Four years passed since Miharu’s disappearance.

Now, in the present day, Haruto was a 20-year-old sophomore attending a university in the city. But time had stopped for the young man. He might have been attending university, but he didn’t put effort into his studies and had nothing he wanted to do, other than a part-time job at a tidy little cafe. He woke up in the morning, went to university, went to work, and came home — every day was an unchanging, fixed routine. To an onlooker, it might have seemed normal for a university student. But that’s all it was. Haruto was wandering aimlessly with no goal, and time continued to pass in the world — until that day.

It was in the middle of summer; just like that summer day when he parted with Miharu, the sun hovered in the clear blue sky and shone down brightly on the asphalt-covered ground. But contrary to the summer weather, Haruto’s expression was cold as he boarded the bus near his university campus. As it was still early in the afternoon, there weren’t many passengers on board yet. After a few of them had gotten on, then off, there were only three passengers left on board: Haruto, a female student probably on her way home from extracurricular activities at the high school associated with Haruto’s university, and a primary-school-aged girl. Other than the occasional announcement from the bus’ PA system, the rumble of the engine was the only sound that could be heard as Haruto stared out the window at the passing scenery.

...Hm?

Haruto suddenly felt someone’s eyes fixed on him. At the other end of the gaze was the primary-school-aged little girl.

She’s... Endo Suzune-chan, if I recall correctly.

It just so happened that Haruto knew this girl. One time, she’d fallen asleep on her way home and missed her stop. She burst into tears when she realized how lost she was, and Haruto had helped her back to her house. Every now and then they’d end up on the same bus again, with Suzune looking his way. It made an impression on him. This time, Haruto returned her gaze and watched as she panicked and looked away.

...Did I do something wrong...?

Nothing came to mind, obviously. The only time he’d ever spoken to her was the time he’d saved her. He’d taken her to her house and was thanked by her mother, so it was hard to think of any issues.

Was he just imagining it...? He considered asking her directly, but didn’t want to be mistaken and end up coming off like a creep. After all, people were extremely wary of child predators nowadays.

No matter how you look at it, only a creep would talk to a little girl they barely know on the bus, right?

Yeah, better not. It was a little bothersome, but Haruto gave up with a small sigh and forced Suzune’s gaze out of his mind.

“ —!”

The bus gave a sudden, lurching jerk. Haruto felt a soaring sensation before intense pain rippled throughout his body — he was launched through the air and slammed into the roof.

“Gah... hah...”

Everything hurt. He couldn’t breathe.

His body felt hot, like it had been doused in boiling water. The horribly crushed interior of the bus reflected in his darkening vision as his consciousness rapidly slipped away.

D-Did we... crash...?

Despite his extremely hazy mind, Haruto somehow managed to process that thought. He was aware of his probable death. Everything should have been in pain, yet he was slowly losing feeling in his body instead. He could tell he was on death’s doorstep. With that thought, he was suddenly wracked with fear.

“Nnnh... gah...”

He mustered the last bit of strength he had to open his mouth, but all that escaped was a cough filled with blood.

Mii... cha...

As his heart called out Miharu’s former nickname, a single teartop fell from his eye and mixed with blood. But just as Haruto was about to lose consciousness...

Haru......

A melodic voice echoed in Haruto’s head. At the same time, a huge, circular, geometric pattern started to rise from the ground, emitting a glowing light.

“And now, the news. A truck collided with a bus in the Tokyo metropolitan area at 3:23pm today. Three passengers on board the bus have been confirmed dead, while the drivers of both vehicles are critically injured but miraculously alive. The cause of the accident was determined to be the driver of the truck falling asleep at the wheel...”