It was the afternoon. Students without club activities had already returned home—or flocked to gaming cafes for a good session.
In one room, Melusine, Natsumi, and Yoshino sat around a small table. Scattered across the surface were sheets of blank paper, pencils, and an assortment of colorful watercolor pens.
"Hm? Yoshino, you're already finished? That was fast."
Melusine noticed Yoshino had stopped drawing and leaned slightly over the table.
"May I take a look?"
"Y-Yes, of course…"
Yoshinon, the rabbit puppet on Yoshino's hand, gently nudged the drawing forward so Melusine could see it.
"Um… what do you think?"
Yoshino asked nervously.
Melusine blinked her gold-flecked eyes, then smiled warmly.
"It's very cute. Childlike in the best way."
From a professional standpoint, it might have scored low. But Melusine couldn't help recalling the drawings she'd done in kindergarten—ones she barely remembered now, save for a gold award certificate she found while cleaning her storage cabinet one day. The image was still in the corner of her mind.
"You've captured exactly what you wanted to draw. That's wonderful."
"Really? Hehe…"
Yoshino looked down shyly, smiling like the morning sun. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink.
Melusine's lips curled upward, then she turned to Natsumi.
"Natsumi, are you finished too?"
"M-M-Me…?"
Natsumi visibly flinched when her name was called.
Though she'd made considerable progress lately—being able to sit in the same room with Melusine—any time the older girl addressed her directly, or even looked at her, she still reacted like a rabbit in headlights.
"Aiya aiya~ Natsumi-chan is just like a helpless, defenseless little bunny about to be devoured by a big bad wolf. Don't tell me Lancelot-oneechan plans to eat her next—though would that be with the upper mouth or the—"
"Y-Yoshinon!"
This perverted rabbit is getting bolder by the day…!
Yoshino quickly clamped a hand over her puppet's mouth, then turned to comfort the still-flustered Natsumi.
"It's okay. Lancelot-neesan is very kind and gentle."
"That's right. As an enemy, she's terrifying—but as a friend, she's incredibly dependable. Especially toward girls like little Natsumi, who are so cute and inspire instant protectiveness. Just act a li~ttle moe and you'll have a guaranteed lap to sit on."
Though Yoshino was clearly trying to reassure her, Yoshinon's tone sounded more like she was luring a child into a sketchy van.
Melusine sighed.
Why on earth does Yoshino idolize that puppet so much? Is this really the kind of personality she reveres as heroic?
Has the world really changed this much? Has my noble and chivalrous persona become outdated already?
"And also…"
Yoshino wrung her hands on her skirt and murmured nervously, "I really… want to see your drawing, too… Natsumi."
"I…"
Under Yoshino's gaze, Natsumi's blush deepened.
"I-It's not very good… Don't get your hopes up… I didn't sleep well… I'm still not feeling great… And I haven't drawn anything in ages…"
"It's fine. No matter how it turns out, we won't laugh."
Encouraged, Natsumi finally lifted her arms off the paper and revealed her work.
"Whoa!"
"Amazing…"
Both Yoshino and Yoshinon reacted with genuine awe. Though Yoshino wasn't an art expert, even she could recognize how refined and polished the piece was.
"It's… nothing, really."
Natsumi squirmed under the praise, fidgeting awkwardly.
"Geez, after hearing you downplay it so much, I was starting to worry… but you've been hiding your skills all this time, huh?"
Yoshinon covered her mouth theatrically. "Is this what they call Versailles Syndrome? A super-talented master pretending to be a harmless newbie…"
"N-No! That's not it! I really didn't think it was anything special…"
As Natsumi flailed to explain herself, a hand gently settled on her shoulder.
"This is beautiful," Melusine said. "Not only did you clearly express what you wanted to draw, but your lines and proportions are excellent. It's a lovely piece."
Natsumi turned slightly. Melusine was smiling at her—gently, encouragingly.
"You poured your heart into this, didn't you? I can tell. You used to love drawing, didn't you? You worked hard to improve. That kind of effort—that sincerity—never betrays you."
"Even if others once hurt you, the passion and care you put into your art will never turn against you."
"Your effort will blossom into something beautiful. Time will make it bloom."
Natsumi's eyes widened. Her cheeks turned bright red.
She froze for a moment—then bolted, hiding behind Yoshino and squeezing her eyes shut.
How is this terrifying person… so cool?!
That was the one thought echoing through her head.
But Melusine just sighed softly.
Did I scare her again?
Shame… I thought the atmosphere was finally warming up. Human emotions are so difficult…
Even someone as composed as Melusine felt a bit disheartened.
