Chapter 15

-Void World-

A foot stepped out from the swirling portal. One by one, the group entered Rein’s Void World again. Kierra stretched as the others glanced around cautiously.

“Do you think he’s still mad at us?” Kierra asked.

“Probably,” Remon muttered.

“How are we supposed to ask him to cooperate, then?” Kierra tilted her head, genuinely curious.

“I honestly have no idea… What if we brute force it?” Leo suggested casually.

“No,” Remon cut in, rejecting the idea instantly.

“Say, Leo,” she continued, “do you know what would happen if one of us went missing?”

Leo blinked. “Why are you asking that…?”

“Well, I have a plan. But I’m not sure how safe this world really is. Now that I think about it, you’ve never explained the safety risks either.”

“Oh, have I not? Whoops! My bad!” Leo laughed, then pulled a dramatic pose. “Alright, listen up!”

He clapped his hands together for attention.

“Void Travelers always travel in a pack—at minimum, a pair of twins or more, and a Clock Person! Our job is to help the deceased remember their past so they can move on peacefully after vanishing! Sounds nice, right?”

“Okay,” Remon said slowly, “but what happens if one of us goes missing? Or worse—dies?”

Leo smiled too widely. “Ah, that would be very bad! Catastrophic, actually! Everyone dies! Poof! Vanishes without a trace!”

Remon blinked. Kierra just stared.

“…What.”

“Yeah!” Leo continued cheerfully. “The stakes are that high! Haha!”

“Wait—what do you mean everyone will die?” Kierra said.

Leo pointed dramatically at her. “I mean exactly what I said! Everyone—including you, will disappear! Mwahahaha!”

Kierra frowned as hard as her face could manage.

“Stop it,” Remon stepped in, glaring at Leo.

“So,” she continued, “you’re saying we all need to work together.”

“Yup!” Leo gave her a thumbs-up.

“I assume this includes the deceased too, right?”

“Correct! 100 points for you!”

Remon sighed, then looked around the strange, shifting world they stood in.

“Then… how are we going to make him believe all of this?”

“Make him believe we’re not lying! That’s it!” Leo declared confidently.

“That’s not easier than it sounds,” Kierra muttered under her breath.

“Mhm, but worry not! I have a plan!” Leo grinned.

“Oh? The guide finally being useful?” Remon smirked with a teasing giggle.

“Hey! Rude!” Leo huffed. “Anyway—here’s the deal. We need to find objects that were important to Rein. Things tied to his emotions or memories. He might not realize their significance until we make him remember. So basically—find objects, Kierra turns them into memory orbs, and bam! we hand them to Rein!”

“That doesn’t sound simple at all… How many do we need to find?” Kierra asked.

“Hmm… five should be enough,” Leo replied. “Even one object can hold a huge chunk of someone’s memories. So if we find five, that’s basically his whole life! That’ll help a lot!”

“Alright then…” Remon exhaled. “Where should we start?”

Leo grinned. “Easy. We meet him and beg him to follow us.”

“…Beg?”

“Just—trust me! Follow me!”

-School Day-

Mallory sees a bench beside her, empty. It looked like Remon wasn’t attending class today.

With a heavy heart, Mallory realized she would have to pass the day alone.

Later, during class, a boy stepped in—someone unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.

“Excuse me, is there Mallory in this class?”

“Huh? Mallory? Oiii Mallory, someone’s looking for youuu!” a classmate called out, uninterested and not even sparing a glance at the boy.

Mallory stood slowly, heart thumping. She recognized him—he was the boy she saw at the cafeteria a week ago.

“Hey. We meet again,” he said with a small smile.

“Y-Yeah…”

“I’m Rein’s class leader. I was wondering... could you take me to his house?”

“Oh? Uh… sure…”

“Thanks. After today’s class ends, is that okay?”

“Um… yeah… sure...” Mallory hesitated, the air around her suddenly heavier.

“Great! I’ll wait for you at the school gate. See you later!”

“…”

She stood in silence, feeling uneasy.

-After School-

As promised, the boy was waiting by the school gate, leaning casually as Mallory approached.

“Oh, you’re here! Let’s go!”

“Um… since we’re visiting his house, shouldn’t we bring something for his family?”

“Hm? Right! Good idea! Any recommendations?”

Mallory fell silent.

"Hey, for our first date, can we try chocolate boba?” The memory of Rein’s voice echoed in her head, sharp and soft all at once.

“Hey? You okay?” the boy asked, snapping her back to reality.

“Ah, sorry... What about... we bring a cake for his family?”

“Good idea! Let’s go! I know a great bakery nearby!”

She followed him. When they entered the bakery, Mallory’s eyes widened at the prices, definitely out of her usual range.

“Ah... I didn’t bring that much money,” she muttered.

“No worries. I brought the class fund. We all pitched in! We wanted to give Rein something special.”

“Oh? That’s sweet. I thought... people in his class didn’t like him…”

“Bah? Who said that?! He’s a lovely guy. We all loved him a lot.”

After they bought the cake, they walked to Rein’s house. Mallory held her breath as they knocked.

Rein’s mother opened the door.

“Oh, Mallory! Welcome! And who is this?”

“I’m Rein’s class leader, ma’am. We just came to deliver something from our class. Rein was a beloved classmate, it’s unfortunate he’s no longer with us...”

The atmosphere shifted, sadness weighing down every word.

“Ah... Please, come in. Take a seat. Let me make you two some tea—”

“No need, ma’am. We won’t stay long.”

“Oh?”

“This cake is from all of us. The class collected money to show our condolences. We also hope this little donation can help you and your husband, even if just a bit.”

“Thank you. You’re… weirdly familiar. I feel like I’ve seen you before, young man.”

“Ah, you must be mistaken. This is my first time here, ma’am.”

All the while, Mallory sat silently, eyes distant, lips pressed shut.

They eventually bid farewell to Rein’s mother and stepped outside.

“Thank you, Mallory, for showing me where his house is.”

“...No problem.”

“Oh, right! I’ll be heading home now. Are you gonna be okay alone? Or do you want me to walk with you?”

“No, no need…”

“Alright then! Take care. See you!”

“…W-Wait.”

The boy turned.

“W-What’s your name?”

A short silence. Then, he smiled.

But something in that smile didn’t sit right with her.

“Malvine.”