Chapter 2 Part 1

Another day living with these floating rags... if this is a nightmare, I hope someone wakes me up soon.

It's very early in the morning, I cook some scrambled eggs with blended beans, but...

— Oh, what miracle are you cooking up?
Seji-sensei is surprised to see me making breakfast.

— I'm tired of always eating pupusas...

— I'm hungry, I'm hungry...!
Kibō shouts loudly behind me, very excited and hungry.

— And why did Kibō wake me up to make him something?

He doesn't even let me sleep because he wakes up hungry, he doesn't even let me ask him if he's responsible for that weird dream and this cut on my face.

Chie comes into the house after spending the whole night outside in a puddle of vomit.

— Good morning, bro... Buaaaaaaaagh!
Chie vomits on the floor of the house.

— Don't vomit on the floor, then I have to clean it up!
I shout, why are the spirits of diamonds so troublesome?!

Seji-sensei says to him:

— So you woke up hungover again.

Seji-sensei hits Chie on the head.

— That's what you get for drinking all my sake!

— Ow! I'm sorry... I'm hungry!

I prepared food for Seji-sensei, Boki, and myself...

At this rate, I'll go without breakfast...

— Can't you guys say anything else? Anyway, everyone sit down, breakfast is ready.

Kibō heads to his seat and says:

— I'm here against my will, the least you can do is give me food!

— I appreciate the food, but it's already too late, you should go to school.

Seji-sensei was right.

— That wouldn't happen if we didn't live on top of a mountain with over a thousand steps to descend... anyway, I'll eat at lunchtime. Boki, don't be late.

— I'm Kibō!

— Whatever.

I put on my shoes and head to school, on the way there I can't help but think about how Miru-chan is doing and whether I should visit her after classes.

...

I feel like I'm being watched.

I turn to look, but the person quickly hides and mutters quietly:

— Tch, why did he ask me to follow this idiot?

That voice sounded familiar to me, maybe it's because of the diamond that I could hear it loud and clear.

Nevertheless, I continue the rest of the way with a little fear.

I had arrived safely at school, I quickly enter my classroom and go to my desk as usual.

Then, Kenji approaches me.

— Hey Rasec, why do you keep cutting your face?

I touch my face with my right hand, it stings a lot, I'm bleeding again but very little, it seems like it was just done.

— Umm... I hadn't noticed.

— And... what do you have in your hand...?

He saw my diamond!

— Uh, nothing!

I quickly hide my right hand behind me.

— Come on, you've been acting weird these days, show me what you have there, buddy! Is it a gift for Miru-chan? She didn't come today either, so show me what you have!

Kenji insists on wanting to see it, he doesn't let go of my arm for any reason.

I'm in trouble, I need a miracle right now!

And it happened... Social Studies teacher Asiasito-sensei enters...

— Good morning, everyone, please take your seats.

— Ugh, it's Asiasito-sensei, we'll talk later, Uraseku-chan!

— Phew...

I hadn't felt so relieved in a long time, but I still feel watched...

I look around and someone has their eyes fixed on me.

It's Hiroki, the guy I bumped into yesterday... he's been watching me all morning, did I do something to him?!

I decide to ignore him for a moment, but my peace wouldn't last long because Kibō appears under my desk.

— I'm back.

— How did you come if you were at home?!

Again, I speak to him quietly and angrily.

— I teleported to the diamond.

— Why didn't you do that to appear in the diamond just when I took it?! Forget it, I have to ask you something.

This was the ideal moment to ask him about my cuts so I decide to get serious.

— Have you been cutting me at night? Huh?

— Cuts?

Kibō looks at my cuts, but it seems that he's not responsible.

— It wasn't me, the diamond is rejecting you, surely it's slowly consuming you.

Um, just like that guy said in my dreams!

— Over time, the diamond will continue to reject your body, consuming it until your inevitable death. I suppose we'll meet again... if you manage to discover how to avoid your misfortune, I trust you'll achieve it.

