Running.
I am running.
From what? I don't know.
To where? I can't tell.
I am just running desperately from some unknown something, through this endless darkness. There is not a single light on the horizon. Yet, it's not that I can't see anything; I can see myself clearly.
I don't feel out of breath. I don't feel tired. There is only a vague sense of fear.
I glance back. I see nothing. Just darkness, the same as in front of me.
But something is there. Something exists. Something lurks within the darkness.
It approaches me, maintaining a distance that is neither too close nor too far.
Help me. Someone, please help me.
My silent scream fades into the soundless void.
It's useless. There is no one here but me. There are no others.
Thus, there is no help. Light will never pierce through this impenetrable darkness.
I run. I run. I run.
I keep running toward a goal that I will never reach.
I stretch my arms forward, as if to cling to something. I push my legs forward, as if seeking something.
But I cannot escape the darkness. I cannot break free.
――Slosh, squelch, slosh, squelch.
I hear a sound from behind. It's a wet sound, like something being dragged through water.
My spine shivers. Each time I hear that sound, fear floods my entire body like a reflex.
Don't come near me, don't come near me, don't come near me, don't come near me.
I have to escape, I have to escape before it catches up to me.
So I run. I run. I run, but
I wonder, how long do I have to keep running…
"…"
My eyes open. What I see is white. A dimly lit room.
From outside, I can faintly hear the chirping of sparrows.
My heart races like a drum, my breath is ragged. My pajamas cling to my skin, soaked with sweat.
It was just a dream. What I just experienced was a dream.
"Again, huh?"
I check the time. It's 5:21 AM.
There's no way I could go back to sleep.
■ ■ ■
Ding-dong.
As I check the contents of my bag, the doorbell rings. Oh no, is it already this late?
"Sorry! Just a minute, please wait!"
I hurriedly stuff my textbooks into my bag and slip on my shoes as I head to the door.
I open the door. Light and wind flow into the room. And there, waiting outside, is a familiar face.
"Good morning, Nana."
A boy smiles as he sees me.
Shirasaki Hotaru, 16 years old, just like me. His black hair has a few noticeable white strands. He's slightly taller than me.
It has become a daily routine for him to ring my doorbell. He's my childhood friend and close companion.
And just now, he called my name: Nanashi Yamato. And yes, I'm aware that my last name is quite uncommon.
I return his smile.
"Good morning, Hotaru. You're as early as ever. Oh, have you gotten more white hairs again?"
"Eh, oh yeah. I've been plucking them myself, but I'm sure my teacher will have something to say about it again."
We share a wry smile as we walk to school together.
Side by side, we maintain a distance where our shoulders almost touch.
This is our usual routine. There's nothing strange about it, nothing that piques my curiosity.
We chat about today's news, yesterday's TV shows, and the weather.
We laugh together under the hot sun.
Before we know it, we arrive at the high school we attend.
At the same time, a familiar face appears on the opposite side of the road.
"Good morning, Nana! Hotaru!"
A girl waves her arms enthusiastically toward us, her face beaming with a smile. She has a sporty ponytail. She's my friend.
Aizawa Kanade, whom I call Kana.
"Good morning, Kana. You're so full of energy today."
"Of course! I've got nothing but energy to spare! But you two are so lovey-dovey every day."
"Good morning, Kana. I've said it before, but we're not like that; we're just childhood friends."
"Oh, come on! From a non-relationship perspective like mine, you two look like a couple! I'm so jealous of you!"
This is also part of our daily routine. We dodge Kana's playful teasing as we enter the school building.
"Hey, Nana, aren't you joining any clubs?"
As the morning classes wrapped up and lunchtime approached, Kana came over to me. In her right hand, she held a yakisoba bun, clearly planning to have lunch while chatting with me.
"Clubs? Oh, um, I have cram school, so it's hard to balance both."
"Hmm, I see."
I answered nervously, hoping I didn't seem too awkward. I needed to change the subject.
"What about you, Kana? Are you in any clubs?"
"Yep! I'm actively involved in the badminton club. Lately, I've been practicing my hairpin shots."
