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Chapter 7 - Chapter 7, The Shadow's Encounter

The Shadow's Encounter

Ruko Jizuko walked toward a familiar-looking group standing near the guild board — four figures that immediately caught his attention.

The brown-haired guy arguing with a blue-haired goddess, the mage in red waving her staff like she was casting something dangerous, and the blonde knight smiling a little too confidently.

He froze mid-step.

His eyes narrowed.

"…No way."

Kazuma turned just as Ruko stopped a few feet away. Their eyes locked — and for a moment, it was like looking into a slightly different mirror.

"What the—?" they both said at the same time.

Aqua's eyes went wide. "KAZUMA! WHY IS THERE A BLACK VERSION OF YOU?! DID YOU DIE AGAIN AND COME BACK WRONG?!"

"HEY! I didn't die—and stop saying weird things in public!" Kazuma snapped, clearly flustered.

Ruko sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "So this is how my day's going, huh?"

Megumin tilted her head. "He looks like you, but he has a much cooler vibe… maybe a rival from another world?"

Kazuma groaned. "Fantastic. My first rival is me with better fashion sense."

Darkness stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "A shadow twin…? How thrilling. If he's dangerous, I can—"

"Lady, calm the hell down," Ruko muttered, stepping back a bit.

He raised a hand in peace. "I'm not here to fight. Just trying to figure out… where the hell I am."

Aqua gasped again. "See?! He is suspicious! Probably another undead!"

Ruko deadpanned. "If I were undead, you'd be screaming already."

Before anyone could reply, his vision blurred — a sharp pulse tearing through his head. The world tilted, and his knees buckled.

> "You shouldn't be here yet…"

The Sealer's voice echoed faintly through his skull, like an old memory forcing its way to the surface.

"What the hell…?" he groaned, clutching his temple.

The air around him shimmered violently — a flicker of black and blue energy bursting outward. Kazuma shouted something, trying to reach him—

And then everything went white.

---

When Ruko opened his eyes again, his body ached. He was lying on a bed, his head pounding like a drum. Wooden beams stretched above him — the same cheap kind used in guild inns.

"Ugh… guess I'm not dead," he muttered, sitting up.

His cloak was tossed over a chair nearby, and a faint noise came from the other side of the room — Kazuma's voice, faintly annoyed as usual.

"Man, you really scared Aqua back there," Kazuma said, walking in with a towel slung over his shoulder. "What the hell was that energy?"

Ruko stared for a moment, his mind blank. "Wish I knew… but something tells me… this isn't my first time dying."

Kazuma blinked. "…Great. Another weirdo in this world."

Ruko smirked faintly. "You're not wrong."

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