Chapter 3: Not Quite Right
Chapter 3: Not Quite Right
In the end, they decided to keep the nitty-gritty details between themselves without dragging Uwa Chihiro or Enjouji Shino into it. As far as they knew, the first-years were safe from the phenomenon. Then, the next day, they met up in the clubroom first thing in the morning.
“Y’know, I haven’t noticed anything weird since the last time I saw you guys,” said Aoki.
“I was expecting something to happen that would remove all doubt,” Inaba replied, her expression conflicted.
“Hmmm,” Nagase murmured. “This seems like the perfect time for one of them to show up and tell us what’s going on.”
Likewise, Taichi hadn’t noticed any blatant oddities, either.
“But, like... it’s probably a good thing they haven’t... right...?” Kiriyama muttered, confused.
“Looking at it through the lens of our hypothesis from yesterday, it’s possible it simply didn’t trigger because no valid targets were around. Maybe it doesn’t apply to family members or something,” Inaba suggested.
Suspicion. Hostility. Isolation. These were the symptoms they’d detected thus far.
“Good point. The last phenomenon only applied to people at school,” Taichi agreed, thinking back to the Dream Vision.
Inaba nodded. “Exactly. And it’s highly possible that the same sort of restriction could be in play with this one, too. We all need to stay on guard.”
Inaba and Aoki were assigned class duties that morning, so they took off ahead of everyone else, with the 2B group—Taichi, Nagase, and Kiriyama—following suit a short while later. Hardly anyone was passing through this part of campus so early in the morning.
“I’m excited to see my friends, but at the same time, I’m scared of what might happen when I do,” Taichi admitted anxiously.
“Come now, my dear Taichi-kun! Did we not vow to end this nightmare once and for all?!” Nagase demanded in a theatrical voice.
“Yeah, I know, but... we need to make sure we have the right understanding of how this phenomenon actually works.”
“Yeah, true. Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“You know what they say,” Kiriyama chimed in as she took two little steps forward. “Fortune favors the... bold!” She leapt forward in a long jump.
“Quite the bold jump range you’ve got there,” Taichi remarked.
“Not to mention, that was a pretty bold panty flash,” Nagase grinned.
“Nice try, but I’m wearing volleyball shorts under here. The only thing I’m ‘flashing’ is spandex!”
Arriving at the main school building, they headed up the stairs—and immediately spotted Kurihara Yukina, Oosawa Misaki, and three other girls from the track team walking down the hall.
“Yukina! Misaki-chan! Good morning!” Kiriyama called in her most cheerful voice. Naturally, all the girls turned to look.
But when they saw Kiriyama... and Nagase... and Taichi... their expressions froze over in fear.
What were these girls so afraid of? What had the CRC ever done to them? Was there more going on that Taichi and the others weren’t privy to?
Startled by this unexpected reaction, the three of them stopped short, hesitant to get any closer.
“Let’s go,” one of the girls whispered. Then the track team hastily beat a retreat down the hall.
At this point, it almost felt like they were doing it out of spite.
The next incident happened shortly after the lunch bell rang.
“Have you been ignoring me?” Kiriyama asked Kurihara Yukina directly.
Meanwhile, Taichi chose not to wade into the confrontation, but rather eavesdrop from a distance. Likewise, Nagase stared vacantly into space, but he could tell she was listening, too.
“N-No...? Why would you think that?”
“Because this is the first conversation we’ve had all day!”
“No it’s—well—okay, maybe it is, but—”
“I tried to talk to you during first and second period break, but you got up and walked off both times. And it feels like you won’t even look at me! What did I do wrong?”
The more Kiriyama pressed, the more Taichi started to worry that she was taking it too far. After all, it was entirely possible that this new phenomenon was forcing their friends to act against their will.
Kurihara shook her head. “It’s not you, I swear...!” she whimpered in a watery voice.
Kiriyama frowned slightly. “Alright. Sorry—I promise I’m not mad at you, okay?” She offered Kurihara a reassuring smile. “Wanna get lunch together?”
“I...” Kurihara faltered, then glanced furtively at the classroom door like she was looking for someone. “I, um, I already have lunch plans with the rest of the track team. Sorry...”
“Next time, I guess!”
Normally Kurihara fawned over Kiriyama like they were sisters, but today she rose from her seat with a grimace on her face. On any other day, standing at her full height next to small, petite Kiriyama would only serve to further highlight just how tall she was... but right now, she seemed downright miniscule by comparison. Maybe it was in the way she was standing—hunched over, shoulders slumped, like she was trying to shrink herself down.
