It was the final day of their vacation.
Shirone and his friends, who had stayed up studying at the inn until dawn, didn't wake up until late in the day.
After joking around about how messy they all looked, they took turns bathing.
By the time Shirone returned his books to the library and arrived at school, it was already past lunchtime. The schoolyard was nearly empty since classes were still in session, and the only people around were the janitors sweeping the paths.
"So, I guess our little vacation is over," someone sighed.
"Vacation? It was a suspension, not a break."
"Still, we had fun. What should we do now?"
Shirone stretched and replied, "I'm heading back to my room to clean. I've got to tidy up before classes start again tomorrow."
"You're always so particular. Alright then, we'll be at the study room. Come join us if you get bored."
"Got it. See you guys later."
Shirone headed back to his dorm.
His room was a mess—he hadn't paid much attention to it during the time they were preparing their presentation. Rolling up his sleeves, he got to work cleaning. After organizing his class materials on the bookshelf, he brushed off his hands, satisfied with the progress.
It had been an unexpected suspension, but for Shirone, it was worth it—he had discovered the God Particle.
Still, that discovery would only mean something once he became a fully-fledged mage.
Starting tomorrow, it was back to the grind. He had to study hard again if he wanted to move up to Class Four.
"The same goes for Neid and Iruki."
At Alpheas Magic School, student advancement is determined at the end of each semester based on grades from the first half of the year. To qualify for promotion, students needed to score at least 80 points in every subject.
That wasn't easy—getting an 80 in every class meant no weak spots. And most students had at least one subject that didn't suit their strengths.
But the school was firm in its policy.
To choose a major, students had to show a well-rounded grasp of the basics. After all, graduates of Alpheas were expected to be capable of performing nearly all fundamental spells across magical disciplines.
This was also one of the reasons why magic societies held Alpheas graduates in high regard.
Of course, not all successful mages came from magic schools. Many were trained directly by a mentor, found enlightenment on their own, or learned through underground means. Those types tended to be highly specialized and experienced in real combat.
Who got hired often depended on the job or the employer's preferences. Still, there was no denying that graduates from a well-rounded institution like Alpheas had a clear advantage in the job market.
In that light, the school's 80-point requirement was more than just academic pressure—it reflected real-world expectations.
Shirone groaned, holding his head.
"Ugh, so what now? I'd have to raise my average by more than 30 points."
Even with the discovery of the God Particle, the reality was simple: this was still school. And school had rules.
"It's not totally impossible. If I focus and use the Spine of Knowledge properly, I can boost my scores."
But more than anything, there was one big reason Shirone had to make it.
"Iruki and Neid are probably getting promoted too. If I end up stuck in Class Five all by myself…"
The thought alone was terrifying.
Shirone shook his head, trying to stay positive.
"I'll have to go through this sooner or later anyway. Besides, once I reach Class Four, I can apply for graduation. And then I can finally keep my promise to Amy…"
That's when it hit him.
"Oh no—Amy!"
After the presentation, he hadn't even had the chance to thank her. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he'd completely forgotten she was there.
"You dummy. She must've felt so ignored."
Amy had always quietly supported him, cheering him on from the sidelines whenever things got tough.
"Alright! Time to go!"
The idea of senior year still felt overwhelming—but this time, Shirone was determined to show how he really felt.
There was a spark in his eyes as he left the inn.
"You're gonna be surprised, Amy."
Shirone climbed the hill with two cups of coffee in hand—one for Amy and one for Seriel.
At the top, a towering structure called the Steel Door stood before him.
Up close, it was far more imposing and magnificent than it looked from a distance.
"So this is the peak of magic school."
As the sculpture that symbolized the mage's spirit, it gave him a sense of reverence as he passed beneath it.
Just then, he saw some graduating students exiting the building—their sixth-period class had just ended.
In the middle of the hallway, Shirone spotted Amy and Seriel deep in conversation.
"Amy! Amy!"
Some nearby students turned their heads, but Amy and Seriel didn't notice him—they were still talking, lost in their own world.
Feeling mischievous, Shirone tiptoed up behind them and held out the coffee.
"Ta-da! A surprise gift!"
Amy's eyes widened in shock, and Shirone grinned playfully as he handed a cup to Seriel as well.
"Here, one for you too, senior! Drink up and recharge!"
Seriel watched with a curious smile and tilted her head.
Amy, still surprised, narrowed her eyes and asked, "Who are you? And why are you giving us this?"
Shirone thought it was all just a bad joke.
"I'm sorry," Amy said. "I've been so out of it lately. That's why I wanted to talk to you in person."
But as Shirone stepped closer, Amy suddenly pushed his arm away in alarm.
"Don't touch that! Do you even know what's in there?"
Coffee spilled onto the floor.
Shirone stared at her, stunned.
