BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

Illustrations

Prologue:Rebirth

Chapter 1: Contact

Chapter 2: Immortal

Chapter 3: Mitsurugi

Chapter 4: Secret

Chapter 5: Encounter

Chapter 6: Interlude

Epilogue

Afterword

BBBE Chapter 1: Contact

Part 1

Somewhere, far off into the distance, a piercing noise echoes. The sound fuels an impending sense of crisis, it's loud and jarring despite being muffled by various structures like how a wall act like a protective membrane to the actions of one's neighbor; despite such distance and protective membranes, the noise is still hard on the ears.

Rather than a crisis, this feeling is more akin to how your alarm clock disturbs would someone’s pleasant rest, screaming until you act to silence it, making you want to destroy it even. Who wouldn’t hate that noise? A certain boy here knows he can't stand it at least.

The boy immediately wanted to be freed from this sound that was offensive to the ear. Thus, Naoto Kurogane's arm unreluctantly leaves the warm cocoon of blankets atop the futon, reaching for the alarm clock switch above its head. The said clock is an elliptically shaped non-digital type.

"...stupid bastard..."

Following a light touch, the cruel cries cease from the alarm. He is left with a small satisfaction similar to smashing one of the world's greatest evils. Then, motivated by victory, Naoto slips into the warmth of his futon once again.

But shortly after accepting the lullaby of drowsiness' advances, the front-door’s bell beyond the bedroom door chimes. And it's not only once or twice, it rings over and over and doesn’t seem to stop.

It’s too loud... Despite lacking the strength to voice his irritation, he wraps the futon around his head in resistance to that noise. This act serves to muffle the disturbing noise for earlier even, making that old problem feel distant and irrelevant. However, soon after the doorbell goes silent, as if in response to Naoto's shallow and lazy act of resistance and soon the melodies of metallic mechanisms and tumblers enters the bedroom. It is the familiar sound of a key entering a lock and turning and is then followed by groaning sound of the door in the entrance.

(...again?)

Meanwhile, the sounds of someone entering his home reaches Naoto's ears. That familiar presence stirs Naoto, a look of resignation rather than confusion or annoyance on his face while he gives up in his rebellion, as he crawls out the warm confines of his cocoon. In a simple T-shirt jersey and night clothes, he performs an large awakening stretch as he rises from his bedding in the center of the purposely and simply furnished bedroom.

Naoto's apartment is described as a Japanese'1LDK' or an apartment with a single separated bedroom and another large, combined kitchen, dining room, and kitchen (includes a single bathroom). It takes Naoto only a few short steps from the bedroom to reach the front door. But as he slowly rubs his drooping eyelids in his drowsiness, the door to his bedroom swings open with excessive force.

"Oh my. He's already up..."

Standing in the doorway peaking at the drowsy boy, is a long-haired girl in a pleated skirt sailor uniform with a blue ribbon and white base color. She voices her thoughts, tinged with a faint, vibrant sound of disappointment, as her hair sways, there being a white hair clip to complete the refreshing, uniformed look. The intruding girl's name is Haruka Hayami. She is Naoto's childhood friend and a classmate attending the same high school. She also happens to be the daughter of the apartment building's owner where Naoto lives.

"With so many doorbell presses showing results, that makes me confident in one thing. I think we've finally found the sure-fire way to get you up, don't you agree?"

Although he did not intend to get up while the doorbell was ringing, he decides to avoid such a familiar scenario. Haruka lifted her shoulder mischievously, giggling as she entered Naoto's bedroom, with an overly familiar confidence, teasing her childhood friend.

"It's not like I was going to come over everyday. But I'm disappointed. Just like the childhood friends in Nao-kun's favorite games, I wanted to lovingly wake you up with a 'Nao-kun, wake-up~.' I thought that would help fill your affection meter."

"What are you saying, idiot? That's a template! A cliche trope! There's no way genuine childhood friends really do that! What respectable Japanese girl enters a man's room suggestively saying 'I don't like to be apart from you~<3~<3'! Seriou-...Wh-what game?"

Naoto only comprehended Haruka's earlier words just now, too rushed to contest her 'template' words and deeds to act with more discretion. At that moment, Naoto's drowsiness and clouded mind was grimly awoken by Haruka's words.

Wh-Why did Haruka suddenly bring up the topic of games and childhood friend templates? Before Naoto could contrive an answer, Haruka's eyes teasingly met his now alert gaze.

"Or, is 'Hurry and wake up, Onii-chan!~' your preferred route's heroine?"

"Th-that's not something I know about!"

"No, it's okay. You is a growing boy. It's not particularly weird or abnormal. Rather, having lots of girls come out just to suit a boy's fancy, isn't everyone satisfying their urges that way? I thought having just the game was a little lonesome..."

"O-Okay! I admit I have those games, but I didn't buy them myself! Fukuda forced those games on me, okay!?"

Naoto exaggeratedly shakes his head in denial, but it can't be helped when it sounded like a shallow excuse for a undeniably truth.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll get you a change of clothes and while you can go wash your face~.”

"That's the kind of thing you never do! And do not open the wardrobe without my permission! Noooo!!!”

Naoto hurriedly interrupted Haruka, who was reaching for the wardrobe in a motherly manner. He is not sure how to clear up this situation, but hopes that Haruka will understand regardless.

"I can get my clothes myself. Please, just go over there.”

"Yeah? Then I will prepare breakfast for you, but don’t fall asleep again.”

“I know…” he said after taking a deep sigh.

After seeing Haruka off with a light wry smile on her face, Naoto went to the bathroom as he was told. The wooden floor in the hallway and the bathroom are a little cool and the chill air made him stretch his back a bit.

This was Naoto's usual morning scenario. He is reluctant to get up, but Haruka would eventually unlock the door, enter his room, and forcefully waking him up. It's a scenario that has been going on for a while now, a scene that has been all too common for him at this point.

(Everything is still the same...)

Wiping off the cold water he had bathed in with a towel, Naoto looks up and sees his reflection in the mirror as he always did in the morning. His hair bounces back even when you stroke it carefully, and his eyes are bottoms up, lacking any sense of tension. He is not the strongest guy around, but he has a reasonably fit body.

In the mirror… a row of strange symbols that are floating above his head, are reflected. The symbols make up for a number. Though it’s a number, it isn’t the kind of number that people would perceive as one. Naoto understands these symbols as numbers. While he can see these strange numbers appearing above people's heads, they are only visible for him. He doesn’t know why, but that is simply a fact.

"’The Eye of the Hunter’… huh?”

He mutters that bitterly to himself, while he stares at the numbers that are above his head, as if they were a way too expensive price tag.

The number he can read from the symbols is '9810'. He doesn’t know if this is some accurate deciphering or not, but there is no way he could check the answer for that anyways. For a certain while now, Naoto's number has been static like this. What do they mean? Basically, these numbers show someone’s life force, their physical strength and health and so on. Depending on how person’s conditions are, the number can change. For example, martial artists and sportsmen have a relatively high one, while people with some kind of illnesses or physical handicaps are generally low. In addition, it can fluctuate in 100 up or down depending on how someone feels, so it becomes low if you are depressed or high if you are in a good mood.

But there is a reason why we can tell with certainty that it shows a living beings life force, even though he doesn’t know if the numbers he reads are always correct or not. Naoto has witnessed the moment when the value above someone’s head turns to '0'.

It was the moment when a person in front of him, ...his mother, died.

The moment she died the number said '0'.

He also remembers very well what happened after that...

"Naoto-kun, breakfast is ready!”

“Yeah, I'm coming!”

When he heard Haruka's voice from the living room, Naoto put his towel back on the towel rack and left the bathroom.

He went back to his room, took off his nightgown, hurriedly changed clothes and went into the living room and as soon as Naoto entered, he was greeted by a delicious smell that stimulated his empty stomach.

The person standing in the kitchen next to the small counter is, of course, Haruka. Dressed in her Shinkawahama High School uniform, she gripped a fry spatula and placed a freshly cooked bacon and egg on a white plate. Beside her, there was already a row of lightly browned toast, and a mini-salad with lettuce, tomatoes and broccoli was prepared on the table.

How she could prepare breakfast so efficiently in such a short time was still a mystery to Naoto, as it was every morning.

"Here, some milk. Eat quickly or you'll be late."

Haruka hurriedly placed her favorite mug on her usual seat, along with a plate of bacon and eggs and toast.

"You're looking good this morning..." He muttered to himself and hurried to the dining table.

As usual, he looked at the top of his childhood friend's head. There was a strange number floating that only Naoto could see. The number he sees is "10500". Her number is always higher than Naoto's, but this morning it was about 50 higher than yesterday. Haruka seems to be in good shape.

"Itadakimasu."

“Eat plenty.”

Since Naoto was woken up at the right time, he had plenty of time to enjoy his breakfast. After clasping his hands together and bowing lightly, Naoto gratefully reached for the hot, steamy meal. Spreading some margarine on a piece of toast and biting into it. It's his favorite thing to do every morning.

The fried egg attached to the crispy bacon was cooked to Naoto's liking, with a thin layer of half-boiled yolk and white meat. The lemon-scented dressing on the mini salad was also refreshing and tasty. But then he realized. He is sure there was nothing so lofty in their fridge.

"Hey, Haruka. Did you make this by any chance?"

When Naoto asked Haruka, who must have eaten breakfast at her house already, she nodded from her seat in front of him.

"Of course. Nao-kun, you saw me frying an egg earlier, didn't you?

"No, that's not it. I meant the dressing for the salad.”

“This.” Naoto said, indicating with his fork to a small plate that had been turned into a salad bowl. Haruka nodded again, this time smiling.

"Oh, you mean that? Yeah, because the only thing that looks like that in your fridge is mayonnaise."

"Well, if it is... then why don't you just put mayonnaise on it?"

"It's not that big of a deal. Oh, maybe it doesn't taste so good?”

"No, it's really good. I'm impressed actually."

"Haha... that's good."

"What's with the weird laugh?"

Was it embarrassment or pride? Smiling at Haruka's distracting laughter, Naoto stabbed a tomato with his fork with a renewed sense of gratitude.

