"You know me? A normal girl is suddenly confessed by someone she doesn't know, and she will definitely refuse, and even if she doesn't refuse, she won't pay attention to it. ”

Being in an "unfamiliar" environment, and the language used to communicate is not his most familiar mother tongue, Narumi Yu feels that his situation is a little dangerous, and begins to be wary,

"Also, what you just said about 'Yousang' are you referring to me?"

"Well, Narumi Yu, your name." The girl was not angry because of his sudden change of attitude, at least her face did not change, and she still talked to Narumi Yu quite casually, "If you don't believe it, you can do what I say, there is something you will naturally believe after you see it." ”

"Declare in advance," he chose to believe the other party for the time being, "the confession just now is because of one of my own personal habits, and if there is any offense, I apologize." ”

"I know." Imadegawa Chisaka nodded slightly, then walked over to Narumi and took out his phone from his pocket.

The screen is on, which is the interface for entering the password.

"Your phone password is the date of the second time you saw me, and it's been three months now."

Under Narumi Yu's incomprehensible gaze, the other party expertly entered four numbers and unlocked the lock screen.

Imadegawa Chisaka turned on the camera function in his phone and handed it back to Yu Narumi.

Take a few steps back and stand in the shade of a tree.

There is no wind, the hem of the dress does not swing, and the girl's hair just hangs quietly.

But if there are pedestrians passing by, it is enough to make all the pedestrians look sideways for her.

"Take a picture of me, as well as you can."

Although Imadegawa Chisaka said this, there was no change in movement, just standing there with his hands folded.

“…… Good. ”

Narumi didn't understand why he was suddenly asked to take a picture, but he did it anyway.

Aim the lens, hold your hand steady, wait for the image to be clear, and press the shutter.

Click.

[Photo Lv.2 (86/100)]

A translucent hint suddenly appeared in his sight.

“…… This is? ”

He put down his phone and stared at the line.

About five seconds later, the handwriting vanished into mid-air.

As far back as he can remember, he'd only seen this kind of thing in games or textual works.

It's like an upgrade bar for in-game skills, which pops up to alert the player when they gain an experience boost.

Following this line of thought, his mind moved slightly, and sure enough, the same translucent handwriting appeared in front of him just now.

[Name: Narumi Yu]

[Charm: 9]

[Intelligence: 7]

[Stamina: 5]

[Skills: Reading Lv.5, Cooking Lv.4, Writing Lv.4, Painting Lv.3, Photography Lv.2, Mahjong Lv.3, Physical Fitness Lv.3.] 】

“…… This is what Imadegawa-san wants me to see? ”

He let go of his guard, trusting the girl in front of him, and thinking about how he could get more information about the current situation from the other party.

"I know you have a lot else to ask," Imadegawa Chisaka raised his hand and pulled the supple black hair that had fallen on his chest behind him in boredom, "You have amnesia, and more than once, I won't answer the rest except for this question." ”

Then the girl turned away, left him alone, and walked out into the scorching sun beyond the shaded path.

Narumi glanced at the photo of Imadegawa Chisaka just now, looked stunned, and hurriedly followed.

In the photo, the sunlight shines on the ground through the emerald green branches, and there is no trace of a girl.

"Why can't I see Imadegawa-san in the photo?"

“……”

said that he didn't answer, and Imadegawa Chisaka naturally didn't open his mouth to respond.

When I walked to the school gate,

The girl walked out of the campus in front of the security guards.

And the uncle, who was a security guard, just stared at him as if he couldn't see her.

"Hey...... This student, it's exam time, right? ”

Seeing that he wanted to leave the school gate, the security guard immediately came out of the security room and shouted,

"If you take a leave of absence, please show proof of approval from your teacher and register here. If not, go back to the exam! ”

“……”

He looked at Imadegawa Chisaka, but saw that the other party turned to look at him, the corners of his mouth turned slightly, and he didn't know if he was "testing" him, or if he had something to say.

"That...... Where to register? I'll fill in the information first. ”

Let's hold the security guard and see if there's a chance to get out......

"Up here."

The security guard handed over a student entry and exit registration form, which filled in the student's name, entry and exit time, and handling matters.

He remembered that the lock screen on his phone was [July 7], and if it was concerned, amnesia should be considered a serious illness, and it was not too much to ask for leave to go to the hospital.

"Fill it out."

He returned the registration form to the security guard.

"There is also leave of absence...... Wait a minute...... In the past, there was no need to show proof of approval. ”

The security uncle, who was still chattering, suddenly changed his attitude after reading the information he filled in and let him out.

“…… Thank you. ”

Just let him go?

How special was he in school?

