❝ No matter what it takes.❞
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Chapter 15
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A lady in a white gown stands in the far distance of an empty space where all gruesome thoughts have been set aside.
It was a lovely place that was abundant with flowers that bloomed across the grassy area, and there were butterflies flitting and dancing around, creating a relaxing scene.
The petals loomed over the maiden as soon as she stepped into that spot, and birds immediately spread their wings and began to fly along with the wind.
Notwithstanding, it turned out that everything was merely a hallucination. While your eyes continued to blink back and forth between the two realities, you slowly removed your hand from the doorknob that you had been holding just a few seconds ago.
Holding no fear, you crouched down a little to reach the keyhole and inspect the other side of the door. As the song goes, "Hello from the other side," you welcomed the room that was once again filled with white concrete.
You batted your eyelashes quickly, still glancing around the dull room, and exclaimed, "Nothing...?"
This quickly changed when the "nothing" became something and the apathy transformed into interest.
There was a human-like figure with its back to you, but the realization that it wasn't a human sent chills down your spine.
The "thing" turned to face you, it was white, it wasn't camouflage because the only reason you could see it was because of the black particles that formed an outline of its body, and it horrified you even more when you realized it had no face.
Your eyes widened as the strange entity cautiously approached the door through which you were peering. The impulse kicked in, you stood up, and you ran without hesitation.
You continue to run away from that creature without looking or turning around; you don't even know if you're running in circles, you just keep going indefinitely.
You stopped in your tracks and knelt on the ground as the place where tranquillity once was turned gray and then completely black.
You only have one thought, and that is that you must leave this place.
"I'll do whatever it takes, no matter what."
Whatever it takes, you will keep running in order to leave this headspace of yours, and without any understanding of how this place exists in the first place, there is also no information on how you got here or how to get out of here, so you had to do something, turning the impossible into feasible.
"What to do? What to do?" Maintaining your composure, you examine your limited comprehension of dimensional analysis, namely that physical quantities are presented in terms of their key dimensions. What is the connection? Due to these facts and small amounts of information, it is possible to determine what time and space are.
"Space and time..." You murmured while supporting your arms by placing your hands on the dark ground.
"What if I destroy spacetime?"
You grimaced at the idea, "I can't do that, it's impossible..." Due to a lack of data and specifics about this topic, you must consider what alternative steps you can take to avoid getting stock in your subconscious.
Going back to your past memory, an imaginary light bulb appeared above your head.
"What will trigger me?"
You continue to ponder while still on your knees until you reach a conclusion.
One of the most horrifying experiences was being hauled here for the first time, which caused you to lose your breath. If the experience of agony and death was the only way to come up to reality, you had no choice but to act on your convictions and withstand the pain in order to do so.
You began slamming your head violently against the pitch-black floor.
The silence was broken by the sound of your skull thumping back and forth. Why does your face appear as though it does not hurt? Is it because you were displaying your normal expressionlessness?
It wounded you more than that, but you already understood that crying out in pain was pointless and useless, and that's why you're hiding them behind your back, sealed in your very deep soul.
Continuing with what you were doing, scarlet red liquid began to drip down her chin and onto the floor, creating a blood puddle.
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A certain kung fu coach was grinning to himself, holding a phone after telling Asuto about the rumor about a "bad friend" deceiving Anna.
His phone was showing another replay of you stopping Afuro's hissatsu with bare hands. Zhao Jinyun saw what you did right then and there; he saw it with his own eyes and knew right away that you possessed talents that no one else had ever seen.
Indeed, there were athletes capable of doing so, but he had never before witnessed such a level of strength without the use of a particular skill to block the hissatsu of others.
You have not only attracted your acquaintances, you know who, but also the attention of the coach who has an eye for potential players. A minor error turned into a major draw for many people, and this is your responsibility for being a moron while making a good move to dodge the ball.
Further investigation reveals that his eyes had a glimmer of eagerness, and if anyone was in the room, they would be frightened by the energy that Inakuni's coach was emitting.
"HOHOHO."
Unbeknownst to him, his little assistant was secretly studying him from behind the door. He blinked behind his mascot, wondering what his "boss" was up to.
"I'll make her join the team, no matter what it takes."
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"...you mean you were covered in blood and still wanted to work?!?"
You raised your hand in response to Hajime's question, "I honestly don't, but I do need money."
The single adult in the room heaved a frustrated sigh, tense and agitated at the sight of the two damaged children. The first was her pupil, who entered the cafe with cuts and bruises, followed by her favorite coworker, who entered the same building with a bandage on her head.
Still, she does not know what caused it, but she was concerned about the two idiots.
"Tell me, Nozomi-san, what happened?" Hikkiri set down the notepad she had been writing in for some time.
You blinked, put your chin on your palm, and responded truthfully, "Well, I slammed my head onto the ground."
Hajime choked on her own saliva as the latter dropped the pen she was holding.
"..." They looked at you as you stayed silent.