As always, I take my hat off to my childhood friend for her cooking skills. No, not only in cooking, but also in housework in general, her abilities are something to behold. This is why Naoto can't get Haruka out of his head.

Haruka's mother, Yuki Hayami, who owns this apartment, is actually renting this place to him for free considering their relationship as aunt and nephew. In addition, Haruka not only comes to wake Naoto up every morning, but also cooks dinner and cleans his room, taking great care of him.

After several years of living away from home, Naoto's life would not have been possible without Hayami and her daughter.

(I'm spoiled, aren't I?)

Naoto sighed lightly in his chest as he took the last bite of his toast.

Before he knew it, he began to eat the breakfast Haruka prepared for me without any suspicion and the attitude of looking at it as a problem, like being spoiled, became just a distant feeling.

After all, it was very comfortable knowing that Haruka and her mother, Yuki, gave him a peaceful life.

When Naoto thinks about it, he feels grateful from the bottom of his heart, but at the same time, he feels ashamed of himself for being this naive. However, it would be a shame to let go of this warm breakfast atmosphere, so Naoto chewed on the second slice of a tomato as the calm feeling flowed through the dining room.

It usually takes about 30 minutes to walk from the apartment building where Naoto and Haruka live to Shinkawahama First High School, which they attend. If they were to take the bus, they could relax at home until later, but Naoto, who dislikes crowded buses and prefers the busy downtown area, normally choses to walk to school. Naturally, Haruka walks with him to their school together.

Naoto has told her several times that she should just take the bus instead, since she doesn't have to do anything more for him than already, but everytime she does it regardless. Haruka would then laugh and follow him, saying it's good for her own health. However, when she can't go home with him, such as when she leaves for school, she takes the bus without hesitation, so it seems that her definition of "healthy" has a lot of flexibility.

Passing through a residential area with many apartment buildings, they waited for green light in front of a crosswalk.

It is the beginning of October. The remnants of the summer season that had been here a few days ago had almost completely faded away and the cool morning temperature was just right for Naoto's new uniform.

The sky was clear as day, with thin white clouds hanging over it, and when he looked up, Naoto felt a sense of peacefulness. As he was chewing down a sigh of relief from this peaceful feeling, Haruka, who had been acting strangely nervous for a while, peeked up at me.

"You know what? Back to the topic at hand, Nao-kun. Do you like that kind of stuff...?”

"What 'that kind of stuff'?"

Not knowing what she was talking about, Naoto rubbed the corners of his eyes with his thumbs and asked.

Haruka's eyes immediately wandered from side to side as if she was in panic.

"So, um, you know, like that... that game where the girl with the pink hair was giving the m-main character… i-in the bathroom─"

Haruka's words, while puzzling they are, caused Naoto's blood to run cold.

The traffic light turned green at this point. However, he couldn't get his foot out of his mouth.

"What did you mean by that... Haruka-san?"

"Oh, Nao-kun, it's green."

Without giving Naoto's distoreded feelings any attention, Haruka joyfully pulls on Naoto's sleeves. After being pushed by her, he managed to move his feet and awkwardly crossed the crosswalk, being sure that he is not in the condition right now, where he should do even a simply action like this.

After they were on the other side of the street, Naoto awkwardly turns to Haruka as if he had been shot by a bullet.

"What the hell?! How do you know about all these details!?”

"AH! God, you scared me! I was just wondering what kind of things you are into and since there were so many of ‘them’, I thought one would be alright at least..."

Her shoulders jumped up from Naoto's comment and Haruka defended herself as she crossed and untied her index fingers in front of her chest.

She feels a little embarrassed. However, it is not necessary to confirm the fact that she has touched Naoto's personal belongings without permission, but rather the fact that she has threatened Naoto's heart with her earlier comments.

"You see, I have a mission to know all about Nao-kun's daily activities and what he is interested in."

"What kind of mission is that?! I mean, why are you suddenly speaking so formal?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that. In any case, that one game is about the secret of a young maiden’s life... Oh yeah, if you're a fan of ‘Love Love School Paradise’, the girl with blue hair is cute and adorable. If you ask me about the ‘It's with My Sister!’ game, then the heroine would be..."

"It's not just one game, it's a full series! And don't change the subject! This shouldn’t even be a topic!"

The tone of Naoto's voice, as he interrupted Haruka's talking to give him detailed advice, was as if he was begging her to give him a break and not continue any further. What’s so sad about this is, that he had to ask his childhood friend, who was like family to him, to stop giving him advice for games he had, for good reasons, hidden away from her.

But whether she knew about Naoto's intentions or not, Haruka narrowed her shoulders and looked up at him with a strangely relaxed expression.

"Well, you see. I'm not even really interested in that kind of stuff, but if Nao-kun is, then I don’t mind trying it out..."

"Can you not call it 'that kind of stuff' all the time, Haruka? Also, I'll say it again, it's only a game-" He was just about to shout: "Why are we still talking about this subject?!", but then... Naoto got stuck on what he was about to say.

His panicked gaze was not on Haruka's eyes, which peered out to him, but instead slightly above her head where Naoto could see a strange row of symbols. The numbers there moved, rising to 12. Naoto felt an uncomfortable feeling at that slight change.

The number above her head represents her life-force. In the past year or so, Naoto learned that it fluctuates slightly depending on someone’s emotional state as well as their physical condition.

The number above her head represents her life-force. In the past years or so, Naoto learned that it fluctuates slightly depending on someone’s emotional state as well as their physical condition. It's sadness, grief, hatred, despair, and pain that bring someone down. The only thing that raises it would be feelings like joy, goodwill and happiness, sometimes rage and irritation, and... shame.

He tries to be as unconcerned and unaware as possible. But even so, Naoto can't help but to look at them. It's irritating.

Naoto turned away from Haruka as if to escape her sight, her number.

Despite of his ability, he has never been good at reading the feelings of others. He's more of a slow thinker.

So, if he wants to know how a person's feelings are right now, he could just look at these strange numbers... However, Naoto doesn't want to do that.

The route they took had reached a busy downtown area near the train station, that is located somewhat between his apartment and the school, by now.

As the two walked along the street, the crowd of people gradually increased, and eventually, when they came to a large intersection, it became so crowded that it was difficult for them to walk side by side.

Naoto stepped in front of Haruka as he always does. Haruka follows by stepping back and lightly grasping the bag that Naoto carries on his shoulder to prevent them from getting separated.

He feels a little extra weight on his shoulder. This is the signal for him that Haruka was properly following behind his back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He looks back once to make sure he hadn't left Haruka behind, like he always does. Seeing her behind him, she looks up at Naoto and nods her head in response at him.

After five minutes of walking, the crowd finally calms down. They couldn’t talk about any silly subjects, like earlier, during these five minutes at all. But as he crossed the roadway and passed the intersection, Naoto suddenly loses the small extra weight that he had felt on his shoulder just a moment ago.

"Huh? What is it?"

He thought that she had taken her hand off his bag, but when Naoto turned around wondering why she just tagged off, he sees that Haruka isn’t there. No, it wasn't just Haruka that was gone.

No one was there.

The crowds of people, the cars waiting for the traffic light to change and even the crows on the wires had disappeared, leaving an empty downtown that was devoid of all life. It was as if Naoto had been left behind in a movie set, all alone.

"...H-hey? Haruka?"

The word "daydreaming" pops into Naoto's head.

He wonders what the hell is going on here. There was no way he could have fallen asleep while walking through this large crowd of people that were just here a moment ago. On the other hand, there was no way he could have been in such a ridiculous scenario, for real, where he turns around and suddenly finds out that all the people had disappeared while he was left behind.

If this was a movie set, the genre would probably be horror, if you would ask Naoto. With this in mind, Naoto carefully looked around, feeling a sweaty tension on his back. As he observes the scenery, he slowly looks behind his back.

In that moment, he stopped breathing.

In this empty, uninhabited downtown area, a girl was standing on the other end of it. It would be a perfect performance if this were from an actual horror movie.

Naoto was dazed, unable to understand what was going on, but he couldn't take his eyes off the girl, as if he was sewn to her.

Naoto can’t see the details of her figure clearly. The distance between them is too big to make anything out of her looks, but what was hindering his view even more was this strange light coming from the other side where that girl stands.

But she has long, beautiful blond hair that is tied up on both sides and is dressed in a generous black dress. She looks about twelve years old. The girl has a unique atmosphere that doesn't match with her age.

Her skin is as white as if it’s transparent and her eyes are as red as blood as she looks at him. What beautiful eyes. Naoto thought so immediately.

But what drew Naoto's attention more than anything else were the ribbons that tied up her long hair. The big black ribbons stand up straight, making the girl's silhouette look like that of a rabbit.

The rabbit girl has a very sad expression on her face. She looks as if she is grieving for someone's future or remembering someone's face... That kind of look.

With a look that could only be described as sadness or grief, the girl looks straight at Naoto with her crimson eyes.

Who are you?

Naoto wanted to ask that, but he couldn't speak. He couldn't even move his body, but he had a feeling that he saw this girl somewhere before.

It was a feeling that was so distant and thin that it seemed as if it would fade away at any moment, a feeling of déjà vu that was too vague to search his memories for where they had met.

(But I think I know... this girl, don't I?)

Who are you?

He tried to ask again. But as if to interrupt him, the girl's small lips moved.

She seemed to have muttered something. The short words that sounded like a sigh which never reached Naoto, made it impossible for him to hear what she said. However, it seemed to be a very important message, so Naoto tried to lean forward, but he still couldn't hear her well.

Please say it again. He tried to say so, but... With a thud, something hit his back with a quiet noise.

"Ah-!"

He heard a voice close by, which made him gasp. In that instant, the crowd returned to Naoto's surroundings. Or perhaps you could say that Naoto's consciousness came back to the crowd.

The next thing he knew, his surroundings were filled with people passing by, leaving Naoto standing there dumbfounded.

A few adults gave him suspicious glances as the boy suddenly stopped in his tracks, and then walked past him as if they didn't care after all.

Haruka, who was right behind him again, peeked at Naoto, who was standing there with his mouth half open, her eyebrows raised in concern.

