Angel Beats Wiki:Fan fiction contest 1/concepts

Concept #1:
With Kanade gone but the shadows are still attacking, those who haven't moved on have found themselves surrounded. No one can find the source of, 'love' as the remaining battlefront members are eliminated one by one.

Concept #2:
No world is perfect. In an unlikely event, the struts that held the Afterlife together cracked for a split second as Otonashi was engulfed by a shadow. As the group converged onto Otonashi and eliminated the shadows, they find him on the ground, unable to be waken up by any means.

Concept #3:
Immediately after Otonashi's reincarnation, someone fatally stabs him and leaves him for dead in the middle of a street. Before the police arrive, he somehow wakes up with his stab wound fully healed. God has made a mistake, and those who have exited the afterlife are paying the price for it. You ever seen a dead person walking?

Concept #4:
"We're out in the boonies. It's always the same old, same old," Hisako complained loudly, pulling the chair she sat upon so it stood only on two legs. She slams it back on to the dirt in a bout of frustration.

"Iwasawa...what did you want to do after we graduate?"

Leaning against the frame of tree, the musician stares up at the sky, her view of it partially blocked by the branches and leaves stacked on top of each other.

"I resent this town. I want to get out of here."

"Those words you speak can cut metal like butter."

Iwasawa scoffed but smiled at her friend.

"I want to go to the big city and sing my heart out."

Concept #5:
Both Hisako and Otonashi step into a room. Hisako looks around the office and leans against the desk while Otonashi closes the door.

"Is this about last night? Did you need someone to talk to?"

"Err...yeah." The door closes and Otonashi turns around to face Hisako, who eyed him curiously as he approached her. He put his hand on the same desk she leaned against and sighs in defeat. He looked her directly in the eyes. With whatever words he intended to ask her, he needed to be serious.

"Do you think...Iwasawa hates me?"

Hisako stared at him, taking a pause before responding.

"Of course she doesn't," she claimed. It was easy for her to respond- she knew the cool beauty inside and out, even if the musician was a mindless doll at times.

"Why wouldn't she?"

"I wouldn't know."

"You weren't supposed to respond, idiot. She'll always like you..." Hisako trailed off. She looks away from him, staring off at a wall. A small smile returned to Otonashi's face as relief finally released that bothersome gut feeling.

"As friends." She turned her attention immediately back onto him.

"Just. Friends."

"...Just friends?" Otonashi's breathing became labored as his heart sank. As his eyes darted side to side and his mind slowly went haywire, Hisako eyed him up and down.

"If you ask me..." She leaves her spot to gain some distance from him, looking now at the wall before turning back to him.

"And nobody asks me, I think she made a huge mistake." Anger surged as Otonashi slowly made a fist, his nails digging into the skin of his palm.

Just friends? Are you joking?

"Ask me how I know that," she ordered him. With his thought processes clouded, he complied.

"How?"

She crosses her arms.

"Because I know when someone risks their life to protect you. Because I know that you locked us in that room to protect us." "I don't know how she didn't see that, but when someone risks their life for you, you should be grateful." She berated Iwasawa's inability to understand cues. For a hottie like Otonashi, he could have any girl he wanted after that. A man who can protect while also be deliciously good looking? Iwasawa was missing out.

She was missing out.

And with that, she lured him in.

"Are you grateful?" He finally spoke.

Her devilish smile formed on her face, her intense stare into Otonashi's eyes was reciprocated. With one hand on her hip, she approached him slowly.

"You'd be pretty surprised at how grateful I can be."

Concept #6:
The Afterlife had to have been created by something. The fabric of reality bent, things outside the realm of understanding begin appearing, and those who seek power have the incomprehensible means to do so. The creation of the Afterlife wasn't done without consequence.

With the Afterlife finally collapsing and the Battlefront falling through the void, they find themselves back in the real world, separated and lost. Following the collapse, they soon learn that they are being hunted down by an organization that targets paranormal phenomena. As the group struggles to find one another, they must also evade that same organization whose resources are so vast and will stop at nothing to capture them.

