The morning air was so quiet. Snow slowly piled up on the window of a second-floor bedroom in a house that looked too big for just one person.
On the bed, a young man slowly opened his eyes.
His eyes stared at the plain white ceiling. The cold pierced his bones, but that wasn't what made his body tremble. There was something quieter than the winter air.
"...Where is this?"
His faint voice evaporated with the white breath visible from his mouth. He sat up on the bed, hugged himself for a moment, then slowly stood. His bare feet touched the cold floor, but he didn't complain. Instead, he seemed more disturbed by… something missing.
"Why… can't I remember anything…?"
His first step was toward the window. Snowflakes were falling outside. The street looked empty. The world seemed frozen in silence.
He touched the window glass, then slowly exhaled.
Beside his study desk, several books and notebooks lay scattered. He approached them, and when his eyes traced the handwriting scrawled there, one sentence was clearly written:
Name: Hyoudou Issei.
"Hyoudou... Issei?" he repeated softly, as if the words were foreign, but also… familiar. He touched his own name, yet no memories surfaced.
He left the room.
The wooden stairs creaked softly as he descended one step at a time. The house had two floors, quite spacious, but… empty. No smell of cooking. No sound of the TV. No one at all.
Only him.
His steps led him to the kitchen, and on the table, there was a letter with an open envelope.
With slightly trembling hands, he read it:
To my son,
Sorry we can't come home for the night and Christmas Day.
But this money should be enough to buy food and your needs.
We'll be home at the start of the new year.
– Juzo Hyoudou
He stared at the letter in silence. Slowly opened the envelope, and found a 10,000 yen bill. He carefully slipped it back inside, then sighed softly.
He sat on the living room sofa. His eyes blankly stared at the wall as if searching for the meaning of his existence.
"Why can't I remember who I am?"
Even that voice felt strange in his own ears.
Only the ticking of the wall clock accompanied that silence. Second by second passed.
He stood, opened the fridge, took a bottle of cold water and drank it straight. It felt like calming a mind throbbing without direction. After that, he looked again at the living room window—snow still fell.
A TV remote was near the sofa. He turned on the television only to be greeted with political news, financial reports, and extreme winter temperature alerts. Nothing felt familiar.
He turned off the TV, then went back upstairs to his room. On the desk, one object glowed faintly.
A smartphone.
He touched the screen. No password. For some reason, maybe he had set it up that way. Or... someone had.
He opened the browser, trying to find out who he was. But he found nothing except a name in a local school record.
Until finally…
Devil Net
An online community forum for demons, fallen angels, and supernatural beings.
His brows furrowed. He clicked the link. There were discussions about demon contracts, supernatural battles, Sacred Gears, fallen angels, even… artifacts from heaven.
"What… is this the real world?"
He read one by one, as if the world he knew was different from what was shown on television.
"This world seems to be hiding something."
After exploring that digital world, he turned off the smartphone. The outside world was still snowy. The day hadn't turned to night yet, but the sky was already grey.
He lay back down on the bed. No sound except the wind brushing against the window.
Staring at the ceiling, he slowly pulled up his blanket.
"Hyoudou Issei, huh... Is that really me?"
A lonely Christmas Day. An empty house. Lost memories.
....
Issei slowly opened his eyes. The air in the room felt cold and silent. There was no sunlight shining through the window like before—only dim light from outside reflecting faintly through the curtains.
He sat up halfway, blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness. Then, he reached for the smartphone lying on the bedside table. The screen lit up, displaying the time: 8:00 p.m.
Silent for a moment. He sighed softly.
"I'm hungry…"
Lazily, he got up from bed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen on the first floor. His footsteps were slow, moving through the hallway illuminated only by a small light from the living room.
Arriving at the kitchen, he immediately opened the fridge. White light from inside greeted him, showing several bottles of cold water and a nearly empty bag of snacks.
"Well… not much choice."
He closed the fridge, then opened one of the cabinets above the kitchen shelf. Empty. The next cabinet was the same.
Issei closed his eyes for a moment, suppressing a faint disappointment.
"Looks like I have to go out to buy food."
He went back upstairs, took a warm jacket hanging behind his bedroom door. After checking his pockets—wallet and smartphone—he opened the map app to find the nearest mini market. None of the locations looked familiar. But GPS showed a store just a few hundred meters from the house.
Issei opened the front door. The night air greeted him instantly, carrying the scent of damp earth mixed with the cold of snowy weather. He took a deep breath.
The street in front of his house wasn't completely empty. A few couples walked slowly on the sidewalk, streetlights hung with golden and red Christmas decorations. A snowman stood at the corner of a small park, and the sound of Christmas music could be heard from afar—soft, calming.
Issei walked slowly following the GPS directions. He looked around—the residential neighborhood felt unfamiliar, yet also… too quiet.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the mini market.
The automatic door opened as he stepped inside. Warmth immediately embraced his body. Rows of shelves were neatly arranged. Issei headed straight to the bento section, choosing one box of hot curry and two extra bentos still sealed.
After that, he walked to the cashier.
The line wasn't too long. He waited patiently, listening to the Christmas songs playing from the store speakers. When his turn came, the cashier greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Good evening. Please go ahead."
"Please heat this curry bento to eat here… and pack the other two."
"Alright. I'll heat one for dine-in, and pack the rest," the cashier replied politely.
After the transaction was complete, Issei took the tray and headed to a small table near the window. He sat down, opened the heated curry bento, and slowly began to eat his first warm meal since he woke up.
Outside the window, snow fell slowly. People passed by, some carrying gifts, some just holding hands, talking quietly under the city lights.
Tonight… was Christmas Eve.
Issei ate in silence. There was no flavor he truly enjoyed, but the warmth of the curry was enough to make his body feel comfortable. He finished his meal calmly, then threw away the trash and took his packed bentos.
He stepped out of the store.
The night sky was clear despite the clouds. The streets were now busier, with Christmas lights twinkling on trees and street poles. Reindeer and Santa Claus decorations appeared on several houses. Children laughed in the distance.
Everyone seemed to know who they were. All appeared to have a purpose, someone to meet.
While he...
Issei pulled out his smartphone from his pocket. He opened the calendar. On the screen, it clearly said:
December 24.
He kept walking while staring at the street, the sound of his footsteps crunching on snow echoed softly.
"Funny… I know this is Christmas Eve. But I don't even know who I am."
He lowered his gaze.
"What really happened…? And… am I truly no one?"
His steps felt heavier, even though the air wasn't getting colder. A few people glanced at him briefly, but quickly passed by. No one recognized him. No one stopped him.
Eventually, he arrived home.
The door creaked open. Issei stepped in, closed and locked it again. Silence once again blanketed the room.
He placed the two packed bentos on the kitchen shelf, then went upstairs. The room was dark, lit only by the lamp outside filtering through the curtain.
He took off his jacket, laid it on the chair, then lay down on the cold bed.
Pulling the blanket, he slowly closed his eyes.
"Maybe… tomorrow I'll try to find out more…"
No sound but the wind outside the window. And for the umpteenth time that day… Hyoudou Issei fell asleep, in a world that didn't know him, and with no memory of himself.