Chapter 6: Concession

Reika didn’t hesitate—she slapped Soru across the face. But the moment her palm struck his cheek, a sharp, tingling sensation shot through her own left cheek. Her head snapped slightly to the side, as if an unseen force had hit her.

Did he… just use his powers on me?!

"You...!"

Reika shoved him, but a strange force yanked her off balance and sent her crashing to the ground.

When she looked up, she met his eyes. Soru's gaze locked on her without a sense of empathy or pity. The slap she had given him landed hard, yet he remained unaffected by it.

"I understood why you acted this way, Mitsuha-san..."

Reika’s anger flared. "Enough! Do you really think you can talk your way out of this?! Even your face screams how self-centered you are!"

If you couldn’t even protect other lives, then why the hell did you bother saving me?

Soru paused for a moment. He moved without hesitation, yet for some unclear reason, he delayed his response.

"I... couldn’t understand why humans felt emotion in the first place."

Reika blinked, momentarily confused at his words.

"A-Are you messing with me? How could a grown person like you—"

"When I was young, the people who looked after me said they never saw me cry, not even once. They couldn’t understand it. A child should cry, throw tantrums—but I didn’t."

"As I grew older, I saw emotions everywhere. A child crying over a lost toy. A mother smiling as she carried her child. A dog wagging its tail at its owner. Somehow, I wanted to feel what they felt..."

"I tried everything to experience it, to be a normal human who could understand others. But no matter what I did, it was like there was something missing. I just couldn't feel it inside me."

Reika remained silent. His words sounded genuine, yet something in his tone made them feel distant.

She should’ve felt sympathy, but instead, she felt nothing.

His words carry no weight. It felt like I was listening to a story that failed to connect...!

It was flat, almost as if it was rehearsed. Reika couldn’t help but wonder if anyone could truly believe him.

"There was a time when I discovered that this entertainment called anime were popular to kids of our age. I grew curious, wondering why it had such an impact on people..."

"Someone introduced me to One Piece, saying it was one of the most popular anime in the world. I watched it, and I was amazed at how real the characters’ emotions felt. They laughed, cried, even got angry—and it all seemed genuine. The way they spoke... it felt genuine."

"I started watching other anime—Bleach, Naruto, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Overlord, and more—just to see how they portrayed different emotions. There was even a character in One Punch Man who shared a similar experience to mine. But unlike me, he could still feel something, even in the most intense moments."

Reika listened closely. Just then, something surfaced in her mind.

Wait. Could his words be true?

She locked eyes with him. She couldn't read his gray eyes at all.

For a moment, neither of them said a word.

Although, one thing was certain—despite knowing him for only a short time, she knew that Soru was a straightforward person.

Reika stood up and massaged her eyebrows, taking a moment to collect herself.

Guhh... After all that lengthy backstory, I have no choice but to believe him, somehow!

She opened her right eye and stole a glance at Soru.

Alright, time to get this straightened out...

"Shin-kun...!"

Reika took a deep breath. "Ahem! First and foremost..."

Reika bowed slowly before him. His eyes widened at her unexpected gesture.

"I apologize for my violent outburst earlier. I acted on impulse because of your... messed-up viewpoint, and I slapped you. Also..."

Reika lifted her head. "Knowing that you’ve saved me so many times, I feel deeply ashamed of how I behaved. I’m truly sorry."

"I don’t mind."

"Secondly, about your superpower... I want the truth, directly from you."

Soru's expression remained as he answered, "Yes."

Reika closed her eyes and nodded. "Good. And lastly..."

She walked toward him and pointed a finger at his head.

"Your viewpoint is so wrong! I can’t believe I met someone who’s incapable of expressing emotions, let alone understanding them. No wonder there’s not a shred of pity or empathy in your eyes every time I look at you!"

Reika stepped back and stroked her chin, as if pondering something important.

"Hmm..."

Reika's eyes lit up. "How about this? Since simply asking for an apology won’t suffice, what if I help with that problem of yours? Think of it as an extended apology, considering you’ve saved me so many times, hm?"

"...What problem are you referring to?"

Reika’s eyebrow twitched at his question.

How dense can he be to ask something like that?

