Editing City Series:Volume7 Layer 9 (section)

===Record 114: That is Your Name===

'''02/17/1999

'''20:21

I ran through the Kanda city at night.

I was pretty obviously running away, but Senpai was pursuing me and any attack from him was terrifying. His Mobilized Writing was a simple thing.

'''If you cut with belief in your heart, all things will be sliced through by having their molecular word bonds shattered.

Every one of my attacks was sliced through and his words reached me.

“Is running away all you can do?”

Of course it was. Just look at my right arm. The fist was cut and covered in blood.

Yes, it was a simple matter. Senpai and I had similar Mobilized Writings, but his had the additional element of using a weapon. All I could use was a gauntlet.

In a direct clash, he was going to win due to his greater attack power.

What could I even do? I punched the air behind me to launch myself forwards and put some distance between us. Then I heard a phone ringing.

From the left? I looked that way to see a red phone standing on the side of the road and looking at me. I hesitated before running over to it, but it was cut through when I was just a step away.

''Damn,'' I thought when I heard another phone ringing. This phone was further away at about 30m. I felt certain someone was calling me, so I took off running. The wind blew behind me, telling me Senpai was pursuing me, but I somehow knew the phone was more important.

“––––!”

I ran. The phone rang. I reached out my hand, but it was cut through. I heard another phone ringing. It rang two, three, four times, and even more than that. Senpai pursued me from behind while I continued to pursue the ringing phones that were cut down before my eyes.

I had to hurry. I had to be gradually catching up to the voice calling to me. I was almost there. Surely the next one would work. No, it wouldn’t, but the one after that would. I would make sure it did.

I was out of breath and my legs were worn out, but I felt sure I would reach the phone.

I held that belief in my heart, so I had to run, reach out my hand, and remember why I was running.

“I know why! To never be #2 again!”

Yes, I was just a step away. My foot reached the ground and it was still ringing. Did I reach out with my unharmed left hand? No, I used my dominant right hand that I knew I could believe in.

I couldn’t give up, I had to open my fist, reach out that hand, and-

“!!”

For just a moment, I had a flashback to so long ago when I used to run track.

I smiled bitterly. The next thing I knew, the phone receiver was in my hand. I pressed it against my ear and took a breath with Senpai running toward me, seemingly within arm’s reach.

But the voice that reached my ear was far more important. It was yours.

“How are you? Yes, I’m in the bath right now. I borrowed Snowy’s phone.”

“That’s an awfully indecent thing to tell me. But you need to hurry. This is important. I am going to give Senpai, you, and myself what we all want.”

“I see,” you said. And, “Hey, do you remember that promise we made a long time ago? When we first decided to go to the Mountain, I asked you to rescue me just once if I got into the Chancellor’s Officers. And with all your heart.”

I remembered that, but I said something else with my back toward Senpai as he raised his sword.

“Did you say that?”

“I did. But before I did, you asked me to root for you just once if you got into the Chancellor’s Officers. And with all my heart. So since you’re keeping your promise, I’m going to keep mine.”

I heard your Mobilized Writing – the Words of that power you rarely used.

'''The motivation behind words is transformed into heat.

“We’ve both done everything we can here. So win this! Please!”

I nodded, threw away the receiver, and spun around. I held power in my fist. Both my own power and the power you had given me. Was that more powerful than a sword? No, I didn’t need to think about all that. I just had to throw our power into his.

'''If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

Yeah, that’s right. It was time to blow away all of his worries so I could finally be #1!

'''Author Comment:

I feel like I shouldn’t say anything here.

Because if I say anything, I feel like I would have to say all of it.

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