In an elementary school overflowing with laughter and joy.
On the playground, children played in groups of three or five, except for a little girl with pigtails who sat alone on a swing, her fingers tightly gripping the rusted iron chains.
When the other children happily shared snacks, she quietly swallowed her saliva.
When the group jumping rubber bands cheerfully hummed songs, she hid behind a tree and secretly mimicked their jumping steps.
When the teacher passed by, she plucked up the courage to reach out her hand to grab the corner of the teacher's clothes, but it was as if she had only caught a piece of nothingness. Everyone turned a blind eye to her longing gaze.
"Monster!"
"Stay away from her!"
"She'll crush us too!"
Amidst the rising and falling cries of alarm, she tried to explain in a panic, only to find that she couldn't even manage to let go of her fingers.
The girl who loved wearing princess dresses pointed at her and screamed, "You really are a disgusting monster!"
The little girl now sitting on the swing murmured softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "That's not it. Subaru isn't a monster."
No matter where she was, she tried to show a kind and friendly smile to the children passing by, but every child who met her gaze ran away.
All because of one sentence: You really are a monster with Herculean strength.
As the setting sun stretched her shadow longer and longer, she buried her face deep in the crook of her arm, her thin shoulders trembling slightly.
"Don't leave me..."
"I beg you... please don't leave me all alone..."
— — —
"Awake?"
Tsukasa's voice rang out in the Consciousness Space.
Subaru opened her eyes and found herself lying on a soft bed, a trace of an undried tear still lingering at the corner of her right eye. Even though she hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her hand, she couldn't hide it from those Six Eyes that could see through all things.
"Must have been a nightmare, right?" Tsukasa's voice was a bit gentler than usual.
After all, having experienced a death crisis twice in a single day, if she didn't have a nightmare, she'd surely have a wet dream instead.
Hearing Tsukasa's relatively gentle voice, Subaru forced a smile and teased, "So you know how to care about people too?"
Tsukasa lightly tugged at his blindfold. "Of course. If something happened to you, it would be quite troublesome for me."
After a moment of silence, Subaru took a few deep breaths and then deliberately changed the subject, asking, "Is this my Consciousness Space?"
"That's right. Your body is still recovering, but your mental strength has gradually awakened under my influence."
Tsukasa paused, offering a rare compliment. "Your tactical arrangement in that battle was excellent. Although the opponent underestimated you, as an ordinary person, you did very well."
Subaru lay back down on the soft bed once more, her long black hair spreading across the sheets.
She covered her eyes with her hand and replied with a smile, "No matter how excellent I am, I can't compare to you. An enemy I couldn't kill even with all my strength, you could solve five times in three minutes. But... thank you, really."
Just then, she suddenly remembered something and abruptly sat up. "Oh right! Tsukasa, can you teach me magic? Especially that blue ball of light."
"You mean Blue, right?"
Tsukasa smiled and shook his head, interrupting her, "Regrettably, you won't be able to learn that no matter what. However, I can teach you other things."
Instantly, Subaru's shoulders slumped like a deflated ball, but upon hearing the second half of Tsukasa's sentence, her eyes lit up again.
"Other things? Could it be that move that makes fists glow with black and red light?"
Tsukasa chuckled. "That is Black Flash. The principle of what I'm going to teach you is very simple: using mana to wrap and strengthen your fists. But in this world, only I can guide you to learn it."
Hearing the phrase 'only I can teach you,' Subaru looked confused.
Tsukasa didn't seem surprised and continued to explain, "The magicians of this world guide talented people toward the path of elemental attributes. What I want to teach you is the most primitive way of using mana—Reinforcement. But there's a problem."
He pulled down his blindfold, revealing the Six Eyes. At the same time, his upright white hair suddenly fell loose. Yet, it was this incredibly handsome face that spoke words that made Subaru's eyes widen.
"As long as I am still dwelling within your body, your body will continue to be influenced by my mana. You might not be able to walk the path of a magician. In other words, you are perhaps destined to learn my way of fighting."
"Destined to walk the same path as you..."
Subaru repeated softly, her fingertips subconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes.
This was perhaps the price of obtaining power—having the powerful Tsukasa dwelling within her, yet having her original life trajectory changed because of it.
But in the next second, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had realized something important.
Wasn't Tsukasa's existence the best arrangement for her?
"Then when does the special training start?"
She leaned in toward Tsukasa, who had suddenly appeared at the tea table, and asked him with a cheerful tone.
Tsukasa took a slow sip of tea and said, "No rush. At least wait until your body is fully healed. When the time comes, I will personally guide the mana within your body."
Seeing this, Subaru lay back on the bed with a look of despair, her gaze drifting toward the brilliant starry sky within the Consciousness Space.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked Tsukasa in a soft voice, "Tsukasa... is there anyone you miss?"
The teacup in Tsukasa's hand paused slightly. He tied his black bandage back on and replied with a voice so calm no emotion could be heard, "To me, it's the same everywhere."
"The same everywhere..." Subaru murmured, resting her right arm behind her head and slightly raising her left hand in front of her, trying to grasp that starry sky.
"I miss my mom and dad the most. They must be searching for me frantically right now, right?"
Tsukasa responded with silence.
Those warm memories of family were something he had never experienced. Therefore, facing Subaru's longing, it was something he could neither understand nor empathize with.
The two of them gazed quietly at the starry sky, each with their own thoughts.
Just then, a long-awaited system notification broke the silence.
[Ding! Special stage mission completed: '
Silent Resonance]
[Reward obtained: Roleplay Progress +5%, power of all Cursed Techniques permanently increased by 5%]
The increase in Roleplay Progress was expected, but the reward of 'increased Cursed Technique power' made Tsukasa sit up straight instantly.
He questioned the system with a rare sense of urgency, 'Is there a limit to this power bonus?'
The system's answer made his pupils contract slightly.
[Ding! There is no upper limit to the bonus.]