"Come back, Shin'ya....."
The voice returned like before.
The same warm, welcoming tone that called to him from somewhere distant, yet somehow so close.
"Come back....."
"Gah!"
Shin'ya woke up with his face shoved directly into the earth beneath him.
He immediately pushed himself upright, coughing slightly as he wiped the dirt from his face.
"...Ugh."
He brushed the remaining dirt from his cheeks before quickly dusting off his hoodie.
"Why do I keep waking up like this...?"
Shin'ya slowly stood up.
He observed his surroundings.
Trees surrounded him on all sides, their branches stretching overhead. Sunlight came through the gaps between the leaves, while small patches of blue sky peeked through the canopy.
Shin'ya looked around.
It was a forest.
"...Why do I keep getting thrown into a goddamn forest every time?"
He sighed.
"Gah... The universe—"
He paused.
"...I mean, multiverse."
He looked around at the endless trees.
"The multiverse has literally set the forest as my natural spawn point."
Shin'ya's hand instinctively reached toward his hip.
Nothing.
His expression immediately changed.
He glanced down at his hip.
Then toward the ground.
The Ketsugai was lying there completely still.
Just like every time.
"...Of course."
He walked over and picked it up.
His fingers wrapped around the familiar hilt.
He felt slightly more at ease.
At least he still had it.
Shin'ya looked around the forest again.
"Time to find out what nonsense this world has prepared for me."
He sighed.
"Time to reach the quest area."
He began walking.
"Hooray."
There was absolutely no enthusiasm behind the word.
Shin'ya continued deeper into the forest.
---
The forest was calm.
Way too calm.
There was barely any sound around him.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the faint rustling of leaves.
Shin'ya slowed down.
Something about the atmosphere gave him a very specific flashback.
Yuki's world.
That same unnaturally peaceful feeling.
"..."
Shin'ya frowned.
"Yeah."
"I definitely don't like this."
He continued walking.
Then—
Bang.
Shin'ya stopped.
"..."
A few seconds passed.
Bang. Bang.
His eyebrows rose.
"Gunshots?"
He looked around.
Why would there be gunshots inside a forest?
Either it was some animal hunter...
Or some people were having an unusually intense battle.
Either way, Shin'ya's curiosity won.
He rushed toward the sound.
If something interesting was happening, he might as well see what the hell was going on.
After moving through the trees for a while, Shin'ya found a suitable spot and carefully examined the area below.
A dried-up river stretched through the forest.
Then he saw them.
Two people.
A boy and a girl.
They looked around Shin'ya's age, perhaps a little older.
Both were running.
And judging by the expressions on their faces, they weren't running for fun.
Shin'ya's eyes followed them.
Then he saw what they were running from.
Multiple people dressed in black.
Black-suited adults.
And every single one of them was carrying a firearm.
Shin'ya stared.
"..."
He blinked.
Then blinked again.
"What the genuine fuck is happening here?!"
Shin'ya clicked his tongue.
"To be honest... the situation is quite... interesting in this current scenario."
He narrowed his eyes.
"I'm just wondering why the heck multiple black-suited adults are chasing after some kids who are probably the same age as me."
He paused.
"What's the reason...?"
He scratched his chin.
"No, genuinely."
"What's the reason?"
Shin'ya remained deep in thought.
Then—
Thud.
The boy tripped and fell.
"...Oh."
The girl immediately turned around and tried to pull him back up.
But the situation was already settled.
One of the black-suited men had stopped.
He raised what looked like a rifle.
The barrel was aimed directly at the fallen boy.
Shin'ya's expression changed.
"Shit..."
He tightened his grip around the Ketsugai.
"I can't let them die."
He hesitated.
"I don't know who's the good guy and who's the bad guy here."
His eyes remained fixed on the rifle.
"But either way..."
His grip tightened.
"I don't want anyone else to die in front of me."
Shin'ya unsheathed the Ketsugai.
He gripped it with both hands.
"Fooooo..."
He stared at the distance between himself and the group.
"Can I use a Shadow Slash to intervene somehow?"
He thought about it for a moment.
"Well..."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"What's wrong with trying it out?"
Shin'ya lowered his blade.
The hilt blocked the sunlight, creating a shadow beneath it.
The darkness began to gather.
It condensed around the blade, crawling along its edge.
Shin'ya raised both arms.
Then—
SLASH!
The condensed darkness fired off the blade.
It rapidly expanded through the air, transforming into a long, dark veil.
The veil appeared directly between the armed man and the boy.
The rifleman's view was completely obstructed.
"What the—?!"
The boy stared at the strange wall of darkness.
The girl grabbed his arm.
"Run!"
The boy scrambled back onto his feet.
The two immediately began running.
Shin'ya watched them retreat.
