“If you make a heavy load your pillow... I guess that’s how it goes.”
Outside the academy where the battle had ended, Hugo Clay retreated to a secluded corner of the courtyard—the very place he used to call his bedroom. He let out a long breath and lay back on the grass, humming a favorite tune under his breath.
The memories as Kurei Yugo... He could still feel that burning passion, that deep-seated yearning for heroes, alive within his chest. Yet, a hollow emptiness gnawed at him at the same time.
“These aren’t my memories. I was never Yugo Kurei...”
His “true” self was already dead. Or rather, while he was undeniably the real Hugo Clay of this world, his consciousness insisted he was Yugo Kurei.
Now that he knew the truth—that he was merely Hugo Clay suffering from a delusion that he was someone else—he didn't know how to process his own existence.
(I wasn't Yugo. But I'm not Hugo either. If I'm an existence that is neither... then what am I?)
Even among his favorite heroes, there were those who had faced similar trials.
One hero had forgotten a past where he was feared as a demonic scientist, fighting instead as an amnesiac genius physicist. In the end, that hero had been defined as a distinct individual, separate from his original personality.
Hugo offered a weary smile, wondering if that hero had felt this same crushing weight as he stared up at the overcast sky.
He no longer knew who was supposed to "own" the feelings and dreams inside him. Closing his eyes, he whispered into the wind.
“Who... Who am I supposed to be?”
He wasn't a foreign object to this world, yet he couldn't exactly call himself a pure native of this one, either.
How was he supposed to define such a creature? As Hugo struggled with the question, a voice reached out to him.
“Big Brother.”
Only one person called him that.
Hugo turned and forced a gentle smile, speaking his younger brother’s name softly.
“Fee. What are you doing here?”
“I was worried... I wanted to see if you were okay.”
Fee sat down on the grass beside his brother, his voice barely a murmur.
Grateful for the boy's concern, Hugo sighed.
“If you’re asking if I’m okay, the answer is no. I honestly don't know what to do with everything I just heard.”
“I understand... It makes sense.”
It wasn't that things were awkward between them, but Fee knew there were no easy words of comfort. He simply nodded in silence.
After a long pause, Fee spoke again.
“You’re still you, even if you have someone else’s memories inside you. It’s complicated, I know... but for me, nothing has changed. Knowing the truth doesn't change who you are to us. I’m sure everyone else feels the same way.”
“Nothing has changed for them, huh?”
“Yeah. Remember what we talked about here, on the day you lost your memories? You said you were going to be starting from zero... You even sang about it.”
Hugo thought back to that day and nodded with a wry chuckle.
It started with the opening theme, and now I’m at the ending credits. Things certainly have taken an interesting turn. He opened his eyes as Fee continued.
“You began a new life that day. Maybe it’s not something you can just set aside easily, but... to me, you’re still the brother I’m proud of. That hasn't changed, and it never will.”
“Fee...”
Hugo looked back up at the sky. He thought of the day he had arrived in this world, the day he had been cast out of his dormitory, and he remembered what mattered most.
“You’re right. Nothing has changed. My heart hasn't wavered since that day.”
Even if the memories belonged to a Yugo Kurei who never existed, the grief and regret he felt for the boy he had failed to save were real.
He would never let anyone cry again. He would be a brother Fee could be proud of. No matter what anyone said, the vow he had made that day was no lie.
(This is where I truly began. My life as the current Hugo Clay started the moment I set foot in this world and received the Blaster from Fee.)
He was neither Kurei Yugo nor the original Hugo Clay. He was an existence that had inherited the soul of both.
Accepting the weight of Kurei Yugo’s regrets and Hugo Clay’s feelings, he reaffirmed his purpose. He pushed himself up from the grass.
“It doesn't matter who I was. I don't need to be either of them. I swore to become a hero, and that’s where my story begins!”
Initially, he just wanted to be a hero who could help those in need, someone who could stop the tears of others.
Somehow, he had ended up with the fate of the world on his shoulders... but he didn't mind. He would take it.
He would fight while carrying every bit of doubt, hesitation, and regret—the combined weight of Yugo and Hugo’s hearts.
If this was destiny, so be it. He would fight to protect the people he loved and the world they lived in. He would be that hero.
The path he had walked wasn't a lie. And if it wasn't a lie, then he could stand up again, just as he always had.
Having found his answer, Hugo stood tall on the earth. He looked straight ahead, his gaze unwavering.
“Fine. Bring it on. Gods, masterminds—I don't care. I'll fight to protect everything. As the hero of this world!”
He wouldn't stop with himself. He would shatter every single destruction flag threatening this world. Hugo clenched his fist, his resolve burning bright.
The hesitation had vanished from his face.