“Yukina!” Kiriyama called, and Kurihara froze in her tracks. “I’m probably just overthinking, but is there something going on with you and the rest of my club m—?”
But before she could even finish her question, Kurihara ignored her and started walking.
“H-Hey!”
Kiriyama raced after her. Likewise, Taichi and Nagase followed suit. Now they were certain something fishy was going on.
“Hold it!”
They needed to find out what it was, ASAP—
“Excuse me, you three.”
But right as they stepped out into the hallway, they were approached by a male student. He looked at Taichi, Kiriyama, and Nagase in turn.
“Sorry, but could you please come with me?”
Behind him stood Aoki and one very disgruntled Inaba.
■□■□■
“Sorry to send someone after you like that. Although I did say it could wait until after you all finished eating.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve got shit to do. Now let’s get it over with,” Inaba snapped back.
They were standing in the student council office, invited by none other than student council president Katori Jouji himself. Clearly he must have had some business with the five second-years of the CRC, though Taichi couldn’t imagine what it might be.
“I debated whether to summon the first-years, but ultimately decided against it for now. Go on, take a seat.”
Taichi had never really interacted with Katori much, and the same appeared to be true of the other members.
Also present in the room with them was the vice president, as well as the secretary guy who had come to fetch them.
“I’m gonna cut to the chase: What do you want with us?” Inaba demanded without a trace of trepidation. “Because we have no business with you people.”
“Oh, come now. We’re peers, are we not? Let’s not be so hostile,” replied Katori, gesturing to the chairs with an affable smile.
“He’s got a point there,” said Kiriyama as she took a seat.
Likewise, Inaba pulled out a chair for herself. “You’re just weak to anything with a pretty face.”
“Excuse you?! That is not why I sat down first! I didn’t choose this seat on purpose so I could look at him from the optimal angle!”
“Uh, Yui?! Care to explain that suspiciously specific denial?!” Aoki yelped.
“Some people only see me for my looks, I guess. Relatable, am I right?” Katori grinned in Nagase’s direction.
“What?”
“Oh, I just figured you probably get the ‘pretty face’ comment a lot yourself.”
“Ah, gotcha. Eh, it doesn’t really bother me. If someone wants to call me pretty, I’m just like, ‘Cool, thanks!’”
“Yeah, same.” He laughed amiably without a hint of sarcasm.
“...He’s practically perfect,” Nagase muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” Taichi asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself.”
The more they talked, the more the tension in the air started to soften. But the vice president and secretary didn’t actively join the conversation—they just smiled and nodded along—and it almost felt like they were trying to hide in the president’s shadow (figuratively, not literally). Were they simply trying to let him take center stage?
“You know what I love about the CRC? You’re all such good friends. I was in the Kendo Club originally, but I had to quit once I joined the student council. I miss it every day.”
At Yamaboshi High School, where club membership was mandatory, the student council was considered a “club” in its own right.
“But we don’t do any sports... How exactly do we remind you of the Kendo Club?” asked Taichi, confused.
“It’s not about your activities—the CRC just has that special X-factor. Not to suggest your club is especially popular or impressive in any particular regard... and yet you still manage to be influential in your own way.”
“Really? I didn’t think we were anything special,” said Aoki.
“Think about it. Inaba and Nagase always score highly on tests, Kiriyama has incredible athletic ability, and Yaegashi displayed some powerful charisma during the school trip to Hokkaido. I’d say you’re the only one without a single specialized skill, Aoki.”
“Why is it he already knows how to dunk on me?!”
“Whoa, he’s right... Aoki really is the only average joe in our club!”
“Could you maybe not rub it in, Iori-chan?! You’re hurting me, dude!”
“Am I dating the wrong guy...?”
“You’re scaring me, Yui!”
“And here we have Aoki’s actual specialized skill: acting as the glue between the other members,” Katori explained like he’d planned the whole thing.
“Oh... Uh... That’s... Jeez, you’re gonna make me blush...”
“Gross.”
“Can’t a man have basic human emotions, Inabacchan?!”
“You’re right... With Aoki around, the conversation’s never left hanging, is it?” Taichi remarked, impressed.
Katori laughed heartily. “You guys are great! No wonder Fujishima finds you so entertaining.”
“How do you and Fujishima-san—oh, wait, I get it!” Kiriyama exclaimed, clapping her hands together in understanding. “You know her through the Student Council Outreach Committee, right?”
