A week has gone by since Saki and Daiki met. Working hard, he divided his attention to studying, his part-time job, and Saki. On the other hand, Saki was stuck looking for a mountain she barely remembered. Her attention span was so short that she couldn’t get much done either. As the weekend rolled by with a free day, the two decided to visit a cafe that offered private study rooms for students. This way they could order food throughout their rented time and be out of the comfort of his apartment. After receiving his orders, Daiki would offer the dishes to Saki turning them old and dry as she devoured them. Being able to eat finally gave her the productivity she needed. And since she couldn’t recognize integers, Daiki insisted that she learn them again. With a full stomach, Saki finally became familiar with numerals and placements. Unfortunately, she was still unable to recall the elevation of the mountain, her age, or her birthday.
Drifting away from her duties, Saki gazed over at Daiki who was still drenched in focus. She admired his determination until she abruptly remembered why he was lending her at all. When they met Aoi in the library he offered to assist her easily whereas for herself, he only fully committed after making a deal. Saki grew worried. She wondered if she should ask to determine whether or not he would come through for prizes so childish. Sure the toys were limited edition but were they actually that high of a priority for him that he’d help a ghost? If so, then why?

“The Chichi action figures. Do they really mean that much to you that you’d be willing to help a stranger? Especially someone like me?”
“Yes. They’re important to me,” he answered without batting an eye. “I’ve been looking to complete that collection since I was a child. I can’t exactly ignore an offer like that if it means that I’d get them all.”
“But why though? I’m curious. To me, they’re just old toys but for you, it seems they mean more than that.”
Her questioning led him to relive a past he regret, pausing him with flooding memories.
Suddenly, a little hand clenching tightly onto his own felt irresistibly real. Daiki loved his younger brother Yuuto, but he hated him too.
Yuuto was mute and because of that, their parents had a hard time readjusting their lives. Daiki was instructed to be a proper big brother but as soon as it came, the responsibility reshaped and became a burden. He was only five years old when his brother passed and though the truth came to light, he still felt he bore some responsibility. For the first time, Saki saw his emotions fluctuate. His hand shivered with anxiety and unknown thoughts began ambushing him. He hadn’t spoken a word, but she knew he wouldn’t be giving up on those toys. Before she knew it she leaned in and put her hand over his heart. Usually when she touched him, Daiki felt a paralyzing numbness but this time, it was like his worries themselves were numbed. Looking into her lavender eyes he saw the apology they ached to deliver.
“I’m sorry. Don’t tell me. I don’t need to hear it.” It looked like she shook as well and as she pulled away, he felt his stable heartbeat no longer drown. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask again! But hey, if you ever want to talk about it in the future, just find me and I’ll play therapist with you!” Her smile was soft and gentle, different from the ones she had when she was teasing him, and something about it enchanted him.

“It was a promise I made for my brother,” he explained simply. “The ones I have displayed in my room actually belong to him. They were his favorites. Yes, I have the ability to see ghosts but 

I’ve never seen him. I hope that when I collect them all he’d come for a visit.” 

She looked back at him curious that he was sharing anything at all. “You’re brother huh? Don’t worry, he’ll come. I’m sure of it.” 

“Thanks. Well, let’s get back to work,” he said brushing over the moment.

Back on track, Daiki began thinking about the possibilities she wanted to be saved from. The questions led him to consider her death and there were five types he narrowed down: natural, accidental, homicide, suicide, and undetermined. At this moment he classified her as option five and “saving” her could mean any number of things depending on how she passed away. Though she didn’t remember how it happened, even a guess would be better than nothing.
“Hey Saki, this might be sensitive but how do you think you died?”

“How? I don’t know. If I knew I would have told you already.”
“But what is your suspicion? If you had to take a guess, what would it be?”
That was a hard one. An inkling feeling told her to not deny the “natural death” factor but Saki also felt that the chunk of her missing memories said it wasn’t an accident. She thought long and hard but for some reason, she couldn’t decide. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t say.” 

“Not even a guess?”
“No.”
Daiki let it go. Now he was the one unintentionally pressuring her so with respect, he backed off. 

When the time came, they left the cafe but there was heavy air lingering. It was 17:08 pm and the streets were filled with people. Saki floated behind him as she felt that it was most proper but suddenly he stopped walking. Pulling out his cell phone, he held it up against his ear asking, “Is there anything you wanted to do? Anywhere you want to go?” She was confused as he stood in front with his back facing her. His phone wasn’t on silent yet there was no ring before he answered. “Saki?” he called. “Are you there?” After another five-second pause, it finally clicked.
“Ye-yes! I’m here!”
“Good. Is there anything you want to do? We have plenty of time to try something out.”

“Sure! How about some ramen?”
“Food again? Didn’t you just eat?”
She blushed in embarrassment as he indirectly exposed her. “Fine then! How about karaoke? I want to go karaoke!”
“Karaoke? Hmm…Alright, let’s go.” Daiki moved and Saki followed in pursuit. “What kind of music do you like,” he asked.
“I actually mostly listen to anime music,” she responded in amusement. Daiki’s face scrunched since he didn’t know many anime songs. He was a very dedicated student, so much so that during his free time he’d rather listen to audiobooks and do puzzles. In her response alone, he could tell they were very different from one another. Either way, he continued the conversation.
“What was that? I can barely hear you.” Saki was lost. She wasn’t whispering or lowering her volume and she was directly behind him. “Still can’t hear you,” he muttered. Suspecting that he was messing around, she pulled up next to him and screamed, “I LOVE ANIME MUSIC YOU HEAR?!” Daiki frowned and used his palm to gently thud against his ear, signaling to her that screaming was unnecessary. Saki poised proudly. It was he who said he couldn’t hear her in the first place. After walking around for a few minutes she realized what he had done and an overwhelming feeling filled her soul. Instead of trotting behind, she was now right beside him. 

At the karaoke house, Saki sang many songs as Daiki watched. The electrical magnetic field was often interrupted when she sang into the mic so eventually, she had to sing without it. For two and a half hours, they exercised their vocal chords until Daiki couldn’t anymore.
“Are you ready yet? Any more of this and I won’t have any voice left to sound,” he complained.
“Fine, fine! Just one last one okay,” she said for the third time playing the next song in queue. Lights from the TV screen and the disco ball flashed as the opening music roared and she let loose once again. Seeing how much Saki was enjoying herself made Daiki reconsider. Another song or two wouldn’t hurt. Some hearing loss due to the pounding bass was a small sacrifice if it made her feel better. As it goes, Daiki felt bad about the previous question he asked her at the cafe. In an attempt to make up for it, he let her dictate what they were going to do next, leading them to karaoke. Before he realized it, Saki stopped singing. The music was still blaring but she stood in front of the screen, silent. Quickly she told him to rewind a few seconds and when he did, she demanded he stop on a scene from the music video. He was immediately aware of what caused her frantic. On the screen, a mountain was displayed, and she recognized it.
“Mount Iwate,” Daiki whispered under his breath. Saki’s eyes sparkled like the first snowfall in winter. “Yes! That’s it! That’s the mountain!”