The three of us exchanged glances, then sat back down, our eyes fixed on the red-haired stranger.
"Tell me where you're from first," Hayama said, his tone firm.
"We're speaking Naironese, aren't we? So obviously I'm from Nairon," the guy replied with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.
Hayama let out a sigh. "Which district?"
"The capital," the guy said. His grin widened. "What about you guys?"
There was something about him… like I'd seen him somewhere before.
"Reiji," Hayama said without looking at me, "make sure he's really from the capital. Ask him something to confirm."
I scratched my head, leaned back, then forward again, and looked him in the eye. "Where exactly in Touka?"
"I grew up in Shinjuro, near the station."
"Alright… simple question. If you're at Shinjuro Station and want to get to Shibura, which line do you take, and what stations do you pass?"
"I'd take the Yamanota Line," Yuki said confidently. "After Shinjuro, it's Yuiyoti, then Harabuko, and finally Shibura."
"He's right," I said. "Checks out."
Hayama exhaled through his nose. "What's your name?"
"You can call me Yuki."
"Full name."
"Yukiteru Arima."
"Alright, Yuki," Hayama said, giving him a nod. "I need to speak with my team in private. Mind giving us some space?"
"Sure thing." Yuki stood and walked over to a table far enough not to eavesdrop, then sat down.
Once he was out of earshot, I leaned in. "What's going on? Yukiteru Arima is a character from my favorite manga. Same red hair, same outfit—everything."
"That settles it," Hayama said. "He's a product of your imagination. Even his Touka background lines up with what you know. I've seen this before—and those Ninja Apes looked exactly like the ones from that movie series I binged the night before you arrived."
"I watched a werewolf show too," Kirishima added, her face slightly flushed as she stared into her glass. "Their transformation looked just like the werewolves we fought at the start."
Was she embarrassed? Was it that popular foreign teen drama with the werewolves and vampires?
"That confirms it," Hayama said.
"Then doesn't that make him an enemy too?" I asked.
"What was he in the story? Hero or villain?" Hayama asked me.
"He was a guy transported to another world… ended up becoming the hero."
"And the werewolves?" Hayama turned to Kirishima.
"They were the bad guys. The vampires were the good ones," she said.
"Then we'll need him." Hayama waved Yuki over.
Yuki returned quickly, grinning as he sat back down.
"How long have you been in this world, Yuki?" Hayama asked, casually slinging an arm around his shoulder.
"Over a week," Yuki said. "I've been staying here, gathering info before leaving this beautiful village. Hunting monsters in the forest, taking on quests to pay for my room and food."
"Got anything useful?" Hayama asked.
"You want to go home, right? To do that, we need to collect seven cores scattered across seven regions. Once we have them all, the Final Shrine opens. Defeat the final boss inside, and we can return."
"How do you know that?" Hayama asked, eyes narrowing.
"It's common knowledge around here. Lots of adventurers are chasing the cores for their power. Some already have one or two. We'll have to take them. The Final Shrine only opens with all seven."
"Who told you this?" Hayama pressed.
"Ask anyone in the village. They'll tell you the same thing."
Hayama stood, had a quick word with the cat-eared waitress, then came back. "They believe killing the Beast Lord in the Final Shrine will wipe out all monsters and free the world from their evil."
I groaned. "So to stop one guy from turning into a Muma, we've gotta scour the world for some stupid cores, fight a final boss, and he might still turn anyway? This is our first mission. The captain's right—we don't get paid nearly enough for this."
"We don't have to do it," Hayama said. "If you'd rather bail and let him turn, I'd back that. I don't want to waste weeks in here, facing stuff way above our level. We might not even beat the boss—and if we fail, all of it's for nothing."
I laughed. "You testing us now? Not falling for it."
"Testing you?" Hayama raised an eyebrow. "What're you talking about? In my first year as a Muma Hunter, I went on a bunch of psychic world missions that ended with a vote to pull out. Kirishima knows the drill. Sometimes we have to risk everything—but this? Why bother? I was about to say it myself, but you beat me to it."
"I'm in," Kirishima said. "He's just a Mamukuu. We take him down fast—problem solved."
"Seriously?" I said. "And what if his soul doesn't return to his body? What if he dies when we could've saved him?"
"You were the one complaining," Hayama shot back. "You wanna burn your spiritual body, risk death—or worse—for a guy who might be too far gone anyway? We're not therapists. We hunt Muma. He brought this on himself. You want us to gamble our lives and waste months in his psychic world—where death isn't real, but the consequences are—and even then, the odds of saving him are maybe fifty-fifty? We might end up bailing anyway. This isn't some damn game."
Hayama's glare hit me like a slap—sharp, angry, real. And I'll be honest—I caved. I didn't want to lose him as a friend.
The rules were clear: to exit a psychic world, everyone had to vote. That way, responsibility was shared. And they had ways of detecting lies.
I was just venting, whining like I always had with Sensei. I didn't think they'd take it this seriously. I didn't expect our first mission to turn into this mess. It wasn't worth burning even a few days off our spiritual bodies. But ending it like this? That felt wrong too.
More than anything… I didn't want them to hate me if I made the wrong call.
So I kept my mouth shut. I wouldn't risk it.
"Fine, let's get out," I said.
"I'll count to three. Brace for enemy contact," Hayama said. "Three… two…"
"What're you guys talking about?" Yuki said.
Suddenly, Hayama sliced Yuki's head off with his sword and said, "One."
In an instant, we were back in the apartment. I stared at Hayama, stunned by what he'd done.
He was focused on the victim. I turned to the young man. The stone door we'd entered was gone, and black smoke poured from his pores, mouth, nose, and head as he kept playing his video game.
It all happened in less than two seconds. He transformed into a Mamukuu instantly. His teeth elongated into sharp fangs, his eyes turned blood-red and wept crimson tears, and fur sprouted across his body, tearing through his clothes to cover him entirely. He stood abruptly, ready to attack—mentally first, then physically. Mamukuu were notorious for psychic assaults.
I didn't move. Hayama and Kirishima handled everything, pouncing on him and killing him in a flash. Smoke rose from his body again, revealing his spiritual form. In the end, the Muma was only an F-rank, not even E.
This guy could've been me if Saya and Sensei hadn't been there after my sister's death, if I hadn't become a Muma hunter. Now, he had a 50/50 shot at surviving, when we'd had a 50/50 chance to save him.
This was fucked up.
Maybe you expected a fun RPG adventure where my friendship with Hayama grew, my bond with Kirishima deepened, and my chances of winning her heart increased. But in the world of Muma hunters, you need to expect shit like this. The government cares about minimizing material losses, not saving lives—unless they're important people. So I don't blame Hayama or Kirishima's decision. It was the smart call. I knew this would happen someday, but I didn't expect it so soon. I expected more from myself, too. I wished I'd had the guts to push them to try harder, at least.
This is the Muma-hunting world. But don't think we'll always escape psychic worlds this easily. Some are far more dangerous and terrifying, where bailing isn't an option. And we'll face one of those worlds sooner or later.
—
While I was thinking it over during some downtime, a realization hit me. They didn't vote yes because they were afraid to risk their lives—it was because the psyche world was using our memories too. I remembered now—we studied that type in class.
The longer we stayed, the more likely something personal would surface. Something they didn't want anyone else to see.
That's what made it truly dangerous. That's why they didn't want to risk it.
In the end, I was glad I voted yes.
Looks like everyone on the team has their own secrets.