It was about a year ago from now.

A single flyer had fallen in the hallway of my house.

Written on it were the words "Kaisei kyou," along with various suspicious phrases like "To save humanity," "To be guided to the True World," and "Offer your flesh as a sacrifice and unleash your life."

I was wondering why something like this was on the floor when my younger sister walked over looking flustered.

Kuragane Marin.

Unlike me, a girl with smooth, long black hair who feels no pain, whom everyone calls a "beauty."

Her glare was a bit harsh, but maybe that's just because she was looking at me.

She's one year younger than me and attends the same high school as a first-year, but at that time she was still in her third year of middle school.

Marin and I have a very hostile relationship; she glared at me like I was trash just from making eye contact.

Then she picked up the flyer as if crushing it, even though no one was going to steal it, and walked away.

At the time I thought she could just get obsessed with some weird religion and ruin her life, but I don't really know what happened after that.

"I vaguely remember my mother, but she had these terrifying eyes, like she was possessed by something."

At the very least, she wasn't in the state Rea described, so did she not join?

"Are you saying I had those kinds of eyes?"

"...Yeah."

Rea said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

It's certainly a very rude thing to say.

But I must have looked abnormal enough for her to feel she had to say it anyway.

"It's not exactly the same. But it's like, being so obsessed with something that you can't see anything else... My dad said that when that happens, no matter how desperately someone who loves you tries to reach you, their words just won't get through."

Even though I knew it was inappropriate, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh through my nose, "Hehe."

"Erika...?"

"It's okay, Rea, don't worry. I don't have anyone like that. There's not a single person in the world who loves me."

"That's not true!"

Honestly, I was a little annoyed.

Just by talking to her, I can tell Rea is someone who is loved by others.

What meaning could the words of denial from someone like that possibly have—

"Then will you love me, Rea?"

I said that almost as a reflex, trying to provoke her.

Hearing those words, Rea,

"Eh? Ah, um... that's..."

Got confused and at a loss for words.

See, I knew it. Nobody loves me after all.

As I was gloating over this, Rea's face slowly turned red.

Why?

"Um... I don't really know about love and all that, but... um..."

...Ah.

I was talking about conceptual affection, and I didn't intend to take it in a romantic direction.

It might have been a statement that couldn't be helped if it was taken that way.

This is bad, my face is getting hot.

I was supposed to be having a serious conversation, why do I have to feel embarrassed too!?

"I understand... We're both girls, but I'll try my best."

"No, wait, that's not what I meant!"

"If that will save you, Erika, I want to do whatever I can—"

"Rea, stop!"

"Fueh?"

"J-just stop! You're probably misunderstanding something!"

"I... am?"

"That's not what I meant to say!"

But then, what did I mean?

What is love?

Having only ever been directed fake emotions, I don't know its concrete form.

The only thing I know is black, twisted, dark emotions.

"If you say I'm a believer, maybe that's true. Yes, I believe in revenge, and I live seeking hope there. From your perspective, Rea, you might think it's wrong to live for such hatred."

"Yeah..."

"But revenge will end someday. Unlike gods who won't help you no matter how much you believe in them, there is an 'end'. Well, even if that happens, there's no guarantee the 'normal me' you imagine will be there. Since I'm originally a piece of trash with no value in living."

"Stop talking about yourself like that."

"I can't. If I didn't think like that, I wouldn't have been able to endure those days."

I get betrayed because I have expectations.

Then it's better to admit from the start that I'm at the very bottom.

By doing so, the pain is minimized.

"If I had been raised normally by my parents, met normal classmates, and grown up normally... Ah, in this case, 'normal' means better than now. If that had happened, I sometimes think I could have become a slightly more 'decent' version of myself. In short, that might be what you call a state of 'being loved by someone'."

"You're already kind enough."

 "Haha, then maybe I could have been an even kinder me."

"Definitely. Even today, you saved three lives."

"That's—because I felt good being able to sublimate my hatred for Yoshioka san and Asanuma kun."

"If you were in a bad mood, wouldn't you have saved them?"

"..."

"I think you would have saved them, Erika."

Maybe Rea is right.

I hated those who tormented me, and at the same time, I hated the many who turned a blind eye.

Mitsurugi san was more of the latter, sneering from a distance, appealing to 'them' who directly hurt me that 'I'm one of you, I'm on your side', and I hated the cowardice of those trying to protect themselves.

Therefore.

If possible, if they are people I don't need to hate, I want to save them.

