Step. Step. Step.

The wind blew my hair across my forehead as I looked at the empty streets of the city.

“Fix this, huh?”

With the shape of my life, it was the only thought I could think of.

It wasn't particularly bad. Being told the old life I lived was worth less than sand, then finding out there were special things about myself. Magic, abilities, fiction were the only words I could describe the situation I found myself in.

"Fresh start from my old life I suppose. Seems nothing changed. Though maybe, I can't even imagine this being a fun adventure at all these days."

Crushing the water bottle in my hand, I walked the streets with my head down.

It was 1 week since that Khosrow event happened. I dropped out of school with Kazane, and stayed around the house learning basic combat. Things like my ability, defense.

I moved my hand to my stomach.

"The wound feels like it's there somehow..."

It was in this place where those GRS goons had stabbed me. Or at least, that's what I remember. The others had told me the details of my remains, that they arrived there and seemingly feel asleep.

Speaking of the others, Kazane mostly stayed at home. Since I stopped going to school, I haven't seen Ayaka or Rei for a long time.

I suddenly stopped walking, and looked ahead.

"Returning back to the city, huh."

A white rusty bridge hung above me. Old white walls formed its foundations, a beautiful entrance. 

Beyond, street lamps stood, their light tinting the dancing trees besides them with yellow. 

Rough white and yellow bricks tiled the floor. Green bushes popped out of the ground.

The buildings formed walls, their yellow, pink flashing lights of a sign.

WhosBurger, a fastfood restaurant, stood in front of us, the entrance to a short glass building. 

Besides it, various other buildings stood. 

Brightful City.

Truth was, that was not its real name. That was a nickname made up on the spot years ago. 

The real name, I forgot. I’ve called it Brightful City for as long as I can remember.

It was rather small. The population was a little less than 50,000, but it was dense. 

A sudden burning feeling erupted in my throat.

“I’m thirsty…”

I dug in my backpack for any leftover coins. 

There wasn't a single coin in my backpack. 

The only thing was my school ID card and a few worksheets.

Ayato Hinode.

Keshite High School.

Age 17

Grade 11/A.

I groaned as I zipped up my backpack, and then strolled along the streets.

The buildings around the city looked like they were recently cleaned. The shining old brick texture of a coffee shop, named StashBucks, the smooth glistening texture of the tiled stone floor. It seemed this city was on its way to a modern city.

It has been a long time since I came here. The last time I left my house was when I still had school, and I hardly ever stopped by the city.

When I was little, I came here frequently. Thinking "today, I'm going to explore something new". Then I grew up and realized that there was nothing new in it but my imagination.

The streets had no people. Why Brightful City was so empty, it wasn't hard to explain.

I stopped by a large crack in the ground, which had glass surrounding it.

Bright Earthquake

Twenty years ago, an enormous earthquake hit this city, shattering citizen's buildings into rubble. Having been reset, most people gave up whatever dreams they had and left the city. Despite all the leaves, businesses seemed to have been doing fine.

"People give up so easily, don't they?"

Turning back, I continued my stroll.

Last week, I was told that there were unnatural things in this world. And I was shown that there were unnatural things in this world.

GIRUS. KRS. Abilities. Energy.

A turning point. I thought that the life that I had lived up till now was pretty pathetic. That I lived like a rat.

In the seventeen years I lived, I accomplished nothing meaningful. In fact, if I was to be reincarnated as a baby in a world where my language wasn't spoken, it's hard to say I would even be considered a prodigy.

I'd wake up, think "today I'm going to get a lot done", and then sleep at the end of the day with bitterness knowing that I got nothing done.

To summarize, I was nothing.

A high school shut-in with no dreams or wealth.

A high school shut-in who only dreamed of the golden lives everyone wrote about.

And so, you could only imagine my delight when I was told I had a chance to be a main character.

“Ahahaha! Ayato Hinode has special powers! Exhire! You see? There goes a bunch of bad guys!” 

I pointed to a sign and recoiled my finger gun, pretending to be shooting.