“Indeed. But if you ask me, she’s the most entertaining of all.”
No kidding. She’s like a cross between Inaba and Aoki, Taichi thought to himself.
“So if she thinks you’re awesome sauce, that opinion carries a lot of weight, you see?”
“In that case, you must be pretty impressive yourself, considering just how much she respects you.”
“What? Did she tell you that? No way. I’m flattered!”
The rest of the student council smiled in response... but didn’t speak aloud.
“Not to be a buzzkill, but could we get to the point already?” Inaba demanded, changing the subject.
“As you may have noticed, something strange is happening at our school,” Katori shot back.
“Huh...?” Inaba was caught off-guard by his utter lack of segue.
“You people have something to hide, don’t you?” he continued without waiting for a response.
It was all so sudden... The CRC was too baffled to protest.
“Wahaha! That was easy, wasn’t it? Inaba, you like to take the initiative so you can control the pacing, right? But when someone yanks the rug out from under you, you fall apart.”
“Wh... No, I...!” Inaba spluttered, utterly defanged.
As much as Taichi wished he could say Katori wasn’t right about her, he unfortunately was. Still... that’s what Taichi was for.
“Strange? Where did that come from? And for the record, I don’t recall us hiding anything.”
“Oh, quit trying to act innocent, would you? You’re only making yourselves look more suspicious.”
Had the rest of the school started to notice the peculiar behavior caused by the current phenomenon? Had Katori somehow traced it back to them? And if so, what would happen next? Normally «Heartseed» warned them against letting outsiders find out about the phenomena, but «The Third» hadn’t specified anything of the sort... Did that mean it wasn’t against the rules this time around...? No, perhaps it was more sensible to assume the rules hadn’t changed—they just weren’t as explicit this time.
“Gee, I can’t really think of anything,” Inaba mused sarcastically, her tone challenging, though Taichi couldn’t pretend he didn’t see a barely concealed hint of desperation in her eyes.
“These people aren’t acting normal,” Katori insisted, his expression dead serious. The rest of the student council stared intently at the CRC.
“Can you give us an example?” asked Nagase.
Smart question, Taichi thought. This way maybe they could get a read on just how much Katori knew.
“As if you don’t already know?”
“What are you talking about? Is this about Yukina or—mmph?!”
Inaba quickly clapped a hand over Kiriyama’s mouth. “Don’t talk out of turn, Yui.”
It was readily apparent that both sides were trying to weasel information out of the other through leading questions. The mood in the room wasn’t quite hostile, but it certainly wasn’t friendly anymore.
“Was it you people who started all this?” Katori asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Taichi shot back instantly.
“I thought as much,” he replied, immediately backing down as though he’d known the answer all along.
Taichi was utterly lost. Katori seemed to be onto something, hence he summoned them all here... but what did he suspect them of, exactly? He seemed to have more information than they did. So how did he—and by extension, the rest of the student council—play into all this?
For that matter, what sort of phenomenon were they actually dealing with? Was «The Third» really the one behind it? And were they right in thinking «Heartseed» wasn’t involved this time?
“Could we negotiate some kinda info exchange, if at all possible?” Aoki suggested gently.
“Then tell me everything you know.”
“Uhh...”
Aoki fell silent in the face of Katori’s demands. He was undeniably trying to dig something out of them.
“You are actually Katori, right?” asked Inaba, and at first Taichi didn’t understand the question—until she followed it up with, “You’re not just using his body as a puppet, right?”
Normally, what she was suggesting was impossible. Normally, he’d probably reply with something like “What are you talking about? That’s insane.”
But instead he smirked and said, “I don’t know. You tell me.”
No one had a response to that. Katori was in full control of the conversation.
“You’re just so eerily confident, it’s uncanny. Is there something wrong with you?” Inaba asked, her voice full of venom.
“From where I’m standing, there’s something wrong with all of you,” he shrugged.
“Well then, I guess we’re at an impasse,” she spat.
Was Katori always this overwhelming? The possibility was certainly there. But there was also a different possibility: that the phenomenon had made him this way. Not to suggest it had rewritten his personality entirely, of course, but according to their current theory, it was more than capable of making them look like enemies in his eyes.
“So where do you factor into all this?” Inaba asked point-blank.
“I’m just doing my job as student council president.”
“Your job...?”
“Ordinary students have nothing to worry about.”
