The abilities that
[Lost Item] possesses are a reflection of each heart.
It may be a muddy
desire or a straight hope. Or it may be a desire that is deep in a person's
heart and of which he or she is unaware. If it is expressed from early
childhood, it often shows the essential part of the individual.
For example, Chihiro's
[Mind Reading] is a desire to know the human mind. Maria's
[Retaliation] is her desire to share her craving with others. And Riko's [Illusion]
is the desire to make others feel powerless and to show herself to be strong.
Although they have
various origins, they all have one thing in common: they are based on their own
heart.
However, Suzu mentioned
that [Stimulus Amplification] and [Stimulus Sharing] are based on her and
Yotsuba's, in other words, "other people's desires".
According to the law of
capabilities, this is essentially impossible.
「Then, does Izumi-kun
have a kind of copying ability or something like that?」
Hana asked.
Since she has
[Looting], it must have been the first thing that came to her mind.
But after she said
this, her expression twisted and she muttered.
**a
「...But even so, whose
ability is it?」
「Well, Chihiro-kun
doesn't have the ability to copy or anything like that. If he did, I would have
noticed it when I tested his ability before」
「Then...」
「This is the effect of
his [Mind Reading]」
A quiet voice answered
on Suzu's behalf.
Then, Maria, a
beautiful girl with jet-black hair and eyes, continued her words calmly.
「Or, a phenomenon caused
by Chihiro-sama and by our way of being, a special case. It could be that...」
「Hmm. Maybe that's
right. Did Maria-chan know?」
「I'm not sure. But it
was part of my purpose」
Being in touch with
Maria's intense desire may awaken new abilities.
This is what she told
when she met Chihiro and offered him a contract.
"I see," Suzu
nodded lightly.
「I've been thinking it's
strange, too. There must be a reason why only Chihiro-kun has more and more
abilities, right?」
At last Suzu was almost
sure about the reason.
「Chihiro-kun is a boy
who knows deeply. In other words, he empathizes with our hearts and minds, and
makes our desires and thoughts into his abilities」
[Sleep Enhancement] is
a downgrade version of Maria's [Self-healing].
[Domination] is a
manifestation of Riko's dependence.
[Pain Reduction] is
Aika's wish for Chihiro not to feel pain.
[Stimulus
Amplification] reflects Yotsuba's S-ness.
[Stimulus Sharing] is
Suzu's desire that everyone wants to feel good together.
「When we think of it
that way, the numbers fit together, don't they?」
Since [Emotion
Amplification] and [Desire Exposure] is originally a variation of [Mind
Reading], it can be considered as a pure proof of Chihiro's growth.
「...everyone, give me
strength...」
「I'm a little
embarrassed. But it's not that we are unilaterally cooperating with you.
Chihiro-kun accepted us and thought of us, and that's why this was possible」
The girls think of
Chihiro as if he were their own.
And Chihiro tried to
understand them.
Then, a miracle was
born, that is, turning another person's thoughts into power.
「That's something
neither my brother nor Chihiro-sama's sister could have done」
The ability to receive
the other person's emotions.
It might have been what
precisely people call "understanding" or "sympathy".
This is Chihiro's
unique ability.
Drop...
Chihiro felt a drop of
water on his hand, which was resting lightly on his knee.
He notices that his
eyes are brimming with tears. He wiped them away, one after another, but he
could not wipe them away.
「Huh?」
He is not sad. But he
is happy.
Because he is rewarded.
The bond he has with
Aika and Maria and everyone else has been proven to be real.
「Hahaha, I'm sorry」
Chihiro, who did not
want to show his tears, turned his head down on the spot.
But then, he heard
someone moving near him.
Soon after that,
Chihiro's body was hugged.
Chihiro was hugged not
by one person but by several people at the same time.
And at this time, Aika
whispered to him.
When he saw around, he
could see Riko, Maria, and Suzu smiling at him.
「Congratulations,
Chihiro-kun. You did a great job」
「...hmm」
Chihiro could not
answer well because his voice was hoarse.
However, everyone could
understand Chihiro's feelings.
That his heart was
filled with emotion and gratitude.
After crying for a
while, Chihiro and the others separated themselves and sat down.
In the somewhat awkward
atmosphere, he heard a reserved voice.
「Excuse me, in all the
excitement, aren't you forgetting one person?」
It was Hana.
At the sharp look from
behind Hana's glasses, Suzu tilted her head and responded her.
**b
「Oh, sorry. I forgot」
「Aren't you terrible!?
Well, I don't like to think that I'm thinking of Izumi-kun, but lately, I've
been doing my duty as a slave」
It is rare for her to
speak out loud.
Even so, Suzu wouldn't
really mean what she said.
Sure enough, Suzu
chuckled and continued her words.
「I'm just kidding.
Hana-chan is also connected to Chihiro-kun, so don't worry, Chihiro-kun has new ability from you」
「...Eh. I'm sorry to
hear that, but...」
「Isn't Hana saying some
rather awful things?」
「It's just your
imagination, okay?」
Hana answered Chihiro's
protests without hesitation and turned her attention back to Suzu.
「And I thought I heard
that Izumi-kun only has two new abilities」
「Yes, I said that. But
there was no point in telling them about abilities that had nothing to do with
the battle」
At the MissCon, Chihiro
kept silent about the existence of the "Third eye".
Because it might have
been confusing for him to talk about it before the fight with Kamishiro.
Anyway.
That means Chihiro has
received their abilities from all the girls with whom he has had relations.
So, what is it?
「Suzu-san, what is this
ability?」
「Well, I don't know. I'm
not so sure myself, or I don't really understand what's going on」
Suzu stares at Chihiro.
And the emotion he
received was curiosity.
「I think
"Chisato-chan" knows the details better than you do, don't you?」
「Eh?」
"Why is Suzu
calling me by the name I used when I was dressed as a woman?," Chihiro
thought.
And she doesn't think
it's to make fun of him. If Chihiro possesses the ability, why not he himself
understands it better?
Although he was not
aware of it at all.
As he was about to say
it, Chihiro felt his mouth move by itself.
「Yes. I think that's
"I" is the ability」
A tremendous shock ran
through Chihiro's mind.
His voice sounded
slightly different from him.
It was close to the
back voice in the cross-dressing "Chisato mode", but it sounded more
natural and stable by itself.
Although Chihiro's
vocal cords should have been used.
A calm part of his mind
analyzes that it must be the result of the difference in the inner voice, which
sounds almost like a girl's voice.
And
it's a phenomenon that is hard to believe.
