(TL: Saeka)

As if someone was calling out to me,
I opened my eyes.

What reflected in my eyes was an empty music room in the early afternoon.
Seems like I dozed off on my seat from the exhaustion of singing.

During that brief nap, I think I had a dream.
I couldn’t really remember the fine details but,
It felt like I was losing something important...

With a faint ache in my chest, I stood up.
The view outside the window was more unrealistic than a dream.

A miscellaneous cityscape of colourful blocks stacked upon each other.
Though the buildings were sooty,
and some collapsed here and there.
The scarlet sun hung in the white sky,
and an enormous blue bird was flying around.

A mysterious city that exists in a virtual world
“Kamitsubaki City”
That’s where I currently reside.

(TL: Vaynonym)

My name is Morisaki Kaf (森先化歩).
I was born in the "real world", from where one day I was summoned to come here.
I'm the first person.

I say that, but it's not really anything so special.
Before coming here, I've been a normal student.
I lived in a suburban city in Japan and spent my time like any other person.

The only part that might stand out about me is that I like songs.
I like listening to them, sure, but more than that, I love singing them.
Day after day, I just kept singing by myself, songs meant for no one to hear.

Then one day, I received a strange message.

"Dear Miss Morisaki Kaf,
I write to you on behalf of the Kamitsubaki City Restoration Department.
Though it pains us do so, we ask for your cooperation in the redevelopment of Kamitsubaki City.
The restoration of said city requires your abilities."

When I first saw the message, I didn't really understand what it meant.
Still confused, the sender said they would guide me to Kamitsubaki City.

That moment–
My body was engulfed in pillars of light,
and like in a dream, the scenery around me began to sway.

The next moment, I found myself alone, surrounded by the ruins of that Kamitsubaki City.
That is how I came to be in this place so unlike my own reality, in a separate world.

It almost felt like I was spirited away, just like that.
The sender of that message, the Restoration Department, seems to possess some kind of power
that allows them to transport people from the real world into this virtual world.
Almost like magic...

(TL: Vaynonym)

I didn't think something like that could really happen.
Not in the real world.
Still at a loss, the Restoration Department explained to me what was going on.

Kamitsubaki city is a, well, city that exists inside the virtual world.
Its existence is sustained by the power of imagination of the people living in the real world.
But that mechanism also comes at a cost, and right now this city is on the verge of destruction...

The reason being that this connection doesn't just deliver the laudable parts.
Our malice flows into this world just as much.
And in the process, gradually eats away at its fabric.

This is the origin of the"Q" phenomenon—
by solving the countless "Q"s plaguing Kamitsubaki city, this malice is gradually purified and the city can be restored.

For that purpose, the Restoration Department gathers people from the real world willing to help in the restoration.
I was the first.

"Dear Kaf,
You possess a power that no one else possesses.
The mysterious power inside your songs seeps even into the real world.
We request to harness your singing in order to rally everyone to come here - those who, by solving the Qs, will revive this city."

I still didn't quite know what was what, but receiving a request like that, I decided to take on that role anyway.
I don't have any parents. I have no one who'd even notice my absence in the real world.

So then why wouldn't I go here instead? If I can save this city by singing, then I'll gladly sing for it!

(TL: Vaynonym)

—How much time has passed since that day, I wonder.
I've been singing in Kamitsubaki City ever since.

Following the promise I made with the Restoration Department,
I can't return to the original world until the restoration of the city is complete.
In exchange, I'm provided everything I need to live by the Restoration Department.

Thanks to that, I could focus solely on singing.
Like any other day, I singing vibrantly starting early in the morning.
Remembering how I lived before this, I break out into laughter.

(At first, I had my doubts whether I could actually reach people from the real word just by singing...)

The restoration department seemed rather dubious to me anyway.
I didn't mind putting my all into restoring the city. That wasn't the issue.
I just had a feeling they were deceiving me somehow.

Even so, I kept singing, and after some time, little by little more people appeared in the city.
It really did happen, what the restoration department told me.

Even right now, I can see the people that came to this world walking around and solving the Qs.
This ghost town of a city has actually become fairly busy.

"But man, I can't help but feel a little lonely.
I wish there were others like me, singing."

I'm the only person that even goes to this school. I have no one to call my friends.
Singing alone like this, day in day out, I guess it's only natural I feel a sense of solitude.

(TL: Vaynonym)

At that moment, my phone rang. Who knows how long it's been in my pocket since it last saw any use.
It's from the Restoration Department.
"Dear Kaf, we assume that you must be feeling a sense of solitude?
In that case, we bring a fortunate announcement."
They responded like they could hear my muttering. That's just how they are.
No matter where I am, it seems they can always hear me. I answered them, trying not to let my embarrassment show.

"You may rejoice! A new witch has come to the city.
It was almost breathtaking, hearing that. "Really!? Did you summon them from the real world?!"
"Yes. They possess the same power you do. The power to reach the people from the real world and stir their hearts with their singing."

According to the Restoration Department, those that possess that power are called witches.
The power to pour your own feelings into a song and share them with others.
A song imbued with feelings like that can cross the boundary between worlds and reach into the real world.
I thought that was my own special magic. It never occurred to me that there might be others.
"So I finally don't have to sing alone anymore!"
With that thought filling my mind, I couldn't help but smile to myself.
It's only starting to dawn on me now, but I must've been much more lonely than I thought.

(TL: Vaynonym)

I might be able to make a friend to sing with.
The thought made me practically lean forward in curiosity and excitement.
"So, what are they like? The new witches."
"They're from the same period of time as you are. And they all love singing. I will send you their current whereabouts."

I immediately received the location of three of the girls. Well, at least that's what I figured. The actual text was garbled beyond recognition.
"Hey Restoration Department? What's with this garbled text?"
"We are so■■y, it appears that the ■■■■ of the transmission is fa■■ty. We will ■■ ■■ touch."
The connection with the Restoration Department was cut off at the end.
"Oh come on, not again..."
Looks like the Internet connection sucks as usual.

The infrastructure of the city tends to break down with the rest of it. It's hard to find good reception. But now, of all times?
(How long until I have a signal again, I wonder...)
I can't just sit here and wait. I've wanted this ever since I came to the city.
The text might be all garbled up, but there are still some clues about their whereabouts in there. With that, I can start looking for them.
"The first location seems to be Kamitsubaki City's first district. Guess I'll start off there."
With the whisper parting my lips, I left the music room.

(TL: Vaynonym)

The Zeroth District I live in is at the heart of the city. The location I'm looking for, the first district, is on the south-eastern side.
I had been walking pretty long by the time I got there. But the view I saw in turn was quite something. Entirely unlike my own district.
"What a beautiful city..."

