A year ago, I do remember the time the world would meet its end.
Everyone only saw despair before them and what they could do was just run away.
But, I proceed to an unknown forest by accident. It was not a good place as the world was trembling by the great earthquake.
In that situation, I saw a man with black curly hair.
He seemed calm with no slight fear over the situation as if he had an idea how to end the disaster.
He was walking approaching the giant tree and I saw a light come out from it gathering him as if it was enveloping the guy.
As the light vanished, I saw a miracle.
The world turned to be what it used to be, the disaster was over in a jiffy like that.
I am sure that the young guy I saw back then is a true hero, an unknown hero.
I hope one day I could be like him though it seems impossible. Sacrificing my life for the world is impossible for me. The truth is I am nothing but a useless scum.
In the afternoon, I saw a ruckus in a sorrow alley. Some thugs are beating up a guy that he falls on the ground. He is a young guy with brown straight hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a green hoodie.
This year, the guy is 20 years old and his name is Michio Takayuki. His condition right now is kinda bad, being beaten up by thugs in a sorrow alley.
"You! This is not the time to be a hero!"
One of them exclaimed. Yet, Takayuki gets up and says,
"I won't let you hurt her! If you are still persistent, I'll beat your ass black and blue!"
Takayuki charges to beat up one of them, but it doesn't work that he ends up being beaten up again.
"Ugh!!!"
One thug is strangling Takayuki's neck. The brown-haired guy is trying to escape from the grasp yet he finds it difficult.
"What's with beating our ass black and blue? You are out of our league, you swine!"
The thug jabs Takayuki and Takayuki falls on the floor, and suddenly a long-haired girl enters.
"Stop it!!!"
She said.
Previously, Takayuki saw a girl being assaulted by the thugs by accident. As he couldn't stay still after seeing that, he pushed himself to stop them which ended up him getting beaten up like that.
"We won't you cause any trouble, Yui!"
"You caused trouble to our friends as you took advantage of them, you know that?! "
They said.
"That's their fault for being easy to trick, right? Just by confessing to them, they easily gave me a lot of money. Of course, after getting the money I just have to dump them, right?"
The answer gets their nerves.
"Looks like we need to give you a lesson!"
One of them is about to attack her.
Quickly, Takayuki protects Yui by letting himself get jabbed by the thug. Though it's painful, he still stands.
"I told you… I won't let you hurt her…"
He said.
"You! Still not giving up, eh?!"
One of them exclaimed.
Though he knows that he is weak, he won't let them hurt Yui as they wish. The brown-haired guy is upset by them who easily hurts a girl. He then clenches his hand.
"Take this!!!"
The thug is about to jab him again.
But, suddenly he can see the movement that Takayuki swiftly dodges the fist and jabs the face of the thug.
"Ugh!!! Bastard!!"
The thug swore in pain.
Takayuki is surprised as he can detect one's movement that he could beat the thug down.
'This is the first time I beat someone and launch a counter-attack!"
Takayuki said in his mind.
Yet, he can't fight against two men in a row, though he can see their movement, it won't do good as Takayuki is not that strong to take them down.
In the end, he ends up beaten up and he falls to the ground. Then the thug he beat up back then pulls Takayuki's body.
"You want to protect her yet you can't protect yourself?! Die!"
The tugh pummels Takayuki.
"Ughh!! Bagh!!"
Takayuki exclaimed in pain.
"Oi oi! Isn't it too much?"
"That's right! He's just a brat!"
After the other thugs said that, the thug lets Takayuki off. Then they are approaching Yui.
"What are you gonna do?"
The panicked Yui asked.
"Giving you some lessons!"
One thug shoves her to the wall.
"Kyaaa! Stop it!!"
"That's okay, right? At least, you will stop doing that. Hehehe."
Haven't finished his words, one of them screams in pain when Takayuki is pulling the thug's hair and punches the guy really hard.
"That's too much, you scum!!"
Takayuki exclaimed.
"He is still---"
That surprises the first thug, yet the thug is not afraid of it that he smirks when he sees Takayuki is being held by his friends.
"Get him, now!"
Said the second thug.
Without any hesitation, the first thug jabs Takayuki's stomach.
"Ugh!"
The fist from the first thug is really strong that Takayuki coughs blood.
"Take this!!"
It's not done yet. The first thug smashes Takayuki's face without knowing when to stop that Takayuki's face is full of bruises and blood. Later, the brown-haired guy is thrown to the floor.
"That's right, the truth is you are nothing but useless scum…"
Takayuki said while lying and seeing the thugs assault Yui.
"I hate myself."
