The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 2: Chapter 2

April 30 (Thursday)

April 30 (Thursday), 12:00 PM

The start of the second day.

April 30 (Thursday), 12:37 PM

It’s lunch break.

A yawn escapes me, probably because of that bizarre phone call I received at six in the morning.

“I’m going to make you a bento for lunch today.”

She hung up before I could answer.

What was that all about…?

It’s the last day of April, and the rest of society is kicking off the long Golden Week holiday, and our own school vacation is fast approaching. I’m standing in the hallway waiting for Otonashi as usual. We eat lunch together pretty much every day, but this is the first time she’s ever made food for me.

“Hey, Kazu! I heard all about it! You have a little bento event-o coming up with Maria today, don’t you?”

There goes my peace and quiet. Kokone sweeps around in front of me with Haruaki grinning ear to ear right beside her.

“…I thought I told you not to tell anyone since it would cause a stir, Haruaki,” I grumble.

“You can give me orders, but whether I follow them is entirely up to me!”

This guy truly is the lowest of the low.

“Anyway, Kazu, tell us all about this little lunch event of yours!”

“…Uh, well, I don’t really know much about it myself. I just got a call this morning, and…”

“She called you in the morning? You two must be so in love!”

I wish she’d let me finish.

“She called him in the morning…,” someone mutters behind me, and I turn around.

…Oh, great, here comes even more trouble.

“Oh, morning, Riko-rin,” Kokone called.

“Hello…”

The girl with the strange nickname, courtesy of Kokone, is Riko Asami, a petite, short-haired first-year student. She’s in the same class as Otonashi and one of her many fans thanks to that speech at the school entrance ceremony. Normally, Asami and Otonashi come to school together, but today it seems Asami got to class first. Maybe it’s just me, but she looks and sounds darker than usual.

Asami is staring at me with empty eyes.

“…Um, okay?” Is she mad at me about something?

“I’ve heard some things. Like how Maria is making you lunch today.”

“U-uh, yeah. It seems that way.”

My answer provokes no response from Asami except more silent staring.

“……I wish your cell phone battery would explode… I hope it’s one of those dodgy batteries they sell for supercheap in other countries… It should just swell up bigger and bigger…!”

All that mumbling under her breath gives me goose bumps, like she’s putting a curse on me.

“A-anyway, I wonder why Maria chose you, Kazu?” Kokone interjects with a smile, perhaps hoping to dispel some of the tension. “You know, some of the other boys in school have been shooting you some pretty scary looks lately. I even heard they’ve got a list of guys they wanna kill and make it look like an accident. You’re right at the top!”

“What the hell kind of list is that…?! Who says that…?”

“Me, for one.” Haruaki raises his hand. “I cast my vote just like the rest. The thought of you getting all touchy-feely with Maria really grinds my gears!”

I sag in exhaustion.

I know Haruaki, at least, is joking, but I have definitely noticed some of the other guys at school giving me the stink eye recently. I don’t think my relationship with Otonashi is the only thing bugging them, though…

“Huh? What’re you looking at, Kazu?”

“……Nothing.”

I wonder if Kokone knows. Does she understand that all this friendly conversation between us is also probably part of why everyone has it in for me?

Kokone inclines her head quizzically at my attitude. She recently switched up her hairstyle from the way she wore it during that near-eternal March. Now she pulls her hair up on the side instead of in the center. I guess you’d call that a side ponytail?

“Hey, I’ve been wondering for a while now, but how exactly did you manage to tame Otonashi?”

“‘Tame’…? That’s not a very nice way of putting it.”

“C’mon, she must be used to guys coming on to her, so I’m sure it took more than your average pickup line to snag her. You must have convinced her it was fate and made her believe ‘Oh, this guy’s special.’” With a triumphant tone, Kokone starts letting her imagination run wild as if she’s got it all figured out. “That’s gotta be it… Maybe you saved her from some pervert… Yeah, it’s definitely within the realm of possibility. Some sicko probably came after her like, ‘Hey, your belly button lint smells sooo nice! And what’s this?! Do I spy a bit of crust here, too? I—I definitely don’t mind a bit of crust in my belly button!!’ And then you saved her from his filthy clutches, I know it!”

“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think I have what it takes to face off with someone as twisted as that… Besides, Otonashi and I aren’t even dating, you know.”

That’s the undeniable truth, but my rebuttal only makes Kokone’s smile widen.

“Okay, then how do you explain what happened at the entrance ceremony? Huh? Huuuuuh?”

“Th-that was just…”

She’s speaking of the “declaration” Otonashi made at our school entrance ceremony this year. I can understand how that might have sparked some misunderstandings. I have to find some way to explain things to Kokone that’ll wipe the grin off her face.

