Chapter 16: The Protagonist Sees a Memory

Even though we had arrived at the training grounds, silence lingered between us.

Maybe it was because Akegami-san had tensed up after running into someone from her past—it was hard not to notice.

“The person from earlier… they were the same as me.”

Kisa-san muttered quietly.

…Or rather, she was unusually close. Was that just her default behavior? She was so near that our shoulders were almost touching. Since it seemed intentional, I didn’t say anything.

For some reason, my mental image of her was starting to feel more and more dog-like.

“The same how?”

“The same as me—someone who’s lost someone important.”

I recalled what Kisa-san had told me before.

A brutal past in which her family had been killed… the helplessness of being unable to save them. My hand clenched without thinking.

I took a deep breath to steady myself.

…Still, could you really tell someone had gone through the same thing? I’d heard that among Curse Seekers, people like that weren’t uncommon.

Come to think of it, the fact that we were able to invite her to the team meant she wasn’t affiliated anywhere.

Normally, people are assigned somewhere whether they like it or not. If she wasn’t, there had to be a reason.

…Like trauma that made her unable to fight.

Even so, what exactly had happened? Akegami-san probably had something in her past too—something she was hiding. If Shiishiba-san knew, then maybe it dated back to middle school.

Kisa-san said she thought they were the same type… so maybe, like her, Akegami-san had her family killed by Deep Calamity… or something like that.

“What do you all think?”

I turned toward the voice and met Kototsuka-san’s gaze. Her serious eyes pierced straight through me.

“What do you mean… about Akegami-san?”

“Yes.”

What do we think, huh.

I think, deep down, everyone already sensed she was carrying something.

Also, yesterday—Akegami-san had been completely different from usual. At times she seemed childlike, and other times she acted rough and masculine, even using “ore” to refer to herself… Was her usual self just a façade?

“She’s probably hiding something from us.”

“Yeah, she didn’t tell us anything in the end.”

“…What did you think about yesterday?”

Yesterday. There was only one thing that could mean.

“—I want to be free already.”

That single line. The true feelings hidden beneath layers upon layers.

“…I thought she might want to die.”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

As if she couldn’t sit still any longer, Kisa-san stood up and slammed her fists together.

A gauntlet formed over her hand on its own.

“I used to be that type too, but Shinazaki-kun ended up changing me.”

She laughed it off.

Flames burst from the gauntlet, and she drove her clenched fist straight into the target.

I felt like I’d done something unfair to Kisa-san. Because she had burned me before, there was probably a part of her that stayed tied to me out of guilt.

“I remember Akegami Yuri saying something before—she said she’d be in trouble if I didn’t keep things together after she was gone. I wonder if that’s what she meant.”

Kototsuka-san stood up as well, cold air gathering in her palm. A chunk of ice formed and shot toward the target.

“Connector, you seemed concerned about Akegami Yuri from the very beginning. Did something happen?”

“…That’s…”

The reason I started paying attention to her was—

“—Maybe because I saw someone who looked like Akegami-san in a dream.”

“…A dream?”

“It sounds strange, but I had a dream where someone who looked like Akegami-san—covered in blood—was talking to me.”

“…I see.”

Kototsuka-san stopped using her skill and seemed to think for a moment before extending her hand toward me.

“…There’s something I want to try. Let’s do a Connect Link.”

“That’s kind of sudden.”

“Just do it.”

“Alright.”

What brought this on all of a sudden? She’d looked like she hated linking with me before.

Urged on, I took her hand.

“Connect Link.”

We clasped hands, and I let my power flow. A connection formed between us. At the same time, something from within me flowed into Kototsuka-san, strengthening her.

“No, deeper.”

“Deeper?”

If I remembered correctly, Connect Link had different depths. For basic support, you didn’t need to go that deep.

…But it looked like Kototsuka-san wanted to test something, so I went along with it.

I focused, imagining myself diving deeper. The connection felt like it was growing stronger… somehow.

“Yes, just like that.”