Arrays of neatly ordered, almost futuristic-looking buildings line the streets.
It looks more modern than the real world, in a way.
But for all the buildings, there was no sight of any human beings. I felt a bit scared, alone in a grand district, devoid of other people.
But somewhere here, a new person has arrived. I came here to find that person.
And after investigating like that for 2 hours... I've come to realize how naïve my plan was.

The first district is enormous, the buildings are countless. And inside any one, they might be the person I'm looking for.
I'm not getting anywhere searching them one by one.
"And what information I got from the Restoration Department is fairly unreliable..."
The only part that I can decipher from it is that it's inside the first district. The rest is too garbled up.
But as I kept searching in spite of it all, suddenly something strange appeared before me.

(TL: Vaynonym)

I stopped dead in my tracks.
Something like a gigantic shadow of a fish was floating there on the surface of the buildings in front me.
It jumped from building to building, like it was swimming through them.
(Tesseract*... seems to reside in the first district as well....)
I had barely gotten here when the Restoration Department taught me about it.

That shadow that takes the form of a fish is called "Tesseract."
Tesseract is a monster born from the desire of men. It's linked to the myriad of Qs.
Left alone, it would amass more and more power, until eventually the corruption could extend all the way into the real world.
It doesn't seem like it holds that level of power yet, but it's an ominous presence all the time.
For now, it just seems to travel around on the surface of the buildings. And like that, it swam off again.

Back alone, I took a deep breath.
With my investigation reaching a dead end, and confronted with Tesseract, I became keenly aware of my own helplessness.
The sun set, and night began to cover the city.
"...No matter how I look at it, it looks like I'm way out of my depth here. Maybe I'll keep searching tomorrow..."
The moment I finished muttering to myself—
I faintly heard the voice of a young girl singing.

(TL: Saeka)

Someone’s singing!
The moment I realised that, I continued on my tracks.
That’s right, the Restoration Department talked about this too, that the new residents were girls who love singing.
They possess the same power as I do, singers whose voices can reach the real world.
I’m sure I’ll be able to meet this girl if I pursue her singing.
As if it was an invitation, I kept going.
Eventually, I arrived at a spacious square. There was a figure of a blue haired girl singing by herself.

“......!”
I stood in place, charmed by her song.
Oblivious of my presence, she immersed herself in singing. A sweet and powerful deep voice.
Soon after she finished her song, I applauded without much thought.
“A-amazing! What an amazing and pretty song!”
I was so impressed to the point where my vocabulary had been thrown out the window.
The girl shuddered in shock and looked at my way.
“Eh-... W-who’s there?”
“I am Kaf. I like songsー Err, what else...? Self introductions are kinda hard.”
“Ah! You’re the girl that the Restoration Department spoke of!”
She said as she ran up to me with a smile on her face.
“I’m Rime. Tanioki Rime (谷置狸眼).
I’m the same as you, who got called and summoned here from the real world by the Restoration Department.”

(TL: Saeka)

The girl who introduced herself as Rime, told me that clearly.
Sure enough there’s no doubt about it, she’s a witch that the Restoration Department had mentioned.
I sighed in relief, and Rime continued.

“I’m glad to have met you, Kaf.
I had heard about the other girl that was summoned too, but everything other than her name is too garbled up to be read."
“I could only read a part of the address here.
The messages that the Restoration Department sends are always so half-assed and annoying.”
We laughed together. Even though we had just met, it felt like we were friends from long ago.
There was a strange affinity between us.

“By the way Rime, when the Restoration Department had called you,
did they also say that we can’t go back until all the Qs in this city are solved?”
“Seems like it. When I first heard about it I thought it was some kind of joke,
but about a week has already passed since then… I guess it’s true.”
“You’ve already been here since a week ago?! The Restoration Department should’ve told me sooner.”
They had been hiding about it for whatever reason, maybe they simply forgot about it.
As usual, I couldn’t really understand what the Restoration Department was thinking.

But right now, it was more important that I finally had a friend.
“...When I came to this city, I had always been alone. That’s why I’m really glad that you came here, Rime.”
It didn't matter that we were put under the same circumstances. I was overjoyed that I finally had a friend to sing with in this city.
I’m sure that Rime also felt the same way.
I said with a gentle smile on my face.
“Yeah, I was also lonely actually… But from now on I’m not alone anymore.”
Rime held out her hand to me.
“Let’s do our best from now on, Kaf. Solving the Qs in this city, until the day we can return to the real world!ー”
“Yeah, let’s sing together, and reach the people in the real world from this virtual world!”
In the dusky street corner, I took her hand. I could feel the warmth and reassurance from our joined hands.

(TL: Saeka)

After I met Rime, my dull daily life became fun in a heartbeat.
Even the school that I always went to alone, I now have a friend that goes there with me.
There weren’t any other students or teachers around but still, it was nice to have a place where I could meet with my friend.
The desolated school that was sort of like our secret hideout felt really cozy.
And the days of the two of us singing in the music room beganー

One of those days, Rime asked a question that suddenly came to her mind.
“By the way, Kaf. Are there any other girls that Kamitsubaki City summoned, other than me?
“Ah, now that you mention it, there indeed are others!”
I forgot about it from the joy of meeting Rime, but the address list that the Restoration Department sent me was indeed for three people.
Which means there were two more that were summoned.

“...But the addresses that were sent by the Restoration Department are all garbled up and unreadable…
I can just barely make out that they’re in the Second District and Third District respectively.”
“Half-baked as usual huh. Hey Restoration Department? Won't you give us the precise locations?”
Rime asked aloud out the window, but there was no response from the Restoration Department.
I started to think they’re just having fun messing with us.
“...I guess it can’t be helped. For now, why don’t we try to search for those two with the information we have at hand?”
“Yeah. It’d be nice to have more friends too.”
We both nod in agreement and headed out of the classroom, to go to the Second District, where our next friend should be.

(TL: Saeka)

Rime and I arrive at the Second District. By the time we reached here, the sun had already set.
The city submerged in twilight.
It was a red-light district lit with colourful neon lights. The streets were dazzling, and the atmosphere was pretty lively.
This area was different from the First District, many people were coming and going.

“There’s this many people…?! I wonder if they’re people who came from the real world.”
“Seems so. But everyone’s so bounderish.”
I agreed with Rime. It looked like there were many delinquents in the Second District.
I wonder if these kinds of people sprawl out amidst the crowd.
Even when I was in the real world, I never came to this kind of city.
This is scary, what if we accidentally get involved with them…

Rime held onto my trembling hand.
“It’s gonna be fine Kaf, I’m here with you.”
She looked so gallant and reliable as she said that.
I squeezed back on her hand, and we continued our steps in the Second District.

