It's certainly a peculiar feeling if you know that you just started a crisis.
In this case, a number of calls on my phone tell me that, currently, all the different school ghosts are freaking out because, as they perceive it, I just killed one of them.
A feat that shouldn't even be possible.
Now I need to mitigate the damage before it comes to further rampages.
So I told my helpers via phone network to relay a message to their respective wonders that I'm going to meet them in the sports hall.
I think such things should be addressed directly.
Fortunately, it at least seems like Chiaki and the whole occultism club are still doing fine.
That's at least something.

For now, I need to leave this cellar before Zika drags me out and walk over to the sports hall.
I'm glad that I can leave this place, but need to admit that the campus has an eerie feel to it this late in the day.
Of course, I didn't forget to call Mum that I might be home a bit late today.
She asks me not to overdo things in return.
I probably shouldn't mention the supernova incident to her this time.

 

"Hey! What were you doing there?!"

 

What!?
Oh no, that's a teacher!
I should already have left the building long ago.
Who is this again?
Ms. Karazawa?
I'm not so good at remembering faces and names.
Well, probably that changed by now, with how weird my mind became, but I'm more speaking about habits.

 

"What is it? Do you have anything to say, young lady? The cellar isn't open for students! Also, if you don't have club activities you should have been gone for a while already! The school isn't open to explore as you please!" (K)

"I, I... Sorry!" (I)

"Being sorry won't help you! Show me your ID. I'll have to call your parents. Trespassing has consequences. We're now going to the office and afterward I'll make sure you'll be on your way." (K)

 

B-but I have to talk with the murderous ghosts of the school!
As if I can say that!

 

"Are you fucking serious?!!" (Z)

 

Zika?!

Promptly, Zika steps forward next to me.
No idea why she wasn't before in the focus of the teacher.
Probably mind magic.
However, now she certainly is.
With fiery eyes that contain an otherworldly fire, she steps up to the now terrified teacher.
At least she put her disguise back on for the school hallways, but her burning gaze has already enough impact on its own.
Before Ms. Karazawa can scream, she raises her hand towards her face.

 

"Snap"

 

"You'll now listen to me! Nothing happened! You saw nothing! Nothing is unusual! There's nothing of interest! Nothing else matters! You'll now be on your way!" (Z)

 

"Snap"

 

The teacher's eyes glaze over and like a zombie, she walks down the corridor.

 

"Wh-what was that!?!" (I)

"Quiet! The trance I induced isn't too deep. You might make her focus on us again." (Z)

"But..." (I)

"You're not going to tell me again that mind magic is bad, right? I manipulated her recent perceptions. Nothing more. Far worse is how you're still letting others walk all over you, while you have far more important things to take care of, and they should fucking throw their faces into the ground!" (Z)

"But... I don't like it..." (I)

"Listen, you're currently trying to save human lives, right? Do you have any idea how many of your classmates already found their demise, and you just can't remember because of the general rules? How many empty seats have you just accepted as such in your class? It's like this all around the country. You might be able to recover those memories, but before you were special, you were subjected to the same compulsion as everybody else. That's more than normal. Mundane humans simply shouldn't be involved and you really need to work on this part. Sometimes your stuff is simply more important than the short term memory of a school overseer! And now let's go to the sports hall!" (Z)

 

On the way, I have to think about Zika's words.
Is it really fine to think about my stuff as being more important?
Just now, this might've been the case.
Stirred up by Zika, there are several memories that I quickly suppress about classmates I might've had and simply forgot about.

I really think that putting a stop to this is much more important than minding the curfew.
On the other hand, on a fundamental level, I think it's wrong to think of yourself as being more important than others.
Someone who is willing to think little about others' needs because oneself is so much more important... Such a person is bad, I think.
At least nobody I would want to be friends with.
Those two concepts kinda clash at times.
How am I supposed to decide when my thoughts and purposes matter more than another's?
Well, I suppose saving people qualifies, so I should concentrate on this aspect for now.
Gratefully, there are no further incidents, at least till I reach the sports hall.
Yet before I can enter Zika stops me.

 

"What do you want?" (I)

"Before you go in there, I need to ask, what exactly are you planning to tell them?" (Z)

"Ehm, the truth? The charred man blew himself up, and now I'd like them to stop killing people." (I)

 

Those two things might not be that related but are still the things I'm concerned about.

 

"And this is exactly what you shouldn't tell them." (Z)

"Huh? Why not?" (I)

"Oh my... Psychology 101. You need to understand how these aberrations are ticking. Changing their rumor isn't just a little thing to them. You're going to manipulate their entire being. It should be more than obvious how they wouldn't want that." (Z)

"Don't you think they'll still listen?" (I)

"Yeah, but not out of the goodness of their killer superstition essence but because you're fucking terrifying. But even this might not cut it. Especially, if you make it appear like you're so soft that they needn’t fear any consequences coming from you. However, right now there's the perfect opportunity presenting itself to us." (Z)

"What are you on about?" (I)

"Do I really have to spell it out to you? Fine, I'll do it. You just killed one of their strongest and fucking annihilated his essence and the very idea about him into nirvana. Gracious oblivion!" (Z)

 

But this isn't true.
I never harmed him... Ehm, except when I was breathing.

 

"But I..." (I)

"...At least that's what we're going to tell them! Seriously, I understand that you don't want to cause harm, well, not really, but I accept it. However, you can at least put up an act as if that would be the case, if you already so conveniently have the chance to avoid making any tough decisions." (Z)

 

Now she almost makes me appear like a bad person.
It's not like I'm only doing stuff that's convenient for me.

 

"Do you really think that's necessary?" (I)

"The only thing the wonders fear more than losing themselves is to stop existing at all. So yes, I do. Just go in there, show them you're the boss, and that by all the great ones they should follow your command if they value their existence." (Z)

 

It sounds all too simple if she says it like this.
Yet Zika's explanation is convincing.
There are worse things to lie about.
It's not like I never did so.
Also, it makes sense.
If fear makes them prone to stop killing people then that's obviously preferable.
It's not like I deem myself as more important in this scenario.
I just value people's lives more, that's all.

 

"Okay, you win. I’ll try it your way." (I)

"Good. And because I know how abysmal your acting skills are, I would suggest that you call up some of your powers to gloss over it. Just enough so that no one will see your stiff face and trembling hands." (Z)

 

Well, there's probably no other way but forward now.
As uncomfortable as I may feel about what's in store for me in there.

Sigh.
Showtime.