‘Any more questions?’ the Wolf Queen asked.

What Kokoro wanted to say wasn’t a question but more of an opinion. Or to put a finer point on it, something that dissatisfied her.

Their memories would vanish. They’d forget the castle, and naturally that meant they’d forget each other as well.

Kokoro had no idea how the Wolf Queen interpreted their silence.

‘If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going,’ she said. And with that, she was gone.

They hadn’t seen her disappear like that in a while, but no one dared comment. When she’d first performed her vanishing act, it had caused quite a stir, but now the atmosphere had changed. Kokoro missed those earlier days.

‘So our memories vanish – so what?’ a voice said, breaking the silence.

It was Aki. The group gave her a look. Kokoro wasn’t sure if she was doing it intentionally or not, but she met their eyes with a cool response.

‘That doesn’t bother me one bit,’ she said. ‘I mean, we can only be here in the castle until March anyway, and after that we won’t be able to see each other any more. The key will grant any wish, and not to use it would be a huge waste. Right?’ Aki looked at each of them in turn, as if seeking agreement.

‘All of this didn’t exist before, so it will just mean going back to our earlier lives. What’s wrong with that?’

‘Everything.’

They all turned in surprise at the voice. It was Ureshino. He tended to get emotional, but his voice seemed unusually quiet.

Aki, uncharacteristically, didn’t respond, and Ureshino continued, ‘I hate the thought of it. I don’t want to forget how you’ve all heard me out. Or how the Wolf Queen said she respected me.’

‘She didn’t say she respected you; she said she found your action commendable,’ Masamune said.

‘So?’ Ureshino looked serious. ‘If it means forgetting you all, then I don’t need to have my wish granted.’ His eyes looked straight ahead and shone, for once, without any hint of spite. He turned to Aki, tilting his head. ‘Don’t you feel like that too, Aki-chan? Would you really prefer your wish to come true?’

Kokoro listened in surprise. Ureshino had admitted to hunting for the key, but now declared he’d rather keep his memories than have his wish granted. She was part of these memories. So were Masamune and Aki, with all their bickering and arguing. Every one of them.

Kokoro felt something warm seeping out of her, from deep inside. And she realized it was a feeling of happiness.

Aki might have been experiencing the same sort of elation. Despite her tough words, she seemed thrown off her stride. ‘No … it’s not like I—’ she said.