"What's the matter? You suddenly stopped so abruptly."

She must have bumped into Naoto's back earlier because she is rubbing her forehead lightly.

Looking back at her round, somewhat animal-like eyes, Naoto shoved a hand into her hair and brushed her head as if to confirm that she was here.

"Huh?"

Wasn't there a girl just now?! Naoto was about to ask that, but immediately stopped. Of course, there was a girl just now, but there was no way Naoto could explain the unusual phenomenon that he had just experienced in any words, let alone about that rabbit girl.

A man in a suit must have been walking right behind them as he hurried past them, looking at Naoto with annoyance that he suddenly stopped in the moving crowd.

The entire area had become completely normal. No one seems to know that anything was amiss moments ago.

"It's nothing..."

Yeah, it was nothing. It was just a little girl looking at him after all. It's not like there was anything crazy happening. Nothing to be concerned about. Nothing.

After telling himself that several times, Naoto takes a single breath.

"Let's go, Haruka."

"Are you really okay to go... You're not sick or anything, are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just that I suddenly got kinda drowsy, so I almost fell asleep."

He is unsure what to say but knows what he needs to do. The last thing Naoto wants is making Haruka feel worried, no matter what the situation might be.

"You were about to fall asleep while walking? That is not fine at all, Nao-kun, that is dangerous."

"I know, I know. Look, I am already fully awake again."

"That's not the point. I'm really worried about you this morning, Nao-kun..."

Naoto is sure that she would be happy to know that he is not the only one who's a little worried.

"You know... you're like my mother."

In truth, he is more worried about the fact that Haruka would take such a crude lie seriously. However, he is still not sure what to say, so he will keep his real thoughts to himself for now. It would only make Haruka worry about him more if he did otherwise.

"Well, being your mother is not really what I want."

"What did you say? Now, come on, let's go."

With a somewhat displeased look on her face, he waited for Haruka to grab his bag again and once again, Naoto pushed his way through the crowd. As he takes his first step, he suddenly realized.

That young girl. Something was awfully strange about her...

(There were no numbers.)

A number above a person's head reveals their life force.

There has never been a time where Naoto couldn't see someone's number. If anything... it only happens in his dreams.

(So, I really was asleep?)

It's true that he is weak to early mornings, but he didn't expect it to be this severe that he would daydream in the middle of a crowd. Naoto scratched his head again and sighed instead of blurting out any comments.

If it was a dream, so be it. In a dream, anything is possible, no matter how unexplainable it might be.

The boy has been trying to put it behind with the excuse that he was sleepwalking, but even though he had been trying for some time now, Naoto's mind was still replaying the image of that girl from earlier.

Part 2

As the sun rises and noon approaches, the classrooms at Shinkawahama High School are filled with a heat that could remind one of summer, even though it's already autumn. It was break time after the end of the second period of modern literature class. As the boy listened to the refreshing sound of someone opening a soda bottle at the front of the classroom, Naoto took off his jacket because it was indeed very hot. As he rested it on the back of his chair, he saw a man casually approaching him.

"Oi, Kurogane-kun. Can I have you for a moment?"

The person who came right up to Naoto's seat and started the conversation with a delicate cough was his classmate and friend from junior high school, Shinnosuke Fukuda.

The girls in his class thought that his short haircut made him look pretty, while others say it made him look silly. Naoto has a rather casual attitude and in comparison to Shinnosuke, this trait is emphasized even more by his overflowing cheerful personality.

He is about the same size as Naoto. They have similar grades, and their interests are about the same. Overall, they are good friends.

Naoto recalled that the bond they had formed as best friends years ago had led to a troubling incident this morning.

"Damn you, Shinnosuke. You made me get into a terrible mess there..."

Why should his childhood friend, who is like family to him, investigate his preferences in visual novel heroin’s?!

"What's wrong? Whatever."

Shinnosuke looks at Naoto with a resentful look at first, but he doesn't seem to take offense in the slightest, instead he looks back at him with a pleased smile. For a moment, Naoto thought about explaining it to him to scold him. However, such thoughts quickly disappeared. He would only be laughed at. Furthermore, it will only result in exposing his own pettiness.

"It's nothing, ...I don't want to talk about it."

"Is that so? Well, that's all right. How did you like the learning 'material' I lent you? Did it help you?"

It's ‘learning material’, huh? A dry laugh escaped from Naoto's mouth.

"No, not at all."

If anything, he thinks it may have been Haruka, not him, who learned something from the game that was forced upon him. But he won't reveal that.

"You do realize these games are just fantasy, right?"

When Naoto shakes his head reluctant to accompany his take, Shinnosuke's eyes widen in disappointment.

"What are you saying? You're the one who is living that fantasy life."

“WHA-? Hey, you're the one who's talking."

"Are you out of your mind now?! Your childhood friend, who is also your cousin, wakes you up every morning and makes you breakfast every day, and when you come home, you eat dinner together every afternoon in the apartment that you live alone in. ...Now, what part of that doesn't sound like fantasy to you, chap?!"

"Stop calling me that! You'll take responsibility if it sticks as a nickname!"

Shinnosuke leaned forward and clenched his fists when he made his impassioned speech. Naoto, striking back, also said that he was out of his mind. But Shinnosuke is not the kind of man who will back down against such little resistance. He grabbed Naoto's head with both of his hands and forcefully pushed it in the other direction. This is a great way to get the most out of your free time in the usually boring classroom.

"…What?"

"Look closely, Naoto."

He directed Naoto's head to the front of the classroom.

Shinnosuke was in a rather serious mood. They turned to look at Haruka, who was sitting in the front seat chatting with her friends. While grabbing Naoto's head, Shinnosuke continued in a low voice with a strong tone.

"She has a kind and gentle personality, is popular enough to be elected to the student council and always has the ability to be very approachable. In addition, she is good at housework, especially at cooking, which is extremely delicious. She is not the most beautiful girl, but she is cute and pretty. She has above-average boobs too...!"

"Hey you... Where are you looking at?"

"On top of that, her mother is a wealthy woman who owns an entire mansion and she's also an incredibly beauty with big tits! There is no way you can't make a mistake with that! A win-win!"

"Hey! You’re too loud!!"

Shaking off Shinnosuke, who shouted in his ear, Naoto hurriedly covered his friend's dirty mouth.

As expected, Haruka, who seemed to have heard the voice, turned around and tilted her head. As expected, Haruka, who seemed to have heard Shinnosuke's voice, turned around and tilted her head. As soon as she did, she waved her hand and Naoto conveyed a message with a gesture. She nodded in agreement and returned to chatting with her friend. After witnessing this, Naoto released Shinnosuke's breath.

"Ha... ha... shit..."

Apparently, it was really hindering his breathing. Naoto simply apologized to Shinnosuke, who was looking a bit more grim than usual. "Oh, anyway. I think you should be a little more aware of your own privileged circumstances. One of these days you're going to get beaten up by some less fortunate boys."

"Like you, for instance?"

"Oh, I wish."

Shinnosuke's eyes were unexpectedly serious as he turned and looked down at him. Naoto immediately withdrew his mischievous smile.

Naoto put a hand on his cheek and gazed at Haruka again. It seemed that they were having a lot of fun talking about various cheerful topics, making it a little difficult for high school boys to approach them.

Haruka was smiling happily, and she certainly had a rather nice appearance. According to what Shinnosuke told him before, she is known as a cute girl not only among her classmates but also among her seniors and juniors. Some of them are even seriously trying to become her boyfriend. However, Naoto was still unable to understand why Haruka was so popular.

(Is it really, because she’s cute...? )

For Naoto, the feeling of meddling, nagging, not being able to leave him alone, filled his mind when thinking about her instead of how cute she is. Haruka, for Naoto, acted more like a mother than a girl of her age after all.

There is no such thing as a "mistake" to be made with Haruka, as Shinnosuke said, but in the first place, he had never even considered such a thing.

(Come to think of it, Yuki says it all the time, too.)

Naoto's eyebrows wrinkle with mixed feelings as he remembers.

Yuki, Haruka's mother, is the one person Naoto can't get over more than Haruka. She is very busy with her work and rarely comes home, so they only see each other occasionally, but every time they do, she approaches Naoto with a suggestive smile on her face.

'When are you going to get your hands on Haruka?' 'You're a man, right?' And so on.

(What is wrong with them anyway? I mean, Yuki-san is her mother, right? A normal mother wouldn't tell some guy to go and make the move on her own daughter. I really don't know what she's thinking at all sometimes.)

As he was mumbling to himself, Shinnosuke, who stands beside him gave a short "Oh". At the sound of his voice, Naoto also noticed. The bell was ringing, announcing the end of break time. Haruka also checked her watch, cut off her conversation and went back to her seat. As she did, she looked at Naoto, smiled friendly and waved lightly. He has no bad feeling about it. When Naoto smiled back, Shinnosuke was looking at him with a hint of envy in his eyes.

But before Shinnosuke could say anything, the door to the classroom was opened exactly on time. The person who came in was Tadayuki Isa, the teacher in charge of the next class, Geology.

He was not tall, but he had a sturdy build, and his round, chubby face always had a serious frown on it. He was in his mid-forties, Naoto believes. He wears square glasses of an old-fashioned design, always wears the same kind of clothes, and is not the type of person who cares much about his appearance. In addition to geology, he is also in charge of life guidance, but his nagging and critical nature has made him into a teacher who is getting a bad reputation among the students at many times.

Shinnosuke is another one who has a hard time with Isa. As soon as he caught sight of him, he turned around and went back to his seat, not wanting to be spotted.

He glances over his slack eyelids at each of the students as if to confirm that they are in a hurry to straighten up their appearance, and then he roughly places the attendance book and textbook on the teacher's table.

It was not an unusual sight. It was the beginning of another depressing class that came around twice a week.

But Naoto was struck by the second... surprise of his day.

(What is... that number?)

He blinked multiple times to make sure he wasn't looking at some wrong number, but the number remained unchanged like a label above the wrinkled, middle-aged man's head.

"925". You don't see this kind of number every day. It's just too low…

"Kurogane! How dare you did not take out your textbooks and notebooks! Class has already started!"

