1

The lively chatters of the students melded into one chaotic stream. Hurried footsteps of club members, loud voices, and the sound of lockers opening and closing all characterized Fuyusato Academy at dismissal time.

"Up for some gaming, Arata?"

Tomoda, sling bag and all, walked up to him. With him were Shiki and a couple of other schoolmates they had become friends with, presumably from the events of the school festival. He did recognize a person or two from the engineering club only because he saw them when he ran into the student council president Saito at the mall some time ago.

"Come on, I still have to beat you!" interjected Shiki. "Let's spend the weekend hanging out."

"Um..." Kazuki scratched his head.

"Ehhh, not going again, Arata? But it's the first time the group's been together again. We got some new blood with us, and we'll take over that arcade at South Quinn!"

"I-I'm waiting for someone. Have to take a trip to Ms. Sadohara's place later, too. Something urgent."

"Hmmm? Got in trouble again? That's weird. I swear Shiki and I would have heard something if it's anything so major, though," shrugged Tomoda.

"Kinda, but it's..."

"Hoh? You've been paying quite a number of visits to her office the past couple of months. You sure there's nothing more personal going on?"

"Aw come on, Shiki. It's not like I'm the only one being called up often."

"All the more reason to believe something's fishy!" exclaimed Shiki. "Amagi has always been a model student, and Uehara's not too shabby as well. For them to always be called up along with you. Hmmm...."

"Ah!" Shiki suddenly interrupted himself. "Speaking of, have you gotten in contact with Uehara? A week for a sick leave is just..."

"Nah," Kazuki shrugged. "As far as I know, she's... um... fine. That's what Ms. Sadohara said."

A perplexed expression appeared on Shiki's face, and it's clear that some seeds of distrust were brewing.

"I can see through you, my apprentice," he sneered at Kazuki.

"No shit," interjected Tomoda, giving a half-glare at the spiky-haired classmate. "Takes one to know one, am I right? Of course it's the guy who's making some real moves on Amamiya. What happened during the school festival, huh?"

The rest of the students nodded apprehensively at Tomoda's follow-up.

"Traitor!" shouted Shiki.

"Come on, she's out of your league," teased one of the boys from the engineering club. "Must have been blackmail."

"Oh, you guys shut up. I can't explain it myself. It's just that after the earthquake, something just... c-clicked!"

Everyone collectively rolled their eyes.

"Ahh, screw it. Tomoda, I'm sure you've got someone you like, too! Don't think I don't know you're into those petite, athletic types. One of these days, I'm gonna catch you ogling at the swimming club's practice sessions."

"You're not wrong. But I haven't ever seen anyone to my liking for months. Amagi's off-limits, obviously, but I don't think anyone's my type. Chouno-senpai, maybe... but not quite. You know I like the youthful, energetic types. You know, those with the little sister appeal? Preferably someone who wears a cute, long ponytail, but too bad we haven't had one of those students enroll and join the club yet."

"So you did do the ogling!" interjected another member of the playgroup.

"Let's just go," urged Tomoda, pulling Shiki away and abruptly ending the topic. "We have to beat the weekend rush. If Arata's got something to attend to, just let him."

He then turned to Kazuki. "Anyway, if you're free anytime soon, make sure to come play a few rounds. Maybe get these new guys a taste of our power."

"Haha," Kazuki smiled at Tomoda's invitation. "Sure thing. Now if only I can get as lucky as you with my rolls."

Tomoda gave him a thumbs up, and the group of gamers were off to enjoy their weekend.

Relieved that the ordeal was over, Kazuki lazily leaned against the wall.

Don't worry, I really wanted to go. It's just that things have gotten quite complicated these days.

He never considered himself a social person unless he's dealing with his few friends, and having these conversations with even his acquaintances had started to get draining.

Perhaps it was because of the desire to smack these people in the head and tell them the truth they're blissfully ignorant of. Something that was unfortunately impossible and impractical...

Tomoda, that dream of girl of yours... she's already...

Whatever happened at the school festival, the subsequent incidents, all the way to the truth about Uehara were part of an exclusive world he entered just a few months ago.

The world of Awakeners. Those who obtained power and access to the parallel dimension that the world was unaware of. The ones keeping the real world in check against shadowy monsters called Nullities.

It had been roughly one week ever since the whole Samsara thing, and from an outsider's perspective, the current scene looked like any other ordinary day in early September.

