“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tabuki snickered.
“I don’t know. It was just a thought,” Yuri replied, giggling along with him. “But you shouldn’t laugh too much or your stitches will split open.”
“Then don’t make me laugh!” As he spoke, he reached over to the bedside table, grabbed his glasses, and carefully slid them up the bridge of his nose. “Yuri, I finally realized why we were the only ones who survived.”
“And why is that?” Yuri asked as she peeled an apple with a paring knife.
“You and I were lost children right from the start—but in this world, most children are. That’s why I needed someone to tell me they loved me, even just once.”
Momoka must have instinctively sensed this using her special power. That was how she had the compassion to help so many people. And it was that mindset that he and Yuri needed to inherit.
When she received an invitation from Yuri to meet up in the hospital cafeteria, admittedly, Ringo hesitated for a moment. But she had a lot of questions about Tabuki Keiju and the diary, so ultimately she agreed to it. After school she usually got in touch with Shoma, but this time she decided to wait until after her little rendezvous.
“I apologize for making you come all the way out here on such short notice,” Yuri said with a good-natured smile. Her neat ponytail and modest makeup afforded her a delicate appearance, reminiscent of the time they first met at Tabuki’s apartment, especially the eyes and lips.
“No, that’s okay. But, um…”
Ringo hadn’t forgotten about Tabuki Keiju or the situation with Yuri. According to all the entertainment news programs, the wedding reception was postponed due to the groom’s poor health, but rumor had it that Tokikago Yuri had already ended the marriage. Honestly speaking, Ringo foresaw that she would encounter her again sooner or later. Assuming she was still after Momoka’s diary and the diary was still needed to save Himari, there would always be conflict between them…which was why she wasn’t expecting it to be this peaceful.
“Believe it or not, Tabuki’s upstairs in a hospital room as we speak,” Yuri explained with a slight frown. Ringo’s eyes widened.
“Wait, so when they said the reception was postponed due to poor health…?”
“Oh, that was a lie I told the media to buy myself enough time to track him down. I never meant for it to actually come true.” Her long lashes fluttered as she looked away.
“What happened?”
“Just a couples’ spat. Trust me, you don’t want the details.”
Something about her tone of voice set Ringo at ease. Apparently something happened between Yuri and Tabuki after the incident at the construction site…but that was their business, not hers. Besides, it seemed like they resolved it on their own.
“I know the two of us have put you kids through a lot, but I can promise you this: you won’t have to worry about us anymore.” As she spoke, she gently set half of Momoka’s diary on the table. “So you can have this back. It took me a long time, but now I realize that Momoka wanted you to have it.”
It felt like an eternity since Ringo last laid eyes on the diary. Gingerly, she reached out and took it. After all this time, had fate brought it back to her?
“Find the other half and complete the diary. Then you’ll find the fate transfer spell written inside,” Yuri explained intently.
“The fate transfer spell…?” Ringo looked down at the half-diary, trying to remember if she’d ever come across anything resembling a spell during her past read-throughs.
“Yes. If you use it, you can save someone you care about.”
“I don’t know… I’ve never thought about changing someone’s fate.”
“I’m not surprised. But Momoka entrusted this diary to you and you alone. She must have known you would need it someday.”
Yuri’s words resonated deeply in Ringo’s heart. Her older sister, who was special and unique, had chosen her to inherit her diary. Surely there was some meaning in that.
Outside the hospital, the sky above her was chilly, but clear. With a smile, Ringo hugged the diary half to her chest and set off walking. Perhaps there was still something she could do to help.
Up on the rooftop of the office building, Kanba stood at the safety fence and glared down at Ikebukuro Station Square, one hand clutching at the chain links. His focus: the area surrounding the La Terre sculpture.
“The police have already caught on to your organization’s little plot. They have eyes on you right this very moment.” Masako stood behind him, dressed in a trench coat. “Now’s your last chance to back out.”
“I have to make this plan succeed. I have to save Himari’s life,” Kanba muttered to himself, as if he hadn’t even noticed her standing there.
“And how do you intend to do that?”
Masako was reminded of something Sanetoshi once said to her: Your parents failed to make their dream come true. So instead, I’m going to pass that duty down to their children. And if her interpretation was correct, then that “dream” was another nightmare waiting to happen.
But Kanba didn’t answer her question. Instead, he put his cell phone to his ear. “Look sharp. We’ve got an unmarked police car staking us out at the roundabout.” His lips curled in a smirk as he listened to the reply. “All right, just leave it to me.” With that, he hung up. Then, without so much as a glance in Masako’s direction, he left the rooftop and headed back down the stairs.
She promptly followed suit, one hand holding her curls in place as the wind ruffled them. Ahead of her, Kanba’s black jacket looked like a red-hot flame…but this time, she couldn’t feel the heat of his burning passion. Not to suggest he was perfectly in control or anything of the sort—rather, that his fire was out of reach.
Arriving at the roundabout, Kanba slowly walked to the center, his eyes glued to his cell phone screen. Masako frowned, noting his unnatural behavior, and slowly trailed behind him.
“Kanba, what are you looking at?”
She peered at his phone screen and saw a basic CG image of the surrounding area. She looked up and glanced around. Sure enough, the buildings, cars, and pedestrians were all faithfully replicated in the image. Then Kanba tapped one of the parked cars, and its silhouette began to flash.