"Huh... Ah, yes, sorry!"

Naoto came back to his senses when the thick finger of a shouting man pointed at him. He pulled his textbook out of his bag and spread it out on the desk. After seeing that, Isa gave a lecture on how foolish it is not to be well prepared for anything, and then began his lesson in a heavy, pompous tone.

Holding the textbook in his hand, he writes hard-to-read characters with such strong pressure that the tip of the white chalk cracks. He often took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, as if he was hot. Actually, there was nothing particularly unusual about this scene. But Naoto's heart was in a buzz. The classes were never very interesting to begin with, but today he couldn't listen to Isa's at all, because…

(925? Are you kidding me...? Even patients at a university hospital have more decent numbers.)

He wondered if there was something wrong with his eyes. But when he looked around the classroom, there was no one other than Isa who was showing abnormal readings. How can it be possible that only a particular person's values are not normal?

(What is going on with him...?)

Naoto covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. Turns out that that was a bad idea.

"Kurogane!!"

The whole classroom tensed up at the angry voice that came again. When Naoto looked up to see what was going on, he saw Isa glaring at him from in front of the teacher's table with a terrifying expression.

"You've got some nerve to fall asleep in my class..."

"No, I wasn't sleeping..."

"Don't you dare to talk back to me!"

Isa's voice came at him with even more force. Naoto knew that he had made a mistake. When he's in a bad mood, Isa hates it when a student says something he doesn't agree with. You could even say that he hates the students.

Today, Isa seemed to be in a worse mood than ever before. He slammed the textbook he was clutching in his thick hands onto the table and pointed at Naoto with his hand.

"Answer the question I just asked you. You would know if you weren't asleep."

(Ugh…)

Naoto was at a loss for words. He hadn't been sleeping, but he also didn't listen to anything Isa had said, so naturally, the helpless boy didn't know what the question was.

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

It's not like he can just admit that he didn't hear it, so he tried to keep his emotions in check and answered calmly. As soon as he did, Isa's mouth twisted up and he looked at him with both rage and dominance in his eyes.

"There you go. This is why you shouldn't sleep. Hayami... Answer me instead."

"Y-Yes."

When Haruka replied with a hint of surprise, Naoto reflexively raised his eyebrows. He is sure it wasn't intentional that Haruka was picked instead, but he feels guilty that he caused this fire to start.

"It's from volcanic activity..."

"That's right. You are indeed studying well, Hayami. You may sit down."

He looked strangely pleased and then Isa moved his head in a big vertical motion. Naoto had to wrinkle his brow again at the sight of him.

(The numbers are...)

It increased.

It increased to more than 70 at once. It was way too big of a change for Naoto to be happy that his classmates were able to answer his questions.

"On the other hand, you, Kurogane..."

With a harsh tone, Isa turned to look at Naoto again. The number on his head increased again. This time, the number rose to 37. The fluctuations are quite large. This is not a normal change at all.

Isa pointed at Naoto and glared at him, his thick lips moving rapidly as he talked about how hopeless he was. Normally, he would be frustrated and uncomfortable with this one-sided argument, but he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut because it would make the conversation even longer. Naoto is listening to the teacher's words but is not paying any attention. He just keeps staring at the value above his head, continuously increasing and decreasing by one or two.

It's so strange. He had no idea why this was happening and this uncomfortable feeling that is sticking around inside of him. He can't stand it, so Naoto opened his mouth.

"Isa-sensei. Is there something wrong with you?"

For a moment, the classroom fell silent. He found that everyone who had been holding their breath during Isa's lecture had stopped breathing completely. Eventually, Isa's face turned red with anger as he shook his fists on the table. He did it. Naoto couldn't help but clutch his head at the regret that had come so late.

Isa roughly banged on the teaching table with his clenched fist.

"You brought this on yourself, Kurogane!!"

The air around Isa was numbed by the outrage in his voice. The boy thought he was going to be hit by his teacher, but Naoto's ears picked up a strange sound as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

'-thung’

It was like the sound of a coil being wound. But it was a more unpleasant, biological sound. The instinctive disgust he felt gave Naoto goosebumps for a moment. Is something in there? Naoto frowned, horrified by the disgusting presence, and then...

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"By next week, each of you should have researched at least two different things that volcanic activity can bring about. I'll ask you about them in the next class."

After saying that, Isa hurried out of the classroom.

Just before Isa disappeared behind the door of the classroom, Naoto finally saw that his number was 1007. It was still far too low for someone who could walk on his own feet.

"Puh..."

The stifling atmosphere that had been present in the classroom earlier came to an end with Isa's departure. As Naoto listened to the voices of his classmates, who had faintly returned to their normal routines, he propped himself up on his desk and exhaled deeply.

His head was full of inexplicable thoughts and couldn't quite put his finger on this experience. He dug his hands into his spiky hair and roughly brushed it around. It was an old habit of Naoto's that he tended to do when he was feeling embarrassed.

"I can't believe you interrupted Isa while he was in his preaching mode. He was totally on to you."

Shinnosuke came running up to Naoto as soon as Isa left the classroom and said that with a dumbfounded look on his face. He was somewhat unhappy, probably because he had been given an extra task as collateral damage thanks to Naoto. Naoto had no choice but to apologize for that.

Naoto looks up with his hands still in his hair. And beside Shinnosuke stood Haruka with a worried expression on her face.

"Nao-kun, are you still feeling a little woozy this morning? Lack of sleep, maybe?"

"No, it's not that, but... well..."

He couldn't say thing. Naoto was at a loss for words. Neither Haruka nor Shinnosuke knew about this mysterious eye of Naoto's – ‘the eye of the hunter’.

Of course, he wasn't going to talk about it. So how could he say anything about the numbers, that represent the life-force of someone? Naoto couldn't help but be curious, so he asked the two in front of him as if he was checking on something.

"Hey, you two. Wasn't there something off about Isa today?"

"Yeah? Nothing out of the ordinary if you ask me. Just the usual Mr. Isa stuff."

Shinnosuke's answer came back to him immediately and it was a simple one. Naoto smiled out of the corner of his mouth. In the first place, Shinnosuke must not even remember the content of the class, let alone Isa's condition. This boy is very much like himself in many ways.

To be fair, he didn't expect much from his best bad friend. Naoto looked at Haruka who had a troubled look on her face and turned her finger on her small chin as if she was thinking.

"...Although it wasn't that that strange. When I was called after Nao-kun didn't answer, Isa-sensei's eyes were kind of flashing."

"Is that so...?"

"Yeah. He would stare at me and then suddenly look away and then right back at me again. And although his eyes were looking at me, they weren't really focused. I thought it was a little strange."

Even Haruka, who could not see the numbers, felt Isa's discomfort. It could be wrong observation. It could be a misunderstanding. If anything, it seemed perfectly natural to think that way.

But this uncomfortable feeling was like an ominous chest pounding, making Naoto's nerves tingle with annoyance.

Part 3

After school was over, Naoto was walking alone on his way home from Shinkawahama First High School to his apartment.

Haruka, who usually walked home with him, had hurried off first. The reason he hadn’t accompanied her was due to a trivial errand he needed to run.

On his way home, Naoto stopped by the staff room. His goal was Isa. He wanted to check the number above his head one more time. However, by the time Naoto arrived, Isa had already gone home, and he was nowhere to be found within the school.

Without a valid reason, it was unlikely that a student could just ask a teacher for their address or their route home. More than that, Naoto thought about whether it was worth going to such lengths, and reluctantly decided to give up, leaving through the school gate a little later than usual.

He walked slowly toward the bustling area along his school route. The sun was dyed a reddish hue, as if the western sky had been painted. Compared to just after the start of the second semester, the days felt just a bit shorter.

However, Naoto's mind was not focused on the length of the days drifting away from summer or the vivid sunset; it was captured by something else entirely.

“925.”

Normally, he tried his best to ignore that number. But today, he couldn’t shake his curiosity about it. Because it was simply impossible. Such a number couldn’t exist.

It was unbelievable that someone could stand calmly, yelling at students, for forty-five minutes in that state, unable to even maintain their consciousness.

“Seriously, this is ridiculous... But there's no way to confirm it. Ugh, what’s with Isa? Why did he have to go home?”

As he muttered his dissatisfaction, he felt more frustrated, his mouth twisting into a frown. He instinctively ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it messily... but he stopped, halting in his tracks.

Thoughts of Isa’s abnormality vanished from his mind in an instant.

What he saw beyond the shadows of the street was something even more unusual.

It was a shadow of two people running away with incredible speed. One was a man, hunched over in an unnatural posture. The other was a small girl... or so he thought.

Yet, the abnormality that instantly caught Naoto's attention was neither the presence of the figures nor their stature. It was the same number.

He couldn't clearly see the appearance of either of the two who had run past. However, the abnormality of the numbers was burned into his mind at a glance.

The number that appeared above the girl’s head had far too many digits. Normally, no human, regardless of who they are, exceeds five digits. However, above that girl, there was at least an eight-digit number. In contrast, the number above the hunched man's head was—“0.”

While the girl was one thing, there was no mistake about the man. Naoto saw it clearly.

“0.” It signifies the dead.

There was no way he should be able to run... no way he could move.

“... Am I just tired?”

He had seen numbers that were impossible to comprehend. His eyes might be playing tricks on him. It would be best to hurry home today and rest. Just as he thought to quicken his pace—

“No. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait!” he hurriedly stopped himself.

What he should focus on wasn’t the numbers, but the situation. Right now, a girl was being chased by a suspicious man. With this realisation, Naoto sprang into action, pursuing the two figures he had seen.

It was surprisingly easy to figure out which way they had gone. The place Naoto rushed into looked as if a localized disaster had swept through. Utility poles were broken, the asphalt of the road was torn up, and twisted guardrail sections were carelessly thrown in the middle of the street.

Ah, that makes sense. A strange sense of understanding settled in his chest. It looked like the aftermath of the two with the abnormal numbers.

