Prologue: Prelude to the Upcoming Encounter

[A/N: And this is the prologue of the Second Volume my friends! Ey ey oh!]

——

Approximately 3 hours had passed since then.

Rei was currently staring at his phone with an amused expression etched on his face. Somehow, his eyes showed a glint of boredom and expectation from within as he continued to read the contents showed on his phone.

"As I thought, no one unnecessary had been caught up with my [Judgement] yesterday. Though the destruction was done, no one really died....." Rei muttered in a low tone.

What he is reading on his phone right now was the latest news made this morning about the events that occurred yesterday.

"....is what at least the report here says at least. I bet some really died back there, excluding the fact that the AST was not mentioned"

Checking at the time, it was approximately 11:17 AM. In other words, anytime soon, "that" will happen.

The opening ceremony had ended, and as the students were finishing their preparations and leaving the classroom.

Other than during test periods, it was rare for school to end in the morning. Here and there, groups of friends were discussing where to go for lunch.

Rei then stood up from his seat and took his bag and walked towards the window as he stared at the clear blue sky. He then heaved a sigh as he looked at the clouds that are beginning to clear as it revealed the clear blue sky.

'Why is the sky coloured blue?' Rei thought to himself.

And it was then.

"Itsuka~ You've got nothing to do anyways, right? Wanna get something to eat?"

He then heard someone call out nearby him.

Of course, Rei didn't think he was the one being called since the name was different. It just piqued his attention since the mentioned name was him, Shidou. Another fact is that the course of this conversation would determine some changes that he did in the original. That's Rei tried to eavesdrop on their conversation albeit secretly.

"Ah. Oka— oh, wait," Shidou was about to nod and say his approval but he suddenly paused that it was if he remembered something.

Shidou then took out his phone and scrolled and tapped the screen. It only took less than ten seconds for him to see what he needed to see and slid his phone back again on his pocket.

"Sorry. I had plans today," Shidou said apologetically towards Tonomachi as he wryly scratched his head.

"WHUT? A girl?!" Tonomachi said rather exasperatedly.

"Ahhh, well... yeah."

"NO WAY!!"

Tonomachi made a V shape with his arms while raising a knee, making a Glico-like reaction.

"What the hell has happened over spring break!? You're not satisfied even after being able to talk on good terms with that Tobiichi, but now a promise to eat lunch with a girl!? Didn't we swear to become magicians together!?"

"No, I don't remember such a promise... and anyways, it's just Kotori," Shidou replied, and Tonomachi heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's a shame. Can I come as well?"

"It should be alright.... I think?"

Rei who was still standing as he listened to their conversation pondered quietly.

'Did her body recovery and reiryoku reserves only took a short amount of time to finish? No, in the first place, why would he even go out when the <Fraxinus>, where Kotori should be normally located at has been damaged severely by now?'

Rei continued pondering which left him remain standing still with a serious expression which somehow gathered the attention of some students that are still in the classroom.

Tonomachi, who was talking to Shidou also turned his gaze at him wondering what Rei was thinking about. It was then, Tonomachi, thought of a brilliant idea and called out Rei which snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Oh yeah! Transfer Student-kun!"

"Hm? Did you call for me?"

"Yes yes! That's right! Well let's confirm this first, you are truly a 'transfer student', correct?"

"Yeah.... That's what you called me right?"

Rei answered as he looked at Tonomachi with a neutral expression yet his eyes were somewhat filled with a slight confusion.

He didn't understand why Tonomachi would even ask if he was a 'transfer student' even though that is what he called him in the first place.

It's weird.... and stupid to be exact.

As in, why ask that in the first place? It doesn't really make sense in Rei's perspective.

"Okay! So that means you don't have any acquaintances within this school right? From what I heard, you also came and studied from overseas, correct?"

"....well, I don't really have any acquaintances here at this school. Either way, how did you know that I studied from overseas anyways"

"You could say that I have many sources and connections here in this school within my grasp. Rumors about you studying and coming from overseas already flooded the second year forum! So, are the rumors correct?"

"It is correct, more or less with the information that you gave," Rei responded in a surprised manner.

It was surprising how he got ahold of that information that even made Rei took interest on it.

'As in really, I was secretly enrolled here as far as what I've known from the original's bio and other miscellaneous information that I found and studied in the mansion after I took over 'Rei's' place....'

'No, it was even more surprising who spread those rumors of his in the first place.....'

It only took Rei a brief second for his composure to be restored.

"Then let me, the great Tonomachi, and my siscon friend here, Itsuka Shidou, to give you a tour around town and also, a free lunch as well!"

"Hey! Tonomachi, isn't that quite rude talking to him like that even though he barely knows you? Besides, why should you trouble him with your antics! And oh, as you heard, my name is Shidou Itsuka, the friend of this idiot, Hiroto Tonomachi. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and rudeness that he brought," Shidou said as he slightly bowed while holding the head of Tonomachi to bow down as well.

Rei somehow felt weirded by this treatment and stared at them in surprise and said, "No no, it's okay. It's not like he troubled me or something. Besides, I think that he is just trying to help me"

"T-That is right, my siscon friend over here doesn't even understand that!"

"Oi! Don't slander me with that name! I'm not a siscon!"

"No! You are a siscon!"

"You—!"

"....." Rei in response just stood there silently as he watched the two bicker with each other.

He really felt weirded out.