But I don't think of it as a good deed.

It's just a dirty act to satisfy my desires.

"It's killing two birds with one stone. I can sell favors and satisfy my self-esteem."

"It's fine if it's for yourself, as long as someone is saved as a result. So, please don't speak so badly of yourself."

"Because it makes you feel bad to hear?"

"It becomes a self suggestion. Erika, you're trying to convince yourself that you're worthless more than necessary, even though that's not true."

"I only have value because I have 'power'. I'm sure if we had met before that—"

"I don't think so."

Rea touched my cheek and said while looking straight at me.

The words of refutation were pushed back by her all too innocent gaze, getting stuck in my throat and not coming out.

"I truly believe that. You might think I'm being selfish and annoying, though."

"Yeah, it is annoying."

"Ugh..."

"But I guess I'm such a troublesome person that you have to go that far."

"There you go, deprecating yourself again."

"It's a habit, so I can't help it. But talking to you, Rea, makes me feel it even more."

"Feel what?"

"That your father must be a really good person."

"My dad? Ah, yeah, he's a very kind and wonderful dad!"

Rea smiled shyly and happily.

I felt envious that she could say that about her own parent.

"He's probably worried because I haven't come home..."

And remembering her father, her heart aches.

It's a concept I lack, but the other students are all showing some signs of homesickness.

It's not something that can be stopped.

However, since we have no means of returning now, pouring our mental resources into that and getting depressed will only waste time.

I decided to somewhat forcefully change the flow of the conversation.

"Changing the subject, what kind of religion is that Kaisei kyou you mentioned earlier?"

"Eh? From what I heard, it's a dangerous religion that talks about destroying the world, or that this isn't the true world. I did a quick search and found they even caused a kidnapping incident once."

It's exactly the same as the flyer I saw.

"Was it over 10 years ago that your mother tried to take you away, Rea?"

"I was really little, so yeah, that would be it. My dad said my mom was a believer even before I was born, so they've probably been rooted in this town for much longer."

"So she gradually got more and more involved. Have you been in contact with your mother since then?"

"I was told to stay absolutely away from her, so I don't even know where she is or what she's doing. All I know is that her name is Aiko."

"Oogi Aiko..."

Come to think of it, wasn't our homeroom teacher named Ooki Aiko?

Their names are similar, not that it matters.

"Ah, you thought of Ooki sensei, didn't you."

"You know her?"

"I've taken her classes. Their names are similar, but Oogi is my dad's last name. And their faces are completely different."

"Ahaha, I guess you're right."

It's not like I thought they were related.

Besides, Ooki is a piece of trash who tormented me along with the students.

She's nothing like Rea.

"Saying this world is fake, or destroying it, I wonder why people believe such terrifying things. Maybe they went through such terrible experiences that they wanted to believe that."

"Even if they're loved by someone, even if they have such a cute child, some people get sucked in, so I can only say it's a matter of nature and luck."

At my words, Rea's cheeks flushed slightly.

I didn't say it consciously, but "cute" just slipped out smoothly.

As we were both fidgeting in the embarrassing atmosphere, Meiji sensei approached us.

"Mind if I interrupt? Ah, if I'm really a bother, you can shoo me away."

She really doesn't read the room—no, in this case, maybe it's better to say she read it and came anyway.

And why is she wearing gym clothes...

"What's wrong, Sensei?"

"I heard an interesting conversation, so I wanted to join in."

"I don't think we were having such a fun conversation."

"Oh come on, I heard it perfectly. The talk about Kaisei kyou."

...That's what she was curious about?

"Was it something that surprising for you two? You know, girls love fortune telling, right? It's kind of an extension of that."

"I think it's completely different."

"Hehe, don't worry about the minor details. By the way, your mother was a believer, Oogi san?"

"Yes, well. But I'm not in contact with her anymore, you know? And it's not like she was performing rituals in the house."

"I see. But I've been watching you for a while, and didn't it seem like Kuragane san also knew something about it?"

This person—is unexpectedly observing us.

She seems flaky, but if you look closely, her eyes are sharp.

It's true that when the topic of Kaisei kyou came up, I might have made an obvious expression but I don't sense any malice from Meiji sensei.

Could it be pure curiosity?

"I just happened to see a flyer that seemed to be from Kaisei kyou in my house. It seemed to belong to my younger sister."

"Your younger sister, Erika?"

