The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 2: Chapter 6

May 2 (Saturday), 12:31 AMExactly fifteen minutes later, Maria Otonashi arrives on a simple, no-frills motorcycle.

“Here.”

She tosses a helmet my way. It lands in my arms, but I’m unsure of what to do next. She’s quietly observing me, though, so I decide it’s best to slip it on right away.

“Are you wearing a helmet just to stand there? Get on.”

I climb aboard behind her as ordered and hesitantly wrap my arms around her waist. Maria Otonashi doesn’t say anything. Her torso is very slender. It belongs to her, the one I admire so.

In less than ten minutes, she stops the bike in front of a five-story apartment building.

Although it pains me a bit to let go, I slide off the motorcycle and remove my helmet so I can survey her home. It has a brick exterior, probably on the expensive side. It also locks automatically. The rent can’t be cheap.

I find it hard to believe she would bring her boyfriend over to her parents’ place, especially this late at night. She must live on her own. And she’s bringing him up to her room. Which means…I know what we’re doing. No two ways about it.

My heart is pounding as loud as thunder. Without any concern for my nervousness, Maria Otonashi leads me into the elevator and straight down the hall, where she unlocks the door to room 403.

The first thing I notice as I enter is the smell of peppermint. It’s a studio room of about 150–200 square feet, about ten tatami mats in size, but it seems much larger because it’s practically empty.

“Why are you looking around like you’ve never seen any of this before? Nothing’s changed since you were last here.”

“…Oh, really?” I collect myself and take a seat on one of the floor cushions. Maria Otonashi watches me out of the corner of her eye, then goes and digs around in one of the closets for something.

“All right, Kazuki, stick out your hands.”

Stick out my hands? Is she going to kiss them?

“What’re you waiting for? Like this.”

Maria Otonashi demonstrates by putting both arms out in front of her. I follow suit as she asks.

Click.

What’s that sound? I wonder, just as I sense pressure around my right wrist. I look down at it.

Handcuffs.

“Is this some sort of joke, Otonashi?”

“Joke? I might ask the same thing of you. This is what we always do here, remember?”

“What we always do”? She puts him in handcuffs?

“What? Are you in the mood to put up a bit of a fight today? What am I ever going to do with you…?”

“O-ow!”

With an impish smile, Maria Otonashi twists my arm behind my back with practiced ease, snapping the other cuff shut on my left wrist. She attaches another set of restraints on my feet, leaving me on the floor. I try moving a bit. I could probably stand if I tried, but that’s about it.

“We’ll be using this today, too.”

Maria Otonashi pulls out a black cloth and ties it around my eyes. Now I can’t see anything, either.

I’m in a fine state. I’m bound hand and foot, blindfolded, and stuck wriggling around on the floor like some sort of grub. Like I’ve been captured by the enemy.

…Huh? Wait, that’s exactly what’s happening, isn’t it?

“That should do it. Shall we get started?”

Maria Otonashi must have noticed something wrong with Kazuki Hoshino. There’s no reason for her to do whatever she usually does with her boyfriend at this point.

If that’s the case, then who exactly is Maria Otonashi interacting with right now?

“So…”

She continues on.

“…I know you aren’t Kazuki Hoshino, so who are you?”

I get it. All of this was a big charade to get this personality tied up here like this.

“Heh-heh…”

Amazing. I wouldn’t expect any less of Maria Otonashi. That’s why I look up to her so much. It thrills me to know that this won’t ruin my image of her.

“Why are you laughing? You don’t seem to understand your present situation.”

Let’s try to hold out for as long as we can.

“C’mon… Otonashi, that’s ridiculous. What are you saying?”

“Drop the pointless act.”

Welp, apparently, it is indeed pointless. That’s why I can’t stop laughing.

“You’re a strange one. I just deceived you completely and tied you up, but you couldn’t seem happier.”

“Can I ask you something? Why don’t you think I’m Kazuki Hoshino?” I ask, putting an end to the facade.

“I know about the Box, and I listened to your recording.”

Her frank response clarifies a lot of things. I now understand not just how she saw through me, but also why she’s so special.

“Even if you knew about the Box, and even if you listened to that message, you still shouldn’t have had any way of distinguishing between ‘me’ and ‘Kazuki Hoshino.’ When did you figure out how to tell us apart?”

