Chapter 4 – A New Friend
A few minutes earlier...
Just as Light was halfway through the dimensional crack, Grim Soul shouted,
"Big Bro Light!"
Shade and Tech both heard it.
For Shade, those three words echoed inside his head three times.
Tech glanced at him with an annoyed expression. He already knew what was about to happen.
A second later...
Shade burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
He laughed so loudly that even Grim Soul heard the distant sound.
Grim looked around in surprise.
"Huh? Is someone else not frozen too?"
After thinking for a moment, he brushed the thought aside and became cheerful.
"Whatever. I'll just try using magic."
Meanwhile, Shade continued laughing until tears rolled down his face.
Inside his mind, he thought,
"Light... you're so screwed."
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he laughed even harder.
His soul literally popped out of his body...
...and started laughing beside him.
Tech stared in disbelief.
"How am I supposed to stop this devil?"
After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly appeared.
A mischievous smile spread across his face.
"My bad, Shade..."
"I forgot to record the 'Big Bro' part."
"...Eh?"
Shade and his soul froze simultaneously.
Their eyes nearly popped out.
Shade grabbed Tech's collar while his soul grabbed Tech's hair.
Both of them cried together.
"Tell me you're lying!"
Tech chuckled.
"Yeah... I lied."
Shade's eyes sparkled.
"Really?"
A second later...
He snapped back to reality.
"DON'T JOKE ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT!!"
Tech couldn't help but laugh.
Back in Grim Soul's room...
The crow had already finished the biscuits and was now drinking water from the bowl while holding it with his wing like a human.
Suddenly...
A floating blue screen appeared before him.
The crow froze.
"Caw?!"
At the zebra crossing...
Tech continued watching Grim Soul through another floating screen.
"Let's go."
Shade had already stepped into a spatial crack.
Inside his mind, he laughed.
"Finish the mission... then I'll show Rose the evidence."
Tech sighed.
Before leaving, he glanced toward Grim Soul one last time through the screen.
His expression suddenly changed.
"...Huh?"
Inside the dark dimension...
Light stood quietly as the dimensional crack slowly began closing behind him.
Once again...
Grim Soul's words echoed inside his mind.
"Big Bro Light..."
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
Light's face lit up with childlike happiness.
"It feels... just like Big Bro is calling me 'Big Bro'."
He imagined Grim standing before him.
Behind Grim...
His own Big Brother smiled warmly while calling him,
"Big Bro."
Light's eyes sparkled.
Just then...
Shade walked in while dragging Tech by the collar.
Tech struggled helplessly.
"Will you just listen to me?!"
"Stop daydreaming!"
"I have something important to say!"
"And why are you dragging me?! I can walk on my own!"
Shade completely ignored him.
Light blinked.
"What exactly is going on with those two...?"
Shade finally reached Light before lifting Tech into the air by the collar.
Tech immediately spoke.
"Light! I have something important to tell you!"
Shade interrupted him.
"Forget it."
"Let's finish the mission first."
Light blushed slightly.
"If we finish the mission faster..."
"...I can visit Grim sooner."
He imagined Grim happily calling him "Big Bro" once again.
Behind Grim...
His own Big Brother smiled proudly.
Light unconsciously smiled.
"I agree."
"Let's finish the mission quickly."
Shade grinned.
"That's what I wanted to hear!"
Meanwhile...
Inside Shade's imagination...
Rose stood behind him.
Light knelt on the ground crying while Shade laughed victoriously.
Tech looked at both of them helplessly.
"Light..."
"You should really listen to me."
"It's about your disciple."
He closed his eyes.
"Shade ignored me..."
"But Light definitely won't."
Unfortunately...
Both Shade and Light walked away together...
Still smiling inside their own imaginations.
Tech's eye twitched.
"ARE EITHER OF YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"
Back at the zebra crossing...
A blue-haired girl happened to glance toward Grim Soul.
Everything around him had already returned to normal.
Grim looked around.
"So... time started flowing again."
He remembered Light.
Inside his mind, he wondered,
"He's gone too..."
"Why did I call him Big Bro...?"
"It just felt natural."
A faint blush appeared on his face.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Well..."
"Too late now."
He dramatically raised one hand.
"Time Stop!"
Nothing happened.
He tried different hand signs.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Eventually, he stopped and stood there as if none of it had happened.
