Chapter Text
The turn of events was quite unbelievable for Matsubara Kanon. She knew her carelessness would bring her trouble, which had been proved for quite some time already. And her current situation is another one, just that this time it involved her friends.
Few minutes ago, the sound of the entrance door being opened caught her and Aya’s attention. She was about to do the usual customer greeting with her co-worker, but the words got caught up on her mouth upon seeing the group of people wearing patterned suits, in front of them.
“Found you, Matsubara-san.”
Instantly, panic came over Kanon and then, it happened. Everything stopped.
“I... I did it again.”
Normally, she can control when she would stop the time with the limit of as long as her stamina can hold it up. But then, there are also times like this when she loses control and it activates on its own because of her emotions.
“K-Kanon-chan?” Much to her surprise, Aya is unaffected by the time freeze.
“Aya-chan?! Fueee-”
The sky-haired drummer is starting to panic even more with questions filling her mind. As far as she had known, only another time controller, which is her father, and someone with a defensive barrier will be unaffected by the time freeze.
As she was starting to overflow with thoughts, warm hands clasped on hers. She didn’t notice when had Aya walked closer to her.
“Kanon-chan, firstly, calm down. Okay? I’m here with you.”
“A-Alright.” Kanon managed to respond.
“Everything will be fine. Take a deep breath.”
Kanon allowed herself to do as the pinkette said. After all, Aya is right. She needs to calm down more than anything or else she won’t be able to return everything back to normal. She has another choice. But that would mean, tiring herself from sustaining the time freeze barrier, which is obviously not good at all.
“Are you feeling better now, Kanon-chan? I will get you some water if you want.”
Aya was already about to go off but Kanon grabbed her hand stopping the pinkette on her tracks.
“No, it’s fine. And please stay by my side Aya-chan.”
“Okay.” Aya said, giving a reassuring smile to the drummer.
Taking a deep breath and having Aya by her side helped a lot on calming her nerves. But the question still remains.
“Aya-chan...” Kanon begun. “Are you some kind of an esper?”
A moment had passed and Aya just stared at her. Kanon almost thought that she had made the wrong assumption because of how clueless the pinkette looks at her. But when the realization seemed to have come to Aya, her expression was replaced with curiosity and surprised.
“K-Kanon-chan... I’m not sure if I’m getting exactly what you mean, but I guess, yes. Does this mean, you were the one who did this?!”
“We would like to know about that too.” Lisa’s voice came with Sayo walking towards them. Once again, Kanon was taken by surprise to see another of her friends are able to move inside the time freeze. The two members of Roselia are filled with as much curiosity as her.
“Sometimes I still lose control of it.” Kanon looked away embarrassed. “When I get panic attack, I get overwhelmed and activate my ability accidentally. I can’t turn it back until I calm down, or until I cannot sustain it anymore.”
“But Kanon-chan, what caused you to panic?”
“I’m guessing it’s those people. Am I right, Matsubara-san?” Sayo finally spoke, turning her head at the group of people by the entrance.
Everyone looked back to Kanon for confirmation and she nodded at them.
“They seem to be delinquents, and... they know me.”
Everyone gasped. Worry is evident on their faces and Kanon wanted to try her best to reassure them, but all she could do right now is tell them what she can.
The memories were still fresh in Kanon’s mind. It happened not long ago after all. She was on her way home and got lost like the usual. The drummer recalled getting side-tracked as the reason why she got lost again.
“I came across them accidentally, while they were in the act of beating up someone. When they noticed me, the glare they gave immediately got me activating the time freeze just like now.”
“And that is how you got away from them?” Lisa added looking at Kanon for confirmation, to which the drummer responded with a nod to.
“Imai-san, are these the people you were talking about earlier?”
“I’m not sure.”
Kanon wondered what they were talking about. But she knows this is not the time to be asking for it as she can already feel herself getting weak for every passing second. They seemed to have noticed this with the look of concern on their faces.
“For now, one thing is for sure. They are going to cause trouble here.” Aya spoke up.
“It would be good if we get them out of here before I deactivate the time freeze.” Kanon suggested. She looked over at Aya. The pinkette shook her head. Sayo did the same when they looked over at her next. And then Sayo turned her head to the bassist.
“Imai-san. I can electrocute them to make them lose consciousness. But I am not yet confident with my control.”
“E-Eh? But didn’t you accidentally hit Hina last time?”
“That was my bare minimum. It would only feel like an insect bite. I haven’t tried using my electricity on other people beyond that limit. Imai-san, don’t you have any teleportation spell or something?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I am still learning, Sayo. And I do not know any teleportation spell yet. And if we’re trying not to hurt them, then I can’t really recommend anything.”
