Memories

< It seems acting is not a strong suit of yours. >

“Hey, it worked.”

My run in with the authorities was actually a lot quicker than I expected.

I just pretended to be in shock the entire time.

I acted like I was traumatized from the situation and that I still needed some more time to heal before I could get to answering any questions.

So for now, I’ve pushed them aside.

It’s been a few days since then, and I’m out of the hospital now.

My body is in great condition.

And I know what I have to do now.

I’ve put it off long enough.

Before, I was too weak to even think about finding Mina. But now, with the Princess fully by my side, I have nothing to fear.

Even before all the stuff with New Horizons High, I was constantly looking for Manifestation reports that could maybe have something to do with her.

I never had any luck with it, but still. I kept looking.

But now, I don’t have to look anymore.

There’s somebody who can help me.

I pull out my phone.

I scroll through my contacts until I find Nagi’s name.

I stare at it for a moment.

It’s strange.

I’ve only known them for a short while, yet I’m already about to ask them for help finding my missing sister.

Still, they were more than willing.

So there’s no reason to hesitate.

I press call.

The phone rings.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

“Hello?”

“Nagi?”

“Yusuke!”

They sound excited.

“Hey.”

“Are you alright? I heard you’re out of the hospital now.”

“Yeah. I’m fine now.”

“How were the authorities?”

“It was actually not too bad.”

“Really?”

“I managed to get out of it.”

“How?”

I hesitate.

“Let’s just say I wasn’t feeling particularly cooperative. Maybe a head injury or two.”

Nagi chuckles.

Hearing their laugh is always reassuring.

“Fair enough.”

I smile slightly.

Then I get to the point.

“You remember when I asked you to help me find someone?”

“The person you mentioned at the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

My grip tightens around my phone.

“It’s my sister, Mina.”

“I see.”

“She went missing about a few months ago. And it might be a stupid idea to try to look for her still, but I have to find her.”

There’s a short silence.

Then Nagi answers.

“Alright. Do you wanna start looking for her now?”

“That easy?”

“Hey, you asked me to help. And plus, your situation is quite literally the same as mine. Can’t exactly judge you, can I?”

“When you put it like that…”

Nagi sighs.

“And look, you saved my life in that Manifestation. If there’s something I can do to return the favor, of course I’ll do it.”

“I really appreciate it.”

“So what do you need me to do?”

I think about it.

“I want you to look for anything connected to her disappearance.”

“Anthing?”

“Anything.”

I pull up the records on my phone.

I”ve already searched through most of the publicly available Manifestation reports from around that time. But I couldn’t find anything useful.”

“Then what makes you think I’ll have better luck?”

“Your power.”

“Ah.”

Nagi pauses.

“Right.”

They seem to understand what I mean.

“Do you have anything belonging to her?”

“Yeah. Plenty.”

“Good. That should make things easier.”

“Also, tell me if this is useful.”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“She disappeared in my own home.”

“I see…”

“She was there the night before, gone the next day. I still remember every detail about that day.”

“That will definitely help. I think we should start the search at your house. With the way you’re describing it, I might not even need anything else.”

I can’t help but feel relieved.

Anytime I tried finding things relating to Mina, it always ended up in failure. I had grown so accustomed to it that I’ve kind of grown numb to it. That she may really be gone forever.

But for the first time, I feel hope.

I trust Nagi. I’ve seen first hand how useful and reliable their power is.

“Alright.”

I stand up.

“Let’s go.”

“Already?”

“I can’t afford to wait any longer.”

Nagi laughs a little.

“Fair enough.”

I start walking.

My house isn’t too far from the hospital.

It’s finally time to find her.

I’ve been alone in the house for so long now, that I almost forget sometimes what it is like to have Mina in the house.

Eating dinner together. Watching television together. Waking her up for school.

Just remembering it is making me a little sad.

Well, I guess I wasn’t completely alone this whole time.

I had her.

“Princess.”

< You called? >

“Thank you again, for everything.”

< Don’t thank me yet. >

“You’re right.”

< You can thank me all you want later. >

< Let us find your sister first. >

She’s right.

I’m ready now.

When we arrive, I stop in front of the house.

Nothing has changed.

At least, not from the outside.

The same walls, the same windows, the same front door. Even the small plants Mina used to complain about having to water are still alive and sitting beside the entrance. Although, they have grown considerably larger since the last time I paid attention to them.

For months, I’ve tried not to think too much about that day.

I’ve gone over it countless times now.

I remember calling out for Mina and getting no response.

I remember checking her room, the bathroom, the living room, and every other place she could possibly have been hiding. I remember calling her phone over and over again, only to find her phone still in her room.

She was just gone.

Like she never existed.

Her room, completely clean.

I really want to find her.

Sometimes it’s hard to convince myself that she isn’t just gone by now. It’s been months. For her to still be alive, I would need a miracle.

But there’s no point in thinking useless thoughts like that.

I think about Nagi.

Despite everything, they still went to look for their brother.

I need to do the same for Mina.

I have to find out what happened to her.

“Can we head in?”

Right, Nagi is beside me.

I’m not alone.

Both Nagi and the Princess are by my side.

Whatever happens, happens. I just need to try.

I unlock the door.

The familiar sound echoes through the hallway.

I push it open.

