The sunset had been stunning, but they'd been too busy chopping wood to admire it.
Now, beneath the stars, the view was even more breathtaking.
A shimmering river of starlight spilled across the black canvas of night, ancient, eternal, and dazzling, as if the heavens themselves might pour down upon them.
"I've never seen stars like this," Kiyoshi Nagasaki murmured.
Shoko Toyokawa nodded beside him. "The stars in this world… are completely different."
Aside from the moon, there wasn't a single familiar celestial body in the sky.
Under that glowing light, the distant forests and mountains cast faint shadows, long and twisted, like beasts lying in wait. The trees, especially, looked as if they were reaching out with clawed limbs.
Shoko stole a glance and, without a word, scooted a little closer to the fire.
Kiyoshi turned to her. "Are you scared?"
"…No."
"I am, a little," he admitted. "But it's good that you're not."
Shoko smoothly changed the subject. "Let's talk about something casual. You play the bass, right? Were you ever in a band?"
"No, just a hobby. I picked it up in middle school, thanks to a weird guy I knew."
The mention of music triggered something in her memory.
She still couldn't see the whole picture, but she remembered: brown hair, soft features, lake-blue eyes, Kiyoshi's face now looked incredibly familiar. If his hair were longer…
"…I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you know the name 'Soyo'?"
"Soyo…"
Kiyoshi stared into the fire, eyes unfocused.
Shoko called out gently, "Kiyoshi?"
"Ah, sorry. Zoned out." He mechanically tossed more firewood into the flames.
"My mom used to call me that when I was little. She said if she'd had a daughter, she'd have named her Soyo. Sometimes she'd use it to tease me."
A kind of pet name, something only used at home.
In the final moments of his last life, as he faded away, his mother had cried out to him, calling him Soyo.
"My name's pronounced 'Ryo.' The kanji's the same as the one in Kiyose City, 清. It means 'cool' or 'refreshing.' So it's the 'ryo' reading."
"…I see. I thought it was 'Kiyoshi' at first…"
Shoko realized her question had soured his mood. She quickly changed the subject again and quietly blamed herself for not thinking before she spoke.
Fortunately, the crackling of the fire and the rustling of grass in the wind helped dissolve the awkwardness.
After a few false starts, the two strangers settled into a mutual silence.
Kiyoshi didn't mind the quiet, but worried she might feel awkward. So he looked for a new topic.
"I noticed earlier, you were holding your shield kind of loosely. Mind if I offer some advice?"
"Please do."
"I think you should treat your shield with more importance."
He held up the small round buckler.
"Have you ever watched baseball?"
"Just a little."
"Well, think about it, what's easier to block a pitch with? A bat, or this?"
She got it instantly.
"So yeah," Kiyoshi continued, "you should lead with your shield whenever possible."
Shoko rotated the buckler in her hands, a little embarrassed. "You're really adapting quickly. I didn't even think of that."
"But now that you have, it makes sense, doesn't it? It's not that you're incapable, just unused to needing it. I've had too much free time and read a bunch of random stuff. Honestly, you probably know more than me, Miss Toyokawa."
"That's too modest… Um, speaking of names, do you think we should stop using family names?"
"You mean, call each other by first names?"
"If that's okay," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "Ryo, we are, after all… bound by fate, "
She paused mid-sentence.
Kiyoshi studied her tone and tried to guess: "Fate…bound? Like a… shared destiny?"
Shoko fell silent.
"…Did I say something wrong?"
"No, Ryo," she replied with a calm expression. "It's just… I said something like that in the past, back when I was less mature. Remembering it now brings up complicated feelings."
Even though they'd switched to first names, that didn't instantly deepen their bond. There were plenty of topics she'd planned to bring up, but now she hesitated, afraid she'd touch a raw nerve.
Their conversation kept dipping into silence.
Eventually, Kiyoshi couldn't take the awkward pacing anymore.
"Shoko," he said, "we're going to be spending a lot of time together from now on. So when we talk, let's just be honest. Don't hold back. What do you think?"