"Hairpin?"
"To put it simply, it's a technique where you drop the shuttlecock just over the net so it lands right in front of your opponent. If you keep your arm straight, the shuttlecock goes too high and gets hit back, so you need to bend your arm a bit."
Kana demonstrated with her yakisoba bun, and unfortunately, some of the noodles spilled out of the bag.
Suddenly, Kana glanced out the classroom window. I followed her gaze. The lush green trees outside seemed to mock the cherry blossoms of spring from just a month ago.
"It's already June, huh? Ever since we started high school, time feels like it's flying by, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it really does."
It's nothing like when we were kids. Time truly passes without us realizing it.
Spring turns into summer, summer into autumn, autumn into winter.
And then, when the snow stops falling, the cherry blossoms bloom again.
As the years go by, that cycle changes at a dizzying pace.
I've gotten used to this high school.
During my first year, it took me about two months to adjust to my surroundings—the classes, the new classmates, the relationships. Everything was so new and confusing.
Then I moved up to my second year, said goodbye to familiar classmates, and once again felt lost in a new environment.
In that time, Kana, who is standing in front of me now, became my friend.
"Speaking of which, our next class is math, right? I haven't done my homework…"
Kana looked up at me with her hands clasped together, her eyes wide. I sighed and pulled out my math textbook and notebook with a wry smile.
■ ■ ■
Ding-dong!
The bell rang to signal the end of the school day, and we prepared to part ways.
Students either stayed in the classroom or packed up their things to head home—those were the two main groups.
"Well then, Nana and Hotaru, good luck with your studying!"
"Thanks, Kana! You too!"
Kana grabbed her racket and headed off to her club activities.
We waved her off, another familiar scene in our daily lives. Hotaru approached me with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Shall we head to the café now? It's about that time."
"Yeah. We're on duty today, right?"
"...And we have our side job too."
His voice had a slightly downcast tone. It's understandable; no matter how many years pass, that never gets any easier.
"I'll head home first. See you at the café."
"Okay, see you later."
Breaking away from the flow, Hotaru headed home. I turned in the opposite direction toward my destination.
After about a twenty-minute walk, I spotted a quaint café nestled within the residential area.
The café had an antique appearance overall. In the center of a white door adorned with bells, a small sign reading "OPEN" hung cutely.
In front of the café, a small blackboard on a stand displayed the day's special menu. Next to it, a little garden bloomed with seasonal flowers. This month, vibrant hydrangeas were in full bloom.
This is Café Touka, where Hotaru and I work part-time.
I walked through the back alley between the café and the residential area, opening the staff-only door.
After passing through a room used as an entrance, I entered the kitchen. I could hear the sound of chopping and the chatter of customers.
"Hello!"
I peeked into the kitchen. There were two people inside: an older man wearing glasses and another man with slicked-back hair and a sharp gaze.
"Oh, hey, Nana."
The older man smiled back. He is Ryuji, the manager of Café Touka, a kind person who treats even younger employees with respect. I always call him "Manager."
"You're early, Nana."
"Heh, yeah, I came right after school."
The man with slicked-back hair spoke up. Though he often comes off as gruff, I was happy that Amato had opened up enough for us to establish some trust.
"Hey there, Nana-chan!"
A lively voice came from the register.
A friendly-looking guy with brown hair stood there. It was Kaiyou Shuu, a university student who is two years older than us.
"Hi, Shuu-senpai!"
"Thanks! Where's Hotaru?"
"He should be here soon. He's changing."
"Got it!" He waved cheerfully.
I passed through the kitchen and opened the door at the back, which led to the staff locker room.
I stopped by my locker to change into the café uniform and hat.
Now that I think about it, I didn't see Aradia's name on the duty roster (a blackboard listing the names of the people currently working). I wondered if she was taking a break upstairs or just wandering outside. With those thoughts in mind, I returned to the kitchen.
Alright, time to start working!
My usual tasks include plating dishes, washing dishes, and occasionally serving customers. Right now, I'm plating a pizza from the café menu. It's not too complicated—just adding sliced fruits, basil, and ham on top of the pizza that's been taken out of the special oven.
