Chapter 2: ... And, At the Beginning
1
Golden-brown eyes.
Long brown hair put in a ponytail—a hair clip taking the appearance of the letter R connecting one side of her bangs.
A pair of feathers lying at the top of her head. That's where the part-owl comes in, I'm sure.
To top it all off—Sato has a cute face.
Sato Yumiko, Sato Yumiko, Sato Yumiko, I repeat the name over and over… Certainly a face and name I don't recognize. Tanaka and Fujimoto were just whispering 'bout a new cute girl who had just transferred into our school… This her? Must be.
But what does this new girl, especially such an attractive one, want with me? Don't know her, so what business could she possibly have with me?
Could it be…?
Is this girl—my soulmate?
I don't have her anywhere in my memories—but what if that weren't entirely the case?
A girl from my childhood who I've long forgotten.
This girl, Sato Yumiko, who I know as nothing more than the new transfer girl—but back then, was my childhood sweetheart. And during that time, we made a promise, one that would change the trajectory of our lives forever: to marry each other once we become adults. However, as fate would have it, we would unfortunately be faced with a series of events that would have us separated for more than a decade.
Still, while the boy had completely forgotten about his other half, the girl never did. She kept him in heart even throughout her most troubling times. Although worlds apart, she would never forget the love she had for him—and she especially would never forget the promise she made. This would be her reality until her 18th year of living on this planet.
It would be that year that she would find out that the boy that lives in her heart was attending Nolar High School as a 3rd year high school student. Less than a month after figuring out this transformative information, she would transfer into that same exact school as the same year as the boy.
Excited to know that she gets to see the boy she still loves after so many years apart, she is unable to contain all of her emotions and immediately heads over to his class.
And that girl, Sato, who made the promise to get married once we became adults—is currently standing in front of me, ready to remind me of the love we shared once we were children in hopes of eventually getting back together to get married and live our lives together, hand in hand?!
It's totally true—I mean, we even share the same birthday! That can't be a coincidence!
"Hehehe…"
"What are you laughing about?" Sato tilts her head.
"N—Nothing."
Of course not, you fucking idiot!
You just can't fantasize and imagine a whole backstory between you and a girl you just met simply because you found her attractive, Sodachi!
Besides, at least try to make the story make sense!
For one, if meeting me really was her top priority then why didn't she do it at break instead of lunch? She could've even done it during the small gaps in between classes.
Second, how one-sided was our relationship that she couldn't ever get rid of her love for me, but I totally could?! It seems to me like I didn't love her at all…
Finally, and the most obvious one—leaving Nolar is a concept that is totally nonexistent for its civilians. One that I'm entirely too familiar with, as someone that was born here. While entering Nolar may be easy—permanently leaving is as impossible as a task could get; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say achieving immortality is easier.
So, that's why what I said was completely utter bullshit.
…
But, I don't necessarily dislike the idea…
"Uhh… Is…there something you want from me?"
"Well, y'know, since I'm new to Nolar High and don't have any friends, I thought to get out of my seat and make some!"
"Couldn't you have just, like, done that in your class and not the one two classes over?"
"..."
"..."
"...Well, in a school with so many people, I certainly didn't expect to see a familiar face—even if we're not that close to one another. So, it'd be normal if you were my first target in my quest of making new friends, no?"
"'Familiar face'? The hell are you saying? I'm certain this is the first time I've ever met you, let alone even seen your face."
"..."
"..."
"Haha, you're totally right! Sorry, it seems like I got you confused with somebody else. Totally embarrassing… But, since we've already gotten this far, why don't we just be friends?"
"Hey, Sato."
"What is it?"
"You know I can tell you're lying, right?"
"..."
"..."
"Jeez…"
Her voice shook as she spoke. She looks down at the floor, her eyes hidden by her bangs.
Slowly, Sato looks back up at me. Her eyes have this terrifying look in them, and almost seem as if they are building up tears.
With a menacing and intimidating voice, she speaks—
"...Can't we just be friends?"
Scary!
Super duper scary!
How do you go from a cute high school girl to a serial killer with absolutely no remorse—or at least have the vibe of one?!
Is Sato gonna pull a knife out of her pocket and stab me, right here right now?!
I'm being threatened, aren't I?!
I need to do something fast!
"Of course, we can be friends—totally, totally! In fact, we're actually the bestest of friends, aren't we?"
