In the heart of a beautiful night, a vast concrete forest stood beneath the moonlight. The city absorbed its glow, glass windows reflecting silver hues from countless towering buildings. Below, a busy street cut through the stillness—vehicles humming past, people moving in streams, life refusing to sleep.
Meanwhile, inside a modest apartment tucked away in that city—
Haruto Kanzaki sat comfortably on his couch, absorbed in his favorite manga. The room was quiet, warm, familiar. Just as he reached the next page, his phone buzzed beside him.
He paused, glanced at the screen—and smiled.
"Ready?" Haruto asked as he answered, snapping the book shut and setting it neatly on the shelf.
"Yeah! You?" came the energetic voice from the other end.
"Yup." He stood up and stepped out of his room.
"How about Haru? Is she feeling okay?" She asked.
Haruto slowed, stopping in front of the door beside his. He sighed before knocking lightly. "Haru... how do you feel? We can stay if you want, y'know."
The door creaked open.
Haruki Kanzaki stepped out, hair slightly messy, eyes half-lidded. She looked at him lazily.
"Haruto... I'm hungry."
She squinted at him. "Can I get something to eat?"
She's definitely faking it.
A soft laugh came through the phone. "Well, she sounds way better now..."
Haruto flicked Haruki's forehead. "Go get ready. We're already late."
She groaned, snatched the phone from his hand, and yelled into it, "Hana! He's hurting me!"
Hana Fujimoto only chuckled. "Don't worry, Haruki. We'll take care of him when we meet. Now get ready, okay?" Her voice was playful, warm.
Haruki smirked. "See? Why won't you take notes from your girlfriend over here, huh?"
Haruto shot her a glare. "Shut up and go get ready."
She pouted dramatically and slammed the door shut. "Fine..."
Haruto exhaled and dropped back onto the couch.
He was Haruto Kanzaki—a recent high school graduate. Currently living with his younger sister, Haruki. She was his only family left in the world.
And Hana—the girl still on the call—was his best friend.
The two of them were the closest people in his life. The ones that mattered most.
"Hana," he muttered lazily, staring at the ceiling. "Do I really have to go? I was planning to finish the final chapter today..."
"Are you serious?" Hana snapped. "Why can't you take a break for once? It's not gonna kill you."
Haruto flinched slightly. "...You remember, right? They don't really like me."
"Who cares?" she shot back. "We're going because Miss Lila asked us. You can't just ignore her."
"...Yeah, but—" He hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. Just know I'm only going because you are. I'm not even interested in looking at those losers."
Hana giggled. "Fair enough~ So? How's work? Did you reply to that fan?"
"Yeah. He's got some solid ideas. I actually wanna meet him—might even hire him someday." A genuine smile crept onto Haruto's face.
"See? If you had help, you'd have zero excuse not to take breaks," she teased. "I'm fine with it—as long as he doesn't steal my job." She added playfully.
Haruto leaned back against the couch. "I just hope they have good food..."
"Like brother, like sister," Hana teased.
"I can't help it. I'm hungry."
"You both always are."
Haruto groaned and buried his face into a pillow.
Then—
"Bro, I'm ready!"
Haruki burst out of her room.
Before he could react, she kicked him clean off the couch. As Haruto hit the floor, she grabbed the phone and grinned.
"Target down! I repeat—target down!"
"That's my girl," Hana laughed.
"So annoying..." Haruto muttered as he stood back up.
Haruki headed for the door. "Let's go! People are waiting!"
He straightened his suit and grabbed the keys. "Give me my phone."
She ignored him completely.
They stepped out of the apartment. Haruto locked the door behind them, watching as Haruki whispered into the phone like it was some top-secret mission.
Moments later, they were on his bike, the city lights streaking past as they rode.
Eventually, they arrived at the hotel hosting the reunion party.
A few days earlier—
Their high school teacher, Miss Lila, had called him. She was a kind woman—someone who had supported them during their worst moments. She invited Haruto, Hana, and their classmates to an after-graduation reunion.
To reconnect. To remember.
"YOU HAVE TO COME THIS TIME!" she'd shouted through the phone. "IF YOU DON'T, I'LL DRAG YOUR ASS OVER MYSELF, OKAY?!"
