"It was my mistake."
A voice, heavy with apology, reached his ears.
"Huh...?"
Didn't I fall asleep on the train just now...?
What in the world...?
"But... who are you?"
Yami was startled by the sight of the woman before him, bleeding from a wound near her heart.
Judging by the injury, it looked like she'd been shot.
"My choice... and the circumstances it engendered."
However, the woman offered no reply to Yami's question, speaking only of her own thoughts.
This irked Yami slightly. Anyone would feel a touch of annoyance when their words were disregarded, even if only a little. Yet, he held back his frustration. How could he possibly get angry at someone who was hurt?
"Finally, having arrived at this outcome, I realize for the first time that your path was the correct one. It feels utterly shameless now, but I must ask for your help...Sensei."
"No, what are you talking about...?"
Sensei...? But I'm a student...
Hold on a second... She's not... talking to me, is she?
The woman's use of the word "Sensei" made Yami realize her words weren't directed at him. He glanced around and immediately confirmed the presence of someone standing right beside him.
It wasn't a student, but an adult—a rare sight in Kivotos.
Is that the person she called Sensei?
"Hey, Mister Sensei? Could you perhaps tell me where exactly this is...?"
"Even though you are certain to forget my words, it makes no difference."
"..."
What was this? Someone was trying to speak, and this person just cut them off? Does this person have absolutely no manners? The thought surged up his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to voice it.
Somehow, he felt a distinct sense that saying such a thing to this individual would be wrong.
In the end, Yami decided to simply listen until the woman had said her piece.
"Even if you retain no memory of this, you would likely make the same choices were you faced with the same situation. Therefore, what truly matters is not the experience, but the choices themselves—the manifold decisions only you are capable of making."
"...."
Listening to the woman's words, one thing became clear to Yami. Every sentence she uttered was steeped in a profound sense of apology directed towards the adult beside him. And not the good kind, but a bitter, regret-filled remorse.
"We spoke once about who should bear responsibility, didn't we...?"
No. He wanted to say that. Her unexpectedly lengthy monologue was starting to frustrate him.
"At that time, I didn't grasp the meaning of those words... but now, I understand completely."
Congratulations on being able to understand something like that. Will I be able to realize it too, someday?
"The responsibility and duty inherent in being an adult, and your choices that extend beyond them. Even the full implications of what those choices signify."
Is that so. My apologies, but as I am not an adult, I wouldn't know about such things.
"Therefore, Sensei. Only you, the adult whom I can trust implicitly, can find a different outcome... one that is not this twisted and distorted destination... the choices that lead there... So, Sensei... please..."
"Hmm...?"
What the...? Where did that Sensei adult go?
While he had been focused on the woman's words, Yami suddenly noticed the absence of the presence beside him. He looked over and confirmed that the adult, who had been observing the woman just moments ago, had vanished.
Seriously. Had he been teleported or something?
Then, he felt a gaze upon him.
"I'm sorry to you too... for not being able to help."
The source of the gaze was the woman who had been speaking to the adult she called Sensei.
"...You were listening properly? I thought you weren't hearing me at all since you were ignoring me so much."
"Hehe..."
"What's so funny?"
Was this person enjoying this somehow?
"No... Last time, even though I wanted to converse like this, the circumstances made it impossible."
Wait... Last time...?
"If my memory serves me correctly, I don't believe we've ever met anywhere before?"
Her appearance was too unique to forget easily. Especially that bright, sky-blue hair—impossible to overlook.
"That's right. To you, this is our first meeting. But not for me."
"...a stalker?"
This is the first time he's met her, but for her, it's not?
There was only one possible explanation: 'Stalker'.
"Ahaha~ I suppose you might think that. But it's not the right answer. And I have no intention of telling you. There's no time left, anyway."
"Huh? What does that—"
...Mmh... Suddenly... I'm sleepy...
Strength drained from his limbs. Maintaining consciousness became increasingly difficult.
"Indeed... I wonder if, this time, you will be a failure... or a success?"
"You...could it be..."
That she knew about him...?
"Then... I will await the day we meet again... sometime."
[The door closes.]
"Hkk!!"
The moment Yami woke up, he frantically scanned his surroundings.
He was certain he had been talking to someone in his dream. But...
He couldn't remember. Only the vague sense of a conversation lingered in his mind.
Then, Yami realized he had somehow gotten off the train. He could see the railway car already pulling away behind him. He initially thought this must be Millennium.
But it wasn't.
"What the...? I don't think I'm a sleepwalker?"
Where am I?
He had arrived at a station that was completely different from Millennium...
[General Student Council]
He had arrived at the station housing the General Student Council.