From when I was little, I had a question in my mind.
Why am I only myself, and not someone else?
I heard that "I think, therefore I am" are the words of an ancient philosopher.
But I didn't think. I thought about someone else.
That perhaps, the person over there is myself as well...
Episode 1 "I think about others"
"Think about others." When I did that, I had turned into someone else.
But no more than five seconds. After that, I immediately returned to my own self.
Furthermore, for the duration, my body completely loses consciousness.
Often I would find myself injured in some way.
Furthermore, I can only possess someone that is within my line of sight.
So, I couldn't use it for lewd things.
At most, it was for possessing someone that pissed me off,
only to pick a fight with a stranger then return to myself.
That kind of retaliation was all I could use this for.
You bastard! What do you think you just did, huh?
But finally, I came up with an idea that can take full advantage of this special ability.
Five minutes before time.
I could possess one smart guy in class after another, memorize the answers,
memorize the answers, and fill in my answers after returning... and I repeat that.
Year-End Test Standings 1 - Yu Otosaka
Of course, I'm planning on attending a very prestigious high school.
However, unlike a normal test, I don't know who is intelligent during an entrance exam...
Ever since, I've snuck into prestigious cram schools one after another,
pretending to be a student of that cram school.
Which student facing entrance exams apply to which schools?
And which subjects were they best at?
I researched all of that very thoroughly.
High School Entrance Exam Venue
And so, I found one student after another that was vying to enter the same school as I was.
And successfully got admitted to an elite high school.
Entrance Ceremony
Now, a word from the representative for the new students.
Yu Otosaka, please go ahead.
Yes!
So that means he's the top of the class!
And he's good-looking to boot...!
Entrance Ceremony
Today, for us new students, you have organized a grand ceremony of this sort,
and we are deeply in gratitude for it.
Wrapped in the warm rays of the spring sunshine,
we are now able to be a part of the well-established ranks of Hinomori High School.
Hey, hey....
Isn't he attractive?
Yeah, he might be your type, Mitchon.
Huh? What? Yumi doesn't seem to be against the idea either?
We are very grateful for this opportunity today.
Previous Term Class Ranking 1 - Yu Otosaka
Sorry for the sudden email: My name is Sugimoto from Class 1-2. Will you possibly come to the back of the school building after school? I will be waiting for you till the night.
This again...
Stuff like this is happening more often.
Not only am I superior as the top of the class academically,
I'm one of the more physically attractive.
It's impossible to not be popular among girls like this.
Sheesh, I'll hurry them all on home.
I'm sorry for calling you over all the way out here!
That's fine. What did you want from me?
Um, I'm fine from starting as just friends...
But can you think about dating me, please?
Well... In order to keep my grades up at where they are now,
I have to shave time to sleep to keep studying.
I don't have the luxury of dealing with other people. So, I'm sorry.
Of course that's a pack of lies. I don't study whatsoever.
I see, I understand. I'm sorry for calling you out like this so suddenly!
There's no way I would choose normal girls like you ilk.
The one I'm after...
So Yumi, you missed the special program from yesterday?!
Of course, is the madonna of this school...
Yumi Shirayanagi.
I will...
...make you mine!
I know I will definitely get a chance.
It all lies in how I use the five seconds, which are the limits of my ability!
And so, I was texting until 3 o'clock last night, so I overslept... it was so hard for me to get up!
That's it!
So...
Mitchon, what's wrong?
Call the police!
Are you all right?
Oh, it looks like he's okay.
I'm so glad...
That was close, but that went according to plan...
Yumi!
Are you all right?
That was a close one.
Yumi, you were about to be run over by a truck when Otosaka from class 1 saved you!
Is that true...?
Yeah. Are you hurt anywhere?
Let's go to the nurse's office. Can you walk?
Yes...
Then, I'll go home now.
Please wait!
U-Um...
The two of us were about to go eat our favorite pancakes together...
would you like to come with us?
I'll have to pass. It's better to keep that among friends, right?
But, you just saved my life!
I'd like to properly repay that, and I'd like to chat with you a little while longer...
Whoa, I have a call. Who is it?
Then, I'll go home. Yup, yup, yup.
Mitchon, what's wrong?
My big brother suddenly came back from Kyoto,
and he apparently ordered top-end sushi for the entire family!
So, I'm leaving the rest to the two of you! Thanks!
That was an obvious farce, but a nice assist nonetheless, Mitchon!
Sorry to make you wait.
Um, there's a special way to eat this.
Oh?
Please mimic me.
If you do this, the syrup gets across to the entire thing.
Then, stack them up, cut them, and try a bite of it.
Amazing! Just by changing how you eat it, it gets this delicious? I never knew!