For Kazuki, it was not.

A week ago, he, along with the rest of the Awakener allies, had attended a science expo at Shiroki City's grand hotel complex, Samsara. Several things happened, culminating in them finding themselves inside a Fragment created by what remained of the Magna Arbiter, one of the three great Nullities called Ascended Ones.

Fighting their way through the pocket dimension and its trials, namely ghosts of their inner insecurities, was not even the toughest challenge he had to endure. Nor was it the troublesome Nullity that stood in wait at the end of it all.

It was having to see their field leader disappear and him being unable to do a thing about it.

They didn't have nearly enough strength to defeat one of the opposing Awakener group Euphoria's members, Reiya Utara.

This would have hurt way more than him being unable to do anything do prevent Akane Fujiwara's demise months ago, but one thing continued to keep his hopes up, preventing him from falling back into the slump he had when Fujiwara perished.

The belief that somewhere out there, Sayaka Uehara was still alive, and that by continuing their routine of clearing out Fragments and searching for the escaped powers of the Magna Arbiter, their paths will cross once again.

"Arata!"

Hearing his childhood friend's call, Kazuki glanced past his shoulders.

"Amagi, I was wondering where you've been. No club duties for today?"

"I asked for a leave for today. Swimming team practice can wait, especially when Ms. Sadohara has something important to tell us. Let's head to her room, pronto!"

Kazuki paused, speechless. Examining his shapely friend from head to toe, he raised an eyebrow.

The usual brilliance in her demure disposition was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't a spark of energy, but there was a usual freshness and life in her, but now, all Kazuki saw was an overworked girl, pressured between the responsibilities of school work, swimming club, and eliminating Nullities at night.

"You okay?" he asked with a concerned tone, looking at the unaligned chest ribbon, the loose clover hairclip, and her messy blazer, all uncharacteristic of her.

"What do you mean?"

"Frankly, you don't look fine. And it's been that way for the past few days already."

"It's not like you to be so worried about me, Arata. What's gotten into you?" chuckled Amagi.

"You've been lacking sleep, haven't you? Ever since we came back from Samsara—"

"Then who'll take the initiative to protect the city and defeat Izaya and his team of bad people? We've always had Uehara to lead the way, but now that she's not with us anymore..."

Indeed, Uehara's absence had left a large hole in the team, and Amagi had taken it onto herself to be in that leader role. She had made that decision herself, and there was nothing the rest of the team can do about it.

Besides, she also had more than personal stakes in all of this. Even moreso than him, she was Uehara's closest friend at school. They had gone on missions together, fought together with excellent chemistry, and had some... private conversations that he rather not pry into.

"Pressing won't do you any good. Take it easy. I want to finish this whole Magna Arbiter thing and find Uehara as much as you do, but we'll only encounter trouble if we move recklessly. Anyway, let's head on to Ms. Sadohara's room."

2

"Good afternoon!"

Opening the sliding doors, Shizaki wasted no time, scrambling back and hurried to the cups in preparation of the tea set. Along the way, he lightly organized the bunch of paperwork on Ms. Sadohara's table while skipping happily.

"Today's flavor is chamomile, freshly brewed and prepared by yours truly!"

Kazuki and Amagi took their seats in front of the large table in Ms. Sadohara's room before being greeted by the fragrant smell of the tea.

After taking his first sip, Kazuki wasted no time calling the school counselor.

"Ms. Sadohara, why the sudden call up?"

Checking that the coast was clear, Shizaki locked the door, and following the sound of the click, Ms. Sadohara finally rolled her chair around to address Kazuki and Amagi.

"Is it anything to do with the Shiroki City Fragments?" asked Amagi with anticipation. "Or big news on the Magna Arbiter or Uehara?"

"Calm down, calm down," urged Ms. Sadohara. The school counselor, looking as sleep-deprived and stressed as usual, ruffled her thick hair before picking up her tablet. "Geez, you've been calling me up non-stop the past few days. Don't expect things to happen instantly."

Amagi paused after having been scolded.

"You said you're fetching Hikari later, right?" asked Ms. Sadohara, nudging her head towards Kazuki. "I'll make this quick, then."

She opened her tablet, showing a complicated-looking screen with a map of Shiroki City. Besides the rough outline of some key locations, the most notable feature appeared to be some colored spots, each circle varying in radius and showing different shades of purple.

