Chapter 1: A Call to Mission in the Midst of Sorrow

School was over. The sun had shifted slightly from its peak, but its heat still stung the skin. My steps felt heavy, yet my feet wouldn't stop. Before I realized it, I was already standing right in front of the grand white-painted hospital.

I sighed for a moment, then stepped inside.

Inside, the hallways were bustling with people passing by. Some were dressed as nurses, some in long white coats with stethoscopes, a few in patient attire, and the rest in casual clothes like me.

Without many words, I headed straight to a room on the second floor. Above the door, the room number and a nameplate reading 'Rose'—the pavilion's name—were displayed. Room number four, that was where she was being treated.

My fingers had touched the doorknob, but I still hesitated to open it. I took a few breaths, preparing myself before slowly turning it open.

Up ahead, a girl lay on a white bed with her eyes closed. Right beside her, a monitor beeped loudly. A long, wavy line rose and fell rapidly, indicating her condition was still stable.

I stepped closer, looking at her from head to toe with a restlessness I couldn't hide.

Her once-soft milky white skin was now paler and drier—rarely touched by water. Her long green hair looked slightly tangled, never combed anymore. Her usual jasmine-like fragrance was now no different from the smell of chemical medicines.

I forced a smile. "Good morning, Sakura. You know, today..."

My mouth was still open, about to tell a story, about to share news from school. But no matter how hard I tried, my voice wouldn't come out. In the end, my words ended only with that greeting.

"Today, it ends here, huh..."

I turned and left her just like that.

As soon as I closed the door, a girl with a ponytail was already waiting for me outside. Her arms were crossed. Her back rested against the wall. Her expression was flat, matching the empty gaze of her golden irises.

"How is she?"

I shook my head slowly. "Nothing's changed," I said softly. I glanced at her sharply. "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"First, visiting your friend. Second, picking you up."

She then handed me a roll of old paper, which I accepted, though with a hint of reluctance.

"What's this?"

"Our mission."

"You mean your mission?"

"Our."

No words were exchanged for a few seconds. Only sharp stares clashing. She with her resolve. And I with my disgust.

I sighed in resignation. "If it weren't for you guys. Sakura would definitely—"

"It would still have happened. The Hyakki Yagyo has summoned many Fearborn. Whether we were there or not, your friend would still have become a victim."

"Then... why didn't you come sooner that time? Why didn't you try to prevent the disaster before it actually happened? And why was the security so lax at such a vulnerable spot?"

The girl fell silent.

Silence filled the space between us.

"I have no obligation to answer. That's a matter for the higher-ups."

I raised an eyebrow. "Again. The same answer. I'm starting to get sick of hearing it over and over. Is there no other explanation?"

"No."

"You..."

My eye twitched slightly. Though she looked calm, this girl was actually quite stubborn. And I had realized that from the very beginning we met. Whatever logic I used to refuse would surely crumble before her ego. It was impossible to fight her.

"We'll be waiting for you tonight."

"I won't come."

"You will come."

"Will they come?"

The girl only shrugged. A faint smile spread across her lips before she finally turned and left me alone in the quiet hallway, filled with the faint scent of chemical medicines. Slowly, her back disappeared from my sight until nothing remained there.

---

The night sky had fully swallowed the sunlight. Stars were scattered, adorning the dark curtain with their sparkle.

Beneath that sky, I stood, looking up into the void. Unfortunately, perhaps only in my eyes, the stars' light seemed dimmer than the last time I saw them with Sakura.

I closed my eyes, letting the cold wind pierce through to the deepest recesses of my bones. My hand unconsciously moved to my waist, where the anime keychain Sakura had given me dangled.

After the tragic incident that befell us, that keychain became a reminder and a good luck charm that I never forgot to carry with me, wherever and whenever.

The night wind kept blowing against my face, carrying a silence that soothed the heart. Unfortunately, that peace shattered when a voice called me sharply from behind.

"Hey, newbie. Stop daydreaming. If you don't close the gate soon, a lot of people will be in danger."

I turned, finding a short red-haired girl staring at me with sparkling sapphire blue eyes. The corners of her lips were turned down, clearly annoyed. Beside her stood the ponytailed girl, still with that unreadable flat expression.

"The others haven't even arrived yet. Why the rush?"

The red-haired girl raised one eyebrow. "You mean Rachel and Tirta, huh? They'll catch up after finishing their other business. Enough with the questions. The longer the gate stays open, the greater the chance civilians get trapped inside."

"What do I care?"

A vein bulged at the corner of her forehead. "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to act like some cool character from your anime, huh?" She walked closer, pressing her fingertip against my chest. "Listen, we're in the real world, and don't think for a second you're the MC in those anime you watch, got it!"

I just stayed silent.

Seeing my indifference, she turned away and sighed. "This is why I hate beginners. Especially if they're an otaku or something. A delusional kid who thinks he's the main character in some weekly trash story. Can't you drop that chuunibyou act of yours?"

Once again, I just stayed silent.

Let her think whatever she wanted of me. The truth was, everything coming out of her mouth was just empty talk. To me, that girl was like a duck that kept quacking endlessly whenever someone else was in front of her.

The ponytailed girl pursed her lips. "Actually... Yuuki isn't the person you think he is, Ichinose-chan."

Yes. Ichinose, that was the name of the red-haired girl who was now standing with her hands on her hips, full of pride.

"You can't keep saying that, Rena-chan. You can't keep defending a beginner like him." She pointed at me cynically. "Sometimes you have to kick his butt to make him realize this is the real world, not an anime!"

"But—"

"Ah, I don't want to hear your nonsense. Let's just close the gate before anyone gets trapped in there. It'll be even more troublesome to fight while protecting others inside the portal. Not to mention all the things we have to do after evacuating the victims."

Rena's hand lifted, as if to stop her. But Ichinose had already pressed a piece of paper against the glass wall in front of her. After that, the girl stepped through the glass as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Rena glanced at me once. "Sorry about her attitude."

"It's fine. I don't care about her attitude anyway."

Our conversation didn't continue after Rena entered the glass. Like a calm lake that had just been dipped into, ripples still lingered on the glass surface. They moved for a moment before finally settling down again.

No matter how many times I saw it, I still couldn't believe it. It felt like being in a tokusatsu show I used to watch as a kid. How could solid glass suddenly become like a calm lake that anyone could enter at any time?

Unfortunately, there was no time to keep being amazed.

I immediately followed into the mirror. A heavy sensation, like wading through a thick layer of water, immediately filled me. Soon after my chest felt light, I realized I was on the other side of the world.

Ah... this place again.