Those were his words.

I've never cared about anything, but now, I think I feel something...

The bell rings marking the end of class.

After spending all the classes thinking, I decide to go to music class, I play the guitar while thinking about other things, but I keep playing well.

— I told you to play the G note!

That shout from Chan-chan-sensei, my music teacher, wasn't directed at me.

While she corrects those who made mistakes, I look out the window next to me to see the athletics club, maybe there's a cute girl out there...

— Ugh!

The look of boredom on my face changes drastically.

I can't believe what I see, Hiroki is watching me intently! He's far away on the school fields, how can he see me with eyes of hatred?

Did I do something wrong to him?!

Either way, I'll leave through the back door to avoid problems!

It's hard to concentrate when someone has their eyes on you.

Classes have ended, it's time to avoid getting caught by Hiroki! I put away the instruments, but then Chan-chan-sensei approaches me to say something.

— You play very well, Uraseku-kun!

— Uh?, Th-thank you very much, chan-chan-sensei.

I give a slight bow of respect to Chan-chan-sensei, but deep down I know I don't have time to talk, if I stay here longer Hiroki might find me.

— What a waste of talent, you should join my band!

— A band?

I notice the great enthusiasm in her eyes and the sincerity in her words, I should tell her we'll talk about that another time since right now I might be a dead man.

— I-I'm sorry!, Chan-chan-sensei, let's talk about this another time, I have to go now!

Before running off, I notice the disappointment on my music teacher's face, but this isn't the time to think about music.

I leave through the school hallways, unconsciously drawing everyone's attention, am I exaggerating and being too paranoid?!

While I run through the hallways with a worried and tired face, I hear murmurs from some classmates and students from other grades.

— Hey, isn't that the quiet foreign guy from second grade?

— What's gotten

 into him?

— The guy who never does anything is running around looking worried...

— Seriously? Quick, make a wish!

— That guy from the country with the funny name, right?

— I say he's cute!

Tch, are they so surprised to see me do something?!

I hate drawing so much attention when I usually go unnoticed, it's a small price to pay for being "the foreign teenager, smiling with two names and two surnames with names before surnames"!

Is this some kind of mockery?! What's so smiling about me?!

I should just be ignored as usual!

I can't take it anymore... but at least...

— I manage to leave the school...

I leave through the back door far away from the other clubs and all the students.

As I catch my breath, I decide to go more calmly from now on.

After all that running, I had forgotten that I was going to visit Miru-chan, I wonder if she's feeling better to receive visitors.

I pass by the pharmacy and then head to Miru-chan's house, would it be weird if I referred to her as Miru-cchi? I don't understand much Japanese, maybe I'll end up making another mistake like with Reina-dono-sensei trying to translate "little teacher Reina"...

— You should learn the language better, Racasec.

— Eh!

I didn't remember that Kibō could hear my thoughts.

Kibō comes out of the diamond and starts floating in front of me to explain something with a serious expression.

— I'm not from this world and I can speak it perfectly, if you want to say "little Reina" you should say... "Reina-chan".

What did he just say, what kind of blasphemy was that?!

Very annoyed, I point at Kibō.

— Hey, show some respect, she's the great universal master of pupusas!

He turns around and stands beside me while continuing to speak.

— I don't understand why all the fuss about pupusas, if you wanted to learn how to make them you should have stayed in your homeland.

I calm down a bit and since Kibō and I will be spending a lot of time together, I decide to tell him a little about why I'm here in Japan.

Chapter 2 Part 2

I let out a deep sigh and very seriously explain why I'm here.

— My parents went on a trip and left me with Seji-sensei to take care of me here in Japan. Out of nowhere, I wanted to learn to create the legendary pupusa. Legends say that only one person is capable of making it, and that's Reina-dono-sensei, but she couldn't teach me due to her age. Seji-sensei was her disciple, so I came to live here with him to somehow follow in Reina-dono-sensei's footsteps.

— Alright, but why do you want to make the legendary pupusa...?