(TL: Vaynonym)

We were walking around the chaotic second district.
With the district as loud as it is, I doubt it'll be possibly to follow her singing like how I found Rime.
That's why I jumped over my shadow and decided to ask a person on the street.

"I'm sorry, do you happen to know of a girl that likes songs in the vicinity?"
As I did, an elderly lady turned around, and answered bluntly.
"A girl that likes songs? There're a dime in a dozen, my dear, a dime in a dozen."
Seeing her face distort in annoyance, I felt despondent. In my place, Rime continued.
"Unfortunately, our information is somewhat limited, but we know she's about our age.
And she doesn't just listen to songs, she sings herself."
"A girl that sings... now that you mention it, back at the intersection over there, there was a young street musician over there.
I think she was singing... rap, they call it, don't they? Maybe that's your girl."
We turned our faces to each other and smiled. That's gotta be a huge lead.
"Thank you very much, lady!"
Rime and I bowed our heads. "Glad to help," the lady smiled. She might've been blunt, but she seemed like a good person at heart.
We parted ways with the older lady and headed toward the intersection she told us about.
As we set foot into the crowd, we heard someone singing.

(TL: Vaynonym)

We came to an abrupt stop. A single girl sang underneath a neon street light.
She was a little older than us, and taller. The moment we listened to her song, I got goosebumps.
It felt like everything she bottled up is violently let free inside the song. Her voice was searing.
Her passion, her desire, her deep love, all coalescing in her rap―

There was no doubt about it. She is the third witch. We waited for her to finish the song before talking to her.
"Hey, uhm.... That was amazing!"
"Huh? T-thank you. I've been singing here ever since I came to this city, but this is the first time anyone praised me like that."
She looked to us with a shy smile. That's when Rime asked,
"How should we call you?"
"Me? I'm Asanushi Haru. Haru's fine, though."
A sweet smile covered her face from one side to the other. The girl named Haru. Her eyes were indomitable, her determination radiant.

(TL: Vaynonym)

From there, we told Haru our story. How we were summoned from the real world.
How when we learned that there were others like us, we went looking for them.
Haru seemed astonished.

"Just like me, huh. I just came to this world a while back, too."
"We had the same reaction. It was all so surprising."
Haru couldn't contain her laughter.
"I mean, of course I was pretty surprised, but you gotta go with the flow, right?
And the Restoration Department said that if we don't sing, the real wor
ld might be in trouble too.
So there really wasn't much of a choice other than to just... sing."
There was no fear or hesitation in her face.

Rime was relieved.
"So you like singing, too... Since we have the same interests, if you wouldn't mind, I think we should become friends!"
"Aren't we already? Sounds lovely to me. I was just about tired of singing by myself."
Our faces lit up at her words. "I'm so excited! Happy to have you with us."
"Oh the pleasure is all mine! By the way, are there any others? You know, people that got summoned here."

I nodded and pulled out my smartphone. I took a look at the information I had.
"It seems like there's one more person... in the third district. That's all four of us. Let's put our all into finding them!"
"Sure, but you wanna start right now? It's getting pretty late, and tomorrow's also a day."
"Aww, even though we already came all this way out here."
Rime responded to my obstinance with a forced smile. "Wait up, Kaf. Haru has a point. Let's come back tomorrow in full force, alright?"
With both of the older girls saying so, I reluctantly backed off.
And with that, we made the promise to search the third district tomorrow and went our separate ways.

(TL: Vaynonym)

The next morning, our little group, now bolstered with Haru, started searching the third district.
According to the Restoration Department's message, the fourth witch should be there.
The third district was again different from any we had seen previously.

The street were framed with nothing but ruins and abandoned building. The district was completely destroyed.
The whole area was covered in a thick mist, and deep inside, there was a silhouette of some kind of mysterious shine,
or perhaps a church or some old, Western-styled building.
Haru and Rime were chatting while we were walking around.

"This is my first time coming here, but I have to wonder, why's the mist so thick in the district?"
"There's a mountain north of here. The mist forms there, and from there finds its way down into the district."
"That so? You sure know your stuff, Rime!"
"Ever since coming here, I've been studying up about the city. But it's pretty hard to find someone in the middle of this fog."
Despite her saying so, she kept searching earnestly. Meanwhile, Haru and I tried to rekindle her spirit.

(TL: Vaynonym)

However, as we searched for our fourth comrade, we wound up completely and thoroughly lost instead.
Wandering in the mist, we started muttering to each other.
"J-just where the hell are we....? The mist is just about everywhere. There's nothing else to see but yet more mist. Sometimes fog..."
"It's going to be alright, Kaf. We just have to start by figuring out where we are right now."

As she said so, Haru whipped out her smartphone and opened Maps. But her face quickly darkened.
"...This is weird. It's not showing any map."
"Maybe because it's from the real world? I doubt even the company's quasi-monopole gives them any claim here."
"Oh well, that's how it goes. But it is unfortunate... I don't see how we can find our comrade like this."
Right when Haru was finished, someone's voice started behind us.
"You do seem to be in quite the pinch."
We turned around, to find against the uncertain backdrop of mist and a Western-style house, the shape of a person.

(TL: Vaynonym)

In front of the Western-styled building, clad in her entirely white uniform, stood a delicately pretty girl.
The mist cleared up without notice as the girl spoke with a soft voice.

"Kaf, Rime, and finally Haru. I've been waiting for you for a long, long time."
"Wait... you know who we are?" I blurted out the question with a thought, but the girl simply nodded.
"It came to me by divination... That you desired comrades, and that you would come here in your search."
"Comrade... wait, that means that―"

The word caught me by surprise and wouldn't let me go. She nodded again.
"That's right. I'm the fourth. My name is Yorukawa Sekai. I'm glad to have found you."

(The title seems like a pun in Japanese, being Isekai Yori, meaning literally what is translated above,
but also seemingly being a pun on Yorukawa Sekai's name.
It could also be reasonably interpreted as "another Sekai", or "a strange Sekai", Sekai being the name of the character in that reading.)

(TL: Vaynonym)

Sekai, the fourth witch. She had a mysterious air about her, emanating from her.
Rime talked with as nonchalantly as anyone.
"You said something about divination, right? That you knew we'd be coming in advance?"
"Yes, it's my specialty... Incidentally, I also draw, and of course I like singing."
Sekai answered like a whisper in the wind. Seems like she's not just delicate and cute, but quite talented too.

