Beyond Memories Read online

  ?!

  Haruto was swaying to the bus’ movements as he idly stared out the window. However, he suddenly noticed something and looked to his right rear. The elementary school girl Haruto had saved was sitting there.

  “...?!” The elementary school girl had been staring fixedly at Haruto, but averted her eyes when she noticed him looking back. Haruto tilted his head with an unconvinced look. Miharu had been watching in a daze, but snapped out of it and reached for Haruto.

  No, no, no, at this rate... no...!

  But in the very next moment, the bus shook violently.

  Haru-kun!

  Miharu tried to hug Haruto’s body in a panic, but his body lightly flew through the air, hitting the roof of the bus.

  The cause was a traffic accident from ignoring a red traffic light — the bus had been going through the green light when a truck suddenly collided from the left rear. The truck tried to avoid the bus by immediately turning the handle to the right, but it crashed into the left rear of the bus and sent it toppling over. The rear end of the bus was smashed to pieces — destroyed to the point where anyone sitting there would not have made it.

  Ah, ah, aah...

  Miharu was standing outside of the bus before she knew it, watching the tragic remains of the accident in a daze. She could hear the screams of the witnesses around the scene.

  No... no no no noooo!

  Unable to bear it, Miharu screamed in her dream.

  “?!” Miharu woke up. The moment she did, she could feel her heart thumping and her lungs gasping for breath. “Hah, hah, hah...”

  Her pajamas were soaked with sweat, and her heart was beating loudly enough to tear her chest open. Her body was so cold, it didn’t feel like she was alive. She couldn’t stop trembling.

  “That... was a dream, right?” Miharu whispered.

  Yes, a dream. It had to have been a dream.

  It was just too tragic to be real.

  Something like that was just— it was just—

  Haruto— Haruto isn’t Haru-kun, right? It can’t be, it can’t, it can’t... Miharu said to convince herself, but her intuition was stating otherwise. It was so horrible, so sad; tears were streaming from her face before she knew it.

  “Miharu.”

  Aishia’s voice echoed in her ear from close by.

  “Wha— A-Ai-chan...?! Why are you in my room...?” Miharu’s body shook as she answered. At some point, Aishia had appeared beside her.

  “Do you want to forget the dream you just had, Miharu?” Aishia suddenly asked.

  “...What— What are you saying, Ai-chan?” Miharu grimaced.

  “If you want to forget that dream just now, I can make you forget it. The next time you sleep and wake up again, you won’t have any memories left of your dream. But if you don’t want to forget it, then the next time you wake up, you’ll still have those memories,” Aishia explained calmly. “Which would you prefer?”

  “W-Which...” Miharu’s expression was on the verge of tears. Just what could she mean? Perhaps this in itself was another dream. Miharu was so confused, she wasn’t sure what was happening.

  “Right now, Haruto has closed off his heart. There’s no more turning back for him, so he doesn’t want to drag the people that are precious to him into his affairs. That’s why, at this rate, Haruto will one day say goodbye to those very people. Miharu... you’re included among those people. That’s why Haruto is trying to distance himself,” Aishia continued.

  “...” Miharu’s heart was stirred, panic showing across her face.

  “But it’s not yet too late. Because Haruto’s way of thinking is wrong... It’s true that he may no longer be able to turn back. But if you want to follow Haruto willingly, then that’s your freedom to do so.” When Aishia said that, Miharu exhaled softly in relief.

  “That’s why, if you strongly desire to stay by Haruto’s side, you mustn’t run away. Stand and face Haruto straight-on, and strongly express your will.” Aishia stared straight at Miharu.

  “...Okay.” Miharu was nodding before she knew it.

  “But there was something you had to know before you could express your will to Haruto. That was the dream just now. If you want to stay by Haruto’s side in the future, you’ll feel even worse than what you felt while seeing that dream. Haruto is proceeding down such a path. That’s why you needed to know that. If you don’t think you should be with him because of that, if you think you’d be better off away from him... Sorry, I interrupted your conversation with Haruto today.”

  “What... What do you know, Ai-chan?” Miharu asked, who was frowning with a somewhat sad expression.

  “I only know Haruto,” Aishia said, shaking her head with a slightly sad but warm smile.

  “...” Miharu said nothing; she didn’t know how to respond. She had no idea what Aishia was feeling as she made such a face.

  “You decide, Miharu. Do you still want to be by Haruto’s side, after seeing that dream?” Aishia asked calmly.

  “Ah...” Miharu gulped.

  “In the not-so-distant future, Haruto will come to tell you the truth. Your chance will be then. If you want to stay by Haruto’s side, you can’t run away. Not now, and not then,” Aishia said, reaching her hand out to pet Miharu’s cheek softly.