"One good thing that came out of the science expo, besides me getting my gun back, is this. It took a while to implement, but with this model based on the overall outlook of certain hotspots in Shiroki, we can now predict Fragments more accurately."

Kazuki raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. Thanks to some data, we can generally get a feel of when and where an entrance to Shiroki City's Fragment can spawn. As we know, most gates lead to the Shiroki City Fragment, the ancient city that you've grown all too familiar with. However, what's important is that those reactions can eventually awaken our target person. When that gate opens, we can confirm the presence of the Magna Arbiter and put an end to this."

"Interesting, but it doesn't sound consistent enough..." Kazuki commented while lazily picking up his teacup.

"But it's a chance we have to take, Arata," Amagi interrupted in a sudden manner that Kazuki nearly dropped the cup he held.

"Yeah. Best we can do right now," followed Ms. Sadohara. "We're banking on probability here. When the Magna Arbiter's host awakens, it will start out as an ordinary Fragment, but it will slowly but surely evolve into an extraordinarily powerful Fragment. When the big one appears, it could be too late. Remember, we're racing against Guren here, and I've learned not to underestimate the machinations of the Ishida Conglomerate that he's using."

With a tone of finality, she closed the screen.

"I'll call Kimura up, too," said Amagi.

"Amagi, perhaps..."

"Ms. Sadohara," she said, ignoring him. "Tonight, we start the operations. Tell me what we need to do."

"Oooh, that's some spark. I think we can work this out, then. Any objections? That includes you, too, Shizaki. After all, you're kind of a confidant at this point."

"N-no, nothing at all," replied the surprised Shizaki.

"Okay, then. Let's try that out later, everyone. I'll install the app to your phones, and we can get in touch with each other."

Nodding, Kazuki, Amagi, and Shizaki all handed their phones over to the school counselor.

3

Kazuki stood outside Shiroki Girls' Private Academy, having heard the ringing bells that signaled the end of a school day. In one hand was his school bag and in the other was an opened umbrella.

It protected him from the drizzle this evening, but it did little to stop the downpour and the fire in his heart.

Besides the scene at the counselor's office a while ago, he had many things in his mind.

It had been a little over a week since Ms. Sadohara's visit at the hospital, back when the incident's all over. A few more days before that visit, and she had just told the story of her past, the catalyst to the whole incidents concerning Mu.

It felt so surreal, hearing the school counselor tell her story of worlds beyond anyone's wildest imagination. No one would have ever thought that somewhere in the deepest depths of Mu slept power that could change reality itself.

She then finished with how she and Guren Izaya relied on each other before falling out due to differences in philosophy.

Regardless, nothing had changed with their goal in the present.

Just as how it was since the school festival, they had one quest: secure the host of the Magna Arbiter and eliminate the last remnants of the Ascended One from this world.

Kazuki gripped his bag tightly before loosening his shoulders.

Their quest will resume later tonight, and it's a matter of when, not if, before that particular Fragment appears again.

When the castle of illusions does, they will be prepared. They will put an end to Izaya's plans before it could begin to bloom.

"Big Bro!"

Kazuki turned to his little sister with a start. Holding a colorful umbrella of her own, Hikari grinned at him.

That's enough thinking for the day. His little sister's appearance reminded him to focus on the present, the now instead of what's possibly to come.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he reached out to his sister.

"Had a great day?" he asked before taking Hikari's pink bag.

His little sister happily nodded.

Nothing too unusual happened in their long walk home. Sure, the rain made it a bit more stressful for Kazuki, but having his sister with him made things a lot better.

For the most part, Hikari remained blissfully unaware of what happened that fateful weekend. At least until news broke out of what had transpired inside the science expo.

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She was attending a classmate's party with her friends from school when mayhem occurred. Thankfully, due to the sheer size of Samsara and the fact that the science expo took place in a separate building, news of the incident did not matter to those in the main building.

The worried look on Hikari's face when she visited him in the hospital room had hurt him, but he was also glad that nothing put a damper on what was a fun-filled weekend for her. Along with Sana and the rest of the schoolmates, they had a spectacular tour of the complex, a trip to the aquarium, and a fun party at one of the signature food catering places in Shiroki City.

All made possible by the magic of the birthday celebrant's money and politician parents.