"You know, the lack-of-emotions, what-chamacallit...?"

Soru paused for a moment. Then, his eyes widened slightly. "That... seems fair."

"Uh-huh? Indeed, it is fair!"

Reika smirked at him with a dignified air.

"I'll help you find your own emotions by acting as a guide whenever your decisions go off track or when something’s bothering you. Maybe, by doing that, we can kindle your dormant feelings!"

Soru took a moment to think over her words. After a brief pause, he nodded.

"Alright, I’m in."

"Hmm~? That’s good then!"

Reika paused. She's thought something that made her feel bothered.

"I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of that same issue before... Was it at a mental awareness event I attended years ago? My memory’s a bit fuzzy..."

"A doctor told me that I have a similar case of Schizoid Personality Disorder."

Reika’s eyes widened at his response.

"Eh? What about its severity...?"

"Pretty high, as I’ve been told."

Reika suddenly slapped her face.

Then this plan is probably impossible to work out in the first place! If I remember right, severe cases of SPD are hard to deal with!

She stared at him and shyly scratched her cheek. "W-Well... maybe a miracle could happen? Who knows?"

While Reika drifted into her thoughts, Soru glanced at the horizon and noticed the sun beginning to set.

"It’s getting dark. We should head back inside."

Reika looked up at the sky, now shifting into twilight. The stars, once hidden by the daylight, started to appear above them.

"Yeah..."

Reika looked beside her and noticed that Soru was gone. She turned and spotted him heading back toward the village.

"H-How could you...! Hey, wait for me, will you?!"

Soru heard her and slowed his pace. Reika caught up, and they crossed the burnt wheat field together.

"By the way, I’m curious about what you did to that dragon earlier. What kind of... method did you use?"

"I used the sun to kill it," Soru replied abruptly.

Reika blinked. She was confused. "W-What exactly did you do? You burned the dragon to death using the sun? HAHAHAHA—"

"Exactly."

Ehhh? I was right?!

"I used the sun’s overall energy release to inflict damage on the dragon and killed it with ease."

Reika stood stunned.

He used that to deal with that terrifying dragon? That sounds... kind of complex, I guess?

What Soru had done left a deep impression on her. As unbelievable as it sounded at first, she believed him.

That was a truly out-of-the-box response. The fact that he possessed the power to pull off something so absurd was kind of scary...

Reika glanced at Soru.

Although his sense of morality might be a little off, his actions had still saved many lives. Blaming him earlier for the deaths of five people had been a mistake on my part...

Reika spotted the village entrance as they approached. She suddenly stopped, watching as Soru continued walking ahead.

"H-Hey, Shin-kun!"

Hearing her call his name, Soru halted. He waited to hear what she had to say.

"Since we both came from the same place, it seems like a good idea for us to stick together. To make that work, it's important to establish some familiarity between us, don’t you think?"

Soru turned back and glanced at her. Reika’s expression looked slightly unusual, as if she was holding something back.

"To establish that familiarity, I think we should start calling each other by our first names and drop the formalities."

Soru stayed silent, giving no immediate reaction to her suggestion. Noticing his lack of response, Reika fumbled to clarify.

"F-For example, you could just call me Reika without the -san. In return, I’ll call you... S-Soru."

Despite her effort to sound casual, Soru didn't gave any immediate response. Reika couldn’t help but wonder what held him back.

Is he... hesitating?

The longer he stayed quiet, the more her nerves built up. Unable to bear the tension, she quickly covered her face in embarrassment.

Ghhk! Why did I even suggest that?! What if he thinks it’s weird?

Was it too much...?

“It’s a world different from Japan, you know? Calling each other by our family names feels out of place, s-so I thought we could use our first names from now on. Ehehe~”

Reika tried to laugh it off to hide her anxiousness.

Moments later, Soru finally spoke. “If you say so, that’s fine with me.”

Reika froze, stunned by his answer.

Did he just... agree?

Soru turned away and started walking again. A gentle breeze passed between them, the chill in the air signaling that night had fully arrived.

“Let’s go... Reika.”

The sound of her name from his lips made her pause. Then, without warning, a soft giggle escaped her. She quickly realized what she’d done and covered her mouth.