Under normal circumstances, Haruto would've declined without hesitation.
But he couldn't refuse her.
Especially since she was leaving the country the very next day.
---
Haruto parked the motorbike in the hotel's parking lot and cut the engine.
The three of them walked toward the main entrance. Near the doors, a familiar figure stood waiting—arms crossed, foot tapping lightly against the ground.
Miss Lila.
They approached her, waving awkwardly. "H-hey..."
She glanced at Haruto, her eye twitching. Without warning, she grabbed his ear and twisted it hard.
"You're late! I told you to come before it got dark, and now look at the time!"
"AW—AW! OKAY! OKAY! SORRY!" Haruto pleaded.
Behind him, Haruki giggled shamelessly, watching the scene with visible satisfaction.
Miss Lila let go with a sharp sigh and turned toward the entrance. "Let's go. It already started."
They followed her inside.
The interior of the hotel was elegant—warm lighting, polished floors, and a refreshing atmosphere that felt oddly welcoming. The moment they entered the large party hall, Haruto's eyes instinctively searched the crowd.
And almost immediately, he found her.
Hana.
He waved Miss Lila off and headed toward the table where she stood. Haruki followed close behind, her expression noticeably nervous.
As they approached, Hana turned. The instant she saw him, her face lit up. She stood, smiling—then the smile twisted into a teasing smirk.
"Looks like someone finally crawled out of the dungeon."
"Dungeon? Just so you know, I—" Haruto started.
"Yeah!" Haruki cut in, stepping forward beside Hana. "It feels so much better to get out of that hellhole once in a while."
The two shared the same smug grin.
So you're teaming up on me now, huh...
Haruto narrowed his eyes slightly. "You better be grateful, Haru... or we might have to play princess and the dungeon."
Haruki froze. A nervous smile flashed across her face as she immediately retreated, abandoning Hana and sitting down. Haruto sighed and took the seat beside her. Hana followed, still wearing that irritatingly smug expression.
Haruto leaned forward, resting his head on the table. Across from them sat three familiar faces.
"Hey..." he muttered lazily. "How long have you guys been here?"
Two girls and one guy.
The twins—Miyu and Aiko.
And Kazuki.
Their only friends. The social ones. The kind that got along with everyone—unlike him and Hana.
Miyu clicked her tongue. "We've been here for a while. But you were too busy with your sweet little princess to notice." She said teasingly.
Aiko leaned forward, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? Hana said you weren't feeling well."
Kazuki sighed. "Come on, man. Enjoy the party. This kind of thing doesn't happen often."
Haruto didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Haruki. "Why are you still here? You don't have to stick around just because I'm here. Didn't you say you were hungry?"
Haruki pulled out her phone. "Nah. I'm good. There aren't many people I know here—it's awkward."
"Oh..." Haruto replied.
But he knew the truth.
Hana noticed it too.
"Haru," she said gently, forcing a nervous smile. "Can we talk for a moment? About... that thing."
Haruki stiffened—then immediately stood. "Yeah! Let's go!"
The two disappeared into the crowd. Haruto watched them go, curious—but he didn't follow. He simply smiled faintly and stayed where he was.
Time passed.
He grew bored.
Standing up, he stretched and looked at Kazuki and the twins. "I'm gonna check on those two. I'll be back."
Kazuki waved. "Yeah—but hurry. The disco's about to drop. You promised a dance with Hana, remember?"
They looked way more excited than he felt.
"...Sure," Haruto muttered, already walking away.
He searched the party hall—no sign of them. For a moment, he wondered if they'd gone to the restroom. He dismissed the thought as soon as he glanced to the side.
The balcony.
They were there—talking.
"Are you sure about this?" Hana asked, her cheeks faintly flushed. "You think he'd really accept it?"
"Of course, sis," Haruki replied with a teasing grin. "That guy's way too desperate to refuse."
She leaned in and whispered, "Still, I think you should wait for him to ask you out. Trust me—he's not going anywhere."
"No," Hana said firmly. "I need to do it today. Or I might never get another chance."
She met Haruki's eyes. "You know how he is... This might actually be my last shot. But... I'm scared of something else."
Haruki laughed softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. I know exactly what you're afraid of."
