Connection

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is a white ceiling.

I stare at it for a few seconds.

Then I blink.

Looks like I’m not in the school anymore.

I slowly sit up.

My body feels heavy, but surprisingly, nothing actually hurts.

I look around.

A hospital room.

There’s a small table beside my bed, a chair in the corner, and a curtain separating me from the other beds.

I look down at myself.

No injuries.

No blood.

Nothing.

I let out a quiet breath.

“...I’m alive.”

< Obviously. >

I almost jump.

“Princess?”

< Who else would it be? >

I look around the room.

“Right.”

I lean back against the bed.

For a moment, I don’t say anything.

The last thing I remember is the teacher and students disappearing.

I wonder what happened after that.

Did the Manifestation disappear completely?

Did Nagi get out?

All I remember is how exhausted I felt after the confrontation with the teacher.

And after watching them disappear, I think I passed out.

And then…

I had a strange dream.

It didn’t feel like a dream, though.

I saw a kingdom.

A beautiful one.

I saw a little girl sitting beside her father, looking down at the land below.

No… that’s not right.

That wasn’t just any little girl.

I saw her.

The Princess.

I close my eyes for a moment.

I can still remember it.

How lonely it was. How quiet it was.

Everything is a little blurry, but I think I understand what I dreamed about.

“Princess.”

< What? >

“You showed me something.”

< Did I? >

“Your memories.”

She doesn’t answer.

I open my eyes.

“You were a great ruler.”

< How much did you see? >

“Just bits and pieces.”

< That is troubling. >

“Why did you show me?”

There is another long silence.

For once, the Princess doesn’t answer immediately.

< I did not mean to. >

I raise an eyebrow.

“You didn’t?”

< Perhaps I did. Perhaps I didn’t. >

“That doesn’t make sense.”

< Just ignore it. >

< It is not important. >

“If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have shown me all that.”

< Perhaps you’re right. >

< But I truly mean it when I say that you shouldn’t think too critically about it. >

< It simply felt like the right timing. >

“I see.”

I’m not too sure what I am supposed to say here.

But there is something that I should say.

“Thanks.”

< Hmm? >

“Thank you for showing me. If you don’t want to talk about it I won’t continue. But I want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done for me.”

< Where is this coming from? >

“I guess I just wanted to thank you. And that I feel a lot closer to you than before. Even if that wasn’t your intent.”

< What a strange thing to say. >

< However… >

The air in front of me suddenly changes.

I stare at the empty space in front of my bed.

Something is there.

I can’t see it at first.

But I can feel it.

A strange pressure fills the room.

The air begins to tremble.

Then…

A faint white light appears.

It’s small at first. But it quickly grows.

Brighter.

Larger.

The entire room is illuminated by it.

I instinctively raise my hand to shield my eyes.

“What the…”

The light continues to expand.

For a moment, I can’t see anything.

Then I hear something.

The faint sound of footsteps.

The light slowly begins to fade.

And standing before me…

Is a woman.

A crown rests upon her head.

Her clothes are unlike anything I’ve seen before.

It’s the Princess.

But it’s different this time.

The translucent figure I’ve seen before is no longer.

For a moment, I can only stare.

She looks exactly like the girl I saw in my dreams.

Except she isn’t a memory anymore.

She’s here.

In front of me.

< The emotions are mutual. >

Her voice is the same one I’ve heard all this time.

But there is something different about it.

It feels warmer than usual.

And her expression…

She’s smiling.

< I give my thanks to you. >

She looks directly at me.

< Yusuke. >

I can’t help but stare in awe.

For a few seconds, I can’t find the words.

Then something finally clicks.

“Wait.”

She tilts her head slightly.

“Since when could you do this?”

< Do what? >

“Materialize.”

I gesture toward her.

“You’re not translucent anymore. I can see you clearly.”

She looks down at herself.

< Ah. That. >

She says it as if this is a normal occurrence.

< Your control over my power has improved considerably. >

“My control?”

< You have grown accustomed to it. >

She takes a step forward.

Her footsteps make a quiet sound against the floor.

< When you first received my power, almost all of the burden fell upon me. >

I remember.

Back then, even seeing her physical form was difficult.

< But you have become much more familiar with it since then. >

I look at my hands.

“So I can use more of it now?”

< Not exactly. >

The Princess pauses.

< You are simply no longer fighting against it. >

I look back at her.

< The power has become more natural to you. Because of that, I no longer need to spend as much energy maintaining my form. >

I nod slowly.

“So, how long can you maintain this form?”

< I would say about half a day. >

< I am still using my own energy to maintain it. But the burden is considerably lighter than before. >

“That’s pretty impressive.”

< Indeed. >

I stare at her for another moment.

There is still something strange about seeing her in front of me like this.

She’s actually real.

I can see every detail.

The crown resting on her head.

The clothes covering her body.

Even the faint movement of her hair as she turns.

I’m so used to her being a voice inside my head that this situation still isn’t quite registering very well.

< Still…>

< If I were to walk around with you, all day, it would be a waste of my energy. >

< So…>

Poof

< I shall continue to remain a voice. >

“I see…”

< Don’t look so sad. >

< I can materialize whenever you want now. >

“Huh? Who said I was sad?”