Even now, as they walked towards their home, Hikari continued skipping. Once in a while, she would take a stop to enjoy the drizzle and the animals that it brought out on the streets. Such sights of bugs and frogs coming out were generally rare in most parts of Shiroki City, but the rain typically brings out a side of the futuristic city that was lost in time.

All the while, Kazuki looked on with the slightest hint of envy.

Ignorance is bliss, eh?

"Speaking of, you haven't been hanging out with your friends like usual these days."

Hikari uttered those words while fixated on something on the roadside.

"You came home late yesterday, too. Same as today. It seems that we're all busy."

"Sana passed out yesterday, and I wanted to help her out, so I stayed."

"Yeah, I get that. I hope she's doing well. How is she?"

"She's absent today."

"Must have been really bad, then," commented Kazuki, noticing the worried expression on his sister's face. "Did she have a fever or anything?"

Hikari shook her head. However, she refused to elaborate any further, sending some doubts in Kazuki's mind.

"Back to the topic then. About not hanging out with others... Aren't not happy that we get to stay together longer?"

"It just feels wrong. Are Amagi and Shiki that busy right when school restarted? Does it have anything to do with Uehara's leave?"

"N-no, it's nothing like that."

He cannot afford to tell his sister the truth. While the general knowledge within Fuyusato Academy was that Sayaka Uehara had gone on an indefinite leave, the truth was a lot different.

To the Awakeners, she's officially missing. Whatever happened to her after that incident at Samsara, no one in their camp knew.

All he can do was put his stakes on the words of two people: Ms. Sadohara and Yui Kimura. The former claimed that she never sensed Uehara's demise, while the latter suggested that by staying the course, the presence of the Fragments would allow their paths to cross again.

"You know, I am happy that we've been having more time together for days now, but it just doesn't feel right. Big Bro, I can tell that there's something wrong."

She turned to him with a look that he just cannot resist.

"You can tell?" he asked nervously. "Ah, you got me, I guess. What a smart sister."

"Hahaha! You're silly," giggled Hikari. "Of course your cute little sister will know everything about you. Wanna try me?"

"I'm good."

"Awww..."

The two of them paused.

"Actually, I got somewhere to go to tonight. Maybe some time after dinner."

"Really?! I know. When we get home, let's have a celebratory dinner!"

"That sounds a bit..." nervously commented Kazuki.

"Ehhh?! It's as good as any to kick things up a notch and celebrate. You've been looking so gloomy the past week, so any form of return to the old Big Bro is a cause for celebration!"

The two paused awkwardly before chuckling and going their way.

Soon, the busy sidewalks and the scenic roads around Hikari's school gave way to the fences, the narrow paths, and the calm alleys of Shiroki City's residential area.

It was a long walk, but for Kazuki, those twenty, thirty minutes passed by like nothing on their way home. All the while, his phone continued vibrating inside his pocket.

When the siblings reached their home, Kazuki finally took a look at his phone, only to double in surprise at the first of many messages he saw.

9:30pm tonight. Map is attached. I also called Kimura.

- Amagi

4

"Haaah!"

Showers of judgment rained down on the Nullities, their elongated fingers first dissolving before the rest of their lanky bodies followed. Even before they fully dissipated, Amagi was off and running. Barely clinging onto her bow, she took aim at another Nullities grouped in a bunch.

With the release of another set of arrows, the skyscraper under construction shook, the pillars and scaffolding swaying in chorus with each arrow striking the Nullities.

"Watch out!"

Hearing her companion's voice from the distance, the brunette turned around. However, she was oblivious to the real danger, and before she sensed it, the doglike Nullity was already in mid-air.

"Oh no, you don't!"

A set of beams lit up the world's red hue, striking the Nullity on the head and sending it flying, ending the battle.

"Thanks..." weakly smiled Amagi.

Kazuki and Kimura finally caught up to her.

"What's gotten into you?!" With her hands on her knees, Kimura continued panting while Kazuki went straight to his childhood friend. Before he can do anything, Amagi was already in the act of speaking.

"Shouldn't we hurry?"

"That's true, but..." Kazuki paused.

He then looked at Kimura, who looked completely exhausted. The blue wig she wore today flayed with each of her labored breaths.

Things went by in a hurry. Not long after they met in the streets near the Shiroki City beach, Amagi had jumped into the veiled portal without warning.