No matter how many times I eat this, it's delicious...
Oh, um...
The song they're playing right now is Haro-haro, isn't it?
Haro-haro?
You don't know of them? I had thought every boy knew of them very well.
So something like them is popular nowadays?
Otosaka, can we go home together from school
or have an occasional meal together like this again sometime?
Sure, I guess.
I'm so glad...
Shall we go home together today as well? I will be waiting for you near the main gate.
Oh, I shouldn't do this out loud.
I guess I'll hurry on over.
Yu Otosaka from class 1-1, please report immediately to the student council room. I repeat...
What's this?
Yu Otosaka from class 1-1, please report immediately to the student council room.
-Sorry, I will be late.
-I will be waiting.
I'm Omura, the student council president.
What do you want with me? I'm making someone wait, so I'd like you to make it quick.
That is really up to you. This is a copy of your answer sheet to the aptitude test from the other day.
A perfect score... so marvelous.
The same exact test has been placed right there.
Right here, right now, please try to get a perfect score once again.
Huh?
What meaning is there behind that?
There is an accusation that you may have cheated on the exam.
If you can get 90% or above, you are innocent. You will be deemed guilty if your score is any lower.
This is absurd! I will excuse myself right now!
Concerning this case, we have the authorization of both the principal and the vice-principal.
If you escape now, you will apparently be expelled from the school.
E-Expelled?!
Now, please begin.
Right there lies all of the answers...
I'll possess him and find out! That's the only way!
Making such a fool of me!
What in the world has happened?
To me, it only seemed like you were tearing that up?
Got him!
Hello there, I'm Tomori, the student council president... of another school, though.
So, I was recording you for all this time.
Can you take a look at the video I just recorded?
Please take a note of the time.
You were not looking at him the moment he ripped the answer sheet.
Yet, you said he ripped it up.
Isn't that a bit strange?
I'll show you others.
You have a special ability to possess other people.
Using that, you cheat on every exam.
Isn't that right?
T-That's not true! It's a sleeping disease!
I suddenly get tremendously sleepy, and can't fight that urge!
You really are a troublesome one. I'll show you this now. Here.
A copy of your medical exams.
As far as this goes, such a disease doesn't exist.
Now, please solve the problems on the test.
Such a farce! I can't deal with it!
I see... she had foreseen that it would even end up this way.
Then, everything from here on is my job.
Run! Right now!
Dammit!
Are you all right?
Y-Yes... I'm fine.
What?
What the hell is going on here?!
You... what the hell did you just do?
Teleportation.
Teleportation?
Yes. Just like it sounds, I teleport instantly to move to another location.
But this ability doesn't let me conveniently stop exactly where I want.
Thanks to this ability, I don't know how many times I've been hospitalized...
What an incomplete ability!
But anyway, what are you going to do with me from now on?!
We will have you transfer over to our school.
Transfer?!
Yes. In this world, there are many people who possess special powers, not just you.
However, those special skills can be considered an illness caught during adolescence,
and will disappear in due time.
Until it goes away, however, please keep commuting to our school, the Hoshinoumi Academy.
Huh?!
I already have gotten permission from those that have parental authority over you.
Such a story...
...exists.
However... you seem like you'd be popular from just your looks.
Was there also a need to play the role of a genius by cheating as much as possible?
That's the real question.
Oh, but thanks to that you were able to close the gap
between yourself and the female student you were targeting.
Damn you!
What... she disappeared?
That is her ability.
It can't be... an ability to become invisible?
No. To me, it only looked like her punching you.
Impossible... I was the only one that couldn't see her?
Right. Her ability is to hide from visual recognition from one target.
Every other human can see her as normal.
Another imperfect ability!
By the way, you will enter our student council as well.
Huh?
Your ability is useful, so I'd like you to cooperate with us.
For what?
To threaten those that abuse their powers for no good, just like you.
That is the kind of existence we are.
I'm home.
Welcome back, Big Brother Yu!
Wait! Wow! What's wrong with your face?
Oh, well, um... it was an incident during gym class...
Oh right, there was an amazing phone call from our uncle.
Ayu heard that she and Big Brother Yu
will transfer into Hoshinoumi Academy's middle- and high-school
as scholarship students!
Is that really true?
Are you serious?
Well... it's true.
The house budget will benefit from this!
Furthermore, the uncle is sending us lots of tasty food to celebrate!
But that means you have to transfer schools, too.
That means you have to say goodbye to your friends - is that all right?
Nowadays we can use smartphones to chat while looking at each other's faces,
so it's not going to be all that lonely.
Hoshinoumi Academy Executive Office
I see...
Tonight's dinner is... ta-dah!