People passing by were staring at the horribly scarred landscape and recording it on their mobile devices. Countless videos would probably be uploaded to the internet later. Glancing at the busy photographers searching for their next target, Naoto sprinted through the path marked by unusual destruction. Since when had his heart been pounding so fast? It wasn’t tension or fear. It felt like a troubling excitement was building within him. Was he worried about that girl? No, that wasn’t it. There was something urgent, something that quickened his pulse.

(That girl...)

Wasn’t she similar to...?

The girl he had seen in a daydream this morning. The blonde girl who had appeared in the empty shopping district and stared at him with her cool yet sorrowful, tearful crimson eyes. He felt compelled to find her. He couldn’t afford to lose sight of her, and though he was already out of breath, his legs rushed forward. Driven by instinct— or perhaps by some sensation— he ran and ran, occasionally leaping over rolling debris.

Finally, Naoto reached his destination.

It was a dimly lit place.

An abandoned apartment complex.

It had been developed as a bedroom community, but due to an incident that had occurred a few years ago, the plans had been halted.

The area was a construction site that had been interrupted and left abandoned. Numerous square buildings, almost completed, stood in disarray, having become ruins without electricity. Here and there, streetlights without bulbs stood alone, casting elongated shadows of silhouettes in the deserted corners. No one willingly approached this place. Even those who fancied themselves outlaws or delinquents looking for a hangout wouldn’t choose this as their refuge.

The abandoned apartment complex, built for people but now unwelcoming, had a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere. It felt more nauseating than eerie, more uncomfortable than terrifying. Naoto’s feet, which were about to rush in, halted just before entering the premises.

“Is this... it?”

Staring at the “No Trespassing” sign on the fence, Naoto bitterly spat out his words.

It was obvious that the man and girl had entered here. The flimsy fence was bent inward, the sign twisted unnaturally along with it.

It looked as if someone had forcefully driven a vehicle through. Yet there were no tire marks; instead, strange, deep scratches marred the ground as if made by something sharp. Beyond this point was dangerous. An ominous vibe hung in the air. From deep within the dark, shadowy apartment complex, a sound echoed as if a building had collapsed, causing Naoto to sharply inhale.

Before him lay a desolate scene, sharply divided by the sunset's crimson and the darkness of the shadows. There were no moving figures. If it weren’t for the earlier loud noise, he wouldn’t have even considered searching for signs of life. However, he heard another crashing sound, this one slightly louder than before, and Naoto instinctively kicked off the ground. He slipped through the gap in the mangled fence, stepping into the dark, empty domain.

If the girl and the man had entered here, then the sound must have been caused by one of them. Either way, it was surely a warning of the girl’s peril.

The sound had come from straight ahead. Naoto sprinted along the paved sidewalk toward that direction. The atmosphere felt as if time had stopped. The buildings stood solid enough to be usable, yet there was no warmth of human life anywhere. Only empty apartments and forgotten debris remained. The stagnant air lingered, and the shadows seemed to cling to the surroundings.

It was no wonder so many ghost stories originated here. As scenes flitted past the edges of his vision, Naoto felt a chill run down his spine.

Why had that girl come to such a place?

(Weren't they being chased? If that was the case, wouldn’t it be safer to flee toward a more populated area...?)

She could have even dashed into a store. A scream in the shopping district would attract a crowd. If she had been driven here against her will, it was already an emergency situation with no time to spare. He needed to find her quickly and contact the authorities.

The abandoned apartment complex, having been left untouched immediately after construction, continued on endlessly with similar scenery, quickly disorienting Naoto like a maze. None of the buildings had any distinctive features to serve as landmarks. How could a housing complex not have a single map sign?

"Damn it... which way did they go...?"

The path he had been following came to a dead end at a row of withering trees, and Naoto hurriedly stopped. The road formed a T-junction, splitting off to the left and right. He quickly checked both paths, but no sounds were coming from either. The area was eerily silent. It put him in a bad mood. The deep colors of the setting sun seemed to seep into the deserted complex, casting sharp shadows that gave the illusion of being trapped in darkness. The sound of the collapse that had guided him earlier was gone. The noise of his own ragged breathing felt deafening in the oppressive silence.

"...Did they escape?" Naoto muttered, as if trying to confirm with someone.

Thinking back, these were the two who had been playing tag, breaking utility poles along the way. There was no guarantee he could catch up with them even if he ran desperately. It was entirely possible the girl had managed to escape before he arrived.

(What am I doing...?)

This was recklessness at its finest. Shouldn’t he have contacted the authorities first?

As the thought weighed on him, he let out a deep sigh, his eyelids heavy. The girl might no longer be in the apartment complex. He had no idea where to go next; maybe it was best to turn back. Or perhaps he should search the vicinity a little longer.

Just as he was about to turn on his heel, he heard a sound.

"Ki-chi-chi."

"Wh-...?!"

It came from nearby. Naoto turned around reflexively. To the left of the T-junction, in the shadows, stood a man.

(When did he...!)

There had been no footsteps, no presence. Naoto instinctively braced himself and checked above him.

'0'. No doubt about it, it was the man he had seen earlier.

The man was wearing a tattered, ill-fitting dark navy suit. The striped tie was frayed and ragged, making his appearance look especially shabby. He had a lean frame that seemed unnaturally hunched, with his arms hanging limply at his sides. Through his disheveled bangs, he was staring intently at Naoto.

Upon meeting the man’s gaze, Naoto held his breath. A chill ran down his spine.

The man's eyes were not human. His eyeballs had swollen to the size of clenched fists, protruding out of their sockets. The dark part of his eyes was unnaturally large, glistening with a wet sheen that could be seen clearly even from several meters away. He could see it.

The black eyes suddenly moved up and down, left and right, as if checking the surroundings. It wasn't a sequential glance; the right eye faced the right side, while the left eye turned to the left, both looking simultaneously. The man moved his eyes around like a chameleon, then fixed his right eye directly on Naoto.

“Ugh...” A strained voice escaped Naoto's lips involuntarily. Before he could feel fear, he was overwhelmed by a sense of disgust.

What is this guy? He was clearly not human. First of all... the number above his head is '0'. It was hard to say he was alive. So why is he moving and looking this way?

“Ki-chi-chi-chi.” The strange sound came again. But this time, he clearly understood where it was coming from. He realized it. It was from the man in front of him. With his mouth half-open and drooping, a sound like a beetle wriggling was coming from inside. It was a horrifying sight. Driven by sheer revulsion, Naoto took a step back.

Perhaps that small movement invited him. The man turned his swollen left eye towards Naoto and dragged his tired suit closer.

(This is bad...!)

He should run. Clenching his teeth against fear, Naoto tried to back away. Then, a voice passed by him.

“...You're in the way.”

“Eh?”

No, it was the wind that passed. Black and golden—wind.

The wind rushed forward in the form of a girl, and with the same momentum, she kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. Her quick jump was like a gust of wind. The gust kicked the suited man away from Naoto and slammed him against the wall of the apartment complex looming behind. The man's body flew easily through the air, creating a thunderous sound as he crashed through the concrete wall, collapsing inside. Dust billowed up like it was released from years of tension, forming a thick gray curtain.

It happened in an instant. Naoto was left bewildered, unable to comprehend what just occurred.

The girl, who had rushed in like a whirlwind, turned back to look at him. In the deserted complex, where the sunset burned with gold and shadow, she shimmered.

She was a beautiful girl. Her radiant golden hair was tied up high, adorned with a black ribbon standing upright at the base. Her skin was translucent white, glowing with the reflected hues of the setting sun. Her eyes were golden. More extravagant than her hair, they exuded an indescribable nobility even with just a fleeting glance.

She looked just like the girl he had encountered in his daydream that morning, her hair tied in two bunches of golden locks. However, the girl standing in front of Naoto, with her golden eyes tied in a single ponytail, seemed to be a few years older. She was probably around Naoto's age. She had a delicate appearance and a slender frame. Much shorter than Naoto, she slightly tilted her chin down, causing her large eyes to look up at him. Dressed in a long black cloak that reached down to her feet, her slender body was completely free of any scars, and her skin was a flawless white…

She was completely exposed.

“... Huh!” Unable to comprehend what he was seeing, Naoto let out a bewildered yell and thrust his chin forward, staring intently at the girl. His mouth hung open, unable to close. He couldn't find the words to respond.

Clothes. There should have been clothes under the black cloak that wrapped around her slender body… but there were none. Not even a blouse, a skirt, or panties— no underwear whatsoever. The only thing she wore was the black cloak. Without any shame about her appearance, the girl placed her hands on her bare hips and snorted softly.

“What are you staring at with that stupid face?. Are you...a pervert?” Her tone clearly had a condescending ring to it.

I don’t want to hear that from you, you exhibitionist. Naoto tried to respond, but the words caught in his throat. His eyes caught the numbers floating above the girl's head. While her appearance was shocking enough, he was even more astonished by the numbers lined up above her. The “abnormality” he had briefly noticed earlier was indeed a reality.

“E… eighty million!”

It's an outrageous number. No matter how many times he counted, it had eight digits. He never expected to see such a high figure above her. However, it was clear that she was an anomaly. This was evident not only from the visible numbers but also from the extraordinary strength she had just shown when she kicked a man away.

“... What? I don’t understand.” As Naoto stared wide-eyed at the numbers above her head, the girl raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows in confusion. It was a natural reaction. Even though someone was right in front of him, and he was looking directly at that person, his gaze was inexplicably focused on an empty space.

Drawn back to her eyes, Naoto searched for words to deflect the situation. He didn’t think that even such an extraordinary girl would accept something as absurd as the numbers above her head. His mind, frozen in shock, couldn't come up with a good excuse, and Naoto’s mouth involuntarily spilled out his true feelings. Naturally, Naoto's gaze dropped slightly. Translucent white skin. There was a feminine line to it… The soft bulge that formed a shadow... was a bit hard to see. For a moment, he thought he heard a short intake of breath.

Before he could understand what it was, the girl thrust her fist into Naoto's face.

"Naive!" A moist voice leaked out. She hit him between the eyebrows. The punch was too powerful for a rebuttal, and Naoto stumbled back, covering his face with both hands.

