Rustle. A sound reached his ears. Soft fabric against sand. Yu opened his eyes. Reflected in his vision were the expansive, cloudless sky and blue particles of mana drifting like fireflies. He felt a faint, soft sensation under his head. A warmth that contrasted with the cold ground. He realized his head was resting on someone's lap.
“Yu-kun, you're awake! Goooood morning!”
Yu reflexively sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Behind him, a shadow hurriedly retracted its hand. He turned around.
“Jeez, and I was giving you a lap pillow, too. You woke up tooooo fast.” Mana-chan—in her materialized form—was puffing out her cheeks, looking annoyed but affectionate.
Yu pressed a hand to his forehead. His skin was grimy with sweat and dust. His heart was still racing, a drum beating against his ribs. The smell of burning something and sulfur told him this was reality. He hadn't died.
“Where is everyone...? What about the collision...? Did we stop it?” He asked.
Mana just smiled, a mysterious glint in her eyes.
“Rize. Why not us?” Behind her, Claval crossed her arms and sighed loudly, though there was no heat in it.
“She said she really wanted to try a lap pillow.” Rize was laughing next to her, covering her mouth with a hand that was still stained with soot.
“…Huh?” Claval rolled her eyes.
“Because Yu-kun worked so hard the whole time! I wanted to let him rest comfortably at the very end!” Mana, still pouting, put her hands on her hips and leaned forward.
No one could argue with that logic. Only the sound of the wind flowed over the scorched earth. A profound silence settled over the scorched earth—the absolute peace that follows the apocalypse.
Yu sensed something in the distance. The air suddenly grew heavy. Not with threat, but with gravity. Presence.
“Nice to meet you, boy loved by mana.”
A low voice resonated. It vibrated in the soles of Yu’s feet. Turning around, a man began to walk slowly toward Yu across the glassed sand. He wore simple robes, but black scales emerged from his shoulders to his back, absorbing the sunlight. A golden light pulsed deep within his eyes. His form was like a human, yet the density of his existence proved he was not completely human. “I will explain that story.”
“No way!? Long time no see~!” Seeing the figure approaching quietly, Mana widened her eyes. She floated up a few inches.
“I've been here the whole time... well, fine. Your perception is as selective as ever.” The Lord of the Dragon's Nest—Roa's Master. He had taken the form of a black dragon in the earlier battle, crushing TP with a single bite. The scorched wind stopped as he stopped. The sky looked exceptionally clear above him.
Claval turned around, her hand instinctively going to her sword hilt, then relaxing.
“Wait a minute! Is this okay, Yu? It's being streamed, you know? The cameras are still rolling.” She felt a gaze from a corner of the space. Invisible, but heavy.
Yu nodded without hesitation. He stood up, dusting the ash from his clothes.
“It's fine... Let everyone in the Real World hear it too.” He looked straight into the empty air where he knew the lens was floating.
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Yu’s High School. A classroom in Japan. The bell had rung, but no one moved to leave. Students crowded around desks, huddling over smartphone screens that glowed with the livestream.
“…It really is Shiro. That idiot. He wasn’t skipping school… he was saving the world.” Yu's friend, Harukawa, peered into the screen, his face pale. He zoomed in on the boy’s face—scarred, dirty, but undeniably familiar.
“…It's Shiro-kun, isn't it? Really...” The club manager, standing next to him, stopped her hands. She covered her mouth to stifle a sob. Her voice was mixed with tears and laughter. The "ghost member" had become a ghost in the machine.
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Social media trends filled up at the speed of light. Hashtags ignited like wildfire.
#YuShiro #EWSReveal #HeIsReal
Comments flowed like a waterfall, a white torrent of text that obscured the video feed.
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Few comments were swallowed by the muddy stream and disappeared into the digital void.
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“…So, Black Dragon…Mister?” Claval crossed her arms and shrugged, as if saying 'good grief'. “Could you explain? Preferably facing around over there. The audience is waiting.” She pointed to the empty air. Beyond that finger, presumably, was the EWS broadcast lens, transmitting to billions.
The Black Dragon—the Master—nodded slowly.
“I rule the clan of dragons. Our clan is called the Dragon’s Nest, and I am its lord.” He turned his gaze to the invisible camera. “I am also the teacher of Roa there.”
Roa bowed slightly from the background, her hands clasped respectfully.
The Master exhaled quietly.
“I also had an old friend. That person was... from the same world as you all... and that boy there.” A puff of steam escaped his lips. He turned his gaze into the distance, looking past the lens, into the past.
Rize's eyes widened. Claval gasped, realizing who he meant.
“I didn't want to crush my friend's body with my jaws, though. It was... distasteful.” His heavy voice shook the ground.
The EWS comment section boiled over again. The screen glowed white. The text couldn't keep up with the revelations.
“Regarding the collision of our mutual worlds, I am, of course, aware of it.” The Master's voice was quiet and carried well, cutting through the static. “Let me state the conclusion. —The crisis has passed.”
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The moment the Master's words fell, the EWS comment section turned into light all at once.