"He said I could use time..."
"So how am I supposed to do it?"
Suddenly...
A blue floating screen appeared before him.
Grim jumped slightly.
"What's this?"
Words appeared across the screen.
[Hello! I am System.]
[I can become your companion and help you understand your status and skills.]
[If you would like my assistance, please press the Start button below.]
Grim looked around.
"Looks like nobody else can see it."
He read the message.
"Oh... so I'll be able to see my stats and useful skills."
He tilted his head.
A completely blank expression appeared on his face.
"I didn't understand anything."
Another message immediately appeared.
[Looks like you didn't understand.]
[Stats represent things like Strength, Speed, Endurance, Will, and more.]
[Skills are your abilities, such as swordsmanship, magic, or technological abilities.]
[...Wait.]
[Are you even reading?]
While System was explaining...
Grim had been busy poking the screen.
Every poke passed straight through it.
He even tried grabbing it.
His hands went through it again.
"Yeah, I'm reading."
"So you mean magic skills?"
"I did get powers..."
"I just don't know how to use them."
"Can you teach me?"
"Also..."
"Are you reading my mind through telepathy?"
Even while asking...
He continued trying to grab the screen.
Still nothing.
He rubbed the back of his head.
"Looks like I can't touch you."
Another message appeared.
[Press the Start button.]
[After that, you'll be able to interact with me physically.]
Grim immediately pressed it.
[Loading...]
[100% Complete.]
The screen suddenly spoke directly into his mind.
"There."
"Now you can touch me."
Grim grabbed it immediately.
"...Oh!"
"So you can talk now!"
"That's great."
"I didn't want to keep reading."
He happily shook the screen at every direction .
"W-Wait!"
"Stop shaking me!"
"Aaaaaah!"
Grim laughed.
"Okay, okay."
The screen sighed in relief.
"Much better."
After a brief pause, it said,
"By the way..."
"Everyone is looking at you."
"...Huh?"
Grim slowly turned around.
Everyone nearby was staring at him.
Two university girls whispered to each other.
One smirked.
"I bet he's thinking about something perverted."
The other noticed Grim looking in their direction.
"Look!"
"He's staring at us!"
The first girl pointed at him.
"Don't look at us with those filthy eyes!"
"...Eh?"
Grim pointed at himself.
"Why am I suddenly a pervert?"
The girls hurried away while shouting,
"Someone save us!"
"That guy's a total pervert!"
Grim sighed before noticing a blue-haired girl hiding inside an alley with her friend.
The moment Grim looked at them...
The blue haired girls squeaked and immediately ran away. The other one followed.
"What is happening?"
Meanwhile...
Five muscular men sitting outside a restaurant had also been watching him.
Two identical twins were sharing one bowl of soup.
Another young man was busy playing a game.
A short-haired giant quietly ate his meal.
The last man...
...was somehow sleeping.
One twin pointed toward Grim.
"What's that guy doing?"
While his brother looked away...
The other twin secretly started eating the soup much faster.
The gamer finally looked up.
"Huh?"
"Who?"
Without even opening his eyes...
The sleeping man answered,
"The guy standing at the crossing."
Everyone looked at him.
"...You're asleep."
The first twin nodded.
"He's been standing there forever."
"Making weird faces."
"Talking to himself."
"Doing strange hand signs."
The second twin finished the remaining soup.
"I think his crush rejected him."
"Poor guy..."
"Looks like his brain finally broke."
He let out a loud burp.
"Oops."
Slowly...
He turned toward his twin.
Silence.
The next second...
The furious twin tackled him.
The two immediately began wrestling like little kids.
The short-haired man calmly spoke.
"If he really got rejected..."
"Then we have to do it."
All five men turned toward Grim at once.
Their intense stares made him flinch.
He quickly looked away.
A man sat crying on the roadside.
An old couple sat outside a bookstore.
Even the pedestrians passing by...
Everyone seemed to be watching him.
Grim sighed.
"You don't mind if we keep talking while walking... right?"
System replied through telepathy.
"Not at all."
Grim took his first step.
Then...
A large hand landed on his shoulder.
"Wait... little boy."
Grim and System turned around simultaneously.
Standing behind him...
...was an enormous man whose face looked far scarier than anyone Grim had ever seen.
To Be Continued...