“O-Otonashi is just kinda crazy like that.”

“…I’m crazy like what?”

I know that voice. I turn around in terror.

It’s Maria Otonashi.

I can’t help but freeze as I see her face, but not because my blood is running cold at what she said. I’m tense because I didn’t have time to steel myself before my eyes landed on her sculpted features.

Otonashi is unbelievably beautiful, and I still haven’t acclimated to her aloof manner. I can’t help but be nervous when she’s nearby. I count to three in my head, as I always do when I prepare myself to speak with her.

We’ve spent nearly an entire lifetime together. I’m well aware of that. It’s just that none of that time seems real to me anymore.

“Why are you so tense? Did you think I’d be angry with you? You know it takes more than that to upset me.”

“Y-yeah.”

As I stand there flustered, Asami quietly shuffles around until she’s behind Otonashi.

“…Huh? What is it, Asami?”

Asami stares at me as before without making a reply.

Haruaki speaks up instead. “There’s something off about her today. I’m sure it has to do with this bento incident, like she thinks you’re going to snatch dear Maria away from her.”

“……Quit talking like you know her. You should show her more respect……”

Asami is snarling under her breath again, her gaze downcast.

“Enough of this. Let’s go, Kazuki.”

“You mean to the cafeteria?”

Otonashi lets her breath out in undisguised exasperation. “Why can’t you understand what I was getting at when I said I would make your lunch today? The cafeteria is no good.”

It isn’t?

Otonashi and I meet every day for lunch, mostly so we can discuss O and the Boxes.

That said, it’s not like new information on those topics crops up every day, so we rarely speak of anything that isn’t meant for the ears of others. I say “rarely,” but truthfully, we haven’t had a top-secret conversation even once since Otonashi came to this school.

But for some reason we can’t meet in the cafeteria today.

“Oh, I get it. That’s why you made me a bento… We could’ve bought some bread or something at the cafeteria, though,” I answer quietly.

Otonashi leans in close and whispers in my ear. “I had more than my fill of the bread they sell here during my stay in the Rejecting Classroom. I’m sure you know what I mean…”

Yeah, I guess, but… I can understand why she wouldn’t want anyone to hear the words “Rejecting Classroom,” but why would she be so obvious about getting close to me in front of Asami? Seems like rubbing it in.

Casting a quick glance at Asami, I realize her gaze has sharpened even more.

“Um, Maria? Can I come along today, too…?”

“Sorry, Asami, but today I want to eat alone with Kazuki.”

“Alone with…”

“Let’s go, Kazuki.”

Otonashi takes me by the arm and leads me away. Completely failing to read the situation, Haruaki can’t resist a whistle.

…I wonder what Asami thinks of all this.

I glance behind me in curiosity and see that she’s staring at the ground and whispering something under her breath.

“……I wish some big fat female cockroach all bloated with eggs would crawl in your mouth and lay the entire clutch in your stomach… I hope they hatch and the babies eat you alive from the inside out……!”

She’s scaring me!

April 30 (Thursday), 12:43 PM

“Being behind the school like this brings back memories, huh?”

This spot around back of the building was home to many of our talks within that endlessly repeating realm.

Apparently, Otonashi isn’t particularly sentimental about that, because she only shoots me a quick glance and, indifferently, removes a cloth-covered bento from her bag and hands it to me.

“…Th-thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I unwrap the bento and open the lid. Nothing too remarkable, but somehow not quite what I expected.

I decide to try the asparagus wrapped in bacon first, popping a piece in my mouth.

…Yep, the taste is pretty standard, too.

“Uh…the bacon asparagus tastes really good.”

“It was frozen.”

…Ah, okay, now I get it. That explains why it’s so nondescript.

I go for the hamburg steak next. Naturally, it looks and tastes completely ordinary.

“…Um, the hamburg is good, t—”

“Also frozen.”

…Thought so.

I scan the bento to see what else is on the menu. I’m willing to bet that the fries, meatballs, dumplings, and mixed veggies all came straight from the freezer.

“Don’t try so hard to consider my feelings. There’s no need to compliment me on any of this.”

“…So you never cooked the whole time you were in the Rejecting Classroom?”

During all those time loops, Otonashi had learned martial arts and a bunch of other skills, so I figured she must have tried her hand at cooking as well.

“What, are you chomping at the bit to inform me of how terrible I am in the kitchen?”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Of course it is… Not that I care, though. I did cook. I even learned to make some rather elaborate dishes. It’s just that I never found it particularly enjoyable. I was never able to find the same fun in mastering cooking as I did with other skills.”

