Blame

The morning after the Spatial Quake, under the warm sunlight, the city seemed to have returned to normal, as if yesterday’s battle and ruins were nothing more than a dream.

A girl with twin pigtails tied with white ribbons bounced through the school gates. Her vision was quickly obscured by her friend, whose soft body pressed tightly against hers, replacing the girl’s initial cheerfulness with confusion.

“Kotori-chan, why did you go off to find your brother yesterday without telling me? I was so worried about you for ages.”

Her friend embraced her tightly, fearing she might vanish again as she had the day before.

Her hands trembled incessantly from fear, and her head was buried in Kotori’s hair. Sensing her friend’s terror, Kotori returned the embrace, gently stroking her hair.

“I’m sorry, it was my fault. It won’t happen again, Xin Xin-chan.”

A damp sensation spread from her collar. Kotori silently closed her eyes, continuously comforting the girl in her arms.

After an unknown period, Xin Xin’s emotions finally settled.

“Kotori-chan, if Ms. Yisha hadn’t told me you were with your brother, I probably would have asked her to find you yesterday.”

Wiping away the lingering tears, Xin Xin revealed her usual smile.

“Ask her to find me? But that was a Spatial Quake! Is that really a good idea?”

Kotori felt an uncharacteristic strangeness in her friend’s words. Usually, Xin Xin’s speech followed her own distinct, practical logic, rarely coming out so thoughtlessly.

“That’s Big Sister Yisha! If she promises to help us, she’ll definitely do it!”

With that, Xin Xin even puffed out her tiny fist, her face beaming with pride.

“Big Sister Yisha… us?”

Kotori grew increasingly convinced that her friend was acting strangely. Her bewildered expression pulled Xin Xin out of her own world. Realizing she had blurted out something significant, Xin Xin immediately reacted, grabbing Kotori and pulling her towards the school building.

‘Ah, why did this happen again? I specifically agreed with Big Sister Yisha that we’d pretend not to know each other at school!’

Continuously chastising herself inwardly, Xin Xin walked with her head down, her steps brisk.

This self-reproach ceased only when a pair of shoes entered her field of vision. She recognized them; their owner adored the footwear from this unknown manufacturer, even having custom pairs made for everyone’s birthday once.

“Ms…. Yisha…”

Xin Xin greeted her timidly. Yisha smiled and nodded, then her gaze fell upon Itsuka Kotori.

“You go on ahead. Teacher has something important to discuss with Itsuka Kotori-san.”

Yisha flashed Kotori a benevolent smile, though there was an inexplicable darkness lurking on her face, making it eerily similar to the ‘kindly’ smiles of certain anime characters.

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

Xin Xin scurried away like a lamb encountering a hungry wolf, casting Kotori a meaningful glance before entering the classroom.

‘What does that mean?’

Kotori was utterly bewildered, unable to decipher the meaning behind Xin Xin’s look.

“Follow me to my office.”

Yisha turned and departed. Though Kotori didn’t understand her intentions, she obediently followed.

Once they arrived at the office, Yisha instructed Kotori to close and lock the door. She then poured two cups of water from the dispenser, one for herself and one for Kotori, before settling behind her desk.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Where were you yesterday? Can you tell your teacher?”

Kotori instantly grasped her intentions.

“I… after I finished getting the materials, I met my brother. We went to another shelter together.”

“Hm?”

Yisha took a small sip of water to moisten her throat, which had grown dry from carrying documents back and forth all morning, all while scrutinizing the girl before her.

“Leaving aside why your brother would come to the middle school while you were still in class, wasn’t the closest shelter right here at the school? Why did no one see you when I asked around? Even if we assume you genuinely went to another shelter, can you tell me where you took refuge yesterday? There are three shelters within five kilometers of the middle school. Which one did you go to?”

“That…”

Kotori couldn’t answer. More precisely, she couldn’t conjure a flawless lie on the spot.

“Itsuka-san, you have a good brother. Even when he was nearly frantic searching for you, he still thought of others. While in my eyes, he’s not much different from an idiot, I quite like that kind of idiot.”

As she spoke, Yisha pulled out her phone and played Kotori a recording of her phone call with Shido from yesterday.

“His voice was unsteady, and his heavy breathing was evident. In the background, there was the sound of howling wind and people running. He thought that by suppressing the urge to swallow while speaking, he could make me believe him. Unfortunately, I’m not as easily fooled as he imagined.”

As her words trailed off, Yisha again took a small sip from her cup, the expression in her eyes shifting from sternness to reproach.

“I don’t know what urgent matters you have to attend to, but this kind of behavior—causing your family and friends worry and fear, and making your teacher ashamed of your lies—I hope you will correct it. This is my final warning to you. If you don’t heed it, I will request the principal to give you a major demerit and disciplinary action.”

Kotori bowed her head, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Her vision blurred, sobs escaped her lips, and large, heavy tears streamed down her face, falling onto the floor.

Seeing her like this, Yisha retrieved a tissue box from her drawer and placed it within the girl’s reach.

If she had been uncertain yesterday, now she was absolutely convinced of her suspicions. The girl before her was not just any ordinary student one might encounter daily.

Yisha was no ordinary person, oblivious to the world. As an individual recognized by humanity as a “natural disaster” and an enemy to ‘those things,’ she could perceive matters unknown to common folk. However, the current situation was exceptionally peculiar, and given that the girl was Xin Xin’s friend, Yisha needed to observe further before making a decision.

“Alright, just make sure there isn’t a next time. At the very least, don’t let your friends worry about you. Promise your teacher, okay?”

Yisha’s tone softened, and Kotori nodded.

‘Kotori-chan, will she be alright?’

The class was self-study because Big Sister Yisha had matters to attend to. After completing the tasks Yisha assigned, Xin Xin’s thoughts drifted to Kotori, who had been taken away.

‘No, she won’t. Big Sister Yisha might be strict, but she’s actually very gentle. She wouldn’t possibly…’

The door opened, and Yisha and Kotori entered the classroom one after another. Yisha remained as composed as yesterday, but Kotori, who followed behind, was a different story.

Her eyes were red, and she sniffled occasionally, looking as if she had just finished crying.

It was obvious someone had made Kotori cry. Considering that students had seen the teacher take Kotori from the hallway earlier, and now the two returned together, the boys in the class instantly shifted their gazes to Yisha.

“Kotori-chan, are you okay?”

Xin Xin asked Kotori, who had just taken her seat.

“I’m fine.”

A muffled voice answered her question, and then Kotori took out the materials for the current class and began to study.

Xin Xin looked at Yisha, and coincidentally, Yisha was also looking at her.

‘Regarding what you said to Kotori at the main gate earlier, I’ll talk to you about it privately later.’

Yisha conveyed this meaning with her eyes, but in Xin Xin’s perception, it transformed into—

‘She cried because she realized her mistake. Bring her to my office later.’

Xin Xin felt it would be better not to ask Big Sister Yisha about her friends’ whereabouts in the future. This subtle torment wasn’t enough; after school, she’d be truly put through the wringer!