A few days after the Takaoka incident, an email arrives on my phone.

“Ayanokōji-kun, I want to properly thank you again for what happened the other day and you remember you promised you’d go out with me sometime?”

The sender seems to be Kanzaki.

“Alright. I was actually just thinking I wanted to see you too, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I think I want to go to the new aquarium that opened recently, what about you, Ayanokōji-kun?”

“I’m fine with that. Then, should we meet in front of the aquarium at 12?”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it♪”

“Don’t raise the bar. I’m not used to going out with girls.”

I finish messaging Kanzaki and decide to start preparing for tomorrow.

* * *

Kanzaki POV

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.

If you asked our classmates about him, they’d probably answer that he’s an ordinary student with a thin presence and nothing in particular that stands out, whether in studying or assassination.

When I first saw him, he was so expressionless I wondered when this person ever smiled.

For a while, being a transfer student did make him a topic of conversation, but even that was swallowed up in the shadow of transfer-student assassins like Ritsu and Itōna-kun.

But my impression now is different.

Since that day on the school trip, he stopped being just a classmate to me.

He showed me to follow the path I believe in, when I was bound by my parents and rules.

I was saved by those words.

And what made that feeling decisive was the Takaoka incident.

Given a chance by the director, Takaoka-sensei stormed into the school after classes to take revenge on us.

By bad luck, I ran into him and was caught.

If, back then, I had killed off a part of myself again, maybe everyone’s precious school building wouldn’t have been lost.

To follow the path you believe in, you need strength and I realized it and I started to hate how powerless I was, unable to do anything.

In the middle of that despair, the one who appeared in front of me was Ayanokōji-kun.

The person in front of me was nothing like his usual quiet atmosphere, he was like a completely different person.

After that, it was fast.

With overwhelming force, he subdued even Takaoka-sensei, someone no one else could handle.

The Ayanokōji-kun who defeated Takaoka-sensei captures me with those inorganic, marble-like eyes.

What was it that I had been feeling for him up until now, if he was someone so different?

Fear, from overwhelming strength?

No.

Arrogance, for having deceived us?

No.

Jealousy, toward his ability?

No.

The feeling I held for him was… admiration.

With so many emotions mixed together, watching Ayanokōji-kun overwhelm Takaoka-sensei, I ended up thinking he was cool.

This is the real Ayanokōji-kun.

Expressionless, calmly and steadily dodging the attacks of the enemy right in front of him.

The same inorganic eyes as always.

Those eyes are unbearably dear to me.

I want to stand beside him.

Just like he understood me, I want to try to understand him too.

I want to see his smile.

If possible, I want him to smile next to me.

* * *

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokōji-kun♪”

“No, I just got here too. It’s the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes, they really suit you.”

“…

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing Kanzaki suddenly turn red right in front of me, I instinctively wonder what’s going on.

“It’s just… I didn’t expect you to say something like that.”

“Ah. After I went out with Hayami before, Ritsu got mad at me, saying it’s impossible not to compliment a girl’s outfit…”

“Ohh, you went out with Rinka-chan.”

“Yeah.”

Somehow, Kanzaki’s voice gets lower and her gaze feels colder, but it’s probably just my imagination.

“The timing’s perfect, want to eat inside?”

“…Okay.”

Together with Kanzaki, who replies with a slightly sulky tone, I head into the aquarium.

* * *

While we eat lunch and chat about class and home, Kanzaki’s expression clouds over.

Looks like there’s something she wants to ask me…

“What is it you want to ask me?”

“Yeah. Why does Ayanokōji-kun do things like hiding his ability from everyone?”

So it’s that kind of topic…

“It’s partly because I simply don’t want to stand out, but… Even if I show my ability, there’s nothing good that comes from it in that class.”

“You mean Koro-sensei will get wary of you?”

“Yeah. The only time I need to show my ability is the instant I kill Koro-sensei.”

“I understand. And then, I have a request… would you let me stay by your side?”

“You mean you want me to train you?”

“…Yeah. This time, I really felt it. To carry through the path I believe in, I need strength.”

“I see. I have been thinking I want to raise the class’s baseline too. If you’re saying that, Kanzaki, I have no reason to refuse.”

“Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun♪ Then after this, let’s go around to lots of places and I want to hear more details about Rinka-chan too♪”

“Give me a break…”

After that, we watched the dolphin show, did a penguin name-guessing quiz and fully enjoyed the aquarium.

At the end, we head into a dim area to see the jellyfish.

“Hey, Ayanokōji-kun, wasn’t today fun?”

“It was. It was full of first-time experiences, I had a lot of fun.”

“But even so, you didn’t smile even once today. Not just today, I’ve never seen you smiling in the classroom either…”

“…That might be true. I probably won’t be able to truly smile from the bottom of my heart from now on.”

“Is that related to Ayanokōji-kun’s home environment?”

“Yeah. I can’t talk about the details.”

“I see… but I want you to remember just this. Just like you saved me, I want to save you too. So from now on, I’ll stay by your side as much as I can, Kiyotaka-kun.”

“Are you going to change me?”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant♪”

Saying that, Kanzaki shows me a dazzling smile.

Paired with the jellyfish floating behind her, the scene was fantastically beautiful.

“No one’s ever said something like that to me before… I’m praying your wish comes true too.”

The distance between me and Kanzaki definitely closed by one more step.

But to truly understand me, how many more steps will Kanzaki need to take…

The distance between her and me is that far and that steep.

Still, if I can, I’ll wish for it.

That someone will save me from this deep darkness.

And make me human.

* * *

Kanzaki → Wants to be by my side
Kanzaki ← I accepted her resolve