Unfortunately, the struggles in my scummy life didn't disappear. 

For example, my lackluster ability to learn anything physical.

“It's too bad, huh. Can't use my ability at all. How am I supposed to fix this?”

I had no idea what I was doing. Crossing my fingers, and hoping something good comes out of it. Many people when told of such run away and want their normal lives back.

I had no idea what my ability meant. There could be hundreds of people who had abilities and such. But even so, the desire to be above them burned in my chest.

"How to fix this crappy start, I wonder. Heck even being flayed alive again by goons will give me more progress."

My grumblings echoed off the walls of the deserted city. Frustrated, I sat down on a nearby bench.

A new start. Such leads to goals filling my mind, dreams that found themselves in my mind again. It was like writing a New Year's resolution, except the season was May. 

Like all my New Year's resolutions, my fresh start didn't end up working. The first four days, nothing was done. In fact, it was hard to say my lifestyle changed. Just more free time, less other skills, and more on training abilities.

It reminded me of a time when I was woke in high school, thinking "Let's actually try", and then living through the end of the year failing the goals I had. Such were caused by the lack of change in lifestyles and mindsets.

"This is going to be really bad. At this rate, I'm not going to get anything done. Just like before, just like then."

My hands trembled as I sat at the bench. My mind drifted to a night where I stood on a table, staring out the sleeping world, and yelling out something along the lines of "I was special!"

"I'm not going to fulfill that promise, am I? Who did he really think he was, spewing things like that. All that talk and nonsense."

With a sigh, I pushed myself off the bench. Alas, four days is too less to be losing hope.

For now, I just wanted a clear mind.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

The sun was setting, leaving orange streaks in the sky.

"I'm getting really thirsty..."

As I walked, I stopped by a vending machine. 

It was red and covered with panda stickers, with a clean see-through glass showcasing all the items inside.

On top, it read Amari Station.

I peeked into the glass, my lips smacking.

Juice, milk, soda, hot coffee, tea.

But all the hope left my body when I looked at the price table.

“Seriously, the cheapest drink is more than two hundred yen?”

A sigh escaped my lips.

“If only high school paid, I would have enough money. Even performing well doesn't get you anything. Though perhaps, money is the least of my concerns. Oh yeah, that reminds me. Assassins with special powers, huh?”

I was told that there was some group of people called GIRUS trying to kill me, armed with abilities that defied the laws of physics. Some other group called KRS, which I was somehow part of, were being hunted by GIRUS, and in that, they also had abilities.

Having ran into them last week, I definetely did not want to see them again. And by then, I wanted to be able to fight.

I lifted my hands towards the vending machine glass and I paused.

“What was that word my dad showed me? Exhire?”

I closed my eyes. Imagining dark, black rocks hitting the vending machine, and a juicebox falling out, I stretched my hand towards the vending machine. My fingers felt warm, and dust gathered at my fingertips.

“ーExhauire.”

A cold wind blew. The dust on my fingers scattered, and the warmth I felt vanished. 

When I opened my eyes-

“Eh?”

The vending machine in front of me hadn't moved an inch. Its glass was perfectly intact, the drinks in the same number as I remembered.

Sighing, my hand dropped to my side.

“Pity he never bothered teaching me how to use it…”

I grumbled to myself in irritation, before putting my hand against the glass of the vending machine.

“I don't get this at all. If I can't even use my ability, how can I even fight? Besides, I’ve never read it in any newspapers or anything. You would think someone has seen such before.”

As I pressed my face against the glassー

“You really want something that badly?”

“ーーhk!”

My face snapped back.

A girl stood behind me.

Her long black hair fell to her shoulders. her aquamarine eyes shone as she observed me. Her frame was delicate and thin, wearing a thin green shirt and black leggings that went from her hips to her shin. A single shoulder, the edges of her shirt went around, revealing her smooth, pale skin.

Her hand on her hip, and in her other was a red juice box. On her shirt, a large print centered itself around her chest.