Ordinary? We’re dealing with a supernatural phenomenon here. What part of this is ordinary?
But in the end, Katori let them off with a single warning:
“Don’t try anything funny, CRC.”
■□■□■
After school, Taichi and the other second-years met up in the clubroom. They didn’t have to worry about the first-years, either; now that finals were coming up, Chihiro and Enjouji had both requested time off from club activities in order to study.
Inaba slammed her fist into the table. “What the hell was that about?!”
“Relax, Inaban,” said Nagase, placing a soothing hand on the other girl’s shoulder.
“Okay, but like... what’s the deal with this Katori guy, anyways?” Kiriyama muttered, her expression conflicted.
“He seemed to know a little more than your average student council president, that’s for sure,” Aoki replied dubiously.
“The question is, has he actually figured out what we’re dealing with?” Taichi wondered aloud. “Or is the phenomenon just making him hostile?”
“Good question,” Inaba replied. “We already know Kurihara and the track team are acting weird around us; now it’s happened with Katori. And when two anomalies happen at the same time, it’s hard to believe they’re entirely unrelated. In both cases, they treated us with suspicion... There’s got to be some kind of connection there.”
“Nnngh,” Nagase groaned. “It’s not like anything supernatural has happened yet, but then again... «Heartseed» and its friends sure do love using their phenomena to cause a bunch of mundane problems in our lives...”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m kinda confused—who are you people, and what are we doing here?”
Taichi recognized the voice, but the words it spoke were so unbelievable, it took him a second longer to parse who it belonged to.
“...What? Aoki, we’re trying to have a serious discussion here. I can appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but come on. Pick a better joke,” Nagase shot back.
“Joke...? I mean, uh, right! Yeah, that was a joke! Whew... Just a bad joke. Hahaha!”
But Aoki’s laughter sounded incredibly forced, and Taichi was starting to think maybe he genuinely did forget who they were for a second... Wait, really? He swallowed hard.
“Hey, um...” Normally Kiriyama was the biggest critic of Aoki’s bad jokes, and yet her expression was grave. “Just wondering, but... has anyone else had moments where you forget who the others are for a sec?”
Taichi ruminated on her question. “Now that you mention it... The other day, when we were all hanging out in the clubroom—well, everyone except Inaba, I think—there was a moment where I couldn’t remember one of your names.”
“Right, and I had that moment where I forgot Aoki’s name.”
“Wait, so... my brain wasn’t messing with me that one time...?” Nagase murmured. Evidently it had happened to her at some point, too.
“I guess that’s another part of the phenomenon,” Inaba commented.
“Wait, what? This is part of the phenomenon, too?” Taichi replied, baffled.
“Of course it is. Why else would we ever forget the names of the people closest to us?”
“Yeah, it’s the phenomenon at work! Wait, but... that doesn’t make it any less terrifying! Obviously it all comes back to you, but for a couple seconds, you seriously forget!”
“But at least it comes back! Piece of cake!” Kiriyama began brightly, but her cheer quickly began to fade. “You just... randomly forget someone, that’s all...”
“Hold on a minute,” said Nagase. “So everyone’s looking at us weird, and we’re forgetting each other... and these are both caused by the phenomenon? How many elements are involved here, exactly?!”
“At the rate we’re headed, we might just end up completely isolated from everyone,” Taichi mused as the thought came to him.
Forgotten by their friends... Scorned by everyone else... What would happen then?
“Is that what this is? The ‘World Isolation’ phenomenon?”
Coming from Inaba, it sounded entirely plausible. Somehow it struck Taichi as precisely the kind of thing «Heartseed» and the others would find entertaining.
“Everyone around us starts to see us as their enemy... and then we forget our closest allies... until eventually it’s us against the world. A solitary battle.”
All of their past experiences with the phenomena had taught them the importance of human connection. In the end, those bonds were what helped them make it through. So if this one was going to seal away their greatest weapon, then perhaps it would be their toughest challenge yet.
But even then...
“All we have to do is believe in ourselves and keep fighting... so that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Taichi declared. He wanted to lead the charge, even if it meant he was a bit out of his depth—and he would say it as many times as it took. Silently, he vowed to put an end to the supernatural nightmare once and for all... with his own two hands.
“I hope that’s not just your ‘goddamn martyr’ side talking,” Inaba teased.
“You of all people ought to know the answer to that,” he replied.
“Touché.”
