Raizen High School, the classroom of Class 4, Grade 2.
They are taking a math class now. On the podium, the teacher is writing furiously on the blackboard.
In the last row by the window, Shidou held his cheek with one hand and looked sideways at the rain-covered world outside the window. His current mood was the same as the weather outside the window.
And the reason for this is---
Shidou slowly withdrew his gaze and focused on a seat in the front row.
A week has passed since the elves collectively reversed the incident. During this week, Shidou's mood became heavier day by day, just because Katsu never woke up after he passed out on Fraxinus that day.
Obviously, all the body functions are as healthy as possible, but unfortunately, no matter what, there is no way to wake him up...
At this time, on the podium, the math teacher who had finished writing on the blackboard slowly turned his head, glanced around the class, and stopped at Shidou, who was staring blankly at the empty seats in the front row, his eyebrows slightly raised. Wrinkled: "Shiduu, please answer the question on the blackboard."
Shiduu, who was in a daze, did not hear the teacher's voice, still holding his cheek and staring blankly at Katsu's empty seat.
"Shidou?" the math teacher called Shidou's name again.
"..."
Seeing Shidou who was still motionless, Origami couldn't help calling out Shidou's name: "Shidou, Shidou, Shidou!"
"Huh?" Origami's voice made Shidou come back to his senses. He looked at Origami subconsciously, and Shidou said confusedly: "What's wrong, Origami? It's not time to eat yet, right?"
The class instantly burst into laughter. It was only then that Shidou realized the situation. Then he glanced at the dark-faced math teacher on the podium, quickly stood up, bowed to the teacher, and apologized: "I'm sorry, teacher. Lost my mind."
"...Hey, please stand for now...Okay, students, let's take a look at this question."
… …
… …
After class, Origami moved a chair and sat next to Shidou's seat. She looked at Shidou with a worried look and said in a disappointed tone: "Origami, please don't be like this, okay?"
Hearing Origami's voice, Shidou, who was leaning on the back of his chair and looking out the window at the weather that Katsu liked, slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Origami. Shidou lowered his eyes and said, "Origami..."
"Shidou... Everyone is sad when Katsu becomes like that, but he will get better, right? So you must be happy, don't be so depressed, okay? I feel even worse when you are like this..." Origami grabbed Shidou's hand comforting him.
Tohka's situation near him is not better, she stares blankly at Katsu's seat even when lunchtime, and she doesn't move a pinch until Shidou calls her. Only then did she decide to move and eat a lot to hide her sadness.
At the same time, class 3 of the second grade of high school.
In the corner of the classroom, Kaguya leaned against Yuzuru's body and sobbed softly.
Yuzuru's face was also affected by sadness, and she patted Kaguya's back gently: "Comfort...don't cry, don't cry - he will get better."
There was a lot of discussion in the classroom.
"What happened to Kaguya and the others?"
"I don't know. It seems to have been like this since a week ago..."
"I heard it's because of Katsu in the next class!"
"Ah? Katsu? What happened to Katsu?"
"You don't know? He hasn't come to school for a long time. I heard he has a terminal illness!"
"Real or fake? Terminal disease? Isn't it hopeless?"
Such comments reached Kaguya's ears. Immediately, Yuzuru felt the delicate body in her arms tremble slightly. Then she was surprised to see Yuzuru raise her bloodshot eyes. Looking at the classmates in the classroom, their faces were full of hatred, and they even raised their hands, and the wind began to gather...
Seeing this, Yuzuru suddenly panicked, and her heart couldn't help but feel a little pain. She hugged Kaguya, with a cry in her voice: "Kaguya... don't..."
… …
Something similar to this is also happening a class in the second grade of junior high school.
Yoshino and Kotori sat together chatting in a depressed mood.
From time to time, male classmates would come over to chat, but they would also be scared away by the terrifying aura of Kotori, who was wearing a black ribbon.
… …
In the student union office of Rydanji Academy, Miku sat in the chairman's seat, looking at the exquisite snacks and steaming black tea on the table. She was not interested. She turned to look at the rainy day outside the window and sighed slightly.
"Onee-sama seems to be in a bad mood lately..."
"Yeah, it started last week."
"I haven't seen my sister invite girls to drink tea together."
....
Days like this are still going on---about a month has passed.
October 15th, the afternoon after school.
Shidou was walking alone on the street decorated in a Halloween atmosphere, preparing to go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients for dinner.
Just when Shidou was secretly feeling sad and thinking wildly, he suddenly felt a pain in his legs, as if he had been hit by something and inevitably fell.
Looking up, Shidou realized that he had been knocked down by a wheelchair.
The person sitting in the wheelchair was a foreign man about fifty years old, followed by a woman about twenty-five years old and wearing glasses who was pushing a wheelchair.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I was too careless. Are you okay?" Seeing that the other person was disabled, Shidou quickly got up and asked with concern.
"No, we should be the ones who are embarrassed, but you, little brother, are you okay?" The foreign male showed a gentle smile on his face, shook his head, and spoke fluent Japanese that didn't match his appearance at all.