Concept #7:
The governments of the free world can only maintain the status quo through means of extreme precision. That precision can include agents, assassins, creation of large-scale events, espionage, you name it. The tool for the Japanese government? Assassins.

Each tool must be sharpened or must be of different material in order to get a job done efficiently. Given their technological prowess, Japan has begun the implementation of cybernetics through human experimentation.

After years of extended research and losses, the scientists have finally done it. Forever beautiful and a hyper-lethal assassin, the creation of a cybernetic human was a complete success.

Her official designation? They liked to call her C7.

Concept #8:
"We shouldn't do this, Otonashi-kun. You're going out with Kanade-chan, aren't you?

"Why did you come to me for help..."

"The only reason why I helped you is because you asked me."

"If she doesn't matter now..."

"Why didn't you come to me first?"

Concept #9:
Things weren't supposed to go this way.

In his doubts to get Yui to move on, he instead finds himself in the Battlefront's headquarters. A conversation between Yuri and Otonashi eventually leads to Yuri moving on before everyone else. As the battlefront points fingers and factions arise, Otonashi must face the consequences of his actions and continue to carry out his mission: to get everyone to move on.

Concept #10:
His goal was to save everyone no matter the cost. It was the oath he swore upon.

After a certain amount of time, a series of cases start popping up in his hospital related to amnesia. It intrigued him. Naturally, human curiousity gets the better of him and he decided to find out more. His decision led to the very first case that arrived in the hospital a couple weeks ago. Stepping in, he greets the purple-haired girl who sat on her bed as she looked out the window.

Concept #12:
[Note: Speaker is Otonashi.]

"Can I poke your eye? I promise it won't hurt. I've done this plenty of times. You can get a cool nickname, like the one-eyed soldier or something."

"Shhh. Hey, shut up, I'm trynna talk."

"Don't give me such a scared face. Trust me, it's not going to hurt. Your body stops registering pain after a certain point."

"Oh. I mean, I guess I sort of lied. The pain will still be there though, sure. I just haven't discussed what's going to lead up to the point where you won't feel it anymore. That's a spoiler. Kinda like with movies and TV shows, where you don't want to find out what happens."

Concept #13:
After finally achieving her dream of becoming the student council president, Kanade realized she owed it all to one single person. A delinquent, who only came to class to stare off into the abyss of his thoughts and fought constantly. Unable to convey her feelings properly, she consults the only person she can: her close friend, Yuri Nakamura.

Something seemed off that one day they hung out as a group. Yuri pulled him off to the side and Kanade could see the pain behind her smile. Was it the fact that she was hanging out more with Otonashi and her duties as the student council president? She could always make time for Yuri. Perhaps she was telling Otonashi to take care of her. Of course he would. He was her boyfriend now.

...Right?

Concept #14:
Ayato Naoi, a prospective medical student has passed medical school and is placed under Doctor Otonashi, to guide him and show him the ropes.

As their relationship escalates from student and teacher to best friends, it was only natural for him to know personal details like his schedule and his favorite things.

One day after a visit to a patient, Otonashi asks him what his religious beliefs are, and asked him what he would do if he killed himself.

Panicked, Naoi answers his question but asks him why he would ask such a disturbing question.

”I want to know if something like purgatory or the afterlife exists.”

Naoi now must face Otonashi, who has shown increasingly suicidal behaviors because of his beliefs.

Concept #15:
The only ever experience of pleasure was from killing her enemies efficiently and in a timely manner. Her thoughts deviated from her typical mindset and she began to explore what it meant to live, and to understand what the concept of happiness really meant. She needed someone to guide her and to help her grasp what she's been lacking.


 * Fujimaki. Cocky and unintelligent.
 * Ooyama. Shy and emotional.
 * Noda. Deluded.
 * TK. Didn't even bother with him and spoke in English.
 * Takamatsu. Unintelligent and focuses on himself.
 * Matsushita. Only said training was the way.
 * Yusa. She didn't have any emotions.
 * Yui. Too loud and obnoxious.
 * Iwasawa. Only talked about music.
 * Naoi. Talked about God.
 * Hinata. Didn't know the answer.