She smirked. "He's not gonna friend-zone you. He's way too deep for that."
"In too deep...?" Hana stammered. "B-but I—"
"Shh." Haruki grinned. "You can't stutter now. He's already into you—he just doesn't have the spine to admit it yet. Trust me. I'm a professional."
Hana's eyes widened. She grabbed Haruki's shoulders. "D-did he tell you something?! W-what did he say?!"
"N-no— I can just tell—"
"What are you two doing?"
Haruto's voice cut in from behind.
They both flinched like they'd seen a ghost.
He pointed back toward the hall. "Kazuki said the disco thing's about to start. Apparently, we promised a dance?"
Haruki marched up to him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! We have privacy too, y'know!"
Realization hit him.
"I—I'm sorry! I didn't know it was—! I'll just leave!" Haruto turned away.
But Hana grabbed the sleeve of his suit.
He stopped.
Turned.
Their eyes met.
Words refused to come.
Hana took a deep breath.
Is this it?
Is this really happening?
Haruki started to leave—but Hana stopped her. "Haru! Don't go!"
Haruki paused, met Hana's desperate gaze, then leaned against the wall behind Haruto with a knowing look.
Haruto swallowed.
This is real.
Hana steadied herself. Calm. Ready.
"I—"
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion shattered the moment.
A violent pressure slammed into Haruto's back. The world slowed. His eyes widened as instinct took over.
He grabbed Haruki's arm and moved in front of both girls, pulling them close—shielding them with his body.
It wasn't enough.
The balcony vanished in fire.
And in an instant—
His vision went dark.
---
Darkness.
Haruto opened his eyes to a vast, soundless void—an endless abyss with no ground, no sky, no sense of direction.
...So this is it.
The realization came quietly. He had passed out from the explosion.
Or worse.
Died.
He turned slowly, scanning the emptiness, searching for anything—anything—that might explain where he was. That was when he noticed them.
Two faint, star-like lights floated before him, suspended in the darkness.
They didn't flicker. They didn't move. They simply existed.
Drawn by instinct, Haruto reached out. His fingertips brushed against both lights at the same time.
The moment he made contact—
The stars exploded outward.
Blinding radiance swallowed his vision. He shut his eyes instinctively as sensation itself vanished—sound, touch, even the feeling of his own body. His thoughts dissolved into nothing.
Then—
They returned.
When he opened his eyes again, he was welcomed by a cold voice, echoing from the void itself.
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Before he could process the meaning—
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Haruto couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
But his thoughts screamed.
What the hell...? What's happening? Where am I?
WHO ARE YOU?
There was no answer.
The voice—if it could even be called that—continued, indifferent to his panic.
<>
<
<
His mind froze.
D-data erasure...?
A chill ran through him—something deeper than fear.
"W-wait..." His thoughts spiraled. It's not talking about me, right?
Panic surged.
I just died—this isn't how it's supposed to go, is it?!
HEY! YOU! CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!
<
<
That was it.
No explanations. No mercy.
His thoughts echoed uselessly into the void, unanswered. Slowly, the panic burned out, leaving behind a hollow calm.
...So it doesn't matter.
He stopped struggling.
If this was truly the end—then fighting it was pointless.
If I'm really dead...
I guess I should at least try to be happy in my last moments.
As the void remained silent, his mind began to drift.
Memories surfaced.
His childhood.
His loneliness.
The rare moments of warmth he'd clung to like lifelines.
A life that felt miserable—yet strangely lucky at the worst possible moments.
Heh...
That's a pretty shitty story to replay before dying, isn't it...
The darkness deepened.
And as his consciousness sank further—
The past reached out to claim him.
---
The darkness did not fade.
Instead, it shifted.
Fragments surfaced within the void—names, faces, emotions—threading themselves together as if something unseen were reading him, peeling back layers he never gave permission to expose.
Haruto Kanzaki.
A man... no—still a boy, really. Twenty-two, edging uncomfortably close to twenty-three. No romantic achievements worth mentioning. No dramatic success story either. The typical isekai protagonist.
Up until that final moment, he had been a novelist.
Not the glamorous kind. Not a best-selling legend. Just someone who managed to make a living by writing stories—fantasy, mostly. Worlds of magic, dragons, and impossible powers. He had started back in middle school, copying scenes late into the night, fueled by nothing but imagination and stubborn passion.
