"A new route..
..where Mekakushi Dan never existed..
No matter how painful it is..
If I can save everyone, then I'll do so.
I'm sorry, Shuuya."

Chapter 1

Fateful Encounter

"Tsubomi, time to get up!" Himari Kido shaked Tsubomi's body, pleading her to wake up. Tsubomi Kido could only mumble, telling her sister, 'Nine more minutes..' with a weird grin on her face. Himari could only sigh, before actually hitting her sister on her face with a thick book. "Wake up, Tsubomi Kido!" Himari demanded.

"I-I'm sorry! G-Good morning, onee-san!" the peculiar green-haired lass greeted her older sister. Himari could only sigh once again, before shouting loudly. "It's already past 9:00 A.M, dear Tsubomi!" Himari snapped, her hands curling into a fist.

"I'm late.. I-I'm late!" Tsubomi panted as she continued sprinting, a toasted bread with jam spreaded on it in her mouth. "I even promised onee-san that I won't trouble her from now on.." Tsubomi sighed at herself in embarrassment, her cheeks flustered.

"I wonder how I'll get new friends.." Tsubomi asked herself, her clenched fist moving towards her chest. She could feel her heart pounding in both anxiety and excitement. "I doubt anyone would ever come approach someone like me.." Tsubomi frowned.

"I-I'M LATE, DAMN IT!" shouted a voice, which sounded very familiar. Tsubomi stopped in her tracks, and turned around so as to see who it was. There appeared a figure with blonde hair and other attractive features running towards her at a spectacular speed. This caused the two to collide. "U-Uwah! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" the blonde rose first, and offered help to the green-haired lass.

"Y-Yes.." Tsubomi accepted the help the blonde had given her, and the two smiled at each other. Their worries about being late had vanished in an instant. "I'm Momo Kisaragi. I'm sure.. you recognize me as an i-idol.." the blonde introduced herself as Momo Kisaragi, her cheeks a little red.

"M-Momo Kisaragi?! I-I'm Tsubomi Kido! I-I'm a big fan of yours!" Tsubomi introduced herself, feeling even more nervous. Momo could only gaze upon the girl's silky green hair, impressed by the sight of it. "Tsubomi-chan, you're so cut—Damn! I'm more late, catch you later, Tsubomi-chan!" Momo leaped forward, waving at Tsubomi with a cheerful smile.

Tsubomi could only blush a little upon hearing her name being called with a '-chan'. She then looked around, realizing that what the blonde had said was right. She panicked; and rushed as well.

"Marry Kozakura." the teacher called, and a petite white-haired girl who had fluffy hair stood from her seat in a rather panicked state. "Y-Yes! P-Present!" Marry replied, a little fidgety.

"Sssh, Kozakura, you don't have to be that scared." whispered a voice from beside her, and she turned towards him with a flustered face, and shouted a 'yes', which made the teacher in front sigh. "I-I'm sorry! Y-You're Seto..san.. right?" Marry asked the lad beside her, and he nodded in surprise.

"Eh, how did you know?" Kousuke Seto smiled at her kindly, and she could only squeak. "My name wasn't called out, was it?" Seto pondered. Marry shook her head, wondering of what she was supposed to say, "I-I saw your name on a paper!" Marry replied, and immediately settled down, taking in a deep breath. "Is that so.." Seto chuckled at her answer, visibly buying her excuse.

"Tsubomi Kido." the teacher called, and there was no answer. The teacher repeated the name twice, then thrice, only to get no answer. "Where is Tsubomi Kido? Tsubomi Kido?" the teacher repeated again and again, only to receive an answer at the 9th call. "I'm here!" said a voice.

"Oh, so you're Tsubomi Kido. You were absent yesterday, so may I have a consent letter regarding your absence?" the teacher requested, and Kido nodded profusely, and looked around. "Your seat will be next to Kozakura's seat, which is also beside Kano's. It's the empty seat at the back there."

"Y-Yes!" Tsubomi nodded nervosly, and rushed to her respective seat, only to trip on the way, earning the laughter on many. She was more flustered this time, and immediately rose and sat on her chair, her face red as a tomato. "Da—Kido..san, a-are you alright?" Marry asked from her seat, smiling warm-heartedly. Tsubomi smiled back, nodding calmly.

"Since Kido is somewhat new here, Kano, please show her around the school compound." the teacher instructed, and the blonde sitting beside the window nodded silently with a visible frown. "I'll leave her in your care then, Kano." the teacher walked out of the class, along with the other students, leaving Tsubomi, Marry, Kousuke and Shuuya Kano in the classroom.

