"...Mm."
I opened my eyes.
A familiar ceiling met my gaze.
It wasn't white, nor was it luxurious. It was just—
"...Ah..."
Slowly, I sat up.
"...It's my room, isn't it?"
Textbooks sat on the desk, and notebooks were left scattered about. I recognized all of it.
"..."
I looked at my hands. Why was I even thinking about this?
"...Did I have a strange dream or something?" I muttered softly.
That voice—it naturally belonged to me, Minato Habata.
"...Hmm, what is it?"
I felt like I was on the verge of remembering something. It was nagging at me—hurry up and remember, my Mental CPU!
"..."
There was a lingering sense of dissonance. But—
"...Well, whatever."
Strangely, I found myself accepting it.
"...I'd better get to School soon."
I climbed out of bed. Even that simple movement felt nostalgic somehow.
◇◇◇
The Classroom was filled with the usual hum of activity. I heard the voices of friends I knew well and the voice of the teacher.
"..."
Everything was "normal."
"Minato—"
A voice called out from behind me.
"Wanna hit the Arcade on the way home today?"
"...Ah, let's see." I gave a noncommittal reply. "Entrance Exams are coming up, after all."
"Whoa, look at Mr. Serious over here."
Laughter followed.
"..."
I could hold a conversation naturally. It made sense; we were friends.
"..."
But—
"...That's right," I whispered. "I have Entrance Exams."
That was how it was.
◇◇◇
Time flowed by rapidly. It was as if time was slipping past in an instant without my conscious awareness. I studied, I took the tests. Then came the Announcement of Exam Results.
"...I passed."
I muttered the words under my breath in front of the Bulletin Board.
"Seriously!? Congrats!"
"You did it, Minato!"
The people around me were making a fuss.
"..."
But—
"...That's good," I thought.
I was moving forward properly. I was living a "correct life."
The way home was bathed in the glow of the evening sun. The dissonance I had been feeling seemed to have vanished entirely.
"From now on, for all of you—"
The Principal's speech was so long... I was just glad my class seemed to be full of decent people.
The Entrance Ceremony ended, and I headed back to the Classroom. My mood was lifted, and my feet kept a rhythmic beat as I climbed the stairs.
Yes, the stairs.
"..."
Suddenly, I stopped.
"...?"
Something caught in my mind.
"I..."
At that moment—
"—Eek!"
A voice came from above.
"...!"
Reflexively, I looked up. At the top of the stairs, a single girl had slipped on the Landing.
"...!"
She was falling. At this rate—
"..."
My body would move.
—Or so it should have.
"..."
It didn't move.
"...Huh?"
My feet were rooted to the spot.
"...Why?"
I knew I had to help her.
"..."
But—
"...It's dangerous," the words leaked out.
...What if I get dragged into it too? I didn't want to die; I'd finally started a good life...
Was this a calm judgment? A rational one?
"..."
The girl continued to fall. I felt like our eyes met for a split second.
"...!"
In that instant, something pierced my chest.
But—
"..."
Even so, my body would not move.
And then—
—Thud.
A dull, heavy sound.
"..."
At the bottom of the stairs, the girl lay motionless. It was quiet.
"..."
Then, naturally, the people around us began to panic.
"Are you okay!?"
"Someone call a teacher!"
Voices flew back and forth in the air.
"..."
As for me, I just stood there. I did nothing. Deep in my chest, a stir of unease grew.
"..."
But—
"...Yeah, that was how it was," I muttered.
"...I didn't save her."
"...And so, I just lived a normal life."
There was a sense of dissonance—a powerful one. But, without realizing it, I simply assumed that was the way things were supposed to be.
"...This is my life."
I accepted it. Not by force, but naturally. Or rather, I "ended up thinking" that way.
That night, lying on my bed, I simply stared up at the ceiling. It was quiet.
"..."
Deep in my chest, it ached just a little. And yet...
"...It couldn't be helped."
I closed my eyes.
"...That was unavoidable."
I repeated the words, as if trying to convince myself. My consciousness began to sink.
"..."
—In the depths of that darkness.
"...No."
A small voice spoke.
"..."
I didn't know whose voice it was. But, for just a fleeting moment, the girl's face flickered in my mind.
"...Nana."
Unconsciously, that name spilled from my lips.
"...?"
I couldn't even understand the words I had just spoken.
"...Who's that?"
I didn't know. And without knowing—I fell into sleep.
◇◆◇
"...Luka."
I was holding him close after he collapsed.
"...!"
He was far too light.
"Luka! Please, pull yourself together!"
The surroundings were in an uproar. I could hear the voice of Elysia, the girl who had come from the same country as Luka.
But—
"..."
None of that mattered.
"...Finally," I whispered. "...I touched you."
I could never reach him before. We had been constantly kept apart, but now, once again...
"..."
I peered into his face. His expression was distorted with pain.
"...Yes, once again."
A stir of emotion rose in my chest.
"...Again, is it?"
He was suffering. Whose fault was it?
"..."
My fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
"...This time," I murmured, the words spilling out, "...I won't make a mistake."
Quietly, but with absolute clarity, I raised my gaze. Every single human in this Classroom looked like an "obstacle" to me.
"..."
I let out a faint smile. It was a smile far removed from my usual innocent one.
"...It's perfect timing," I muttered. "...The Calamity is coming, too."
What I saw as the Saint was a fixed future.
...In that case, my mind remained calm.
...Why don't we just end everything right there?
The Hero, the nations, all the lingering obligations. And—
...the things that bind you and me as well.
I turned my gaze back to Luka.
"..."
I gently touched his hair. That gesture alone was soft and tender.
"...Please, rest easy," I whispered.
...Because I am going to destroy everything once more. For your sake.