Following Ogiwara Sayu's instructions, Hōzuki Nozomi made his way to the countryside high school she once attended.
Like many rural schools, the security was lax. A hole in the wire fence at the back of the campus offered an easy entry point. Nozomi slipped through it with practiced ease, his black jacket rustling faintly in the wind.
Sayu's hand tightened around his arm. Her small frame trembled as they approached the old teaching building.
"Nozomi... I want to go to the rooftop," she whispered.
Her voice was barely audible, but her resolve was clear.
"That's where... everything began and ended."
Nozomi gave her a gentle nod. He knew exactly what she meant.
It was the place her closest friend, Yuko, had chosen to leap to her death. The place that had left a scar on Sayu's soul.
As they ascended the stairwell, Sayu's grip grew weaker, and her legs unsteady. The shadows of the past clawed at her with every step.
Suddenly, Nozomi's spiritual sight flared to life. His "reikan" (霊感)—the power to see spirits—activated on its own.
There she was.
A girl in a school uniform stood at the end of the hallway. Her body was semi-transparent, her hair slightly ruffled by a wind that didn't exist. A few freckles adorned her face.
Yuko.
She stared at the two, eyes filled with sorrow and longing.
Nozomi didn't say a word. He simply led Sayu up the final steps to the rooftop.
The rooftop hadn't changed. A few wooden benches remained, faded by sun and rain. The scent of rust and old memories lingered.
Sayu released his arm and staggered forward.
She knelt beside a bench, tears already welling in her eyes.
"Nozomi... this is it. This is where everything started... and ended."
"I... I killed Yuko."
Her voice cracked with grief.
"I thought I was helping... that I could be strong enough to protect her. But I didn't really look at her. I didn't see her. I didn't understand her at all."
Tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto the rooftop floor.
Yuko's spirit stood silently nearby, her own transparent form trembling.
"Sayu... it's not your fault," she murmured, her voice ghostly but full of emotion. "I was too scared. I didn't know what else to do."
Images flashed through Nozomi's mind—Yuko being bullied, isolated, splashed with water, locked in the restroom. All of it witnessed by her best friend.
Overwhelmed by shame and despair, Yuko had made her choice.
But now, she regretted it.
"Sayu... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry for leaving you like that."
Her voice cracked.
Nozomi finally stepped forward.
"If you want to apologize, then say it clearly! Say it to her face!"
Yuko blinked, surprised.
"Huh? You can see me? You can hear me?"
"Of course. So stop hiding. Take my hand."
Nozomi extended his hand with quiet confidence.
Yuko hesitated—then, with trembling fingers, reached out.
As their palms met, her spirit shimmered, growing more vivid.
Sayu gasped and turned.
"Y-Yuko?! Is it really you?"
"Yes... it's me, Sayu."
The two girls faced each other. Tears streamed freely down their faces.
"I'm sorry, Sayu. I was a coward. I couldn't stand the shame. But... my death was my choice. I never blamed you."
Sayu sobbed. The burden she carried began to lighten.
"After I died," Yuko continued, "I found myself stuck here. I couldn't go anywhere, couldn't touch anything. I thought... maybe it was a punishment."
Nozomi sat nearby, listening quietly. In truth, it was his spiritual power—his "reiryoku" (霊力)—that had allowed this meeting.
He had a natural-born spiritual eye, and by channeling his latent magic, he could temporarily manifest earthbound spirits.
The two girls talked for what felt like hours.
Finally, Nozomi crossed his arms and gave Yuko a stern look.
"You had enough strength to end your own life, but not enough to fight back against your bullies? You should've dragged at least one of them with you! Or gone full yandere! But no—you left Sayu to suffer in your place!"
Yuko lowered her head in shame, her cheeks faintly glowing with embarrassment.
"I'm just... a coward. I was too ashamed to let Sayu see me in that state. I wasn't thinking clearly."
Sayu turned and pouted, slapping Nozomi lightly on the arm.
"Nozomi, don't bully Yuko. She's already suffered enough."
Then she looked back at him, eyes hopeful.
"Is there any way... Yuko can come with us? To be with me again?"
Nozomi frowned slightly. He didn't have that kind of skill yet—not in his current state.
But he had a trump card.
He called Frieren.
Within seconds, a soft light shimmered beside him, and the gentle voice of the elven sorceress echoed in his ear.
