I stared at the letter, reading it over and over again. The butterfly effect was sending my past off the rails. Kawasaki Shu never had a clue of who I was previously. Now, he knew all of my friends and family and was trying to threaten me to do his dirty work. My heart raced in my chest, and I felt weak. I barely made it to my bed before nearly collapsing on it.

  How the hell am I supposed to deal with this? He knows everyone and probably where they are at any given time.

  Does he really think he can get away with threatening me and everyone I hold dear?!

  I've killed him before; it would be simple to do it again...

  No! I'm not a killer anymore! I won't kill anyone this time. I won't become a monster again. I will figure out how to protect everyone, even the Hiasaka siblings.

  I hand-shredded the letter and threw it away. I sat back down at my desk to draw up a plan. The first thing I would need to do was let the people who can protect themselves and others know what's going on. As I put my thoughts down on paper, I found myself no closer to an answer. There were simply too many variables to account for.

  I eventually looked at my watch. 11:46pm. I needed to go to bed. I went to wash my face and brush my teeth and to check on Yui. She was fast asleep on her bed with the blanket that I had pulled over her still resting on her. She would probably never know why the things that were coming would happen. I brushed her hair with my hand.

  "I won't let anything happen to you, sis," I said softly before leaving.

  As I left the room, I heard her softly call out in her sleep, "Zuzu..."

  The walk to school the next day took even longer than it had the day before. I was on hyper alert looking for anything out of place. Anything to imply that Chika and I were being followed. All around us, the neighborhood went through its normal morning routine. A couple of older ladies were talking as they watered their plants. Students of all ages walked their routes to school. The orange cat from before rested on top of a brick wall sunbathing.

  "Kazu, what's wrong?" she asked.

  "I'm just... looking around," I responded, trying not to lie.

  "Uh huh, I don't buy it."

  "It's nothing you need to worry about. If anything happens, I'll take care of it."

  "That's not the point, Kazu. I want you to tell me what's wrong, why you're acting weird."

  "I doubt you'll believe me, but I just have a bad feeling. You know?"

  She leaned over and stared into my eyes. As our gaze interlocked, I felt her peering into my soul. She had a serious look on her face, almost uncharacteristic of her. The longer she stared, the more awkward I felt. I hated the thought of lying to her, but I couldn't bring her into the fold as a norm. It was my job to protect her. After all, it was all because of my own actions that she had gotten into the position was in. Finally, she let out a sigh and continued walking.

  "Okay, Kazu, keep your secrets," she said, sounding indifferent.

  I'm sorry, Chika. You don't deserve this.

  When I finally got an opportunity to talk to the boys in the homeroom, I pulled them into the hall away from everyone. Before I could say anything, two small groups passed by, then another. We moved to the roof that was thankfully unoccupied at the time.

  "So what's with the secrecy, Kazuma?" Denki asked.

  "All of this kind of makes me nervous," Hiro asked. "I feel like something bad is happening, and you're about to pull us all into it."

  "Unfortunately, Hiro's right, guys. I don't have it anymore since I shredded it, but I came home to a letter yesterday. It was from a guy named Kawasaki Shu; he's a crime boss in this area..."

  "Kazuma, what the hell are you about to suggest?" Rito jumped in.

  "Guys, there's no suggestion. We're all already a part of what's going on, the girls included."

  "C-cut the crap, Kazuma," Hiro stuttered.

  "Listen, I know you didn't want your powers, but this is something that we're going to need them for, all of us."

  "Can't we just call the cops?" Rito interjected.

  "He's a crime boss," Denki said in a low voice. "He has to have connections to be running as is. I can't imagine the police would be able to take him in like they did at the water park. Even if they did, he would probably be back in his chair within a week."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "He wants the Hiasaka siblings," I said before anyone could say any more. "He sent that Aoyama guy to the water park. Apparently, they crossed him or something. The letter didn't say, but he gave me the choice of either taking them both out with my power or facing the consequences of not doing so. More an ultimatum than a choice, but that doesn't change the fact that we're here."

  "Maybe we should just ask them? It might give us a clue as to what they did or what we can do or something." Denki was quickly coming to his wit's end.

  "I'll see what I can do, but I'm not sure they'll be willing to work with us," I replied skeptically. "I'll try to talk to them."

