Chapter 442: She Must Be Waiting Somewhere
Chapter 442: She Must Be Waiting Somewhere
Akiko hadn’t come back that night either.
On the phone, Imouto’s explanation stammered and hesitated, but because Himekoji’s mind was completely packed with other things, he didn’t notice any of it.
So, just like yesterday, he was alone in the house once more.
Himekoji sat on the edge of the bed.
The room was dark without lights, only the weak glow from his phone screen.
The emails he sent to Rikka felt like stones thrown into the sea, with no reply.
When he called, the number turned out to be invalid.
Himekoji’s expression darkened without him realizing it.
Such a strange event made it hard for him not to link it to the System.
However, after calling out to the System in his mind many times, he still got no reply.
Agitated, he fell backwards onto the bed, his gaze vacant as he stared at the ceiling.
Right above him, he remembered, the Takanashi sisters used to live just one floor away.
But after school when he went looking, he found the apartment empty. He asked neighbors, and they all said the place had been vacant for more than half a year, without any tenants.
Yet, he had visited Rikka’s home just last month!
He’d been warmly welcomed by Rikka’s sister.
In short, everything connected to Takanashi Rikka seemed like it had been forcibly wiped away by some unseen hand.
Himekoji had promised Hanjo Ayame he would find Rikka, but even now, he had no leads at all.
Suddenly, a “beep” sounded.
It was his phone’s new message alert!
Himekoji rolled over and sat up fast. Thinking his email to Rikka had finally gotten a reply, he snatched the phone into his hand.
However, the sender wasn’t Rikka. It was Hanjo Ayame.
To stay in contact about this matter, Hanjo Ayame had specifically exchanged email addresses with Himekoji when she left the Service Club.
The email asked if Himekoji had any news about Rikka. The words were full of worry.
Himekoji’s worry wasn’t really any less than Hanjo Ayame’s, but he forced himself to perk up. He used positive, optimistic words to reassure her, then put the phone down.
【Hm?】
Then, in that instant, he heard the System’s soft, puzzled sound in his mind.
“You’re awake?!”
Himekoji reacted immediately,
“You’re finally awake! What’s going on? Was it you? Did you make Rikka disappear? Did you change the world’s setting?”
He had too many questions. Himekoji blurted out all his confusion urgently.
【No. It wasn’t me.】
After answering Himekoji, the System fell silent for a moment, seeming to think about something.
“Not you? How is that possible?”
Himekoji couldn’t think of anyone besides the System capable of such things that defied common sense.
【Weird…】
The System didn’t answer Himekoji’s anxious questions. Instead, it murmured to itself.
He was the one who should think things were weird!
But he felt the System wasn’t lying. There was no need.
Himekoji had to keep asking.
“What’s weird?”
【Her… This one called Hanjo Ayame… she actually remembers too?】
“People forgetting is what’s really weird!”
Even though Himekoji had nearly forgotten himself –
“Rikka really exists, right? So… what happened, exactly?”
Making him lose all memory about Rikka, making everyone lose all memory about Rikka, wiping every trace Rikka ever left in this world clean away.
It felt even crueler than killing someone!
The image kept in other people’s memories… that was supposed to be something precious.
【Don’t ask.】
The System’s answer was just that.
【Don’t think about it either. Don’t follow up on this matter anymore.】
After a pause, it added this sentence.
“What did you say?”
Himekoji almost thought he’d misheard.
【Remember, this is for your own good.】
The System’s voice held a rare touch of seriousness,
【Alright, I must go back to sleep quickly now. Please speed up the energy collection if you can.】
The words were polite, but Himekoji still sensed an urgency unique to the System in them.
But Himekoji couldn’t bother with that now.
He had to find Rikka, he must find Rikka. That was the only thought in his head.
“You just woke up! Don’t rush to sleep! Explain things first! Hey! Hey!”
After those few short lines, the System vanished. No matter how loudly Himekoji shouted in his mind, there was no response.
“Dammit!”
Himekoji hit the bed board furiously.
Although the System said both events weren’t its doing, from its behavior, it definitely knew something.
But as long as it refused to talk, Himekoji was powerless.
Could he find Rikka without the System’s help?
A wave of discouragement flashed through his mind.
Luckily, the next moment, Himekoji pushed his doubts aside.