Her voice suddenly felt much closer.

The next moment—my vision went dark.

Countless distorted beasts filled the space, their shapes warped and unclear.

“《Magic Word》—‘Storm’”

In the silence, a voice rang out.

It was Kototsuka-san’s voice. The wind she generated from her hand swept up the beasts in front of her—Deep Calamities—and sent them flying.

What kind of state was this? It felt like I was seeing things from Kototsuka-san’s perspective… Was this a memory from the past?

“Sorry about that. You really saved us.”

Around them stood several men—probably those who had failed to escape in time.

“…It’s nothing.”

A throbbing pain pulsed through the body. Small cuts covered the arms and legs. The area was filled with rubble—maybe they had been injured while moving through it.

Cold air leaked from her palm. It was Kototsuka-san’s power, the same as always. But somehow… it didn’t seem fully under control.

Judging by the atmosphere, this might have been the first time she used her ability.

What caught my attention, though, was the men’s gaze. Every single one of them was fixed on her chest.

Even in a situation like this?

Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting.

Nothing but men who constantly let their desires spill out. It’d be better if they all just died.

A pitch-black emotion surged from deep within.

I could tear them apart right now. With my current power, it would be easy.

She swallowed that feeling.

And yet, even after that, their eyes clung to her body.

From that day on, people’s gazes became unbearably irritating. If they were going to look at her like that again… she decided she would rather build walls herself, keep distance from others.

So this was what Kototsuka-san had meant.

Was this the memory that flowed into me because of the Connect Link?

Then, once more, my vision cleared.

“Did you see something?”

Her blue hair swayed, and through it I caught a glimpse of her refined features. Kototsuka-san was peering into my face.

“…I think I saw your memory, Kototsuka-san.”

“I see. That’s good.”

…Was it really good? Normally, people wouldn’t want their memories seen.

“So, was that what you wanted to confirm?”

“Yes. I’d heard about it before—that if you deepen a Connect Link, sometimes you can see a Curse Seeker’s memories. I thought your dream might be related to that.”

“…But if it’s just a dream, then it shouldn’t be connected—”

I started to say, then remembered something.

That I had felt as if I’d experienced a Connect Link once before, even though it should have been my first time.

“I don’t know why, but you and Akegami Yuri were connected through a Connect Link. As a result, you saw her dream.”

That… might be possible.

“…But that doesn’t add up. When I saw your memory just now, it was from your perspective. But in that dream, I was seeing Akegami-san from my own perspective.”

“…You’re right. That is strange. In that case, maybe it wasn’t a memory.”

“Also, the person who looked like Akegami-san back then was covered in blood. Like she was about to die…”

Could that have been some kind of vision of Akegami-san’s death?

Like an image of wanting to die in that kind of situation flowing into me?

“We still don’t really understand it. …By the way, you said she looked similar—wasn’t it actually her?”

“Her hair and eye color were different. Silver hair and blue eyes… but her voice was exactly the same as Akegami-san’s.”

“—Abyss Returner.”

Kisa-san had come back, wiping sweat from her face, apparently refreshed after finishing her exercises.

“It’s that thing where physical traits change. I’ve heard people called ‘Abyss Returners’ sometimes end up like that.”

“Abyss Returners…”

“For example, people who’ve come back from the fiercest Deep Calamity zones. I don’t know the details—it’s mostly just rumors.”

Maybe Akegami-san was one of those Abyss Returners.

“Anyway, Connector—no, Shinazaki Nagisa. You want to save Akegami Yuri, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll lend you my strength for that.”

Kototsuka-san gave a fearless smile.

“Woo! Reina’s finally softening up!”

“Is this really the time to joke? If that unhinged, over-the-top girl is actually a broken one underneath, then it’s stranger that I’d hesitate to let a weak man like you touch me.”

“Haha…”

…Well, if she acknowledged me, that was enough.

We still didn’t know anything about Akegami-san.

But she was surely a girl who had been hurt.

And so, we all decided to reach out our hands to her.