It's annoying. She's not wearing any clothes, but she's still concerned about the size of her breasts. He wanted to hit her with all his might, but he wouldn't be able to win if he got blown away to the apartment complex behind her like the man in the suit from before, so he decided not to.

The girl seemed completely unconcerned, and her artificial face returned to a blank, doll-like expression as she looked at Naoto.

'You're just getting in the way if you wander around here. Get out of here quickly."

"Go away? Who the hell do you think you are…”

"Ah, but..." Just as Naoto was about to retort with dissatisfaction, the girl cut him off and turned her head. Her golden eyes were fixed on the pile of walls of the apartment complex that had just collapsed. Her gaze was fixed Squinted. "It's too late now."

The sound of something hard being crunched echoed over the girl's nonchalant words. The man in the suit from before appeared, pushing up the pile of concrete. Naoto was left speechless. The man's face had been transformed into something inhuman.

In a word, it was comparable to an insect. His enlarged, protruding eyeballs were freed from their cramped sockets and transformed into dark red eyeballs that bulged out from his face. His nose was gone, replaced by the eyes of ants. A mouth with jaws for crushing like a gnat takes up the lower half of the face. When the jaws are opened wide in a threatening manner, countless fangs wriggle inside as if beckoning. there was…

"You've got to be kidding me... What the hell is this?" He wondered if he was having a nightmare. If it was a daydream, he preferred the boring dream where he was staring at a strange girl in a deserted downtown area.

"As you can see, I'm a monster."

"What a calm thing to say! This is dangerous, we'd better run away..." Naoto's advice was suddenly cut off as he pulled away.

For a moment, something whizzed by in front of Naoto with incredible speed and wind pressure. A moment later, the wall of the apartment complex behind him burst into pieces as if it had exploded. A thunderous noise was heard, and the blast, along with sand and dust, blew into the side of Naoto's face.

"No, uh... what?" What had just happened?

He glanced sideways at the exploded apartment complex, then, urged by a premonition, turned his head in the opposite direction. Standing with a suit against a gouged-out apartment complex is a bug man. His arms are stretched more than twice their original length, bending at unnatural angles. The strangely stiff arms easily lifted the freshly crumbled wall of the apartment complex behind him, despite their slender and frail appearance. As his crimson eyes locked onto me, he moved his jaw, producing an unsettling clicking sound, and hurled a chunk of concrete.

"Whoa, this isn’t a joke!" Naoto cursed as a girl tugged at his arm, forcing him down. A flat piece of debris was thrown over his head, crashing into the wall of the apartment complex, causing it to crumble further. The weight of the debris, combined with the speed and force behind the throw, was extraordinary. If the girl hadn’t pulled on his arm, Naoto’s head might have been severed from his body, crushed beneath the rubble.

“Great, thanks to you, I’ve given him extra weapons,” the girl said, rising and tossing her long blonde hair.

“W-What? It’s my fault?!” The "weapons" she referred to must have been the piles of debris stacked there. If that’s the case, she was the one who created them. But now wasn’t the time for complaints; there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Um, sorry about this. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything and go straight home to sleep, so could you let me off this time...?” His words trailed off. The girl suddenly turned and kicked Naoto in the chest, sending him flying backward.

As the air was forced out of his lungs, Naoto hit the ground hard. Whether by luck or the girl’s control, his body unexpectedly landed lightly on the dirt, just off the paved road. Some soil got into his mouth when he rolled, but he soon realized how gentle the damage was when he looked up.

A sharp piece of debris was embedded where he had just stood, like some meaningless sculpture in a park. However, this was not meant to evoke art or provoke thought; it was born from a desire to kill in a crude and violent manner.

A chill crept into his temples. He reflected on his recklessness for stepping in so easily. This was bad. This was far too dangerous. He had no clue what was going on, but he knew he shouldn’t have gotten involved. When he heard another dull thud, he looked to see the girl gracefully dodging the debris, leaping away with elegance that was incomparable to his own. For a brief moment, he felt like she glanced his way…

(This is…?)

She might be trying to tell him to escape while he drew the attention. No, she must be wanting to say that for sure. With a complete self-interpretation, Naoto dragged his aching body upright. He felt there had to have been a better way for her to have kicked him, but to her, it was probably a way to protect him at that moment. What a kind-hearted girl. Although his entire body was in immense pain. He should respect the girl's wishes and escape. Surely, that was what she wanted... or at least, it should be.

“Alright, I’ll call for help right away...!” He stood up, turned around, and tried to run. However, as Naoto was about to look back, he froze again. A heavy gust of wind sliced through right next to him again. He didn't even need to check what had flown by. Just a few meters ahead, a streetlamp was snapped in half, with a white concrete wall embedded into the ground. This time, there were no arms to pull him back or legs to kick him away. If Naoto had started running just a few seconds earlier, he would have been hit directly.

“W-What is that…?” Naoto turned around. What happened to the idea of escaping while he had the chance? He realized it was a selfish interpretation, yet for a moment, he genuinely thought that.

The girl was still there. However, rather than protecting Naoto, she seemed to be waiting for an opening against the bug man.

“I can’t focus on you right now. Take care of yourself.” The bug man made another unsettling clicking sound with his mouth, swinging his long arms back. Ignoring the direction of his joints, he grabbed a piece of rubble piled behind him.

“W-Wait a minute, I can’t believe you’re planning to…!” A dreadful thought came to him, almost naturally. The bug man’s crimson eyes were fixed on Naoto. With the piece of white rubble still in his elongated arms, he raised it high without hesitation. He swung it down powerfully, and the rubble soared toward Naoto with a menacing growl.

“Ahhh!” Letting out a pathetic scream, Naoto desperately jumped to the side, throwing himself to the ground and crouching low. Immediately afterward, a sound like an explosion erupted nearby. He instantly recognized it: the sound of the wall of the apartment complex collapsing, creating a massive hole.

A sixth sense compelled Naoto to lift his head in a panic. He spotted the girl immediately. With her long blonde hair fluttering, she raced like the wind—not toward Naoto, but toward the back of the building where she had slammed the bug man. He understood the logic. He understood the meaning. She was trying to get behind that monster.

But that meant...

“I’m really the decoy!?” Naoto shouted at the top of his lungs, momentarily shelving his earlier intention to flee. The bug man hurled another piece of rubble at Naoto. Fortunately, this time the debris seemed fragile, crumbling as it was thrown, so not much mass came flying at him. Even so, if it hit, it wouldn’t end well. Naoto rolled on the ground, trying to escape.

“Ow...” He pushed himself up against the hard sidewalk. In that moment, he heard a sharp, scream-like sound as someone inhaled sharply. He reflexively turned around. The bug man's arm had stretched further, bending like a whip, and had caught the girl's leg as she tried to sneak around behind him.

Right, Naoto clicked his tongue. He could see in all directions even before the bug’s face fully changed; he could check to his left with just his left eye while still looking at Naoto. The man pulled strongly on his arm, lifting it. The girl’s body was thrown up, and the man swung his arm down in one swift motion.

“Stop it!”

“Ugh...!” Naoto’s shout and the girl’s groan were drowned out by a powerful gust of wind. Moments later, the girl’s small body was slammed down to the ground with a dull thud. Fortunately, it landed on the overgrown grass. If she had been just a little off, she would have hit the concrete wall. Even so, she was struck down with enough force to bounce slightly. Though she struggled to move, she knew she couldn’t afford to lose consciousness.

Was the bug man feeling triumphant, having captured his prey? He casually turned away from Naoto, facing the still-down girl. As he forcefully yanked his arm, her body slid effortlessly along the ground, crashing into the withered street.

“Ugh…!” The dull impact sound and the girl’s small cry of pain filled the air. At that moment, Naoto took off running. He swiftly changed direction and began to run away from the girl.

(This is the only chance… the only chance!)

For these few seconds, the bug man’s attention was completely focused on the girl. Naoto had intruded here as an irregularity; the man’s original target was the girl. It shouldn’t matter if someone like Naoto tried to disappear. He ran and leaped over the bushes, sliding into one of the collapsed apartment buildings that had a large hole in it. Inside, surrounded by thick walls and ceilings blocking out the sunlight, it was gloomy and dark. The deep shadows quickly concealed Naoto’s figure. The sound of his footsteps running straight away soon disappeared into the darkness.

...The girl watched this from the corner of her eye.

Once Naoto’s figure had completely vanished into the building, she remained on the ground, a faint smile appearing on her face. It was a smile that carried a hint of self-mockery, yet at the same time, it felt like relief. It was a look that carried a mix of emotions. Not long ago, someone had told the girl that humans are weak and cowardly. Now, she remembered those words and understood them deeply.

The hand gripping her thin ankle tightened. It was that dreadful monster's hand. Even though it was already losing its shape as a human, it still had five fingers that gripped the girl firmly and wouldn’t let go. The elongated arm lifted her body into the air again. Her small frame seemed to float up, cutting through the air. The girl twisted her body to escape the persistent grip, but the fingers digging into her ankle wouldn’t release her.

Swinging his arm high and large, the man aimed once more. The grotesque eyes were fixed on the wall of the crumbling building that had initially embedded his body. He cracked his jaw and flexed his entire body as he swung his arm down in one fluid motion, still holding onto his prey.

And then...

“Whoa!!!” Naoto burst out from behind the rubble and struck the bug man’s head with a heavy, hard object. A dull, metallic sound echoed. Using the recoil, he swung again. This time, he struck the side of the man’s head, feeling an unpleasant sensation as something seemed to shatter in his hand. The bug man’s deformed head slightly distorted as he tilted his body and began to fall slowly. With his falling body, the fingers gripping the girl’s ankle released their hold. Freed from the air, the girl’s body plummeted toward the ground, her long cape billowing noisily in the wind.

Chasing after her, Naoto stretched out his arms. Their eyes met— golden eyes. As Naoto braced himself in front of the partially collapsed building, the girl’s body fell into his outstretched arms.

“Ugh... uh, uh...” The weight was less than he had prepared for, and Naoto looked at what he had caught with a puzzled expression. He could feel the luxurious texture of the cape against his skin, and sensed the softness of her slender body. There was nothing odd about her shoulders, arms, or legs. Only a bit of dirt on her cheeks and cape; there was no bleeding, not even a small scratch.