It stumped me... I can't remember why I wanted to learn to make them...

— Forget it, I just want to, that's all. It was a good opportunity to live in Japan, I suppose.

Kibō chuckles mischievously.

— Haha, don't tell me you're into Japanese girls, Racasec. Anyway, it's not like any girl here would be interested in a Salvadoran, haha!

That annoys me, but he's kind of right...

I get worked up again, stop, and turn to him.

— Shut up, who in the world isn't interested in a Japanese girl?! Besides, I'm Rasec, not Racasec!

Throughout the journey to Miru-chan's house, Kibō didn't stop laughing, but at least we arrived at our destination.

Her house is beautiful, a typical modern Japanese two-story house with a small garden. Despite being in a rural village, it blends in perfectly with the other houses around, a traditional style of this region.

I knock on the door very gently.

Just when I think nobody will answer, someone opens the door, but... is that Ai?!

— Hello!

This is bad, I try to hide the teru teru bozu and the diamonds, but it doesn't help!

I quickly rush over to Ai, worried, and we both enter Miru-chan's house, including Kibō.

— Ai, don't be clumsy, you shouldn't open the door without asking who it is first, plus someone else might see you!

— But you had Kibō outside!

I hadn't noticed that...

From an upstairs window, a sweet voice calls out, it's Miru-chan.

— Is that you, Ai? Who was at the door?

Kibō can't stay quiet in this situation and says:

— It's just Rasec the paranoid.

— S-senpai?

At this moment, I'm worried. It's very rude to enter someone else's house without permission.

— Um, well... sorry, it's just that Ai opened the door and someone else could have seen her!

I throw myself to the ground to apologize.

— Someone was knocking at the door, and since you were sick, I wanted to help!

For some reason, Ai is on the verge of tears. I hope I didn't hurt her.

Miru-chan comes downstairs from the upper floor, looking as radiant as ever. Her clothes complement her hair color, and I couldn't help blushing when I see her.

— Don't cry, Ai-chan, I'm glad it was Uraseku-senpai.

She smiles sweetly, and it seems I didn't upset Ai. Shortly after Miru-chan appears, she gets up as if nothing happened.

Ai asks me:

— So, what brings you here?

Kibō cuts in and answers:

— He came to see if Miru was okay and brought her some medicine.

— Hey, he asked me!

— Then answer quickly!

Kibō and I weren't happy with each other. His reason is that he has to live with an unworthy bearer of the power of the Hope Diamond. Mine is that I'm obligated to live with him, and he keeps bothering me.

During my argument with Kibō, Miru-chan puts on a serious and threatening face. I've never seen her like this...

— Hey, you two, calm down...

— Y-yes!

It was the only way to stop the argument...

— Uraseku-senpai, is that true? Did you come to see if I was okay?

Still on the ground, I respond with a trembling voice.

— Y-yes... but well, I think I should go...

— Wait.

She crouches down to look directly at me and with a smile on her face, she makes a request.

— Why don't you stay and chat?

— Really? About what?

Could this be a chance for us to spend time alone? I suppose my big moment has arrived!

— Well, I'm still very confused about the diamond issue... Let's take advantage of Kibō and Ai being here to ask them what else they know!

— Ah, that's what it was...

My joyful expression changes to disappointment.

I had forgotten that I didn't come alone... however, this is a good opportunity to clarify doubts.

I get up from the floor and head towards the living room with Miru-chan, Kibō, and Ai. Miru-chan prepares tea for us and sits beside me on the left.

Kibō seems to have a lot of information about this, so he starts the conversation.

— Alright, what do you want to know about the diamonds?

Miru-chan seems more intrigued now, so she begins with her question.

— Chie, Seji-sama's diamond spirit mentioned that there were also other presences along with you guys. I wanted to know if you can locate the remaining diamonds or spirits.

She asked an excellent question, but since the spirits joined us, they haven't told us anything relevant, so I don't think they'll tell us anything...