“And that’s why your bento sucks.”

“I see you’re finally being honest.”

Whoops.

I risk a peek at Otonashi’s reaction… She doesn’t seem angry, at least.

“I have to ask: Since you’re not interested in cooking, does that also mean you aren’t into food in general?”

“Quite the contrary. I’m very happy when I eat something that suits my palate.”

“What’s your favorite food, then?”

“Strawberry tarts. I like most pastries made with straw— Hey, why are you sitting there with that meatball sticking out of your mouth?”

“Uh, it’s nothing…”

Who would’ve thought she likes something so cutesy? I can see Otonashi liking something like sweet potato youkan jelly, but strawberry seems completely unlike her. …I’m on the verge of saying so, too, before I think better of it and keep the thought to myself. That was a close one.

“Heh, it takes some nerve to decide someone’s preferences don’t suit them.”

“…I never said that.”

“Oh? Then who were you thinking of? She seemed more likely to enjoy sweet potato, I believe?”

…How did she figure out something that specific?

“So you like eating, but not cooking.”

I try to shift the topic to something less dangerous for me.

“I don’t find much pleasure in eating food I prepare myself. It just feels like work.”

It goes without saying that there was no one for Otonashi to share her culinary skill with in that interminable world. Even someone like me who hardly ever spends time in the kitchen understands that half the fun of cooking is seeing the joy of others when they eat your handiwork. Without someone to share your cooking with, it would seem like a lot of work for nothing.

“…Enough about that. I didn’t bring you back here to talk about this nonsense.”

“O-of course not.”

“Let’s get down to business.” With that, Otonashi rifles through her bag and pulls out her cell phone. “I got a message in the middle of the night.”

“A message?” I parrot back at her.

Otonashi wordlessly shoves her phone up to my face. The message on the screen reads: My wish has been granted. Now you and I can be together.

…Okay, what the heck is this? It looks like the sort of thing people would send just after they started a relationship. Hmm? Does this mean Otonashi is seeing someone? Her, of all people?

Looking over at Otonashi, I see her smirking at my reaction.

“Anyway, I knew what was up from the moment I met you today. Check who the sender is, Kazuki.”

I do as she says. After the word “From”…

“Huh?”

…it says “Kazuki Hoshino.”

Wait, so I sent this? …No way, that’s impossible! I don’t remember that at all. But clearly, someone must have sent it, right…?

“At first, I thought maybe someone was spoofing your account, but I filter all my messages, so that didn’t seem likely. Naturally, I have to assume it did in fact come from your phone.”

“But, Otonashi, I don’t remember sending this at—”

“How about we take a look at your sent messages box, then? It should be in there, unless you deleted it.”

I nod and pull out my phone. After a quick check, I find the e-mail in question.

“My wish has been granted. Now you and I can be together.”

There it is, verbatim.

“B-but…” My blood curdles.

“Calm down, Kazuki. One look at your face is all I need to know that you didn’t send this message of your own volition. The thing is, if this is the work of someone else, they would’ve had to use your phone sometime after two in the morning to send the message to me.”

The message is dated the thirtieth, so it was sent at 2:23 AM today.

My phone would’ve been lying next to my pillow then. Otonashi’s call woke me up this morning, so I’m positive on that detail at least. That suggests that whoever sent this sneaked into my room sometime after two this morning. But why? Why would anyone go to the trouble of doing that…?

“Kazuki,” Otonashi says to bring me back into focus. “I forced my way into the Box known as Rejecting Classroom before, right? How do you think I was able to do that?”

“…Huh?”

I can’t grasp what she’s trying to tell me.

“It has something to do with what we’re talking about now. I was able to force my way in because I’m a Box myself—that’s how I explained it before, but that still doesn’t directly correlate to the reason I was able to actually enter the Box, don’t you think?”

“…Now that you put it that way, you’re right.”

“I have the ability to sense other Boxes and track them down. I also have the ability get inside one once I find it.”

“…I see.”

“So someone sent this message from your phone to mine at a little after two in the morning, or at least they made it seem that way. There are probably several methods, but I have a theory.” Otonashi lays out her hypothesis. “It was done using a Box.”

…A Box?

“Are…you sure? Why would someone go to the trouble of using a Box to do something like that?”

“I already told you, Kazuki. I can sense their presence… True, as you say, the Box may have nothing to do with the actual message itself, but I am absolutely certain of one thing.”

Otonashi fixes me with something bordering on a glare as she continues.

“Someone nearby is using a Box at this very moment.”

More than her words, her steady gaze leads me to finally understand what’s starting to occur around me.

