Suddenly… someone complained.
"Where did all the papers go?! Why are they all torn?!"
He raised his voice a little, causing noise in the large library, staring intensely at the book that was missing several pages.
Not long after, someone gently scolded him.
"Ace… can you not be loud?!"
A woman with long, glossy black hair and bangs, her dark eyes filled with irritation, stared at Ace.
She stood up from her seat among the other people in the library.
Ace was startled, his body instantly stiffening the moment he heard the scolding from someone very familiar to him. In his heart he muttered while covering his face with the book he had been reading,
"Damn it, why does she have to be here?!"
That woman began approaching Ace with steps that felt threatening.
Ace realized she was getting closer with a different aura.
He quickly stood, panicking as more people started to look at him.
"Okay okay, I'm leaving!!"
He suddenly sprinted down the aisle, causing a small commotion in the quiet library.
The woman froze in frustration, lowering her head. Her expression darkened as she stood in the middle of the situation.
…
As Ace neared the exit, everyone in the library stared at him—confused, annoyed, and curious.
"Haaahh… finally."
Once he reached the door, he pushed it open with a body already exhausted from running.
…
Ace checked his phone to see the time. He didn't realize how long he had spent in that library.
"It's already five in the afternoon… I guess I enjoyed the novel too much. But it's really amazing."
He muttered about the book he had just read in the library, eyes burning with enthusiasm.
On his way home, Ace watched the world around him.
Parents walking with their children, couples enjoying their fragile version of love—people struggling, sacrificing for their lives.
…
Time showed six in the evening.
Ace finally arrived at his modest home. He stared at his front door with an expression hard to read.
Ace was a simple guy who never looked for trouble.
He came from parents of different countries—his mother Japanese, his father Russian.
At eighteen years old, he was still a third-year student at a high school in Japan called…
"Hakama High School," located in Fukuoka. Not too far, not too close from his home.
. . .
After the long trip from his school library, he immediately entered his house, closing the door in utter exhaustion.
He quickly climbed the stairs to his room upstairs.
"Alone again… for the hundredth time. Hehe."
He slowly opened his door, froze for a moment, then walked in.
He chuckled lightly as he felt the familiar loneliness within the empty house.
He lay down, glancing around his room—minimalist, not small but not big either.
A poster of his beautiful idol, perfectly matching his type, hung on the wall.
He lifted the novel he brought home, examining it again with deep curiosity.
"I'm still curious about Elevanour… Can he escape from the dimension of the past?"
"And imagine if this world had powers like that! Just think—paying a taxi driver with my muscle strength that can throw buildings, ahahaha."
He placed the book on his chest as he lay there, still smiling.
The wind entered through his window, the orange sunset illuminating his nostalgic evening.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Someone was calling him.
"Rinngg…"
He pulled out his phone—it was his close friend.
He picked up. "What?"
Immediately, the person on the phone shouted.
"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU LEFT ME ALONE IN THE LIBRARY?! WHERE DID YOU GO, YOU BASTARD?!"
Ace froze—he had forgotten he left his friend in the library when he ran after being scolded by the woman.
"I—I had something urgent, okay?! I had to buy something for my par—"
He spoke fast, trying to cover his mistake, but he was cut off.
"Excuses. Don't you live alone? I'm coming to your house."
His friend hung up.
"Hear me ou—"
"HEY DON'T HANG UP—"
He sighed helplessly, tossing his phone onto the bed and staring at the glowing window while lying back down.
Ace muttered, annoyed but low.
"He's right though. My parents… they're not here.
They're in prison just because they spoke up against those stupid, old government officials."
He stared at the white ceiling, expression empty—boredom swallowing him whole.
Slowly… his eyes grew heavy. His vision blurred. His mind drifted empty.
The soft breeze from the outside relaxed his tired body and thoughts.
Within seconds, he fell fast asleep.
…
In the middle of his sleep, Ace woke to a faint noise outside his house.
"Ding-dong… DING-DONG!"
Someone was pressing the doorbell repeatedly.
He rose from his bed, stretching sluggishly.
"Yeah… wait a second."
He left his room with a tired body.
When he opened the front door, it wasn't what he expected.
He thought it was his friend.
Instead, a tall unfamiliar man stood there.
His long dark red hair tied back, a sharp expression, wearing a formal all-white suit, glasses, and sucking on a small white-sticked candy.
The man stared sharply at him, as if saying,
"Do you have money? If not, your life is the payment!! HAHA!"
Ace immediately slammed the door shut with a loud thud, expression bored and half-asleep after seeing this stranger.