This wasn't some prank. Her expression was tense, her cheeks flushed with genuine frustration.
"Who do you think you are?" Amy snapped. "And why are you calling Seriel your senior but speaking so casually to me?"
Even Seriel frowned, clearly displeased.
"You're in the advanced class? I don't know if this is stalking or some weird joke, but this isn't how you approach someone. And use respectful language. You're not some dropout."
Shirone was at a loss for words. It was like they genuinely had no idea who he was.
"Senior Seriel, it's me—Shirone. You don't recognize me? Amy, are you seriously pretending right now?"
Amy grabbed his collar.
"How would we know you? If you're a student, go study! Don't you know when and where to act? You've been quiet since reaching the senior level…"
It was because of that guy.
Ever since she started hanging out with strange people, trouble followed her again. The boys at school were getting too close again.
That guy…
Who was it? I definitely—
There was someone. Some kind of agreement. But he couldn't remember.
Only a faint, warm feeling lingered.
"Stop lying!"
Shirone shook off Amy's hand.
"Ah!"
Amy winced and held her wrist, but Shirone couldn't bring himself to care.
If this was a prank, it was a cruel one.
"Why are you treating me like this? If you don't like me, just say so! This is… this is too much!"
Seriel shoved Shirone back.
"Get lost!"
It was Seriel, so Shirone didn't resist and fell straight onto the floor.
"Why are you harassing my friend? And a senior at that! What class are you even in? Do you want to get expelled?"
Shirone's expression crumpled with sadness.
Seriel... Amy's best friend.
She used to be warm-hearted, someone who would cry while reading romance novels and cheer him on more passionately than anyone.
But now she looked at him like a stranger—her gaze cold, her mouth tense with hostility.
Shirone shook his head.
No. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
"No! This is a lie!"
He turned and ran, his heart pounding, barely able to breathe.
Seriel called after him.
"Don't come back! If you bother us again, I'm reporting you to the teachers!"
Still breathless, she turned to Amy.
"What a weirdo. Looked innocent, but turns out she's persistent. Are you okay, Amy?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah… I'm fine."
Amy gently massaged her wrist. She still couldn't remember anything… but deep inside, a strange unease crept into her heart.
She watched Shirone disappear and whispered to herself,
"...Who is he? He really seemed like he knew me."
Seriel brushed it off with a laugh.
"How would you know if you don't remember? Probably just some lunatic trying to get attention. You hear about kids like that all the time. Who's he trying to impress? Standing next to you like he belongs—huh?"
Seriel blinked. She couldn't even think of a name.
The bell rang.
Amy said quietly, "Let's go in. We'll talk later."
"Yeah. I was hoping for a normal chat today, but that creep wasted our whole break."
Amy followed Seriel into the school building, but before stepping in, she glanced back.
"..."
Shirone was long gone.
But Amy stood there for a moment, as if waiting for someone.
Shirone ran, his teeth clenched, his eyes stinging with tears.
Why are they doing this to me? What did I do wrong?
He sprinted past the steel gates and reached the advanced class section just as the bell rang.
He spotted Mark and Maria entering the building and called out, desperate.
"Mark! Mark!"
They turned, startled.
"Mark! Do you know who I am? Please! Say it!"
Mark glanced at Maria, confused. She shrugged.
"Um… who are you?"
Shirone's heart dropped.
What is happening?
"It's me! It's Shirone!"
"So…?"
"It's me! Class Five! We took tests together! You have to remember!"
Mark's expression tightened, but he cast his eyes downward when Shirone mentioned Class Five.
"Oh… right. Sorry. I didn't realize."
"No! That's not it! Why are you pretending like I'm a stranger?"
What does he want from me? This is annoying.
Mark might've played along if they were alone, but others were watching.
Just then, Siana walked down the hallway.
"You two. Class has started. What are you doing here?"
To Shirone, she was like a beacon of hope.
"Teacher! It's me, Shirone! You have to remember me!"
How could someone as powerful as Siana forget? She was a certified 6th-level magician.
But her reply shattered him.
"Shirone? There's no such student in the advanced class."
"No… It's me!"
Siana tried to recall, but Shirone's name and face meant nothing to her.
"I think you're confused. I wasn't told about any new students."
Mark's expression changed.
Shirone felt the shift.
They were starting to see him as a threat.
"I—I'm sorry! I made a mistake!"
"Hey! Wait!"
But Shirone didn't stop. He sprinted out of the building, his heart in pieces.
Now, he understood.
Everyone had forgotten him.
"Ugh… ugh…"
Tears flowed. He felt like a lost child, surrounded by strangers.
Is it really true? Does no one remember me...?
Then, a thought hit him like lightning.
Neid. Iruki.
Grasping that one thread of hope, Shirone rushed to Istas.
