1

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Aww, you're no fun. Come on, Kazuki. Just a few minutes won't hurt. It's been so long since you've come here, and I'm sure Miki will be overjoyed. Right?"

Mrs. Amagi winked at her daughter who responded with a tame, almost hesitant nod.

Before Kazuki had the chance to respond, he felt his arm being pulled, and in he went.

"Don't be in such a hurry. You know how long Miki's been wanting to have one of the old home dates again?" the mother slyly whispered.

"Mom!"

"Why don't you bring Hikari one of these days, too? Just like the good old days," the mom continued cheerfully.

Kazuki was the one more embarrassed at how doting Mrs. Amagi was being. Yet, he continued walking to through the corridor, passing by the dining table, where Mr. Amagi was finishing his cup of coffee. The stocky man raised an eyebrow the moment he saw them passing by.

"Oh, if it isn't Kazuki!" he called in a jolly tone.

"G-good evening, sir!"

He allowed himself to be escorted to the spacious living room, where Mrs. Amagi led him to a sofa. There, he looked at the stairs and the decorative ornaments all over the living room, which was almost as big as half his place.

It's been a long time since he's been here, and being under the cozy warm lights brought him back to those middle school years.

The large house amazed him before, and years later, it did so again.

"Have a seat, you two. Now, you wait while I get something."

"O-okay."

Kazuki calmly sat while the brunette sat beside him.

"Amagi, you have an idea what that is?" he asked her.

She remained silent, but Kazuki can clearly see a pink tinge under her cheeks.

Understandable. Neither of them probably had any idea that he would be coerced into a sudden house visit. They let the awkward silence continue and did not speak a single word.

"Ta-da!" Mrs. Amagi broke the silence by running back with a tray.

Kazuki was the first to raise his gaze, having smelled the fragrance coming a mile away.

"Mom?! When did you?" Amagi responded, her voice implying shock at the sight of the tray of cookies.

"Weellll, you've been telling me what Kazuki likes, so I went ahead and prepared it ahead of time. You told me about wanting to try this new flavor, so I decided to put my own spin in it."

"Y-yeah, but why?"

"I've been seeing so sad for the couple of days, and I wanted to cheer you up somehow. And I know you always feel so good whenever you go out with Kazuki, sooo..."

The young woman snickered, seemingly unaware of her daughter's current dilemma. She obliviously put the tray on the table that both teenagers sat beside.

"So, why don't you do the honors and feed Kazuki like you always did when we first came here?"

"T-that's..." Kazuki began to react when his childhood friend stood up.

"Y-you're embarrassing me, Mom!"

"Ehh? But you've been talking about wanting to be there for him and—"

Miki Amagi exhaled, sucking the air out of the living room.

"I.... I'm going up!"

With clenched fists, Miki ran up the stairs, presumably to her room. Left alone, Kazuki and Mrs. Amagi blinked and looked at each other awkwardly.

Mrs. Amagi sighed, putting one of the cookies into her mouth with a satisfied look.

"Mmmm. Delicious."

She continued chewing, but her gaze slowly went up towards the stairs. Then, she stopped.

"She's been like this the past few days. Has she been like that at school, too?"

"Um... I think she's fine," Kazuki lied.

"I figured. Something happened, and I can't quite get to her. It's frustrating, you know? She's always been so open and honest in her thoughts."

"I can see that."

"Yeah, but do you want to know what she's been saying?" the mother swallowed her cookie before flashing a smile at Kazuki. "Where do I get to start? Hmm... maybe when she started getting jealous of that transfer student before becoming friends with her?"

"I-it's okay. I respect her privacy."

"Is that so? But a guy deserves to know everything about his future wife, right?"

"W-w-what are you implying?!"

Mrs. Amagi only responded with one of the widest grins he had seen recently. Feeling awkward, he grabbed the tray of cookies and stood up.

"Mind if I take these up? Will Amagi mind if I go to her room with these?"

A pout appeared on Mrs. Amagi's face.

"There you go again with your super formal way of talking. Why don't you relax a bit and stop being so stiff, geez? Who calls their childhood friend by their surname, anyway?"

"S-sorry," apologized Kazuki, having felt a surprisingly dark aura from the pouty gaze of the mother.

"Suit yourself, Kazuki. Just make sure to take good care of Miki, alright? If she's not ready to open up and let me help her, perhaps you can do the trick. There's no one else she trusts more than you, in case you didn't know."

"That's reassuring. Okay, I'll do my best."

He gave a bow before feeling the brunt of a light slap on the back of his head.

"Stop being so stiff!" whined Mrs. Amagi.

"O-okay, Miss."

2

With the tray on his hand, Kazuki took a deep breath. Staring him down was a door with an admittedly cute clover nametag.