“I knew the moment you answered your phone with ‘hello.’”

“…You’ve got to be kidding.”

There’s no way she could distinguish between two people with the same voice over the phone.

“Kazuki always answers with ‘yes.’ He never says ‘hello.’ Of course, I might have let such a small thing pass under different circumstances. But since I know he is currently trapped in the effects of a Box, I’m naturally going to be suspicious of him. After that, it’s only a matter of verification. If you get sloppy in your planning, there will always be a trail to follow. I’ll throw you a bone here: Kazuki has never been to this apartment.”

“Well, I’m definitely thankful to know that.”

It makes me sick to think someone as dull as Kazuki Hoshino would regularly visit the home of such a noble woman as Maria Otonashi.

“So you pulled the wool over my eyes, and now you’re checking to make sure that ‘I’ really exist.”

“There’s no need to verify any of that at this point. What I really want to know is if you and Kazuki share the same memories. But it seems I’ve got my answer. You don’t know what he knows.”

“……”

So she’s already moved on to the next level of investigation.

It’s certainly an important question. If “Yuhei Ishihara” shares memories with “Kazuki Hoshino,” even someone as clever as she would never be able to prevent information leaks no matter how carefully she and “Kazuki Hoshino” laid their plans. They could never combine their efforts fully.

“So let me ask again: Who are you?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at me? I’m Kazuki Hoshino!”

“Quit screwing around and answer the question.”

I shrug from my position on the floor.

“I’m not screwing around. I am Kazuki Hoshino. I’m destined to become him thanks to the Box’s power.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. My wish is to become Kazuki Hoshino. The Boxes grant wishes, right? That’s why I am him. There’s no other way to put it.”

Maria Otonashi falls silent after I finish speaking.

“…You wanted to become Kazuki Hoshino? That’s insane… Why Kazuki of all people? I don’t see anything particularly impressive about him physically.”

“It’s because you’re always near him,” I answer immediately.

“…Because of me?”

“Yeah. I really admired you. Being next to my beloved Maria Otonashi—that alone was worth taking over his body.”

I hear her let out a weary sigh.

“…I never thought I would help inspire someone to steal Kazuki’s body.” After that momentary lamentation, Maria Otonashi quickly recovers and presses onward. “Now that I know you’re trying to pass yourself off as Kazuki Hoshino, I can’t very well keep calling you by his name.”

“Fine. Call me ‘Yuhei Ishihara,’ then.”

“‘Yuhei Ishihara’? Hmm, I’ve never heard it before. Don’t tell me that’s your real name?”

“Maybe.”

“Hmph, fine. I am going to need you to tell me how you switch places with Kazuki, though.”

“And what would be the point of knowing that?”

“I don’t have to answer your questions.”

“Well then, I don’t have to answer yours.”

“You sure do have a lot of nerve for someone who’s practically hogtied.”

“Don’t try to fool me. I know you can’t do anything. Inflicting violence on me would mean inflicting violence on the body of Kazuki Hoshino.”

“There are plenty of interrogation methods that don’t have an effect on the body, but, well…it’s not like violence was ever an option for me, anyway…,” she says in a soft voice.

“Did you say something?”

“It’s nothing… More importantly, I take it you aren’t going to tell me what I want to know?”

“Nope. To be honest, it doesn’t matter to me either way, but I’m still not gonna.”

“It doesn’t matter?”

“Well, you see, as long as nothing happens to the Box, ‘Kazuki Hoshino’ will vanish from this body the instant it becomes May 6, no matter what you do. So how do you think knowing more would change anything? There’s no way I’d ever tell you how to get at the Box, so what’re you going to do? Kill me? That’d mean the death of Kazuki Hoshino, too!”I give a deliberately wicked-sounding laugh.

So how about it, Maria Otonashi? It’s a no-win situation—you probably weren’t expecting this level of despair, were you?

“Heh-heh…”

What? For some reason, she’s giggling.

“…What’s so funny? Is laughing your only option in the face of such a hopeless dilemma?”

“You call this hopeless? All of this is about as threatening as a mosquito compared with the rejecting I had to deal with in the past. Heh-heh… The only threat facing me is the fact that, for the time being, you seem to have no intention of telling me how you take control of Kazuki’s body. Do you really think that’s a hopeless situation?”