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Comments surged, foaming like waves before vanishing.
Amidst the clamor, Rize took a step forward. Her armor was gone, her clothes torn, but she stood tall. Placing a hand on her chest, she spoke in a hoarse voice.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“But... Yu hasn't done anything with [Bind] yet... He didn't cast the spell...” Her voice was filled with anxiety. Claval gently touched Rize's shoulder. That gesture held the warmth of a comrade-in-arms.
“No. The boy ‘did it’.” The Black Dragon—the Master—slowly shook his head.
“…Eh?”
“The final attack in the battle just now. Single Number 008 —[T.O.R.]. The brilliance of that strike defied logic.” The Master's voice was low and full of conviction. “Its precision possessed enough absolute force to shift the ‘phase’ of this world by a fraction of a degree.”
“So you possessed such knowledge...” Roa opened her eyes wide.
“Long ago... I talked about it with my friend. Over bowls of noodles.” The Master narrowed his eyes and smiled nostalgically. “Dreaming that our mutual intellect would reach each other one day... though it didn't come true for us.”
“Don't tell me, that ‘friend’ was—” Claval gasped. Tears pricked her eyes.
“Indeed. The one you all know as the Returnee - Hoshimine -. He was my sworn friend. And the finest chef I ever knew.” The Master continued.
Rize widened her eyes. Claval bit her lip, her throat trembling, fighting back a sob.
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The wind stopped. Mana blinked small, blue sparks flying from her lashes.
“You overcame hardships and fulfilled our wish. I thank you.” The Master looked at Yu.
Yu looked up, a little surprised. His throat was dry, and words wouldn't come out.
“Could you let me hear your name? For history.” The Master's golden eyes shone quietly.
Yu stood up slowly. He brushed the sand from his pants. He looked down at Mana, who still kept her hand on her lap regretfully. He looked at Rize, Claval, Roa, Naz, and Hanara.
“…I am Yu. Yu Shiro.” He looked at the invisible camera.
At that moment, SNS trends exploded upwards. The name "Yu Shiro" leaped to number one in the global search rankings. Viewers all over the real world were shouting his name. It was a chant that spanned continents.
“Yu, you've been exposed. Your privacy is gone. But are you okay with that?” Claval smiled wryly.
“Claval, I... had actually decided.” Yu looked up at the sky and laughed a little. A weight lifted from his shoulders.
“Decided what?” Rize peeked from the side.
Yu didn't answer immediately. He just looked into the distance, toward the horizon where the sea met the sky. In his eyes, there was “the resolve to accept what comes next.”
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A Few Days Later.
The sunlight was soft, and it was a clear morning. The air smelled of fresh bread and morning dew. Yu stood in a corner of the city where Rize lived in the other world. The smell of the city, the sound of the wind, everything was somewhat gentle and nostalgic.
“…Are you going back?” Rize's voice was like a calm lake surface.
“Yeah. I'm going to properly say goodbye to everyone. My parents. My friends. My teacher.” Yu nodded.
“Hmph... Don't do anything conspicuous, okay? You're already a legend over there. Don't let it go to your head.” Claval crossed her arms and pouted.
“Yu-kun, you can use the magic Hanara-chan taught you, right?” Mana hopped on Yu's shoulder, her form small and fairy-like.
“Cognitive Inhibition, right? Just in case, yeah. I don't want a parade.” Yu smiled wryly and held up his right hand. Mana flowed quietly, and the outline of his skin melted into the air, becoming hazy and indistinct. “…With this, I can go without anyone noticing. I can be a ghost for a little longer.”
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Real World. On the way to school. The asphalt was wet with morning rain. The city hummed with life.
Yu, in his uniform, walked unnoticed by anyone. People walked past him, their eyes sliding off his form as if he were part of the background scenery. The laughter of passing students sounded like distant music.
“Did you see the news?”
“Yu Shiro... I wonder where he is?”
Just before passing through the school gate, Yu stopped. He looked up at the school building. The clock tower. The windows. Then, he inhaled slightly.
“…[Purge.]” The magic of Cognitive Inhibition dissolved. The haze vanished. He became solid.
In that instant— A girl dropped her phone. A boy threw his bike.
“…Huh!? Isn't that... Shiro!?”
“Eh, he was alive!? He’s here!”
“The real... EWS guy!? The Hero!”
A stir spread all at once. It started as a whisper and grew into a roar.
“Good morning, everyone.” Yu smiled wryly and waved his hand.
Voiceless cheers and applause echoed even from outside the school grounds. Windows opened. People leaned out.
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After School. Classes ended. The bell rang. When Yu knocked on the door of the staff room, Kaori Mamiya looked up from a pile of paperwork.
“…I knew you'd come.” Her eyes were red, heavy with dark circles.
“Sensei.” Yu bowed deeply. “Thank you for everything until now. For believing in me.”
“Because of you, I've been up almost all night dealing with the news for the past few days. The media won't stop calling.” Mamiya crossed her arms and laughed just a little. A tired, relieved sound.