The moment I step inside, I’m greeted by the same silence I’ve become so accustomed to.

The house hasn’t changed much.

I tried to not move too many things.

Things like the furniture, the television, and the dining table.

Everything that Mina would usually interact with, I made sure to leave them in their usual places.

I take a few steps forward.

For some reason, it feels like I’ve stepped back in time.

I can almost imagine Mina sitting on the couch, watching television while eating some cheap snack she probably wasn’t supposed to have before dinner.

I can almost hear her voice.

“Brother, you’re home!”

I stop and shake my head.

I can’t let myself get distracted.

“I’ll show you where she was.”

Nagi nods.

I walk toward the living room

“She was here the night before.”

I point toward the couch.

“She was watching television.”

“What was she doing before that?

“Nothing unusual.”

I think back.

“She came home from school. We ate dinner. We watched television for a while. Then I told her to go to bed.”

“And then she disappeared in the morning?”

“I woke up and went to check on her.”

I look toward the hallway.

“But she wasn’t there.”

“You didn’t hear anything?”

“No.”

“Did you check the front door?”

“Immediately.”

“And?”

“Her shoes were still there. Anything she would have taken with her was still there.”

Nagi nods slowly.

“Any signs that someone broke in?”

“None.”

They look around the room.

“And you didn’t hear or see anything strange?”

“No.”

I pause.

“Not at the time.”

Nagi looks at me.

“What does that mean?”

“I searched the whole house for her, and nothing was weird for the entirety of it. But then…”

I bite my tongue a little bit.

“Something really strange happened to me.”

I tell them about the mysterious texter. And how I ended up in some weird alternate world that looked exactly like my house. Just about everything that happened to me too.

“Wow, how are you alive?”

“I had some help.”

I glance toward the Princess, who is currently relaxing on the couch in her physical form.

< You are welcome. >

Nagi looks at me for a moment.

“Okay. So let me get this straight.”

They start counting on their fingers.

“Your sister disappears from this house, almost as if she never existed. You search everywhere and find nothing. Then, sometime later, you get mysterious messages from somebody you don’t know, end up in a strange world, and nearly get killed by multiple monsters.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds pretty unbelievable.”

“It is unbelievable.”

They let out a deep sigh.

And then they start to look around the living room again.

“But I think that part might actually be important.”

“What part?”

“The fact that it looked like your house.”

I nod.

“I thought so too.”

“Do you remember anything else about it?”

I think back to that day.

The strange messages.

The photograph.

The gate.

The sheer number of monsters trying to kill me.

But nothing seems like it would be useful to Nagi.

“Sorry.”

“That’s fine. It will probably be easier if I just start using my power.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see Mina’s room?”

“Of course.”

I lead them down the hallway.

Every step feels strangely familiar.

I’ve walked here countless times, but today it feels different. Maybe it's because I’m walking beside somebody else.

But for months, I’ve avoided going into Mina’s room. Everytime I went near it, bad memories would pop up.

And I thought that if I didn’t do anything to it, maybe the mysterious text would repeat the same scenario again. That if I left everything the same, the same thing could possibly happen again.

I stop in front of Mina’s bedroom.

“This is it.”

I open the door.

The room is exactly how I remember it.

As if it was brand new. Exactly like the day she disappeared.

Her bed is still made. Her school bag is sitting beside the desk, exactly where she usually left it. A few stuffed animals are lined up against the wall. Her nightlight still hanging above her bed.

Just looking at it is giving me a weird feeling.

Like she could come walking through the door at any moment and ask why I’m in her room.

But I know that won’t happen.

Nagi slowly steps inside.

They don’t say anything.

Instead, they look around the room, taking in every little detail.

I stay near the doorway.

I can’t bring myself to go any further.

“This is where she slept.”

I point to the left side of the bed.

“She would dedicate the other side of the bed to her plushies, so she always slept on the left side.”

“That’s cute.”

“Yeah.”

I smile a little.

Nagi smiles as well.

“Sounds like you guys were close.”

“Yeah.”

My smile fades.

“We were.”

Nagi looks at me.

With a stern look on their face.

“I don’t like the face you’re making right now.”

I’ve never heard their voice be so loud.

“Don’t act as if she’s gone already. You’ll only drive yourself insane.”

Their expression looks distant.

“I would know.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“You better keep your head up, alright?”

“Yeah. Thanks Nagi.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Nagi takes a deep breath.

“Alright.”

They turn toward the room.

“I’m going to use my power now.”

“Okay.”

I step back and give them some space.

Nagi closes their eyes.

The room remains completely still.

Their expression becomes more serious.

Their hand slowly rises.

And that familiar blue glow starts shining.

“...There.”

“What?”

They don’t answer.

Instead, they take a few steps toward the window.

I follow them.

“Nagi?”

They stop.

“I can feel it.”

My heart skips a beat.

“What can you feel?”

“The window. I feel somebody’s presence there.”

I don’t know if I’m ready to see what’s next.

“Here, ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then.”

The blue light around Nagi begins to spread through the room, slowly covering the walls, the floor, and everything around us.

The room starts to change.

Not physically.

Just like how it was in the classroom.

Someone is standing there.

Long hair.

A familiar nightgown.

My eyes widen.

I could recognize her anywhere.

It’s Mina.