"You were lucky; people usually don't look ahead at this part of the city," said the woman. After those simple words, when there was nothing more to say, Yuta felt a change in the vibration of the air.
"Thanks for reminding me," Yuta murmured to himself, though silently.
Suddenly, an explosion echoed in the sky.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yuta raised his gaze and found himself facing a magnificent scene, impossible to witness normally in a place like Tokyo: fireworks lighting up the night sky. For a moment, time seemed to stop; everyone's movements froze before he felt an imminent dizziness.
The silence was strange, almost pleasant, but as he listened to the thunder of the fireworks, his mind filled with confusion. The situation wasn't normal. Turning his head to look around, he noticed that people were equally motionless, trapped in the instant, until a wave of drowsiness overtook him.
A disturbing sensation ran through his body. He stepped back slowly, trying to maintain control, and his hand reached for something to hold onto. Unconsciously, he took the hand of another person as his vision began to blur and an exhausting heaviness flooded every part of his body.
Huh? What's happening?
As his body collapsed, the roar of the fireworks filled the air… and then, nothing else remained in his memory.
"Hey! Wake up!" someone shouted, but Yuta was no longer conscious of anything.
Huh? How could he have lost consciousness so suddenly when he was just looking at the sky?
That was the first thought that crossed Yuta's mind as he tried to analyze his situation. He felt the cold ground beneath his back, and for a moment he thought maybe someone had attacked him from behind to knock him out. However, as he focused more and mentally reviewed what had happened, he concluded that such a thing was impossible.
Every passing second reinforced the feeling that this wasn't a dream. The situation was real, and now he could only listen carefully to the voices around him. Nothing happening made sense: he wasn't hungry, he had recently undergone a full medical checkup, and he knew he was in good health. There was no rational explanation for what he was experiencing.
"Hey… wake up!" The female voice sounded again, this time closer.
When he felt a hand reaching to touch him, Yuta reacted instinctively. He moved his hand until he found the figure and grabbed it while slowly opening his eyes. His gaze scanned the face of the person speaking, and he realized it was the same woman who, minutes earlier, had handed him the broken piece of his cube.
"Argh!" The woman let out a cry of pain when Yuta squeezed her hand too tightly without realizing it.
"Oh… sorry," Yuta murmured, still disoriented.
When Yuta realized he had been applying more force than necessary in the wrong situation, he slowly loosened his grip and stood up from the ground, apologizing as he did. Looking around, he was immediately shocked: everything was desolate.
In a place that normally gathers the largest number of people in the world within minutes, there was now no sign of life. Everything was silent, like an urban desert.
Looking at the young woman beside him, Yuta thought she might have answers and began to speak: "It seems this place has changed a lot… do you know anything about this situation?"
The place was abandoned, and Yuta had woken up without remembering how he had arrived in this strange circumstance. Taking out his phone, he discovered it didn't work, and immediately understood that this was not ordinary.
The situation was unsettling, but he knew that staying calm was essential. Information could be gathered slowly; time seemed indefinite, and it was unclear what else had disappeared. The first step had to be exploring the city.
"My phone doesn't work either. I just woke up and don't remember what happened before. I only tried to wake you when I saw you unconscious on the ground. How could something like this happen?" asked the woman, looking at Yuta, who had remained silent until then, observing the scene carefully.
"It seems everything has disappeared, and we don't know to what extent," Yuta replied, reaching a quick conclusion. "Considering that it's just you and me here, the safest thing for both of us is to stick together and look for answers."
The woman nodded and, adapting quickly to the situation, introduced herself: "My name is Yuzuha Usagi. And you?"
"Yuta Hark," Yuta responded calmly. "You can just call me Yuta, I don't mind… Given our situation, it's safe to say we won't find all the answers immediately, but at least we know what we should focus on."
Understanding that logic, analysis, or coherent thought couldn't explain what they were seeing, Yuta began devising a plan to move forward, not just thinking about short-term survival.
"Well, we should start moving."
"Yes, this place doesn't seem to give us clear answers…" Usagi nodded, focusing on what mattered to both of them.
With a gesture, Yuta led the way, and Usagi followed as they carefully scanned the area, equally surprised as anyone would be in such a situation.
"We need to find basic resources to move more safely," Yuta said, gathering his belongings and heading toward a building that might contain something useful.
The city, normally crowded, was now empty. No matter how logical the situation seemed, nothing could justify what they were witnessing.
As he walked, a flurry of questions ran through his mind like a hurricane. All his senses, analytical skills, and observation abilities focused on understanding the environment.
Had the animals disappeared too, along with the people? In such a scenario, the smartest move was to gather essential resources while staying alert. Acting separately might be faster, but without better understanding the situation, splitting up from Usagi would be completely disadvantageous.
That's why he decided to stay with her for now.
There was no rush to run. Yuta walked silently, observing the interiors of nearby buildings and restaurants. Through the windows, he noticed that people inside cars had also disappeared. Everything indicated that the situation had happened suddenly. If they had vanished here, what about the rest of the city?
"We can't stray too far from the city center…" After walking for a while, Yuta said, "It seems we won't figure out what happened for now. We must consider other factors and move from this point. It's impossible that we are the only ones here; it wouldn't make sense. If you and I appeared in the same place, what criteria was used so that others around us didn't also wake up here?"
Usagi looked at him attentively. Yuta, a man seemingly her age, shared ideas and thoughts she hadn't yet considered, which gave her some trust.
"You're right. If we don't know what happened, we must prepare to stay in this place indefinitely."
Yuta nodded, reassured that at least she had the ability to remain calm—something another girl in her situation might not have managed and could have ended in tears of desperation. "Then we must look for food, water, and any sign of life. If we can't get all the answers immediately, this will help us determine what to focus on."
"I agree," Usagi replied, pointing into the distance. "There are stores nearby; we can start there."
While Usagi now took the initiative to go first toward a store to assess changes in the environment, Yuta's focus was completely different. He wasn't only concerned about whether there were other people but also about what those people might have in their hands. The situation could involve others, and it was clear that not everyone would act benevolently.
"This is interesting…" Yuta murmured with a slight smile as he entered the store, evaluating every detail with his characteristic analytical eye.