“That’s why we’ll need to keep acting separately, Nagisa. Thanks for understanding.”
In an airport lounge, I nodded to Nagisa’s image on my laptop. I’d sent an e-mail in advance to tell her about the truth of the Great Cataclysm, which we’d learned in the control tower just the other day.
“Sure. Leave finding Charlie to me. I’ll be relying on Ookami for most of it, though.”
Ookami had gone back to the Security Police a year ago, and he’d been investigating a lead that Charlie was a member of a known terrorist organization. He and Nagisa were currently working their way through a list of the group’s hideouts, but apparently they hadn’t found Charlie yet.
“Charlie disappeared while she was chasing the Assassin, so normally I’d suspect Ms. Fuubi, but…”
“It doesn’t look that way to you, right, Kimihiko?”
After we’d parted ways at the control tower, Ms. Fuubi had started working on her own again. She hadn’t told us any details, but she was likely planning to contact the Federation Government.
She’d always been like that. All she’d say was that she had business with the people at the top. I’d asked Noel to get us a meeting with the government dignitaries as well, but she was still arranging it.
“I wonder if this means Charlie really did get pulled into some sort of unexpected situation.”
“Yeah. Well, we can’t write off the possibility that she just made it look like that, met up with members of the organization, and is plotting something, as Ookami says.”
Would Charlie do something like that? …Or rather, would she even come up with a plan that clever? This was Charlie we were talking about; she always just charged ahead as she saw fit. In that case, where was she now, and what was she doing?
“In any case, I’ll stick it out for a few more days. I wonder which country we’re headed to next…”
Nagisa stretched on the screen. She was also in an airport lounge in some foreign country. School was out for spring break, but she’d been away from Japan for days now, so the fatigue was probably building up.
“How’s Mia doing? She’s not used to moving around this much, either.”
“Oh, she went back to London. She said that since the world’s records had been retaken, her power as the Oracle might come back, too. She’s going to devote some time to her duties in the clock tower.”
Oh, so that’s what she was hoping for? Even if it was unstable, the System was still on Earth, meaning Mia’s ability to see the future just might come back before too long…
“Huh? Wait a second. Nagisa, does that mean you’re alone with Ookami?”
“Hm? Yes, why?”
“You’re traveling with Ookami, just the two of you?!”
…What would that be like?
Nagisa and Ookami alone together? From morning till night? For days on end?
“I think my brain’s gonna break.”
My head was starting to hurt, and the voices around me seemed to fade out.
“Kimihiko? Hello? Earth to Kimihiko.”
I drained my incredibly bitter coffee, then turned back to the screen. “Give Ookami a message for me. Tell him that if he tries anything weird, I’ll use the power of the Singularity and everything else I’ve got to erase him, concept and all.”
“Yes, yes. You say that, but you’re all alone with Siesta, aren’t you?” Nagisa stared at me through the screen.
When we discovered that something abnormal was definitely going on, we’d decided that Siesta and I would go investigate the areas where the strangeness was occurring while we waited to make contact with the government.
“You don’t want me being alone with Ookami, but you’re getting along reeeeeally well with Siesta.”
“What do you mean by that? This is just work.” Work that hadn’t changed in the past seven years. “What, Nagisa? Don’t tell me you’re jealous or something.” That being the case, I ignored my own situation and replied with some of our usual banter.
“…Don’t tease me like that, okay?” Nagisa looked away, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
I hadn’t told her everything about our lost past. That is to say, I hadn’t done anything as gauche as reminding Nagisa of the true feelings she’d told me about on the day of the Great Cataclysm. She’d remembered on her own, though. She knew what she’d said to me back then.
“I-it’s been over a year, by the way. People’s feelings can change in a year. Back then, I, um, I probably just got caught up in the moment. So, uh…” As she spoke, Nagisa flushed red and averted her gaze. “J-just forget about it, okay?”
Sheesh. And after I finally managed to recover such an important memory…
“All right. We’ll act just like we always do, then.”
“…Yeah! Just like always.”
Well, it probably wouldn’t get awkward after all this time, but if that was what Nagisa wanted… “In that case, I figure it’s okay to assume that—like always—you’re a complete masochist, and that no matter who teases you or how, you’ll act like you’re mad, but you’re really getting pleasure out of the humiliation. Right?”
“Like hell it is! Wh-why would you drag the conversation back to something like that?! I said no teasing! If I have to pick, I’m going to be a complete sadist when it comes to you, Kimihiko!”
“No, you can’t take things back that far. The only time you came off as a total sadist was right at the beginning. You showed your true colors real fast.”
“~~~! Fine, I don’t even care! I really do hate you! You’re a tactless, inconsiderate, inhuman guy with no personality who doesn’t understand the tiniest bit about a girl’s feelings!”
Nagisa pounded the table, venting her anger at me. She was scaring the other waiting passengers.
“You look like you’re having fun,” I said—but just then, a girl stole one of my earphones.
“Nagisa, if you get too angry, you’ll ruin that cute face of yours.”
“…Did you come to bait me on purpose, Siesta?” Nagisa glared at her resentfully.
“I can’t help it; seeing that expression makes me want to pick on you. Be careful, okay?”
“You’re telling the person who’s getting picked on to be careful?!”
Nagisa’s reaction was a perfect ten out of ten, and Siesta giggled.
“Sorry, sorry. I came to ask you for a favor, actually. I know I’ve said it before but make sure you take good care of Charlie.” At that, Siesta’s expression shifted, and her tone turned serious. “I think everything about her situation is connected to this. I’m not kidding when I say that every single move we make from now on is going to be incredibly important for the world that’s to come.”
With that, Siesta added, “This time, for sure, we’ll clean up after the events from one year ago,” and Nagisa nodded firmly.
“Siesta, we should get going,” I cut in.
Our departure time was coming up fast.
Siesta and I were setting out for another few days to investigate the irregularities with the world.
“Okay, Nagisa. See you.”
“All right. You and Siesta be careful, too. And make sure you keep a proper distance between you.”
“What sort of a warning is that?”