He knocked on the door.

No reply.

He did so again, and the door creaked open.

"Amagi..."

Before he can proceed, the brunette opened the door wider, allowing him to step in. Without stepping in, what he saw amazed him, nearly causing him to drop the tray of cookies.

Large, framed posters were plastered on her room. Those depicted many characters from his and Shiki's favorite game, the Eternal Fighter series. On her shelf were manga that Kazuki could recognize from afar thanks to looking at the spine.

Most striking among the paraphernalia was a waterproof poster depicting a pair of teenagers: a rapier-wielding girl that exuded an air of grace and her partner-in-crime, the hoodie-wearing boy with messy, silvery hair.

"W-wait, that's... When did you get all that? And that one's limited edition!" he excitedly pointed at the said poster with his free hand. "You can only get that by buying one of the first edition releases of the first Twilight of Nemesis volume, and..."

He failed to stop himself, and it was seeing Amagi's flustered face that brought him a sudden wave of self-consciousness.

"S-sorry about that..." he awkwardly paused before setting the tray of cookies on Amagi's unoccupied table.

"No problem, Arata."

Amagi flashed a smile before sitting on her bed with a soft plop.

Kazuki was more surprised than anything. It was his first time in Miki Amagi's room, and he had to restrain himself from showing out his enthusiastic side.

When did she get an interest in these things? He wondered so before noticing the awkward silence.

He hurriedly grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite out of it.

"Mmmm... These are really good, Amagi. You sure know my favorites, huh?" he chuckled.

"What are you saying?"

"I just said these are good. I see where you got those baking skills from."

"Arata, I know you're just trying to start a conversation. What is it, and what did mom tell you?"

Finishing his cookie, Kazuki sat down beside her.

"Your mom looked so down a while ago. She did not say much, but I can see it with the way she talked."

Hearing that, Amagi dropped to her bed, laying prone.

"Well... she did say a bit of things, but that's beside the point. Even she can tell that something is wrong, and I know you felt embarrassed and all, but she's looking out for you."

"I know that, Arata!"

Kazuki flinched for a moment before Amagi, having buried her head in her pillow in the process, looked at him.

"But what am I supposed to do?" she solemnly started. "Can I just tell her about the whole Awakener business now? For so long, I have been lying to go out with you and Uehara to investigate Fragments and defeat Nullities."

"... No."

"So what am I supposed to do, Arata? Especially now that I have realized the void that Uehara left. Someone's got to pick up the slack, and it's getting harder and harder to see their concerned faces."

Kazuki did not know what to answer. All he could do was look at the sadness in the face of his childhood friend.

"Do you know how much it hurts? Not being able to share part of yourself to people who want nothing but the best for you? After all they've done? Have you ever thought of what would happen if something were to happen to us?"

"I haven't actually thought about it. Maybe we'll end up as one of the missing people."

"That's why I want this whole Magna Arbiter business done already."

Kazuki found his hand reaching out.

It hovered for a moment above her head, and he stared, noticing her trembling form. She hugged her pillow tighter, tight as if she could hide everything behind it. This was a part of his friend that he had never seen before.

He caressed her brunette hair as he opened his mouth to talk.

"You don't have to explain everything," he said, struggling to find the words needed. "I also feel the same way."

How long had he been pretending that those were just "nights out with friends?" That everything will be fine. That they're invincible heroes, and dangers never threatened them. Nothing could kill them... and take him away from his sister.

Fujiwara was supposed to be a lesson, but assuming Uehara really did bite it...

He shook his head. That's not what they've talked about. They've resolved to reunite with her, and those negative thoughts had no place in his, or anyone's, mind.

"It hurts to lie to Hikari, too."

Amagi lowered her head, and her voice trembled. "I-it's not just that..."

Her hands balled into fists.

"I can't imagine not being strong enough. What happens if I'm not strong enough to stay alive? What happens if I cannot protect you, to keep us all from dying? What happens if we're left with grieving families? The only way to prevent that is to be stronger, but what if I can't be as strong as her?"

Her head snapped up, and she glared right back.

Kazuki stared back, seeing tears at the corners of her eyes. Blankly, memories came rolling back into his mind. Memories of that fateful night.

His free hand touched his chest, triggering the phantom pain of the first encounter with that world.

The initial stab that led to his encounter with Uehara... and his second chance at life. What if he wasn't saved? How would Hikari react?

Yet, none of those 'what if's' were reality. That's why he had to focus on the now, to not give up the search for Uehara and the Magna Arbiter's remnants. That's why he needed to have faith for them all, and that is why he and the rest of the team had to break free from their doubts and give their all.

