We couldn't save her...
It only took an instant.
Nothing we could've done.
Let's leave.
You're not one of her targets.
There's no need to confront her here.
Damn it...
Just how many like her does the laboratory have?
There's the third...
Unforgivable.
The Meaning of Her Smile
Unforgivable.
Wait, Kuroha!
You leave me no choice!
What are you doing?!
Listen up, okay?
If you fight her now, your death will be in vain.
You need to suppress your urge for revenge.
There's no one to be saved here.
But...
It's wiser to wait until you can save someone's life before you make your stand.
Am I wrong?
Got it?
Got it.
But...
It's so frustrating!
I know.
Murakami!
People are starting to gather.
Take Neko and get away from there!
If the police see her harness, they'll be sure to detain you.
Under normal circumstances we'd be fine, but after something like that, if they find a girl our age loitering about...
...they're definitely going to check for a harness!
You have to get out of there!
Kuroha, let's go!
Wait, hold on!
What is it this time?
That girl's still there!
I knew she'd try to kill Neko!
That girl?
Shino-chan! We're here to save you!
Crap.
I forgot about Kotori!
Shino-chan! Where are you?
That idiot!
Murakami-kun, you take care of Kotori-chan.
I'll distract Kikako-chan.
Wait!
You can't stop me.
I know.
I have a plan.
Shino-chan!
Kikako-chan.
Go back right this instant.
Neko...
Hey!
This way!
Kikako-chan.
Please, go back right now.
Hey you! The hell'd ya put Neko up to?!
You can't reason with that woman!
Number four...
I told you!
Why didn't you get out of there?
Neko hung up already! You have no chance!
That's not true.
Huh?
She just wants to try to resolve this peacefully first.
Our opponent isn't as strong as you think.
What are ya talkin' about?!
It's simple.
Her magic has a fatal flaw.
She dodged it?
The last two times she shot her beam, there was a delay of a few seconds before it fired.
She needs to charge up her enormous firepower.
We can use that time to maneuver behind her and press the button on her harness.
Murakami, did you hit Neko's switch because you were planning on sacrificing yourself for her?
Not really. I'll be dodging for my life as well.
Goodness gracious...
Shiokichi Road closed due to accident
Shiokichi Parking Lot
Entrance
Spots Open
Lot Full
Danger
Shiokichi Road
Road Safety Announcements
Road Closed
Alright, I've closed off all the entrances to the park and disabled police communications and 911 for the next hour.
Still, don't tarry too long.
Take care of her as soon as you can.
Got it.
Kotori, how are you do—
Where did she go?!
I have to hurry...
Hey.
What are you doing here?!
Th-This is...
Why are you tying yourself to that post?
In the forecast where you die, Neko was tied up nearby.
I see.
You're going to switch places with Kuroha.
And you're tying yourself up so Kuroha doesn't go back to try to save you.
But then you'll be killed by Kikako.
I don't mind.
After all, I'm...
...going to die tomorrow anyway.
Don't be so rash! We still have pills to spare!
I'm quite all right.
I don't so desperately want to live that I'd use other people's pills—other people's lives—to survive.
I'd always wanted to live a normal school life.
And for those two short days, I was truly happy.
Now I can die with no regrets.
This is all my magic is good for.
I see.
Kana's forecast changed after our stargazing expedition because Kotori decided she would switch places with Neko.
Wait. Switch places?
What?
The forecast changed.
Murakami must have figured something out.
Murakami-kun...
What are you doing?
She has me tracked now. I won't be able to avoid it for much longer.
I guess I'll have to hit her harness myself.
I'll launch myself into point-blank range and barely dodge the beam.
Then I'll sweep behind her!
I can't move...
Kuroha!
Neko-san!
Murakami, you idiot!
What were ya thinkin'?!
Did ya think Kikako didn't have anything up her sleeve?!
I'll switch places with Neko-san!
There's no other way to save her!
But there is.
Your magic is stronger than you think it is.
We've got this in the bag.
Neko!
Go!
Yes!
Neko... san?
Huh?
Kotori-chan?
I told you so.
Your magic is stronger than you think.
All you had to do is switch places with our enemy. Now she's easy pickings.
Seriously.