Although he didn't understand, he didn't hesitate to walk out of the school quickly.

Maybe the security guard will call the teacher to confirm that he really can't get out then.

"Three months ago, you took a month's sick leave due to a car accident, and after returning to school, you took the first place in the exam twice in a row."

On the way, in the taxi he stopped, Chisaka Imadegawa, who was sitting next to him, briefly explained to him the reason for the change in the attitude of the security guards.

"I'm so strong." Narumi sighed.

After photos, security guards and taxi drivers, he has been identified.

The beautiful girl sitting next to him may only be able to see it by himself.

"Huh."

Imadegawa Chisaka snorted lightly and didn't comment.

"Where to go?"

The driver asked him as he started the engine.

"Chikaede Kiyose Hospital." Imadegawa Chisaka said to him.

The driver could not hear and did not respond. He relayed it to the driver.

"It's a little far...... Are you sure you want to take a taxi? ”

He didn't know the name of the place, but the driver hesitated, "It's at least a fifty-kilometer drive from here to Kiyose City, and it's more cost-effective to take the train, and at this point in time, there won't be many people on the train......

Imadegawa Chisaka handed him two 10,000 yen bills.

"......" He silently handed the banknote to the driver, "These should be enough." ”

"Ah...... Enough is enough......"

"Let's go, then."

"Good ......"

The money handed to the driver blocked the driver's words, and the taxi started and passed smoothly through the streets of Tokyo.

An hour later, we arrived at our destination.

"What did Imadegawa-san bring me here for?"

"Take this, keep up."

The girl still did not answer his question, but handed him a black card.

The card is simply engraved with the serial number of [003], and the same three-leaf maple pattern as on the hospital vertical card.

Presumably something akin to a pass.

Imadegawa Chisaka led him up to the fourth floor of the hospital and stopped outside a ward.

He pushed the door open,

I was stunned by the sight in front of me.

A brightly lit ward,

A girl who is exactly the same as Imadegawa Chisaka is lying on a hospital bed,

Quietly close your eyes.

“…… Two Imadegawa-san? ”

Imadegawa Chisaka walked to the hospital bed, leaned over, and stretched out his hand to arrange the slightly messy hair on the sleeping girl's forehead.

Semi-ring,

She spoke softly.

"Before you,"

"I think I'm a trapped beast in a fighting cage, trapped in the dark by loneliness, and I can't see the light outside the cage."

"That's how I responded to you—"

[If you're worried about me, think about yourself first.] ]

[In the Colosseum, you're not in the audience, maybe like me, you're on the field.] ]

Two sentences popped into his mind suddenly and without warning.

Even though he had no memory, his heartbeat involuntarily began to quicken.

It seemed to touch the deepest heartstrings in his heart.

"Now I think a different metaphor seems more appropriate,"

It was clear that Imadegawa Chisaka was standing in front of him, but his voice gradually became as if the wind was blowing into his heart from a distance.

"In a wide courtyard, there is a pond, flowers, and shade."

"Under the eaves, hang two delicate birdcages."

"Before, only one bird stayed in the cage and the other bird was released from the cage."

"The bird that was released from the cage had the right to fly out of the courtyard to seek freedom, but it voluntarily stayed in the courtyard in front of the bird that was still trapped in the cage."

"The caged bird envies the freedom of the bird in the court, and at the same time does not understand why the bird in the court does not fly to the wider sky."

"Until one day,"

Imadegawa Chisaka whispered as she walked to the window and opened it.

A breeze enters the house, and the white curtains float up with the wind.

"The bird in the court voluntarily burrowed back into his cage, giving up the freedom he had always longed for."

The girl stood by the window, turning in front of the fluttering white curtains, and the white dress on her body swayed gently with the breeze and the curtains.

"And now?"

He understood the girl's parable, and involuntarily asked, his mouth dry and his voice a little hoarse.

The heart was beating uncontrollably.

"[Freedom] without concern made him forget everything;"

"The [freedom] to do whatever he wants has given him the ability to succeed as long as he does it;"

"And he wanted to recall his old memories and stop at what he had done as best he could before......"

In the parable, [the bird in the court] is himself.

The girl's words gradually reminded him of the fragments he had experienced since waking up in the hospital.

"Although I haven't seen Narumi San's desperate efforts to pursue the so-called [freedom] before,"

"But at that time, you must have been more popular with girls than your lazy appearance now."

In those memory fragments, the girl who usually communicated with him no more than three sentences said the most words in three months today.

The soft voice, at this time, was like the most powerful drummer hitting the drum stick in his hand with all his strength, and it sounded heavily in his heart,

"If you can't even do everything with all your might, what can you talk about seeking freedom?"