The heck was that?!

Reika took a glance at Soru, who showed no signs of stopping or looking back. She fixed her flustered reaction and hurried to catch up with him.

When they finally reached the village entrance, they saw Silas standing by the gate, a clear look of worry on his face as he approached them.

"Mister Soru, Miss Reika, where have you been? I’ve been searching for you this whole time!"

Reika scratched her cheek nervously. "I’m sorry we worried you. We were just outside the village, getting some fresh air..."

The old man sighed and softened his gesture.

"After everything that’s happened, I’m sure you must be hungry—just like the rest of us. Come with me, and I’ll get you something to eat."

The two followed Silas behind. They made their way to the gathering spot, where the villagers sat sharing meals under the dim glow of lanterns.

Reika glanced around, listening to the villagers' conversations. They spoke in a language she couldn’t understand. She chose to ignore it and focused on keeping up with Silas and Soru.

As they walked, a few faint words suddenly caught her attention.

Come here...

Amid the distinct voices speaking the language native to this world, something stood out—words she managed to understand.

Reika immediately stopped. The voice felt distant to her, yet she felt that it was nearby.

What was that?

She looked around at the villagers. Some ate, others chatted, while a few stood in line for their share of food. Everything appeared normal to her.

That voice... I’m certain it was calling me in Japanese...

A few villagers noticed her unusual pause. One woman was about to approach her, but she hesitated. She was unsure on what to do next.

While Reika and Soru were away earlier, the villagers had grown curious about the newcomers. The old man told them that they were from distant lands who spoke a different language. Due to that reason, the woman were hesitant to face Reika.

Although I want to help her, I doubt we’d understand each other...

The strange voice from earlier didn’t call her again. Although she waited for it, it never reached out to her once more.

Reika sighed.

I must have imagined it...

"Are you alright?"

Reika jolted and looked beside her. The woman next to her was speaking in Japanese.

"You...!"

The woman grinned warmly. "I can speak Japanese? Yep!"

Reika stared at the woman, confused by how fluent her Japanese was.

I thought only Silas and his son knew Japanese here... So how does she know it?

"You... who taught you to speak Japanese?"

The woman smiled brightly. "Oh! My childhood friend taught me to speak Japanese fluently."

Reika remained silent for a moment. The woman sensed her bewilderment and quickly added, "Uh... my childhood friend, Fumeirō, taught me. At first, I just learned it to gossip with him about the villagers without them knowing."

The woman grabbed both of Reika’s hands with excitement.

"Now, who would've thought that I'd meet another person who could speak Japanese fluently? Maybe learning it isn’t so bad after all!"

Reika tensed up. "Ah... yes, hehehe..."

The woman quickly let go of her hands when she realized her actions.

"Ah! I'm sorry... I got a little too excited..."

Reika smiled. "I-It's okay. I'm used to people approaching me like that..."

The woman just smiled awkwardly. Moments later, she slowly extended her hand.

"We didn’t have a proper introduction, did we? Name's Sylva, by the way."

Reika reached out and shook her hand with a warm expression.

"I'm Reika. Reika Mitsuha."

Both of them shook hands in greeting and smiled at each other.

Just then, Reika noticed something behind Sylva. She took a peek and saw the dragon’s corpse. Some portion of its lifeless body had been hacked into smaller pieces and loaded onto wagons.

"That dragon's corpse... what are they doing with it?"

Sylva turned around and saw the dragon’s remains. "Well, the village elder said that if the body is left here, it’ll rot. So, they need to take it to the forest and let it decompose there."

"Is it necessary to mutilate the corpse?"

"Hm... I think so?" Sylva replied. "The corpse is too big and heavy. Dragging it to the forest whole would take too long, so they cut it up and use wagons to transport the pieces. It’s just the quickest way."

"That makes sense..." Reika murmured as her gaze followed the workers tending the wagons.

She watched the villagers carefully cut up the dragon’s massive body. Its four large legs were being placed onto the first wagon, while other parts—its neck, head, tail, and wings—were similarly sectioned off and loaded onto separate wagons.

Sylva turned around and faced Reika.

"I’ll be guiding them to the forest. Want to come with me?"