"I think I've had enough of this bathroom." I said, retrieving my finger from our makeshift handshake and starting towards the door.

"Hold on. " Koda interrupted, "You should know, time flows differently in the metaverse. Hours in there can seem like minutes in the real world. It'll take some getting used to."

"Huh," I responded, looking outside of the bathroom door towards our table. As I watched, the group of adolescents conversed animatedly, as if no time had passed at all. I found it slightly arresting to know that my near death experience had happened in the blink of an eye to everyone else, but I guess it was convenient.

I looked back to Koda, "I'm in no mood to continue hanging around these guys. I can handle them for short amounts of time, and in moderation, on the best of days. This certainly ain't one." I smiled slightly, "But I do have an idea."


I walked out of the bathroom, holding Koda in my hands like she was made of porcelain. To really sell it, I simply moved past the group without even acknowledging them, walking as if I was busy with something else. As expected, just when I was nearing the door that led outside, one of the many voices present raised above the others to address me.

"Hikigaya-kun!" I knew it was Haruno before even turning, what with the ever-present mirth that pervaded her every sentence. When I turned to look at her, her gaze was locked on me.

"Yes?" I asked with as much calmness as I could. Truly, the person I met in the metaverse, her 'other self,' mirrored her in every way except one. The Haruno I knew seemed too normal, too in control to be that mindlessly obsessed.

"Where are you going?" She said, allowing a bit of menace to slip into her voice.

"Well, I was enjoying my time with all of you when I-" Someone scoffed loudly. Instead of addressing it I simply pushed on, "when I found this helpless little bird injured in the bathroom. She must have gotten hurt." I presented Koda to the group, and tapped her slightly so she would know it was her cue.

I could tell that she had already forgotten what we went over in the bathroom, so she just tried her best. "Caw caw! I'm hurt, ah man this sucks." I flashed an annoyed look at her before speaking up again, silently wondering just how convincing she sounded. She herself said that normal people who had never been to the metaverse would just hear a normal crow, but it was simply a little hard to believe.

"I was going to take her to the vet nearby, and see what they can do for her."

The plan worked just as advertised. The whole group seemed to melt slightly as she did her entirely low effort acting. That, of course, would be everyone except Haruno.

"Hmm." I could see the gears turning in her mind. I had hoped she would cave under the pressure of the others present. But, I guess it was going to take a little bit more than that.

"Well, I guess I could give her to animal control, but they might euthanize her." I said, not entirely sure if they would do anything of the sort.

Haruno's eyes sharpened for a split second, so fast I doubted they had at all.

And then she laughed.

"Don't do that, it's only natural to want to help. Go ahead." She said, and proceeded not to acknowledge me any further.

I paused, noticing something amiss about her short response. The table continued on unburdened though, so I took my chance while I had it. I left at a calm, but slightly quicker pace than normal.

To be safe, I carried Koda down the street and around a corner before letting her spread her wings and take off. She flew in the air and circled a couple times before returning and landing on my shoulder.

"Where are you headed now?" Koda asked, curious.

"Home. I'm dead tired, way more than I'm used to." I said with a sigh.

"Is that so?" She asked thoughtfully. "You know, it's entirely possible the metaverse has a weakening effect on people. I wouldn't have felt it because it doesn't effect me personally, but it's not your natural habitat. Just as demons from the metaverse would have a hard time existing in the physical world, normal people should have a hard time existing in the metaverse."

I stopped walking for a second as I digested her statement. "Do you mean it's entirely possible for shadows to travel to the physical world by coincidence, just as I did the opposite?"

"You think all those ghost stories and UFO sightings are just absolute nothings? Just, imaginings by thousands of people around the world?"

I refrained from saying yes, and instead listened.

"The thing is, most shadows live in service to more powerful ones. They are constantly vying for control and advantages over one another. As such, it's very rare to see a powerful shadow in the real world. Why would you leave behind a world where your word is law to one where you'd have to fight for your very existence? Instead, it's the ones with very little to their name and more to gain than to lose that take the risk. Because of that, they find it difficult to maintain their form. They disappear within days, sometimes hours if they don't return."