She wondered why she even bothered asking them. They were all unreliable and stupid. She should've gone with one of her original two choices.

Yuri. Only claimed that she should go on her quest to find the meaning of happiness and satisfaction after they find God. Even after Yuri recruited her, she just went along with everyone else out of habit and to find out more information. She only had more questions.

There was only one person left. He was lost, yet capable and thoughtful.

Yuri declared the daily meeting over and as Otonashi was the final one to leave the headquarters, she called out to him from the corner she always resided in.

"Otonashi-kun."

Concept #16:
CROSSOVER: Clannad x Angel Beats!

Both suffered losses. Both hated life as they know it. Both had terrible fathers.

As they continued their hopeless existence, fate had them cross paths one day. Now they meet up every other week to share stories, drink, fight, and make merry. It was a little escape, to enjoy what little happiness they had left. Tomoya's friend group, annoyed by his sudden disappearances, conduct an investigation, much to Nagisa's dissatisfaction.

As they follow both Otonashi and Tomoya, they accidentally reveal themselves. As a result, Tomoya, who lost whatever trust remained, began to distance himself from them. The group, clearly upset, must work to rekindle the relationship with the man they all loved.

Even if it means getting rid of his friend from afar.

Concept #17:
CROSSOVER: Charlotte x Angel Beats!

Whatever that meteor was, and whatever capabilities it had, it made what was thought to be science fiction into reality.

It granted you the ability to choose what curse you desired. Here's the kicker: you never really choose. You do it subconsciously. There were three choices. You were either temporarily given a power that was limited, permanently had a power but had to pay a 'contract', or you were granted immortality.

Most were lucky, as they were given a limited ability that disappeared after adolescence. Any effects afterwards slowly disappeared, allowing them to live a normal life.

Few were able to gain permanent abilities, but had to pay a contract. This contract, which can range from eating certain objects, to injuries, allowed them to use their abilities forever.

Fewer got the short-end of the stick, the gift and forever curse of immortality. They could remember what has happened in their lifespan, unable to forget. Some became wise. Others went clinically insane. Others lived their lives normally. People who knew about them dubbed them many names. Scarecrows, dauntless, oracles, and other various designations.

Governments of the world and organizations alike took different steps depending upon who they discover. Those with temporary powers were isolated and researched on. Worst case, they were test subjects. Those who had permanent abilities worked for the government or whoever paid them well.

No one could stop the immortals. The other two 'classes' could be silenced, but the immortals can't. Instead of endless destruction, they sought to contain them.

The problem was finding all of them.

One high school student abused his power to make his way through life, and another hoped to end his.

Eventually they realize they were being watched.

All they could do was run.

If they wanted to move to the next stage of life, they'd do it on their own terms.

Concept #18:
Every time someone disappears, the Battlefront maintains a tradition to honor their memory. Although it was unaware to them that moving on was actually a good thing, they can't come to terms with the disappearances of their fellow friends. Any modification to the Afterlife was fixed automatically depending on how large the change was, unless it was in constant use.

Their tradition was to create a gravestone and label all the members who were in that specific division of the Battlefront, to serve as a reminder of the impact they've made on them.

Everyone would visit their friend's gravestones on their own time, and only a few maintained the cemetery they created.

As everyone began to disappear and the Battlefront began to fade away, Otonashi was the only one that remained. Once every week, he would visit and spend the entire day maintaining the graves of those who decided to move on, knowing full well that there are those like him who will be lost once they enter the Afterlife. Perhaps the gravestones can tell a greater story, and hopefully make it easier for him to convince people that moving on is for the better.

Concept #19:
He was a professional. All of them were amateurs. It was an art of perfection that only required little changes to achieve it's maximum effectiveness possible. Every detail should be accounted for in order to make what you want to say believable. The way you look, the way you talk, the way you move your hands, and the feeling you give off is something you can control.

One of the common myths about lying is that you are most believable when you believe the lie yourself. You interpret that lie as the truth, rather than knowing it as a lie at all. That myth becomes reality for a person if they feared something. It usually applied to children. Adults have gotten away with it, but they eventually fess up once they connect the dots. Their fear disappears and their tiny brains can function properly.