"Well, it seems like the whole crew's come together, then. Glad to have you with us, Sekai!"
"Hold on. We're not complete yet."
"Wait, you're saying we aren't? But the Restoration Department only mentioned 4 people. That should be all."
"Well, you see... according to my divination, there should be one more. The fifth person should arrive in this city soon."
The moment Sekai finished, some form of light started shining from within the Western-styled building.

(TL: Vaynonym)

"W-what?!"
As she opened the door of the Western style building, Haru's surprise was quite audible.
Looking through the entrance, we saw a great pillar of light manifest in the reception hall.
We lingered like this for a moment, before eventually the shape of a person emerged from the light.
At the same time, the light seemed to fade, and finally give way to the composed face of a young woman.
".....So this must be Kamitsubaki City. And you, the witches."

The young woman narrowed her eyes to look at us. She was pretty, with a more adult vibe to her.
Even so, her face was kind. Rime still looked somewhat lost as she started talking to her.
" We-were you summoned here...?""
"You are correct. My name is Rinne Koko. I came at the request of the Restoration Department."
Her answer was calm and collected.
To my surprise, my smartphone rang. "Your ringtone? A message from the Restoration Department?" I quickly confirmed as much.
"Well, well! The whole crew assembled at last. With all of you finally united, even I get a little sentimental."
Against any expectation, the message was weirdly amicable and care-free. A little astonished, I answered.

"We just found her, someone named Koko. Is this really everyone this time?"
"That's right. This is all of them. All the witches I currently identified."
I suppose this means Koko must possess the same mysterious power we do. The Restoration Department's messages continue.
"From now on, I would like you to lavish the power of your singing to attract many more people to Kamitsubaki City.
I may be asking a lot of you, but yours is the only power we can rely on."
"Hold on a sec. Do Sekai and Koko know? That they can't return to the real world until all Qs have been solved?"
Sekai and Koko step in to answer instead.
"Yeah, I do. It sounded interesting, so I figured why not and came here."
"I heard about it, too. But my desire to help you people was stronger."
I was relieved to hear their response. The Restoration Department went on.
"It was not my intention to deceive you. If you wish to return no matter what, simply speak to me and I will see to the necessary arrangements."
"Wait, really? That puts me at ease..."
"Ah, it a■■ears the transmission quality is taking a turn for the worse ag■■n.
There's a lot I still wi■h to explain, but ■■■ the m■■ent, I'm afraid our time ■■ cut short. I will contact you ag■■n."
And with that, reception was cut off. Rime sighed as she looked at the message.
"I have the sneaking suspicion that the guy's just running off when things get uncomfortable..."
"But I'm glad we found another friend. Welcome to Kamitsubaki City, Koko."
When I said that, Koko smiled warmly. "I'm glad to meet all of you. We're going to do great."

And that's how all five of us came to meet in Kamitsubaki City. The first time the fated five friends gathered together.

This name is a pun again, with Koko's name sounding identical to and using the same kanji as the Japanese word for "here."

(TL: Vaynonym)

With another friend added to our group, our days became even more exciting.

The pretty, precious, dependent Rime. The bright and vibrant and cool Haru.
The cute and delicate Sekai that makes you feel like you have a little sister.
Koko - composed and perhaps a little distant a first glance, but incredibly kind at heart.
I had so, so much fun getting to spend my time in this city with such wonderful people.
I learned that each of them seemed to have their reasons for coming to this place.
Like me, being without parents, or having trouble at home... reason to take the first chance you get away from the real world.

The one constant that connected all of us really singing. Every day we met in music room of the school in the zeroth district.
Then, we focused our singing into the real world.
Sekai's singing had a way of making you feel it in your chest, a momentous whisper.
But beyond that, her music was like a panorama of the world, like a painting with all colors.
Koko singing was translucent; beautiful in its honesty.
Sadness and happiness both had their place in her songs,
her voice wrapping around you gently, healing, encouraging.

Both of them were so impressive singers that you couldn't help but get fired up and try to keep up.
This of course had not just an effect on us. More and more people came to the city.
And gradually, more and more of the myriad of Qs were getting solved. I felt like things were going quite well.

(TL: Vaynonym)

One of these days, in the music room as usual, I looked at the vast cityscape from the window, and started to speak.
"Hey guys, hasn't the city restoration come pretty far now?"
Rime smiled.
"That's right. At this rate, looks like the day when we all get to go home might be rather soon."
Sekai and Koko nodded in agreement. They looked glad.
In the first place, there's little for me to look forward to in the real world, so I'm starting to think I'd rather spend my time here with the people I met and grew fond of.

That's when Haru folded her arms and said,
"That's all well and good, but before going back to the real world there's something I want to figure out."
"Something you want to figure out?"
"You know how there are a lot of these things called Q in the city? All the people that came to the city are working hard to solve them...
But underneath, there's a way bigger mystery brooding."
"A bigger mystery...?"
"The mystery of how this city came to be in the first place. Just who built this city?"

(TL: Vaynonym)

Now that they mentioned it, it was true. The city itself was clad in mystery.
When I was summoned here, there wasn't a single person around.
Which begs the question, who created this city? Where did they go?
It seems like everyone was drawn in by the mystery. Sekai's head tilted slightly to the side.
"Now that I think about it, even this school is strange. With no students there to attend, why is there a fully functional school in this city?"
"Right? It's so strange. That's why I've been thinking.
Originally, there must have been a lot of people here... so for what reason did they disappear?
And finally, why was the city left in tatters. There had to be something there.

Koko seemed to think the same, and finally Haru spoke. "In that case, I'm intrigued by the disappearance of the inhabitants. For what purpose? But how do we even go about finding out such a thing?"
"Our only avenue's the Restoration Department... I'm sure they're hiding something.
I mean, the only ever communicate by messages. They have yet to show their face."
"I agree. There's definitely something off about the Restoration Department. But our only avenue...
I'm sure there has to be another way."
"There's another rather simple one. We could just walk around the city and investigate ourselves.
They might be gone now, but if they lived here once, then there must be some traces left to scour.
And among them, perhaps a clue to their disappearance.

(TL: Vaynonym)

Our course of action decided, we began the search for the Restoration Department and the quest of uncovering the city's past.
We left the school and walked around the zeroth district. While the city was filled with people, the shops and houses were vacant.
Even the city's biggest department store was without a single employee present.
Instead, someone had left a big note that read, "Please help yourself to anything you'd like."

