had no viable means of fighting back... but at the very least, they could hold their ground.

Alone they were weak, but together they were strong—and together they could stand up to «Heartseed».

■□■□■

This sucks. God, I’m trash.

I’d been so stressed out lately. Day after day with no respite—it was wearing on me. I was in less-than-ideal condition.

More than anything, I couldn’t believe how badly it hurt to have to stay away. It felt like there was this gaping hole in my heart, and nothing else could fill it. It was driving me insane.

So I lashed out. Hard. Way too hard.

I didn’t actually mean to hurt her. Hurting her would defeat the whole purpose of my plan. I just wanted to keep her away, that’s all.

Then again... I guess anything’s better than letting her get too close to a monster like me.

Earlier this morning at school, I realized I couldn’t find my newly purchased pack of lead refills for my mechanical pencil. I figured I must’ve just forgotten to pack it in my bookbag, so I decided I’d check as soon as I got home. And somehow, despite the godawful day I had, I managed to remember to look for it.

I tore my room apart searching for it, but of freaking course, I couldn’t find the damn thing for the life of me. It was just gone. So I gave up and decided to swing by the local office supply store to buy another one.

I walked inside and quickly tracked down the lead refills. There, it occurred to me just how stupid it was to have to turn around and spend another 200 yen on something that should have lasted me weeks, if not months.

That was when the Liberation struck.

By the time I came back to my senses, I was a few dozen meters from the store, holding my item... with no receipt.

For a moment I was utterly shocked. Then I dashed back into the store, put the pack of lead back on the shelf, and staggered all the way home on shaky legs.

I just couldn’t believe it.

I admit, I scoffed at the idea of having to buy it, but surely I never seriously considered stealing it.

I mean, that’s illegal. Even if there weren’t a law against it, it would still be an extremely unethical thing to do.

And yet... apparently I must have wanted to do it.

Apparently I’m just a piece of trash who only cares about herself.

There’s no use pretending the Liberation made me do it. After all, the others haven’t committed any crimes under its influence. No, this was all me.

Deep down, I’m just a bad person... and that means I need to stay away from them.

Around that time, I got a call from Iori of all people. I didn’t feel like answering it, so I let it ring.

But then she came to my house, and at that point I knew I had no choice but to let her in.

First we apologized to each other for what happened earlier today. Then Iori told me she wanted me to come back to the clubroom—that she wanted to hang out with me, even if it meant risking the possibility that we might fight or hurt each other.

I don’t have the words to express how happy I was to hear that.

And she did have a point. In the end, what did a few trampled feelings really amount to?

Unfortunately, in my case, it isn’t that simple. Maybe everyone else is relatively harmless, but the Liberation makes me a threat. Besides, I didn’t distance myself to avoid hurting anyone—I did it so they wouldn’t all start to hate my guts.

At the end of the day, I’m the type of person who puts her own needs above all else... and that makes me dangerous.

So I told Iori I needed some time to process my feelings and promised her I would come back to the clubroom eventually.

...I just wish I knew whether it’s a promise I can actually keep.

Iori looked disappointed by my response, but she said she would respect my decision.

“You don’t hate us, right?” she asked.

I laughed. “Of course not.”

“Okay, that’s good. Well, just come by whenever you’re ready. We’ll be waiting for you.”

With that, she went home. I was flooded with guilt... but more than that, I felt relieved. And then I cursed myself for being happy that she was gone.

Now I find myself wondering... Why was it Iori who tracked me down? Normally Taichi’s the one who fusses over everyone like that. Then again, she did mention that the two of them had talked it out earlier...

Wait...

Why do I care so much?