Weeks passed after the Crescent Stadium Disaster with still no sign of Hiasaka Natsu. The rubble had long been cleared, and the whole thing was totaled up to "An Unnatural Phenomenon that Would Baffle Geologists for Years to Come" and ultimately dropped once a political scandal conveniently came to light. A day after my dreamy encounter with my past self, I was released from the hospital and returned home. Without Yui and Mother at home, it was disturbingly quiet.

  When Yui finally came home a few days later, the house hardly changed, which was surprising. She became engrossed in college prep, and since the student council elections were underway, she was more removed from school than I had ever seen her. It was next to impossible to talk to her about what had happened while I was out. One evening, we were finally able to share a dinner together.

  "Hey, sis," I asked, pushing around my rice omelette. "There's something that's been bothering me."

  She pulled away from her text book and glanced at me over it. "What is it, Zuzu?"

  "When we were in Bedford Hospital, you were really unstable. Like, you could barely move without mom's help. What happened at the stadium?"

  She cocked her head to the side like I was speaking a different language.

  "Sis," I could feel my voice growing more stern. "You know about my ability. There are others with their own — strength, speed, even luck. One of them caused that earthquake, and we were trying to stop them."

  "We?" She jumped in. "You and your friends again?"

  "That's not important right now. I was unconscious before it started, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital. Only three people that I know of could have gotten me out. One... Well, I'm almost positive it wasn't him, and another said that the last one and I were already gone before the stadium came down."

  "Zuzu..." she finally sighed. "All I wanted was to keep you safe... is that a crime?"

  "No, but it was you? You knew?"

  "Not really, that day was the first time I had ever done anything like that. When the earthquake started, a boy just appeared at the aid station I was trying to help at. His guts were spilling out, and he was clearly delirious; however, he kept calling for Ishigami and reaching for the stadium."

  Yamato, I think you may have saved my life.

  "Something in me burned, and I thought the worst," she continued. "I ran as fast as I could towards the stadium. My only thought was protecting you. I didn't notice how fast I got there, nor did I notice how much my legs hurt carrying you back. I didn't even notice the other person lying on the ground with you until I thought about it later. Nothing mattered except your safety. Once I was sure that you were safe at the hospital, I collapsed too.

  "I woke up to the same thing that you probably did, a white room all alone. I scrambled to find you and eventually did. Your peaceful sleeping face assured me that everything was okay, and I felt weak again. As often as I could, I made my way to your room to check on you until almost three days later, you finally woke up. I'm sorry, Zuzu."

  What the hell is her ability? Physical enhancement like Denki? Some sort of adrenaline rush? She focused on me and was able to outrun Nina? It makes no sense... Then again, hardly anything has recently.

  "It's okay, Sis," I finally smiled. "I guess you really are obsessed with protecting me like you used to."

  "No one else will..." she almost mumbled as she lifted her book back over her eyes.

  The rest of dinner was quiet. Either she had forgotten what was coming, or she was too focused on her studies to realize it. We went back to living our separate lives with the occasional obsessive moments. The ides of March came, and with it came the anniversary of my birth.

  * * * * *

  It had just happened a week before when I first jumped back, so I hardly remember much about how that specific day went. If it was anything like the ones that I remembered, it was spent with family and food. Chocolate drizzled tarts, homemade crepes, enough sweets to send some into a coma. This one, however, brought a heavy air.

  Natsu was still missing, and Nina grew more distraught by the day. Despite what I wanted — to spend the day with either my family or Chika — I told myself I would continue to help her look for him. When I finally was released from my doctor-ordered bed rest following my stay in the hospital, I returned to school and found more of the aftermath of the Disaster.

  The competition had been declared concluded shortly before the tremors began, at least that was what the official statement from the Mayor's Office held. Even without the individual events, Makarov Academy firmly secured first place leaving Toriyama High in second and Himoru Women's Academy tied for third with their partner school.

  No real surprise there. The Prestige Program forced us into outside clubs in addition to everything else. To others, we likely just seemed like gifted athletes.

  "Yo, Kazuma," a cheerful voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  I turned back to see Denki and Kaori a few steps behind me.

  "Hey guys," I returned with a smile.

  "It's good to see you back at school, buddy," Denki wrapped his arm around my neck. "It wasn't the same when you were in the hospital."

  "Yeah, I've had to actually try to pay attention in class," Kaori added. "Hiro is smart, but he isn't as good of a teacher as you."

  "I'm glad I was so missed by everyone," I sarcastically replied in between Denki's swaying. "How has everything been since then?"

  "Extra boring," Kaori answered almost instantly. Denki, however, remained silent. He gave me a look that seemed to say 'we'll talk later.'

  The three of us walked into class. The spring air filled the room, and the blooming trees outside painted the windows a pink and lilac medley. The light that danced on the walls made it seem like I had walked into a professional's painting. Everything around me had a glow to it, even the paper airplane that hit my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw its sender wearing her childish smile.