< Your face. >

“I’m not sad.”

< You are. >

“I’m not.”

< Very well. >

I can practically hear the smile in her voice.

< I shall take your word for it. >

“Good.”

It feels like our roles got switched for a bit.

I lean back against my bed.

For some reason, I feel a little embarrassed.

Even if she isn’t here anymore, I still feel like she’s watching.

< Lonely? >

“No.”

Before the Princess can respond, there is a knock on the door.

Knock Knock.

I straighten myself.

“Come in.”

The door slowly opens.

A familiar face appears.

“Yusuke?”

“Nagi, it’s good to see you.”

They look exhausted.

There are a few bandages on their arms, but otherwise, they seem fine.

They close the door behind themselves.

“I heard you were awake.”

“Yeah.”

They walk over to the chair beside my bed and sit down.

Then they let out a quiet sigh.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Same to you.”

“You had really worried me back there, you just suddenly passed out.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“You were totally unconscious, I really thought you had died.”

I lean back.

“So what happened?”

Nagi pauses.

“You really don’t remember?”

“Not much after the teacher disappeared.”

They nod.

“Then I’ll explain.”

I wait.

“The Manifestation disappeared shortly after.”

“So it’s gone now.”

“Yeah.”

“The school returned to normal. People won’t die in there anymore”

My shoulders relax slightly.

“The authorities arrived soon after. They checked the school, found anyone who had been trapped, and started investigating what happened.”

I nod.

“I was questioned for a while, though.”

“Questioned.”

Nagi gives me a look.

“You were unconscious, so they couldn’t exactly ask you anything.”

“Uh, sorry about that.”

“They wanted to know what happened inside the Manifestation. How we ended it. The usual stuff.”

They lean back in the chair.

“What did you tell them?”

“Not much, honestly. I was way too tired to be answering that many questions.”

“Fair.”

“All I said was that everything had been resolved.”

“Right.”

Nagi’s brother. He was one of the students too.

I don’t say anything.

“Why the long face?”

“Well… your brother. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

They smile.

“I finally found out what happened to him. And it’s nice to know that he’s in a better place now.”

They say that, but there’s a hint of sadness in their expression.

“I mean it, man. I really owe you one. Thank you for helping me find him.”

They bow deeply.

“Don’t mention it. I mean, I don’t think I would have made it out alive without you.”

“Guess that makes us even. But still, if you ever need anything, just ask me. I will definitely repay the favor.”

I might need to take them up on that offer soon.

“So…”

I hesitate.

“What happens now?”

Nagi shrugs.

“I don’t really know.”

“The authorities?”

“They’re still investigating.”

They pause for a moment.

“The students were already dead before the Manifestation was resolved. Now that it’s gone, they’re trying to figure out exactly what happened to them.”

I nod.

That makes sense.

Even if we know what happened, explaining it to people isn’t going to be easy.

“There is something I should mention, though.”

“What is it?”

“The authorities want to talk to you.”

I sigh.

“Of course they do.”

“They’re especially interested in your power.”

“Why?”

“I mean, it’s only natural that they want to learn more about the person who ended a Manifestation that lasted for months.”

They make a good point.

“They already know all about my power anyways, so they didn’t have that many questions for me. But you on the other hand…”

“Yeah…”

“Somebody told me your power isn’t even listed on your card, but you’re still technically registered. How’d you manage to do that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Honestly, I’m interested in your power as well.”

“I don’t think I can tell you yet.”

“Haha, why so serious? Don’t worry about it. I’m not one to pry. Plus, why would I pressure the dude that saved my life.”

“I guess.”

I look toward the door.

“So, do I get more of a break? Or are the authorities coming soon?”

“Probably soon.”

Nagi looks at the clock on the wall.

“They said they wanted to get to you as soon as you woke up.”

I sigh.

“I was hoping I could avoid them.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I stare at them.

“That wasn’t very reassuring.”

They laugh.

“Sorry.”

They make their way towards the door. But there’s something I need to ask of them.

“Hey, Nagi. Mind if I ask you a favor?”

“Huh? Oh, sure. Shoot away.”

“There’s somebody I need to find. And I think your power would really help with finding them. Do you think that you could maybe help me out again?”

“Loosen up, man. You’re way too stiff. If it’s something as simple as that, of course I can help. Just call me or something.”

“Thank you. That would be amazing. I’ll keep in touch.”

“Here, my number.”

I put Nagi’s contact information into my phone.

“Alright. I should probably let you get a bit more rest before the authorities come.”

Nagi opens the door.

Before they leave, they turn around.

“I hope you survive the questioning. Try not to die, alright?”

“I’ll try.”

“Good.”

They leave the room.

The door closes behind them.

I lean back against the bed.

< They seem like a good person. >

“Yeah.”

I look down at my phone.

Nagi’s contact is still open on the screen.

It’s strange.

I barely know them.

But I feel like I can really rely on them.

I guess risking your life together with someone can make you that much closer.

Knock knock

I guess they’re here.

I don’t really know what I’m going to tell them.

I would really rather not bother with them. I don’t have the time to be answering their questions.

Now that I’m more familiar with my power, there’s only one thing on my mind.

I need to find Mina.