Kokoro Connect

Chapter 7 - In Heaven and on Earth, No One Is n.o.ble but Me

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Chapter 7 - In Heaven and on Earth, No One Is n.o.ble but Me

Taichi and Aoki spent the night at a local inn recommended by the taxi driver, and took off the next morning as early as possible for the bullet train.

Although there was some unexpected delays due to snow, they had secured themselves plenty amount of time before arriving at the abandoned building before twelve (but not enough to stop by their home.)

"Ah~ Finally back! Even though it"s cold, it"s still kinda warm, even though it"s still pretty cold!"

Aoki stretched his arms.

"This is exhausting... And to think we"ll be dealing with "Time Regression" right away..."

"Don"t look so down, Taichi! It"ll work out in the end!"

"...How do you even manage to stay that cheerful and jolly?"

Aoki seemed a bit too energetic. Could it be a retraction of him being too quiet lately?

"Anyway, Taichi, get ready to run!"

"...Wait, we have plenty of time left even if we talk... there"s no need to run."

"I have something I want to tell Yui quick. No, I mean as soon as possible. Let"s go!"

"I"m telling you! Have you already forgotten how you slipped over on the snow last night!?"

The two arrived the abandoned building.

They spent quite a bit of time to catch their breath.

"...If you want to tell her something... puff... At least save... your breath... for that..."

"Nah... That would defeat the whole point... puff..."

What did he mean by "defeat the whole point"?

"What are you wasting your strength for? Are you two stupid?"

As expected, Inaba gave them a disdainful look.

"Taichi~"

Nagase said to Taichi affectionately.

"Where"s~ My~ O~ Mi~ Ya~ Ge~?"[1]

"...I don"t have any."

"W—What? You went on a trip yet you didn"t buy us any omiyage?"

"Er... We weren"t exactly on a trip for fun..."

"But I thought it was Taichi"s mission to buy omiyage on this trip?"

"I don"t recall taking on any mission like that."

"Of course, Iori."

Inaba, as if comforting Iori, said to her. She seemed willing to side with Taichi.

"I told you to remind him through text, remember?"

"...Can you two at least sympathize with my wallet a little?"

The trip did cost him a fortune after all.

"Isn"t it logical for guys to spent money for girls before they go out? Then again, I agree they can split the cost after they start going out."

"Inaban you"re cheating again, slipping in stuff like it was nothing! But Taichi, I can cook for you as a special offer."

"You"re the one cheating with "special offer"! Don"t say it after me and make it so high-sounding!"

"E—Er... I"m sorry for not buying any omiyage..."

""And?""

Both Nagase and Inaba"s eyes glistened as they await Taichi"s response.

"...I"ll make it up with gifts next time."

As soon as Taichi said that, the two girls happily gave each other a high-five.

"Please don"t tell me that... you"ve planned this all along."

What made it even scarier, was that Taichi could not deny that possibility.

"Yui."

Aoki spoke Kiriyama"s name.

Everyone else in the room became quiet.

Kiriyama was quietly leaning on the cold concrete wall. This gesture made her barely noticeable in the room.

Nagase and Inaba sighed. Taichi realized that they probably wanted to postpone Aoki and Kiriyama"s conversation.

Inaba sighed again and said:

"...Can we hold it till after today"s "Time Regression"? Otherwise, it will become difficult once it begins."

"Please, let me say it now."

Seems there"s no use trying to convince you——as if saying that, Inaba shook her head.

"...I understand. Should we step out for a bit?"

"No, it"s fine~ It"s too cold outside anyway."

Aoki approached Kiriyama, and stopped a few feet before her.

Kiriyama did not face Aoki, and stared at the floor.

Taichi can see Aoki"s side and Kiriyama"s front from his position. Nagase and Inaba, too, quietly moved to a spot where they would not interfere.

"I... When I realized Nis.h.i.+no Nana and Yui look really alike, I was pretty surprised. At first I was only like "Oh they look kinda alike", and never paid much thought to it."

Kiriyama remained silent.

"I... quite value this "fresh" feeling right now, so I didn"t consider much... Which is why, ever since I recalled those past feelings... I was very confused."

Aoki continued.

"I tried to tell myself: I love Yui more, I didn"t know what was "love" back then, so this "love" right now is the real "love"... But that didn"t feel right to me."

Aoki looked up, as if searching for something in the sky.

"I wanted to confirm my feelings... So I went and saw Nis.h.i.+no Nana."