Takayuki said punching the floor.
In the middle of the downfall, the first thug is about to violate Yui, and a guy with a hat is seen kicking the first thug that the thug thuds.
"Oi, what the heck are you doing?"
The guy with a hat said as he gives sadistic smile at them.
"Ryoichi! Don't get in the way! You know that this bitch has caused us troubles, right?"
The first thug said.
"Yeah, what a golddigger."
Ryoichi answered in agreement that the first thug is glad to know that.
"Then, you agree with me, right? Let's--"
In the middle of his words, Ryoichi smashes the face of the thug. He is a 19-year-old short-haired guy who likes wearing a hat named Ryoichi Daisuke.
He used to be known as the strongest thug of Ichikawa alley who liked to make trouble, but after the incident a year ago, he changed himself.
"Aww! Damn you Ryoichi?! What the hell are you doing?! Help me beat him up!"
The first thug exclaimed.
"If it's Ryoichi…"
"I give up!"
With fear and a will not to fight, the duo runs away leaving the first thug. This thing of course gets in the first thug's nerves as he was left by his cowardly friends.
"Fuck you!!"
Ryoichi takes off his jacket and gives it to Yui.
"Wear it!"
His words impress Yui.
"I will never forgive you, Ryoichi"
The thug charges Ryoichi out of the blue, yet Ryoichi easily parries the thug. Ryoichi immediately smashes the face of the thug that the thug falls unconscious.
"Great smash!"
Takayuki said.
Ryoichi then approaches her.
"Listen! If you make another problem here, the same thing will happen again!"
He told her firmly. She just nods while grumbling as she wears the jacket.
"Of course! Not gonna happen."
That only makes him sigh and shake his head as she looks so persistent. He then looks at Takayuki and comes to the guy who tried to protect her.
"You look wary, come on. Hey, can you get up?"
Ryoichi said giving Takayuki a hand. Takayuki just nods.
"Thanks…"
Takayuki takes the hand and gets up.
"Looks like I'd bring you to the hospital. Look at those bruises on your face."
Ryoichi looks at Takayuki's condition and offers him help, yet Takayuki just shakes his head.
"Don't mind…"
Takayuki refused.
"No, no! Let's go!"
Ryoichi tugs Takayuki.
"Wait! You guys just leave me like that?!"
Yui exclaimed.
---
A year ago, Satou Hideaki sacrificed himself to save the world from the judgment caused by the Yggdrasil. But, thanks to that, the monsters lurking around Ichikawa city faded away. As the city had been united to Yawata no Yabushirazu forest, then the city remains a dead city.
Many people who don't have a place to live remain there and that makes the city full of thugs and homeless people. Not to mention that the city has become a city with no law. That's why you have to be careful in Ichikawa city.
Stephen Smith, as the leader of the WTM, thought that every incident related to the Yggdrasil is over already.
"So, it's not done yet, eh?"
The wounded Stephen Smith said seeing so many monsters emerged and that overwhelmed many troops of the WTM as they were outnumbered.
"I can't die here… I have to tell them that the disaster is not over yet!"
Stephen Smith said as he was trying to get up, yet as he was trying to run away, he saw a mysterious figure close to the Yggdrasil.
"He is…"
The flame entered surrounding him and with reflex, he dodged it, yet the flame dissolved the ground he sets on that he falls.
"Is this my end?"
Stephen Smith said.
Ever since the event, Stephen Smith was reported missing and as the WTM has lost their leader, then it's automatically taken by the government.
Then, Yumeno who just knew about that made a move to figure out herself about what was really happening to Stephen Smith, yet before she left the WTM, the government gave a hint, a photo.
Yumeno then explored the place in the photo, Ichikawa city, a dead city that came a year ago.
"Here, eh? The place where the man is?"
She said saw the photo. The guy in the photo seemed familiar from the straight hair and brown eyes, Michio Takayuki.
---
Finally, Ryoichi takes Takayuki to a clinic to treat the bruises on his face from the fight with the thugs. As hos face gets treated with some medicines and gets bandaged so the recovery will be cured. As time goes by quite long that the sky gets dark as the sun has been turned by the moon.
"I am sorry, in the end, you had to bring me here."
Ryoichi said.
"It's enough."
Takayuki answered.
"Are you homeless? What are you doing in this city?"
"What's with the city?"
"You don't know that this is a dead city?"
"No, I can't remember why I ended up here."
Takayuki answered.
"Huh?! Then, what is your name? You must have a name, right?"
"Name's Michio Takayuki"
"I'm Ryoichi Daisuke! Nice to meet you, Michio!"