“What part of ‘the only way to resolve this situation is to kill Kazuki Hoshino’ did you not understand?”

“That’s actually the reason why I laughed. I mean, that’s a lie, right?”

I fall silent.

“I appreciate that you’re trying to entrap me, but I’m afraid I’m not going to let myself be taken in by such an obvious attempt at deception.”

“…What makes you think I’m lying?”

“You said it yourself. You said that you are Kazuki Hoshino. He doesn’t have a Box. So that means you shouldn’t be the owner.”

“Are we playing word games now or something? None of that will help you escape the reality of this, you know.”

“Still don’t get it, do you? Well, let’s see if you can answer this.”

Maria Otonashi speaks in a firm voice.

“Do you truly believe it’s possible for your mind to inhabit another person’s body?”

“Tha…” That’s…

“Can’t answer, huh?”

Agh… I screwed up. I’m not sure exactly how, but I can tell that my failure to answer was a major misstep.

“Boxes have the capacity to make any wish come true. But anyone who is even somewhat sane would harbor some doubts deep in their mind as to whether such a wish could ever truly be granted. The fact that you couldn’t answer with conviction straightaway proves you don’t fully believe such a wish is possible, either. The Box incorporated this doubt into the wish when it was granted. That’s why the owner is unable to take control of Kazuki Hoshino.”“……”

“In other words, the owner isn’t stealing Kazuki’s body—they’re still out there somewhere living normally… Unlike you.” She fires off another question, ignoring my sullen silence. “If you’re not the owner, then who are you?”

I have no answer.

“If you don’t know, then I’ll answer for you. You’re a false existence conjured up by the distorted nature of the wish. An imitation of the owner, nothing more than a fake. That’s right—you’re a fabrication.” With a small smirk on her face, she continues, “And as such, you are not the owner I’m looking for.”

Huh, she’s right. I guess that’s why…I never had the Box.

“Ah-ha-ha.”

But what does that even matter?

The whole reason I used the Box to make a wish was to be rid of my miserable life. I’m not the owner? I’m a fabrication? So much the better! If I was never a real person to begin with, there’s no question in my mind that I can become Kazuki Hoshino.

“…What’s that laughter for, ‘Yuhei Ishihara’?”

“Heh-heh, does it really matter? More importantly, I have a question for you now. I’ll accept that I’m an invention. So who are you? How is it you’re able to understand all of this?”

“Who am I, you say…?” For some reason, Maria Otonashi seems to be struggling to find the words. “…You are a falsehood. And I…”

“What’s there to think so hard about? All I’m asking is why you know so much about the Boxes.”

“…I see. That’s what you want to know, is it?” Her customary strength creeps back into her voice with this understanding. “I am actually a Box myself. As one of them, I am obviously familiar with their nature.”

“…A Box? Is that supposed to be a figure of speech?”

“If you want to view it that way.”

So she’s a Box. If that’s really true, this couldn’t be any more perfect. “Hey, I have something I need to tell you, don’t I?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Huh? I’m positive I told you last night that I would tell you something today. Well, it’s finally the new day, so I’m going to say it.”

I smile as wide as I can, though I’m sorry she’ll be able to see only part of it because of the blindfold.

“I love you, Maria Otonashi.”

She described herself as a Box.

That couldn’t be more on the money. It makes her even more ideal, both as a prize to be won and as an adversary.

May 2 (Saturday), 7:06 AM

I was sleeping in an unfamiliar room with handcuffs on my wrists.

“……What the…?”

My head is still foggy and working slowly from having just woken up. The room is white and smells nice. I can hear someone in the shower. My back hurts. There’s a blanket on me, but I’m in cuffs.

Wait.

What the hell?

In a flash, the grogginess is gone. My panicked attempt to jump to my feet ends in me falling flat on my face. As I apply pressure to my injured nose with both hands, I work myself back to a sitting position and take another look around. There’s a semidouble bed and a table with a laptop, speakers, and a bunch of difficult-looking books, but other than that, the room is essentially bare. When I notice the blouse of a sailor uniform hanging on the edge of the closet door, I realize I must be in a girl’s room.

Is this the work of “Yuhei Ishihara”? Yeah, it has to be.

The sound of the shower stops. After a moment, I hear a hair dryer. Whoever is in there must be the tenant of this apartment. In other words, a girl…

That means on the other side of that wall, there’s a naked girl…? What’s going on…? What did I— What did “Yuhei Ishihara” do to her?!

