A few blocks away…
I—Shinrai Tomokatsu—stood motionless amid the panicked crowd fleeing the chaos. My ears rang; I heard nothing but a dull roar in my head.
Black smoke billowed from behind Alleyway No. 7—the place where I had narrowly escaped.— "What… the hell is happening…?" I whispered, my strength nearly gone.
I collapsed onto the sidewalk, cold sweat pouring down. My heart raced as if it might leap from my chest. My head buzzed with haunting images: RA‑01 charging, a metal arm, Misaki shielding me, the blast, the flames.— "This can't be... is it real? Or am I dreaming...?"
I stared at my hands, still trembling. Bruises from where I'd crashed into the wall marked my skin. No—this was real.— "She... saved me. But... is she still alive?" I turned to watch the column of smoke rising into Yokohama's dark sky.
An odd sensation filled me: fear, awe... and confusion—in fact, a deep, gnawing confusion.— "Who is she...?"
I shuffled forward like a ghost through Yokohama, now engulfed in the chaos of the explosion. Police cars, helicopters, fire trucks roared all around. Flashing red and blue lights swept through the city like a storm.
I couldn't recall how far I'd walked or which streets I passed. My legs moved as if someone else guided me home. Or maybe I was simply running—from reality.
When I finally pushed open my front door, everything in the house remained unchanged. Bizarrely peaceful.I wondered,— "How can everything be so quiet... after what I just witnessed?"
My younger sister, Hiyori, sat on the sofa. Her round eyes widened on seeing me, worry etched across her face:— "Onii‑chan! Where have you been? It's so late!"
I said nothing at first. I just stood—silent.Hiyori saw my pale face, dusty clothes, and the smell of smoke. She rushed over:— "Are you okay!? What happened?"
I forced a crooked smile:— "Ah… I'm fine. Just... had a bit of trouble on my way home from work. But I'm okay now."
I knew I was lying—to Hiyori, and to myself. Because… no, I was not okay. Not even a little.
The memory of the dark-cloaked figure. The red-eyed machine. The cold metallic blow to my head. That explosion. The girl who moved objects with her mind. Arisawa Misaki.
I kept my tone casual, called in to take a few days off. They agreed without many questions—understandable in this chaos. Who cares about a café shift when the city is in mayhem?
I went into my room, closed the door, and leaned against it.The lights were off. I did not turn any on.I simply sat in darkness, silently.
My heart slowed... then raced... then slowed again.I felt like someone who had just survived a terrorist attack. Yet strangely, survival wasn't what haunted me most. It was the question:"Where... is this world going?"
I had always considered myself calm and rational. My AGI simulation score ranked me above 95% of students. I believed I could analyze any situation and make the optimal decision.
Yet in just one day...I had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
I stood, swaying, and headed toward the bathroom.
Cold water poured over me.Droplets slid across my shoulders, chest, down my back.
But my head burned with heat.— "Misaki... who are you...?" I whispered.
I closed my eyes.The explosion replayed. The purple energy beam glowed brightly. RA‑01 crushed like scrap metal. Misaki's face when she said, "vanish."
— "Are you... human? Or something else?" I murmured.
It made no sense. Everything defied logic and imagination.I felt like a blade of grass in a cosmic storm.
— "If there are still beings like RA‑01... and people like Misaki... then this world..."
My voice trailed off.My head spun.My heart raced.Blinding pain.
— "Diz... dizzy..." I grasped the wall.— "I... feel so lightheaded..."
The room blurred.
Then...THUD!!!I collapsed to the bathroom floor, eyes closing as darkness engulfed everything.
"Huh...?"
My eyelids felt heavy, as if waking from a long, chaotic dream. I slowly opened my eyes; gentle light caused my pupils to shrink. The surroundings were hazy but gradually came into focus.
I was... lying on a bed? A strange bed with a pristine white sheet, a soft mattress faintly smelling of antiseptic.
"Where am I...?" I murmured, dizziness still spinning, trying to sit up to look closer.
My gaze drifted: white walls, sunlight filtering through pale curtains; nearby, an IV drip and some basic monitoring equipment.
Not my room. Not a large hospital. Some kind of medical infirmary? But in what location?
"You're awake, then?"
A soft female voice—like a gentle breeze whispering through leaves—reached me. I turned reflexively—and froze.
"No way... is it you... that strange girl from last night?"
Sitting beside me was the girl—a delicate, gentle face, her long black hair loose, serene. The girl from last night's battle, who saved me from RA‑01.
She gave me a soft smile—not the cold expression of the battlefield, but one calm, kind, and strangely reassuring."Yes. Quite a coincidence, right? We meet again, Shinrai‑san."
The way she called my name—softly—jolted my memories: our first encounter was in the midst of a life‑or‑death fight.
I looked at her warily, suspiciously:"So… that robot... he escaped?"
My voice shook, but curiosity burned inside.
She shook her head, tired yet resolute:"No. I destroyed him. I just... was exhausted afterward and fainted, without even knowing it."
She paused, examining me head to toe, then spoke with a voice tinged with both reproach and care:"But look at you—appearance worse than mine when I collapsed. Instead of worrying about that mess, you should be taking better care of yourself."
I scratched my head, embarrassed:"Oh… I see."
A breath escaped me. I tilted my neck gently; the soreness at the nape still throbbed.
"I was showering and got dizzy... then passed out. Probably because RA‑01 slammed my head hard to the ground and flung me away... that must be it." I admitted, my tone a mix of shame and helplessness.
She narrowed her eyes, then suddenly let out a light chuckle—a sound entirely unlike her cold demeanor the night before:"Oh, you were injured yet still talking intelligently until you got home and finally fainted. You're tougher than you look."
Her smile made me blush.
"Well… survival instinct, I guess." I shrugged modestly. Inwardly, I thought: instinct? I was just terrified.
Creak.
The door opened gently, and a familiar voice called out, emotional and urgent:"Oni‑chan!"
I startled and looked up. The lingering fog in my mind hadn't cleared before I recognized the face.
"Hiyori…?" I said, surprise and haze still in my voice.
My sister walked in, worry in her large eyes. Under the soft light of the infirmary, her light brown hair gently drifted in the breeze from the slightly open door. Her cheeks were flushed—likely from running here in haste—her breath still short.
"You scared me to death! Why did you faint in the bathroom like that!?" Hiyori rushed to my bedside, tears welling in her eyes.
My chest tightened—not sure whether from physical pain or the sight of a loved one. Perhaps both.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think everything would get so serious..." I forced a smile, voice hoarse.
Hiyori said nothing more. She simply bowed her head and squeezed my hand tightly.