“I'm sorry...” Yu said.
“Well, there's no teacher who would scold a student who saved the world. You get a pass on the homework.” She smiled. The two laughed together. There was no smell of tears in that laughter anymore. Just closure.
After leaving the staff room, Yu decided to leave the school as it was. He walked out to the schoolyard.
A circle of people had formed, looking like a festival venue. Since that day when it flowed to the whole world through EWS, this school was no longer a "normal school." It was a pilgrimage site. Teachers and students alike held up smartphones, recording. Cheers rose here and there.
“Yu!”
“Look this way!”
“Thank you!”
Yu passed through the circle, the crowd parting for him like the Red Sea. He stopped slowly in the center. The setting sun illuminated his cheek, casting him in amber light. The wind caressing his cheek felt somewhat reluctant to part.
“Thank you for everything until now!” Yu turned around and smiled. “Everyone's support supported me! It gave me strength!” His voice resonated like a microphone, clear and strong. Applause and cheers wrapped around the schoolyard, a thunderous ovation.
Then, Yu held up his right arm. Light ran along his body. Space wavered like the surface of water disturbed by a stone. The space in front of his eyes opened its mouth. A gate. A bridge.
There stood Rize and Claval. And the three members of the adventurer team Jask: Roa, Hanara, and Naz. They were smiling as if floating in light, waiting for him. Their hands reached out.
“…Not you…” Someone's voice mixed with the wind and disappeared. A whisper in the celebration.
Yu met Mamiya's eyes in the distance. She nodded, a silent farewell. Yu nodded back and advanced his steps toward the light.
Deep in that wave of people. No one noticed that a single student was approaching Yu with awkward, shuffling steps. His head was down. His hands were in his pockets.
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No one noticed. That in the approaching boy's hand, there was a dull-shining knife. A kitchen knife, stolen from home. Yu turned around one last time to wave. Beyond the light, the door connecting to the other world swayed in the wind. Rize was reaching for him.
Thuck. For an instant, shadows overlapped. A wet sound. Like punching a mesmerizing bag of meat.
“…Eh?” Yu's voice rasped. He looked down. Around the torso of his blazer, a dark red color began to spread. It bloomed like a flower.
“Not you! I! Saved! The world!” A student with wild eyes and spittle on his lips. “I was supposed to be! United with Rize and the others!! ME!!” He screamed in a shrill, broken voice.
STAB. STAB. STAB. The knife was thrust into Yu's back and chest again and again. The blade tore flesh. Red dripped onto the ground. Screams shook the schoolyard. The cheers turned to horror.
“SHIRO!!” Mamiya shouted and started running. But the wave of the crowd, panicking, surged backward and swallowed her.
The radio of the special forces monitoring from around the school issued an emergency alert.
“Target down! Hostile detected!”
“The surroundings are dangerous! Sniper, take out the assailant! Reject him NOW!”
A gunshot roared.
“Gyah...!” A bullet was driven into the student's leg. He collapsed, clutching his leg, screaming in pain, dropping the bloody knife.
“YUUUUUUUU!!!”
“YU!!!”
In that instant, the screams of Rize and Claval echoed from the other side of the light. Agony. Pure agony. The two tried to run through the gate. They clawed at the air.
“Wait! Don't go!!”
“The gate is closing! You’ll be cut in half!”
However, Naz and Roa grabbed their arms from behind, holding them back with all their strength.
“Check the intrusion from that side as is! Do not let entities cross!”
“Closing containment!”
Several bullets impacted the ground near the gate, kicking up dust. The special forces radio was communicating.
Crossing is not permitted—. Hanara, gripping her trembling fingertips with both hands, suppressing the urge to jump out right now, looked at Yu with a grief-stricken face. Tears streamed down her face. He knelt on the ground. He was stained with blood. His uniform was ruined. Yet, he was looking this way. Toward them. His eyes tried to convey something—It’s okay. And then— Thud. He collapsed. Face down in the dirt. Immediately, the light began to converge. The door to the other world closed as if screaming.
“Quickly, get those two! Or we won't make it in time!” Hanara's scream echoed, cutting off as the gate sealed.
“No! No! No! Yu is... Yu!!”
“Let go of me! Yu! Come here, Yu!”
Naz and Roa carried the thrashing Rize and Claval, taking them away into the fading light. The gate closed with a sound like a fuse blowing. Silence returned to the other side.
Angry roars, crying voices, sirens—all sounds on Earth echoed as if canceling each other out into white noise. In the schoolyard, red continued to spread around Yu. A pool of crimson on the white dust. Yu remained fallen, unmoving.
In the next moment. His body was slowly wrapped in light— Blue particles, like fireflies, began to rise from his skin. They floated up, dissolving into the air.
And suddenly— Vanished. The body was gone. The blood was gone. Only the knife remained on the ground. He left absolutely no trace behind. As though Yu Shiro had never existed at all—fading away like a fleeting, shared dream the world had witnessed for a brief, shining moment. The schoolyard had never been so quiet.