The sound of the dryer stops, and the door to the bathroom opens.

“Wh-whoa!!” I quickly look away from the figure, who’s wearing only a dress shirt.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

My mind blanks out for a second as I recognize a very familiar voice. “Huh?” My head snaps up before I can stop myself, and I see a face I know very well. “Uh, Otonashi…?”

“Who else do I look like?”

Her words prompt me to take in all of her. Yep, this is Maria Otonashi and no one else. Flustered, I avert my gaze once I realize I’ve been staring very intently at her while she has only a shirt and underwear on.

“H-hey, you should be more careful if you know I’m around!”

“What’re you getting so worked up about? Just a little peek isn’t going to do any harm, is it?”

…That doesn’t sound like the type of thing a girl would say. In fact, it sounds more like one of Haruaki’s lines when he’s harassing Kokone. I’m about to say so, but the next thing that comes out of Otonashi’s mouth puts her previous remark to shame.

“Yesterday, you saw way more than my underwear, after all. It’s a little late to get your boxers in a twist over this, don’t you think?”

“……What?”

“You may look all calm and innocent, but you went for it as soon as we got inside. I never would have suspected.”

“Wh-what’re you talking about?”

Everything about the present circumstances agrees with what Otonashi is hinting at, though. This is her room, she was taking a shower, and now she’s here dressed like she has nothing to hide…

“Y-you’re joking, right?” I ask apprehensively.

“Yes, I am,” Otonashi replies, quick and easy.

“Huh?”

“…Hmph, I see. You really are ‘Kazuki Hoshino.’ No one else could mimic the way your mouth hangs open like an idiot’s.”

As I’d hoped, none of it was true, but an unbearable emotion I can’t quite put my finger on wells up within me.

“…Hey, um, Otonashi? Since I don’t know how I got here, I’m guessing that means you spoke with ‘Yuhei Ishihara’…?” As I speak, she approaches my awkward position on the floor until she’s practically on top of me. She’s so close I can catch a whiff of some pleasant aroma, maybe shampoo or conditioner or something. “Wh-what’re you doing?”

I hear a couple of clicks and realize that Otonashi is removing my leg restraints.

…Not that I’m not glad about that, but I wish she would have said something first. Once the cuffs are off, Otonashi sits back.

“Okay…”

I follow suit and sit up straight as well.

A few moments pass, and then she says, “Who am I, Kazuki?”

What’s she asking this for all of a sudden?

She’s Maria Otonashi. I know that in a heartbeat. I can’t help but wonder why she’s asking, given our current circumstances.

“Remember our time in the Rejecting Classroom.”

“Huh? …Oh!”

Her hint reminds me of the time she asked us all to write her name, much like she’s doing now.

Back then, Otonashi had been trying to see if any of us would write Maria, a name only someone who had managed to retain their memories would know. So why’s she doing something similar now?

It must be so she can tell us apart. She’s asking to see if I’m really “me” or “Yuhei Ishihara.” If I use the name only the real me would know, she can be sure she’s dealing with me and not the imposter.

“…Aya Otonashi.” With an edge to my voice, I reply with the name she once used in the Rejecting Classroom that the false “me” could not possibly know.

Still, is she asking me because she can’t yet distinguish between me and “Yuhei Ishihara”? Does she really need to go this far to tell us apart?

It’s really…disheartening somehow.

“So you call me Aya?” Otonashi asks softly, in a tone that implies she’s less than pleased herself.

“…Was that the wrong answer?”

“No, it’s correct. I just didn’t expect you to reach a clear response that quickly, that’s all.”

“……Anyway, does this mean you’re sure it’s really me now?”

“For the time being. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, but I’ve been keeping tabs on essentially everything. I’ve already listened to the voice memo he left.”

“Yeah.”

“I even talked to him.”

“…What was he like? Were you able to get anything out of him?”

“Well, I can’t really say.” I detect a hint of coldness in her reply.

“He must’ve been violent, right? That’s why you had to tie him up?”

“That possibility was part of the reason I had these ready, yes, but I think it’s more appropriate to say I got the cuffs for you.”

“…What?”

“What ran through your mind when you woke up and found yourself restrained? What did you actually do?”