It's such a pain babysitting all you magicians.
Tell us. Where did you come from?
Where's the laboratory?
I don't think she's refusing to answer. She just doesn't know.
The heck are ya doin'?!
There's a gigantic crowd gatherin'!
The police are there too!
Get outta there already!
What do we do with Kikako-chan?
I don't think a killer like her would be willing to change sides.
Though, I can't bring myself to press the button to kill her.
Huh? Where's Kotori?
She was just with us!
That girl...
She went somewhere to die!
We're looking for Kotori!
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What a poor excuse for a AA+ you are.
You may have fulfilled your quota of harnesses retrieved,
but there will be a severe punishment waiting for you at the lab.
K-Kotori!
Kuroha! She's over here!
How did you...
This isn't the time for questions.
Kotori, girl,
you know ya wrote that place's address down on your registration form, right?
Oops, guess I was careless.
How careless can you get?
Kotori-chan!
Will she make it if she takes a pill now?
Probably. Her limbs haven't detached yet, so I think she'll live.
What kind of hell have they lived through?
Kotori-chan, have this pill.
I don't want it.
Hurry up and take it! You don't have much more time!
I don't want to take anyone else's pills.
Why not?
This blood is my friend, Chie-chan's blood.
Today's my birthday, you see.
But I didn't have enough pills to make it to today.
Kotori, you live on.
Why?!
Chie-chan, your birthday's coming up too!
My birthday is a week after yours.
We don't have enough for both of us to reach our birthdays.
Please, take my pills and live for both of us.
I turned her down.
There was no point in living to see my birthday if it meant taking Chie-chan's life away.
Then how is she still alive?
Don't tell me...
Yes.
Chie-chan stopped taking her pills.
Chie-chan! Why?!
My few days left are a small price to pay for you to become an adult.
When you're sixteen, you can even get married if you want.
Though I guess it'd only be for a day.
I have a birthday present for you—I've arranged for you to transfer into school.
Kotori, you wanted to go to school, right?
I altered their data with magic to let you in...
Chie-chan!
Please... promise me just one thing.
When things get tough, no matter what, you have to smile.
When you cry during painful times, it just gets more painful.
Chie-chan!
And one last thing.
I won't be there to say it, so I'll say it now.
Happy birthday.
I made a promise with Chie-chan.
That when things get tough, I have to keep smiling.
But I felt guilty.
I got to live because Chie-chan died. So...
Stop talking nonsense.
Do you really think I'd let you die?
The astronomy club finally got a new first-year. Without you, the club will be disbanded next year.
I won't let that happen.
I'll find a way to get you more pills.
Okay?
Kotori-chan.
Don't you have to celebrate Chie-chan's birthday next week?
It's fine. Take it.
I'll shove it in your mouth if I have to.
Thank you. I'll take it.
Also, there's something I have to say to you.
Happy birthday.
Thank you!
Chie-chan, thanks to you, I'm sixteen years old now!
I've been keeping our promise.
I haven't been crying, no matter how painful it's gotten.
But I can cry in front of you, right?
Chie-chan!
Happy birthday!
It's so hot.
Kikako's rampaging should've left tons of evidence,
Explosion at Shiokichi Beach
Caused by decayed gas line?
No casualties
but the media are all reporting it as a run-of-the-mill explosion.
Volcanic eruption? Gas explosion?
The powers that be must have pulled some strings to cover it up.
That's probably what happened.
Kana's forecast really threw us for a loop this time.
Next to Neko's dead body, Kotori stood there smiling.
Because of that forecast, we ended up suspecting Kotori.
But...
I made a promise with Chie-chan.
That when things get tough, I have to keep smiling.
Then one thing led to another.
Huh? No one's here.
Well, there's no air conditioning in here, so they'd be dying of heat if they stayed.
Could that be...
Yahoo!
Kazumi-chan, it's cold!
My clothes are going to get wet!
Just take 'em off!
Ooh, Kotori's not wearin' a bra!
I can see your nipples!
It was hot, okay?
I'll take it off.
Oh?
Nice stripping, Neko!
It's so cool.
Alright, I'll take mine off too!
Kotori, c'mon!
It's embarrassing!
I'm so flabby...
Geez.