"Shuuya, you sure you can handle this? I'll do it in your stead if you'd like." Kousuke suggested, smiling kindly. Shuuya could only shake his head with a smile, which seemed like a mask. "..If that's what you say. By the way, Kido, I'm Kousuke Seto. That's Shuuya Kano."

"I-I'm Tsubomi Kido! Thank you for your help!" Tsubomi bowed profusely, her face a little red out of embarrassment. Kousuke could only laugh at her actions. "You're just like Kozakura, maybe Kozakura No.2?" He earned a glare from Marry thanks to this.

"Well, you can just call me Shuuya, don't have to be so bashful." Shuuya smiled at the lass, patting her. Her face was more red this time. "Could I call you Tsubomi then? It's a nice name." Tsubomi nodded, smiling warmly at the lad's direction. "That's settled then, Tsubomi-chan." the two smiled at each other, which made Kousuke somewhat happy.

"Seto..san, why are you happy all of a sudden? I mean, you're often happy all the time, but this time.." Marry asked, curious of Kousuke's sudden increase in emotion. Kousuke could only glance over at Marry with his usual smile. "It's because it's just rare to see Shuuya smiling." Marry could only slightly tilt her head, just like a dog, which infatuated Kousuke at first sight. "What do you mean..? Doesn't Kano-san smile everytime?" Kousuke frowned as he shook his head.

"It may look like that, but on the inside.. Nevermind, it's nothing." Kousuke turned his frown into a smile, patting Marry's head. He laughed at how fluffy it felt. "Your hair sure is fluffy. You can call me whatever you want too, okay?" Kousuke stated, and the lass could only nod with a smile.

"Tsubomi-chan, do you know of magic?" Shuuya asked the green-haired lass, only to earn a 'no' in reply. "Is that so? Well, in this school, there are some who can perform magic, and some others who can't. I can do it too, along with Kousuke." Shuuya explained to the confused lass. "Like this."

In an instant, there appeared a small fire in Shuuya's right hand, and Tsubomi could only gape, impressed of the such action. "This isn't really my main magic.. As for that, it's a secret." Shuuya moved his finger to his lips, and Tsubomi widened her eyes, as it had reminded her of something she didn't know. "You better not try magic if you know you can't." Shuuya warned with serious eyes, which managed to send chills down Tsubomi's spine.

"Perhaps, it's the magic to deceive..?" Upon hearing Tsubomi's question, Shuuya's eyes widened, and he immediately gritted his teeth, grabbing Tsubomi's collar in an instant. "How the hell did you know..? Answer me!" Shuuya's eyes had suddenly turned red, and Tsubomi was unable to scream, no matter how scared she was. She didn't even know how she knew; she said it unconsciously.

"Stop that now, Shuuya!" a sudden gush of wind rushed through them, lifting Tsubomi's skirt up, which made her flustered. This act also made Shuuya release his grip over Tsubomi's collar. "What.. just happened..?" Shuuya asked himself, his eyes back to normal. A lad with black hair walked in, with his uniform under a red jersey.

"Are you okay? I'm Shintaro Kisaragi, a senior." Shintaro Kisaragi helped Tsubomi up, to which she thanked him for, but still felt a little flustered about her skirt. Shuuya's eyes widened at the sight of Shintaro. "Shintaro.. why are you here..? Didn't you lock yourself up..?" Shuuya asked.

"I did, but I decided to return to check some things I left here." Shintaro stated, and in that instant, he had pulled out a phone from his pocket. "Is it about.. her?" Shuuya asked in a rather doubtful tone, and Shintaro nodded silently. "Yes, her and this other serious matter.. Don't get in my way; I'm sure she wouldn't want you involved in this."

"Nor you!" Shuuya snapped, and Shintaro could only ignore him. "I did this, so it's my responsibility." and the latter walked away, leaving Shuuya and Tsubomi alone. Shuuya gritted his teeth, his eyes showing wrath. "Um.. we can continue this tour tomorrow, right..?" Tsubomi gripped Shuuya's hand tightly, her face showing a red glow.

"Ah.. yeah.." Shuuya faced the lass with a warm-hearted smile, which was obviously fake in Tsubomi's eyes, but she just bought it. "See you tomorrow then, Shuuya!" Shuuya nodded, and waved at her as she waved at him.

"At this rate, I'll disappear!" Shuuya's eyes widened at the sudden vision he had upon watching Tsubomi walk away. "What was that..?"