Sakurai Saki yawned, slumping slightly in the passenger seat of Minamoto Mashiro's car.Another all-nighter loomed ahead.Even if he wanted to, he couldn't just copy someone's homework in the morning. He still tried to do it himself—out of stubbornness, if nothing else.
"Saki-kun~ what were you two talking about just now?"The beautiful woman casually started the engine, glancing sideways at him.She'd seen him and Ichika talking for quite a while through the car window.
"We talked about my job," he replied plainly.
"A rental boyfriend? How did she know?" Mashiro chuckled lightly, clearly entertained.
"I don't know. Maybe I told her myself," Sakurai Saki said.
And it wasn't a lie.
He had sensed something was off since Tuesday.
It started as a vague itch in the back of his mind. The kind you can't scratch. Something just wasn't right.
Then came the memory.
The deck of 52 cards.Only 52. Not 54. That alone told him enough.
[Existence Erasure]—his first awakened Superpower.
Sakurai Saki understood only the basics of its operation: the trigger condition, the surface effect.But its full scope? The depth of what it could really do? That was still uncharted territory.
He hadn't yet deciphered the price it demanded. The side effects. The hidden corners of the power he'd so casually tapped into.
And then there was the matter of the tutoring.
Yes, his job as a rental boyfriend was technically true. But Shiragane's message had mentioned something strange: that he had an unpleasant tutoring experience, which was why he didn't plan to return?
That didn't line up.
He recalled May's misunderstanding back when he visited the Nakano house before school officially started. But he hadn't explained it at the time—after all, being a rental boyfriend wasn't exactly a badge of honor.
Ai-chan had said it best: it was a job that required him to smile and please clients. A façade. A performance.
He avoided mentioning it unless he absolutely had to. Only when misunderstood—and not insulted—would he take the time to explain.
If someone was willing to listen, he could usually clear things up in under five minutes.
But something didn't sit right.
Ichika knew about my job but still gave me a cold shoulder? What does that mean?Sakurai Saki tried to recall the conversation—but the memory shimmered like heat on asphalt. It felt like it had been tampered with. Distorted.
Something had happened.Something that he wasn't aware of.Something that had been erased.
Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, May…
"…What about Two?"
His thoughts hit a wall, then froze.
Two?His eyes widened.
Why had he never questioned that?
Four girls… labeled as 1, 3, 4, and 5?What kind of logic was that?
Skipping number two made no sense—unless… there had been a Two.And he had simply forgotten.
That realization hit him like a thunderclap.
"Saki-kun, what are you thinking about?"Minamoto Mashiro's voice brought him back to the present.
She had stopped the car and was now watching him closely."Is something wrong? You can tell your older sister, you know."
"I was just wondering if I missed something…"He let the sentence trail off, not lying, but not offering the whole truth either.
Because now he understood:To counter the side effect of his ability, he didn't need to lie.He just needed to be selective.
After all, the most dangerous lies are built entirely from truth.
When you separate them, each part is correct.But woven together, they form a deception.
Mashiro laughed. "Did you forget your school bag or your homework?"
Then, in a more teasing tone:"Oh, that's right—tomorrow's the weekend~ Saki-kun, do you want to come over and play at your older sister's place?"
Her words struck him unexpectedly.
That's right… it's the weekend tomorrow.
So why had he felt like he needed to go to school?
Like he'd missed a day entirely.
A day erased.
The car eased back onto the road.
"If I have time, I'll come by," he murmured, his eyes drifting toward the window.
That's when he saw it.
A vending machine.
And just like that, a memory clicked into place.
Tuesday. The girl I brought home.
The one who said she'd leave the next day.
Had she left? She probably had.He couldn't even remember if she'd thanked him. Couldn't remember her name. Couldn't… quite remember her face.
Only her hair remained in his mind.
Long, flowing hair. A very familiar style.
"...!!!!"
His heartbeat surged.