— Yes.

— Huh... EH?!

— So, you do know how to locate them?!

— I just said yes, Racasec.

Kibō acts indifferent while Miru-chan is surprised. Meanwhile, I'm furious because he didn't tell us something so important.

Damn it, this guy is a mess!

— Why didn't you tell us something so important?! We were asking about it yesterday!

— I got distracted because I was hungry...

Ah, no matter how much I want to be angry with him, he's kind of adorable.

I give a small yawn due to the sleepiness I feel and manage to keep somewhat calm.

I pick up my tea cup, take a sip, and Kibō continues speaking.

— But we can only know exactly where they are if they're outside the diamond. If not, we'll just know they exist.

So we can know exactly where they are if the diamonds weren't at the meteorite collision point, that means they surely found a bearer.

— Kibō and I have agreed that two of our siblings are missing along with three beings we haven't been able to identify.

Miru-chan, very analytical, says exactly what I was thinking.

— So, that means there are two other diamond bearers. Have you and Kibō been able to locate their locations?

— We knew exactly where they were recently, but now we don't know where they are, so we assume they must be inside their respective diamonds.

I suppose talking about this topic has been very enlightening, but my mind still has more doubts.

— Hey, what about the beings you haven't been able to identify? Do

 you know anything more about them?

Kibō seems to be thinking about something, but not very successfully.

— We don't know anything about them, but maybe we could ask our siblings whom we haven't found yet, although I don't think we'll have much success.

— I see...

I tilt my head and start thinking about many things.

Even with the tea cup in my hand, I recognize that our priority now is singular.

I set the cup down on the table, stand up from my seat, and say:

— Well, we'll talk about this another day. We should meet again to search for the remaining diamonds, or ideally, they will come to us since their spirits should also detect us.

Miru-chan, still looking confused, understands what we need to do now.

— Seji-sensei will be upset if I'm not early helping him at the pupusería. Let's go, Boki.

— I'm Kibō!

— Whatever...

Before we leave, Miru-chan interrupts us.

— Kibō, senpai, goodbye.

Miru-chan bids us farewell with a smile. I should learn how to properly say goodbye to people...

— Goodbye, Miru-chan, I hope you get better soon.

I return the smile.

As Miru-chan watches me, I attempt to make an epic exit, or so I try...

At least I got to spend time with the cutest girl.

Kibō and I head towards the pupusería. On the way, we continue our conversation about Japanese honorific suffixes.

Once again, I didn't realize I was taking him outside.

— As I was saying, Rasec, "dono" is a very old suffix and is currently outdated. You could simply call her "Reina-sensei." Also, it's strange to use "dono" with "sensei." Who does that?

— It's a literal translation to say "maestra niña Reina." I acknowledged my mistake, what more do you want?

— Whatever... oh, and just so you know, if you want to use the prefix "cchi" with a girl, you should be careful. It's a prefix used in informal situations and with very close friends.

— I don't need lessons from you; that's what school is for.

— But you seem to just be warming the seat because apparently, you haven't learned anything...

The journey to the pupusería feels endless, but for some reason, it's less boring with Kibō than alone.

After that long walk, I finally reach the pupusería, and Seji-sensei seemed to be waiting for me.

— Why did you take so long? Were you with a girl, by any chance?

Seji-sensei puts on a mischievous smile. No matter how hard I try to hide my nervousness, it's impossible.

— Uh! Wh-wh-why do you know?!

— Huh, was it true?

...

I think I just made a fool of myself... Kibō couldn't hold back his laughter.

— Hahaha, you just spilled the beans yourself!

— Well, at least I confirmed that you're not batting for the other team...

It seems Seji-sensei had reached a point where he thought I wasn't interested in any type of girls...

— Hey, what kind of vision did you have of me?

The night is filled with laughter at the pupusería. I can't attend to the customers as I normally would because I'm distracted thinking about the diamond issue, and because the diamond gets in the way when I'm serving.