  It’s cold... It was a hand that had no body temperature. And yet, for some reason...

  ...It’s warm. Somehow, Miharu was filled with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

  “Hey, Ai-chan. Wait.” Miharu grasped Aishia’s hand tightly. There was no hesitation in her eyes.

  “I... I... I want to be with Haru-kun,” she stated with firm resolution, but suddenly felt extremely sleepy.

  “...Got it. It’ll be okay — I’m here. Good night, Miharu.” Aishia’s mouth turned upward in a gentle smile as she offered those final words.

  Epilogue: Satsuki Afterwards

  Meanwhile, in Galtuuk, the capital of the Galarc Kingdom...

  On the highest balcony of a tower in the royal castle, Sumeragi Satsuki was idly watching the night sky, unable to fall asleep.

  “The night sky is beautiful today too, huh,” Satsuki murmured sadly to herself.

  I wonder if this place and Earth share the same sky?

  It was a question she had asked herself many times since coming to this world. Though it wasn’t a question that could be answered by anyone here, that didn’t mean she would give up without a fight.

  Satsuki took a deep breath. “I have to change the way I feel,” she muttered resolutely. She would no longer look to the past pessimistically. In order to do that, she decided to act her role as a hero for now.

  The night of the banquet drew near.

  Afterword

  Hello everyone, this is Yuri Kitayama. Thank you for reading Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Volume 8: Beyond Memories.

  In what feels like the blink of an eye, two years have passed since Seirei Gensouki was serialized, allowing me to release a total of eight volumes so far. This is all thanks to the readers that supported my work and all the people involved in publishing, who I’d like to thank from the bottom of my heart. I am always very grateful to each and every one of you.

  Now, since I’m being emotional about the passing of time today, I’d like to look back on the many things that happened in the past two years of this series.

  I held an autograph session when Volume 4 went on sale, the manga version of Seirei Gensouki by Tenkla was announced when Volume 5 went on sale, and there was even a popularity poll that was held when Volume 7 went on sale (the results of which are available online), and then the manga was suddenly discontinued...

  Ah, and we also ranked on ‘Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2017,’ released last November (thank you very much for that)! And so, with the release of Volume 8, I’d like to use this space to announce something new and exciting.

  That being said, the announcement has already been posted everywhere online so I’m sure many of you are aware already, but a new version of the Seirei Ge
nsouki manga will be starting this July. Replacing Tenkla as the artist will be Futago Minaduki, and the new manga series will be composed completely differently to the old one, so please check it out if you haven’t had the chance to yet! (It’s available for free through the website!) Thus ends my manga announcement.

  Next, a different topic. Since there are still some lines available in the afterword, I’d like to talk about the main story of the work a little.

  How did you find Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Volume 8 after the long wait? I believe those who follow the web novel will be largely surprised by the contents.

  It was a surprise... right?

  Readers of the web novel should have expected things to an extent, like how Miharu did this, or Liselotte did that, or Latifa and the others did this and that. The light novel and web novel have already varied in content quite a bit, but expectations are made to be betrayed.

  On the other hand, for the readers who have only read the light novel, I did my best to refine the plot so that the impact of a blank slate could be enjoyed. I hope you were able to enjoy the first time experience only attainable by not reading the web novel.

  Thus, whether you’re a web novel reader or light novel reader, there’s no way for an author to discern which is better... but as long as you’ve found Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Volume 8 to be interesting, then nothing else could make me happier as an author. I have great plans for Volumes 9 and 10 to be even more exciting in the future, so please keep following this story and give it your love and support.

  Finally, to Riv, who once again drew such lovely illustrations: thank you very much! Rikka’s character design really hit a home run with me; I couldn’t stop grinning! Also, congratulations on the birth of your child! I’d like to use this space to offer you my warmest congratulations.

  — August 2017, Yuri Kitayama.

  Bonus Short Stories

  During Hide and Seek

  One day in the spirit folk village...

  Around here should do.

  Rio was playing hide and seek with the village children in the square. He sat behind a random tree and made himself as small as possible, then controlled his breathing so that he wouldn’t be discovered easily. That being said, there were werebeast children who had strong senses of smell. Rio could technically use spirit arts to befuddle the noses of werebeasts, but they were just children, and it wouldn’t be mature of him to go all-out against them. It would only be a matter of time until he was discovered —

  “Found you, Onii-chan.”

  Latifa appeared out of nowhere and sat down beside Rio, then hugged him tightly to prevent him from running away.

  “You’re not the one looking, Latifa.”

  “Ehehe, I wanted to hide together with Onii-chan,” Latifa confessed earnestly.

  “I see. Then let’s hope they don’t find us.”

  “Yup.”

  Rio laughed gently and hugged Latifa softly by the shoulder. Latifa nodded happily in return and tightened her hold around him.