"They disappear?" I asked.

"Yes. By their very nature, they are not physical creatures. It takes extreme amounts of mental energy for them to gain sentience and form even in the metaverse."

I furrowed my brow slightly, thinking of possibilities that I hadn't considered before.

"Don't worry, they won't be following you to the real world anytime soon. Like I said, it's a pretty big risk for even the most powerful shadows."

We maintained silence after that, having nothing of particular urgency or relative interest to speak about until I returned to my house.

As I placed my hand on the door, I found that a wave of relief passed over me. The last day had been more than stressful. From the nightmare that had started it all, to a group event that really served to hasten my encounter with the metaverse, to then having to defend my life against literal demons from another world. To be frank, I was looking forward to having absolutely nothing to do.

I swung the door open, and just as I expected, there was absolutely nothing. It was an empty room, one I'd seen everyday for the past couple of years. As my parents both led busy lives, and were quite often working overtime, they tended not to be home during waking hours. Even my sister had her friends to attend to. I had become used to being alone in the well off, but ultimately hollow house by myself. In the end, the solitude was comfortable for me, something I easily understood.

I strode to the refrigerator and grabbed a soda from inside. From there, I proceeded to walk to the couch, and threw myself on it with little care.

"Finally." I said, closing my eyes. Just before they were entirely shut, I could see Koda taking in the surroundings, seemingly familiarizing herself with my home. Seeing as how we were partners now, I didn't have the slightest intent to stop her. With the abilities she provided, the least I could do was give her a place to sleep. I fell into unconsciousness with thoughts of a birdhouse on my mind.


"It seems you have begun your journey." It was Igor who spoke first this time.

"Damn it." I cursed, "You do realize that I'd like to have some normal sleep, preferably one without some random old guy at some point?"

"You," He enunciated his words as if to prove just how much he was ignoring me, "have come into a pact with the Star."

As he finished his sentence, a card appeared in his hand. It carried the image of a fantastic starscape, each star blinking in and out of view, bringing forth the grand majesty of an infinite night sky. In front of it was quite a stylized crow, clearly in flight with it's wings spread wide. I instantly recognized that it was a representation of Koda.

For the first time in a while, I was left utterly speechless.

"The Star means many things, in many different cultures, and during many different stages of one's journey. It is commonly represented as recognizing divine influences upon one's life, and coming to peace with the outside forces that promote growth. Most importantly, however, it can also represent guidance..." He paused slightly," Or, some would say, divine providence."

I chortled, and then proceeded to forcibly relax myself. "I'd be remiss if I didn't at least ask you. Who, or what, is responsible for this guidance?"

"A better question," He finally responded to me directly, in the same way he spoke during our last encounter, "Is why they would choose you."

My mind, which had been running a thousand miles a minute, slowed to a pause. That was a good question. Whatever the case, divine being or formless influence, they somehow thought I was equipped to stop whatever "ruin" that was on it's way.

Why?

"In time, your considerable abilities will become more clear. The answer to the questions you have lie at the end of your desired path. But do not forget, there is danger at every turn. It is up to you if you embrace, or reject that reality."

"That is all the time we have today, I'm afraid." He finished. Abruptly, I was ejected from the velvet room, with just as little grace as I remember.


My eyes shot open.

"Huh." It was Komachi, standing right in front of me with her hand nearly touching my shoulder. She hadn't quite shaken me awake yet, but was clearly about to.

"I'm up. Did you need something?" I asked groggily.

"Yui-san texted me, she wanted to check on a bird? She said you would know what she was talking about." Komachi sat next to me, slipping her phone out of her pocket.

I put my hand out, stopping her before she showed me.

"Do you want to see my new pet?" I said, smirking deviously.

It was her shocked expression, and then the excitement that followed after that almost made the trouble I went through today worth it.

Almost.

In Time, Dreams Of Another World Would Become Commonplace