"Kuragane san's younger sister—I believe it's Marin chan, a first-year, right?"

"What, Kuragane senpai is the older sister of that Kuragane Marin!?"

Shimakawa kun reacted exaggeratedly from a slight distance.

The other students were also looking at me with surprise.

Even Mitsurugi san, who had been brooding, raised her head.

Ushizawa san also poked just her head out from behind the curtain.

Shimakawa kun left the front of the shelf lined with files, approached us, and stared closely at my face with his hand on his chin.

"You don't look alike, though..."

"I get that a lot."

"I think I've heard of her too. Good at both studying and sports, especially kendo where she's at the national level."

"She gives off a real Nadeshiko Yamato vibe, doesn't she. Though her eyes are a bit scary."

"Yeah, we are complete opposites in every way."

I spat the words out.

Everyone's reaction is understandable.

It's rare to find sisters who look so dissimilar, and above all, we never have the opportunity to say we're sisters from our own mouths.

"Does that mean she is in Kaisei kyou...?"

"She only had the flyer, so I don't know."

"Sounds like a suspicious religion."

"Ai thinks the reason the school turned out like this might be because of that religion's rituals."

"That's a bit of a leap, Ushizawa san."

Rea smiled bitterly.

However, Meiji sensei narrowed her eyes, erased her usual smile from her expression, and stated coldly.

"I wonder about that."

"Sensei, do you happen to know something?"

"Kuragane san, did you know that there's a missing person from our school this year? A girl from your class, Ikun—"

As if to interrupt the teacher's words, I spoke that name with strong emphasis.

"Ikuna Yumemi, right?"

As if I could forget.

There's no way I could forget.

Even if everyone in the world forgets, I won't.

"Oh my, you were acquaintances."

"She was my closest best friend, more precious than anyone—and the person I hate more than anyone."

There's no way I could forget.

About that day.

About her, who betrayed me.

"Erika... that person is..."

"No matter how close someone is, you never know when they might betray you. She's the person who taught me that, Yumemi chan."

As long as her existence remains within me—I probably can't truly trust Rea from the bottom of my heart.

Moreover, Yumemi chan is in a place out of my reach.

Ah, in that sense, my belief in revenge might never end.

"I didn't know you had such a connection. But I wonder if the others know about it."

"True... It's my first time hearing about it."

"Same for Ai. You'd think it would at least become a rumor if someone went missing."

I know.

Of course, the classmates including Mitsurugi san, my parents, and the police too.

But—now that it's mentioned, the spread of the story stopped there.

"Then I'll continue asking, but did you know there are suicides every year? Some kids even died by jumping off the school roof late at night."

"...I didn't know about that either."

"If someone jumped off the roof, it would cause a huge uproar in the whole school. Why haven't we heard about it?"

"You know about it, right, Tatsuoka kun? About Nanase san. You were in the same class, after all."

All eyes focused on Tatsuoka senpai.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, he answered without meeting Meiji sensei's eyes.

"I only know her name. We were in the same class, but we weren't particularly close."

"What about her suicide?"

"Of course I know."

"That's right, there's no way you wouldn't know."

As usual—Meiji sensei's tone is a bit strong when she talks to Tatsuoka senpai.

Could it be that the suicide is connected somehow?

"But don't you think this is somewhat strange? In a normal school, a rumor about a single suicide would spread in a flash. If it was a jump, bloodstains would likely remain until the next morning, and I think it would be difficult to clean it up completely."

"What connection is there between that story and Kaisei kyou?"

"I think our school is suppressing such inconvenient information. I didn't know what for, so I've been feeling uneasy about it for a long time."

The teacher suddenly moved to the wall and shoved the shelf placed there to the side with a "heave-ho."

She placed her hand on the wall.

There was "paper" that had assimilated with the color of the wall and become invisible.

When she peeled it off with a rip, what appeared from inside was—

"Hya... a, a skeleton...?"

A skeleton embedded in the wall, so vivid it made Rea gasp.

Furthermore, a part of the head is damaged.

"When I found this, I thought it was for some ridiculous purpose like summoning the god of Kaisei kyou. By the way, this is probably Nanase san's corpse."

The True World.

Sacrifice.

The ridiculous nonsense of fanatics is backed by substance and causing us real harm.

Such a ridiculous hypothesis.

Surely even the teacher didn't want to believe it.

But, Rea's mother was a believer, and my sister wasn't uninvolved—it wasn't just "we were caught up in this."

I had that feeling.