He fumbled through the complicated equations and finally arrived at the Society for Paranormal Psychic Research.
He hesitated in front of the door.
They'll know me. Of course they will. Just hours ago, we were together. They have to remember.
If… if they don't...
He squeezed his eyes shut.
He didn't want to imagine how much that would hurt.
He flung the door open.
Neid and Iruki turned from their conversation, surprised.
Shirone clenched his fists.
"Neid. Iruki. It's me—Shirone."
They blinked. Silence.
And in that silence, the dam of emotions inside Shirone burst.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You remember, right? You haven't forgotten me too, have you?"
Neid exchanged a look with Iruki, then scratched his head and walked over.
"Uh… who are you?"
Shirone's eyes filled with tears.
"You really don't know? We were just together! We studied yesterday. The day before that too!"
"I'm sorry. But we don't know you. Are you from another club? Trying to spy on us? Just leave, please."
Then Iruki snapped.
"Wait a second. That could be it. How'd you even get into Istas? Tell us! Who are you?"
"You… you guys…"
Shirone's face crumpled with emotion. He couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
"Pooh…"
Neid's cheeks puffed up—and then he couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing.
"Puhahahaha! Iruki, did you see that? Did you see Shirone's face? That was priceless!"
Iruki was laughing so hard he was stomping his feet.
"I saw it! I saw it! I was actually scared for a second—then you guys—Puhahahaha! Shirone, what were you even trying to do? Kill me with laughter?"
Neid was clutching his stomach, trying to catch his breath between fits of laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh man, the more I think about it, the funnier it gets. What were you even thinking… Keuhahaha!"
Shirone just sat there, stunned. For a moment, he couldn't tell if this was real life or a dream.
"Wait… You guys remember me?"
Iruki snorted.
"What are you talking about? Did you have some weird nightmare or something? Do you even know how ridiculous you look right now? Hahahaha!"
Hearing that, Shirone finally let out a deep breath of relief.
And once that overwhelming relief passed… the frustration hit.
"Hey! You could've said something sooner! Why did you pretend not to know me?!"
"I was just messing with you! Your reaction was hilarious! You were like, 'It's me… It's me, Shirone,' all dramatic!"
As Neid mimicked him, Iruki laughed so hard he fell over onto the couch.
Shirone, too drained to even scold them, slumped into a chair and covered his face with both hands.
"I was so scared. I seriously thought I was going to die."
"Alright, alright. Spill it. What happened?"
Once Neid and Iruki calmed down enough to listen, Shirone explained everything that had happened.
At first, they laughed, thinking it was just another one of Shirone's overreactions. But as soon as he mentioned Teacher Siana, their expressions grew serious.
"Wait, so even Teacher Siana doesn't remember?" Neid said, frowning. "No way… She's not the type to play a joke like that."
"I mean… is that even possible?" Iruki asked, still skeptical.
"It is, if it's mental magic," Neid said. "But manipulating the memories of the entire school? That's a bit much."
Shirone banged his fist lightly against his chest, frustrated.
"I'm telling you—it's possible! It happened to me!"
"Calm down, we believe you," Iruki said. "So… you're saying everyone forgot about you?"
Neid added, "Except us. That might be the key. Why are we the only ones who remember?"
Iruki raised a finger thoughtfully.
"The first thing that comes to mind is that we were out of school for two days. So what happened at school while we were gone?"
The three of them fell silent, thinking.
Could someone really have altered the memories of not just the students, but also the teachers—while they were away?
It sounded impossible… but so did everything else.
Neid spoke up. "Maybe it was some kind of supernatural phenomenon. There are actually a few similar cases in history."
Iruki was still unsure. "Even then, most of those cases end up being connected to magic somehow. But okay, let's say that's true. Then why didn't we lose our memories?"
Neid thought about it. "Maybe it's because I was in Istas. I've been staying there ever since we parted ways with Shirone."
Shirone looked at him. "What's that got to do with Istas?"
"There have always been rumors about Istas having strange, mystical powers. It's probably nothing, but in our situation, we can't ignore any possibility—especially when it comes to personal safety."
Iruki leaned forward, suddenly concerned. "So… does that mean we could lose our memories too?"
"Yeah. I can't say for sure."
The room fell silent.
The thought of being forgotten again was terrible—but the idea of forgetting everything himself was just as frightening.
Neid finally spoke, his voice hesitant.
"Still… don't you think we should go back out there?"
"I agree," Iruki said. "We can't hide forever. It won't solve anything."
Shirone nodded slowly. He knew they were right… but his heart hesitated.
"What if you guys forget me too? I don't think I could take it a second time."
Iruki smiled gently.
"Then let's do this—let's leave a mark. Something we'll recognize even if we lose our memories. That way, we can avoid the worst-case scenario."