A soft hand pressed gently against her lips, cutting off the words she'd been about to say.
"Alright, alright—no more teasing. We can talk more once we're outside."
"Mm, got it."
Her arm reached forward without thinking, intending to push open the door in front of her.
"Wait, this door isn't—"
Before she could finish, her whole body lurched forward, passing straight through the door as though it had simply given way.
"Ugh... forgot about that thing."
She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing a hand to her forehead in self-reproach.
When she finally opened her eyes to look around, her entire body froze in place within a single blink.
"—Green?"
Her pupils trembled with astonishment. What greeted her was no longer the cold silver of metal or artificial bands of light, but an endless stretch of green—the raw, untouched green of mountains and forest.
The scent of earth and flowers drifted faintly through the air, light and soothing. Rows of trees, petals, and grass all blended into one harmonious shade beneath the warm sunlight, like a breathtaking painting reaching out to pull the viewer in.
Her body lowered on its own, fingers brushing against the blades of grass beneath her feet, pressing down gently as if trying to feel the heartbeat of the plants themselves.
"My apologies, miss—if I may intrude for a moment!"
The moment was abruptly cut short—a voice that clearly had no business coming from the environment itself. She spun around immediately, and there, filling her view, was the strangely familiar face of Shiroya.
Her tone came out flat.
"Hm? It's you?"
He looked as though he'd been standing there waiting for a while; the hem of his coat was even slightly damp and wrinkled. Yet he showed no sign of discomfort, maintaining his usual composed manner.
"Yes, indeed it is, miss."
He straightened his back, his palm returning to rest against his chest.
"May I ask if the environment is to your liking, miss?"
"The environ—? Oh, right, it's wonderful! Don't you think so too, Ama—"
"Huh—Amanai? Oh no, I forgot."
She smacked her palm against her forehead, only now remembering that Amanai had been deactivated the moment she passed through the door.
"It seems Miss Amanai had already informed you of that matter?"
"Um—ah, it's nothing."
"There's no issue at all, miss. That particular piece of information from Amanai is permitted for disclosure, so there's no need to worry."
"Huh?"
"So that's how it is?!"
"Yes, that's correct."
Her eyes studied him for a moment, then briefly swept the surroundings.
"So—about that matter?"
"Yes, miss. Regarding your anonymous status—it can be resolved right here, so long as you're comfortable with the setting. If you'd prefer not to move, we're perfectly able to continue our discussion right where we stand."
"And if you're willing, we could also move to a more suitable spot to talk further."
With that, he stepped back slightly, gesturing with his hand for her to lead the way.
Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before following the direction he'd indicated.
"Fuuu... very well then."
Her bare feet moved across the grass, the cool dampness rising up to meet her—achingly familiar.
Every few steps, she glanced back at Shiroya, as if making sure he was actually still following.
◇ After walking for a while...
She came to a stop beneath the canopy of a tree—a fairly large one, its bark rough and aged, more accurately an ancient tree, sturdy and dignified, standing over the vast meadow like an old man surrounded by children, the kind of presence that made anyone nearby feel safe.
She didn't do anything more, simply staring up at the branches swaying gently in the wind, *rustling* softly, almost soothingly.
"It seems you've chosen a truly ideal spot, miss."
Shiroya's voice remained as warm and unchanged as ever, yet it blended seamlessly with the rhythm of the old tree before them.
"Mm... this place really does... feel like that place..."
She moved closer to the trunk, quietly settling down beneath the thick shade. Her gaze drifted back toward Shiroya, who promptly sat down as well.
Her expression soon shifted to something more serious.
"Alright, Shiroya."
"Can you tell me now?"
"Yes, miss."
"Perhaps I should begin by explaining the social aspect first."
"But before that—might I ask what I should call you, miss?"
"Hm? My name?"
"Yes, miss. Your name, or if not, an alias would suffice as well."
"A name? A name..."
Her voice trailed off, growing quieter.
Shiroya immediately raised a hand to wave it off.
"It's quite alright, miss, an alias would do just—"
"—Rei."
"Mm, I suppose that'll do."
"..."
He fell briefly silent, his expression carrying a faint, almost imperceptible look of being caught off guard.