“I freaked out… And I fell on my face for no good reason.”

“I wanted to provoke that kind of reaction in you.”

“…You wanted to mess with me?”

“No. I thought if I could see you panic, I might learn to recognize the moment you switch from ‘Yuhei Ishihara’ to ‘Kazuki Hoshino.’ Unfortunately, I missed it while I was in the shower. It would have been fascinating, and I’m truly sorry I wasn’t able to see it.”

If that’s not messing with me, I don’t know what is.

“Anyway, that’s enough for now. It’s time to get moving, Kazuki.”

“…Huh?”

Otonashi looks exasperated for some reason. “You need to get home. Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Uh…” I glance around and spot a clock on the wall. It’s seven fifteen in the morning.

“Do you plan on being late? It’s time to head to school.”

“Ugh…”

Our school has every second and fourth Saturday off, but otherwise, we have classes up until fourth period.

“What’s that ‘ugh’ about? Does going to school empty-handed sound like a good idea to you?”

She’s right. I have to stop by my house first. “…Um, is it okay if I go home by myself?”

“Are you serious? You don’t even know your way from here. Do you honestly expect to make it on your own? Besides, if you’re on foot, you’ll never make it in time for class. I’ll give you a ride on my bike.”

“…O-okay.”

What do I do…?

It’s not like I intended to, but I stayed out all night without even telling anyone, let alone asking for permission. And now I’m coming home in the morning. I check my phone and see that, as expected, I’ve missed several calls from my mom. That in itself is bad enough, but if I show up with a girl my age…

“Um, hey, Otonashi. I need you to stay out of sight when we get to my place…”

“Why?”

Otonashi looks puzzled. I guess she didn’t catch my meaning.

At this rate, my only option is to sneak home and get ready without Mom noticing.

May 2 (Saturday), 7:34 AM

My attempt to get home without being noticed could not have failed any harder.

“I screwed up,” Otonashi whispers to me after we park her bike in front of my house and start walking toward the station.

“……You really did.”

I agree with a sigh.

My mom spotted us just as we were about to go up the stairs.

Naturally, she started chewing me out straightaway.

It was unavoidable, really. I understand it’s her job as a mother to be angry when her son stays out all night without permission. She had to do it, but…

I also knew Otonashi would get impatient the longer she had to wait out front.

When Otonashi finally appeared, as expected, my mom fixed her with a baleful glare as the one responsible for my late arrival at home.

Otonashi answered the evil eye with a surprisingly weak smile before explaining, “Kazuki wasn’t out partying all night, just so you know. He was with me in my apartment the entire time. We didn’t call anyone else over. It was just the two of us. Nothing to worry about.”

…That’s, um, even worse.

My mom still hadn’t quite learned to let go of us kids, and Otonashi’s words left her so obviously petrified that I had to feel sorry for her.

Oblivious to the reason for my mother’s reaction, Otonashi frowned and went on. “…What’s the matter? I told you Kazuki slept at my place and didn’t stay out anywhere else. What’s wrong with that? Sure, I got a little rough with him, but still.”

Mom’s eyes slowly moved down to my wrists, which were red from the handcuffs.

She crumpled to the ground.

It was only after Otonashi rushed over to catch her that she finally understood.

“Oh. We’re the same age and different genders, aren’t we?”

“How am I ever supposed to face my mom now…?”

I let out a long sigh at the memory.

“What’re you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? You just said you screwed up.”

“I did, but I was talking about my motorcycle.”

“Your motorcycle?” It dawns on me that our concerns are not on the same page.

“I let you ride my bike, right? Twice, if I include ‘Yuhei Ishihara.’ That’s what I was calling a screwup.”

“…Huh? Why?”

“Imagine if ‘Yuhei Ishihara’ takes over your body while you’re on my bike. He might get scared and let go of me, just like how you got spooked and fell over because you were cuffed.”

“Oh.” That’s why Otonashi left her bike at my place.

“That was sloppy for me… I need to be more careful from here on out.”

“Yeah… By the way, Otonashi, don’t you think it’s about time you fill me in on what happened with ‘Yuhei Ishihara’?”

I know something is up the instant the question left my mouth.

“……”

Otonashi stops in her tracks and looks over at me.

Expressionlessly.

“Uh…?” Why is she looking at me like that?