He feared little. That's why he was good at his job.

A lack of a tragic history, his parents and sibling alive and well, he would've been the example of your traditional happy family with a kid. One fatal mistake by his parents to get him to learn self-defense, instead placed him in the hands of an entity not formally recognized by the government.

'They' conditioned him. To teach him the skill of lying, so one day they can put his life on the line with ease, and they can easily cover their tracks. It was a set schedule. Four hours after school, eight during breaks.

Elementary. Middle school. High school. All of these kids knew nothing about what creeped behind closed doors. They get work done, so these kids can live in peaceful ignorance. It was his job. He thought his parents put him through that camp so he can learn some discipline and to help his family. Then he wondered if his parents lied to him, or if the people he works for lied to him. Thinking about it did no good. Either way, his second year was about to end. After his final year, he'll be long gone.

So why the hell did he have to make friends with a bunch of idiots?

Concept #20:
I am bored. I am unsatisfied. I am restless. I am incomplete. I will say it again. I'm so bored.

My accomplishments to become what my sister wanted were done without any problems or great difficulty. I had a great knowledge on the human body and the medical procedures that followed for any type of injury, though I wasn't by any means perfect. You can get praised in a hospital for saving lives by having this knowledge but to me, I find that shit disturbing. Having the intricate knowledge of what may constitute a life-or-death situation. In fact, it's really easy to kill someone in a hospital setting. The only reason why no one has done it, at least not with ease, is because one department always refers to another. The checks and balances of a hospital bureaucracy is something of an achievement and one that deserves respect for.

Other people should respect it though. Not me. I've already killed three people.

They were bad people. Criminals. Degenerates of our society that didn't deserve the life they had. People make the argument that life is precious no matter who you are, but I firmly disagree. They also make the same argument that killing them would give them the easy way out. I firmly disagree. Killing them as they suffered from the consequences of their actions is the most effective way to get the message across to them, and we can allocate more resources elsewhere.

It's my last day. I wanted to get out of this hell hole that I deeply regret entering now. I don't feel disgusted with myself. I feel BORED.

Hey...those criminals had the world out for them. People wanted them dead, to suffer, all that jack. I wonder how it was like, being chased by a mindless person who wanted to kill you?

Maybe not so mindless. That didn't sound appetizing. What about trained? Not some law enforcement officer, or some asshole who decided to have one too many drinks.

Today is my last day. I wanted to make sure I milked the fuck out of the hospital for my services, but not before I do some weird shit that sat in the back of my mind. I told my boss, who was ever so kind to me but was actually a snake, to go fuck himself. I got some props for that from my former colleagues.

I told that attractive, but admittedly smoking hot fellow who wanted to learn everything from me that I wanted to fuck her brains out. She...had a mixed reaction. That's when I had to leave the hospital. My final check was all mine, so I didn't care.

I wanted to make this interesting for myself this time. With no connections to where I work, and the information on me I scoured off the internet for mostly either wiped or opted out on, I did something.

Ready for it?

I put a hit out on myself. Some group were offering 'services' for about...five million yen? The prices varied depending on the type of target, environment, and other unnecessary details you don't need to know about. I submitted a request for a quote, giving information and such and I fell short of that. I guess I'm not that high on the list, but fine.

Pretty exciting stuff isn't it?!

Not really. I had to wait a couple weeks before this group sent me a confirmation that the hit is in progress. Once I got that email, I was brimming with excitement. I prepared myself, handling shit like cash, packing my bags, all that. I got in my car, and I waited to see if anyone was going to case out my place.

Let's see what this group, this, "Afterlife Battlefront", has to offer to give your former doctor some excitement. Maybe my misery will be put to sleep at last.

Concept #21:
It was a tough promise to make to her. I did it so she would disappear like Otonashi was trying to do. She did that, and I was so glad that I was able to convince her that it was worth moving on. There was no way I would have let Otonashi make a promise like that, because that’s something you can’t go back on.