"Does this mean some kind of disaster befell the city and everyone evacuated?"
Rime answered Haru.
"It seems likely, at least. If that's the case, then a lot of time must have passed."
She held a worn tape recorder taken from the storefront of the tenant's electronics shop.
"Take a look at this. The model is much older than any presently used in the real world.
The casing's already deteriorated quite a bit, too.
The fact that this is displayed at the storefront makes me think it must have been years."

We could only agree with Rime's analysis. If we keep gathering clues like this, we'll slowly start to unravel what befell this city.
"Great going! Let's take a look at the other shops, too."
The conversation went on as we left the shop.

(TL: Vaynonym)

As we were walking out of the department store, Koko raised her voice in surprise.
"Wait, everyone! What in the world is that thing flying in the sky?"
We looked up at the sky and laid eyes on a strange creature about two meters in size.
I began to explain.

"I don't really know that much about it either, but it seems to be some kind of bird. You see them fly in the skies above the city a lot, actually."
"Th-that so? It's rather odd for a bird... there's nothing like it in the real world."
Her words were surprising. In the beginning, it was all surprising for me too...
But strange thing after strange thing kept occurring, and eventually it all just seemed... normal.
It's so very human, isn't it, to adapt to whatever circumstances you find yourself in. It was a little frightening, really.
When did my sense of reality get so dull?

"I guess this makes one more mystery to this city. What's with those birds, that is."
The moment I finished uttering that phrase, a strange phenomenon seemed to occur in the sky around the birds.

(TL: Vaynonym)

A small, black shape floated in the middle of the sky.
From its surface, it dropped like ink and began to spread out in the blink of an eye.
We all saw the same scene, it seemed, as they raised their voices.

"W-what? The sky is turning black!?"
"This feels ominous."
"Kaf, did anything like this happen before?"
I shook my head at Rime's question. It's been quite a while now since I came here, but I've never seen anything like it.

As the sky's hue turned darker and darker, the birds from before began to rampage through the sky.
They were so high up they couldn't see what was going on exactly, but the birds cried out as they dropped to the ground the ground.
"What the fuck is going on!? We should check this out!"
Following Haru's idea, we dashed toward the fallen birds.
A confused, uncertain chase.

(TL: Vaynonym)

The place the birds fell seemed to be close to an abandoned building at the edge of the zeroth district.
We hurried over there as fast as we could... but when we arrived, there was nothing to be found.
"They're... gone? But I'm sure they fell right around here..."

We looked inside and around the building, but there was not even a trace of the birds to be found.
All the while, the sky seemed to regain its color and brightness.
"The sky's color is back to normal, too... What did we just witness?"
None of us knew how the answer to that question. But in turn, I found something strange.
"Huh? What's this?"

In front of me lay a glass sphere, approximately 20cm across, and twinkling with light.
It was almost like a snow-dome. Inside stood a miniature diorama of a city.
Perhaps this is somehow related to the bird event just now?
Without a thought, I picked up the glass sphere.
And as I touched the sphere, one more strange thing occurred.

(TL: Vaynonym)

The moment I touched the sphere, a strange scene poured into my head.
Noisy, grainy and unclear, and yet like a memory, it felt so vivid, so real to my mind.
The scene played out against a cityscape... this city's scape.
Only it had fallen even more into ruin. There was hardly a building left standing.

Perched atop a pile of debris stood a single girl, motionless. She was facing me with her back, so I couldn't make out her face, unfortunately.
She couldn't have spoken with anyone but herself as she raised her head toward the sky and whispered.
"So this is why the city has fallen to ruin... That's why everyone is gone..."
Following her line of sight, my eyes settled on a grand, blue bird.
The sky around it was dyed pitch black.

(TL: Vaynonym)

"H-huh!?"
I returned to my senses, and to Rime's surprised voice.
"What happened to you!?"
"J-just now... The moment I touched this, I saw some kind of scene before me."

Everyone seemed puzzled. Wondering what I meant with "scene," Rime touched the glistening glass sphere.
She shook like some force ran through her body.
"Y-you're right... I saw it too. But rather than "before me," the scene almost seemed to play out inside my mind... or something like that?"
The other three followed suit and touched the sphere one after the other. But the result was always the same.
"It's so strange... even in my divination I couldn't see anything like it."
Even Sekai seemed to be thoroughly puzzled. Her head was ever so slightly titled to the right.

As she did so, a boy walking around the city started talking to us.
"Don't you people know? This is a memory egg."

(TL: Vaynonym)

The boy seemed to be around 10 years old. Pretty cute, too.
I wonder if he came here from the real world, too. Now that I think about it, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.

"Do you know something these memory eggs?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I really understood them. But they are remnants of the people that used to go here. Crystallized memories."
"Crystalized memories, huh..."
"There are a bunch of them in this city. Wanna take a look?"

With the last word, the boy was already running off somewhere. Now on our own, we looked at each other.
"I don't fully get it, but the boy seemed to speak the truth, I suppose. And it certainly felt like someone's memories were replayed in my mind.
Koko nodded.
"And according to him, there are many more of them. I think if we collected them, we might eventually figure out this city's history, right?"
Sekai whispered "good idea" in adorable English, and Haru tried to contain her laughter as she responded.
"Sounds like we found ourselves a real lead here. Then let's get going, gather some memory eggs, and investigate the city's past!"
All of us cheered in response. We were all fired up.

(TL: Vaynonym)

And so began our search for the memory eggs. Just like the boy told us, they seemed to be scattered around the city here and there. In the shadow of a building. In the depths of a back-alley. Even in the school we found one.

Any moment we weren't singing toward the real world, we were searching for memory eggs. By connecting the memories we got our hands on that way, we were slowly but surely able to piece together some of the city's past.
There really had been people here, back then.
Besides the girl we had already seen in the first memory egg, there were many others we observed.
A girl perched atop a high tower, eyes drawn to the moon. A boy out on a journey to leave the bounds of the city. A crying man, clutching the hand of a woman fallen asleep.

None of them were summoned to this world. I assume they were the original inhabitants of the city.
When we touched their memory eggs, it wasn't just their memories that were playing out in our mind.
It was something more. Their thoughts, their wishes. Their heart.
And like that, we compiled the memories of the people now gone.

One day, when the five of us were walking around the third district, Koko spoke like she was pondering aloud. "We've thoroughly confirmed that there were people originally living here... but we're not one step closer to figuring out why they disappeared, huh."

