"She is going to die tonight."
Hearing those words stunned him. "Tonight? But... how do you know?" White asked, his face pale with fear, yet his eyes remained determined.
"The aura she is releasing is the same as yours. A black one," the President said, holding one hand with the other to steady herself. "But the difference is, your aura only covers a limited area, meaning you are somehow able to control it. For her... the entire room is filled with sorrow. It's so dense that I found it hard to breathe in there."
"I see..." White muttered. "Is there any clue... anything we can do to help her?" He asked the question, though deep down, he already knew she might not have an answer.
"No," she replied softly. "It is not about the emotions she carries. Her entire destiny is screaming that she has very little time left."
"I see..." White fell silent.
"It's weird," she said, studying his face.
"Weird?" White asked, confused by her choice of words.
"What I mean is... you are being remarkably calm given the situation."
"No, I am still terrified for her," White countered. "But panicking will only blind me from seeing a path forward. President... this might seem rude, but could you please leave me alone for the time being? I will meet you tomorrow at school."
"What are you going to do?" she asked. She was curious, but a persistent, unsettling feeling lingered in her chest.
"I don't know right now, but..." White hesitated, cutting himself off.
Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything more, the President closed her eyes and walked past him. "I think you have your reasons for hiding things from me, and I won't force you to tell me. Bye, White." She walked toward the exit.
"Right... but now..." White murmured to himself. He turned and took the stairs up to the roof.
Reaching the top, he checked the surroundings to ensure they were empty, then called out. "Hey, Aisha! There is something I need to ask you!" He raised his voice into the open air.
There was no response for a moment. Then, a voice floated down from above. Aisha was sitting on the small concrete structure housing the stairs.
"Well... this is the first time you've called out to me like that," Aisha said. She leaned down, locking eyes with him. Sensing his fierce determination, she added, "It suits you. But expecting the impossible is foolish, White."
"I know there are limitations to wishes," White said. "But I need to ask a few questions first."
"Go on. I'm listening."
"First question. I know the general answer, but I need to confirm it: is there any way to cure an illness by making a wish?"
"Well... if a cure has already been invented by humans, it means nature allows them to find it," Aisha explained. "But if it hasn't been invented yet, it means nature is actively preventing it. So, my answer is a definitive no."
"I see. Then my second question: how were you able to revive me?" White pressed, piecing the clues together. "You told me before that you were special, but as far as I know, your power is still limited by nature. Thinking back, you must know a way to bend the rules. You molded them, didn't you?"
A mischievous smile spread across Aisha's face. She clearly hadn't expected him to ask something so sharp.
"That is an impressive observation," she purred. "You're right. I lied when I said I was special and held superior authority over the Bell's power. I simply bent the rules a little. It is still entirely impossible for me to truly bring a dead person back to life."
"That means..." White felt a spark of hope, but Aisha immediately shattered it.
"Don't be optimistic. Even if you manage to keep her alive by twisting the rules, she would only buy a little extra time. The illness she carries will never cease. Let me be clear: when I saved you, I simply reversed the time of your physical body so you could recover from those fatal injuries."
She leaned in closer. "If you make that same wish for Miku, it will only reverse her body's timeline. Her body will still contain the illness, so she will eventually die anyway."
"So—" Before White could ask anything more, she cut him off.
"That's all for now. I have to go back to the Bell. I will drop her off by 9:00 PM tonight, so prepare a good meal for her."
"Wait!" White reached out to stop her, but she vanished into thin air.
"Damn it!..." White cursed under his breath.
It was a waste of time. He still hadn't figured out the true extent of the power the Bells held. But for now, he could only do one thing: give Miku the best possible moment before the Bell arrived.
White walked back downstairs to her room, knocked gently, and entered.
"Welcome back," Miku said with a small smile. "Where is the girl who came with you?"
"Oh... she wasn't feeling well, so she went home."
"Ah, I see. I hope she feels better soon."
White took a breath, looking at her. "Hey, Miku... is there any place you've always wanted to visit?"
"Huh? So sudden," Miku said, taken aback. She paused, trying to think. "Well... I've never seen fireworks in person. I've only ever watched them through this window. So, if I had the choice... I would really love to see the fireworks."