That habit—no, that calling—came from his mother.
She was a professional author. A frighteningly versatile one at that. Fantasy, science fiction, anything she touched became compelling. To Haruto, she wasn't just talented—she was untouchable. A role model carved into his very soul.
Back then, he never imagined that a simple hobby would one day become his career.
Everything began to change the day he met her.
Hana Fujimoto.
At first glance, she was the quiet type. Withdrawn. Expressionless. Always seated at the back of the classroom, staring out the window as if the world outside mattered more than the one she was trapped in. Haruto hadn't been much better himself.
Maybe that was why they clicked.
They became friends.
Then best friends.
And only now—far too late—was he truly realizing that his feelings for her had never been just friendship.
As it turned out, Hana shattered every shallow impression he had built of her.
Shy? Sometimes.
Quiet? When she wanted to be.
In reality, she was a menace.
A perfect storm of bratty confidence and tomboy energy. At times serious to a fault, at others unbearably mischievous. And worst of all—she got along way too well with the gremlin he called a little sister.
She loved games. Obsessively.
That alone made her an outsider. Their school barely tolerated gaming culture; even teachers openly discouraged it. Finding people who shared her interests had been nearly impossible.
Haruto wasn't much of a gamer either.
He wrote stories. Bad ones, honestly—but good enough to satisfy his younger self. And somehow, despite how different they were, he understood her. After all, at his core, he was still the same loner who struggled to connect with people.
One day—back in middle school—he showed Hana one of his rewrites. A story he had scrapped and restarted from scratch.
She read it.
Then, casually—dangerously casually—she said:
"Why don't you try publishing it? Like your mom. It'd be cool. You might even become famous, just like her. And if anything goes wrong... you can count on her, right?"
That single sentence changed everything.
For the first time, Haruto began thinking seriously about his future.
With his mother's guidance, he improved—fast. His writing sharpened. He was what we would call a true Genius. A hidden gem, waiting to be shined.
His confidence grew. Things were finally looking up.
Until—
His life fell into the void once more.
His mother.
The only parent he and Haruki had left.
She was murdered—right in front of him.
They had been doing nothing special. Just existing. Then a man appeared out of nowhere. Desperate. Unstable. A gun in his hand. He tried to take her hostage.
His grip slipped.
The gun went off.
And she collapsed.
Haruto would always thank God for one thing—that he had been the one there, not Haruki.
Later, they learned the man had been under the influence of illegal drugs.
He was never caught.
What followed was not just grief—but rage. Rage at the world. Rage at fate.
And rage at himself.
If only he had been stronger.
If only he had done something.
If only he had died instead.
That day left a scar that never healed.
A wound etched directly into his soul.
And even now—floating in an endless void between death and rebirth—
That was the memory that hurt the most.
---
Time passed.
Haruki had been hurt—there was no denying that. But she learned to accept it. Slowly. Painfully. And in time, they managed to move forward.
The endless void remained unchanged.
Staring into that boundless darkness, he finally understood what it meant. His fate had already been sealed.
Well, he thought bitterly, that wasn't exactly the best memory to recall before death, was it?
The longer he lingered there, the clearer everything became. There was nothing left to do. Nothing left to say.
Only regret.
The only regret I have is that... I wasn't able to save them—
<
The interruption came without warning.
His awareness trembled. Thoughts began slipping away, as if his mind itself were being dismantled.
"If reincarnation is real..." the thought surfaced desperately, clinging to existence, "then I want power. Power to protect."
Emotion surged.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE A FAILURE AGAIN!"
The cry tore through the void, carrying every ounce of despair, rage, and self-loathing he had buried deep within his soul. When it faded, silence returned—thicker and heavier than before.
He waited.
Hoped.
Begged for something—anything—to answer him.
But the inhuman voice did not respond.
His consciousness continued to dissolve, fading like mist in the wind.
Until—
"I'm sorry... Haru. Hana. Mom..."
The thought wavered.
"I've failed you all... as usual."
And then, it was gone.
For a fleeting moment, it truly felt as though he had died.
Is this... the end?—
—Of course NOT!
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