Congratulations!
Omelet rice, your favorite dish, Big Brother Yu!
This again? I said time and again that it was only when I was little...
Congrats! Now, let's eat!
So sweet...
Using pizza sauce as the secret ingredient must have been fitting for my tongue when I was a child.
How is it? Is it tasty?
Yeah, it's tasty.
Really?
I want to eat Mom's omelet rice for the first time in a while...
Mom, huh? Who cares about someone like that.
Are you still upset?
Of course I am... She got divorced, and selfishly shoved custody over to our uncle.
Ayu doesn't understand too much of it, but would like to see you be forgiving!
We don't have any parents. Our only family is you and me, just the two of us.
I see... but Ayu sometimes thinks... there was one more family member somewhere...
You and I are the only siblings. Do you see someone in your dream or something?
You're right.
It's a weird feeling, as if it was really true.
It's totally a dream.
Hey, we're going to be up early tomorrow because we're moving, right?
Why don't you get to sleep soon?
Please give me just a tiny bit more of your time!
You really love stars, don't you?
You can see way off into the distance where people will never reach, you know?
Ayu thinks that is an amazing thing!
You know, if you keep talking only about the stars at school, you'll end up getting isolated.
Why is that?
Speaking from experience.
In living my life, a foundation is to liven up the conversation
by talking about what was on TV last night instead of talk about the stars.
Experience? Foundation?
It's okay if you don't understand. Go to sleep soon.
Roger that!
This is an amazingly huge room!
Can Ayu really use it all alone with Big Brother Yu?
Yeah...
Thank you for your hard work! I may not be much, but allow me to help–
Hey, the moving company guys will do it, so you don't have to.
I thought I could be at least of some assistance, however...
Don't take their jobs away from them.
Oh! Such a way of thinking was something that Ayu didn't have!
Back at that time, what had happened?
That's something I can't say...
Well... I'm going to transfer to Hoshinoumi Academy now...
Well, um... I'm sorry for all the things that happened.
Until this ability goes away, I can't be authorized to travel to an area with no supervision...
Shirayanagi, if you could come see me instead, I'd be delighted.
But, that is just too far. At the least, can it be once a week, and can we alternate?
Well... I'm sorry about that, too. I can't come here anymore on my own.
Why?
I can't say why...
I am forced to not mention anything about this case to others.
There's nothing that I can do about it...
I am grateful for what you have done. That feeling will never waver.
However, I am not dating you yet.
So for me to chase you in a one-sided manner is as if I was a stalker.
Of course, I do feel bad about that. However, I can't go see you on my own.
I understand. From now on, let us walk our own separate paths.
That means...
I will never forget the feeling I have towards you for saving my life as long as I live. That is all.
That can't be...
Thank you very much for saving me. I really do appreciate it.
But this is where I bid you farewell. I hope you stay well.
I got dumped... me...?
Hello! Excuse me! I've already let myself in!
What is it so suddenly?
It's tough when it's just the two of you, right? I came here to help.
Oh, are all of you people from the same school as Big Brother Yu?
Yes. We are from the student council. I am Takajo, and this is Tomori.
Since it's after school now, we thought we should help out a bit.
Unnecessary troubles.
Can we help you out?
Of course, that would help us out a lot!
How cunning...!
Then, we should split up and get things done.
Yes!
Please do!
This must be that delicious thing
that our uncle sent in congratulations that Ayumi was talking about!
They're all Kin-san Ramen?!
I'll pretend I never saw this.
Ayumi, can I show you a magic trick?
Oh... that's something I want to see!
Stay there. It will only be an instant.
Yup!
This is amazing! This is more amazing than the people on TV!
Were you amused by that?
Yup, yup, yup!
Don't use your ability for play! You've knocked Ayumi out of her wits!
If you're going to play, I'll have you go home!
Yeah, yeah... your big brother is scary.
And you're helping us, too!
Then, we shall excuse ourselves here.
You're going to go home? I'll make dinner so I'd like you to eat that, at least...
We don't have enough dishes for four.
Or so he says.
It's all right. We'll meet again.
Yeah...
Oh, Haro-haro.
So it is a fad after all.
That's right! Yusa Nishimori, known as Yusarin. She's so cute!
To think something like this sells... that's the sign of the apocalypse.
Ayu's new school is right next to Big Brother Yu's! So she wants to go to school together!
They'd think I have a sis-com (sister complex).
Sis-com? Is that some kind of a contest?
It isn't.
But still, Hoshinoumi Academy... what a wonderful name!
Yeah, it's a name that sounds like one that was made just for you...
Hey.
That night, I had a dream. I'm sure it was because of Ayumi's farfetched announcement.
But who was that?