Amari Station

Pink Panda.

It was then I realized.

“I’m so sorry!”

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

“T-thank you so much!”

I clutched the juice box in my hand and repeated for the fifth time. Ayaka, the owner of the machine, closed the glass, leaving me a good view of the vending machine.

Pandas huh. Maybe she had some attachment to them.

Ayaka plopped down next to me. 

We sat on the curb across the vending machine.

“Don't mind, it was actually only twenty yen.”

“T-twenty yen!?”

Unable to mask my shock, my voice came out louder than I expected. I eyed the price table.

Grape Juice. 200 yen.

Ayaka batted her eyebrows at the sight of me scowling at the prices.

“Don't tell me you're surprised. That's how us business owners make a living.”

“T-that's true, I suppose… But I never expected to run into you here.”

"Ah, yes yes. The Hirano's, me and Rei, own this vending machine. We're so good, we make the best things in this town! Our famousity ensured that you were going to run into here!"

"There's no way you do or else I would've heard as soon as I entered..."

Ignoring me, Ayaka took a sip of the juice box in her hand. She noticed the unopened juicebox in my hand.

“Though you sure you don't want any of this? It's the most expensive stuff we got, and it sure makes you feel good.”

“I-I've already told you, I'm underage!”

I quickly sipped my juicebox.

Ayaka took another sip out of her juice box. Actually, it was booze in the box. She had let me choose some drink from the vending machine, and offered me some. According to her, it cost 200 yen per box, though it was sold for 800 yen.

And yet, I stared at her expression as she calmly drank.

"Drinking again? Something stressing you out, Ayaka?"

“What? School's tough in class B, ya know. Nice to take a break every now and then. Haven't dropped class ranking, so it's fine. Though life here’s a lot harder than I thought.”

“Huh!? A reason like that? I-it can't be that bad can it? A-also, class B… Kazane's also in class B.”

"Ah, ah! I'm just a bit different. 

Saying that indignantly, Ayaka pursed her lips and held her hands in a shrug.

Unfortunately, it was hard to have a negative opinion of an underage drinker as a shut-in who loved to consume nothing but meaningless ideals of other people. And besides, I was at the bottom of the 100 students in class A, so I was in no position to talk.

Ah, it made me wonder if there was a huge difference between the academic ability of class B and class A students.

Keshite High had some ladder ranking of students, starting at F. Then D. Then C. Then up to A. There was a tier for S, but that was the top five students out of a thousand. At the end of every trimester, students would get rearranged based on their performance on exams, and then moved to different versions of classes.

“Class B rigor isn't too bad…”

Despite how silent I tried to keep my voice, Ayaka heard it perfectly. She tilted her head and gave me a glance.

“You also go to Keshite right? What rank?”

“Huh? Y-yeah… class A.”

As soon as the word ‘A’ left my mouth, Ayaka bounced off the ground.

“Woah, you must be smart! I guess not drinking really does improve your grades!”

“That's not the only reason to not drink…”

Ayaka sat down. She sipped her juice box. I sighed, taking a sip of my grape juice. Truth was, anyone who put in a meaningful amount of effort would get into class A. 

“Though strange, a class A student didn't get the sixteen factorial reference.”

“N-no one remembers sixteen factorial! Don't expect a class A student to be some kind of god!”

A moment of silence passed. I peeked at Ayaka's face as she sipped her juice box. Her cheeks were slightly red, but aside from that, there were no other signs.

“You don't seem particularly drunk.”

“Me? Ah, a light box of sake won't make me all woozy!”

“Really…”

There was a silence between the two of us. I looked up at the sky, sipping on the grape juice. The dark blueness of the night. Ah, the city was too bright to see any stars. The billboards of the city flashed colorfully.

“Speaking of which, how's things been going since. You know.”

Ayaka stared at the city in front of us. Thin strands of her hair fluttered around in the wind, covering her expression.

My head lowered, and I found myself looking at the ground.

"I don't know how to put it, really. Even after then, I felt like nothing has changed."

