Without looking at the direction of the sun, how many people could truly tell whether it was dawn or dusk?
Shiratori currently stood upon a bridge, both hands resting on the railing as she watched the afterglow of the setting sun ripple across the lake’s surface.
Peaceful pigeons happened to sweep past right before her eyes, prompting such thoughts in her heart.
“Though watching the scenery from here is quite meaningful in its own way.”
Even though she had been in a rush to find an inn just a moment ago, the sight of the sun reflecting off the lake had caused her to stop in her tracks involuntarily.
“…”
As if trying to steady her breathing, Shiratori swallowed softly, the force with which she gripped the railing tightening without her realizing it.
Having been confined to that cramped laboratory space for so long, this was the very first time she had ever watched the sunset’s afterglow like this.
An indescribable sensation welled up in her heart—much like a view encountered in the middle of a aimless journey.
It touched her deeply, though not in the sense of a grand, poignant reflection; rather, the sheer beauty of the scene was simply captivating.
To admire the exact moment the sunset sank completely beneath the lake, she temporarily gave up on looking for an inn.
It wasn’t as if Tengu City was a tourist hotspot anyway.
Speaking of which, regarding the information on this city, she had just used a pedestrian’s phone—borrowed out of their goodwill—to look things up roadside.
She had already gathered preliminary data on the area, including the locations of several available inns.
Dusk dyed the sky a deep blood-red, its final faint rays of light flickering in her eyes.
Shiratori sank into a state of selfless oblivion, staring blankly at the lake’s surface where the sun was about to drop.
However—
“—Waaaaahhhhh!
Help me!”
“…!”
A sudden cry for help echoing from afar made her body shiver slightly.
Right after, two dark figures appeared within her sight, struggling continuously in the middle of the lake.
It wasn’t a familiar voice, so it didn’t seem to be that Shido Itsuka.
If she had bumped into him yet again this time, she would really have to question the blue-haired boy’s intentions.
Or rather, ever since meeting him, the troubles she encountered simply hadn’t stopped coming.
Standing on the railing, she surveyed the situation.
The ones who had fallen into the water were an adult male and a child—likely a father and daughter.
The surrounding pedestrians had already been drawn over by the calls for help, but none of them seemed to know how to swim, simply pacing anxiously at the shore while waiting for the police or others to rescue them.
“What a hassle.”
Shiratori let out a soft sigh, calculated the distance between the two and the shore, and prepared to leap into the lake to save them.
After all, using her Astral Dress in front of so many people was naturally out of the question.
At the same time, she had to restrict her swimming speed strictly within the parameters of a normal high school girl; otherwise, it would very likely draw the attention of the AST.
Although the probability was infinitesimally small, she didn’t want to take any risks.
Should she just not save them, then?
Still, saving someone wouldn’t hurt as a new experience.
Thus, under the pretext of “experiencing what it feels like to save someone,” Shiratori scaled the railing and dived straight into the lake.
“How does it feel to hover on the brink of death?”
The man who had been rescued ashore was currently surrounded in the center of the crowd.
Water was still dripping and seeping down from his suit, and he used both hands to weakly support his body on the ground, his gaze looking strangely dazed for some reason.
Shiratori took a towel handed to her by a passerby nearby and lightly wiped down her hair.
“Where’s my daughter…”
“Your daughter?
If nothing unexpected happens, she’s probably lying at the bottom of the lake right now.
Let’s hope the police can arrive soon.”
Shiratori was quite puzzled as to why he would ask this question.
Did he really think a female student of “ordinary” high school age would have the raw strength to haul both father and daughter back to shore simultaneously?
“Why didn’t you save her first…”
The man seemed to understand the logic behind it as well, yet he couldn’t comprehend why Shiratori hadn’t saved his daughter first.
“Why?
Because saving you yielded a higher probability of survival.
Not only were you five meters closer to the shore, but you also didn’t blindly waste your energy, giving me far more certainty.”
“But shouldn’t a normal person save the child first?!
The weight of an adult like me…”
“Incorrect.
Completely wrong.”
“Wha…?”
Seemingly because he hadn’t anticipated her interrupting him so suddenly—coupled with her utterly merciless answer—the man couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.
“The younger a person is, the less calm they are when facing danger.
They will only blindly waste their physical strength, accelerating their own death.
Comparatively speaking, adults are far calmer, conserving their energy and cooperating better with the rescuer.
Even so, saving you still took quite a bit of effort.”
“Furthermore, saving you guaranteed a higher rate of survival.
A child’s body is very fragile; if she had died midway through the rescue process, I wouldn’t have been able to save either of you.
By saving you, I could at least ensure the survival of one life.”
As if trying to make the man understand clearly, she squatted down, speaking with crisp pronunciation and a forceful tone that sounded like she was giving a presentation in a meeting.
“What did you say?!
How do you know the probabilities?!
How could you…!!”
Seeing the man suddenly burst into a rage, the surrounding onlookers quickly pulled him back.
Although they indeed agreed that saving the child first was the right thing to do, this girl had truly done her absolute best—after all, relying on a high school girl to save someone in the first place was their failing as adults. This story is hosted at g.com.
Naturally, they couldn’t bring themselves to scold her, so they could only try to persuade the girl’s father first.
“That’s enough, that’s enough!
How can you have the nerve to demand anything from her!
It was an impossible situation!”
“Calm down!
Face reality!”
Watching the frantic father of the girl, Shiratori’s face still didn’t reveal a single trace of emotion.
Returning the towel to the person beside her, she turned around and walked away from the scene.
Either way, she had done everything she was supposed to do, and there was nothing she needed to feel sorry for.
She had indeed done her absolute best within the limits of her restricted physical strength.
Her footsteps trod onto the cobble-paved path.
The sun had completely sunk beneath the horizon, and using the side trails she had memorized on her way here, Shiratori smoothly found the path leading out of the lakeside park.
By the dim glow of the streetlights, Shiratori looked down at her hands, which were still somewhat damp, and vigorously flicked the water droplets off them.
“It really is a bit cold.”
When the evening wind blew past, she knitted her brows in displeasure at the chilly sensation of her soaked uniform clinging to her skin.
She then quietly channeled a surge of Reiryoku.
As several blue flashes of light swept across the inner layer of her clothes, her uniform instantly returned to a completely dry state.
Still, why was that girl’s father so furious?
Shouldn’t being alive be something worth celebrating?
As if questioning the sky full of stars, she looked up toward the heavens, extended her right hand, and reached out to lightly grasp at the untouchable sky.
She then brought her completely empty palm back in front of her eyes.
The feeling of saving a person was somewhat different from what she had envisioned.
She couldn’t make sense of that father’s logic no matter how hard she tried.
Shouldn’t one prioritize guaranteeing the survival of the individual with the highest probability?
That question flickered across her mind.
Yet, after pondering to no avail, she shook her head as if giving up, tossing the matter straight out of her mental space.
Turning around to walk into the inn at the corner of the street, Shiratori checked the clock on the wall—it was already 9:00 PM.
“I have a reservation.
Here is the billing information.
I assume I won’t need to present identification documents anymore?”
“No need.
Here is your key, please keep it safe.”
Taking the key handed over by the clerk, a tired Shiratori unlocked her room door and threw herself onto the bed without a moment’s hesitation.
After all, too many things had happened today, and her brain was still processing thoughts without a single moment of rest.
All these factors left her thoroughly exhausted.
“Today really was a strange day…”
Just as Shiratori drifted off into dreamland, a certain blue-haired boy was only just arriving back home at this very moment.