Chapter 353: Possibility |
Under the watchful gaze of nearly everyone in the class, the new transfer student, Shirayanagi Ayaha, clasped her hands behind her back and walked with a brisk, light step toward the desk of the most solitary boy in the room, Hoshino Gen.
Then, to the astonishment of the vast majority of the students, Shirayanagi Ayaha leaned over, bringing her face close to Hoshino Gen's. With a radiant smile, she asked, "Excuse me, classmate, but would you mind showing me around the campus?"
An eerie silence descended upon the classroom. Some students even averted their eyes early, unable to bear watching the impending disaster.
After spending an entire semester together, many of the students in First-Year Class A could already guess what would happen next. It would be nothing less than the reappearance of his deathly sneer, leaving this pure and feather-light transfer student entirely bewildered. What a painfully awkward scene that would be!
However, to everyone's absolute shock, Hoshino Gen silently stared at Shirayanagi Ayaha's face for a long moment, and then actually stood up.
Suzuki Sawami stared in disbelief as Hoshino Gen led the smiling transfer student out of the classroom. She subconsciously poked Shimizu Yu, who was also wide-eyed and full of sheer incredulity. "Yu-chan, things have really gone crazy this time..."
...
In Late Summer, Early Autumn, the campus had yet to display much of the typical autumn scenery. The lawns remained lush and green, and the trees were still thick with foliage.
After more than a year apart, the boy and girl, once again wearing the same School Uniform, strolled together through the same campus after such a long time.
As for the boy leading the way, he had not spoken a single word to her since they met. However, as Childhood Friends who had grown up together, she was naturally long accustomed to his mute-like tendencies.
But then—"I am very surprised."
Suddenly, the boy who had grown up with her, the one who had occupied almost half of her life, came to a halt.
Shirayanagi Ayaha's lips curled upward. Oho, the Little Mute finally spoke.
Hoshino Gen turned around, his face revealing an indescribably complex expression for the first time. He looked at Shirayanagi Ayaha, paused for a brief moment, and then regained his calm demeanor. "You are actually still alive..."
"Eh?!" The moment she heard those words, the joyful expression on Shirayanagi Ayaha's face completely collapsed. She blinked her wide eyes several times in rapid succession. "We have been apart for so long, and the very first thing you say to me when we meet is that?"
"Did you really want me to drop dead that badly?" Shirayanagi Ayaha pouted, closing the distance between them in two quick steps and standing right in front of Hoshino Gen. The year and a half they spent apart did not seem to have changed anything at all.
She glared into his Heterochromatic Eyes, the very same eyes that had appeared in her Dream countless times, and suddenly found she could no longer be angry. No one understood this guy's personality better than she did. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately just crossed her arms and gave a soft hmph. "Fine, it is normal for you to be surprised. Under those circumstances, my death was indeed almost a certainty. But the world is just that magical. I survived."
"...Is that so." Hoshino Gen looked at her, roughly understanding what had happened. The world was magical indeed. The abilities of a Transcendent were endlessly bizarre and varied. Just because he could not do something did not mean someone else could not...
Meanwhile, Shirayanagi Ayaha, who had been closely observing Hoshino Gen's expression the entire time, suddenly took another step closer, almost burying herself into his chest.
Her expression shifted to one of mischievous teasing as quickly as flipping the page of a book. "Do you want to feel it?"
"Feel what?" Hoshino Gen subconsciously tried to step back.
But Shirayanagi Ayaha firmly grabbed his hand. "My heartbeat."
Hoshino Gen's gaze flickered slightly, and then the girl before him pressed his palm against the left side of her chest.
The soft sensation went without saying, but that was not what Hoshino Gen was focused on.
Thump! Thump...
A very rapid heartbeat... No, it was two heartbeats.
One was strong and powerful, while the other was weak and feeble. Yet strangely, the strong one gave off a hazy, illusory feeling, whereas the weak one felt much more real.
Almost instinctively, Hoshino Gen initiated his Power Externalization. His energy seeped through Shirayanagi Ayaha's clothing, skin, and bones, drilling into her body and roaming through her chest cavity.
A moment later, a look of astonishment filled Hoshino Gen's eyes. He withdrew his hand and stared intently at the girl standing before him. "There is an illusory heart overlapping the real one. Not only is the illusion interfering with reality, but to some extent, it has even replaced it... What kind of Ability is this?"
Shirayanagi Ayaha immediately broke into a wide grin. "I knew it! You are also one of those people with magical Means. In your terms, you should be... a Transcendent?"
"As you can see, I was saved by a Transcendent."
...
"Speaking of which, the fact that Superpowers actually exist in this world is such a fun secret, yet you kept it hidden from me all this time!"
"When I told my friend about you, she said you might be a Transcendent just like her. I did not really believe it at the time. After all, when we were together, no matter what fun things or delicious food I found, you were always the first person I thought of sharing them with. If you really had something this amazing, you should not have kept it from me!"
"When I told my friend about you, she said you might be a Transcendent just like her. I did not really believe it at the time. After all, when we were together, no matter what fun things or delicious food I found, you were always the first person I thought of sharing them with. If you really had something this amazing, you should not have kept it from me!"
"But who would have thought! You actually are that stingy!"
The girl puffed out her cheeks, clearly thrilled but deliberately pretending to be angry. "Now that I have exposed you, tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"
"But seriously, did you really think I had died? Is that why you never contacted me for over a year?"
"Hehe, were you filled with Sadness when you thought I passed away? Hmm! You definitely were, because when I was recovering in Italy, I occasionally managed to get my hands on a Mobile Phone and tried to contact you, only to find out you changed your number! You don't use social media, and you had never changed your phone number before. It really was because of me that you made such a change, wasn't it!"
"Your only friend died, the only friend who would call you vanished, so you decided you no longer needed that phone number. Ohoho, Xiao Gen is quite skilled at playing out Tragic Literature, isn't he!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the girl's cheerful chattering once again filled his ears. For a brief, dizzying moment, Hoshino Gen almost thought time had flowed backward to over a year ago—back to the time before Shirayanagi Ayaha had disappeared from his life.
"Oh, right, right! I heard while I was in Italy that you already have a Fiancée now, don't you? What kind of person is she?"
"How absolutely frustrating! If I had not been Born with a Defect, that position should have been mine!"
"Let me tell you a little secret, but do not laugh at me. Back when we were just in our first year of Junior High School, I accidentally overheard my mom and dad talking at home. They said Uncle Hoshino really did have the idea of arranging an engagement for the two of us! However, my dad told Uncle Hoshino back then that my body could not even handle childbirth, so marrying into the Hoshino Residence was completely out of the question. Only then did Uncle Hoshino drop the idea."
"I was so heartbroken when I heard that! I secretly cried for days, but I eventually figured it out. Because it is true, after all. I could not possibly hold you back!"
"However, now..." The girl's gaze burned fiercely as she stared straight into Hoshino Gen's eyes. "There is a possibility that my body can return to normal..."