Then the boy looked back.
Through the gaps between the trees, he finally saw where the strange protection had come from.
A boy stood in the distance.
Gray hoodie.
Dark blade in his hands.
Watching them.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Shin'ya gave him a small nod.
The boy stared for a second.
Then nodded back.
And ran.
Shin'ya watched them disappear.
"...Well."
He glanced toward the black-suited people.
Their attention had shifted.
Several of them were now looking directly at him.
Shin'ya's expression flattened.
"Ah."
"That's probably bad."
One of them shouted something.
Shin'ya didn't bother listening.
He turned around.
"Time to leave."
He quickly sheathed the Ketsugai.
Then he ran.
---
The footsteps behind him grew louder.
Shin'ya pushed through the forest, branches brushing against his hoodie.
"Seriously?"
He glanced behind him.
They were actually following him.
"Why me?!"
A gunshot echoed through the forest.
Bang!
"AH—!"
Shin'ya immediately sped up.
"Okay!"
"Definitely running!"
He weaved between the trees, jumping over exposed roots and ducking beneath branches.
But the footsteps didn't disappear.
If anything, they were getting closer.
Shin'ya clicked his tongue.
"...They're persistent."
He looked ahead.
A large shadow stretched across the forest floor beneath the trees.
Perfect.
Shin'ya lowered his body slightly.
"Alright."
His foot entered the darkness.
His body followed.
Shadow Slip.
The shadow beneath him began moving.
Not Shin'ya.
The shadow itself.
It slid rapidly across the forest floor, flowing between roots and beneath trees like a living patch of darkness.
Shin'ya traveled with it.
The world above became a blur of branches and sunlight.
Then the shadow stopped.
Shin'ya emerged smoothly from it.
Both feet landed firmly on the ground.
He immediately straightened himself.
He'd practiced this enough.
No stumbling.
No falling.
Just a clean landing.
"...Still works."
He glanced behind him.
The people chasing him were nowhere in sight.
A small grin appeared on his face.
"Good."
He turned toward the distant road.
"Now, let's get out of here."
---
Shin'ya continued through the forest.
The trees gradually became less dense.
Then he heard something different.
Cars.
People.
Traffic.
Shin'ya's eyes widened.
"Finally."
He pushed through the last line of trees.
A road appeared ahead.
Beyond it stood a city.
Buildings stretched across the horizon.
Shin'ya slowed to a stop.
He caught his breath.
"...A city."
He looked back toward the forest.
No one had followed him out.
Good.
Then he looked down.
The Ketsugai was still in his hand.
"..."
He stared at it.
Then at the city.
Then back at the sword.
"Wait."
His expression slowly changed.
"I'm an idiot."
Walking into a city carrying a sword wasn't exactly subtle.
Someone would report him immediately.
And explaining why he had it would probably lead to even more questions.
Questions he really didn't want to answer.
"Yeah."
"No thanks."
Shin'ya quickly sheathed the Ketsugai.
He pulled his hoodie farther down and carefully positioned the sword underneath it.
He adjusted it.
Then adjusted it again.
The hilt was still slightly visible.
"...No."
He shifted it sideways.
Better.
But now the sword was pressing awkwardly against his side.
Shin'ya took a few steps.
Thump.
The sheathed Ketsugai bumped against his leg.
He stopped.
"..."
He adjusted it again.
He started walking.
Thump.
"..."
Another few steps.
Thump.
Shin'ya's eyebrow twitched.
"Can you cooperate for five minutes?"
He shifted the sword higher against his hip.
That helped.
A little.
Now walking was possible.
Just...
Awkward.
He kept one hand near the hilt to stop it from moving around too much.
Anyone watching him probably would've wondered why this random teenager was walking like he had forgotten how legs worked.
Shin'ya sighed.
"Great."
"Now I have to learn how to walk normally again."
He crossed the road and entered the city.
---
The city was surprisingly busy.
Cars passed through the streets.
People walked along the sidewalks.
Bicycles occasionally passed by.
Shops lined the streets, their signs hanging above the entrances.
Shin'ya slowed down slightly.
Everything looked normal.
Completely unfamiliar, but normal.
He didn't recognize the streets.
He didn't recognize the buildings.
He didn't recognize the signs.
"...Great."
"New world, new city, zero idea where I am."
He sighed.
"At least it looks normal."
He immediately stopped.
"...That's probably a bad thing to say."
He continued walking.
The Ketsugai bumped against his side again.
"..."
Shin'ya silently adjusted it.
"I'm starting to hate this."
Still, he kept walking.
He needed information.
His eyes moved across the buildings.
Then he noticed a large building farther down the street.
A sign above the entrance caught his attention.
LIBRARY
Shin'ya stopped.
"...A library?"
