We had questions, too many questions left unanswered, but we decided to give it five days. Five days before we actually go and seek out Hoshino Mikoto, whoever he is.

It makes sense to give it five days. Miss Furukawa explained literally nothing, so we had no idea what the situation concerning our teachers and fellow students was. All we knew was that when we felt rested enough (we were tired, you see) to check, they were no longer there. We were the only ones left in the school.

On the first day, we stayed in our dorms and watched TV. Katsuki pointed out that there was no way it wouldn't make the headlines if the teachers and students of super prestigious Yamabe Gakuen had arrived home with no memories of the past year, so we would probably be able to see something about it in the news.

But it was not in the news. Miss Furukawa said her team knew what they were doing, so they probably handled this situation well. We still had no idea how, though, so we decided to stay put for a little bit more just in case we returned home and had to talk to our parents and our stories didn't match with the others'.

We were glad that we waited. Not before long, Hiroki got a call from his mother, demanding why he wasn't home yet. Apparently he was neighbors with one of the upperclassmen, who had returned home reporting that a gas leak in the school had caused summer break to come early.

"So for some reason Miss Furukawa's team managed to convince everyone that there was a gas leak and that there was nothing wrong with the school," Katsuki mused. "How did they do it?"

No one had any idea. But at least we knew what kind of lies we would be telling when we got home.

We all called up our parents to assure them that we were just fine and the reason we couldn't get home yet was that there weren't enough buses to bring everyone down the mountains, so we opted to let the upperclassmen go home first while staying in the village by our school. I didn't think my parents would buy it at first, but I managed it with a few lying tips from Katsuki.

On the second day, we went back to our respective homes. On the third, I took the train up to Tokyo to hang out with Izumi. Her parents were super nice, and I was able to communicate just fine with her mom despite knowing no sign language at all besides the few basic gestures Izumi taught me on the way to her house from the station. We had a full-blown one-hour conversation about how to make candy apples.

I lounged in my room all through the fourth day. I had missed it a lot. Being in a dorm was all fine and dandy but there was something about having some space all to yourself that was immensely comforting. I had a good chat with my parents that night. They knew that I would be gone after the fifth day, but they assumed it was because of the school's intensive summer program. Miss Furukawa wasn't lying; they bought the excuse hook, line and sinker. And they were excited—they are my favorite people in the world but it's certainly true that they like it a lot when I spend all my time studying.

Of course, we won't be studying. Instead, we'll be doing... other things. Like walking around in other people's heads. And more.

We haven't actually discussed in detail what we're going to be doing after our five days are up, but we have a brief idea sketched out. We promised Mrs. Sato to save her children, so that we will do. We also promised Anna to mindhack her sister, so that we will do as well.

The problem is, we don't know how. We don't even know where Mrs. Sato's children are. And we don't know how to mindhack people with diseases like MLD; stuff like that has never been taught in our classes.

So we have no choice but to seek out Miss Furukawa at the "base". Perhaps then we'll be able to get some answers. Answers to just what her team is, what Ikoma-san has to do with it, who and what we're actually up against, where Mrs. Sato's kids are, and why the heck instead of being told outright what to do we are stuck with a lousy business card of a programmer we've never heard of.

We need the answers, and we will be seeking them out on the sixth day. Today is the fifth, and there is nothing I want more than to just spend it rolling around in bed, but I know that wouldn't do. I have only a vague idea of what is to come, but somehow it just doesn't seem very likely that my life would be the same again, which is why I should enjoy all my favorite things in peaceful Fukuoka when I still have the chance.

In the morning, I seek out my grandfather at his instrument shop. He is glad to see me, as is his shiba inu. We talk for an hour about how he's been doing (very well), but not about me. I don't want to lie to my grandfather; he would see through it too easily. Thus it's just better to not say anything.

I meet up with Manatsu and Yuuko for lunch and shopping. They want to know all about what it's like in prestigious-as-heck Yamabe Gakuen, and since I can't actually tell them the truth, I decide to focus on some of the more... general aspects. Like how the dorms are. Like how I have an annoying roommate named Anna. Like how nice small classes are because you can get to know everyone so easily.

"Point is, have you met any new hot guys, and have you finally gotten yourself a boyfriend?" Yuuko demands.

"Uh... about that..." I look down and play with my fingers. "All the new guys I've met at school are either gay or taken. Or both gay and taken."

Or dead, I think to myself. Perhaps someday I will tell them about Jin, but not now.

Yuuko groans. "Come on, I know that you're an independent woman that don't need no man, but Manatsu and I are totally planning to go on triple dates with you once you get a boyfriend, you know?"

"Actually I have one." I continue to play with my fingers awkwardly. "He just isn't... new. You guys know him."

--

Shun and I meet up late afternoon, when the sun is close to setting, at our old elementary school.

Funnily enough, it's not very much like the one in Shun's head. A lot of the buildings have been remodeled since we graduated. Everyone's favorite grey slide is gone, in its place an ugly multi-colored plastic thing that makes me want to spork my eyes out. There is also no longer a pool. I can't say I'm upset about that at all.

I'm still getting used to talking to Shun. It's super weird that even though we're together now I'm still having trouble talking to him like a normal person. But you can't just go from all awkward to fluent in a couple of days, can you? At least I can't. Shun, however, seems to be talking just fine. I never used to notice how strained his sentences were when he talked to me, but now that I can compare the difference is obvious. It's like with all the guilt off his chest his filters are gone. He tells me about his dog, his favorite baseball team, his new shoes, how he noticed that he had three new moles just yesterday, while I still feel very much self-conscious whenever I open my mouth. It's just strange, I guess. Like I've been wanting something for such a long time and when I finally get it it feels surreal. I don't know, perhaps deep down inside I'm worried that Shun would suddenly realize that I'm no fun at all and he has made a huge mistake.

"You know, it's not fair," he says, as we watch the sunset and I quietly marvel over the tenor saxophone solo that is happening in my head as I gaze at the pink and purple skies.

"What's not fair?"

"You've seen inside my head, and I haven't seen inside yours. That's not fair, is it?"

"Uh... You probably wouldn't want to... It's most likely super drab in there and stuff," I protest.

Shun laughs and sounds like cellos and English horns. "Oh please, I bet it'll be amazing. After all this is over you gotta bring me there. Promise?"

I promise, and we stand there hand in hand, watching, listening, as the pinks and purples fade into a velvety black and the insects of the night burst into song.