I did meet her again. In the real world. My memories came back and the first thing I did was pray to my God that I didn’t see her again. If I did, I hoped at least she wasn’t crippled. That’s what the point of the afterlife is: to live out the life you never had and grasp it, never letting go.

Seems to me she couldn’t grip the dream of no longer being out of bed. She was in a wheelchair and I happened to stumble upon her while walking to my job. I tried to avoid her gaze but she looked straight at me and her recognizing me was painful.

I went forward with my promise to marry her and while it was my relief that she denied me the first time, she grew more attached and instead, she asked me. I had to say yes. Not out of love. I had to say yes because it was a promise I made, and I dare say it, pity.

I’m writing this now because there’s no way I would live with myself if I told her. Taking care of this girl I made this promise with grew increasingly unbearable. We can’t do much of the things I can do. It bothered me and I thought I prepared for it, but I never make smart decisions.

There were times that I wanted her but she couldn’t do it. Her crippled body didn’t allow us to do anything. It was upsetting but I gave her a smile and told her that I loved her.

The next weeks pass and I’ve been talking with this girl. Stable and lovable job, awesome smile, and just the perfect woman with her ups and downs. She brought me to her bedroom and we did it. I saved her number, hoping to get something out of her. I felt genuinely happy.

That’s when I made that dreadful return back home. I see Yui on our bed, and her smile could cut across a thousand stars. She looked so happy but pitiful. I was happy because I was satisfied. She can see it, and she couldn’t be any more glad.

I’m a terrible guy.

If she wasn’t crippled, things would have been a lot different. I could’ve loved her.

Concept #22:
No one wanted to leave. They all fought and took the risk of becoming an NPC and they kept the situation on the surface under control while the Top Brass searched for the source. They finally found it. While true love existed, so did a rule. If that true love meant that someone was going to move on, there was no need for intervention. They destroyed every single last computer and the shadows disappeared alongside the NPC that controlled them.

The Battlefront on the surface suffered no losses, and neither did the Top Brass. Though many had the resolve to finally move on, but needed that extra push.

It was decided that they will hold events to end off the Battlefront, and to end the battles that they fought a long, desperate war for. Kanade had one final idea: What better way to send the graduating class of Class Three-S than a prom and a graduation ceremony?

They all went straight to work and the gym was transformed into the extravaganza they all had hoped for, all thanks to Kanade, the Student Council, and The Guild. They did everything, from providing the decorations to the suits and dresses the men and women wore. As night approached, all the remaining members of the battlefront descended upon the gym to have their final dance before their graduation.

[ Line Break ]

"Nakamura Yuri, may I have this dance?" Otonashi asked her gracefully, extending his hand out toward her.

"Who am I to deny you? You may have this dance, Otonashi Yuzuru." She accepts his hand gently.

The DJ, the man who hid his eyes and who dances without reason, put on a slow song and the singers from the recorded track began singing their piece and the guitar played it's notes. Otonashi led her carefully to the dance floor from the seat she resided in and put his hands on his leader's waist. She replied to his hand movements by wrapping her arms around his neck.

They both peacefully swayed to the music, and their eyes met, both staring into each other's souls. They looked at the person they danced with, the person they were close with. Both had undesirable circumstances that led up to their time in God's version of purgatory. Related through hatred, pain, and regret of the lives they never wanted.

That's when their bodies got closer to one another, their eyes closed, and her head slightly pressed up against his as they continued to sway in the partial darkness.

To them, only the other person and the music that played existed. Everyone and everything else seemed to fade into eventual silence, with their inhibitions seemingly removed.

Her resulting emotions of being so close to this ridiculous man caused her breathing to become slightly heavy. He was so warm. His chest, his hands around her waist, and his head. They were so close. It would not have been an understatement if both of them wanted this moment to be forever.

And with the moment that seemed forever, ended off in silence as the music itself was coming close to an end and they are drawn back to the afterlife once more. As if he was cued by the music, he slowly released his light hold on her but she kept him close. The music was still playing, so she saw no reason to end their time together early. She lowered her hands and put her head against his chest, hoping to feel the heart she knew he had. With that, she did.

His embrace returned and they danced in the dark once more.