"..."
"...what?"
Hajime groaned as she shook your shoulder back and forth, exclaiming, "Why did you do that?!
You simply sit there as Hajime continues to shake you, causing the world to spin around you.
Hikirri advised the woman, "If I were you, I would stop right now," as she observed the unfolding spectacle in front of her.
You abruptly covered your mouth with both hands, and your skin transformed into a green version of the Incredible Hulk, "Haji-"
"Tell me, Kamui-chan," she continued to shake you as if there were no tomorrow.
"-me-"
"Kamui-chan?" Hikkiri questioned.
"Yeah! That's my nickname to her, beautiful, isn't?"
"-san."
"Please stop shaking me," you demanded as the two turned their heads to your miserable body, before Hajime released go, causing you to sigh in relief.
"And what about you, Yume-chan?"
"And how about me?" Hikkiri pointed to herself.
"I, umm..."
"Is it them, again?" You abruptly blurted out, making Hajime raise an eyebrow.
"What exactly do you mean, Kamui-chan?"
"No, it's not them," Hikkiri said, shaking her head and staring at the floor.
"Hm?"
The purple-headed woman looks at the two with an inquisitive yet dubious expression. She was delighted Yume was already confident and comfortable talking to others, since she knew you were the only one who could show Yume a peek of the world, as Hajime knew something.
"Even if the author of this fanfiction did not portray their tiny bonding together, they were able to bond because to me."
"Seriously?"
"What? I'm spitting facts."
"Oh, you're talking about how you made Kamui and Yume go to the match with separate teams many times and referred to it as bonding?"
"Yes-"
"Teacher, what are you doing?" Hikkiri questioned, noticing Hajime tossing a microphone to the side.
"Don't worry, I'm only breaking the fourth wall."
"What?"
"What?"
You amusingly blinked at them, "..."
Hajime laughed maniacally as she rubbed her fist on Hikirri's head, attempting to avoid it but failing miserably. It was a sight you yearned for, and seeing them blissfully together leaves you feeling empty.
You stood up quietly so no one could hear you, walked through the door silently, and left the room without anyone noticing you.
"Eh? Where's Kamui-chan?"
Hikkiri kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything; she knew what you did right there; you just walked away, leaving them together. She didn't stop you because she knew better than anyone that you are free to do anything you want.
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The street is still and appears to be deserted, with the exception of the leaves, which are weaving their way across the grass and rustling in the breeze. There is no bird to keep nature's feelings alive; only silence. There was no commotion from the high school students and no unpleasant noise from the automobile. Nobody, not even a speck of dust, dares to interrupt this ethereal moment.
The road with an eternal path gives the impression of nothingness, and it's just you and yourself. In the absence of a specific destination, you keep walking until you're miles away from where you have been. What were you going to do next? The last thing you wanted right now was to deal with your feelings.
Everything is eerily silent, as if it were not even alive, like a street that only appears at midnight and vanishes when the first rays of dawn appear.
Breathing deeply, you looked up at the azure sky, which was filled with serenity and radiated a sense of tranquility.
"You-!"
You were startled by the sudden voice that yelled at you, and upon turning around, you saw a guy dressed in casual attire.
It was a man you had never met before.
"Ah... A stranger..."
He stomped and marched over you, harshly grasping your shoulder, making you wince.
"What's his problem?"
Keeping silent angered him much more than before; you have no idea why he was frantic for some reason.
If you weren't injured, especially if your head is injured, you would have definitely kicked him where the shine doesn't rise, but the fact that you can't think straight makes you feel useless.
But of course, you're not going to be a damsel in distress who can't free herself from a single stranger; you've already defeated a group of people, so how can a single man defeat you?
You eyed him with hollow eyes as the man with the false eyeglasses insulted you further while tightening his grasp on your shoulder.
"Could you just refrain from touching me? I despise being touched by a person who does not know how to wash their hands."
Your icy demeanor sends shivers down the stranger's spine, but he does not cease his actions.
"This woman!"
You were about to yank his hand off you but stopped when he screamed loudly.
"You are the reason my dad is in prison!"
While he keeps accusing you for something you don't even know, your expression remains unchanged, and you even reach the conclusion after a while that you didn't even know who his father was.
As he repeated "It's your fault, it's your fault," his eyelids swollen, keeping his tears from spilling.
You realized that the father he was referring to was the man you encountered when you went to the mall. He broke down in sorrow and displayed furious emotions through his eyes.
"It's all your fault!"
"It's all my fault!"
That startles you, and you immediately start hearing a ringing sound in both of your ears. You squeeze your eyes shut and cover the ringing sound with your hands as the pain in your head begins to throb.
"Get your hands off her."
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Details
-You woke up, realizing that everything you do in your subconscious is always connected to the real world. That is, if you die there, you also die in reality.
-The match between Inakuni and Hakuren will begin soon.
Do you wish to continue?
-Yes
-No