Kiriyama gulped anxiously.

"Then I realized, I truly loved Nana. I cannot deny that feeling from my past."

"...I see."

Kiriyama responded for the first time.

It was a voice of suppressed emotion.

"Because, at the time... I was living my life the fullest."

Kiriyama"s head lifted a bit.

"Hence, I won"t deny my current feelings. I want to be sure of every minute of my life. I don"t want to deny my past, that includes things that I hate and things that I wanna forget, because these memories are proof that I"ve lived my life the fullest."

What sort of resolution does it take to be so confident about your life?

How should one live in order to become like him?

Was Aoki irresponsible?

No.

Aoki had taken himself more seriously than anyone else.

He engaged his life the fullest more than anyone else.

"I once loved Nishono Nana. And now, I love Kiriyama Yui."

He proclaimed openly, decisively, fearlessly and straightforwardly.

"There is nothing wrong with that."

Aoki determinedly a.s.serted.

Taichi held his breath in astonishment by Aoki"s demeanor.

Kiriyama lifted her head.

"...What do you mean?"

"It means that I... that Aoki Yos.h.i.+fumi truly loves Kiriyama Yui."

Kiriyama stood frozen, speechless.

After a few seconds, she lowered her head again.

"...But that"s only because... I look like Nis.h.i.+no Nana, no?"

"No. Definitely not. Nana is Nana. Yui is Yui. I, at this moment, can be very sure of that."

Aoki said to Kiriyama, who was still staring at the floor.

"Nana looks like Yui. She"s probably like Yui personality-wise too. Even so, that only means I like that type of girl."

Aoki said in a bright tone, and grinned.

"Now that I think of it, I like girls with long hair. I remember telling that to Nana. After that Nana started growing hers long."

Aoki started cheerfully talking about his past affection in front of his current love as if it was no longer an issue.

"Then again, that doesn"t mean I only love a person base on looks."

"...Then... is it based on the person itself?"

Kiriyama asked softly.

"Yup! But that"s not exactly right either to be honest. How should I put it... I guess I can only say: Love at first sight?"

To love a person.

"...Am I... really... worth it? ..."

Kiriyama"s voice sounded as if she could no longer hold her tears.

"Yui is worth more than anyone in this world, as far as I"m concerned."

Aoki believed Kiriyama to be worth more than anyone in the world.

If he had to reason it, he could not possibly say "worth more than anyone".

Yet, he chose to make that statement.

There might be no reason.

There might not need to be any reason at all.

"It"s all because I love Yui. And I must tell this to you."

Aoki said and became silent.

He did not make any implications like "Hence I wish you would."

It seemed he meant to let Kiriyama decide on her own.

Everyone was quiet. Only a faint sobbing sound could be heard in the background.

They were no longer aware of the cold, nor the darkness, nor the stench of the old structure.

Everything was flushed away by this man.

Kiriyama, who received this feeling head on... How much of this powerful emotion was surging within her?

"...—etic... —thetic..."

Kiriyama wiped her eyes and started murmuring.

"Eh? What are you——"

"I"m pathetic! I"m pathetic! I"m pathetic! I"m pathetic——!"

Kiriyama pound her hand that was wiping her eyes before on the wall.

It was so much force that Taichi almost thought he felt the building shook from it.

"I"m truly pathetic——!"

Kiriyama"s opened her eyes, bit her lip and began howling like a ferocious beast.

"Y—Yui? Why are you yelling all of the sudden?"

"...I knew... deep down..."

It was like the calmness after the storm, Kiriyama"s tone suddenly became settled like the sea.

However, what seemed to be calm and quiet, there was a certain tension in the air that n.o.body would want to approach.

Aoki"s word had forced open the floodgate to Kiriyama"s emotion.

"I"ve always knew... that I must take the first step... yet I kept hesitating... feeling comfortable... and waiting for a chance..."

Kiriyama clasped her fists.

"I wanted to move forward... But in the end it was just all talk... Everyone was nice to me, so I spoiled myself, thinking that I can take it slowly... that I can "eventually" come through... I kept asking myself: When will I ever achieve that? ... Eventually..."

Kiriyama lowered her head, her hair covered her eyes.

"In the end... I"m useless... I never look at anything directly... I"m always escaping... escaping..."

Her soliloquy was not yet finished.

"I knew the truth deep down... yet... I refused to acknowledge it... the longer I dragged on... the more I refused..."

Kiriyama held her tears and snuffed.