"Ah, that's a beautiful name, miss."
"A beautiful name?"
She raised a hand to scratch at her head.
"Yes, indeed."
"Hmmm, well, I suppose so. My name is Rei, then."
"If I may be so bold to ask, miss—what do you make of the name itself?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Simply put, miss—does a name hold any importance or use to you?"
"Is that so? What's so important about a name?"
"I'd say a name makes things easier to call out during a fight, but otherwise... I don't see why it'd matter much without one?"
"And why is that, miss?"
Her expression remained entirely unchanged, arms crossing over one another.
"Well, it's not like it can block a single strike for me, is it?"
Shiroya blinked briefly, the girl's remarkably pragmatic worldview giving him pause for just a moment before it was swiftly replaced by his usual polite, professional smile.
"What a unique and grounded perspective, Miss Rei."
He gave a small bow of the head. "Indeed, a name cannot lessen the force of a blade, nor can it transform into a physical shield to protect you on the battlefield."
He paused briefly, smoothing down the slightly wrinkled hem of his coat before continuing in his usual measured tone.
"However, from the social standpoint I mentioned earlier, a name is what anchors your existence within the system. To the world outside, a person without an identity—an 'unnamed'—is much like a wandering spirit. You cannot truly grow familiar with those around you, cannot hold an object and call it your own, and more importantly... without a name, you become exceptionally easy to overlook, treated as inconsequential—to the point of being regarded as though you don't exist at all."
Rei's brow rose slightly as she leaned deeper into the rough bark of the ancient tree.
"But... aren't you and I already—"
He cut her off.
"My apologies, Miss Rei, but that is merely what lies before our eyes. What lies beyond it is what truly matters in the long run."
Rei's lips parted slightly, as if she meant to argue back, but he gave her no chance to.
Shiroya raised one hand, and a SmartWrap identical to the one on her wrist materialized in his palm. From its screen, a faint, crescent-shaped light interface rose into view, reflecting hazy, shifting characters.
"And so!"
"This name—'Rei'—will, from this moment forward, become your first shield. It cannot block a blade, but it will allow you to walk through this world rightfully, without being troubled by it. Do you consent to having this identity registered into the system, miss?"
Rei stared at the hazy interface before her.
"I... I..."
Her body shifted back slightly, her words stumbling, as though she still couldn't quite bring herself to accept all of it.
"Miss Rei must surely have certain important people she holds dear in her memory, does she not?"
Her body went rigid, her eyes nearly frozen in place with shock, her expression answering the question far more clearly than words ever could.
"That... about that, well..."
"It's quite alright, Miss Rei. You needn't voice an answer."
Rei looked up at Shiroya, her confusion shifting abruptly into suspicion.
"What do you mean by that? Weren't you just asking me, so why is it suddenly fine not to answer?"
He didn't respond. Instead, he swept a hand outward beyond the canopy, and from the blue screen of the SmartWrap, the display abruptly stretched outward. At its center, a cluster of floating, human-shaped figures began to take form. They gathered together on one side, while on the other stood a single, solitary figure. All of it materialized right before her, as though trying to convey something.
Despite having already seen plenty of this strange, wondrous technology, it still made her flinch back slightly—though this time, it came laced with a flicker of her own curiosity.
Suddenly, the cluster of figures moved as one toward the lone figure standing apart—but just as they were about to reach it, a barrier sprang up between them, and no matter how hard the group tried, they couldn't pass through it. A complete divide stood between the solitary figure and the approaching crowd.
"That thing... is it being held captive?"
Shiroya reached out and tapped his watch, instantly causing the entire display to shatter into countless tiny fragments, his pale blue eyes turning toward the source of the question.
"This isn't captivity, miss—it's Privacy. It's the right that allows everyone to keep their personal life and information secret, something no one else is permitted to touch without consent. To put it more precisely, it is one of the protective layers that comes with a name."
She fell into a brief silence, her voice growing even quieter.
"Protection... meaning no matter what, I could simply choose not to say it?"
"Something along those lines, Miss Rei."
"...That name, could it—"
The words came out so faint they were barely more than a thought spoken aloud to herself.