(TL: Vaynonym)

It was just like Koko said. We had seen memory after memory of the former inhabitants of the city, and yet, eerily, there was not a single one that related to their disappearance.
Haru seemed to have taken an interest as well. "It's strange, really. Are we supposed to believe that one day, the inhabitants just vanished without warning?"

Rime spent a moment in thought before answering. "It just doesn't feel right to me. Because remember. In the very first egg, the girl talked about the cause of the city's fall to ruin."
She was right. In the memory, the girl looked at the sky dyed black and whispered "so this is why the city has fallen to ruin." There was no doubt about that, at least. Something happened in this city, the city was destroyed, and the inhabitants all disappeared. "The problem is that we can't find any memories relating to the cause of it. It'd be nice if we could find more memories of that girl..."
"Wait, everyone," Sekai suddenly said. "I can feel something from that building over there."

We followed her eyes and settled ours on a church-like building surrounded by dense mist.
I had already mentioned her divination, but it seems like besides singing, there is just some mysterious power about Sekai.
Because it's her, we believed her without a second thought.
"Alright then. Let's do this."
We nodded to each other and headed to the building.

(TL: Vaynonym)

We stepped into the building that looked similar to a church.
From the inside, though, it looked quite different from an ordinary church. There was no cross, no stained glass, and instead the walls and alcoves were lined with drawings of puzzling pattern.
Deeper into the building, something like a shrine had been built with two statues on lavish display, likely for worship. One statue was clad in a white robe, the other in a black one.
But truly strange was that neither of them possessed a face.

"What's with these statues..."
I muttered to no one in particular, but Sekai answered. "There is no God in the real world with this shape. I think it's safe to assume these are the gods of this world."
"The gods of this world?"
"If there were people here before we were summoned, then there was probably a faith. To some gods, presumably. And quite likely, there'd be some form of shrines to them intended for worship, wouldn't there? Like this one."

She was right. The two statues seemed to have an air about them very unlike anything from our world. Were they worshipped for our of fear or for their grace, though?

(TL: Vaynonym)

After a while of looking at the statue, Rime spoke up. "Look! There's another memory egg here." She pointed between the feet of the two statues, where a memory egg twinkled ever so slightly.
"I wonder if the memory egg was worshipped along with the two statues."
If that's true, then the information it holds might be of considerable importance. With that thought in mind, I picked up the egg. But the moment I touched it, a tremendous force took hold of my body, and forced itself into my head.

Instead of a scene playing out in my hand, 3 fragmented pictures of sceneries with a tremendous quantity of text streamed into my mind.
The characters danced around, so dense and numerous it was like a black storm.
Then some would briefly settle into lines of text before scattering again.
The first line I was able to make out seemed like a title of sorts.

--"Memoirs of a Witch"--
The title of that which was overflowing and pouring out from the memory egg.

(TL: Vaynonym)

How long has it been since I came here, to Kamitsubaki City? I've lost any sense of time by now.
It feels like an eternity passed; it feels like just yesterday. But the day itself, I remember vividly. How could I not?
The day when some entity calling themselves the Restoration Department summoned me here from the real world.
Ever since, I've been singing here day after day after day, singing to rally others from the real world to participate in the city's reconstruction.
Solve the mystery of this city's existence, and thus save both worlds.
Such was the duty given to me. The role of a witch.

I had always considered singing my whole being, so of course I gladly accepted the duty.
I was so damn proud too, thinking my singing could be the key to saving the world.
…but of course I couldn't see that duty through. There is precious little time remaining.
The time of collapse has creeped this close already.
But that's exactly why, in what time I have left, I wish to leave behind these memoirs.
For those summoned after myself.
For you, dear reader.

(TL: Vaynonym)

That you're reading this means you probably already know. This city is brimming with mystery.
Just about everything happening in this city is virtually incomprehensible; to enlighten every nook and corner a nigh impossibility.
I've scoured countless books of the Akashic Library in my time, accumulated a colossal wealth of knowledge, and yet even to me its mysteries remained as such. Mysteries.

However, a single thing has become crystal clear to me: the reason behind the city's destruction and the disappearance of its residents.
At its heart lies the phenomenon where the sky is dyed black that occasionally manifests in this city.
The phenomenon occurs when the combined thought fragments flowing into the city from the real world satisfy the right conditions.
If these conditions are met, the shadows haunting this city can begin to physically manifest. The city is then annihilated in the ensuing attack by these manifested shadows
Most likely, this outcome has already repeated many, many times.

The Restoration Department should be aware of this fact. They hid this from me and chose to summon me into this world all the same.

(TL: Vaynonym)

It would appear my end is drawing close. Right now, I'm inside a church, surrounded by a swarm of manifested shadows.
Back against the wall, as they say.
The sky dyed pitch black, the number of shadows unfathomable.

There is no technique of my knowledge that could even put up a fight anymore. Just like everyone else, I will be devoured without a trace.
Afterwards, all that remains will be a ruined, desolate cityscape and a handful of memory fragments.
This is the true story behind the memory eggs I've been gathering all this time.
There is just one thing still within my power.
If this shall be my fate, then may these memoirs carved deep into my heart provide guidance for those that come after me.

Such is my wish. Such is the final duty I will carry out.
The sole hope left behind by a person that failed to save even a single damn thing...

(TL: Vaynonym)

I came back to myself after the final words fell. My body was shaking from the frightening experience, the dreadful story.
Everyone else seemed surprise and looked over to me.
Sekai seemed a little worried.
"A-are you okay? You looked like you went through something painful."
But I did not have the words to explain what I just went through. I could only mutter the words "look at that memory egg" in reply.

One by one, everyone touched the memory egg; one by one, everyone came back with a terrified look.
They all must have seen the same thing. The Tragedy of a Witch. The sad final moments of a person like us, a person deeply in love with singing summoned her to save the city.

When Rime finished, she looked deeply concerned.
"W-what does this mean?! We aren't the first people to be summoned here from the real world?"

(TL: Vaynonym)

Haru nodded. "If we are to believe these memoirs, then that's exactly it. Likewise, the cause of the city's downfall is the phenomenon we have already observed: the sky dyed black."
Which also means... the time we have left is approaching its end.
Koko's voice was full of contempt. "The Restoration Department must have known of this, right? Why would they keep quiet about this."

The Restoration Department told us that the real world was in danger if we let the Qs fester.
That's the whole reason we came to this city and rallied people to help in its restoration. The regret abrupt and overwhelming. I ground my teeth as I spoke.
"If I had known coming here was this dangerous, I never would've agreed to help in the first place. And I only ended up dragging more people into it..."

