"Why did you call me?"
The moment her body was taken over by Misa, Yusa instantly changed into another persona.
If Yusa was the lively and cheerful type, then Misa had a more neutral, almost androgynous personality.
The two sisters' personalities complement each other perfectly; it was no surprise that they were sisters.
"You're here..."
"I'm always here. Now, what's going on? Why did you call me?"
"Misa, what's it like after someone dies?" Hakuto had also experienced death but had no memories of it.
When it came to death, Misa was the one who could speak from experience.
After hearing Hakuto's question, Misa frowned.
"I don't think I'm truly dead yet. I'm still clinging to life through my little sister's body..."
"I just remember blacking out, and when I woke up, I was in Yusa's body."
"So you called me out just to ask about this?"
Hakuto shook his head. Honestly, he found it difficult to speak the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
However, even if Hakuto couldn't bring himself to say it, Otosaka Yuu still needed to take Yusa's powers.
With that thought, Hakuto no longer hesitated and spoke up.
"Otosaka Yuu, that guy, has decided to sacrifice himself to seize the powers of the entire world..."
"Does that include the powers in Yusa's body?"
"Yeah..."
Misa seemed a bit confused upon hearing Hakuto's words, but she soon came to terms with it.
"Are you worried about me? Well, I'm already dead. I should have gone to where I belong a long time ago. It's not good for a sister to be occupying their little sister's body."
"I told Otosaka Yuu that we'd start acting tomorrow. Is there anything you want to do before that?"
Misa was somewhat of a friend to Hakuto, even though she often threw fireballs at him.
This, too, could be considered a death. At the end of her life, Hakuto hoped Misa could do something she wanted to do.
Although it was through her little sister's body, at least it could somewhat make up for a regret.
"Are you pitying me?"
"Of course not. After all this time, I've come to see you as a friend."
Misa looked at Hakuto in front of her and surprisingly said two words: "Thank you."
"Thank you..."
"There's no need for that. It's not a big deal. Well, I'll be off now. If you need help, feel free to call me or Nao."
Hakuto closed the student council's door. In a sense, this was his first experience with the separation of life and death.
Humans, after all, are fragile creatures... Misa died in a car accident, and due to her powers, she clung to life through her little sister's body.
Sometimes, life feels so insignificant...
When he was younger, Hakuto often interpreted the famous saying "A person is bound to die, either heavier than a mountain or lighter than a feather" as meaning that people's lives have varying degrees of value.
But now, he thought this interpretation didn't seem so wrong...
...
Later, Misa, using her little sister's body as a vessel, returned to her home and met her parents.
Meanwhile, Otosaka Yuu had stolen the abilities of all the other ability users around, except for Hakuto, and officially started his journey.
Everything seemed to have returned to its original state, or so Hakuto thought.
At least, he had over a year before the next trouble arrived.
...
In December, Hakuto, wearing a black coat, walked through the gate of Toyonosaki School under the light snowfall, holding an umbrella.
It had only been three days since Otosaka Yuu's journey began, and Hakuto still had plenty of time to prepare.
Now, Hakuto had returned to Toyonosaki to attend classes, and Nao had resumed her position as the student council president at Hoshino umi School.
Although Hoshino Umi had accomplished most of its original purpose, it wouldn't disappear as a school.
But that no longer concerned Hakuto. He was now a student at Toyonosaki.
The over six-month-long double-agent journey had come to an end. Thinking back, it felt quite nostalgic.
It could be considered a beautiful memory...
From Nao tracking him to Otosaka Yuu starting his journey, it had almost been a year since then.
Looking back now, it felt like it had just happened yesterday.
[Has the situation at the school ended?]
[Yes, Ginko can come over to play chess with me this week...]
[I'll come tonight...]
Ginko's execution was still as strong as ever, but that was expected since it had been a few months since she last saw Hakuto.
Considering her personality, it was likely that she would try to wear Hakuto out tonight.
"By the way, has Ginko participated in the promotion match in the past few months?"
Hakuto shook his head. She probably hadn't, as such a big event would have been communicated to him, even if she knew he had no signal.
He didn't think about it further and instead prepared to step into the long-missed campus!
"Hello, student, you're late. Please report your name and class."
"Huh?"
Hakuto had thought about what kind of reception he would get, but he didn't expect it to be the student council...
He smiled, thinking it was a novel experience, and took the notebook and pen from the student council member.
He casually wrote his name and class in the notebook.
After he left, the student council member looked at the name and class on the notebook and was nearly startled out of her wits.
"Wait... Shiro? Shiratori Hakuto?!"
The student council member stared at Hakuto's departing figure. She almost ran up to confirm, but after hesitating for a long time, she didn't have the courage.
"Shiratori Hakuto? Didn't he leave for several months? Recently, there have been rumors that he transferred..."
"He went to Hoshino Umi as an exchange student, not that he won't be coming back..."
The student council member stared at Hakuto's name in the notebook, and in the end, chose to believe it rather than doubt it.
She shakily tore the page from the notebook.
Although Hakuto had been away for several months, no one doubted his abilities.
Today, he could easily write down his name, and tomorrow, he might end up being dragged into the bathroom for a beating!
Even though Hakuto had clearly stated he wouldn't do that, people couldn't shake that thought.
No one in Toyonosaki knew that Hakuto had returned, not even Hiratsuka Shizuka.
But Hakuto's empty seat remained, untouched by dust, as if someone had been cleaning it regularly.
Hakuto slowly made his way to Hiratsuka Shizuka's office and gently knocked on the door.
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