What the brunette said was indeed true. In fact, when they came here not too long ago, he felt the presence of a Nullity. The reading only grew stronger when they approached it from their landing spot, a group of dilapidated buildings.

Since then, they had to wade through hordes of Nullities. Small, easy-to-deal with ones.

Yet, they were spawning en masse, making them a chore to deal with.

With them being in constant battle, there was little time to regroup, and since then, they have only trailed the Nullity out of instinct.

"Amagi, calm down," urged Kazuki.

"What do you mean? Those people trapped in there need us, and—"

Kazuki stopped her with his palm, a gesture he did not use often. "Hold on. Let me check on the status of the Nullity and those people. IF you just settle down for a minute."

Amagi pouted and shot a disappointed glare at Kazuki. In response, he fought hard to avoid showing a flustered expression.

Even when angry, she still exuded the aura of the pretty childhood friend he wanted to protect more than anything else. At the rate things were going, however, it was a matter of time before the Nullities would overwhelm her, especially if she continued running off without backup.

She's become a handful.

Shelving those thoughts, Kazuki focused on locating the Nullity and the people. He closed his eyes and waited for the readings to come.

Only they didn't.

Kazuki opened his eyes, and he knew that his shocked expression was enough to get Amagi's attention.

"What is it, Arata?"

"Unbelievable..."

With a shrug, he turned around, this time catching Kimura's attention.

"The readings are gone."

"What?!"

All according to cue, the ground started shaking, and it seemed as if a strong presence fizzled into thin air. Kazuki looked around to do a double take.

With this being Shiroki City's great Fragment, there was little threat of the whole dimension collapsing like the self-contained Fragments. Nonetheless, it felt completely surreal. For the first time, they were able to feel the tingling sensation of a stronger Nullity's passing without them even seeing it.

"How could the Class C Nullity just die off like that?" asked Amagi.

"Do you think the people... somehow fought it off? Or caused it to leave?" Kimura followed, her face in deep thought.

"You know that's not possible," answered Kazuki, seeing through the girl's attempts at denial.

Silence followed, and Kazuki had a feeling that everyone knew. Kimura broke the silence, however.

"Maybe it's a new Awakener who got her powers fighting the Nullity. You know, I come to mind."

"Euphoria."

"Ehh?!" both girls exclaimed.

"They're after the same things as we are, and they're probably thinking the same things as us. Question is where they are now."

"All the more we have to step up!" suggested Amagi. "We have to go after them now, or we have to get here earlier next time!"

Kazuki sighed. "No. It's time to go. Those people probably left, and we won't be achieving anything hanging around."

Amagi seemed to want to object, yet something held her back.

Kazuki continued. "At the very least, show some concern for Kimura."

He pointed at the sweaty Kimura before shaking his head. "It's better that we get back and regroup for the next run."

He then turned his eyes to the floors above them. That was where it was. The strong reading of a Nullity.

And readings of people.

But now, they're all gone. Replaced by a bland sensation, devoid of any strong presence.

The three of them began to head back, having accomplished none of the goals for today.

Even after they returned to the streets, Kazuki can feel Amagi's disappointed mood. Her shoulders were drooped down, and she stared blankly at the starry sky.

"Amagi..."

With them firmly out of danger, Kazuki began to approach her, thinking of what to say. He himself did not know what he was supposed to do.

The sound of the veiled portal closing followed as the last of the trio stepped out of the Fragment.

Before anything else, Kimura's loud voice shattered the gloomy atmosphere.

"Good job, everyone! Cheer up! We managed to clean up some Nullities, and no one's seriously hurt. Now that it's done with, anyone up for some relaxation before we each go our own way?"

"Uhh...."Amagi fidgeted, sneaking some glances at where they came from.

Kimura repeatedly blinked at the preceding silence.

"Aww, come on. It's exactly because you looked so down which is why we're going for some relaxation! Maybe a few shakes and sherbets would help improve the mood. Pleasure Paradise, anyone?"

Kazuki immediately saw what the former idol was trying to do, and he quickly turned to Amagi.

"Let's go for it," urged Kazuki.

"Um!"

The brunette's response, despite being somewhat hesitant, was enough for Kimura to spring up in joy.

Kazuki was not quite sure what to make of the new Amagi. It seemed that the incident at Samsara hit her the most, but he had no clue what to do. All that he knew was that he had to do something soon.

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