‘Could it be…?’
An extremely ominous thought suddenly flashed through Koharu Miura’s mind.
‘Could Arisa sense that something bad is going to happen tomorrow?’
Koharu Miura bit her finger.
Or did Arisa Kiyono encounter something after practice ended this afternoon?
Koharu Miura thought of those anonymous report letters Kanzaki Sou had mentioned. Had the other side already played their hand directly against her?
If this group had been watching Arisa Kiyono since the Sports Day… then was it because she, a bystander who had never appeared before, had been contacting Arisa too frequently lately, alerting them?
‘It must not turn out like this.’
Koharu Miura frowned. Her brain was beginning to ache from thinking too hard. It made no psychological or logical sense for a girl in the midst of extreme anxiety to reject the only person currently capable of helping her hide her secret.
Unless… unless Arisa Kiyono had judged that not having contact with her tomorrow was the most helpful course of action for the current situation.
She looked at her phone, the screen reflecting her bewildered expression.
‘What exactly happened over there?’
Koharu Miura felt a wave of frustration. She had originally thought she could lift the fog by finding a loophole, but now the victim, who should have been seeking help at the center of that fog, had proactively cut off the only lead.
Koharu Miura didn’t press further; she knew that sending too many messages at a time like this would not get her the answers she wanted.
However, Arisa’s attitude only strengthened her resolve.
The girl slowly put down her phone and looked out the window at the pitch-black night sky.
‘It seems — I absolutely have to go to Sakuragicho tomorrow.’
Not only did she have to go, but she also had to bring Yui and the others. She had to proceed according to the original plan.
Koharu Miura lowered her head, her gaze becoming determined once more.
……
On Monday morning, the town streets were shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist, and the air carried the characteristic chill and moisture of late autumn.
The aroma of miso soup and grilled fish wafted through the dining room of the Miura family house, while the morning news played on the television.
In the bathroom, Koharu Miura meticulously adjusted her school uniform’s bow.
After ensuring there wasn’t a single wrinkle, she pushed open the door and walked toward the genkan.
“Mom, I’m heading out.”
Having already eaten breakfast, Koharu Miura slung her student bag over her shoulder and stood at the genkan to change her shoes.
Her movements, from getting dressed and washing up to putting on her shoes, were much more efficient than before.
Her bangs, which used to be a bit long, were now carefully tucked behind her ears, revealing a clear forehead. She exuded a refreshing and gentle aura.
“Be careful on your way, Koharu.”
Her mother poked her head out from the kitchen, watching her daughter’s retreating figure disappear behind the door.
A relieved yet slightly complicated smile appeared on her face. With the crisp sound of the front door closing, the morning bustle inside the house settled down.
“Our daughter has really… changed a lot lately,” her mother remarked to her father, who was reading the newspaper.
“In the past, she would always lock herself in her bedroom on weekends, hardly coming downstairs except to eat. But these last few weekends, she’s been running out all the time.”
Her father put down the newspaper, took a sip of his coffee, and spoke in a steady voice. “The child is growing up; she needs her own social circle. Weren’t you always worried about her being too introverted? It’s a good thing she knows how to go out now.”
“That’s true. Even her way of dressing has become more sophisticated lately. She’ll spend a long time looking in the mirror before leaving. Even if it’s just her school uniform, she’s learned how to coordinate small accessories. She seems much more confident.” Her mother nodded, but then a trace of worry surfaced. “Still, I hope the friends she’s making are all good kids. I heard her mention before that she’s associating with some very talented children and students from the athletics department. I just hope she isn’t under too much pressure.”
“As long as she’s happy, let the rest be,” her father consoled. “Our child isn’t bad by nature.”
At that moment, Koharu Miura, walking to school, was unaware of her parents’ assessment of her “drastic personality change.” She gripped the strap of her bag tightly, her mind racing.
‘The plan for today… seems to be the only chance of survival right now.’
Koharu Miura took a deep breath. The cool air entering her lungs cleared her brain, which was aching slightly from a lack of sleep.
According to her logical deduction from last night, the organized network currently targeting the whole school — and Arisa Kiyono in particular — was a result of System Compensation triggered by her forced interference with the Main Storyline during the Sports Day.
Because the original plot structure had been disrupted, the world had become distorted, forcing it to temporarily throw out an extremely radical “logic of malice.”
Although this logic appeared fierce, encompassing outsiders, anonymous reports, and comprehensive surveillance, it certainly lacked the deep logical foundation of the original script because it had been “temporarily generated” after the Sports Day.
It was a patch. And since it was a patch, there would inevitably be logical redundancies and loopholes in reality.
‘As long as I can break into that scene with enough variables and prove the source of that malice is an illogical falsehood — falsifying their very existence — then this trap targeting Arisa might be torn wide open.’
With this determination, Koharu Miura stepped into the teaching building.
In the classroom before morning study, the noise level rose and fell. Yui Hori was huddled by a desk whispering with Mio Sato and Yuzuki Yasuda.
As soon as she saw Koharu Miura enter the classroom, Yui waved exaggeratedly.
“Koharu! Over here, over here!”
Koharu Miura smiled and walked quickly toward her friends. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Morning, Koharu.” Yui Hori slung an arm around her shoulder and asked in a low voice, “But seriously, those texts you sent yesterday really gave me a shock. What made you suddenly decide we should go play in Sakuragicho after school today?”
This was the very message Koharu Miura had sent out after leaving the Student Council Room yesterday. She had invited the three of them under the pretext of ‘wanting a change of scenery to clear her head.’
“Yeah, Koharu.” Mio Sato also looked at her with some confusion. “Don’t you usually hate those noisy, crowded places? Sakuragicho feels like it has a lot of weird underground shops.”
Koharu Miura lowered her head a bit bashfully, her fingers anxiously twisting the hem of her shirt. Her voice was soft, yet it carried a sincerity that was hard to refuse.
“Um… actually, my interest in livehouses hasn’t faded recently. I want to go see one again.”
“Ehhh—?”
Yui Hori laughed and slapped Koharu Miura’s shoulder. Her voice nearly went up one octave, drawing glances from nearby classmates.
She quickly covered her mouth, then teased, “Koharu, could it be that you’re actually a bad girl?”
“Shh—”
Koharu Miura hurriedly made a silencing gesture, a perfectly timed blush appearing on her face. “It’s just… I’ve been influenced.”
The excuse was perfect. A girl longing for change and wanting to fit into a group, attempting to venture into an area she had never set foot in — to anyone, this narrative was one of personal growth.
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