Despite Yoshino's best efforts, her relationship with Natsumi still hadn't improved much. She felt a little guilty—like she'd let Yoshino down.
"Well now, we've seen Yoshino and Natsumi's work already."
Yoshinon's unmistakable voice rang out again.
"That just leaves yours, Lancelot. Of course, if you'd rather not share, we understand. After all, Natsumi's art is so good it must've put you under terrible pressure~ Hehehe."
Despite the teasing, Melusine's expression remained perfectly blank. Her tone was calm, eyes unchanging—like a mountain unmoved by storms.
"I'll admit it. I'm not as skilled as Natsumi."
"Whoa! She just admitted it?!"
Yoshinon gasped dramatically, and even Yoshino and Natsumi looked startled.
"Is that really so surprising?"
Melusine tilted her head, then added flatly, "I'm not so fragile I can't acknowledge an obvious difference in ability. If I'm outmatched, I'm outmatched."
Natsumi's feelings became even more complicated.
She's so dazzling…
How can someone this radiant even exist?
We're complete opposites… and yet…
Melusine handed over her own drawing.
How to describe it…? Clean. Precise. It was obvious she'd tried hard, but the technique was rough and unpolished. As a hobbyist, it was above average—but compared to Natsumi's, the gap was clear.
Natsumi squinted slightly.
She just admitted I'm better… but I don't feel happy at all. Why does it feel like I lost? Like I lost something much more important?
Just then, Melusine sensed footsteps approaching quickly from the hallway.
A knock followed.
"Melusine? Natsumi? Yoshino? Are you in there?"
"It's Shidou!"
"Shidou's back?"
Yoshino lit up with a bright smile.
Melusine stood and opened the door.
Outside stood Itsuka Shidou.
"Are you… drawing?"
Even from the hallway, he could see the mess of art supplies on the table.
"Would you like to join us?"
Melusine asked flatly.
"I heard from Kotori that you used to doodle character designs in your notebooks. Something about… the Black Knight Revan—"
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
Shidou screamed, as if witnessing his own funeral, trying desperately to talk over her.
Poor guy. Having a sister who constantly brings up your embarrassing middle-school phase must be tough.
Still, Melusine thought he was overreacting. What guy hadn't gone through a chūnibyō phase? She had. Her own elementary school textbooks were filled with little sketches—magic circles, incantations, weird characters. She'd even drawn on a test once and lost two points for "visual clutter."
Watching Shidou collapse to his knees like a tragic anime hero, Melusine finally asked:
"So, did you need something? It's rare for you to come straight to us after school."
"Yeah… I have something important to ask you."
Shidou stood slowly, expression serious.
It was clear—he already knew the answer, but didn't want to believe it. And so, he asked.
"Have any of you… ever heard the name 'Tobiichi Origami'?"
The room fell into silence.
"Tobiichi… Origami?"
Natsumi echoed the name and rubbed her chin, then shook her head.
"Nope. Who's that supposed to be?"
"Um…" Yoshino said uneasily, "I'm sorry, Shidou-san… I don't remember anyone by that name."
"Sounds like a girl's name," said Yoshinon. "Is she someone you like?"
"You guys… really don't remember…?"
Shidou murmured bitterly, leaning against the doorframe.
He didn't understand why this was happening.
Everything had seemed normal that morning—he'd gone to school with Tohka, Kaguya, and Yuzuru like always.
But something was off.
Origami's seat was empty.
He thought she might be out sick. But when the teacher called roll, her name wasn't mentioned at all.
Concerned, Shidou raised his hand and asked—and was met with a confused look.
"Origami…? Who's that?"
Not just the teacher.
The entire class had no memory of her.
He asked Tohka, Kaguya, Yuzuru—they gave him blank stares.
None of the Spirits remembered her.
He even skipped class to visit Origami's home… only to find it empty.
No one in the area had heard of her.
It was as if…
As if Tobiichi Origami had never existed. As if she'd only ever lived in his imagination.
What had happened?
Why had she vanished overnight?
He'd come home and asked Yoshino and the others… only to receive the same answer.
No one around him remembered Origami.
It was enough to make him doubt his own mind.
Until—
"That idiot Origami… Of course I remember her. I taught her so many things, but she never remembered any of it."
"!!!"
The casual remark hit Shidou like a ray of sunlight piercing a long, dark night.
Like a man lost in a cave suddenly seeing daylight.
He turned to Melusine, eyes wide with hope.
"You remember? Melusine, you still remember Origami?!"
Natsumi and Yoshino looked at each other in confusion—but Melusine understood.
What surprised her most… was that Shidou's memory had remained intact.
He hadn't been hit by the Twelfth Bullet. And yet, he remembered the old timeline.