After murmuring a few arcane chants, Frieren raised her staff and pointed at Sayu's phone.
A small, glowing sigil appeared.
Yuko's spiritual form shimmered, then began to condense.
In a flash of light, her spirit entered Sayu's phone, her essence now sealed within the device.
Frieren really was amazing.
Later, she explained that Yuko had become a "jibakurei" (地縛霊)—an earthbound spirit—because of her suicide and the unresolved guilt toward Sayu.
The key to resolving Yuko's regret lay in the unshakable bond of friendship between her and Sayu. That pure, unspoken connection allowed Yuko's spirit to temporarily inhabit Sayu's phone—a miracle made possible through magic and the heart.
Afterward, Hozuki Nozomi and Ogiwara Sayu returned to the hotel room reserved by Sayu's older brother, Ogiwara Issa. Even though Yuko now resided in a smartphone, Sayu kept chatting with her late friend well into the night. It was like old times—tears, laughter, and everything in between.
Before they knew it, the sun had risen on the next day.
And with it, came the moment Sayu had dreaded the most—facing her mother.
Nozomi, of course, was by her side. There was no way he was going to let her do this alone.
The three of them—Sayu, Nozomi, and Issa—sat silently in the car as it drove through the familiar streets of Hokkaido. Eventually, they pulled up to a modest suburban home. The air was cold, but Sayu's fingers felt even colder.
Ogiwara Issa unlocked the door and stepped inside first.
There was the sound of slippers against wooden floors.
A woman appeared—slightly disheveled, in house clothes and thick glasses. She didn't look like a monster… but Nozomi could feel the chill in her eyes.
"Mother," Issa said with a smile that was trying too hard, "I've brought Sayu back—"
SLAP!
The sound rang out before he could finish. Sayu staggered, her cheek blazing red, eyes wide in shock.
"Sayu!" Nozomi shouted as he caught her.
His own eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman who had just struck the girl he cherished.
This woman… was Sayu's mother?
There was no joy. No relief. No trembling hands reaching out to hold her daughter again.
Only resentment.
"So you finally came crawling back," the woman spat. "You caused me nothing but trouble when you were here, and you've caused even more since you left. What now? Back to ruin my life again? And who is this boy?"
"I'm Hozuki Nozomi," he said calmly, stepping forward and shielding Sayu with his body. "A second-year student at Kyoto Sobu High. And Sayu's boyfriend."
"Boyfriend? Don't make me laugh. You kidnapped her, didn't you? Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused?! She vanished for months, and now you're here flaunting this sham relationship? You must have imprisoned her. You're a criminal!"
Then she muttered something under her breath that made the air feel heavy.
"I should've never given birth to you."
CRACK.
The sound of a slap echoed through the room—but this time, it wasn't Sayu on the receiving end.
It was her mother.
The woman stumbled back in disbelief, one hand holding her reddening cheek. Her wide eyes met Nozomi's cold, unforgiving gaze.
Ogiwara Issa gasped. "W-Why did you hit her?! That's my mother!"
Nozomi didn't even flinch.
"She can slap Sayu, but no one's allowed to hit her back? Is that how it is?" he growled. "I didn't bring Sayu back so she could be humiliated or abused. I brought her to confront the past—not to be struck like a criminal."
He pulled a folded document from his jacket.
"I had this prepared in advance," he said, holding out the paper. "It's a guardianship transfer form. From this point on, Sayu is no longer under your care."
"What?!" the woman shouted. "You're insane!"
"You don't deserve to be her guardian," he said. "So sign it. If you won't love her, I will. If you won't protect her, I will."
Sayu's mother stared at him, stunned. Her lips trembled—and then, without warning, tears started flowing down her face.
"You hit me… You hit me and now you're trying to steal my daughter! You—you criminal! I'll call the police! Issa, what are you doing?! Get him out of here!"
Even Ogiwara Issa seemed conflicted now. This wasn't what he'd hoped for either.
"Sayu… I didn't expect this," he said, looking between the three of them.
But Nozomi remained unmoved.
"Sign it," he said again, voice as sharp as steel. "Or I'll take her anyway."
Sayu's mother turned and ran back inside, muttering angrily under her breath. But not before glaring at her daughter one last time, her eyes like ice.
Sayu watched her disappear, pain swimming in her eyes.
So this… was still what her mother thought of her.
She clutched her burning cheek. It hurt—but not nearly as much as the emptiness in her heart.