“You okay?” Naoto asked the girl he was holding, intending to check on her condition. There was no way she could be unscathed. He thought she should have been injured, but he set that doubt aside for the moment. After all, it was far more unrealistic for a human face to become insect-like or for a small girl to kick a man hard enough to shatter a concrete wall.

The girl remained silent for a while, not moving. She wasn’t unconscious. Since being thrown into the air, her large, jewel-like eyes had been fixed on Naoto.

“Are you okay?” Seeing her so silent worried Naoto, prompting him to ask again. Finally, after blinking once behind her disheveled bangs, the girl moved her lips slightly.

“...Why?” Her response was a whispering question. Naoto paused for a moment, furrowing his brows.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you ran away. But you came back.”

“Well...”

So that's what it was. Naoto slumped his shoulders in defeat.

Ignoring his reaction, the girl shifted her gaze to the side. What she saw was a red object thrown to the corner of the sidewalk. It was the fire extinguisher that Naoto had carried and used to strike the bug man’s head with force.

“There’s no way I could leave a girl behind. After all, you’re my lifesaver.” Naoto replied with exasperation, looking at the girl who stared at the fire extinguisher in confusion. Her golden gaze returned to him, blinking once more. Naoto thought her eyes looked doll-like—large and vibrant, yet somehow distant in warmth and emotion.

“You say strange things. I haven’t done anything that warrants your gratitude,” the girl said in a tone that was somewhat flat and emotionless, mirroring the emptiness of her eyes. It sounded somewhat dismissive, and Naoto felt a slight irritation.

“Don’t say strange things yourself. Do you think I didn’t notice? It was the same from the beginning, and it’s still true now.”

The fierce kick she delivered when she jumped in had completely stopped the man’s attack against Naoto. Even after that, during the subsequent close-range attack, she had pulled his arm and ultimately kicked him away, protecting Naoto from direct hits. The rubble that fell after she moved away was something Naoto couldn’t have dodged with mere reflexes. Yet, miraculously, not a single piece had struck him because their trajectories had been diverted by something. Naoto couldn’t comprehend how such a thing was possible, but there was no one else who could have saved him but this girl.

Ignoring Naoto’s observations, the girl turned her gaze away again. Was she embarrassed? If so, it made her seem more like a typical girl, which Naoto found somewhat admirable. However, if she wanted to display her femininity, she should first reconsider her current clothing situation.

Following her gaze and looking up, Naoto furrowed his brows again. This time, not from confusion, but from discomfort. Next to the piled-up rubble lay the figure of the fallen man. Above his rolled head...

The number floating in front of him was, as expected, '0.'

As if he had finally remembered this fact, a noise ran through the man's body. Lines, like those on a malfunctioning TV, crossed over him, and his entire body flickered a few times like a dying lightbulb. Then the transformation began. Just as white paper is dyed, the man's body turned black from the edges inward. A sound like sand being gathered could be faintly heard. In just a few seconds, the man's body had transformed into nothing but a black mass. This was complete death.

No longer was this anyone. No longer a human being with a name or a birthplace. There were no fragments of such information left—just a mere black object. This was the form of a human that Naoto recognized as having become '0.'

In this state, only Naoto could see him. The eyeball that sat in the eye socket. The crystalline lens that sparkled behind it. The 'Hunter's Eye' made the corpse appear as nothing but a solid black object to Naoto.

And this scene, this utterly disgusting scene... pulled a forgotten memory from the depths of Naoto's mind, like pulling on a thread. That distant yet close memory was always accompanied by fear.

Part 4

At that time, Naoto stood alone, vividly frozen in place.

He thought his feet were leaking. There was a nauseating smell permeating the area. Perhaps because of that, he couldn’t even clearly recall what time it was or whether it was bright or dark. What he distinctly remembered was an overwhelming terror piercing through him. It was terrifying. So very frightening.

Forgetting to cry, tremble, or scream, he barely kept his heart and lungs functioning, and in that state, he just stared at what lay close by... a black mass. It had a human shape. No, it resembled a human form. That was probably the head. It protruded slightly and was a bit round. If so, the opposite side must be the feet. The part that seemed to float slightly above the rest of the mass must be the arms. Just a moment ago, it had been the figure of Naoto’s mother.

The smell was overwhelming. It made him feel dizzy. The scent of iron. The rusted iron smell made him nauseous.

No, this was different.

It was the smell of blood.

Right next to the rolled-up black mass was something wrapped in a dull sheen, still wet. It was soaked through, yet still exposed a sharpness that couldn’t be hidden... glimmering ominously, it was...

"…When will you finally release me? Can you put me down already, you pervert?" With a tone that was more exasperated than cold, Naoto's awareness was brought back to reality.

"Oh, uh, sorry!" As he caught the half-lidded gaze that seemed to accuse him, Naoto hurriedly lowered the girl's body to the ground as gently as possible. That’s when he realized.

"Who are you calling a pervert?!"

"You, of course. Who else could it be?"

"No one else! That’s not the issue! I’m telling you, I’m not a pervert! And I’m definitely not letting you call me one!" He almost added "you naked, caped girl" but decided against it, keeping that thought to himself. No matter how excessive her perversion and her incomprehensible fashion sense, she was still his lifesaver and a girl he had just met. It already felt a bit too late for that, but he wanted to maintain a certain attitude.

Ignoring Naoto's delicate concern, the girl casually placed her hands on her hips, exposing her body without a care. Before he knew it, the sun had completely set. In the deserted apartment complex where tall buildings loomed, the enchanting colors of the lingering twilight were regrettably not very visible.

Far off, the city lights began to flicker on. It was already that time. While it was still dim enough to observe the surroundings, the night would soon fall. Once that happened, the apartment complex without any streetlights would be enveloped in darkness.

Without showing any signs of feeling cold in the chilling air, the girl stepped barefoot onto the cold pavement. She stopped in front of the dark mass that had once been a monster and, just a little while ago, a human being.

"It’s dead."

"…Yeah. Looks like it." He didn’t want to look at it too closely. Naoto replied curtly, shifting his gaze from the girl’s feet to her swaying golden hair. That hair swayed like a silk ribbon as the girl turned to look over her shoulder.

"Oh. You’re surprisingly calm, considering you just killed someone." Her tone remained flat, but there was an unexpected hint of surprise in her voice. It was surprising that she found this unexpected. Naoto grimaced as if he had swallowed something bitter.

"You’ve got to be joking. I’m actually pretty shaken up," he said.

"Hmm. Is that so?"

As he spoke, he thought it was a rather disingenuous remark. Perhaps she thought so too, as her response was a simple acknowledgment that contained neither agreement nor doubt. Avoiding the girl’s gaze, Naoto let his eyes wander, bringing a hand to his head. He thought to himself that it couldn’t be helped, even though no one had actually said anything.

(Naturally, I would be shaken up. There’s no way I could stay calm after seeing something like this.)

With a sideways glance, Naoto turned his eyes toward the object. A black mass lying carelessly on the ground. No matter how much he had seen the man in his human form, after witnessing this state, it was impossible to think of him as "human." At this point, he had become "an object."

Was it heartless of him to feel this way?

"Well, considering what he looked like earlier, it’s not surprising to think he was human."

"Huh?" Startled by the words that seemed to see through his thoughts, Naoto looked up. For a moment, he didn’t understand the meaning. Could it be that this girl also saw the corpse as a black mass? But he quickly caught on. The man had lost his human face even before he died and lost his form. That was likely what she meant. The girl intertwined her white fingers with the ends of her long blonde hair and let it go gently.

"Anyway, he had already deteriorated too much to be saved. Sooner or later, he would have ended up like this."

(Was that... a consolation?)

It was impossible to tell if it was a soliloquy or something else from the girl’s calm tone. Naoto knew too little about her to gauge her feelings.

"And then?"

She stepped closer, stopping right in front of him, lifting her chin slightly as she looked up at Naoto with a somewhat haughty expression. Her large eyes, with their upward-sloping corners, sparkled. Naoto flinched at the color of her gaze, so close.

They were beautiful eyes. The golden irises had an ethereal quality as if peering in from another reality, and it felt as though his soul could be drawn in if he stared too long.

"Can you tell me? Who are you?"

"Who am I...? I’m just a passing high school student."

The girl’s eyes sparkled with a hint of irritation.

"A mere high school student wouldn’t just happen to wander into such a remote place."

"Well, that’s..." Naoto hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He had seen strange, powerful numbers above her head. He didn’t want to admit that. After all, she was someone who found herself in such an abnormal situation. She would likely accept his explanation without question, but that would only complicate matters further, which he didn’t want.

"More importantly, what was that guy? At one point, his face completely stopped looking human. You must know something, right?" Clearing his throat lightly, Naoto forcibly switched the topic back to himself.

The girl showed no signs of being offended by the change and responded with a simple "Ah," ready to answer. But just as she was about to continue with her response, an unsettling sound interrupted the moment.

"Tss!"

Kiti-kiti.

A faint, unpleasant sound like an insect crawling and wriggling. The sound struggled busily, making another sound like it was forcibly tearing something apart. Naoto was the first to see and understand what it was.

"Ugh..." Disgust escaped his lips.

A blackened corpse, no longer moving.

A sharp claw was plunged into its head, tearing it apart, and a bug-like creature the size of a human head was wriggling. From inside... from inside the dead man's head, the bug was crawling out like an adult emerging from a cocoon.

It was a dull blue color, with a flat body with many segmented legs and a creepy appearance. A raised, blood-red eyeball was glaring from its head. It was more of a 'creature' than an insect. It had broken through what was once a human and was crawling out, its large jaws spreading open like bared fangs.

"Get out of the way!" His body moved instinctively. Naoto pulled the girl's arm hard, almost reflexively. He stepped forward instead. He raised his arm, which had bounced up due to the recoil, to his shoulder as a shield.

The next moment, as if pulled violently by an invisible force, his right arm, which he had used as a shield, was flung backward. At the same time, he felt a shock as if he had been pushed away at the shoulder. But neither sensation lasted even a second. He was immediately freed from all interference, and...