All four of them sigh dejectedly. Kanon felt the pinkette’s gaze on her, full of worry. She tried to give her a reassuring smile. She whispered, “I’m fine, Aya-chan.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
They were all still lost in thought when gusting winds took back their attention towards the entrance.
“Oh- I didn’t think there would be another esper here. And you’re quite strong, aren’t you?”
There stood a man wearing the same patterned suit as the immobilized ones, talking to what seem like a person surrounded by whirlwinds. Before the man could speak again, winds violently came towards him. He used his right hand, making the winds disappear the moment it reached him.
“You don’t really like talking, do you, wind-user? Or should I call you the stealth?” Smirking, he touched two other people in patterned suits.
All they could do was watch in awe as the two men he touched started moving. Now this is something Kanon had not heard from her father.
“Took you long enough!”
“Sorry, you know I have my limitations too.”
“Yeah. And what’s important is, he made it in time before we got teleported to nowhere again. Anyway, go and free the others from the time freeze.”
“Got it.”
As if on cue, the wind-user started attacking him with a stronger pressure of winds than earlier. He shielded himself with his hand once again while the other two came charging towards the wind-user. The wind-user had already formed a barrier of wind as a shield when they suddenly stopped and an unpleasant sensation suddenly engulfed them.
“Aya-chan...” Sayo heard the wind-user mumbled as she walked closer to her. Her suspicions on who this wind-user is, just grew stronger.
Sayo was about to get her attention when the wind-user started moving again. She completely turned into whirlwinds herself and knocked their backs to the wall. Being able to glance over the entrance once again let Sayo realized that the other men in patterned suits are gone.
“Sayo behind you!”
She heard Lisa’s voice call out to her, and then something hit her behind. That is when she knew it was already too late for her realization. But, much to her surprise, she felt no pain, only the sensation of something absorbed by her body. Sayo heard another man near her screamed in pain as she turned around to face her attacker.
Ah, it was a stun gun. What luck...
“It is not your day, mister.” The guitarist said grabbing the man’s arm quickly. She gripped on him as hard as she could, glaring at him.
Focus Hikawa Sayo. You can do this. She told herself internally, taking a deep breath as she released the same amount of electricity she just absorbed earlier. Her attacker fell to the ground with drools coming from his mouth. Probably the effect of her attack. Sayo immediately checked if the man is still alive, worried the what she was fearing earlier happened.
“He will be fine Sayo.”
“How can you tell Imai-san?”
“You have no intention of killing him. And you were in control of your emotions. So, there is no need to worry.” Lisa said patting the guitarist’s shoulder. “More importantly, are you okay? Are you not hurt anywhere?”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Sayo got up. “I’m fine. But this creepy sensation is quite disturbing. What’s going on, Imai-san?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s Aya.”
Sayo followed Lisa’s gaze towards the pinkette vocalist who looks terrified but somehow very focused. Kanon is still right beside her, looking so worried for their friend.
“Aya-chan, you don’t look fine at all!”
“I will be fine. No worries.” Aya answered, trying to smile at the drummer.
The sensation from earlier seems to be fading slowly. And if her instincts were correct, then it has something to do with her friend calming down now. And Kanon was almost relieved from this if it weren’t for what’s happening around her, she is not sure what to do. She is relieved that Lisa and Sayo are now safe. When the teal haired was about to get attacked earlier, Lisa quickly ran towards and pointed some kind of stick on one of the attackers. That attacker fell to the ground followed by what seemed like a zapping sound.
Lisa is now walking towards them, meanwhile, Sayo went to check on the wind-user.
“Kanon! Aya!”
“Aya-chan, I’m leaving you to Lisa-chan, I need to check on something.”
“Don’t worry about me Kanon-chan. Go ahead.”
“Thank you Aya-chan.”
Kanon gave a smile to Lisa and Aya trying her best to assure them that everything is alright. What’s important right now is to check if she was just seeing things or is it really-
“Hi little kittens, I apologise for my tardiness.”
Just as she was getting closer towards the messed up entrance of the restaurant, she heard a familiar voice which confirmed to her that she was not just seeing things. Seta Kaoru has really arrived.
“S-Seta-san?” Sayo was the first to react totally surprised by the arrival of the tall girl.
“You’re late Kaoru. We already took care of the things here.”
Kanon swore that was another very familiar voice but her thoughts were interrupted when a hand covered her mouth. Realizing the danger she was in, Kanon put her hand on his and focused her mind to activating her power. But to her surprise, nothing happened.
“Matsubara-san, “ he whispered into her ear. “Your power won’t work on me.”
She recognized that the voice belonged to that man who first tried to attack them earlier. He was also the one that freed the others from being frozen in time.
“You may have noticed by now, but let me tell you. I am the Canceller. My ability is to cancel out the others. So, your time control won’t work on me, or whatever it is you were trying to do.”