  "Enjoy your nap, sleepy head?" Chika smirked.

  "Well enough," I replied with a similar grin. "Hospital pillows are hardly comparable to a girl's lap, but other than that, no complaints."

  Her smirk became a nervous and embarrassed half-smile as her face began flushing red. Kaori hung around her neck, poking her face and acting like she had touched hot metal. Denki nudged my ribs with a laugh.

  So this is what it feels like to be on this side of the teasing.

  My first day back went by smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it could. Lunchtime was almost underwhelming since I had been spoiled by both Ino's cooking at the competition and high-end hospital meals afterwards. The student council meeting covered dealings with the election and the upcoming festival. Throughout the meeting, Nina seemed on edge, not that I blamed her. After the meeting adjourned, I caught up with her by the school's main entrance.

  "I'm going back to the stadium tomorrow," she said in a concerning voice. "Maybe there's something I missed, some clue that'll point to where the dumbass went."

  "I'll join you," I said. "Between the two of us, we can do at least a day's worth of searching in an afternoon."

  "Yeah," she agreed as she turned to leave.

  "I'll walk with you, just give me a minute to change my shoes." I turned to my locker, but as I unlocked it, I felt a sudden gust and heard papers rustle. When I turned back, she was gone.

  Sigh. Maybe she does hate me after all.

  "Oh? Kazuma, you're still here," I heard from behind me. I turned back to see Kaori walking down the stairs. "I just finished with my duty, wanna walk home together?"

  "Sure."

  The days were growing longer, so there was more light in the sky than in previous months. Even with the sun still out, the temperatures dropped as it fell from the sky. The aromas of the season filled the air as they had in autumn and winter: honey, lavender, and young grass graced our noses as we walked.

  "I hope we find something that'll point us to Natsu tomorrow," I thought out loud.

  "You and Nina are going searching again?"

  "Yeah," I chuckled. "What better way to spend my birthday than with someone who is getting more and more distressed by grief and hated me to begin with?"

  "Tomorrow's your birthday?" She leaned in with curiosity. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

  "Well, I sort of already decided that I'd do something with everyone after the fact since it's a school day."

  "You shouldn't have to put it off, you know." She spun around in front of me. "Minor confession time: I overheard the two of you talking before I walked down. I'll be honest, it doesn't seem like she's excited about tomorrow."

  "What makes you say that?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

  "You're a guy, so you probably wouldn't get the complexities of a girl's response. Just trust me, the way she said 'yeah' and took off; yeah, no. She wants to go alone."

  "That doesn't make any sense; why not just say so then?"

  "Look," she locked eyes with me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "You've been working so hard since the semester began. Knowing you, you'll be working hard during the festival too."

  I mean, she's not wrong. I have been working a lot.

  "You deserve a break, especially on your birthday. You should spend it with me."

  I should spend it with her.

  "I guess that makes sense. Sure, I'll be in your hands."

  To that, she gave a big smile, and we continued on our way. At the subway, we hopped on separate lines and continued on our own. The rest of my journey and arrival home were quiet. The silence was welcomed: even after the Disaster, I still had random moments of buzzing or humming.

  * * * * *

  The sky was dotted with clouds after school. My afternoon was free of tutoring or a meeting to attend, so when class was over, I got my things and waited by the shoe lockers. I felt oddly relaxed, like I did deserve this time off. Kaori made her appearance, and we started towards the shopping district. It felt oddly reminiscent of when she and Ino dragged me along.

  Something seemed familiar about the way we spent the afternoon. We went to see a movie — a period piece I chose at the last minute because it had an actor that I admired. Again, we stopped at the same cafe as before; she ordered the same cappuccino and tart plate before, and I also gave into the habit with my black coffee. Most of the conversation bounced between school and the movie.

  "It really sucks about Crescent Stadium," she suddenly changed the subject.

  "Yeah," I looked down to my coffee. "I wish I could have done more."

  "Hey," she put her hand over mine. "You did everything you could. None of us would have made it out without you, and you even saved that Makarov girl. I'd say that qualifies you as a hero in my book."

  I stopped for a second and glanced up at her. She gave a smile, and we finished our meal. The topic of the Disaster and what surrounded it didn't come back up. Again, we went our separate ways at the subway. Again, I went home in silence. It ended when I opened the door to my house.

  "Happy birthday, Zuzu!" Yui pounced on me.

  "Thanks, sis."

  "Happy birthday, sweetie," Mother said as she brought a small cake from the kitchen.

  The three of us enjoyed the remainder of the evening. The rest of the day and the days prior seemed to melt away in those moments of peace. As I laid in my bed that night, a new question formed in my head:

  Did I make the right decision that day in saving Number 12?