"...About four hours?"

"To be precise, four hours and ten minutes. That's 250 minutes."

"That's a long time."

Just a minute earlier, in Rinji's home, Kaguya—who was using his body—had been chatting casually with Hayasaka. Meanwhile, far away in the Shinomiya residence, Rinji, using Kaguya's body, burned all the documents he had collected.

And just as they both finished their tasks, the two were suddenly switched back.

"How was it? Playing Kaguya-sama must've been miserable, right?"

"Actually, it wasn't too bad. I just didn't understand what she usually spends her time doing," Rinji said. "So I did a bit of work."

That "bit of work" definitely wasn't small in Hayasaka's eyes.

"...You didn't blow your cover, did you?"

"Of course not. My performance as Shinomiya was flawless," Rinji said proudly.

"Still, I should remind you. Some of the people in Shinomiya's household are from the main family, placed there by her older brother to monitor her every move. If anything goes wrong…"

"Then Shinomiya's situation will get really bad. She might even get dragged back to the main house and be banned from returning to Shuchiin. I know all that," Rinji said nonchalantly.

"The main family can't just drag her away, can they? They can't even step foot in Tokyo right now. Trying to forcibly remove her would only backfire."

"That's true… but she still has to go back to the main house with me for New Year. So maybe…"

"Oh, right. Ai, you're also going back home for New Year."

Rinji recalled that Hayasaka would be reporting back to the Shinomiya main house in Kyoto, and started thinking.

He couldn't possibly go with her to the Shinomiya estate. Not only would a fight definitely break out, but he'd already promised Karura he'd spend New Year at the Kure Clan's place.

Though there might be fighting there too.

"If anything goes wrong, call me. I'll rush over immediately."

"Okay."

---

The next morning

"Rinji, it's been a while."

"Yeah. Last time was at HQ. After that, it was all phone calls. Two years flew by."

Rinji was at Sagara residence, facing a middle-aged man with a small cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

Sagara Sousuke—Kaname's husband and the current President of IW.

"Your father's gone back already, right?"

"Yeah, he slipped out early yesterday morning."

"On Christmas Eve, I actually had a talk with him," Sousuke said. "I want to know what you think."

"About what?"

"Would you be willing to inherit IW someday?"

"...Huh?"

Sousuke had been in the top position for over fifteen years. Unlike when George was president, back then George was just the front man—Rinji's father was the one really in charge.

But Sousuke was different. He took over after Rinji's father left completely.

Luckily, Rinji's father had left IW in a stable, peak condition—not a mess.

"Uncle Sousuke, you want to retire?"

"More or less. I want to spend time with Kamame. Being apart for so long… she never complains, but I know she's frustrated."

"...I never planned to inherit the organization. After graduating college, I want to go home and farm," Rinji said. "I don't want to be chained to something my dad built for fun."

Taking over IW would mean taking responsibility for its future, and Rinji didn't want to be tied down like that.

"If you're not willing, that's fine. I'll look for someone else."

Though neither Rinji nor his father cared much about the organization, Sousuke took it seriously out of respect for the man who entrusted it to him.

"Forget that. I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"I remember a meteorite fell two years ago. Didn't you bring it back to HQ? Was there something special about it?"

Rinji had wanted to ask for a while, but chances to talk with Sousuke were rare.

"Find anything?"

"Yes," Sousuke nodded. "Chromium-nitrogen minerals, chromium-sulfur minerals, alkaline magnesium silicates, and some phosphates."

"...That's just an ordinary meteorite, right? IW has the capability to mine meteorites in space. Why go head-to-head with those Americans over this one? Was it just an excuse to stir trouble?"

"No. IW doesn't pick fights with any countries anymore," Sousuke replied. "This goes back to a mission from nearly twenty years ago."

"Huh?"

"Your father said a meteorite would land here that year. I don't know how he knew, but from that day, we prepared," Sousuke said. "NASA and other observatories all thought the meteorite would pass Earth, not crash. No one expected it to split and fall."

"You mean… Dad knew the meteorite would hit the ground?"

"Yes. He valued it highly, so when it landed, I immediately secured it."

Sousuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of rock.

"This is a fragment your father gave me. I don't know how he got it from a meteorite several light-years away, but I've kept it since."

Rinji stared at the stone. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

It was star-shaped, with polished surfaces and a small hole at the top for a string.

Something clicked. Rinji pulled out the pendant a store clerk had given him on Christmas Eve.

Putting them side by side—color, shape, hole placement—they were identical.

Both had the same stringing hole at the exact spot.

"..."