Tears started forming on Kanon’s eyes. She’s getting more and more exhausted for every passing second of her holding the time. She cannot struggle against her attacker at the risk of losing consciousness and deactivating the time freeze. Sure that would give them more chance of making these attackers give up on them. But Kanon also thought of the possible chaos the current situation might cause.
“Let go of Kanon!” Kaoru shouted, anger evident on her tone bringing the drummer out of her thoughts.
The canceller was caught off guard when Kaoru suddenly appeared from behind them.
“Wait- weren’t you just in front of-“
Kaoru grabbed his hand that was holding the drummer. Kanon used this chance to push her way out of his arm. Just as the canceller was about to turn to Kaoru and hit her, his fist only met air. The purple haired reappeared behind him and quickly touched his back making him disappear. A second had passed and he reappeared upside down on air. He immediately fell hitting his head on the ground.
“H-How is this-” he grunted in pain trying to get up but was cut off after he felt a hand touch his head. Kanon had now successfully put him into the time freeze.
Kanon released a sigh of relief as she reached for something to hold on to for support. Kaoru was quick to catch her, taking the drummer’s arm to hold on to her shoulders.
“Thank you Kaoru-san.”
“Anything for you Kanon.”
Kaoru flashed her usual dashing smile to Kanon which somehow let the drummer to be more at ease now.
“But how were you able to use your teleportation on him, Kaoru-san?”
“Ah. About that, Chi- I mean the wind controller instructed me to use it only when I’m sure he’s not holding you anymore, and when he won’t be able to use his hand to reach me.”
“I figured, he can only cancel out an ability using his hand, and I’m glad I was right. Also Kaoru, it’s fine. No need to cover for me anymore.” For the nth time of this afternoon, Kanon was taken by surprise again. Chisato is now walking towards them with Sayo. This explains the familiar voice she heard earlier.
“Chisato/Chisato-chan!” came both Lisa and Aya’s voice. The pinkette ran towards the blonde hugging her tightly.
“I’m glad you’re alright Chisato-chan!” Aya said sobbing on the blonde’s shoulder. Chisato pat her in the head lightly.
“I could say the same thing to you.”
Sayo cleared her throat interrupting them. “As you said Shirasagi-san, we don’t have much time.”
“Ah yes, my apologies. Kaoru, you know what to do next. Teleport them before the others regain consciousness. Kanon could probably sustain this for another two minutes or less, correct?”
“Understood.” Kaoru said and was about to let go of Kanon to make her move. But then the drummer grabbed her by the wrist.
“Wait.” Kanon said getting their attention. “Kaoru-san, can you gather them all in front of me?”
Kaoru just nodded. As soon as Kanon let go of her wrist, she disappeared, teleporting to the other parts of the restaurant to gather their attackers in patterned suits. In just a matter of thirty seconds, all six of them are now in front of Kanon. Everyone is now curiously looking at Kanon, except for Kaoru.
“Kanon, don’t tell me you’re planning on... Don’t push yourself.”
“Kaoru-san, I’ll leave the rest to you. You can’t waste a second, got it?”
“Okay.” Kaoru gave up and just agreed to the sky haired drummer. She knows better that she can’t change her mind at this rate.
“Wait Kanon! What are you planning to do?”
“Matsubara-san, I hope you’re not being reckless right now. Please don’t push yourself.”
“Chisato-chan, Sayo-chan, I need to do this. Please trust me on this.”
The two still seemed to want to protest but Lisa stopped them. She shook her head on them and said “Let’s trust them.”
Kanon raised both her hands and touches their attackers’ head for a few seconds for each of them. As Kanon touches the last one, Kaoru proceeded on teleporting all of them to somewhere even the purple haired herself isn’t sure where exactly it is. Kanon collapsed the moment Kaoru had returned. The time freeze deactivated and everything returned to normal.
Kaoru carried Kanon on her arms to the employee’s locker room. It caused quite a commotion but it settled down quickly thanks to Lisa for managing the crowd. Aya had trouble explaining to their boss about what happened, and only used ‘Kanon suddenly fell ill’ as an excuse. Thankfully, their boss is understanding and even gave the drummer some time off from work.
Few days later, Kanon explained to them the last thing she did to their attackers. Using her time control ability, she reversed a year worth of their memory. The limitation to that is, only memories that relates to her would be affected. It was also mentally exhausting for her to do which is why she was unable to keep conscious anymore after everything.
“I thought back then that we need to prevent them from coming back or us again. So, I took the risk.” Kanon said ending her explanation, to which earned a hug from Aya and Chisato.
They may be safe for now. Kanon thought. But she knows they cannot say for sure if she has done enough to keep them away from them for good.