It was then. UUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—————

"Huh!?"

The windows of the classroom shook violently as an unpleasant siren echoed through the streets.

"Wh-What's going on?"

Tonomachi opened the window and looked outside. Surprised by the siren, a countless number of crows flew up into the sky.

The students who remained in the classroom all stopped their conversations and stared, wide-eyed.

Following the siren, a mechanical voice that paused after each word, probably for ease of understanding, rang out.

"—This is not, a drill. This is not, a drill. The foreshock, has been observed. The occurrence, of a spacequake, is predicted. Persons in the vicinity, please move to the nearest shelter, immediately. I repeat—"

In that instant, the stone silent room was filled with the students' gasps.

—Spacequake alert.

Everyone's hunches were confirmed.

"Oi oi... Seriously?"

Tonomachi uttered in a dry voice while sweating profusely.

However, in terms of tension and anxiety, Shidou and Tonomachi and the other students in the classroom were relatively calm.

At the very least, none of the students seem to have fallen into a panic.

Under the midst of the alarm, Rei had quickly gone out of the room. Walking down the hallways whereas many people were still present, he blended in as if it was normal and strode as swift and as fast as possible until he reached the entrance gate.

Looking behind him, he saw the students and teachers starting to organize themselves to go to the shelter located nearby.

"Now then, where is it again?" Rei asked himself as he tried to remember where "she" would appear.

"... that's right. It was near the family restaurant where Shidou would meet Kotori, right? Sigh, am I starting to forget some things now?"

No one answered his question, not that he expected anyone to do so. Just like that, he disappeared in the place just like the fleeting winds.

——

[Shidou PoV]

At the very least, none of the students seem to have fallen into a panic when the space quake alarm happened.

After this town was severely damaged by the spacequake thirty years ago, children like Shidou were trained persistently in evacuation drills since kindergarten.

In addition, this was a high school. An underground shelter that can fit all the students existed.

"The shelter is right there. If we calmly hide then it'll be alright."

"R-Right, that's right."

Tonomachi nodded at Shidou's words.

As fast as possible without running, they left the classroom.

The corridor was already overflowing with students, forming a line going towards the shelter.

—Shidou furrowed his brows.

There was a single person who wasn't on the line and was already outside the entrance and was walking just like this was just your ordinary day.

"Ainsworth...?"

Shidou slowly widened his eyes in surprise as he saw the transfer student already walking out in the gate.

Shidou was puzzled as for what he is doing there. It was no doubt that each and everyone in the school heard the space quake alarm.

'In other countries... do space quake alarms exist? No, even if it doesn't, it is common knowledge to know about space quake alarms specially if you are moving to live in this city....'

Yes, it was unthinkable for somebody not to know about space quakes and space quake alarms almost anywhere due to its impact that it made in the whole world which devasted a large part in Eurasia.

Still, Shidou continued to think. It wasn't like it was his business anyways, but still, as a person with good morals and kindness, he thought about warning the transfer student about this matter.

And it was then, he felt that he was forgetting something crucial. So he tried to remember....

And thus, as Shidou remembered a certain thing, he searched his pocket and took out his cell phone.

"Hm? What's wrong, Itsuka?"

"Nothing. 'scuse me for a bit."

While avoiding the question, he selected the name 'Itsuka Kotori' from the call history and dialed.

However—it wouldn't connect. Every time he tried, the result was the same.

"...Damn it. Did she manage to evacuate?"

If she still hadn't left school then it'd probably be alright.

The problem is that there was the possibility that she had left school and was heading towards the family restaurant.

Actually, there should be public shelters nearby, so normally there would be no problem... but for some reason Shidou just couldn't shake off the ominous feeling.

Not paying heed to the fact that the warning had already been issued, for some reason an image with the figure of Kotori waiting for Shidou like an obedient puppy popped up in his mind.

In his head, Kotori's words, "It's a promise!" swirled and echoed.

"W-Well we did make an absolute promise to meet there even if a spacequake happened, but... even she wouldn't be that dumb... Oh, right, I have that."

Kotori's cell phone should have a GPS location service installed.

Manipulating his cell phone, he brought a map of the town onto the screen, on which was a red marker icon.

"..."

Seeing it, Shidou's throat clogged up.

The icon showed Kotori's location as right in front of the promised family restaurant.

"That huge idiot..."

[A/N: No, you are....]

Cursing, he snapped his phone shut without clearing the screen, and slipped out of the line of students.

"H-Hey, where are you going, Itsuka!"

"Sorry! I forgot something! You go ahead!"

Answering Tonomachi while facing the other way, he ran towards the entrance against the flow of the line.

Like that Shidou quickly changed his shoes and, seeming to almost fall forwards, he dashed outside.

Past the school gate, he tumbled down the hill in front of the school.

"...Since it's become like this, we'll just evacuate normally...!"

Running as fast as he can, Shidou raised a shout.

'Onii-chan, we'll go to the Family restaurant for lunch, okay! It's a promise!'

'Oh. Yeah, I get it. It's a promise'

The promise that he made with her resounded clearly in his head.

And with that said, he further hastened his running as fast as possible.

——

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[A/N: I plan to post this on New Year but meh. Better post this now so that I can free my schedule that day for a bit.

Welp, poll results are also out and some may have complains on it and I do apologize if you have some dissatisfactions towards it.

Well, this is quite long already so... yep. See you guys on New Year!]