[09 — Straight Ahead?]

It's strange...

They say time always finds a way to erase everything, but no matter how much of it passes, I always end up back here.

That gray sky, the cream-colored ground, the wires circling the edges of the building—the same structure every single time. And yet, no matter how hard I think about it… I can't figure out what it's supposed to mean.

I hear children in the background, lean against the wire, and watch them running around the school court...

It's something that happens every time: I already know what they look like, how they run, the pitch of their voices, their clothes, yet I still walk to the very edge of the rooftop to watch them.

This is the first of the 'canonical episodes' I can't skip.

And here come the footsteps.

It's in that moment I realize I'm not alone up here, and I see someone approaching from my right.

I can't see my own expression, but with every step, my whole body trembles and my stomach twists.

The moment she appears, the corner of my mouth lifts on its own.

I turn toward her, but I can't see her face. The only thing that comes into focus is her clothes, and even then, there's nothing special about them. Just a plain dark school uniform, like any other, without any details that stand out.

"Katou..."

She always calls me that. No honorifics.

Right after she speaks, my mouth starts moving.

My tongue touches my teeth, my throat vibrates, yet there's no sound. Even with my vocal cords intact, there's no voice. I can't hear a single thing I'm saying.

She slips past the safety wire and sits on the edge of the building.

I try to warn her that it's dangerous, that she shouldn't be sitting there, but my mouth doesn't move.

It's like I'm an actor without lines, watching the scene from the audience.

Then, even without eyes, she looks straight at me.

"I'm not afraid of falling, Katou. I know you'll save me, right?"

"I know ■ you'll
■ afraid "

"■ Save Katou
falling"

"Katou
■ you
right ■"

"■ have ■ 
afraid,
■save."

"■■■ Katou"

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

.............
......
...
..
.

Clatter-clatter… clatter-clatter.

I hear an irritating, steady noise.

It sounds like wheels rattling over stone, almost exactly like the sound I used to hear when my parents took me to visit my grandparents in the countryside.

Except, of course, that back then there was comfort in it. This time, the contrast couldn't be sharper.

Still... it wasn't that bad a feeling.

I mean, it's not a pillow, but whatever it is, it's pretty soft.

Along with the wheels, I also catch the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground at high speed. Combined with the cramped space between my feet and the wall, I figure I must be inside some kind of vehicle, heading somewhere.

Now, the most important part—the moment I got inside here—is missing from my memories...

In the air, there's a sweet scent. Not too strong, but since I seem to be sitting close to its source, it's starting to get a little sickening.

"What is it?" a familiar voice asks.

It's Ruru, but I don't think she's talking to me.

"W-what do you mean, what?"

...That petty tone... I can guess exactly who it is.

"You keep looking over here. I thought you had something to say."

"L-looking? Who's looking at who?"

"Haha... no need to deny it. I know what you want to ask. You want to know if he's okay, right?"

"..."

"Sweetie... sometimes silence gives away more than words, you know?"

"U-urgh... w-why is he all bandaged up?"

"Oh, this? Well, it'd take too long to wrap each part separately, so I just did it all at once to save time."

...That damn Ruru... so that's why I can't move properly.

"D-did he have that many injuries?"

... Oh?

"Nothing serious. He fell while running and got scratched up on some branches."

"And do you know if he hit his head?"

... Oooh?

"W-why do you ask?"

"It's just that I'm sure I saw him talking to himself and gesturing in the air."

Give me my shock back!!!

"Pff... don't worry, that's just him acting normal."

Ruru seemed to be mocking me.

"What kind of relationship do you two have?"

Nice, Grumpy!

"W-what do you mean? Why would you assume we have a relationship?"

"Well, I doubt you'd let him rest his head on your lap if you didn't. You two seem pretty close.~"

...This girl... where does she even learn these things?

Wait. What did she just say?

"Ah! The weather's so nice today, isn't it? Why don't we open the window?"

"Hey! Don't change the subject!"

...So I'm lying on Ruru's lap.

That does explain a lot...

"..."

Explains it, sure, but doesn't hurt to take a peek—

"Comfortable, Destroyer-sama?"

I lift my head instantly.

"Nn... haa~ good morning, Ruru."

"..."

Something in her eyes tells me my little act didn't work.

Thud.

A light touch against my shin.

"Hey! I'm here too!"

"Hoh... didn't expect to find the grumpy little girl with us."

"Who's grumpy little girl?! My name is Sera, you jerk!"

"What a lovely name you have, Sera," Ruru said.

"Hmph... whatever."

...Well... at least she's still the same as before.

*

With the carriage window open, I could feel the gentle breeze brushing against my skin. Though I was on the verge of freezing to death, Ruru seemed to be enjoying the scenery.

...Now that I'm paying attention, I notice she's not wearing her blue outfit.

I know I just woke up, but I can't shake the feeling I've missed quite a few important details.

Wait... what happened to my clothes?

"I took the liberty of removing your clothes and bandaging you, Destroyer-sama."

"..."

"You don't have to worry. I didn't see anything I shouldn't have."

...The look on her face said exactly the opposite.

"I-I see. Your bandaging skills get better by the day."

"Oh, you noticed?"

Setting aside the fact that my privacy had been completely violated while I slept, my biggest problem right now was my curiosity.

There were too many questions in the air and almost no answers.

Obviously, I couldn't just start asking them outright. Doing that would raise all kinds of suspicions about my sanity.

Thanks to that damn Vindt, my knowledge of the game couldn't be used, but I couldn't afford to let that turn into a disadvantage.

On top of that, there was Ruru. She was probably my ally, but precisely because of that, she'd be the biggest obstacle in keeping my act together.

The fact that she called me '-sama' was also a little unsettling, making me worried about what it might imply.

The first theory that came to mind was that I was some kind of noble and she was my servant.

But judging by my clothes, the fact that I was barefoot, and the fact that I was basically broke, I strongly doubted that theory.

The second possibility was even scarier, because that kind of treatment could also mean we had a... 'questionable' kind of relationship—

"What is it, Destroyer-sama?"

"Ahem... I was just admiring the road. I didn't notice it before when I walked into the forest, but the city's actually farther than I imagined."

"Ara... that's because, to get to the main road, we have to take a longer route instead of just crossing the fields."

"I-I see."

...Somehow, that worked.

I need to be careful around her. It's almost like she can read my mind.

Thud!

This time, the kick to my shin was a lot stronger than the last one.

"Why do you keep hitting me?"

"Y-you know my name, but you still haven't told me yours..."

"Ah. My name is K—"

"His name is Destroyer..."

...Hm? What was that?

"D-Destroyer? That's a real name?"

"Haha... yes. Where we come from, those names are quite common. By the way, my name is Ruru."

"I see..."

As I watched the scenery outside, I noticed this world wasn't all that different from the Earth I remembered.

There was still just one sun, one moon, green grass, trees, stones... sand—everything exactly the same.

I mean, I've never been inside a forest before, but I had plenty of internet references in my head to compare with.

Still, if I had to point out one thing that didn't exist back home (at least not publicly), it would be magic.

I might be losing it, but what she did definitely wasn't normal...

I'd have to investigate more when we reached the city...

"...!"

Suddenly, a thought hit me. Urgent enough that I had to speak.

"Guys... I've got a question. If Sera's in front of me, Ruru's next to me, and I'm also here in the back... then...

WHO THE HELL IS DRIVING THE HORSES?!"