I just wanted to help out this city and my own world. But for all my good intentions, it would seem I have made a grave
It was disconcerting, my heart aching. I didn't even realize my eyes were cast downward as Sekai spoke.
"No one could ever blame you, Kaf. Don't worry about it too much. And even the restoration department, perhaps-"
Just then, my phone interrupted her.
A new message.

(TL: Vaynonym)

"A message!?" I took out my smartphone and, lo and behold, it's a message from the restoration department.

Title: Emergency
Main Body:
I request all of you to come to my current location.
My whereabouts are the zeroth district 1-7-3.
I'm in the basement of the abandoned building.

Judging by how short the message was for the department, it seemed quite urgent.
Haru's bitterness extended from her voice to her face.
"Seems suspicious if you ask me. Not a single message all this time, and now all of a sudden with this timing?"
I felt the same way, but Sekai shook her head.
"It does seem questionable... but this is the first time the Restoration Department shared its location with us. Things are different this time."
"And what if the location's a lie?"
"Then we'll end the day with a few more steps to our name. Either way, there's no harm in trying."
It was rare for Sekai to be so adamant and speak so strongly about something. We nodded to each other and started toward the location.

(TL: Vaynonym)

We were hurrying toward the building in the zeroth district when a strange phenomenon occurred.
"That's.....!"

The sky had been clear as day just a moment ago, but was now rapidly turning black. It was the same phenomenon we had seen previously, but something was different this time. Countless shapes gushed out of the darkness like water from a fountain.
The shapes didn't just look like fish. The unending torrent figures poured from the sky and onto the ground and the building, where the fish started to swim.
"Tesseract!?" I blurted out its name without even thinking.
"Tesseract? Do you know what this is, Kaf?"
"The Restoration Department told me about this before. A strange fish-like figure. That's what they called it..."

I remember what they told me very well. If we just leave the Qs to fester, Tesseract will amass more and more power, until eventually even the real world will get caught in the ensuing corrosion.
But in what state would the virtual world be at that point? The Restoration Department never mentioned whether the virtual world would be fine.
I had the creeping suspicion that something dreadful was unfolding in front of our eyes.
Koko's eyes were fixed on the road ahead. "Let's hurry, everyone. Let's head to the Restoration Department and figure out what's going on." I've never seen Koko this tense before.

(TL: Vaynonym)

We finally arrived at the location the message mentioned. We entered the abandoned building and continued underground following the stairs. Before we could descend all the way, a locked iron door blocked our way. But as if it knew we were coming, the lock simply opened by itself. We quickly exchanged glances before opening the door. Inside, we found ourselves in a wide, cold place. And in the center of that room—
"T-thats....!"
I couldn't form the thought. Before me was one of the large blue birds that roamed the skies of Kamitsubaki City.
It's body was littered in wounds. One of its wings was smashed. What's one of these birds doing in here?

I was still grappling with the situation when it looked at us and opened its beak.
"So you came, young witches... It it unfortunate that... this... is how we speak face to face for the first time."
"""""IT CAN SPEAK!?"""""
Somehow, all of our voiced aligned perfectly in our surprise. But I did remember that voice all too well. We could hardly believe our eyes.
"Y-you're the Restoration Department...?!?"

The bird's eyes narrowed. Its voice resembled a woman's.
"At last we see each other. I'm the central information collection device of the Kamitsubaki City Restoration Program. I'm also known under the codename Restoration Department."

(TL: Vaynonym)

"Central information collection device...? So you've never even been human?!"
Its tone was clear and factual, the bird named Restoration Department.
"I was created for the purpose of averting Kamitsubaki City's destruction as a kind of biological computer. As per the duty bestowed upon me, I have been advancing the plan for the city's restoration."

Created by whom, exactly? But there were more important questions right now. Koko opened her mouth first, though.
"So this thing that's happening right now? Are we in the destruction of Kamitsubaki City?!"
"It is precisely as you say. With the manifestation of the multi-dimensional life-form Tesseract, the entire city's destruction is imminent. The reason I summoned you here was to prevent this from happening."
"Why did you have to get Kaf and the others involved..."
"This entire city is composed of the feelings of human beings. Likewise, the only force that can stand up to to Tesseract is the power of feelings. By gathering a large quantity of virtuous feelings, a "magic" that can repel this despair may be born. In order to save these two worlds, I had no choice but to bet on this course of action."
"Bet!? Are the lives of all these kids just chips to you? It's not the first time this city has been destroyed anyway, right? Why did you keep silent on this for so long?!"
"I sincerely apologize for the late explanation...! I've tried to transmit it again and again, but was unable to do."
The Restoration Department's voice was thick with regret. I couldn't really tell from its face, but I felt like its apology was sincere.

"...I had intended to disclose all information when all five of you had assembled. However, Tesseract realized my intentions, and attacked the communication infrastructure, thereby preventing the information from reaching you."
"So this was the cause of the garbled text, then? So then, the last time the sky was turning black, you crashed into the ground?"
"When I was on my way to inform you directly, I was subject to Tesseract's attack. Afterward, I took shelter in this building as I attempted to repair the damage. Unfortunately, it appears the time it took to sufficiently repair myself was far too long."
My heart sank into my stomach. I was only half-way listening through its answers when the questions piled up more and more.
"... so what's going to happen to this city now?"
"As in previous iterations, this city will be destroyed. And every inhabitant of this city, myself included, will be annihilated."

(TL: Vaynonym)

"...this city will be destroyed and every inhabitant annihilated."
We were speechless, hearing it say those words like a fact. It took some time before I finally managed to force my mouth open.
"Why, why is this happening.....!? We've rallied so many people to our cause, solved Q after Q after Q. And for all our effort, it was just.. not enough?!"
"It is most unfortunate. This time, it's... But at the very least, I will be able to protect you from further harm."
The Restoration Department forced its tattered body upright, and fixed its gaze upon us as it trembled. At the same time, five pillars of light appeared and gently enveloped us.

"I will transfer all of you back to the real world. It has been my grave mistake that I summoned you here and failed to give adequate explanation in time. For this, I shall now take responsibility."
"You'll transfer us to the real word!? But then what's going to happen to this city?!"
"Please, do not be concerned about myself. I will also transfer the other people back to their own world shortly."

As it spoke, an enormous shape, fish-like and about five meters in size, appeared behind it.
"Tesseract!"
My reflexes only extended as far as shouting. The shape began to materialize and opened its maw, now lined with teeth. The Restoration Department turned around just in time to find fangs sunken deep into its body.

