The timeline goes back to September 6th, the night the incident happened.

In the corridor of the hospital, after shutting the door, Yamaguchi Kumo looked towards a certain corner of the wall.

There stood a young woman in a black suit, with curly hair, and was known as Colonel "Sanmori".

When Sanmori saw Yamaguchi Kumo approach, she naturally turned her gaze towards him.

"I was thinking who could be calling me back then, never thought it would be you."

"After all, it's been a long time since we last met."

"Yeah, it's been a while since then."

Saying so, Yamaguchi Kumo showed a nostalgic expression.

"What surprised me even more is that you're now a teacher, it's hard to imagine, Kuno."

The woman used a rather affectionate address calling Yamaguchi Kumo's name, but Yamaguchi Kumo didn't feel uncomfortable at all. It was probably because she was already used to it.

"What are you talking about? Don't be deceived by appearances, I'm quite popular, you know."

"Even if you can deceive others, you can't deceive me. Have you forgotten how many years we were on the same team before?"

Perhaps feeling that the reminiscing should come to an end, Yamaguchi Kumo changed the subject.

"By the way, I saw that guy earlier. Did he also get involved? And Reiko, how did you know about my actions?"

"It's nothing, I was just informed."

The young woman simply answered calmly, and from her response, Yamaguchi Kumo knew that she wasn't lying.

"Informed? Does that mean you already know about that?"

So, naturally, he asked like this.

"There's no way I wouldn't know. Although unexpected people appeared, you must have felt relieved, Kuno."

As she said so, the young woman shifted her gaze onto Yamaguchi Kumo.

Yamaguchi Kumo didn't have any intention of hiding, and the fact that the other person knew him inside out meant that even if he lied, it would be immediately exposed. Moreover, the most crucial point was that there was no need to lie here, so Yamaguchi Kumo honestly admitted.

"...Yeah."

Perhaps she already knew that Yamaguchi Kumo would answer this way, the young woman fell into contemplation without saying a word.

When Sanmori Reiko arrived, the scene was already in ruins.

After the loud noise caused by the collapsing building, the scene quickly fell into silence again.

It was like "the calm before the storm," but it was different. It should be described as "the calm after the storm" more accurately.

So, when a voice came from a distance, Sanmori Reiko did not miss it.

Although she couldn't hear exactly what was being said, she could confirm that it was the voice of a girl, and it was accompanied by sobbing cries. Thanks to this, Sanmori Reiko quickly followed the sound and found the source.

As the distance shortened, the voice of the girl became clearer.

"Don't... you can't die yet, there's something I need to say to you!"

The girl shouted with an almost hoarse voice, but there was no response.

However, the girl had no intention of giving up and showed no signs of stopping. She simply stared at the motionless boy in front of her, weakly but continuously shaking the hands that held him, while shouting loudly over and over again, even though she knew it was useless...

"How could you die..."

Her shouts were filled with unwillingness and regret. What exactly was that unwillingness and regret? Sanmori Reiko couldn't understand.

"Oh God... please, save her."

The girl looked up and screamed in a weak voice. It was clear that she wasn't superstitious, yet she still did this. This confused Sanmori Reiko. Although she couldn't comprehend it, she couldn't just stand here forever. After all, she didn't come here without any reason. She wasn't so idle.

"Do I look like God to you?"

Sanmori Reiko's words interrupted the girl's shouts, causing her to naturally turn around.

It was only then that Sanmori Reiko noticed the tear stains on the girl's face that hadn't completely dried. Nevertheless, upon seeing herself, the girl still showed a cautious gaze. There was no pause, not even a moment to wipe away the tears on her face.

Perhaps she didn't have the leisure to do so. Suddenly encountering a stranger at this moment, anyone would be on guard.

"Who are you?"

The girl asked herself with a seemingly indifferent expression.