"Ma'am, judging by your expression, it seems like you know me."

"Not you, but I did know your father," the mother said with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, your surname is Takamine, right?"

"…Yes."

"I knew it. I didn't expect his son to have grown so much already. You're in high school now?"

"Yeah, first year." Rinji replied.

He hadn't expected to run into one of his father's acquaintances in such a remote town.

But it wasn't that strange. His father had gone to high school in Japan, so it made sense he had connections.

"Then I'll be going. I came to Yomiyama because I have some matters to handle."

"Well, if you have time, please visit our home. I'd love to host you," the mother said warmly. "After all, you're Mr. Takamine's son."

"Ah, if I get the chance, I'll stop by. Thank you in advance."

After getting her address, Rinji continued wandering the streets of Yomiyama.

He thought to himself that it made sense his father had sent him here, since he had also visited and made acquaintances long ago.

He regretted not asking the mother more about what his father had done back then. It might have given him clues about what he should be doing now.

"Well, I have her address, I can ask later…"

Rinji muttered, suddenly realizing something was off.

How had she guessed his connection to his father? Was it based on his looks? That wasn't possible.

Rinji knew very well that their appearances weren't that similar. At most twenty percent, the rest inherited from his mother.

Feeling uneasy, Rinji quickly pulled out his phone and called Sousuke.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello? Rinji?"

"Uncle Sousuke, I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Did Dad ever come to Yomiyama?"

"Your father… if I recall, yes, about twenty years ago he was there," Sousuke said. "But he didn't stay long."

"I see."

So his father really had been here. Was he just overthinking things?

"Alright, one more question."

"Hm?"

Rinji took a deep breath and slowly asked his question.

"When my old man studied abroad in Japan… did he use his real name?"

"No."

Sousuke replied.

"At that time he used a forged identity in Japan, both surname and given name were fake. Even most of his classmates at Jindai High School back then never knew his real name, not even his family name."

"I see."

Hearing this, Rinji had a rough idea and his gaze turned sharp.

Why did that woman know his surname was Takamine? His father rarely told anyone his real name in Japan except people from the organization, so how did that woman know? Could it be she was very close to his father?

The only people who knew his father's real name back then were basically internal members of IW, now the organization's upper management.

"Uncle Sousuke, I might still need to ask about my old man's past."

"Of course, no problem. Whatever you want to know, I'll—buzz—"

"Hello? Uncle Sousuke, hello?"

Suddenly there was only a busy tone from the phone. Looking down, he saw the display showed out of range—no signal.

"That's strange. This phone is custom-made by IW and directly connects to satellites. Even if the signal around Yomiyama is bad, it shouldn't be completely out."

Rinji frowned at the phone.

He looked around.

A carousel, an ice cream shop, and in front of him a towering Ferris wheel turning slowly.

At some point he had walked into an amusement park.

A strange, unsettling feeling spread through Rinji's body.

He lifted his head to the sky. At some point the sky had turned gray and oppressive, as if it would rain at any second.

"Not normal… definitely not normal."

Looking at the scattered visitors, Rinji's pupils dilated.

The amusement park had very few people, but the still-running rides and cleaning staff sweeping made it clear the park was open.

So the question was:

How did he enter the park without buying a ticket or being stopped?

"Ah—!"

Just as Rinji was about to look for answers, a scream drew his attention.

He looked toward the sound and saw one of the Ferris wheel cabins open.

A chestnut-haired girl was about to fall from the high cabin, but was barely being held by a black-haired girl with an eyepatch.

The scene was terrifying, and the eyepatched girl's grip was failing.

"Tch, so many damn problems today."

Without hesitation Rinji ran toward them.

He leapt onto the top of the Ferris wheel's control room and shouted up to the falling girl. "It's safe down here! Jump!"

"Eh?"

The chestnut-haired girl hanging in midair hesitated and looked down, seeing Rinji with his arms wide open.

"I'll catch you!"

At that moment the eyepatched girl lost her grip, and the girl fell.

Just before she hit the roof, Rinji caught her in his arms and landed safely.

The girl had her eyes closed, but when she opened them again she saw Rinji's face and realized she was being carried princess-style.

"Ah… thank you…"

"Can you stand?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Thud.

"Ah!"

Rinji suddenly let go and the girl fell to the ground, landing hard on her backside.

"Ow ow ow… couldn't you be gentler?" The girl rubbed her sore butt and glared at Rinji.

"Spending my precious time saving your life is already gentle enough."

"How is that gentle… but still, thank you." The girl smiled.

Rinji now got a good look at her face.

She looked very similar to the black-haired girl and also wore an eyepatch.

Youngsters nowadays, they all had a bit of a chuunibyou streak.

"Misaki! Are you alright?"

The black-haired girl rushed down from the Ferris wheel to check on her.

"I'm fine, Mei. He saved me…"

Just as Misaki turned to introduce Rinji, he had already vanished.

"Huh? Where'd he go?"

---

Rinji: "…"

He looked silently at his surroundings.

Weeds grew between stone tiles. The closed ice cream shop's signboard was covered in dust.

The rides had long stopped. The Ferris wheel's railing was rusted, and though it stood tall, it no longer moved, silently telling of the passing years.

This was an abandoned amusement park.

"…What the hell… happened?"