The Weight of the Past

It was the end of the week, and Mahiru and Kousei were just about to head home from school when Hayato suddenly approached them.

“Kousei, we need to talk,” he said without a hint of hesitation.

“Huh? what is it?”

“Just come with me.”

Before Kousei could even glance at Mahiru, Hayato grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward a secluded corner of the schoolyard.

“Hey, can you stop squeezing my arm so hard? Just tell me what’s going on.”

Kousei didn’t understand what had gotten into his friend. Hayato was usually the goofy and laid-back type, so his sudden shift of emotions had thrown Kousei off.

“Kousei,” Hayato began, staring him right in the eyes, “what are you doing with the Watanabe daughter?”

“W-what?!”

That was the last thing Kousei had expected. He thought Hayato might need help with some impossible homework assignment. Or perhaps he’d finally mustered up enough courage to ask Yuuna out and wanted Kousei’s blessing. Or in the worst of all cases, Kousei had feared Hayato had a thing for Mahiru.

Any of those would’ve been easier to deal with than this.

How on earth did he know who Mahiru really was?

“Come on, Hayato, what are you even talking about? Why would the Watanabe daughter be here in the first place?” Kousei tried laughing the situation off, sweat trickling down the back of his neck

Either Kousei was a terrible liar, or Hayato had already made up his mind – because his expression didn’t so much as flicker.

“Don’t mess with me, Kousei.” Hayato’s voice became louder, his grip on Kousei’s arm tighter. “This is no laughing matter. I’ll ask you one more time. What are you doing with her?”

Kousei’s eyes darted around to make sure nobody was within earshot. Then, he turned to Hayato again, his expression hardening to match the seriousness in his friend’s eyes.

“Alright, yes, that is Mahiru Watanabe, the youngest daughter of the chief of state in the East. What are you going to do, report us to the police? Is this what our friendship’s come to? Or should I rather report you for holding classified information?”

“No,” Hayato replied calmly, rummaging through his backpack. “I’m going to do what I was told to do.”

When he finally found what he’d been looking for, Hayato handed Kousei two pieces of paper. One of them had an address that Kousei didn’t recognise scrawled on it.

“What is this?” he asked, squinting at the unfamiliar location.

But Hayato only shrugged his shoulders, unable to give him a meaningful response.

“I know as much as you do. My guess is that Mahiru is supposed to go there. As for that other thing… No idea, honestly.”

Analysing the other paper he’d been given, Kousei couldn’t make any sense out of it. There were some long numbers printed on it which looked like some sort of IDs, as well as a few indiscernible handwritten signatures. If someone were to tell him this was a doctor’s prescription, Kousei would likely believe it.

Kousei glanced back and forth between the papers, but no matter how many times he looked at them or Hayato, they refused to give him any answers.

“I’m sorry I can’t say anything else. I wasn’t told much. Just that I had to pass these on to Mahiru. Whatever she needs to do, it seems to be important.”

“Hayato… Who gave you these? No, actually… How do you even know of Mahiru’s identity? Who are you, Hayato?!”

His mind was spiralling. The questions piled up faster than he could think, each one heavier than the last. None of it made any sense.

“I can’t tell you, sorry. But to be honest, I don’t know much else either way. I have no idea what those papers mean, or where the person who gave them to me even got them. Heck, I’m not even sure what my role is in all this. Just…”

Hayato paused, looking visibly stressed. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead.

“Just be careful, Kousei. If I wasn’t told what’s going on, then this is probably way more serious, and way more dangerous than we can imagine. Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

Kousei felt the weight of it all pressing down on him. Thanks to Hayato’s dramatic words, he almost felt like he was in one of those over-the-top action movies, where the protagonist somehow ends up tasked with saving the world, the odds stacked impossibly high.

“I suppose…” he muttered, still trying to process the storm he’d just been pulled into.

“Take care, Kousei,” Hayato said, giving his friend a few sharp prods on the back before walking away. “If you don’t make it out alive, I’ll make sure to look after Yuuna.”

“Hold on, when did this become about my sister?!”

Shaking his head in exasperation, Kousei tucked the papers safely into his backpack and made his way back to Mahiru, who was still standing where he’d left her, visibly puzzled.

“Everything okay? Hayato just dragged you away out of nowhere,” she asked.

“I’m alright, I think…” Kousei said, but his thoughts still tangled in the weight of what had just happened. “Let’s take a quick detour before going home. I need to show you something.”

“Huh? Are you sure everything’s okay? You’re making me worry.”

Kousei wished he had something reassuring to say. But how could he possibly calm her fears if he didn’t even understand what was happening himself?

They walked in silence for a while, the tension cutting the air between them. Every now and then, Mahiru gave him a troubled look and asked, “Did something happen?” or “Can I help you?”

Those were honest, vulnerable questions that left him no choice but to give equally honest answers, plain and uncertain.

“I don’t know,” he replied every time.

Kousei didn’t even have the courage to reach for her hand like he usually did. If something threatening was really about to happen, how could he possibly act the same as always?

When they finally found a bench without any people nearby, they sat down, both of them holding their breath for a moment.

“So… What do you want to show me?” Mahiru asked, wearing a thoughtful expression.

Kousei reached into his backpack and handed her the papers Hayato had given him.

As he began to explain, the words came slowly. It should’ve been quick – Hayato hadn’t told him much. But Kousei’s thoughts were still spiralling, and more than once, he had to pause, trying to find the right way to say things without making it sound worse than it already was.

Mahiru listened attentively, never interrupting. Her face, however, clouded over with each word Kousei said.

When she inspected the papers, time around them seemed to freeze. Kousei sat beside her, waiting, hoping for her to say something. Anything. But the silence stretched, each second dragging like an eternity.

Mahiru, on the other hand, had already understood more than he could. The moment her eyes scanned the documents, her entire world started to spin.

“This is,” she said, pointing to the sheet with the IDs, “a permit to enter the East from outside. It’s nearly impossible to get. These are only issued in their original form, personally signed by every high-ranking official, including my father.”

Failing to understand where Hayato would get something like that from, Kousei could only remain silent. He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just waited for Mahiru to finish her explanation.

But Mahiru’s voice froze at the back of her throat as she showed Kousei the other paper. Her hands trembled, and she felt she could pass out any second.

“And this…” Her voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “This is the address of an abandoned internment camp in the East. One of the places we used during the war… Where we killed thousands of innocent people.”