"Nice to meet you too, Daisuke-san."
Takayuki answered.
"Good work, you guys. Thanks for protecting this Michiko Yui, hohoho~"
Yui said and laughs like how a noble in 90's anime that makes Ryoichi give her a cold gaze.
"You are still here? Just go home already!"
Ryoichi said trying to kick her out as he thinks that she is nothing but a troublemaker. Of course, that startles her and gets her nerves a bit.
"How rude! Then, I'll thank him instead!"
Yui said holding Takayuki's hand and that make him uneasy about being hugged by a girl like her.
"L-let off me!"
Takayuki exclaimed trying to get off her hand and she just smiles as holding her laugh for his look.
"You are blushing there. Hahaha!"
Seeing that, Ryoichi shoves her that she lets off Takayuki.
"Let him go! You heard him, didn't you?"
Ryoichi exclaimed.
"I could do that myself! Hmph!"
"Then, just go home! Don't cause any troubles!"
"I don't want to!"
"Ah, I see… No wonder, it's a dead city. Good for garbage like you…"
"Say what?!"
Yui exclaimed, yet she comes with Ryoichi and Takayuki who are heading to the slum house in Ichikawa. As they arrive, they can see so many homeless people around trash cans and some also live in a house made of the cardboard box.
"What is this place…?"
Takayuki asked.
"The place of the people here. You don't have a place to live, right?"
Takayuki just nods.
"Wait… I am going back."
"I got it."
Saying that, Ryoichi leaves Takayuki and Yui. The girl who is standing beside the brown-haired guy just put a disgusted look for seeing her surrounding.
"What's his problem? How dare he put us in this hobo slum!"
"I have no idea."
"Didn't you have any other answers?!"
"I'm sorry."
"Hmph!"
"Um… Sorry?"
"Stop apologizing!"
"Ah, right!"
Takayuki is surprised that he becomes tense as he heard her and then they see Ryoichi Daisuke returning with a bag.
"Sorry for the wait. I was just preparing this."
Ryoichi said setting a tent he just took out from the bad.
"Eh? What is this for?"
"Of course, it's your bed!"
Ryoichi smiled.
"Wait, is this all right? We are not that close though."
"That's right. There is much stuff I'd like to ask you, but it'd better get some rest!"
Ryoichi answered.
"Wait a minute! What about me? You didn't give me a tent?!"
Yui exclaimed.
"Why should I?"
"Seriously you won't?! Do I have to sleep on the trash cans? Nooooo! I don't want to!"
Yu whined like a little girl and the cry gets in Ryoichi's nerve that you can see it from his forehead. With no other choice, he throws a roll of a tent at her and she catches it.
"Catch! But you have to set it up yourself! Good night. See you tomorrow!"
Saying that, he leaves Takayuki and Yui. Ryoichi just ignores Yui who whines asking to set the tent.
Later, the morning has come.
"Morning! Get up."
Yui said waking up Takayuki by sitting on him.
"Um… Morning~"
Takayuki said who is just awakened as he is still sleepy. Both of his droopy eyes feel heavy and he feels something strange with the position he's having right now.
"Enjoying it, eh? Do you like it?"
Her question makes him open his eyes wide and he realizes the situation right now. His face is getting red and he immediately shoves her that she comes out of the tent.
"What's with you?! Doing that to me out of the blue like that!"
Takayuki exclaimed.
"What's with your problem?! It's fanservice for you!"
"What did you do in my tent?!"
"As if I know how to set up a tent!"
"Wait a sec, so you were sleeping with me all night long here?!"
He asked. The girl just smiles and winks.
"Exactly~"
Hearing the answers, he closes his face with his hands in embarrassment.
"You should be grateful that you could sleep with me."
She said with her face getting closer to him.
"So this is how you play with boys, eh?"
Ryoichi who is on the tent hole said and he sees Yui tempting Takayuki. He then stops Yui once he knows what is happening right now.
"Finally you come! You can't believe how hard last night was, huh?!"
Ryoichi ignores Yui and gives a plastic with a Styrofoam pack in it to Takayuki.
"What's that?"
"Breakfast. You haven't had anything, have you?"
Takayuki nods and takes the food. As she sees the duo, Yui realizes something and exclaims.
"Wait! Where's my breakfast?!"
Ryoichi throws a piece of bread at her. She then catches it.
"Bon appetite!"
"A piece of bread!? You must be joking!"
"Doesn't a woman have to take care of her body?"
Ryoichi smirked.
"Hmph! Didn't expect you to know that!"