(TL: Vaynonym)

Rinne Koko shuddered at the scene before her eyes. A shadow the shape of a fish appeared out of nowhere, manifested and attacked the Restoration Department... and finally swallowed it whole.
"This is bad!"
The Restoration Department's pained voice rang out from inside the fish's maw. With enormous force the fish shut it's maw. A metallic, rending sound later, the voice had stopped.

Silence enveloped the lifeless, sterile room. The pillars of light enveloping the five witches were gone. Their only path back to the real world, cut off. No one made a sound. They all just stood there, silent and unmoving and shuddering at the scene unfolding in front of their eyes. Finally, the blackfish - Tesseract - fixed its gaze upon a new target.
"W-we have to get out of here, everyone! We're as good as dead if we stay here!"
Koko grabbed the hands of Kaf and Sekai and began to sprint. Soon after, Rime and Haru came back to their senses and followed after them. While they ran up the stairs, a thought seized Koko's mind and refused to let go. "I have to protect these kids. I'm the oldest one, after all."

Even before coming to this city, Koko had secretly felt this way. For that sake, Koko was willing to throw away her life in the real world and come to this place. She may not have been good with words, but that was something she could do for her friends. If it came down to it, she would gladly give her life to protect them, a stalwart conviction filling her mind with courage.
However, when they arrived above ground, the bizarre scene in front of her immediately smashed any such hope.
"W-what is this?"
The entire area was swarming with manifested shadows. Tesseracts, far too many to conceive, attacked the people of the city.

(TL: Vaynonym)

The swarm of Tesseracts devoured anything in its path. Buildings. The people in the city. Everything. Tanioki Rime was in disbelief
"This can't be happening..." she thought.
"Is this what that witch of the memoirs saw in her final moments?!"

Rime was always composed, but even her thoughts were in pieces now, scattered far and wide. The situation was beyond her wildest dreams. Her heart gave out. It was only the sight of her friends that brought her back from the brink.
"You have to calm down, Rime!" She thought to herself.
"It's been nothing but strange and weird things happening ever since you came here. This is hardly different!" So she told herself as she firmly grabbed Kaf's hand and finally opened her mouth. Her voice managed to cut through the bedlam. "Let's go, everyone. We have to head somewhere safe."
"Y-yeah!"

The others nodded and dashed onward. But in their path surged the deluge of Tesseracts. They kept running and running, but doubt rose to the surface of Rime's mind.
"Run where, exactly? Is there even a place where we can weather the storm?"
The witch from the memoirs was unable to find one. Why would it be different for them? Will this be what she leaves behind, a memory egg brimming with doubt and uncertainty?
Rime knew no answer to the questions racing inside her mind. All she could do was keep running. Keep running, keep running, and outrace the doubt.

(TL: Vaynonym)

Asanushi Haru was running when she began to think. Rime told us to head somewhere safe, but... does such a place even exist? Will we be fine when we get out of the city? Nah, I don't think so.
These shadows would chase them to end of the world and back. And if they were safe just by leaving the city, then the Restoration Department would've told them so. Instead, it had tried to save them by returning them to the real world. If that didn't scream "this whole world is doomed" then Haru didn't know what would.
"We're really in for it now, aren't we?" Haru thought.
"But if we can't run, then..."

Finally, the fear gave way to something else, a will unquenchable and resolute. She came to a halt and stared down the Tesseracts. Her eyes were incandescent.
"What are you doing, Haru? We need to run!"
"Nah, I'm afraid running just ain't my style. Doesn't seem like there's anywhere to go anyway."
Rime was shouting. "Then what else are we supposed to do?"
Haru smiled.
"If we can't run, then we just gotta face them head-on. Resolute, until we draw our final breath."
Everyone's eyes widened as Haru's word washed over them.

(TL: Vaynonym)

"If we can't run, then we just gotta face them head-on."
Haru's word resonated in Yorukawa Sekai's chest and took hold of her. From the moment she laid eyes on the enormous swarm of Tesseracts, Sekai was certain. She would be devoured. The whole city would be devoured. Even without divination, that much is clear. Our future was always heading for tragedy.

Even if they gave up on their duty as witches and returned to the real world, the result would be the same. Whatever path they may choose, their future was cast in darkness.
I was never able to tell them. I didn't want to believe my own power.
That's why Sekai kept that fact a secret from everyone else. To preserve what happy days they had left. But what awaited them would be exactly what she saw in her divination.

That was their fate. Implacable, immutable. A fact. Or so she thought. That's why Haru's words resonated with her. Her strong will, the idea that they can face their fate head-on and smash it to pieces. Courage was slowly building inside Sekai's chest. She turned to her friends. "It's just as Haru says, everyone. Instead of running, I'm sure we'll have better odds facing it head-on."
"Oh, you think so, too, Sekai?"
"Our story isn't finished just yet! There has to be a way. I'm sure of it. We can change fate itself!"

(TL: Vaynonym)

Hearing Sekai's words, I I felt my own determination rise. Just like them, I wanna resist all the way to the end, without giving up. I came to this off my own accord. There's no way I'm just going to sit here and accept that the city is going to be destroyed and that I will share its fate. But what can I do, faced with the apocalypse...

The number of Tesseracts kept increasing as they continued to devour the city. Everyone in this city was heading for the same fate. An overwhelming despair was enveloping the city.
At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind. Back when I was first summoned to this city, the Restoration Department said something...
"You hold a power that no one else does. A power that extends even into the real world, the mysterious power of your singing." The power bestowed upon us. Our "magic."
"Let's sing, everyone. Faced with end of this world, let's turn to the people from the real world."

To let those that come after us know what has happened in this city. And to change the end fate has foreseen. This is what we can do.
Our sole remaining hope.

(TL: Vaynonym)

It seems my feelings reached everyone. This is our way of fighting back. Rime, Haru, Sekai, Koko. All of them smiled.
"Exactly. This is the weapon we wield."
"Yeah. I'm a bit shocked our audience consists of fish, though."
"It's alright. Our actual audience resides in another world. The people we are trying to reach with our songs."
"... you're right. That's why we came to this city all along, isn't it? To reach the people from the real world with our songs."

Even so, I'm sure we will be the only ones without salvation. Us powerless witches. Unless, perhaps if people decide to come to this city, knowing full well the truth of this place... perhaps then, together with new friends, we may yet shape a different future...
Whatever fate may hold in store for you, nothing is absolute. I'm sure now that you can change its path.

With that belief, we stare somewhere far, far away. Toward a world not here, but another one. Toward the people that reside there—
"Let it extend all the way there, our song."
And that's how we began to sing. From this world, to you, living in the real world. From a small corner of the ruins of Kamitsubaki City, our song resonates.