He would find Rikka, even without the System’s help!
Because, ever since the memories of Rikka came back, he’s always had a feeling –
Rikka must be waiting somewhere, needing rescue.
And especially now, this feeling was getting stronger and stronger!
So, he must find Rikka. Must!
As for what the System said about “don’t ask, don’t think”?
How could Himekoji possibly achieve that?
Even if the System claimed it was for his own good.
But the System never truly understood what Himekoji really wanted.
For his own good?
To Himekoji—
What exactly was good? What was bad?
…
The third day after accepting the request.
The third day of searching for Rikka.
Service Club.
“I thoroughly checked the first-year student roster again. Just like before, there’s no ‘Takanashi Rikka’ listed,” Hikigaya reported calmly.
“Is that so…”
Yuigahama lightly bit her lip, a tiny sigh escaping through her teeth. She stole a glance at Hanjo Ayame, seeing the disappointment and loss on the other girl’s face only made her worry more.
“But—”
Hikigaya paused here, seeming hesitant about whether to say what came next.
“But what? Hikki, hurry up! Stop leaving us hanging!” Hikigaya’s ‘but’ instantly rekindled Yuigahama’s hope, and she hurriedly urged him on.
Hikigaya thought for a small moment before finally continuing,
“But, there is one rather unusual thing on Class 1-B’s roster.” As Hikigaya said this, he pulled out the roster. Yuigahama immediately couldn’t help but crowd closer. Hanjo Ayame and Himekoji were equally unable to stay seated.
“Look, Class B only has forty students. That should fit on one page, but they used two.”
“Huh? Th-this… is that a big deal?” Yuigahama wasn’t quite clear why this alone deserved such a serious mention.
Seeing this, Hikigaya had to shake his head patiently and explain,
“Our school’s roster format has always followed one rule: if there are fewer than forty people, they use a smaller font size to fit all names on one page. If there are more than forty, they use larger font and split the list onto two pages.”
“Eh? Why?”
Yuigahama’s rampant curiosity kicked in again.
“How should I know? Maybe for looks?” Hikigaya could only roll his eyes and answer fully.
“How is that more appealing!” Yuigahama seemed unconvinced.
“Alright, you’re focusing on the wrong thing!” Hikigaya retorted helplessly.
Himekoji took the roster from Hikigaya and examined it for a moment. He then stated his own judgment.
“…It’s like Rikka’s name was forcibly struck off.”
“Yes, yes! Exactly!” Hanjo Ayame nodded in agreement beside him, her face alight with hope.
“But it’s just a guess, okay? A guess! Maybe the staff member printing the list made a mistake? Actually, I think that possibility is way more likely. After all, the staff at our school, especially some ‘representative figure’, are famously careless with small details.” Though this felt like pouring cold water on Himekoji and Hanjo Ayame’s hope, Hikigaya was more loyal to his own reasoning.
“Who are you saying is famously careless?”
No sooner were the words out of Hikigaya’s mouth than a knuckle flick landed smartly on his forehead.
Hiratsuka-sensei, like a ghost, had silently appeared behind Hikigaya, her face dark.
Surprisingly, it was Yuigahama, not Hikigaya himself, who got scared first.
“Sensei?! How did you get here?” Yuigahama shrieked.
“I am your club’s faculty advisor. Why shouldn’t I be here?” Hiratsuka Shizuka assumed her teacher persona, explaining as if it was the most natural thing.
But her authoritative stance was immediately undercut as Yukinoshita scolded her—
“Sensei, please knock before entering. How many times must I say this?”
Yukinoshita, who was compiling information, looked up at the Female Teacher, an expression of pure weariness on her face.
“Ah, sorry, sorry! I forgot, that’s all,” the teacher apologized meekly, genuinely looking embarrassed as she owned up to the student’s criticism…
Yukinoshita truly lived up to her reputation.
“So you see, the rumor about our school’s staff being careless about details is definitely not wrong,” muttered Hikigaya resentfully under his breath at that moment.
Of course, since he never learned, he promptly received a second knuckle flick from the Female Teacher.
“Owowow! Sensei, be gentle!” he yelped.
“Enough now, Pervert-kun. Report your findings please.”
Yukinoshita couldn’t be bothered with the teacher-student duo. She turned her gaze sideways towards Himekoji.
…
…