C'mon, no one's lookin'!
I am.
What, ya peepin' on us, pervert?
You sure do love them boobs!
Cut it.
You're the ones who decided to take your clothes off outside.
Here, I bought ingredients for us.
Onions, potatoes, carrots...
Noodles and meat.
This calls for...
None other!
Meat and potato stew.
Kotori ended up moving into the observatory too.
I thought she wouldn't want to live where her friend had died, so I pushed the issue a bit.
But she seems to be having a good time.
It feels like we're camping every day.
Yeah.
But the moment we run out of pills, they're all going to die.
Everyone, it's done!
Yummy!
Kotori, you ain't half bad at this!
Y-You think so?
I-I'm rather fond of cooking.
I want to eat already!
No! My meat and potatoes...
Eat up!
This is delicious!
Neko, hurry up!
Here you go.
We need to talk.
There's someone I'd like to tell about you all.
If everything goes well, he might be able to help us get more athanatics.
Can we trust this guy?
His personality's a bit questionable, but he wouldn't betray us.
Okay. Go for it.
You're sure of this, right?
Yeah. Don't worry.
Kuroha, can your magic target things through glass?
As long as I can see it.
That means I can't do it through frosted glass.
That's fine.
Come with me after you're done.
Shinano University
I'll need you to help.
It's quite rare to see you come knocking on my door.
You've grown up quite handsomely, Ryouta.
Drug Discovery Lab
I bet you're a hit with the boys.
This is why I didn't want to see this guy.
Kogorou, I heard you turned down an offer from an American research institute.
Of course I did. I prowl only as far as I can walk.
If they want me badly enough, they can build a laboratory over here.
I see no reason to work with an institution that won't grant me even that courtesy.
You sure about that?
You'll be stuck at this local university, toiling in obscurity.
Stuck? Me?
Don't be stupid.
Even if I'm at a nobody school, I'm still somebody.
There's no problem at all.
So, what did you want to talk about?
Let me preface my request.
Let's hear it.
Once you know what I'm about to tell you,
there's a possibility that you'll be killed.
By whom?
Some sort of government organization.
And if you go to the police, they'll just turn you in.
I've already seen two people die before my eyes.
I, too, may have already been killed once.
Did all that studying go to your head?
Or maybe the summer heat's gotten to you?
Anyway, let's say I accept that listening to your request poses some problems.
In that case, why should I put my life on the line to help you out?
Money does not sway me.
Kogorou, you don't believe in supernatural phenomena, do you?
Not any more than I believe in anything else unprovable.
I've no penchant for fairy tales.
Then I'll show you magic, right here, right now.
Will that sway you?
Very well.
Go ahead.
Then what should I break?
Huh?
I brought a magician with me.
Is there anything in this room that's okay to break?
If you can do it with magic, I don't care what you break.
He says anything's fine. Do it.
When did you plant that?
Plant what?
Both the door and the window are shut, so it can't have been a sniper.
The only other explanation is that you planted explosives in this room.
I asked you to pick something specific so you couldn't accuse me of foul play.
This time, tell me clearly what you want us to break.
All right then, this time I'll pick something difficult to plant explosives in.
Like this floor.
Then, this pen I was just using, a memento from my fath—
How very interesting.
Well worth putting my life at risk.
I'll help, so tell me everything.
kagayaku hoshi miagete
We've always admired
itsumo akogareteta na
the shining stars we gazed upon.
ashita wo yume minagara
And dreaming of tomorrow,
koi wo shite mitari
we played games of affection.
nai mono nedari de
While I begged for something that wasn't there,
shiawase wa hito sorezore to
you taught me that happiness
oshiete kureta ne
was different for everyone.
sonna kimi ga suki de nee
That's why I like you so much.
watashi wa ima koi ni ochita
Now, I'm enraptured
ichibanboshi
by the first star of the night
onegai shite
so I make a wish:
douka kimi to itsumo issho ni ireru you ni
"May I get to be with you forever."
watashi wa ima hajimete shiru
Now, I've come to understand
koi wa setsunai
that loving can be rough,
kurushiku naru demo ai wa tottemo
but hard as things can get, love itself is
hora atatakai mono nanda
a very warm thing.