[But now back to the not-so-fun topic at hand.

Of course he doesn't want to think about that day. Unfortunately, he thinks about it constantly. It haunts his every waking moment here. And it got him doing a lot of thinking—about how to fight fate, about what happens if Jun disappears, about what happens if he disappears. About what he'd do if worse came to worst.

It's not easy to talk about, though. For now, he broaches the easier of the two topics—the one about magic.]

First, I should tell you I know someone who almost found a way home. He said he used magic to dig into the House's "roots," but that they stopped him before he could open up any paths home. If he hadn't been forced to stop early, he could've succeeded, or so he implied.

[Hiyori relays this in a matter-of-fact tone, not showing any particular emotion, even as the memories of Esikko's punishment flash through his mind.]

Do you think your magic could work in connection with his magic, and do you know anyone else's who could?

[It's not a lot of detail to go on, admittedly. But he doesn't understand much about how magic works.]