"Because if I do... If I acknowledge it, that would mean that I in the past two years was nothing more than a joke..."

As Kiriyama shouted, the tears that she held for so long began flowing.

That was a sign of something dissolving within Kiriyama.

"It hurts... It hurts... It hurts it hurts it hurts! But, even so... even so!"

Kiriyama"s hair became disarranged and continued shouting.

"Hey, Yui, are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

Aoki inquired with concern, but Kiriyama did not hear him.

"Even if it hurts even if it hurts even if it hurts even if it hurts...! I still have to move forward!"

n.o.body tried to stop Kiriyama from shouting.

They couldn"t.

"I feared men... because I was afraid of guys, I couldn"t practice with them, so I gave up karate. What was that supposed to mean!?"

In a sense, this had become something like Kiriyama"s confession of her regrets in her life.

"Couldn"t I just explain to them? Couldn"t I just ask the dojo to look out for me? Why didn"t I do that? Because I didn"t want people to know the truth? Because I don"t want to remember? ...In the end I was just making excuses, was I not? If I tried looking, I could have found another dojo that would be willing to separate practices between guys and girls right? Why didn"t I do any of those?"

These were words from Kiriyama, to her "self" that could no longer change the past.

"But it probably wasn"t just that... those so-called reasons were probably trivial. I mean they matter, but it wasn"t just that! I somehow felt it... I"ve felt it before... I was aware of it."

Was it because she was reverted to her past self?

"I... believed that I couldn"t defeat men... hence I stopped trying! They haven"t even done anything yet, but I"ve already lost simply because they are guys... This must be why I kept running away."

Kiriyama confronted herself.

No longer avoiding the subject nor running away, looking directly and carefully at everything, including the ones she hated.

Just as Aoki Yos.h.i.+fumi did towards his own feelings.

"I don"t know! I don"t know the truth myself either! But one thing"s for sure is that I kept running away! I"ve stopped trying to fight!"

Kiriyama started gasping and started trembling, as if she was trying to use up every ounce of her strength. Even then, Kiriyama did not stop shouting. It was as if she wanted to crush everything within her to bits. She kept shouting.

"So what if I have androphobia!? So what if I tremble near a guy!? So what if I repulse towards a guy when he touches me!? I could have overcome it! Why did I give up without even trying!?"

Kiriyama shouted, engraving her own words within herself.

It probably seemed silly, but for Kiriyama, it was a significant ritual.

"No matter what reason, if I never tried to move forward and hide behind those "reasons", then they are not "reasons" at all... they are nothing more than "excuses"!"

True enough, even if there was a good reason, but if you only hide behind it and not take any action...

If it was just because of such "reason" that you would choose to give up...

"Even if I have androphobia... it"s only just that! My body can still move, right? The one who decides whether to step forward or not is me, is it not? And in the end, the one who never tried to step forward... is me, is it not?"

Unless it was something like "Unleash Desire", the one who decides your next course of action would always be yourself.

Only you could make your own choices.

Every choice would be your own choices.

"Since the beginning, since the beginning, since the beginning, since the beginning... It was I who never tried to step forward!"

Kiriyama shouted at the lead-like ceiling, and collapsed on her knees.

Kiriyama, who seemed to have vented out everything, stayed still on the floor.

It was as if she was completely burned out.

Seeing this, Taichi and the rest could not do anything.

No, to say it more accurately, they did not feel the need to do anything.

It was because they saw it: On the girl who just broke out of her sh.e.l.l, confessed everything about herself, left nothing behind... her flame was burning bright.

"...When did I stop trying... stop caring?"

Kiriyama quietly murmured in a clear voice.

"...I used to hate losing... Since when did I stop feeling anything even after I lose?"

Kiriyama lifted her head, and tilted in confusion.

"...Not knowing my worth? But, shouldn"t I fight for my worth?"

She adjusted one of her legs.

"...If I hate being a n.o.body, shouldn"t I just step up on the stage?"

She rose from the floor.

"I used to be... able to walk on my own, with my own strength... Since when was I not able to do that without help from the others?"

She stomped on the floor, clasped her fist, and the fire on her blazed.

Foo~ Ha~ Foo~ Ha——Kiriyama took several deep breath.

She wiped her tears, and looked at everyone else in the room.

Kiriyama"s expression became determined.

"I will stop running away, stop stagnating. I still use my own strength and fight my way forward. The me that only relies on others, shall end right here."

She declared decisively.

"I... will become stronger."

