"Aki, we need to hurry! If her body and Soul Seal have fused, she will end up like me and Kakuju! A wielder, and if she became a wielder without any training, she will explode!"
"Yes, if she can use the power of the Soul Seal, even though it's unconciously, she's going to be a wielder."
Kazuya is having his conversation with Aki while running through the hallway. Even though there's no classes, they're still ditching the preparations for the cultural festival. Still, Yui had used the Soul Seal now, it means that her depression had reached it's peak, and Kazuya didn't even noticed that.
The two of them climbed the stairs to the building of the upperclassmen. They ran until they reached Class 3-B. When they took a peak at the classroom, Yui is nowhere to be found.
"So she already left the classroom, huh? So she already noticed that no one remembers her? Aki, let's check the library."
"Roger!"
For some reason, Kazuya felt that Yui is in the library. Maybe because he felt her Soul Seal, or maybe not. They ran through the hallway to reach the library. The librarian is in the library right now, si it's not a good meeting place.
After some running, they finally reached the library. They opened the door, and a figure of a woman reading a book can be seen, even though she's a bit far away.
They slowly walked at the library, to avoid getting noticed by the librarian. When they finally reached her, Kazuya asked her directly:
"Yui, how are you?"
"Mmm."
Yui didn't said anything and just continued to read her book. Kazuya waited and stood there until she finished reading this book. After she finished reading it, she closed it, and looked at Kazuya.
"So who might you be?"
"What? Do you remember your name?"
"No, I don't. When I asked from someone, they don't even know who I am."
Yui unconsciously used the Soul Seal so that the people will forget her, and she's included in that. In short, she forgot herself too. Kazuya took a seat beside her, and said:
"Do you remember anything?"
"No, my head is empty. That's why I'm fueling it by reading some book here, you see."
Kazuya looked at Aki once, then Aki returned it with a nod. It's a signal that Yui's case is a very serious one.
+++++
To get everything back to normal, Kazuya has to extract the Soul Seal from her like usual. But this is where the problem lies. Kazuya is using clues based from the host's action, speech, the reason for being depressed and the Soul Seal.
This is the clues that he's using to gain conclusion and solve the problem. But the host had already forgotten her own problems. There's no point observing her speech patterns and action, if she can't even remember her problem.
So Kazuya's last clue is the Soul Seal. Her Soul Seal is called "Erased", so her problems have anything to do with it.
"No matter how I think about it, the Soul Seal is not enough as a clue!"
Her Soul Seal is not enough as a clue. He need more clues, but where is he going to get it? All of the people without Soul Seal have forgotten Yui Kousaka, including her close friends and family.
Meaning, they don't have a source of clues. For the meantime, Kazuya tried to talk to Yui while Aki was going to gather background check at her. Even though she was forgotten, her records should still be in place, like birth certificate, insurance money and more.
Kazuya took a seat beside Yui, and tried to ask her:
"If you really forgotten, then I have to introduce myself, I'm actually Kazuya Satoru. Your name is... Kousaka Yui."
"Kousaka... Yui? I guess that's my name. I'm feeling something strange when I heard that name. Then, Kazuya, thank you, nice meeting you."
After she gave her thanks to Kazuya, she came back from reading a book. The conversation died! If a certain someone has an amnesia or something similar, the normal thing to do is to show him/her around to places that she/he might remember.
But that logic will not apply to Yui's case. Her amnesia is not caused by the brain, it's from the heart, where the Soul Seal resides. So trying to do that will only waste some time.
Time is of the essence. Yui doesn't have any training regarding the Soul Seal, and she used it just now. Any minute and she will explode.
While Yui is reading her book, Kazuya is still thinking the cause of her problems by his only clue the Soul Seal, Erased.
"What if there's some guy she wants to forget, that's why she unconsciously activated it but ended up forgetting her own self? No matter how I think, I still can't drew conclusions!"