Today, it's a fruit pizza, one of the most popular items on the menu. I carefully arrange thin slices of mandarin oranges, strawberries, apples, bananas, blueberries, and kiwis in a colorful and balanced way, making sure not to overcrowd them.
Finally, I sprinkle some diced almonds on top, and it's done. The freshly baked crust topped with vibrant fruits, ready to be drizzled with honey. The steam rising from it looks so inviting. Ah, I want to eat it myself...
"Shuu-senpai, please take this."
"Roger that!"
With a cheerful call, Shuu-senpai takes the pizza to the customers. It's 4:30 PM now, and we're down to just two customers. With closing time at 5 PM, it's only natural.
Hotaru came in around 4 PM and took over dishwashing duties from Amato, who went out for a smoke. This is just another typical scene for us. On my first day working here, everything felt chaotic, but now I have a good overview of the entire café.
"Nana, Hotaru."
The manager, who had a moment to spare, called out to us.
"Yes, what is it?"
He glanced at the clock before speaking.
"You can wrap up at 5 PM. You don't have to stay any longer."
...
My relaxed mind suddenly snapped into focus. My heart rate picked up a bit, and I could see Hotaru's expression had turned slightly serious as well. I forced a smile to hide it.
"No, I feel better working than just waiting around."
"I feel the same as Nana."
"Alright, if you say so."
The manager adjusted his sunglasses and returned to his work. His tone showed he was concerned for us.
But this was our decision, and once made, there was no turning back. It's like working in the kitchen; everything is about getting used to it. With time and experience, we'll eventually find our footing... or so I hope.
In the end, there were no more orders, so we started cleaning up. At 5 PM, the last customer left, and I flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED. CLOSED. Our regular work was done.
We wiped the tables, swept the floor, and finished cleaning up. Seeing that we were done, the manager addressed us.
"Well, good work today, everyone. Shuu, what's your plan?"
"I'll stay. It doesn't make much difference whether I'm here or not, but it's better to be safe."
I felt relieved hearing that. Having one more person watching over us is a huge comfort.
"Thank you. Well, shall we move on?"
The manager gestured toward the stairs leading to the second floor. We followed him up the creaky stairs.
At the top was a living room with three sofas arranged around a table and TV. The only things on the walls were windows, curtains, and a calendar. There were two doors leading to other rooms—one was a storage room, and the other was someone's private room.
The bird figurine on the table stood out, but otherwise, the room was quite plain. The space was decent, but the lack of furnishings made it feel sparse.
We stood at the back of the living room in front of a white wall with strange patterns carved into it. The manager turned to us and began explaining.
"Let me brief you on the target for this mission."
His tone was the same as always, but the words he used were unusual. The word "purge" made reality feel distant, as if we had stepped into another world. And that's not wrong, because we're about to enter a world where the extraordinary is real.
"The unofficial name for the target is 'Gaikou,' ranked as an Archangel. It has been indiscriminately attacking and killing living beings for the past few days. We've been asked to eliminate it quickly. Here's what it looks like."
The manager looked at an empty space, and a digital screen appeared, showing us the Gaikou. It was a wolf, emaciated to the bone, with no flesh to speak of. Its skin clung tightly to its bones, emphasizing its gaunt frame. Its eyes bulged, and its skin was blackened and decayed. It was a hideous sight, so grotesque that anyone accustomed to normal life would be forgiven for screaming and retching at the sight.
"They form packs. When they were last seen a few days ago, they attacked as a group. So, you'll need to take down multiple Gaikou. But don't worry too much; they're ranked as Archangels. And Shuu is here if needed."
The manager smiled reassuringly.
"Alright. That's the plan, so do your best, you two."
Shuu-senpai responded with a confident nod, and we appreciated their support as we approached the wall.
"Thank you. We'll be off, then."
"We're heading out."
Hotaru reached out to touch the wall with the patterns. As he did, the wall pulsed as if it were alive. He stepped through, and I followed closely behind, passing through the wall as well...
Next Time, Manifest!