"Sorry, this house is temporarily unavailable," Ace said flatly.
Not long after, the man spoke from behind the door.
"Oh come on, I'm not even a smoker."
His tone sounded frustrated.
Ace replied,
"SO WHAT?! YOU'RE A STRANGER!
And an old man at that—probably gets tired fast, overthinks everything…
At least that's what you look like, hehe. Sorry if I'm wrong, uncle."
He scratched his head while saying things that pierced the man's pride.
His face remained innocent as if he said nothing wrong.
"Wha—WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU BRAT?!"
The man was furious at Ace's words.
Suddenly, there were heavy footsteps pushing forward.
Without warning… the man stepped through—literally through the door, entering Ace's house.
Ace froze. Sweat ran down his face. His body stiffened, eyes locked downward, scratching his hair nervously.
The man bit down on his candy, the crack echoing sharply as he glared at Ace like a predator.
Ace whispered nonsense in terror,
"Uu aa… uu aa?"
His eyes unfocused, mouth stiff, his whole presence collapsing under the man's overwhelming aura.
The man stepped closer, breath sharp and terrifying.
Ace stumbled back, falling to the floor.
"I like women… (he suddenly went hysterical)
I LIKE A WOMAN, OKAY!!"
He panicked dramatically, making the man sigh.
SLAP!
Now the two sat together in the living room.
Ace held his left cheek, red from being slapped.
The man suddenly turned serious.
He removed his glasses and placed them on the table.
He exhaled deeply, opening his eyes slowly.
"Alright, this time I'll be serious. My name is Reiko Jougar. I am one of—"
"Ghrrr… Zzz…"
Ace had already fallen asleep, sprawled across the chair, snoring loudly.
Reiko ignored it and continued.
"One of the nation's organizations connected to the information about your parents—"
"Ghrrr… You talk too much like a monkey haha~ Ghrrr…"
Ace kept snoring, dreaming nonsense, mouth wide open.
SLAP!!
Reiko continued.
"My name is Mr. Reiko Jougar. I'm here to tell you something important about your parents, Ace."
He stared seriously.
Ace held both cheeks, now red from multiple slaps.
He stared blankly.
Ace protested,
"So? What does that have to do with you slapping me?!"
"Hmphhhh~"
A heavy gust of breath blasted Ace's face.
Ace didn't react much, though his expression clearly showed annoyance.
Still, he kept his flat face while waiting for an answer.
"Straight to the point, Ace. Your parents are—"
Again, he was interrupted.
This time, someone else had arrived.
…
The door opened, and someone entered carrying something.
"Ace! I brought some foo—"
He stopped mid-sentence, seeing Ace beaten up and a strange man talking to him.
The atmosphere was painfully awkward.
They stared at each other.
Ace and Reiko were both startled by the unexpected arrival.
Ace recognized the person instantly.
He quickly explained.
Ace smiled awkwardly, trying to break the tension.
"Relax, Reiko… he's my friend, Tsukishima Yakenji."
"And Tsukishima, this man is Mr. Reiko…"
…
"LET'S DRINK TOGETHER! HAHA!"
To Ace's shock, Tsukishima and Reiko immediately got along.
They drank and ate the food Tsukishima brought—food originally meant for himself and Ace.
Ace went back to his room to grab the novel he had brought from the library.
…
"Tsukishima, look what I brought earlier.
I'm sure you're gonna be amazed reading this."
He came down the stairs, heading straight to Tsukishima who was eating and chatting with Reiko.
"Whoa, what's that?"
Tsukishima was impressed by the cool cover.
Ace handed him the book, while Reiko picked food stuck in his teeth.
"The Truth? Wow."
Tsukishima opened it, flipping through the pages.
He read a little, then his focus shattered when he noticed several missing pages.
He glared at Ace.
"Amazed? WHERE ARE THE OTHER PAGES, YOU IDIOT?!"
He stood up, pointing angrily.
Ace responded with equal anger.
"How should I know, YOU FOOL?! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN READ IT BUT YOU COMPLAIN LIKE A BABY GETTING ITS BUTT SMACKED—"
Ace also stood, pointing back at him.
SLAP!
SLAP!
…
Ace and Tsukishima both had red cheeks from Reiko's slaps—who had been calmly picking food from his teeth.
But Ace, who had already been slapped more than Tsukishima… collapsed pathetically onto the chair.
Meanwhile Tsukishima held his cheek with the same emotionless expression Ace had earlier.
Blank and miserable.
…
Reiko picked up the novel.
"I think I've seen this before…"
Ended for this part... LETSGO >