While Kazuya's shouting and thinking avout Yui, Yui closed her book and asked Kazuya:
"Hey, I read this book about a boy trying to find his true self. It's a great book. But It got me thinking, what is my true self? Do you know it?"
Yui looked at Kazuya's eyes after posing her question. Kazuya swung his head left and right as a signal that he doesn't know. Yui just let out a "Is that so?" then came back to her book.
Kazuya skipped the 2nd day of the cultural festival. Before he knew it, the sun had already set and classes are already over. It's a relief that she didn't exploded today, but who knows what might happened tomorrow?
Kazuya stood up and asked:
"Do you know where you live? Of course not, but I'm still going to ask."
"No, I don't, and I'm sure that no one knows."
Actually, Kazuya can sneak at the teacher's faculty and know her address but even if she goes to her home, she will be kicked out by her family.
"But wait! She's a celebrity, right? What if she lives alone? It's worth giving a shot."
Since the library will be closing now, Kazuya said to Yui that she should wait for him outside. Kazuya messaged all of his friends that they should head home first, because he has something to do.
Kazuya used Presence Erasure to sneak at the faculty room once again. This is the second time he's doing this. The first time is at Haruka Tomoe's case.
He searched her name at the files of the third-years, and found it after some time.
"So she lives here, huh? It's quiet far from here."
He already knew Yui's address so he immediately gone outside where Yui is waiting for him.
"Still, Aki sure is taking long. It must be hard to background check someone when no one remembers her."
Kazuya gone down outside of the school. The moment he arrived outside, he saw 3 men surrounded at Yui.
"Yo, your pretty cute. Are you alone? Mind coming with us?"
They don't have any hostile motive or anything, they just want to hit on girls. Yui doesn't even care about them and just reading her book. The 3 shares the same thoughts, and it was:
"Oh man! I plucked all my courage just to hit on you, you know! Just give us a chance! We trained really hard for this!"
After some minutes, the 3 gave up and left the scene, gloomily. While Kazuya on the other hand didn't do anything at all. Because he has sympathy for them. But all of that is over now.
Kazuya held Yui's hands then they've gone to the nearest train station.
"From what I read, Yui's home is 5 stations from here. It's really far away."
It's still close though. Five stations only consumes 25-40 minutes of travel,(Based from my own experience)so it's still quiet close. His house is just too close that he doesn't need trains.
After some while, Kazuya and Yui arrived at her house or much to say, condominium. Kazuya only saw condominiums in TV and Light Novel, but at least, he know what to do.
He goes to the counter and ask:
"Could you please tell me Kousaka Yui's condo?"
"Why would I tell you that?"
The lady raised her brow, towards Kazuya.
"Because the owner forgotten."
"The owner forgotten her own condo?!"
"This is the owner you see. If you search Kousaka Yui on your records, you will see her face."
Kazuya can just sneak at the building the find Yui's condo. But he might get arrested, so he chose to ask the counter. The lady stared at Yui's face and then, searched the records.
Yui on the other hand, is still reading her book, doesn't have any care to the world.
"Okay, found it!"
"As expected, Yui is forgotten. But her records and files are still here, my hypothesis is correct!"
"Your condo is Room#436. Here is the Master Key. Enjoy!"
She said that but the one she's looking is Yui. Kazuya received the Master key on his hands and held Yui's hands, then goes to the elevator.
While at the elevator, Aki suddenly called at his smartphone:
"Hey, what's up? Got some information?"
"It's really hard gathering info when this person is forgotten. But just as you said, her records is still here. I'll tell you the details later. For the meantime, her hospital papers said that she's claustrophobic so please make sure that she will not enter dark and tight places. She should be fine at an elevator as long as it's not dark."
"Okay, got it. See you later."
The moment when Kazuya closed his phone, the elevator immediately stopped moving, and the lights have turned off. This is no doubt, a malfunction at the elevator. The best thing to do is to stay calm and wait for help.