She answers, her face still devoid of emotion, “I can’t tell you.”

“Wh-why—?”

“Why? I thought I already explained.” She dismisses me indifferently. “I can’t trust anything you say or do anymore.”

She did say that. I remember hearing it. There’s no way I could forget. But still…

“Doesn’t that statement not apply anymore…?”

I mean, back then we had only the vaguest clue of what was going on, but it’s different now. Otonashi knows the reason for my mysterious behavior.

“I wouldn’t assume that if I were you. Guess you still don’t get it, do you? I have no way of telling how much of what ‘Yuhei Ishihara’ said to me is true. He could actually have all your memories and be using both personalities to fool me.”

“N-no way.”

“True, I may be overthinking, but I still don’t have any proof to the contrary.”

“But that’s…”

“Suppose the nature of the Box as ‘Yuhei Ishihara’ described it is fact. Even then…” Otonashi suddenly claps her hands together with a loud pop.

I flinch at the unexpected noise.

“Say he took control of you just then. I wouldn’t have any way of confirming that. That means I’d be talking to him under the assumption that he’s ‘Kazuki Hoshino’ the whole time. I can’t tell when you switch places. It’s possible I might accidentally leak an important detail to ‘Yuhei Ishihara.’ That’s why things are so dangerous. It’s essentially the same issue as the one with my bike earlier.”

I can’t deny the truth of what she’s saying…but I know I’m “Kazuki Hoshino.”

“Here’s another example of what I mean: You think you’re ‘Kazuki Hoshino,’ right?”

“Of course I do.”

“But what if you’re someone else who simply believes they’re him?”

“That’s…”

I’m about to say that’s not possible, but I stop midway.

In that case, what could possibly prove I am actually “Kazuki Hoshino”? My appearance? My personality? My memories? In the same way, what makes “Yuhei Ishihara” actually “Yuhei Ishihara” despite inhabiting my body?

No, I’m getting this wrong.

I am “Kazuki Hoshino.” There’s no mistaking that. I will never let myself doubt that.

“I was just speaking of one possibility. Don’t brood over it too much. But you do understand why I can’t trust you, right? I have yet to solve the puzzle of this Box—this ‘Week in the Mud,’ so to speak. Until I do, I cannot allow myself to trust any personality that inhabits Kazuki Hoshino’s body.”

So when will she get to the bottom of the “Week in the Mud” and begin trusting me again? I guess that time will never come as long as “Yuhei Ishihara” is in my body.

She doesn’t trust me. Otonashi is supposed to be on my side, but she still doesn’t trust me.

I spot the closest train station.

My feet come to a halt.

“Why are you stopping? The train is going to be here soon.”

“…Why do we even need to go to school?”

I forgot, since Otonashi is with me. If everything was normal, then of course I would go. Even if things weren’t, I would probably still go as a way of fighting back. Under the current circumstances, though, the more I go to school, the more I irreparably damage any place for me there, if I even have one left.

“We’re going there to gather information about ‘Yuhei Ishihara.’ He has to be someone close to us, and the only people who would have contact with both of us would most likely be other students at our school. It’s obvious how important it is to go and find what we can.”

“But you could probably do that without me there…”

“The conditions for finding information will change greatly depending on whether you’re there or not. Today is also our last day of school before the break, so we can’t let it go to waste,” she says.

She’s basically telling me she doesn’t care whether my life goes to hell if it means getting a Box.

I had it wrong all along. I thought Otonashi really was on my side, but that’s not the case at all. She isn’t with me to help me; she’s here on a mission to encounter O again and obtain a Box.

So what does that make me in her mind? Probably…

…just bait for catching O.

“…Kazuki, I understand why you’re depressed about going to school, but you must know it’s for the best, right? It isn’t like you to merely stand there when you know what needs to be done.”

Otonashi is trying to admonish me, but I’m sure it’s to serve her own purposes.

After all, she doesn’t trust me.

Still, since I can’t even see “Yuhei Ishihara,” let alone confront him myself, I need to work with someone, and she’s the only person who comes to mind.

Confiding in someone in this situation is essentially putting my life in their hands. All I can do is have faith that the things she’s telling me are true. If Otonashi wanted to lead me into a trap, it would be pitifully easy for her to do so.

“…So what do we need to do at school?”

But despite all that, she’s the only partner I’ve got.