That was Kiriyama"s choice.

Kiriyama approached straight towards Aoki without any sign of hesitation, and looked at him in the eyes.

"All these time... I"m really sorry. You were nice to me, and I spoiled myself, thinking that we could take it slowly... I mean, you"ve helped me so much, yet I still said horrible things to you, and started yelling at you like a jerk. I"m sorry."

"...You don"t need to apologize."

"I guess. That"s not the problem."

Kiriyama"s face loosened.

It was a warm, beautiful, and cheerful smile.

"...Thank you, Aoki. Thanks to your charging head on, I can finally get myself to step forward. Thank you very much."

"Ah, don"t mention it... I—It"s embarra.s.sing to hear it coming from you~"

Aoki scratched his head and averted his eyes.

Then, as if she had suddenly thought of an idea, Kiriyama asked Aoki:

"Hey, lemme ask you... What would you do if I hug you?"

"Hug me? I—I"d be very happy of course! I mean the person I love——"

Squeeze.

Kiriyama hugged Aoki tightly.

The same Kiriyama who had androphobia, who quivered when a guy comes near and repulsed when touched by a guy.

Due to difference in height, Kiriyama"s arms were wrapped around just above Aoki"s waist height.

Kiriyama"s body was visibly twitching, as if she was about to break any second.

Kiriyama dug her face onto Aoki"s chest.

"Hey, Yui... don"t push yourself..."

Nagase tried to approach with concern.

"...Don"t, Iori."

Inaba grabbed on Nagase"s shoulder and stopped her.

Aoki, who was being hugged by Kiriyama, stood frozen like a statue with his arms suspended in an awkward gesture.

He seemed too surprised for words.

Kiriyama, who was twitching at what seemed to be a dangerous rate, her trembling began to lessen slightly... really slightly, and slightly.

Even so, there were occasions where she would suddenly jolt as if shocked by electricity.

But her trembling gradually lessened.

Slightly, steadily...

Just as Taichi thought that, she started trembling violently again.

Yet, she refused to let go of Aoki"s body.

Kiriyama turned her face away, probably due to difficulty breathing.

Kiriyama bit her lip and held on; her face was drenched in sweat, and her expression was distorted by fear.

Her trembling began to lessen slightly once again, just slightly.

Slightly.

And then finally——she stopped trembling.

Kiriyama slowly let go of Aoki.

She gently tapped Aoki"s chest with her fist.

Aoki, who seemed to be overwhelmed by Kiriyama"s feat, collapsed and sat on the floor.

"...I win."

Kiriyama grinned, even though her face was still sweating from anxiety.

A grin that would only come from a fearless, reckless boy.

"I did it... I knew I could do it if I tried..."

"You"ve done it... have you? ..."

Nagase asked with an uncertain voice.

"I won"t lose to anyone or anything anymore!"

Kiriyama stood there with a majestic gesture, and flickered her hair that was emitting a chestnut-hued glow.

It was a mighty aura.

Could a person really change this much?

No, "this" was what she used to be.

"...Ahaha, what"s this feeling? I feel nostalgic, like I gone back to when I was little... back to when I still believed that I could do anything."

Kiriyama beamed with pride, and starting throwing punches in the air in rapid succession.

"The phrase "In Heaven and On Earth, No One is n.o.ble but Me"[2] seems like a perfect fit to me! Not to mention my name also has the character "Yui"."

She said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Yui..."

Inaba could not help but to voice out her concern.

"If you"re using it to mean that "I am the best" then... you"re using it wrong."

The room fell into an awkward silence.

After a few seconds, Kiriyama"s face turned bright red.

Seemed very Kiriyama-like.

"I—In any case, I will become stronger! That"s right! That"s all there is!"

She swung her arms like an energetic child.

"Become stronger? Do you really think someone like you could do that?"

Inaba purposefully questioned in a berating tone.

She seemed to believe that Kiriyama right now would be able to handle that.

"I—I will try."

"You really think "trying" will help you?"

"Perhaps... not..."

Kiriyama lowered her voice and murmured.

Inaba immediately showed an expression that speaks of "c.r.a.p, did I go too far?"

"But, at least... I"m going to believe myself and try. That"s what"s important for me. I"d like to think so."

As Kiriyama finished, Inaba started laughing.

"Tee... Ahahaha! You and that guy who"s completely dumbfounded over there, you"re both dummies! So dumb that you"re cute! The cutest dummies on earth!"