But this situation is not applicable right now. Kazuya pushed the emergency button immediately and looked behind him. The girl who was reading a book with a composed face just now, was now crouching at the ground and muttering words like "Please don't leave me alone" and she's breathing rather heavily. In addtion, she's also crying.
Even though she forgotten, the pain in this phobia is still intact at her brain! That's why she's now crouching at the ground, begging for someone to not leave her alone.
At this rate, the Soul Seal will only explode much faster. Kazuya immediately inflicted Dead Calm and made her calm for a while. After Yui stopped crying, Kazuya crouched at the ground too, then hugged her tightly while caressing her silky pink hair.
"It's okay. I won't leave you alone."
Yui stopped crying already but her eyes is already swollen. Just 15 minutes had passed and the elevator moved again and reached their designated floor. The moment the elevator opened, staffs and some bunch of people waited for them.
"Kid, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay. But my companion has a traumatic experience at this so I'd appreciate it if you let us rest for the meantime."
Kazuya held Yui's hands then walked quickly towards the Room#436. After some walking, they finally reached the room. Kazuya inserted the key and opened it quickly.
"Yui, this is your room. For now, you should sleep and rest. I'm sure you will be better the next morning."
Yui did as Kazuya asked and goes to her bed. Just in case, Kazuya left the lights open. After that, Kazuya is checking her room for clues.
"Still, this room is pretty neat or should I say empty? There's not much design and decoration here. Maybe because she's too busy as a celebrity?"
Yui's condo doesn't have anything in particular. Just some necessary tables, chairs, cabinets, mirrors, etc. There's not a single portrait or decoration can be seen. But there's a bunch of pictures on her shelf.
Kazuya didn't saw anything as a clue, except for this bunch of pictures. A picture of Yui on her childhood, and she is surrounded by kids on her age, maybe some friends. But what's strange is that every picture has different faces and people. But the fact that Yui is still there doesn't change.
Yui has some pictures not only of her childhood but her middle-school as well. But it's still the same pattern. Every picture has different people.
"Why? I can't see any people that is in the childhood picture and at the same time at the middle school pictures too. It's as if she replaced her old friends to a new one. Is this just a coincidence?"
At the corner, there is one certain picture that called Kazuya's attention. It's the picture of Yui at her first-year of high-school. In that picture, she's alone. Maybe because it's still the first day of school and she still hadn't found friends that day.
But for some reason, Kazuya has this unshakable strange feeling. But he shrugged this feeling off, because he wants to think.
"Then, I just used Dead Calm, because of that the Soul Seal is now slow-moving again. Maybe she'll last until tomorrow night. That's a relief, since she's not going to explode today, but that also means that I only have until tomorrow night to solve this case."
While he's thinking, Yui called his name like "Kazuya, Kazuya."
Kazuya immediately rushed towards the bedroom and saw Yui still lying at the bed.
"Yui, is there's something wrong?"
"No, It's just... whenever I close my eyes, for some reason, I feel like the darkness will consume me, and I feel scared. What's happening to me?"
While hugging herself, Yui is lying at the bed with her legs shaking, and she has a terrified expression. After seeing her state, Kazuya took Yui's hands and held it tightly, and said to her with a gentle expression.
"Don't worry, I will hold your hand like this, until you fall asleep."
Yui nodded at his words and gone to sleep while her hand was being held by Kazuya. An hour had passed, and Yui had fall asleep now. Even though she's already asleep, Kazuya still holds her hands with feelings of nostalgia and regret.
"It's actually nostalgic. Sakura is afraid of thunder so I'm holding her hands so she will not feel scared."
Before he knew it, he's already shedding tears. Although, it's just mild tears and just by wiping it off, it will be gone. At the same time, Kazuya is feeling regret too. Because he didn't noticed that Yui is already suffering like this.
"Don't worry Yui, I'll not make you suffer any longer. I'll extract the Soul Seal from you no matter what! Even if it means, you'll forget about me."
END OF CHAPTER 12