“Good question. For example…”

She lays out several ideas, all of which I agree with. I’m not surprised she can rattle off good plans, but it also makes me scared to think of what she’d be capable of if she betrayed me.

“Do you have ideas?”

I think it over, but I can come up with only one thing. “How about if I start calling you by a different name?”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ll call you Aya instead of Otonashi. ‘Yuhei Ishihara’ doesn’t know that name, so he’ll never use it. That way, when I call you Aya, you’ll know for sure it’s really me. What do you think?”

Otonashi falls silent for a moment.

“Don’t think it’ll work?”

“…No, I think it’s a good plan. Let’s try it out,” she agrees, but for some reason she doesn’t seem happy about it.

So it’s back to “Aya Otonashi.”

It occurs to me that Aya Otonashi is the name of a fictitious person who never existed in my everyday life. It’s also the name of someone I once considered an enemy.

May 2 (Saturday), 8:11 AM

I can feel the air in the classroom drop a few degrees the moment Otonashi and I enter the room together.

No one says hello to me, as expected.

Not Daiya, of course, and not even Haruaki. Kokone’s seat is still empty. She might not be coming to class today. Because of what I did? …I’m sure it has to be.

I bite my lip as I go and sit at my desk.

I’m sure Otonashi didn’t know the extent of my situation. She regards me sadly for a moment but quickly recovers her composure. After a quick look around the classroom, she loudly claps her hands twice.

“Can I have your attention for a moment, everyone?”

All eyes in the classroom are instantly on us, though we were already the center of everyone’s focus to begin with.

“Do any of you know a person named Yuhei Ishihara?”

Several of the students exchange dubious glances at the question.

Otonashi said it’s highly probable that the owner is one of our classmates. I can understand her logic, since it’s extremely unlikely that someone who doesn’t know us would go so far as to use a Box to try to steal my body.

But isn’t the owner this “Yuhei Ishihara” person who’s inside my body? Is she suggesting that the owner is someone else?

I don’t get it, but I do know asking our classmates if they know the name Yuhei Ishihara is a good idea.

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” someone asks with an expression of undisguised contempt—it’s Miyazaki.

“You again? What do you want? Do you know Yuhei Ishihara?”

Miyazaki snorts derisively and disregards her question completely. “How can you two go around together like normal after what happened?”

What’s he getting at?

I glance at some of our other classmates. Their anger is plain on their faces, probably motivated by righteous indignation toward me.

Meaning, my classmates can’t stand me being with Otonashi?

“So how about it, Hoshino?”

I can’t understand what upsets them about us being together in the first place, so I have no real answer for his question. Even worse, the last thing I would want to do is ask what exactly “Yuhei Ishihara” did. All I can do is keep my mouth shut.

Miyazaki responds to my silence with an exaggerated sigh. “Whatever. I won’t ask about it anymore. Now, let me share something more personal with you.” In disgust, he spits, “He’s my mother’s common-law husband… Oh, guess I should clarify. Yuhei Ishihara is my mother’s common-law husband.”

That’s an abrupt revelation.

“…Miyazaki. Can you tell us a bit more about him?”

“Come on, now… Isn’t it obvious this relationship isn’t an easy topic?”

“We have our reasons for asking. Isn’t my mentioning his name enough cause for conversation about it?”

Miyazaki scowls but resignedly agrees with a blunt “…Fine, I understand.”

Perhaps because of the nature of the story, Miyazaki asks that we go out into the hallway. “It’s not like I’m trying to keep any of this a secret, see?” And thus, Miyazaki starts his explanation.

His parents divorced during his first year of middle school, the reason being that they fell out of love with each other. Both of them found lovers they eventually moved in with, and for Miyazaki’s mother, that was Yuhei Ishihara.

Neither Miyazaki’s real father nor his mother wanted their son in their new homes, perhaps because he was a reminder of the lives they were leaving. While they never openly expressed these feelings, they were still never able to conceal them completely, so Miyazaki was well aware of how they felt.

I don’t know why things ended up that way between Miyazaki’s parents, but I do know it had nothing to do with him as their son. It was an undeniable betrayal, and not something that could ever be entirely forgiven.