It’s happening again.

Another Box is about to ruin my normal life.

“Let’s get back to the message, Kazuki. Assume it was created using the power of a Box. If so, what does it mean? It would be a bit too optimistic to presume the owner had only a simple prank in mind once they gained power, don’t you agree?”

“…Meaning?”

“It’s a declaration of war. Or possibly just a statement of truth.”

“…Truth?” What kind of truth? It’s not like Otonashi is going to start dating the owner or anything.

“It could be a metaphor of some sort. Another possibility is that the Box has been used to ensure this future comes to pass. One thing is for certain, however…” Otonashi takes a small breath before continuing, “Whoever the owner is, their use of the Box directly involves the two of us.”

Yeah, that has to be right. There’s no reason why they would use my phone to send Otonashi that message if things were any other way.

“…So what should I do?”

“I know without a doubt that a Box is in play, so my first order of business is to pinpoint exactly how it’s being used and then determine its nature. I want you to assist me. You’re sensitive to anything out of the ordinary, no matter how minute, right? You may be able to pick up on slight disturbances I wouldn’t notice.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll be on the lookout.”

“Thanks. I’ll be in touch if I find anything.”

Assuming our little chat is over, I return to my lunch. But I pause again once I notice that Otonashi hasn’t started eating again herself.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss, Otonashi?”

“Hmm… Yeah, I suppose so,” Otonashi continues somewhat awkwardly. “It doesn’t really matter, but I can’t get over it. It’s troubling me, so I’ll just get it off my chest.”

“…Okay, go ahead.”

“Why do you address me differently now?”

“Huh?”

Talk about a strange question out of the blue.

“…If there’s no particular reason, that’s fine.” With that said, Otonashi resumes her lunch.

I’m curious why she asked, but like she said, it probably doesn’t matter, so I get back to eating, too.

April 30 (Thursday), 10:38 PM

Slight changes in my daily life.

I rack my brain as I sit at the same desk I’ve been using since elementary school, but I can’t come up with anything at all. Changes. Aren’t things always changing in life?

I know I’m not going to get anywhere this way, so I flip open my cell phone.

On the screen is a picture of Mogi in her pajamas—a bit thinner than before, but not painfully so. She’s in her hospital room making the peace sign, with a smile as bright as a sunflower.

“Ewww, what’re you grinning like that for, Kazu? You must be looking at porn!”

I hurriedly turn off my phone as soon as I hear my sister, who’s three years older.

“N-no, I’m not!”

“Ooh, you’re so upset! Seems awfully suspicious to me!”

With a stupid grin, my older sister, Ruka Hoshino, climbs up to the top bunk of our bed. Looks like Roo is in her underwear again. Sheesh… Even though she’s almost twenty, she still runs around the house half-dressed all the time. I’m a high school second-year, so I’m pretty much an adult, too, you know.

“Oh, I know! Maybe you were looking at a picture of Kasumi Mogi!”

“Wha…?!”

How does she know?!

“Uh-oh, does that mean I’m right? Eh-heh-heh…”

“H-hold on, now. How do you know about Mogi…? Hey, have you been looking through my phone?!”

“Nope. I just saw her name on the screen when she called you once, so I guessed whatever pics you were looking at must be of her… Either way, you’re a bit of a perv, aren’t you, smiling at pictures of girls like that.”

This is exactly why I hate having to share a room…!

I grab my phone and dive into the bottom bunk so she can’t see the panic on my face.

“So tell me, is she your girlfriend?”

“N-no!”

“So what’s going on between you two? Or should I ask—how do you feel about her?”

“……Um.”

What is going on between us…? How do I really feel about her?

I remember she once confessed her feelings for me in the Rejecting Classroom, and if she’s sending me photos like this, she probably still does like me, just a little… Probably.

The prospect isn’t entirely unpleasant.

But…I honestly don’t know any more than that. All the emotions I had within the Rejecting Classroom are long gone. It’s possible I used to have feelings for Mogi, too. I recall doing things that would imply I did. But maybe that’s precisely why I can’t have a completely unfiltered view of her. I have no way of knowing how honest my emotions are in my daily life now.

“Well… Let’s, uh, let’s just say she’s a friend.”

That answer took a lot of deliberation, but there’s no response. That’s strange, I think, straining my ears only to hear my sister snoring away softly.

…I always think this, but she falls asleep way too easily.

I realize I still haven’t sent a reply to Mogi, so I begin typing one out. I check the time in the corner of the screen: 10:59.

I’m in the middle of writing when suddenly, I black out.

April 30 (Thursday), 11:18 PM

All right, time to make that call.