That's how the night passes, and the next day I wake up with a cut on my abdomen. This one is smaller than the rest, but I fear having to go through this every day.

Chapter 2 Part 3

— I'm off, Seji-sensei.

Today is a new day and I head to school as usual, arriving a bit late and going straight to my seat.

It seems like a routine now for Kenji to come to my desk every day; I wonder what he wants today.

— Hey, Uraseku-chan, Hiroki's been asking about you all day, I think he wants to see you.

— What, Hiroki?!

I press my head against the desk and bring my hands to my forehead; I'm highly alarmed by what Kenji just told me.

Damn, what have I done now?! Just when I thought today would be a quiet day!

— Oh, don't tell me... maybe he's fallen for you.

Kenji puts on a mischievous face; this must be like the tenth time everyone's made that face!

— Anyone would think you're a girl with that hair...

— Enough, no one said anything about my hair! And besides, I'm not attracted to any guys!

I retort to Kenji, but then something happens that leaves me blank: Hiroki has entered the classroom and is coming towards me with an annoyed expression.

— Uraseku, go to the rooftop after school; I have things to discuss with you.

After saying that, Hiroki returns to his seat; everyone in the class saw us, I'm definitely a dead man...

Kenji can't contain his laughter.

— Whoa! Looks like Hiroki wants to tell you something; better clarify that you're not a girl from now on, or you'll leave him very hopeful!

I raise my voice at Kenji again.

— How can you be so happy?! That guy is going to kill me!

I bang my head on the table again and bring my hands to my forehead.

— The rooftop isn't a place to kill someone, and besides, if that's what I wanted, I would've done it a long time ago.

— Alright, get out of here!

Kenji can't help but laugh as he heads back to his seat; Hiroki heard everything I said, but it seems he doesn't care.

Although it seals my fate, I'll go see him on the rooftop after school...

Then, our science teacher, Huevito-sensei, enters.

— Let's see, said the blind man... Good morning, students!

Lately, I haven't been able to concentrate in class because my mind has been occupied with other things.

I fear my nearly perfect grades might start slipping...

I try to pay as much attention as possible in science and Japanese classes.

This goes on until lunchtime.

I decide to meet up with another friend from school, Fujisaki Makoto, the current student council president.

Makoto has been my friend since shortly after I moved to this country; you could say he's someone I trust a lot.

He and I decide to have lunch together this time.

When I tell him what happened, he can't help but laugh at what went down with Kenji.

— Haha, so that's why you got mad at Kenji?!

— Hey, this is pretty serious...

— Oh, come on, don't be like that, buddy, cheer up!

Makoto tries to lift my spirits, but at a time like this, I'm only thinking about eating because I haven't had breakfast.

— Alright, forget about that; let's eat.

— Well, now that we've changed the subject, would you be interested in joining the student council?

The bite I was about to take of my food was interrupted by that question.

— Why? I don't know how I could be useful to the student council.

— Oh, please, Uraseku, we all know you're actually very smart!

Makoto pleads earnestly; I really don't want to join the student council; it's too much responsibility.

— I'll think about it; I don't think I have much time for that right now. In the meantime, plan my funeral.

— Haha! Relax, I'm sure he just wants to talk.

Makoto and I continue eating.

Once we're done, I hear a sweet voice; it's Miru-chan.

— Uraseku-senpai!

— Oh, hi, Sakurai-san!

— Hi, Fujisaki-san!

Apparently, Makoto and Miru-chan know each other.

— Do you two know each other?

— Yes, Miru-chan is the student council secretary; she's a very helpful classmate.

— I haven't been in the student council for long; it's only been three days. I didn't find the perfect moment to tell you, you'll know why soon enough.

So Miru-chan is part of the student council; if I needed a reason to join, here it is...

I get up from the table very seriously with my head down and tell Makoto:

— Makoto-san, I accept your invitation to join the student council.

— That's the spirit, Uraseku-chan! What made you change your mind?

— … Nothing, I just wanted to, that's all.

