Ding-dong.
Bai Li-kun pressed the button next to his seat.
The lights came on, a notification sounded, and the bus stopped by the station.
He got off his seat and exited the bus with Yukino Yukinoshita, who was beside him, arriving at a residential area about a ten-minute bus ride away.
Not far from the station was a kindergarten, and because school had long since ended, there were only a few scattered figures at the entrance, likely teachers finishing work and preparing to go home.
Bai Li shifted his gaze, looking left and right.
"Yukinoshita-san, which way do we go now?"
Yukino, who had been asked, replied softly and immediately started walking.
The two walked side by side, the light of the red setting sun casting long shadows of their figures.
On the left side of the road were buildings, with shops on the ground floor facing the street brightly lit, all trying to attract customers with discounts.
To Bai Li's right was a riverbank.
The not-so-turbulent river still shimmered with ripples in the twilight.
An elderly person walking a dog would occasionally stop to remind the children playing in the shallows to be careful.
It was evident that this residential area was quite peaceful and leisurely.
So where was the monster that affected people's memories?
With this question in mind, Bai Li continued to follow Yukino.
When they arrived by the bridge connecting the two banks, Yukino slowed her pace.
She confirmed the information she had, then looked to her front right.
"Bai Li-kun, can you see it? Northeast of the bridge, there's a park there."
"Yes, I see it."
Bai Li's gaze moved over.
He didn't hesitate, resuming his steps and stepping onto the bridge.
Listening to the sound of the river, Bai Li suddenly noticed that his clothes were being tugged.
Looking back, Yukino, who was holding onto him, had a serious expression.
"Although I don't believe there truly are monsters that affect memories, the experiences of that girl and Yuihama-san are real. Regardless of the reason, I hope we can proceed cautiously."
"Please rest assured on that point; I am very good at handling such issues."
After Bai Li said this, Yukino finally released her right hand from the boy's clothes.
"Bai Li-kun, have you done these things before? Before establishing that Mysterious Research Society."
"Something like that. Those things that were eliminated were much more troublesome than monsters that affect memories."
"That's quite surprising."
Yukino Yukinoshita immediately became interested.
She had known Bai Li before.
But it was only as a boy whose grades were slightly better than hers.
And also… "I heard Bai Li-kun left the band. Wasn't your previous performance quite successful?"
"Because establishing this club is also very important."
Bai Li casually found an excuse.
He then said with a smile,
"If Yukinoshita-san is interested in music, would you like to go to a LIVE·HOUSE together next time?"
Bringing Mai and Asia, plus Yukino, wouldn't be a problem.
Yukinoshita, who was invited, shook her head.
"Let's focus our attention on the present first."
"That's true…"
The two stopped talking and instead crossed the bridge to arrive at the park that might cause memory loss.
Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the currently empty park, appearing somewhat nervous.
Whether she believed in monsters or not, this park might have a problem.
"Stay behind me."
"Bai Li-kun, you don't have to be so protective of me."
"Then I'll stay behind Yukinoshita-san."
"..."
"Just kidding."
Bai Li, trying to lighten the mood, stopped talking and walked into the park.
The park looked well-maintained, with no weeds and neatly trimmed bushes.
What was strange was the absence of passersby nearby.
It wasn't dinner time, so why was no one approaching?
Bai Li looked around, surveying every corner, but found no abnormalities.
"How is it, Bai Li-kun?"
"It's just an ordinary park."
"If we don't find anything… wouldn't that mean that all the places Yuihama-san and that girl visited might have problems?"
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't know if this was good or bad.
"Perhaps it's a time difference? Are we too early? Do you know the exact time Yuihama-san came here?"
"It was after school anyway; the specific time is unclear."
"Then let's wait and see. Maybe we'll find something else."
"Alright."
Bai Li intended to eliminate the park's problems as much as possible, so he adopted a rigorous approach.
Since just waiting wouldn't do, Bai Li and Yukino went to a nearby convenience store to buy some things.
Yukino Yukinoshita, who chose orange juice, sat on a bench in the park near the riverbank. She put down her schoolbag and took out the book she had been reading earlier.
"Are you going to read?"
"Because I don't know how long we have to wait, and I don't have any other topics to discuss with Bai Li-kun."
Yukino was quite direct in this regard… However, the situation quickly changed.
Perhaps it was a coincidence;
Perhaps it was fate.
The two had just finished buying things and returned to sit in the park. The moment Yukino was about to read her book, a movement came from behind her.
It was a rustling sound.
This made Yukino nervous.
She quickly put away her book, stood up, and vigilantly stared at the bush from which the sound had come.
The next moment, the source of the sound appeared.
A cat with blood-red pupils appeared before the two of them.
"A cat?"
Bai Li was a little surprised.
"A cat? I don't see anything. Where is the cat Bai Li is talking about?"
"Wait a moment."
Facing Yukino's confusion, he gently tapped the girl's shoulder with his right hand.
"...!"
Now Yukino also clearly saw the scene before her.
The black cat with pupils as crimson as blood bared its fangs.
It was not a normal animal; it was surrounded by something like mist.
Soon, the mist formed a human figure and uttered words:
"Grandma's necklace…"
"I can't find it. I'll look again tomorrow."
Hearing this, Yukino's eyes widened.
"Bai Li-kun, that sounds like… Yuihama-san's voice."
"It seems we've found her lost memory."
Bai Li stared at the cat in front of him, intending to catch it.
Perhaps… this little fellow is the Memory Spirit Cat of this plane?