"I agree." She met his gaze across the fire. "And if I say anything that offends you, please tell me."
"Same here." Kiyoshi nodded. "Also, if it feels like we're about to argue, like, if it's a topic we'll never agree on, then let's just skip it entirely."
"Sure. We'll argue about it later."
With one person taking the initiative, the conversation flowed far more easily.
Shoko lit up with excitement. "Say, Ryo, do you think this world might have a spell where you can kill someone just by knowing their name?"
"…Maybe. In a lot of real-world occult traditions, names are considered powerful mediums. So yeah, we should protect ours."
"Right? That's why I was thinking, we should give ourselves code names! Japanese names might sound odd in a Western-style fantasy world. I mean, sure, there are more and more loanwords in modern life, but I like to keep things traditional."
"Then we'll have to think carefully. Different regions have totally different naming conventions."
"Let's start simple then, just a basic Western-style name. I'll go with 'Oblivionis'! Inspired by a lake I once saw named 'Forget-Me Lake.' What do you think?"
"Ob… wait, say it again?"
"Oblivionis."
"…Too long." Kiyoshi vetoed it immediately. "If I have to shout it in a pinch, I'll never get the whole thing out. Can't we do something easier? Like 'Anna' or 'Juna'?"
Since Shoko was clearly attached to her name, the topic of Western code names was temporarily shelved.
They kept chatting until their throats went dry.
"…Is it really this late?"
"Not sure. The sun went down about two hours ago, I think."
At the mention of time, they both instinctively reached for their pockets.
Then paused, and laughed.
Only now did they realize how convenient modern life had been. It took losing it to really feel the absence.
That's when they remembered the hourglass.
Since they weren't in a safe zone, they'd need to take turns keeping watch. A timepiece would help them divide the night fairly and stay rested.
They tested the hourglass, estimated it marked about 30 minutes, with a five-minute margin of error.
"I'll take the first shift," Kiyoshi said, accepting it.
"This isn't some kind of macho pride thing, I just… can't sleep yet."
Shoko nodded. She understood. Back when her own mother passed, she couldn't sleep either.
Kiyoshi handed her his blanket. Shoko accepted it quietly, it would help her rest better. She'd return it when it was her turn.
She lay down.
And, perhaps because she was already exhausted before coming here, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Kiyoshi sat beside the fire, scanning the horizon, standing up from time to time to stay awake.
Alone now, the feelings he'd repressed all day surged upward, impossible to control.
One moment, he was fired up, ready to challenge monsters.
The next, he felt like his chest was caving in.
Just last night, he'd been making dinner, chatting with his mom about the new apartment.
And this morning…
No.
He forced his mind to stop. This wasn't the time.
"Please… let the goddess protect us," he whispered, forming a prayer with his hands.
He had to stay focused.
He was beginning to understand why Aqua had insisted on assigning him a partner.
The responsibility of protecting someone else gave his thoughts weight, gave him clarity.
He kept alert, guarding the night.
It was probably the first time he'd ever camped outdoors. A creeping anxiety lingered.
At first, Kiyoshi thought it was just the usual nervousness of sleeping under an open sky. He edged closer to Shoko's side.
The stars were bright, but even Tokyo's neon lights couldn't illuminate the deep shadows in the woods. Those shadows were terrifying.
As time passed, the unease intensified.
It became something specific, a sense that something had been forgotten… or ignored.
[Something's getting closer.]
This feeling, he'd had it once before.
That morning.
Right before a truck skidded out of control and smashed into them.
A sixth sense?
Fear makes people freeze. Makes them look away. Makes them wish the danger would vanish on its own.
But Kiyoshi wasn't like that.
He swallowed the fear, forced himself to focus, and scanned the area.
The stars.
Shoko.
The fire.
And,
A girl crouching beside the flames, smiling sweetly.
She had small, delicate horns growing from her head.
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200 P.S / 1 Extra Chapter