Sakurai Saki stared at his hands.
Thoughts collided, like cards shuffled too quickly to count.
He had used his Superpower—that Superpower—on someone normal.
A girl.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Was she a Nakano?
Had he erased her? Had she been… "Two"?
Superpower [Anchor]—Law One:Never harm others without just cause.No using powers to arbitrarily kill or erase innocent lives.
And today… he hadn't broken that rule.The guy who threatened him had deserved it.He'd verified the truth of the threat himself. Every word the man spoke had rung true.
But her?
That girl?
She hadn't been aggressive. Just a little withdrawn. Just… quiet.
Did I use my ability on her without realizing? Was it an accident? Did I lose control because I didn't know how the trigger worked?
Sakurai Saki wasn't someone who regretted easily.But if he had truly made a mistake—if he had erased someone who didn't deserve it—then he would take responsibility.
He would make it right.
Somehow.
Her timid demeanor didn't match someone who could insult or attack him.
Or… was she just scared by the effects of my ability?
When it came to anything related to superpowers, Sakurai Saki's mind worked fast. Patterns, logic, effects—they lined up like falling dominoes.
"She couldn't be observed—that's why she was wandering near the convenience store so late at night.""She couldn't be observed—that's why she clung to me, completely dependent.""She couldn't be observed—that's why she kept saying I was the only one left in her world.""And yesterday… when she recognized me—was she scared that I would recognize her too?"
Sakurai Saki exhaled slowly.
So my guess about Stockholm Syndrome… wasn't exactly wrong after all?
And then there was another detail that stood out—he seemed to be immune to some of the ability's effects. That alone changed the stakes.
He opened his eyes, face shadowed with conflict.
If he couldn't even confirm what had really happened between them, should he go looking for her?
If there was no animosity, and this was just the result of his out-of-control power, then she was innocent.But if there was animosity, and he had saved her… how should that be counted?
Damn it. This is such a mess…
When he got home and parted ways with Minamoto Mashiro, Sakurai Saki quietly slipped into his apartment.
At the entrance, he switched shoes, gaze drifting toward the living room.No one there.
Even after changing, he still didn't see that familiar figure.If not for the faint, fading memory, he might have forgotten he'd brought someone home at all.
After stowing his bag, he wandered to the dining area.
Some of the food was gone. The bento he'd packed this morning—completely eaten. The box had even been washed and neatly placed to dry.
So she really was here today...
He returned to his bedroom and opened the drawer of his bedside table. Inside was a single letter.
Yakumo Bai's confession letter.
The catalyst that allowed her to appear in his world.
The moment his fingers touched the envelope, a faint blue shimmer lit up his eyes.
He turned his head.
As expected—Yakumo Bai was behind him, floating silently in the air.That explained the dull flavor during lunch. She'd been there the whole time.
"Sakura-kun!! Long time no see!!" Yakumo Bai cheered, circling around him a few times like an excited puppy before leaning onto his back.
With her cheek pressed against his, Sakurai Saki calmly asked,"This morning—did you notice anything strange about that girl?"
Without missing a beat, Yakumo Bai answered:
"Her connection with the world is getting stronger! I think in a few more days, she'll be able to live normally again!"
Sakurai Saki nodded, absorbing the information.
So I don't have to do anything reckless. Just wait a few days, and the effect will fade.
He'd gotten his answer.
Just then, the white-haired ghost tugged on his shoulder.
"Sakura-kun!! I'm soooo hungry!! Will you make me something? Pleeease? I want hamburger steak~"
Sakurai Saki's eyelids were already drooping.
"I'm going to bed. Let's talk tomorrow."
He released the letter.
Yakumo Bai vanished.
He was too exhausted to even make instant noodles, let alone hamburger steak.The earlier emotional strain—and the mini-earthquake of realization—had drained the last of his mental energy.
Finally, finally… maybe tonight, he could get some real sleep.