“Yeah… Ayato Hinode.”

Ayaka put a finger on her chin and looked thoughtfully at the sky. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, spreading as she turned her head. 

“Ayato Hinode… I feel like I've heard it around school somewhere.”

A warm feeling tugged the corners of my lips.

“Most likely you're drunk. I've never done anything to be heard by anyone not in my class.”

“ーーhk!"

Ayaka burst into a cough. Slowly wiping her mouth, she gave me a look.

“Geez, why are all you class A students like that! Always so cold and self-deprecating!”

She let out a sigh, before laying down. Her back relaxed on the dirt behind us, where a tree stood. Her eyes reflected the moon as she gazed at the sky.

“Though I suppose, it wouldn't be a bad idea to quit drinking.”

“You should.”

“Huh?”

She turned her face to meet mine, her mouth falling open. A wind blew, the tips of her hair scattering on her forehead. Then-

Her eyes closed, a slight smile spreading across her face. She pushed herself off the dirt, gently brushing dirt out of her hair. Her eyes opened, and the black strands of her hair blew in the wind.

“That's true. Maybe when life settles itself.”

“Life… settles… itself…”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“N-no, not at all.”

My hands waved in front of me. Ayaka sighed, as she turned back to the street.

“That reminds me, what were you doing out here in the city?”

“Me? I was taking a walk.”

“I see.”

I sipped the last of my grape juice, thinking about ‘life settling itself'. Looking back, it would be hard to argue that the life I lived up till now wasn't settled. Even then-

“The city's pretty nice, isn't it?”

“ーHuh?”

When I turned to face her, Ayaka’s eyes gazed wistfully at the city. Her hair blew gracefully, and her eyes reflected the glowing star on top of a building.

My shoulders loosened. Perhaps her drunkenness had spreaded to me, but I could feel relaxed. My hand holding the juice box dropped.

“You're talking as if you didn't grow up in this city.”

“I didn't.”

“Eh?”

The juice box in my hand dropped and hit the ground. I quickly picked it up. Ayaka didn't seem to notice, her eyes not leaving the city.

“I’ve lived in this city for a pretty long time, but it wasn't where I grew up.”

 “I-I see.”

We watched the flashing billboards change what they displayed, giving the city a different glow every few seconds.

 “So, where did you grow up?”

“Somewhere far, far away. Covered in glass and crystals. Unnaturally bright. Streets on bridges high in the air, and a tall building with Complexity on a sign.”

“That's not a place on Earth, is it?”

Ayaka slowly shook her head, keeping her face towards the city. Her eyes closed, and for a moment, I could hear her breathing.

“No, it's not.”

“Ah, unfortunately I don't get the reference. I have never seen such a place in any fiction.”

The corners of Ayaka's mouth twitched upwards.

“I see.”

I thought Ayaka was going to explain it, but instead, she rested her head in her hands. She reached slowly towards the city, her hair blowing in the wind.

“How many more nights till the city falls?”

Her voice was as soft as the wind, so much that it felt like they rode the wind into the street ahead of us. 

The people there paid us no attention. 

Without turning away, Ayaka’s eyes closed.

“These days, they’re probably going to come to an end. Just like always.”

My head tilted.

“Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Ayaka blinked, before breaking into a gag of coughing. She wiped her mouth with the edge of her sleeve, before waving her hands.

“Ehh? Ah, sorry for the nonsense! Must've drank too much!”

She crushed her juice box with one hand and tossed it into the trash can. We gazed silently at the city in front of us. 

The clock on the top of a brown brick building flashed, its red sign displaying 8:00PM.

“Whaaaaat! How is it eight already!? I’m going to be late! Ah, sorry for taking so much of your time!”

Ayaka yelped as she jumped off her seat. She took a glance at me and waved.

Actually, those were my lines. You even gave me a free juice too.

"A-ah, okay. See you.” 

Ayaka started to sprint off, but she suddenly stopped.

“ーHey, Ayato.”