  I spent both lunch and a couple of hours after school looking for them with no luck. The story was almost always the same. I had "just missed them." I was getting worried that something would happen or had happened to them. While they were delinquents, they didn't deserve to die for it, especially not to a lowlife like Kawasaki. The walk home and that night were haunting, not knowing what could be around the corner.

  I finally found Hiasaka Nina the next day after school when we both had a meeting with the student council. She was clearly still scared of me, even if no one else noticed. I did my best to be non-confrontational when I approached her after the meeting.

  "I'm sorry, Ishigami, but if it's not important, I really need to be going," she tried to escape again.

  "It's not something that absolutely has to be talked about here, I'll walk with you," I responded.

  She agreed, and I could see the begrudging fear in her eyes as we walked out of the room together. The school was mostly empty by that time, so it made for more private conversations.

  "Hiasaka, I'm sorry that I still terrify you," I started.

  "What gave it away? The fact that I actively avoid you or the fact that you made me collapse on my first day of school in years?"

  "Years? What do you mean?"

  "Nothing, what do you want?"

  "I want to help you and your brother."

  At that, she stopped and stared at me in a sort of shocked offense. "You? Want to help us?" She stormed up to me and left only a few centimeters between our faces. "You tried to kill him, remember? Over a handbag. The same one that you broke my nose for."

  She pointed to her nose that looked like anyone else's nose. Speedsters were long thought to have better self-healing than actual healers, and it looks like that was a fact.

  "And on top of that, you promised to leave us alone if we left you alone. Then, you and your friends turn what was supposed to be a celebration into a nightmare. Sure, you took down a hired goon. So what? You went back on your word after not even a month. So, do you want to try to say that again? You want to help us?"

  "Listen to me, Hiasaka. I am not your enemy. That 'hired goon' came from a crime boss, Kawasaki Shu. Have you heard of him? Because he certainly knows of you and your brother... and me."

  She stepped back and held her stare. "So what? My brother and I don't exactly have the best record. What? You're going to turn us over to the school and the police? Is that what this is about?"

  "Would you listen to me? He wants you two dead, and he wants me to do it. Apparently he knows about what happened at the mall. How? I have no idea. What matters is that he's threatening my friends and family along with you two."

  "So that's how it is, then? You're going to 'help us' by killing us? Thanks, but no thanks."

  She turned to take off, and I stopped time and grabbed her shoulder to spin her around. When she took off, she came to an instant stop way too close to my face again.

  "Stop doing that," she said, clearly frustrated.

  "I'm not done," I responded.

  "I am," she turned again.

  This time I slowed time as she started to run off. "I want to protect you two. That scum has no place in this city, and I won't be his tool or anyone's for that matter." She stopped a few dozen meters in front of me and turned back around.

  "Why should I believe you?" She sounded like she wanted to anyway.

  "Because I know what it's like to have a sibling that you would lay down your life for, despite how they act or make you feel."

  She looked down, debating her next move. Then, she walked back up to me and looked up into my eyes.

  "If you betray us, you won't live long enough to regret it." She had a passionate fire burning in her eyes.

  "Oh? I guess your brother isn't the only one with some fight in them. We'll meet tomorrow during lunch to discuss the plan."

  "As soon as it's over, we won't associate anymore, got it?" she was still flustered.

  "Crystal clear."

  Lunch arrangements the next day consisted of me, Denki, Rito, Hiro, Nina, and Natsu. We ate on the roof since it was the only place with fewer than a dozen people fighting for a spot. The summer sun was still hot, but it was losing its edge as autumn creeped in. I had made my box myself that morning after my run. Rice, plenty of vegetables, and some cooked beef from the night before.

  "Tell me again why we're here," Natsu said while giving Denki a death glare.

  "We're here to save your and your sister's skin," Denki replied, returning the stare.

  I swear, you could power a house with how much angry electricity is bouncing between those two.

  "I'll say it again, a crime boss wants the two of you out of the picture. Why? I don't know, nor do I care. What matters is I won't let him have his way."

  "I still think we should let the authorities handle this," Hiro said sheepishly.

  "In the end, they will," I reassured him. "We need to work out how we're going to protect everyone while giving said authorities enough evidence to put him away. I have a plan for it, but without everyone playing their part perfectly, it won't work."

  "I already have a bad feeling about this, Ishigami. I hope you haven't forgotten what I told you," Nina added.

  "If all else fails, I can get us all out," I continued. Hopefully, it won't come to that, though. So, here's how it's going to go."