I turn away blushing.

Miru-chan smiles.

She was looking for me because she found a bearer of a diamond nearby.

We can't talk about this near Makoto, so we decide to discuss it somewhere else.

— So Ai has found another bearer...

Kibō emerges from the diamond.

— It's the diamond of peace; we must go retrieve it.

Miru-chan seems worried; it's our lunch hour, so I don't think there'll be much of a problem if we step out.

— Miru-chan, let's go.

— Really?

She looks at me in surprise.

— Yes, the sooner we do this, the better.

— Understood... I'm ready, senpai.

Miru-chan, Ai, and Kibō are excited.

We leave the school undetected and quickly head towards the location of the signal.

Finally, after a short journey, we arrive at a small hill.

There sits a girl leaning against a tree, dressed in punk attire, with black hair and red-tipped ends, and a small cat on her shoulder.

I suppose it's normal to get a bad vibe from her...

Chapter 2 Part 4

The girl looks quite sad; there's a lot of blood on her back and on the tree where she's leaning.

A teru teru bozu spirit approaches to greet Kibō and Ai; we've definitely found the bearer of a diamond, but she doesn't seem to be doing well.

— Brothers!

— Yasuragi!

Kibō and Ai greet their brother; it appears his name is Yasuragi.

Neither Miru nor I know how to approach her; we both feel a bad vibe, but apparently the girl knew, so she started speaking.

— So you've come...

— Did you know we were coming?

— Yasuragi knew you were coming.

It seems she did this so that we would find her; she doesn't seem to be in a good situation.

She and I could be going through a similar situation...

Miru-chan starts to get frightened.

Yasuragi approaches us with a concerned look.

— She has issues; I'm afraid she won't listen to what you want to tell her. She just wanted to be detected by you so you know of her existence.

— What sense does that make?
Miru-chan has been very quiet since she arrived.

I quickly notice the girl has a cut on her face.

I take the initiative; I approach her and kneel down to be at her eye level.

— Ah!

She's a bit surprised; I don't think she expected me to get close.

I reach out and move her hair aside a bit to see the cut on her face more clearly.

— I see, so the diamond is rejecting you...

Being at a considerable height, the wind blows and gently lifts my hair, revealing two healing cuts on her face.

She seems surprised but pouts and pushes me away from her.

— You're too close.

I quickly get up from the ground.

I notice she left a bloodstain on my uniform because her hand is covered in blood.

She's bleeding a lot, not just from the cut on her face but also from her back.

If her diamond is on her back, it would make sense that she wanted to remove it because it has hurt her badly.

— Yasuragi, do you know why she's bleeding so much?

— She tried to remove the diamond because it's hurting her.

Just as I suspected.

Miru-chan breaks her silence and says:

— Don't your parents notice these wounds?

— Huh?

The girl doesn't seem too happy after hearing that from Miru-chan.

— Aren't they with you to take care of you?

— Enough already!

The girl gets agitated; a powerful celestial aura with black overtakes her, Kibō, Ai, and Yasuragi don't seem to know what's happening.

Thanks to the strong aura emanating from the girl, a strong gust surrounds us; Miru-chan breaks her silence and says:

— She's bleeding a lot; we should take her to a hospital!
Yasuragi responds:

— I think it would be better to leave her alone!

— But...!

I don't think that's the most convenient; we mustn't let the diamond matter come to light. If a doctor sees it, they'll start doing strange tests.

— Miru-chan, it's best to keep the diamond matter a secret; I think Seji-sensei will know what to do!

The aura disappears along with the strong gust.

I take a deep breath before continuing.

— Seji-sensei will know what to do; right now, we can't take her to him.

Now addressing the girl.

— Hey, you'll have to wait for us to help you.

— Are you sure we'll come back for her? I'm really worried.

I try to calm Miru-chan.

— I'm sure he'll know what to do; don't worry.

Kibō and Ai decide to bring Yasuragi with us; Miru-chan and I return to school.