Naoto lost weight from his right side.

"...Huh?"

What happened? Did he not know, or did he not want to know?

Losing his balance, Naoto took a step back and moved his neck as if it were being twisted by someone.

He looked at his right shoulder. It was gone. The thing that should have been there, wasn't.

"A, ah, agh... uh, ah, ah!"

Naoto's whole body began to tremble violently. As if something frozen was slowly melting, a slimy liquid slid out from the cut end of his missing arm. Gradually, the liquid grew thicker and spilled out, quickly spreading a red stain at Naoto's feet.

"I was careless. It had already hatched inside its body..."

Behind Naoto, the girl whispered, scooping up a splash of red that had flown onto her white cheek with her finger. She licked the red that wet her finger with her protruding tongue and swallowed it. The girl's lips smiled seductively at the taste, but neither that burning expression nor the meaning of her words reached Naoto.

Fear, pain, and such emotions had long since been blown away to the other side of his thoughts. His body just moved on its own, and he grabbed his missing right shoulder with his left hand. His little finger touched the wet flesh. The slight sensation brought him to his senses. The wound was slightly crushed. It had been torn apart. By the tough jaws of that disgusting creature.

Kiti-kiti.

Disgust made Naoto raise his gaze. The creature had returned to the front of Naoto. It landed on its broken black head with its thin legs and clapped its large jaws as if to show them off. Its jaws were covered in blood.

As if to do it again, it opened its jaws wide, and the soft flesh beneath its bluish-gray hard skin trembled and rippled its body. In response to the movement, transparent wings spread out on the creature's back.

He hadn't looked closely before, but he must have flown in on those wings. And then it had torn off Naoto's arm. At the edge of his vision, a little further away, lay an arm still wearing a familiar uniform. Tossed aside, it looked so unreal that it seemed like a poorly made imitation.

"Ug, uh... a, ah..." Naoto groaned in agony from deep within his clenched teeth as he looked at the creature. He thought he heard a voice behind him. It was probably the girl who should be behind him. But he couldn't hear it. He couldn't understand.

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered here.

"Ah... haah, haah... ah, uh... uaaaa" Ignoring his ragged breathing, an impulse surged up within him. As if the blood was flowing back from his torn shoulder, his vision turned completely red.He could see the creature flying in his red-invaded vision. At the same time, the red burst within Naoto.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" His throat roared, and his feet ran. As he dashed through the cold wind, the creature in the sea of red vision spread its wings and flew up to meet him. Just before it flapped its wings, Naoto's left hand grabbed them. He grabbed them all together, pulled the creature's body down from the dead man's body where it had landed, and swung it up forcefully, slamming it into the ground. There was a sound like something was being crushed. The creature's wings were torn and remained in Naoto's hand. Naoto threw them away and... his memory faded there.

Part 5

​​The lifted eyelids felt incredibly, incredibly heavy.

Naoto didn’t even understand why he had opened his eyes. It felt like he might have been thinking of something, but it could also have been a natural reflex, like opening his mouth to take in oxygen.

Naoto opened his eyes, as if pulled up by a drifting consciousness, and he absently reflected the deep navy night sky in his gaze.

(It’s night...)

He could see the moon in the distance. The white, round moon seemed to look down on Naoto like a mirror.

He wanted to sit up. But his body wouldn’t move. It felt completely powerless. It was strange that he could lift his eyelids at all; he didn’t even know how to move a single fingertip. His sensations and consciousness were hazy, his body felt extremely cold, and heavy.

(Ah, I see...)

Finally, Naoto understood why his body felt so heavy. There were multiple pieces of rubble resting on top of him. The cold debris that pressed down on him was so heavy that he couldn’t breathe.

“Ugh…” He tried to shift to regain his breath, but his lungs wouldn’t cooperate. Instead of inhaling, a viscous liquid rose up and overflowed from Naoto’s mouth before he could brace himself. What dampened his lips and chin was blood—warm, sticky blood mixed with some other bodily fluids. It carried a nauseating smell.

As he heard a hissing sound, the warmth seemed to drain away from his body, slowly, slowly. Like sinking into a bottomless swamp, Naoto experienced the sensation of himself fading away.

(So this is... is this dying?)

He murmured in his heart, feeling as if it were someone else’s business.

(So this is how it ends...)

If that moon were a mirror, would he see the numbers above his head gradually decreasing? How many numbers were left now? Would it be lower than the number for today’s Isa? How much longer until he reached "0"?

Would he also turn into a black mass like that suited man? He couldn’t confirm his own death, as he couldn’t see it himself. His vision, which had been filled with moonlight, gradually darkened and lost its light. He could almost hear the sound of the numbers decreasing.

In the midst of this, Naoto thought of his childhood friend, who was probably preparing dinner now.

(Ah... this is bad. She’s going to be angry if I’ve gotten my clothes this dirty.)

He didn’t even know if he could go home. No, the situation was such that he couldn’t possibly go home. However, Naoto was only thinking of ways to procure a new uniform without being found by Haruka, and excuses to lighten her worries as much as possible.

As if to announce reality to Naoto, a cold wind blew.

In that instant, Naoto's vision regained light. Aware that it was the light of the east, he squinted at the new light that had appeared in his field of view. A shining gold—just like the color of that girl’s hair and eyes. Still completely unclothed except for a black cloak draped over her slender form, she stood in front of him, blocking the moonlight that fell on Naoto’s face.

(Are you okay...?)

It seemed she wasn’t injured. The numbers above her head hadn’t decreased from the last memory Naoto had, maintaining a strangely high value. He almost wanted to ask for some of it. A sense of relief descended in Naoto’s chest. He couldn’t remember how things had come to this point, but after Naoto had been buried in rubble, it seemed that the insect hadn’t attacked her or inflicted any serious wounds. However, the words that could have conveyed his relief did not turn into sound. He could hardly breathe.

"You don’t need to worry about me. Rather, it’s overwhelmingly you who should be concerned, don’t you think??" Naoto felt an urge to laugh at the calm girl’s words. Having his right arm bitten off, buried in rubble, unable to move, and on the verge of death—it was completely true, just as the girl said.

What puzzled him was how his concern for her had somehow been communicated. But if it could be conveyed without words, that was a relief. He wanted to ask her about whatever technique she was using, given that she surely knew something about the situation.

(What happened to that insect earlier?)

With this question in mind, he barely moved his eyes side to side. From here, he couldn’t see what was happening around him well. After all, it wasn’t just the position or place that made it hard to see.

"That thing ran away. After it buried you there," she replied. It seemed the reason Naoto was buried in the rubble was indeed that insect. Understanding, Naoto exhaled a breath that felt like he was squeezing it out, and the girl looked down at him from her haughty posture, pausing for a moment before whispering a question.

"Why?" Immediately, Naoto recalled the moment when the insect had flown out from the man's head. He furrowed his brow, trembling. Instead of words, he shook his head. It was more of a slight movement than a vigorous shake, but it seemed to have been communicated to the girl. He didn’t know the reason. He didn’t even know if there was a reason. His body had just instinctively moved when he felt danger. However, the price of that decision, had been far more devastating than he could have imagined.

“...I see.” The girl’s soft murmur fell like a whisper. Her expression was emotionless like the moon, and from the gaze she fixed on him, it was unclear what she was thinking. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. However, from her drooping shoulders and raised eyebrows, Naoto could somewhat sense that she understood.

There was no need for her to look at him with such a thoughtless, dog-like gaze. Naoto returned her look with as much dissatisfaction as he could muster, tinged with contempt behind his bewilderment. The golden eyes he looked up at suddenly narrowed, as if she was pondering something... or perhaps smiling.

(Tch... I really don’t get her.)

He felt as if he were being teased. But that feeling, along with his frustration, was swept away by a sudden wave of understanding. His body felt even heavier now, as if he might sink into the rubble at any moment. He could vaguely sense what this meant. He would soon reach "0." It was almost over.

As Naoto's consciousness faded again, he heard the girl’s voice close by, as if whispering to him.

“Do you want to be saved?”

He thought it was a strange question. Naoto laughed, though his expression remained unchanged.

“Of course...” Struggling to lift his voice from beneath the heavy rubble pressing down on his chest, Naoto squeezed out the words. It was hoarse and weak, and he couldn’t tell if it even sounded like a voice. But he continued. Did he want to be saved? The answer was obvious.

“I want to be saved... of course...” Desperately trying to focus his blurred vision, Naoto searched for the golden eyes. The girl was right beside him. He glared up at her, who was looking down at him as if peering into a well. Her eyes were beautiful. His agonized face was reflected in the mesmerizing golden surface. Narrowing her eyes, the girl smiled.

“Well then, I’ll help you. You'll become a servant of ‘Raquel Alucard.’” While whispering sweetly, the blonde girl knelt before Naoto, the hem of her cloak swaying gently. Her white skin, woven only from a piece of cloth, glowed even brighter under the moonlight. Her delicate hands, like those of a black doll, reached out to Naoto like an angel offering salvation. Cold fingertips brushed against his cheek. As she held him gently with both hands, she urged him to lift his face.

“In exchange... obtain the ‘Azure.’ And then I—” Continuing in a faint voice, she let her long eyelashes softly cover her golden eyes. Slowly, her face drew closer. Her slightly parted lips looked incredibly soft, and behind them, a bright red tongue glistened. As she inhaled, her mouth opened wide. In a fleeting moment, Naoto caught sight of her sharply gleaming fangs. But before he could comprehend the meaning of it, her lips touched— Naoto's... neck.

Immediately, a sharp pain shot through him. The dulled sensation suddenly came alive, as if something were piercing his skin and flesh for the last time. His entire body tensed, and he instinctively tried to resist. But Naoto's body did not move. Holding his immobile body down, the girl pressed her lips to Naoto's neck and sucked strongly on the heat that overflowed from there.

A gulp, it sounded so close. With each sound, Naoto's consciousness faded further away. The sound repeated over and over, sucking something out of Naoto. It sounded like a heartbeat, and... eventually, it dragged Naoto's consciousness completely into darkness.

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