"W—What you mean by dummy? And could you not compare me to Aoki?"

"Well, even though you"re both dummies, you"re not stupid. Compare to you two, I"m... in a sense, I"m the one who"s the real dummy here."

"Mmm... H—Huh? ... What do you mean?"

"Forget it, dummy."

"Stop calling me dummy! Those who call others dummy are the real dummies——Whoa!"

As Kiriyama was busy protesting, Nagase ran up and jumped on Kiriyama.

"Yui you"re so cool~ Too cool! But cute at the same time! We should call that cool-cute!"

"Cool-cute... really? Cool-cute... that must be my ideal form!"

Nagase and Kiriyama started dancing around in funny steps.

Meanwhile, Taichi suddenly remembered something and checked his phone for the time.

The time was...

"Hey, you guys! It"s almost twelve!"

Just as Taichi shouted——

"Whoa!"

Aoki, who was previously still dumbfounded from awe and sitting on the floor, suddenly became a miniature boy.

"...Augh, the clothes are too big!"

It seemed Aoki was the only one who was affected by "Time Regression" phenomenon this time.

Kiriyama let go of Nagase"s hand.

"...Come here, I"ll help with your clothes... by the way, you..."

Kiriyama knelt slightly in order to look at child-Aoki at eye level.

"Yos.h.i.+fumi-kun... how old are you?"

"Ten."

The others felt uneasy, as that was exactly the age of Aoki under the effects of "Time Regression" back then when they first found him mistaking Kiriyama as somebody else.

"Ten, I see... Let me tell you, this might be difficult right now, but one day, I will become someone you would recognize right away as Kiriyama Yui. You won"t be able to mistake me as a certain someone else. I will become the only one."

Kiriyama declared decisively with a calm yet instigating smile.

However, Aoki(10) went "Eh?" and tilted his head in puzzlement.

"What are you talking about? Kiriyama-san is the only Kiriyama-san in the world, no?"

Aoki(10) said in a matter-of-fact tone without the slightest doubt.

Everyone else in the room were struck speechless at those innocent words from the young boy.

"Eh? ... Erm... Do you not think I am... Nis.h.i.+no Nana-san"s sister?"

Kiriyama, confused, inquired Aoki(10).

"Hm? Well you do look alike with Nana~ But Kiriyama-san is Kiriyama-san, it has nothing to do with Nana, does it?"

"Ah... Hmm, right. I see... Indeed, everyone is unique in this world."

Kiriyama nodded in agreement.

"That"s right that"s right! There are n.o.body that are the same after all~"

"Ahaha, you"re right. Hehe~"

"Why are you laughing?"

"It"s nothing~ Hehe, it"s that simple. Hahaha, how did I end up being reminded by a child and not noticed it earlier?"

It was a simple fact, something that could easily be understood by heart.

Yet, human would unconsciously lose sight of it.

Kiriyama giggled and proceeded to find clothes for Aoki(10).

"Just tell me why you"re laughing already~"

Aoki(10) protested.

Aoki"s determination influenced Kiriyama, and changed Kiriyama.

Now, the two moved forward together with an overwhelming force.

Connection between people can make people stronger——Taichi believed such deep in his heart.

Kiriyama and Aoki(10) were chattering happily.

The room was filled by a sedate atmosphere.

Inaba, who was sitting next to Taichi, remarked:

"In the end, how come he didn"t mix them up? Was it because Aoki"s memory was refreshed after he saw Nis.h.i.+no Nana, that he no longer confuses them? Or was it... Never mind, it doesn"t matter now."

Inaba gave up speculating. She let out a deep sigh and continued:

"How long is this gonna last anyway? «Heartseed» still haven"t shown up. It"s already the 3rd of January, if this doesn"t end by the beginning of the school..."

Inaba"s expression became very worried. Taichi, in hopes of cheering her up, said:

"We"ll be fine, Inaba. The phenomenon should be ending soon."

Taichi said confidently.

However, his confidence seemed to have brought an opposite effect.

Inaba noted something sharply and narrowed her eyes.

"...How are you able to be so sure?"

"What you mean by "so sure"... I... just believe it that way..."

It would be bad if he let the fact of his encounter with «Number Two» slip. Taichi immediately tried to avoid the subject.

"Your words and att.i.tude just then confirmed one thing for me."

Inaba smiled like a hunter would towards a prey in the net.

"Taichi, what are you hiding from us?"

Taichi could tell from her looks that she didn"t have the slightest doubt about her deduction.