Ayaka turned to meet my eyes. 

“The city’s going to get dangerous.”

“Huh? What do youー”

 “Even if it makes no sense or you don’t understand, do keep cation for the next few weeks.”

Our eyes met, and I saw into her dark, brown eyes. It was hard to read her expression, but I could feel a slight concern in them.

Seeing my confusion, Ayaka smiled, waving at me.

“Well, I'll be going now! Feel free to come back!!”

She turned around and ran into the city. Past Amari Station. Past the brown brick building, and into the streets of Brightful City. 

I watched her until she faded out of my line of sight while sipping the remaining of my juice.

The city’s going to get dangerous.

Those were words my mother had told me this morning, before she and my dad had left to attend some meeting.

Were what they were referencing the same thing?

It was hard to believe that. In the first place, I had no idea what it even meant. GIRUS coming into the city? Some robbers coming into the city?

“Sheesh, you two need to be more clear with words.”

But even as I said that, there was a smile on my face.

I did a sacred flattening of the juice box and tossed it into my backpack. As I walked towards the streets, I found myself turning to the red vending machine, covered in pandas.

Amari station.

It was a meaningless conversation. Small talk. 

A stranger who most likely would never be seen again.

And yet, I felt like our conversation did have some value.

“Next time I come, I’ll buy something.”

My words reached no one. The Ayaka I had talked to had run off far into the streets, to who knows where. But even so, I had to get the words out.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

“Maybe I should get drunk or something.”

The Riama Restaurant bags full of bowls with hot spicy ramen in my hands wrinkled as I walked the streets with my head down. In front of me, the red lanterns dangled, illuminating the rock tiled floor with a tinge of red.

“Ah, she's going to get so mad.”

It was now 9:30, an hour after I promised to get home. Stopping by Riama Restaurant, I picked up the order that my sister ordered a few hours ago. 

I sighed as I covered my face with my hands.

"I wonder where my time went…"

Flashbacks of strolling around the waiting area, too nervous to talk to the waitress popped into my mind.

I dangled the bags in my hand. 

“You'd think that I've gotten better at this kind of stuff with all that pressure of that GIRUS stuff. And here I thought that a single good conversation meant I improved.”

With a sigh, I turned back towards the street, and looked at the street in front of me.

“Scary.”

It was bare, the only light coming from a single lamp post, tall in the air. Trees surrounded the stony walkway, and the only sound was the sound of crickets. The air had gotten colder, there was a slight sensation that something was wrong.

It was a particular shortcut I had heard about from others. While it was hard to argue that it was safe, there were hardly any crimes whatsoever in Brightful City. Though everyone told me to be careful, nothing seemed to have changed around the city.

“Well, my home’s in the distance, it seems. Saved around 20 minutes.”

Beyond Brightful City, the world condensed into a spread out, grassy neighborhood. In all the houses that had their lights on, I could see my house, a red and blue christmas tree in it despite it being spring.

Even so, I looked around me.

“This place, don’t really want to cross it.”

If I turned back and went the other way, I would arrive home at approximately 10:00. Most likely way too late to have dinner, and I didn’t really want my sister to starve.

“Well, since I came all this way, might as well.”

Pulling myself together, I bit my lip and walked along the road.

Step. Step. Step.

Besides my footsteps, there were no sounds. Even the crickets seemed to have stopped chirping.

Thenー

“Ah, this is not going to be very fun.”

A voice came from the side of the trees. To my side, a figure dressed in black, his hood on, leaned on the wall. He reeked of a nauseous smell, the clothes he was wearing tattered. His head moved up, the edge of his cloak moving.

ーWithout a word, I walked past him. My eyes stayed on the house. I stuffed my trembling hands into my pocket. 

Forward. Forward. Forward.

Those words repeated in my brain as I took deep breaths.

As I walked, my body froze, my breath streaking into a halt.

A loud crack had echoed in the trees behind me.

“Unfortunately, I'm going to kill you right here.”

And a voice rang out behind me.