He stared at it for a moment.
Then looked around the city.
"Actually..."
He nodded.
"That'll work."
A library was public.
Quiet.
And, more importantly, nobody would question him for spending several hours there.
Probably.
He crossed the street and entered.
---
The moment Shin'ya stepped inside, the noise of the city disappeared behind him.
Silence.
Rows of bookshelves stretched across the building.
People sat at tables, quietly reading or working.
A few students were scattered around the room.
Shin'ya looked around.
"...Nice."
He hadn't realized how tired he was until now.
He walked deeper into the library.
His eyes wandered across the shelves.
History.
Geography.
Local records.
Newspapers.
Perfect.
If he was lucky, he could figure out where he was without having to ask anyone.
Shin'ya found a table near the window.
He sat down.
For a moment, he simply stared outside.
Cars moved along the road.
People crossed the streets.
Someone was carrying groceries.
A child ran past an adult holding their hand.
Everything looked ordinary.
Shin'ya leaned back.
"...This is weird."
Not because the city felt familiar.
It didn't.
If anything, it was the opposite.
He had no connection to this place whatsoever.
He was simply trying to understand it.
"Whatever."
He reached for a nearby newspaper.
Maybe there would be something useful.
He flipped through the pages.
Nothing.
Politics.
Sports.
Weather.
Local news.
He turned another page.
Still nothing.
"...Boring."
He dropped the newspaper onto the table.
Then he noticed a map.
He pulled it closer.
"Okay."
"Where the hell am I?"
He studied the map.
The city had a name.
He read it carefully.
"..."
He committed it to memory.
At least now he knew where he was.
He continued looking over the map.
The surrounding towns.
The roads.
The nearby forests.
The river.
Everything slowly began forming a picture in his head.
He leaned back.
"...One problem solved."
He looked toward the ceiling.
"Only about five hundred more to go."
---
Shin'ya eventually closed the map.
He had learned enough for now.
At least he knew the name of the city.
That was something.
He leaned back and stretched.
"...I should probably figure out somewhere to stay."
His stomach rumbled.
Shin'ya looked down.
"Don't start."
Another rumble.
"...Fine."
He sighed.
"Food first."
He reached into his pocket.
His fingers touched the money he'd kept.
He counted it quietly.
"...Enough for something cheap."
He put it away.
"Good."
Shin'ya stood up.
He pushed his chair back into place.
As he turned around, he briefly caught sight of a boy sitting at a nearby table.
Dark hair.
Around the same age as him.
Shin'ya stopped.
"..."
He stared.
Something clicked.
Wait.
His eyes narrowed.
It's him, right?
He looked at the boy again.
Has to be.
Then Shin'ya glanced around the library.
No...
There should've been that girl with him.
He looked back.
The boy wasn't running.
He wasn't panicking.
He wasn't even in a hurry.
He was simply sitting there, reading a book.
Shin'ya tilted his head.
And earlier, he looked like he was being chased for his life.
This guy looks completely calm.
"...Nah."
"Probably not him."
Shin'ya turned away.
"Anyway..."
His thoughts returned to the forest.
Those two kids had been running.
But why?
Who were those black-suited people?
Why were they chasing them?
And why had that boy looked so terrified?
Shin'ya frowned.
"Hmmmm..."
Were they criminals?
Probably not.
They had looked terrified.
But he didn't know enough to be certain.
Maybe those guys were police?
He shook his head.
"...No."
The whole situation had felt wrong.
Then why were they being chased?
Shin'ya sighed.
"Whatever."
"Not my problem anymore."
He paused.
"...Hopefully."
He turned toward another section of the library.
He wanted somewhere he could sit for a little longer.
He wasn't in a hurry.
For once.
No one was chasing him.
No monsters were attacking him.
Nobody was trying to kill him.
He could just...
Rest.
The thought felt strangely good.
Shin'ya stopped beside another table.
He looked through the window.
The sunlight was beginning to soften.
Afternoon was slowly turning toward evening.
"...Maybe I can actually stay here for a while."
He didn't know how long.
A day?
A few days?
Until he figured out what was happening?
He didn't know.
But right now...
He wasn't being forced to move.
That was enough.
Then he heard footsteps.
Shin'ya turned around.
The boy he'd noticed earlier was standing a few steps away.
The two stared at each other.
Neither spoke.
Shin'ya raised an eyebrow.
"...Can I help you?"
The boy didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved over Shin'ya.
The dirty hoodie.
The unfamiliar expression.
The way he carried himself.
And the strange sword hidden beneath his clothes.
He recognized him.
The stranger from the forest.
The one who had appeared out of nowhere.
The one who had shielded him from the rifle.
The same boy.
The boy took another step closer.
His voice was calm.
"You aren't from here, are you?"