"What"s up with you two? Why are we suddenly so serious? Loosen up, loosen up!"

"Don"t interfere, Iori. Hey, am I correct, Taichi? If we really have to ask, why are you the "only one" not affected? That made no sense to begin with, so you must be the key to the answer, am I right?"

Was he too careless?

"Judging by your reaction... I nailed it, didn"t I?"

"No..."

"Taichi... Is it... the truth?"

Nagase inquired tactfully.

"I... can"t tell you."

Taichi accidentally let it slip.

"What you mean by "you can"t tell us"?"

Inaba cut straight to the point.

"If I tell anyone... he said there will be consequences."

It was a promise by that being, one who was one of «Heartseed»"s kind——«Number Two».

"What you mean by "consequences"?"

"That"s..."

"If you know something then tell us. We can work out more options if you tell us more, right?"

Taichi gave in to Inaba"s pressure. Like water coming out of a ruptured dam, he spilled everything to her.

"...These are everything that happened up till now... That"s all I know..."

As he finished, Taichi looked down, dejected.

"Don"t look so down, Taichi."

Kiriyama, who came forth to learn the situation, comforted him.

"So that"s what"s been happening..."

Nagase remarked with surprise. Inaba, on the other hand, looked a bit regretful.

"I probably... shouldn"t have forced you... There"s hoping though, they aren"t really watching us twenty-four seven——"

"Ah~ Ah..."

A disconnect voice rang among them.

The owner of that voice was none other than Nagase Iori.

——No, it was a certain someone who was using Nagase"s body.

"Who... are you?" Inaba asked.

"... Who? Doesn"t... matter, because... it is time to say good bye."

It said sluggishly, like it was talking in a dream.

"... I remember warning you that... there will be consequences, that it will go on "forever", did I not?"

Nagase——«Number Two», to be exact, face towards Taichi.

The darkness radiating from «Number Two»"s eyes caught on Taichi"s.

Taichi could not feel his own body.

"It was a mistake to choose you... Then again there might not be any difference... No matter, it was going to end anyway."

As if already lost interest, «Number Two» looked away.

"It was going to be found out and come to an end anyway... I suppose this is acceptable in a sense... No matter... Good bye."

As «Number Two» finished, Nagase"s head dropped.

"... Hm? That felt... just now... Wait, what happened?"

"What the... That thing doesn"t even care to talk to us? ... If that"s the case, I"d probably prefer «Heartseed»..."

Inaba complained.

Suddenly,

——Clank.

"Ugh..."

Aoki(10), who was sitting on the far side of the room dropped his video game, and curled up in pain.

Kiriyama rushed towards him.

"Y—Yos.h.i.+fumi-kun, are you alright? It"s not even close to five yet——"

——The next moment, Aoki(10) returned to the normal Aoki.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow! T—Too tight! My clothes!"

Aoki exclaimed in pain.

"What... huh?"

Kiriyama stopped short on her steps.

"Huh? ... Does this mean it"s over? Just like that..."

Inaba"s voice was both relieved and dejected.

Thank goodness.

Taichi loosened his body.

When «Number Two» appeared, he was worried that something bad will happen, but it seemed to be over now.

If that was the case, he should have told everyone sooner—

Taichi suddenly felt an intense heat searing within his body.

It was hot, painfully hot, as though every block of cell in his body was going to erupt. His head started spinning, melting. Taichi bent forward, his hand on his chest.

——Hey! Taichi! Are you alright?!

He could hear Nagase"s distant voice.

——What"s going on? This is just like "Time Regression"... No... Does that mean, including Taichi, the time frame of "Time Regression" phenomenon has become completely random!?

He heard Inaba"s voice. After that, Taichi"s mind went dark.

In his subconscious, he felt an incredible sense of nostalgia.

I want to go home soon.

I have to go home soon.

I can"t leave mom alone with that man.

It"s too dangerous.

I must be there for her.

I must play my role better.

I only have to do that.

I must do that.

If I can start over again...

Translator"s NotesJump up↑ Omiyage　(土産、おみやげ): Souvenir, usually food like candies or other edibles. Usually bought by the travelers for those who did not make the trip.Jump up↑ In Heaven and On Earth, No One is n.o.ble but Me (天上天下唯我独尊): A Buddhist saying by Gautama Buddha. Buddha said that "Each person is the precious one. There must be something that only each individual person can do." It was often misinterpreted as "I am the most respected person" as shown by Yui"s example.

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