Yui then has her bread in bad mood, while Takayuki is digging in his meal. Something then gets Ryoichi's interest when he accidentally sees something strange from the guy named Michio Takayuki.
"Ah! The bruises on your face have been recovered, eh? How fast."
Ryoichi said.
"Eh? Really? No wonder I don't feel pain anymore."
Takayuki said letting off the bandage from his face.
"You didn't realize it? Hahaha!"
Ryoichi chuckled.
"As I thought, a piece of bread won't do!! Ughhh~~"
Yui argued while touching her growling tummy and that makes Ryoichi burst out a laugh.
"Serve you right, hahaha!"
"How rude!"
Takayuki just smiles as he sees them.
"Oh right, I think it's time to ask you Michio!"
Ryoichi said.
"That's right. I haven't told you about me."
"Yeah, that'd be good if we talk about each other, right? Then we can know each other."
Ryoichi answered.
"I get it, actually I am a NEET."
Takayuki answered.
"Why are you becoming a NEET, Michio?"
Ryoichi asked.
"I was dumped by my family for my grades were not perfect. And in the end, I had to look for a job for a living."
"Then, did you make it?"
Ryoichi asked.
"Of course he was fired! He's a NEET, hahaha!"
Yui is laughing at Takayuki and Ryoichi gets pissed as the girl can't take a hint.
"For god's sake!"
Ryoichi argued.
"That's right, I was hired, yet 3 months later, I was fired as I couldn't work well."
"That must be troublesome. Working does need an exact experience and if you push yourself, you'll end up like that."
"Well, I managed to get paid when they fired me, you can say that it's my severance pay."
"Ain't that great? You could survive for a while, right?"
"Then, I made a mistake. I didn't use it as little as possible but I used it for playing hame instead. That time, I prioritized game as it's more beautiful than real life."
"That's what you call a NEET, hahaha!"
Yui said.
"If you laugh at him again, I'll kick you outta here!"
Ryoichi argued.
"Ok, ok, I am just joking around ha-ha-ha…"
"After that, a year after the accident."
When Takayuki said that, Ryoichi is surprised, yet he let Takayuki continue.
"It ruined my apartment. I was just able to run away, but without even realizing it, I ended up in a forest. There, I saw a young guy…"
"A young guy?! In the forest?! Don't tell me-"
"A young guy with black curly hair. He was walking to the giant tree ignoring the great earthquake."
Ryoichi remains silent as he hears Takayuki out. Then Takayuki goes on.
"Yet, he kept walking to that giant tree that he stood before the light that came from the tree. And then the miracle happened."
Ryoichi then answers,
"The disaster then stopped out of the blue."
"That's right! Afterward, what I remembered is I ended up here."
Takayuki answered.
"I don't quite understand what happened, but you are talking about the incident last year, right? That was fearsome."
Yui said.
"It's obvious. It's Satou Hideaki."
Ryoichi said.
"Eh!? Daisuke san knows it?!"
"Yeah! He is the one that changed my life up until now!"
"Tell me what do you know about him!"
Takayuki said.
"Hold your horses, Michio. I'll tell you but I didn't expect something like that is the reason for the incident a year ago. That's why he disappeared."
Ryoichi said.
---
Yumeno is looking for where Takayuki is. Then her phone rings and she checks it.
"Um?"
She is surprised by seeing what's on her phone.
"They must be joking, right? They let Isshin Kira free?!"
Yumeno exclaimed.
---
This time, the WTM army is busy as they are overwhelmed ever since Stephen Smith's disappearance and they are surprised to see Isshin Kira proceeds their base. One of them then approaches him and tries to stop him.
"What are you doing here?!"
Said one of them. But, suddenly Kayonna Charlee approaches Isshin Kira and stands next to him.
"From now on, he will be the leader of the WTM!"
Kayonna Charlee said.
After hearing such absurd stuff, most of them argue in disagreement as Isshin Kira is the main cause of the incident that happened last year.
"I just want to be the strongest."
Isshin Kira said.
"Say what?!"
"How could they let him go?!"
They argued.
"As Satou Hideaki defeated me. Ever since that time, I have been training myself to be the strongest."
Isshin Kira said.
"In other words, you have become stronger, eh? Isshin Kira?!"
One of them exclaimed.
Isshin Kira then answers,
"My name is not Isshin Kira! From now on, my name is Issho Kemen! The strongest only have one thing to do, protect the weaklings! So, listen up, from now on, I'll protect you!"
His statement that sounds absurd manages to shut them up. Kayonna Charlee then smiles when she sees how they react and Isshin Kira who changed his name to Issho Kemen.