— We promise we'll be back; you have nothing to worry about.

As we leave, the girl starts laughing uncontrollably while crying and then says:

— If you really cared, you wouldn't have left me alone... like my parents...

The girl lies down on the ground, and the aura reappears even stronger and with darker tones.

A huge gray cloud begins to form above her.

Miru-chan and I return in time for classes.

During them, I look out the window and wonder:

— The diamond of peace... the diamond chose her, so why is it rejecting her?

Yasuragi, who is under the table with Kibō, tells me:

— Right now, she doesn't feel at peace.

— Then why did the diamond choose her in the first place if she didn't feel at peace?

Yasuragi's gaze turns sad.

— At first, her thoughts and soul were peaceful, but I didn't realize she was surrounded by her parents' fighting; what she wanted most was peace, and I confused it with her strongest feeling.

— So the diamond brought her more trouble; it started rejecting her, and she tried to remove it because it was hurting her... she must be really depressed.

Kibō analyzes the situation and says:

— I fear something will happen... I sense a very evil aura; I think the diamond is reversing.

— Reversing?

— Yes, she no longer feels at peace; it seems she's starting to want the opposite. This will cause the diamond to reverse and transform into the diamond of unrest. If she can't control her emotions, the diamond's power might be too much for her and kill her...

Right after Kibō said that, lightning strikes very close to the school, and it starts raining heavily.

Seji-sensei in the pupusería feels bad vibes.

— Chie... it's raining, and it's not winter.

— S-Seji-sama, a diamond is reversing.

This is bad, very bad!

— Ah!

I stand up in the middle of class with a worried look.

— Zeido-kun, what's wrong? Return to your seat.

The teacher asks me to sit back down, but no one here would understand this situation.

I quickly run out of the classroom with Kibō and Yasuragi.

Yasuragi looks very worried and tells me:

— This is bad... she's approaching.

— I must find Miru-chan.

I know she should be in the gym receiving physical education classes, so I head there.

I open the door forcefully, drawing the teacher's attention; it's not his name, but I call him Pipo; he's very rude.

— Argh! What's this fool doing here?!

— Pipo-sensei, I need Miru-chan!

I run towards Miru-chan, grab her hand, and together we leave for the hallways to wait for the moment when the girl arrives.

— U-Uraseku! Is something wrong?!

— This is bad...

The teru teru bozu spirits talk as we run through the hallways; Ai says:

— Can you feel it?

All the spirits nod; they seem to know what this means.

I still don't fully understand, but I know it's not good, and it requires our intervention.

Little by little, the atmosphere darkens.

Yasuragi's face takes on a hopeless expression.

— The diamond of peace... it has already reversed.

— Why is she coming here?!

I shout very worriedly at Yasuragi.

The expression on Kibō's face changes to one of concern.

— When a diamond reverses, its bearer must sever the spirit of their diamond to make way for another; in this case, she seeks to end Yasuragi, the spirit of the diamond of peace, to make way for the spirit of the diamond of unrest...

Why does no one say this when we ask?!

— How will we stop her?!

— We must reverse the diamond, and everything will return to normal; it will be very difficult to do that since we can't force someone to be peaceful; they must acquire it on their own!

If this continues, the diamond's power might end up killing her!

I think I know what needs to be done; I'm not sure if I can do it, but I must make that girl feel at peace again.

Final part of Chapter 2

— I know what we have to do, but you must prepare yourselves; we'll use the power of the diamonds...

Just then, a loud crash resounds in my classroom.

All my classmates rush out of the room in a panic.

The girl has come, just as we expected; she's looking for Yasuragi to make way for an evil spirit.

Filled with fury, she says:

— Where... is... Yasuragi?!

This will be our first battle against someone; we must use the power of the diamonds here at school, so I suppose there's no longer a need to hide their existence.

She could die if she's not controlled; I don't want to hurt her, but I will make sure everything returns to normal. I hope I can do it...

I hope I can save her life...