Please don't let this end.

Concept #23:
"Mm..."

His wet tongue ran across her cheek, exchanging the taste of her skin with a light trail of saliva that went up and down her cheek. Her back shivered as it tickled the right senses. She shivered and squirmed all over him as she straddled his lap, gripping onto his back because of this endless tease. If the man she straddled on had his uniform off, her nails would instead be digging into his skin. Clothing served as a barrier before them, preventing them from combining into one unit. It sort of bothered her but it wasn't anything bad. The anticipation behind what lead to both of them taking off their clothes was stimulating for her.

The contract that led up to this relationship was something completely unrelated in nature. She had only asked his help for a task since he was a person of significance to their band. This significance was his ability to treat them like normal people, versus being a die-hard fan. Able to talk to Iwasawa of something completely unrelated to music and able to converse with Hisako without pissing her off, it was surreal.

She had only asked him to carry something heavy because she couldn't do it herself.

Now, she was his little servant. His little play thing.

"Stop...I have to go to practice," she desperately wanted to get away from him, but be at his will. Her frail body, her mouth, her lavender hair. It was all his. Only if they were alone.

"You can skip out this time, can't you, Mi-yu-ki?" Otonashi slowly sounded out her name in a teasing manner.

"D-Don't say my name like that!"

"Shh, otherwise they'll hear. You love it, don't you?"

"...M-Mmm," she obeyed his command and quietly nodded.

"Then...?" He reached over to her smaller-than-average cups, slowly squeezing them from the outside before placing his hands under her shirt, completely bypassing all the barriers that prevented him from touching it with ease.

"P-Pervert..."

Concept #24:
My thoughts keep going back to Iwasawa. I kept looking at her. She held this idea of love that I could never hope to understand. To her, I was her forever.

She was smiling. Like she was at a loss. Like she was a bit sad. I thought to myself how can a person like her could choose to be with me. Matter of fact is, it did happen. To both of us. She spoke to me as if a wife talked to her husband after a fight. She spoke to me as if she was explaining her true methods and intentions to me after a fight. I wondered if she ever looked at me in the back and thought that she wouldn't get the chance to be with me again.

If I ever could give her back these feelings, would they be genuine as she hoped? Those feelings that her version of me didn't exist and yet she was able to disclose such personal feelings that hurt her. She came with the expectation that I could possibly remember those feelings and memories of her time with me together.

How we held hands. How we hugged. How we kissed. How we loved each other.

My fist gripped into itself and my nails tore into the skin of my palm, the white indentation left on it. I let go, hoping to find some of that stress leave my body while my capillaries get refilled by my blood.

I wanted to look up and see the answers written in front of me on how I could be a better person. A better person meaning to truly feel and make out these things that played with my brain. It's all chemicals and signals being fired off after one another based upon the person's experiences and what they perceive as good and rewarding, or bad and guilt-inducing. It was a sensory overload.

Iwasawa.

The cool beauty that put her experiences for everyone to hear and to yell out all her pain, misery, and happiness all for the world to see. She's going to do it again in three days until nothing was left of her.

How can someone like her be so pretty?

And somehow, by chance, I happened to grasp onto her in the afterlife and called her mine.

What was it like to have someone you call, 'yours'? To bury your head into their chest seeking warmth and security. To rub your cheek against theirs and establish that feeling of closeness. To place your trust into them so much that the extremists of that belief would go as far as giving their life, ensuring the survival of their loved one.

I didn't want mutual understanding, friendship, companionship, or being understood. I was always afraid of the dark, being uninformed and I had to make things the way they are now. Mold it into something I can perceive and assume that's the truth. It was a predatorial, egotistical, and shallow way of what it means to rationalize. I'd call myself a human since that's how it is by nature, but what is this ache in my heart that isn't a damn heartache? It was confusing. It was bullshit. I told myself lies. That bullshit I fed to myself is what I ate for so long.

I wanted to know what led up to that point with Iwasawa to where I began a relationship with her. Joke around, see sides of her that she wouldn't show anybody. Even live out the days just talking. Those ideas I spouted out in my mind were impossible. I could never see myself like that with her.