"Ah - I'm fine."
"That would be great." Of course, the man who didn't know what Shidou was thinking nodded slightly, and suddenly, as if he suddenly remembered something, he clapped his hands. "By the way, I want to ask you something. Do you know where the Civil Hospital is?"
Shidou was stunned for a moment, but he immediately realized that the other party was asking for directions, and quickly replied: "Hospital...? Oh, for the hospital, just go straight to the shopping street, turn left when you reach the main road, Then turn right at the third traffic light and keep walking until you can see it."
After Shidou finished speaking, the man made a thoughtful sound like "Um... um---". After thinking for a while, he turned his head and looked at Shidou with some embarrassment: "I'm not sure...I'm sorry, but I can ask you. Take me there?"
Shidou scratched his head. He has to go shopping later... However, it's not that far away, so it doesn't hurt to help with this little thing. After all, when he and Katsu went out before, they would always help people in need when they saw them.
Thinking of Katsu, Shidou's face turned a little bitter again.
However, in the eyes of foreign men, Shidou who showed such an expression was naturally mistaken as being a little distressed by his request, and then he immediately showed an apologetic smile: "I'm really sorry, I'm just too cautious, that, if it is inconvenient..."
"No, no, I'm sorry." Hearing this, Shidou, who had recovered his senses, waved his hands quickly and explained at the same time: "I was thinking about other things just now. An important person of mine was seriously ill, so I was feeling a little depressed... ...I have no problem leading the way, please go this way." After saying that, he walked in front and led the two foreigners.
"Well---is your important person sick? This is really sad news, but please cheer up." The man was comforting Shidou as he was pushed by the woman behind him to follow Shidou.
"Well, thank you, but I believe he will get better soon,"
"I hope so. I feel sorry for leading the way, but the Japanese are really kind. I'm so touched."
"No, it's just a trivial matter. Uh──" As he said that, Shidou, who didn't know the other person's name, paused and looked back at the two foreigners.
The other person understood instantly: "Ah, call me Baldwin. This is Karen." The man - Baldwin said this, and gestured with his thumb to the woman pushing the wheelchair.
"Hello." The woman known as Karen simply greeted Shidou.
But this simple greeting immediately caused Shidou to focus on the woman named Karen - she had bright light blond hair and blue eyes. It was obviously the first time we met, but for no reason, I felt as if I had seen them before somewhere...
"What's wrong?" Sensing Shidou's confused gaze, Baldwin couldn't help but look at Shidou.
"Ah, no." Shidou waved his hands quickly. He didn't want to be misunderstood as a pervert who was observing women on the street. Then he said as if he remembered something again: "By the way, um... my name is Itsuka Shidou."
"Well, okay, nice to meet you, Shidou-kun." Baldwin said with a smile.
"Ah, me too." Shidou nodded in response and continued to lead the way.
… …
"It's not far ahead. Turn right and you can see..." Shidou pointed forward and turned back to explain to Baldwin. However, his words had not yet finished.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ------"
Unexpectedly... A deafening high-pitched siren sounded from the loudspeakers installed throughout the shopping district.
"Space shock...?!" As Shidou shouted loudly, the loudspeaker began to broadcast an announcement urging evacuation, and the surrounding shoppers also left one after another, rushing to the nearest shelter.
Of course, Shidou cannot follow everyone to the shelter. He has other tasks... Especially now that Katsu is unconscious, only he can complete this task!
After all, if the space earthquake alarm sounds, it means that there is a spirit appearing...
You must contact Fraxinas immediately, teleport yourself to the ship using the teleportation device, and then confirm the location of the elf for a second teleportation...
With this in mind, Shidou was about to take out the invalid earphones in his pocket and get in touch with Fraxinus, but suddenly, he remembered that there were two people behind him, so he immediately suppressed his previous thoughts and turned to look at Baldwin and said in an anxious tone: "That...that! Mr. Baldwin! It's very dangerous here! Please take refuge with Miss Karen immediately!"
"Okay, I will do that. What about you?" "Huh? I...well, there is still something to deal with..." Shidou, who had never thought about how to explain to ordinary people who didn't know anything, was inevitably a little incoherent.
However, seeing Shidou like this, Baldwin shrugged and said with a smile: "Oh, I was asking knowingly. I hope we are lucky enough to meet again - come on, if he is not here... the spirit will be left to you, Shidou-kun."
"What...!?" After the other party said this and digested it, Shidou's pupils suddenly shrank and he couldn't help but swallow.
However, Baldwin did not explain anything and directly ordered Karen to push him back the way he came back. The two of them walked away, leaving Shidou looking dumbfounded as they left.
It took a while before he came back to his senses, shook his head, and didn't think about that. What's important now is the elf...
Taking out the infinity earphones, Shidou put them on his ears and took a deep breath...
"This time, I have to face a spirit alone again..." Shidou murmured, and then contacted Fraxinas.