  “Being together outside like this reminds me of when we used to travel together, heading for the village,” Latifa suddenly said.

  “Yeah,” Rio nodded with a chuckle.

  Back then, whenever they had a break or stopped for food, Latifa would stick closely to Rio just like this. She would take every chance she got to do so — not that she was any different now, but still.

  “Fufu, Onii-chan’s scent makes me feel safe. I love it!” Latifa buried her face into Rio’s chest, rubbing her cheek against him.

  She’s grown bigger, but she’s still affectionately spoiled, huh? Rio patted Latifa’s head gently with an amused smile on his face.

  Little Witch Rikka’s Invitation?!

  The high school Amakawa Haruto attended was a prep school that had both middle school and high school divisions. The high school division consisted of those who moved up from the middle school division, as well as those who tested in from outside.

  One day in the middle of fall, the middle school division held their school festival ahead of the high school division. All kinds of events and stalls were taking place in the middle school grounds, attracting many visitors from both schools, as well as residents nearby; it was bustling with activity.

  However, there was one female student who had slipped over to the high school side, seeking a moment of peace. The girl’s name was Minamoto Rikka, a third-year middle school student.

  “Phew, I’m beat.” Rikka sat down on a bench and stretched her arms with a light sigh. She had been working as a waitress for her class’s Halloween-themed cafe.

  In the spirit of the cafe’s theme, Rikka wore a light blue wig and a witch outfit. The skirt was rather short and the shirt emphasized her chest a little, attracting curious gazes from people while she walked to her current location.

  “Huh, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?”

  Two older boys appeared out of nowhere, and one of them called out to Rikka.

  “...Who are you? You’re not students from here, right?” Rikka replied to the boys rather cautiously.

  “Oh, there’s no need to be so wary. We were at your store as customers, and we spotted you by chance just now,” one of the boys said smoothly, as though he had prepared those words in advance. But they were quite far from the middle school grounds; it wasn’t a place that was so easy to wander to by coincidence.

  Did they follow me? Rikka wondered.

  “I see. Bye, then.” Rikka immediately stood up from the bench and strode off. Without missing a beat, the boys began to walk along with her, sandwiching her between them.

  “Hold up. We just wanted to be friends with you. What’s your number? Ah, you should show us around the festival if you have time. The name’s Sakata, by the way.”

  “Sorry. I have things to deal with.” Rikka quickened her pace in an attempt to leave the boys behind.

  “But you were sitting on the bench just now, right?” the boy said, having observed Rikka’s actions before.

  Ugh, how annoying.

  Just as Rikka was getting fed up —

  “Ah, there you are. I was looking for you.”

  From a slight distance away, a male student from the high school division called out to Rikka.

  “Ah? And who are you?” Unhappy, the boys spoke menacingly to the newcomer.

  “I’m a student from the high school division, and I was searching for her. ...Do you know these people? The teacher will be here soon, so if there’s any trouble, I’ll speak up as a witness,” the male student replied undauntedly, hinting at the presence of a teacher.

  “Wha? N-No, we were just asking for directions.” The boy seemed to be intimidated, as his voice cracked when he answered.

  “The middle school building is that way.” The male student smiled and pointed at the path that led back to the middle school division.

  “Yeah. Let’s go.” The boys promptly retreated towards the middle school grounds, leaving Rikka alone with the male student who had appeared.

  “T-Thank you very much, Amakawa-senpai,” Rikka sighed in relief and thanked the boy — Amakawa Haruto.

  “...Sorry, have we met before?” Haruto tilted his head curiously. He didn’t recall ever meeting Rikka before.

  “Ah! N-No, you’re just famous among the middle schoolers! That’s why I know your name, s-sorry!” Rikka apologized in a panic.

  “It’s nothing to apologize for... But, am I really famous?” Haruto’s eyes widened.

  “U-Umm, it’s just that one of my friends likes you, so...” Rikka explained rather awkwardly.

  “...O-Oh. I see. Sorry for asking,” Haruto apologized hesitantly.

  “N-No! I’m the one who’s sorry!” said Rikka.

  An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Then, after a beat...

  “...Shall I walk you back to the middle school?” Haruto suggested. “You might run into those people again on your way back.”

  “Thank you very
much. I-If you don’t mind, then please. Ah, our class is doing a cafe, so please come visit! I’d like to thank you for your help just now anyway!” Rikka bowed her head shyly.

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  Copyright

  Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 8

  by Yuri Kitayama

  Translated by Mana Z.

  Edited by Joi

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 Yuri Kitayama

  Illustrations Copyright © 2017 Riv

  Cover illustration by Riv

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2017 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2020 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

  J-Novel Club LLC

  j-novel.club

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Ebook edition 1.0: January 2020