“Well, even if the phenomenon messes with us in the short term, our friendship isn’t actually going anywhere,” Kiriyama chimed in brightly. “Things always go back to normal in the end.”
“The red string of fate will bind me and Yui forevermore!”
“Eh... I can’t say for sure if you’re Mr. Right, but you’re definitely Mr. Right Now.”
“Is that a joke, or...?!”
“Well, folks, it looks like we’ll have to make sure our teamwork is on point for this one,” said Nagase. All eyes shifted to her, and she grinned. “We just have to have faith in everything we’ve built together. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
“You heard the woman. Let’s get this shit done,” Inaba declared smugly.
Four fists rose into the air in unison.
“Yeah!”
After their meeting had ended, Taichi and the others left the clubroom. Once they got home, they’d all probably break out the textbooks; phenomenon or no, they still had finals to worry about.
“If it only affects people at Yamaboshi, then we should be fine once we get home,” Nagase muttered to herself as they walked.
“It probably can’t apply to every single person in the whole world, right?” Kiriyama asked hesitantly. “I mean, that’s just too ridiculous!”
“Agreed. If they could control every person on the planet, then they wouldn’t need to target the five of us specifically. Nor would they need to worry about us blabbing about it to anyone else.”
“That’s our Inabacchan with her epic analysis powers!”
If their battlefield was restricted to the school, that alone made it ten times easier to deal with.
The five friends crossed through the athletic field, populated sparsely by the few sports teams still practicing at this hour. Near the front gates was a group of three male students, shivering in the cold; maybe they were waiting for someone else to arrive.
As Taichi approached, he could see that they were chatting about something—
“——”
“——”
“——”
—but as he passed, he found he couldn’t hear a single word.
+++
“Yo, I’m home!” an annoying voice called from the front door. “Mooom! I’m gonna eat dinner at home tonight! ...Oh, hey, Himeko.”
I looked back at my college-age brother, standing in the doorway to the living room. I was only sitting out here on the sofa because I’d worked myself into a tizzy upstairs in my room and I needed the change of scenery... I’d been hoping to avoid him, but no such luck.
“Not often I see you in here. Where the heck is Mom at? Is she gonna be back in time for dinner or what?”
“She said she’d be a little late. But even if she wasn’t, she’s not going to make food for you.”
“Sure she would! Why wouldn’t she whip something up for her favorite son who’s hardly ever home?”
“Because you’re a loser who doesn’t actually go to class?”
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“Nope!”
I rose to my feet. This was no time to be entertaining my brainless older brother; I had my own shit to deal with.
“Hey, wait! You leaving already? Come back and chat! I don’t bite!”
Somehow I could picture him using this exact line on a girl at a bar, too. As much as it irked me... perhaps I’d be able to sort my thoughts more easily if I talked through it. Fine, whatever.
“Okay, so... Judging from past experience, I’m 100 percent convinced this will play out the same as all the others.”
“Wow, this already sounds complicated. Go on?”
“Lately it’s starting to spread... Granted, I saw this coming.”
“O-Okay...?”
“But... it’s possible...”
Indeed, for the briefest of moments, I’d struck upon another possibility:
“If my supposition is correct... they might flip the script entirely.”
I was pretty sure I was just paranoid, but if I thought about it the other way around, there were parts that made a lot of sense. Of course, even then, there was still too much left unexplained...
“...No, it can’t be. There’s only one explanation for that.”
Only a phenomenon could explain their memory loss episodes.
“I guess that’s that, then.”
“Hold it, Himeko! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“What else is new?”
“Heyyyy! Himeko-saaaan! ...Sheesh... And here I thought you’d softened up lately...”
I walked out of the living room, leaving my brother behind.
“Wait! At least let me give you one piece of brotherly advice! Seriously, wait! Hear me out!”
He sounded so desperate; I decided to momentarily entertain his request.
“I don’t know all the details, but speaking as someone who’s known you your whole life...”
I turned back to look at him. For as airheaded as he usually was, he was at least a good-looking guy.
“...You’ll find your answer eventually. Just wait for it. And once you find it—go for it with everything you’ve got.”
It was... actually pretty solid advice...
“It’s like if you’re trying to gauge whether you’ve got a shot with a girl—you won’t know unless you try. Feel her out a bit, and once you think you’ve got the green light, go in for the kill! But don’t try to seduce every girl you know, because they’ll get mad at you for that!”
“Die in a fire.”
“Wh... Sheesh! I was just trying to lighten the mood for my baby sister! C’mon!”