With the afterlife that convenient as she made it out to be, how incredible would that be?

Rejoining the battlefront felt like a huge mistake on my part but I promised myself to not regret a single thing. I wanted to tuck away happy memories of just living. Not fighting endless wars that had no meaning or significance, to begin with.

Can she give that to me? I want to experience her pain and sorrow. I want her to give me that responsibility of burdening me with that privilege. I want to give her the happiness she deserved.

...

Maybe a life with her wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Concept #25:
After being together for so long, both of them couldn't be any happier. He saved lives through the medical field. She saved lives through her music. At the end of each day, they come back home to see each other. A happily married couple. Otonashi Masami and Otonashi Yuzuru. They were the cutest fucking thing and everyone protected them. They treasured their relationship more than they treasured each other.

It was a surprise to both of them but it was a welcome one. Back when life was much easier, he would wake up early and kiss her good morning. She would wake up, kiss him back, then gripped onto him before slamming him onto the bed. She didn't want him to leave for work and playfully prevented him from doing so. Of course, she would always let him go, but not without saying these words:

"Save a life, Doctor Otonashi."

He always told her that he will try his hardest, and that was good enough for her.

That's when the cases started popping up. Special medical cases that forced him to take longer shifts at the hospital in order to bring the best care he could possibly give them. He came home or when she wasn't at home and it began to feel lonely. There were rare times where he would come home properly and he couldn't let her go. He didn't want to go back to work. It was too difficult, but he always went back, taking Masami's words with him. He always called her and made sure she was okay.

She could hear the exhausted man in his voice. She could tell that he cracked the hardest cases with the determination and vigor she knew he had. However, Masami couldn't bear this change of not seeing him at home.

When the days of him not coming home increased, she felt lonely. The calls started to disappear, and she felt left behind. She wanted the man she loved to come home.

She decided to invite someone over, and the moment she showed her vulnerability, was when she regretted it.

That's when Otonashi, who found the time to come home that night, found someone else's car outside.

Concept #26:
Perfect academic student. Perfect leader. Perfect athlete. Perfect volunteer.

She knew she was perfect at everything she absolutely loved it. Making yourself the best version you can be? Absolutely! Helping out the community? Heck yeah! Anything she can do to become the best she could be. She seemed pretty selfless and everyone had high expectations of her. She'll go to some top university, probably move to a different country. She'll become the CEO of some type of exclusive company. Things like that were outside the realm of reality for your typical normie. Not for Yuri Nakamura.

She could easily find the solution to an equation. She could easily deduce why this company will drop an approximate value in the stock market based upon their history and practices. She can read and understand a portion of another language if she was given a week to understand it. Her drive was unimaginable. Inhuman. Alien.

One night as she lay asleep on her bed, she dreamed of being in school.

"Can you read this statement off the blackboard and tell me what it means, Nakamura-san?"

"Hai. The statement on the blackboard is a play into the relationships of human beings and how they are often the victim of their emotions. According to the statement, they made the analysis that human beings often act upon on the rational basis of their emotions, which is a significantly different premise than acting 'just' on emotion."

"Very good. You see that student over there? Can you read what he is thinking about?"

"...I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Of course. Can you solve this equation that I've written on the whiteboard?"

"Yes. The answer to that equation is the derivative at x = 3 is f′(3) = 6."

"Very good. Can you untie the rope around that kid's neck?"

"..."

She slowly awakened from her sleep and sat up in her bed. Then she had a difficult time breathing. That dream had to have some sort of interpretation behind it. Was it a play that she didn't understand something? That was a complete antithesis of the person she wanted to become.

Then he came to mind. That asshole who detested everything she stood for. She stood for peace, working on bettering yourself, education, and order. He stood for chaos, anti-government, revolution, and others of that sort. Those adjectives, in itself, countered every single thing she worked hard for, and he made no attempt to hide his interference with her life.

She couldn't stop thinking about him. She didn't find him remotely attractive. He had no quality traits about him. He was a degenerate trash that belonged to the delinquents of school. So why did he pop up in her mind after that dream?