After a bit of a dispute, Miyazaki’s father eventually took custody of him. But as it turned out, Miyazaki found that he couldn’t accept the idea of building a home with his father and new mother, either. He rejected the idea of sharing a roof with them, instead opting to live on his own in an apartment and only receive money for living expenses. This was during his second year of middle school.

It was the type of unhappy family life you see all the time in soap operas but almost never in real life, and Miyazaki apparently believed himself to be the unluckiest middle schooler in the world.

Unsurprisingly, he hated all of them. His parents for creating this whole mess, his new mother, and Yuhei Ishihara.

“They can all curl up and die for all I care.” Despite the venomous remark, Miyazaki’s voice is surprisingly free of emotion.

“I understand how you feel, but I don’t think you should say things like that.”

“Thank you so much for the nice sentiment,” he replies caustically. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Yeah. I appreciate you telling us about this. I know it couldn’t have been easy to talk about,” Maria answers.

“Huh, that’s not like you at all,” he says.

“Seems like you’ve been dealt a harder hand in life than I thought.”

“Thanks for the sympathy.”

The bell rings.

“Anyway, I’m going back to class. By the way, Hoshino…” Miyazaki didn’t look at me even once during his account of Yuhei Ishihara, but as we make our way back to the classroom, he turns his attention to me. “I may have answered Otonashi’s questions, but don’t get the wrong idea. I still think you’re despicable,” he snaps, returning to his seat.

The rest of the class is all smiles, all but shouting out Well done! to Miyazaki for telling me off.

I’m sure he purposely timed his remark so that everyone would hear it right as we entered the classroom.

……What a jerk.

I slump over my desk, hiding my face in my hands.

“Kazuki, I’m going back to my class. Don’t forget what we talked about on the way to school, okay? Give it a try.”

I raise my head in resignation, take out my phone, and send Otonashi a blank message.

Otonashi checks her mail and nods approvingly. I go into my out-box and erase the evidence.

“Don’t forget to do it during class, too.”

I’m supposed to send these every ten minutes. Otonashi’s orders. Supposedly, this will help us learn when I switch from “me” to “Yuhei Ishihara.”

Since the only one who’s aware of this plan is “me,” “Yuhei Ishihara” has no way of knowing that he needs to send anything.

That said, we still don’t know all the details of the Week in the Mud, so we can’t say for certain that this method is foolproof.

“Is there anything else?”

“Nope, nothing else, Aya.”

A flicker of dejection passes across Otonashi’s face, and she eventually turns and leaves the classroom without another word.

I let out a long, slow breath.

…So Yuhei Ishihara is the common-law husband of Miyazaki’s mother? He’s the one who’s inside my body? It doesn’t make sense that the person trying to steal my identity is some adult I’ve never even met before.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, where I’d put it without thinking. I take it out right away. I’ve got a new message, so I open my in-box.

The sender is Maria Otonashi.

Maybe she forgot to tell me something? Or maybe it’s easier to communicate it over text rather than out loud.

Opening the message, I see only a single sentence, a message so simple that she was most likely accounting for the risk that I’ve switched places with “Yuhei Ishihara.”

“Don’t trust any of it.”

Ah, I think I get what she means.

Why has Miyazaki been messing with us since yesterday? The reason behind that. Now that I consider it, a possibility leaps to the forefront of my mind.

Maybe…Miyazaki is actually working with “Yuhei Ishihara.”

That’s why he’s been approaching us so much recently—so he can report back about us. There’s no way I can take his words at face value when he’s in a position to do that.

I have to say I find it difficult to believe that the Yuhei Ishihara he knows is the same “Yuhei Ishihara” who’s trying to steal my life. At the same time, I also doubt that everything he told us was a lie. His emotions while he was talking about his family didn’t seem false at all.

I look back down at my phone and read over Otonashi’s brief message again.

“Don’t trust any of it.”

…Oh, she might mean something different. Maybe she’s not referring to what Miyazaki told us.

After all, I can’t afford to trust…anything.

The only way I have of knowing what “Yuhei Ishihara” does while in control of my body is through other people.

But none of these other people are my allies. Not Miyazaki, not Haruaki, not Kokone, not Daiya, and not even Aya Otonashi. None of them are truly with me in this.

I erase the mail. Otonashi had instructed me to delete her messages as soon I read them.

My hands clench into fists.

“…Why?”

Even “Yuhei Ishihara” has allies. Why can’t “Kazuki Hoshino”?