We were back at school.
Yukari looked at me, her eyes still wide.
"What… what was that?"
"I was about to ask the same thing," I replied.
Before we could say anything else, the bell rang loudly.
I sighed. "Break time's over."
We both stood up.
"What about the book?" Yukari asked quietly.
"Leave it here," I said. "For now."
She hesitated, then locked the Hope Club door. We walked together toward our next class.
"What period is it now?" I asked.
"History," she replied.
We entered the classroom and sat at the back. The teacher walked in and placed his book on the desk.
"Good morning, students."
"Good morning, sir," everyone replied.
"Today's lesson is War War Three. Turn to page 25."
Time passed as we copied notes from the board.
I raised my hand. "Sir?"
"Yes, Keenan?"
"May I go to the bathroom?"
"Go ahead."
I stood up and walked out. Yukari watched me quietly.
Inside the bathroom, I finished quickly and washed my hands. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed.
What a drag… I wish I was at home right now. Sleeping.
I closed my eyes, imagining my room.
When I opened them—
I was standing in my bedroom.
"…What the hell?" I whispered.
I looked around, shocked. Before I could move, the door opened. Aunt Veronica stood there holding a broom 🧹.
My heart almost stopped.
No, no, no—I don't want to get in trouble.
"I want to go back to school," I whispered.
"I want to go back to school."
"I want to go back to school."
I shut my eyes tightly.
Suddenly—everything vanished.
"Aah—!"
I was back in the bathroom.
I leaned against the sink, breathing heavily. My heart was pounding.
"What the hell… how did I do that?"
Then it hit me.
A flashback crossed my mind—when we were running from the demon monkey.
I had written one word in the book.
Transport.
My eyes widened.
"…The powers we write in that book," I whispered, "they work in the real world too."
I walked back to class.
"What took you so long?" the teacher asked.
I laughed awkwardly. "Uh… number two."
The class burst into laughter. Mikara tilted her head, glancing back.
I sat down quickly. Yukari looked at me, worried.
I grabbed a piece of paper, wrote fast, and tossed it to her.
She read it.
Her mouth dropped open.
She shouted, "Sir, sh—!"
"Shhh!" the teacher snapped.
The class laughed again.
The bell rang.
Outside, Yukari walked beside me.
Ichirokaze noticed Mikara staring back.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"…Is it just me," Mikara said, "or are those two really close now?"
Ichirokaze sighed. "It's normal."
But Mikara stopped and looked toward the Hope Club.
Inside the clubroom, Yukari pulled out the book.
"You're saying the powers we write here," she said slowly, "exist in real life too?"
I nodded. "I wrote transport. In the bathroom, I thought about home… and boom."
Yukari held her chin, thinking.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Mikara walked in with her arms folded.
"Power?" she said. "What power?"
Yukari and I froze.
Mikara covered her face and laughed. "Ohhh, you're playing a game, right?"
I sighed. "That's Mikara for you…"
Yukari clapped her hands. "Yes! A game!"
I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah."
Mikara stared at me. "Really, Keenan?"
"…To be honest," I said, "this book—"
Before I could finish, Yukari smacked my head.
"Don't lie so seriously!" she whispered.
Mikara grabbed the book. "This gives abilities? That's your joke? Wow, first time you've ever been funny."
She laughed—and ran out.
"Hey!" Yukari shouted.
She turned to me. "See what you did? Now we have to chase her!"
We ran after Mikara.
Suddenly—the ground shook.
"What if she wrote something in the book?" Yukari said.
"…What?" I asked.
Before she could explain—
We were pulled into another world.
We fell.
Yukari closed her eyes and created a soft bed beneath us. We landed safely.
"…So we still have our abilities," she said.
I stood up and looked around. "Where's Mikara?"
Mikara landed in a river with a splash.
Strange-looking people stared at her.
She laughed awkwardly. "H-Hello…"
Back with us, Yukari clenched her fists.
"Damn it. We don't have the book," she said. "Which means we don't know the quest."
I sighed deeply.
"So now we have to find Mikara."
"…What a drag."
To be continued…