He touched Amagi on her back, and while she gasped, everything stood in silence. She leaned close to Kazuki, and despite being shocked at first, he simply let the brunette bury her face into his body, indulging in the sound of her beating heart.

"I finally get it now," he murmured. "This whole time, you felt that with Uehara leaving us, someone needed to take charge. And since none of us seem to be that kind of person, you took it upon yourself. That's why you feel like you're about to collapse under the pressure to the point where you can't even keep up the façade towards your parents anymore."

"I-It's not that! It's.... It's..."

"These past few months, I have come to understand that all of us have our roles to fulfill. And it's perfect that way. Well, you know..."

He patted her hair. His gaze met her flustered expression, and he found himself averting his eyes. Yet, he held her.

"You're special in your own way, Amagi. You've always had that understanding attitude, a patience that frankly some people don't deserve, if I'm being honest. Remember Tenka Peak? Or the Fragment in Samsara? I think everyone, especially Shizaki, would agree that you're very important as... If we're talking fictional tropes, it's... um..." he scratched his cheek awkwardly. "You know, the heart of the team, so to speak?"

He wasn't sure whether that came out as beautifully as he would have wanted. More likely, it was some embarrassing and jumbled mess, coming from him. Still, it did not matter. He would shoulder all the embarrassment for the moment and help her be strong.

It's the least he can do for her, who had to pick up the slack for so long.

"You don't have to be who you're not. After all, we all believe that Uehara's still out there, right? You don't need to replace her because she'll be back, and we'll be whole again," he said. "That's why we need to be strong. Take things urgently but not recklessly, and keep the team whole for the big reunion."

Amagi's lips quivered, but she pursed them before she could speak.

"I don't know how reassuring it may be, but aren't you the one who always calmed me down? Telling me not to overthink things? I think it's about time I do the same for you. If you're finding it hard and overwhelming, I'll take the lead in our quest so you don't have to. Once you get your mind in the right place, we'll get to the bottom of this mess and stop Euphoria for good. Until then, I'll always be here, ready to give back for all the support you've given me."

She shifted her position and glanced back at him, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Only until then?"

"A-a-ah, not really, that's not what I mean!" hurriedly corrected Kazuki, realizing the mistakes from his choice of words.

To his relief, Amagi finally chuckled. Her expression brightened as she laughed.

"That's so like you, Arata," she said, sighing in relief.

This was the childhood friend that he knew. The Miki Amagi who deserved to be herself.

"Maybe you didn't do it perfectly, but mhmmm, thanks to you, I think I feel a lot better now."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Kazuki exhaled, and it was his turn to awkwardly slump down her bed. Staring at the ceiling, it finally dawned on him.

He's actually alone in a girl's room. Of his childhood friend, to boot.

It's a first, and that realization stunned him.

"Your face is red, Arata."

"D-don't mind it!" he interrupted, hurrying to where the cookies were. "Why don't we eat before I go home?"

"Great idea."

Time passed as they ate and chatted a bit about things, mostly Kazuki's hobbies and how long Amagi had been collecting those memorabilia. Then, the topic shifted to how Uehara had been observing his preferences, so the two girls had been talking about his favorite characters and the like.

Things that Kazuki already knew, fortunately. It did make him a bit uncomfortable, but it's better than nothing.

With the tray finished, Kazuki looked at the time. Almost an hour had passed, and he quickly reached for his mobile phone.

"Thanks for the time, Arata. I'm sorry I held you up here."

"It's okay. I'm sure Hikari would understand if I told her what I did."

"Oh, sorry! Didn't know that you had something big planned."

"Hikari prepares those big feasts all the time anyway. It's just that today, we have a special guest coming in."

"Ohhh... Who is it?"

"Erm... Just a friend of hers. Ms. Sadohara hasn't told you about it?"

She shook her head but did not bother asking further. Instead, she got up the bed in order to put the tray back to the table. Meanwhile, Kazuki was left waiting for his sister to pick up.

The phone rang. Over and over again.

No answer.

He redialed the number.

Still no answer.

His grip on the phone tightened as the air was sucked out of the room.

This had never happened before. Something could have happened, and numerous scenarios ran in his mind. What could have happened to the two?

Noticing his expression, Amagi curiously asked, "What's wrong?"

"Hikari's not picking up!"

"T-that's..."

Kazuki got up to his feet before staring at her. "I gotta hurry back. Something could have happened, but I don't want you to worry about me. Rest up, okay?"

Without giving her a chance to reply, he stormed out of the room, running into Mrs. Amagi in the process.

"Oh, Kazuki!"

With her suspiciously leaning close to the wall, he could tell that she was eavesdropping, but none of that mattered. Especially at a time like this.

His heart raced along with his feet as he ran down the stairs and out of the Amagi residence.