Spent the whole day without Haruki moving an inch from the area of that lake, as he felt a mix of comfort and safety. The creatures of this world didn't approach him, nor was his life threatened by anything… or at least, that's what he thought.
The night was dark, and the only light piercing its gloom was a faint spark from the fire that, somehow, Haruki had managed to ignite. He was holding a wooden stick with a fish on its end, roasting it over the flames. He glanced to his side, then returned his eyes to the fish that had begun turning orange. He parted his lips and spoke quietly.
"Look… survival sometimes requires sacrifices. I mean, I really didn't intend to cook your sister, but desperate times call for desperate measures… you understand me?"
His eyes went back to his side, where the very same fish that had slipped from his clothes in the morning lay lifeless, its spirit completely gone. Haruki smiled at the fish and said.
"I knew you'd understand me, Inouchi."
Haruki brought the roasted fish, "Inouchi's sister," closer to himself, then blew on it to cool it down, and took the first bite, which made him let out a satisfied hum, followed by words of delight that slipped out unintentionally.
"Delicious!"
He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, his gaze drifting toward Inouchi beside him with a hint of regret for what he had just done. Then, in a low voice, he said.
"I'm sorry, buddy, I'll finish eating in silence."
Haruki finished his meal until nothing remained of the fish but the bones, which he tossed aside. He lay down on the grass beside Inouchi, gazing at the sky of Malfora-a black night sky adorned with stars, alongside two auroras crowned in a beautiful purple hue, moving toward each other as if each longed for the other. Haruki let out a deep sigh, feeling both peaceful and satiated.
He pulled the stone from his pocket and tried rubbing it several times, just as Seraphine had instructed, but received no response. Sighing again in frustration, he returned the stone to his pocket, bewildered, unsure of where to go or where to start-a boy in his school uniform, hair disheveled from all he had endured in this vast world.
A sense of helplessness and frustration crept over him, clinging as if it would never leave. His greatest wish now was simply to survive this ordeal and wake up in his grandmother's small, warm home, where the biggest problem in his life had been yesterday's math test.
Yet now, he had to worry about surviving in this strange world; its animals were not animals, its inhabitants were not human, and everything around him belonged to a bizarre place far removed from anything Haruki had ever known in his city life.
Haruki raised both his hands high and slapped his cheeks with his palms, his eyes carrying a renewed determination. He raised his fist toward the moon and spoke to himself with confidence.
"Don't get discouraged… I will get out of this world."
His hand trembled slightly before he slowly lowered it, rubbing his right cheek in pain.
"I slapped myself too hard…"
He exhaled deeply, placed both arms under his head, and began gradually recalling everything Seraphine had told him. His forehead wrinkled, his eyes narrowed, and he muttered to himself in confusion.
"How did she know my name?"
His eyelids gradually grew heavier and heavier. He let out a loud yawn and mumbled to himself drowsily.
"Let's think about this later."
He adjusted his position to lie on his side, then stretched out his arms to hold Inochi's body close, hugging the dead fish to himself before drifting off to sleep right there.
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