"..."
"..."
"The bestest of friends…?"
"Mm-hmm…the bestest of friends…"
"Yeah… Yeah! The bestest of friends! That works!"
So, she walks away from my desk with a happy look on her face, no hint of the serial killer she was only moments ago; seemingly satisfied with accomplishing whatever she was supposed to accomplish. Once she manages to put herself behind the classroom's door, she turns around—her face even cuter than it was when I first saw her.
"Talk to you later, best friend!"
Sato Yumiko opens the door, giggling as she does so, walks through it, and closes the door.
"..."
The fuck…was that?
How am I supposed to interpret those sequences of events?
I guess I do nothing but…take it all in, as I continue to eat my bento.
…
Speaking of bento…wasn't Ninomae about to ask if it were okay to eat our bento before Sato interrupted?
I get out of my desk and head over to Ninomae's.
"Ninomae."
"Y—Yes, Sodachi…?"
"Weren't you asking if you wanted to eat our bento together?"
"H—Huh? T—That wasn't me—definitely not me—it was all in your head!"
"...That so?"
"Yup yup yup!"
"You seem strangely hyperactive. Something wrong?"
"Like I'm saying, it's all in your head!"
"Are you sure? I'm almost positive—"
"All in your head!"
"I might need to make an appointment with my doctor…"
"I'm actually a ghost!"
"Ghost Ninomae?"
"Ghost Ninomae!"
"Haha, ghost Ninomae! Can you phase through solid objects?"
"O-Of course! Just look at this…" Ninomae takes her hand and shows me the front and back of it like a magician, before proceeding to move it up and down—through her desk, as if she were moving through thin air.
"Wow, amazing… You really are a ghost. Ghost Ninomae!"
"T—That's me…"
…Where am I going with this? I can't go turning into some guy that's impressed by basic illusion magic...
"Err, but even if it was all in my head, sure you don't want to eat our bento together? We don't usually eat together so I think it'd be pretty fun."
"No, no, it's fine… I think I'll enjoy my bento by myself."
"...Alright."
I turn away from Ninomae and her desk. Undeniably, I feel a little sad from having my request denied by her.
"—But!"
"...Hm?"
I turn back around. For a second I think that she regretted her choice and really does want to eat our bento's together—but that train of thought quickly leaves my mind as I take a good look at Ninomae's face.
Her eyes slightly drooped—her iris' dulled.
Ninomae…is sad.
But, why?
"I want to know…"
Her cheeks are flushed, though, it's as clear as day that they weren't flushed for the sake of happiness…it's from the effort of keeping her emotions in check. Her emotions—emotions that are putting her onto the brink of tears.
What are your thoughts, Ninomae?
What raced through your mind when I turned my back to face you—when I almost walked away from you?
"What's your relationship with Sato?"
"Sato… I don't know. I just met her."
"...You're not lying, Sodachi?"
"There's no reason for me to lie to you."
"Then, what was your first impression of her?"
"A weirdo, I guess."
Ninomae said nothing after. She turned away from me, opened her bento box and began to eat what was inside. And, as frozen as a statue, I watched her eat—the sad look never leaving her face.
"Is something the matter, Ninomae? Did I say something offensive? You seem…upset."
"..."
The silent treatment, huh?
"Whatever it is, don't be afraid to talk about it. Remember, I'm always here for you, no matter wh—"
"Fuck you Sodachi! We leave you alone for one second and all of a sudden the girls come flocking over you! Tell me—how do you know her!?"
But before I could finish, Fujimoto paid me a visit.
"Calm down, man...I don't even know her. She just came over, introduced herself, forced me into being friends with her and dipped. Fuck was I supposed to do?"
"Did you get her name? You got her name, didn't you?! C'mon bro, please tell me her name!"
"Her name is..."
It didn't stop there. Many people who were intrigued by this new student came over to me and unleashed a merciless barrage of questions; they kept me occupied until the end of lunch.
In other words.
Ninomae was left all by her lonesome, doing nothing but chewing on her food.
...
I didn't get to finish my bento…
2
Fast forward to the last hour of school.
6th period.
Gym class.
For most people. But, for me—
"Aikawa!"
Coming from an unrecognizable voice, someone calls out my name. I turn in the direction of where the voice came from.
I see—
"Oh...it's you again."
It's her again!
Grrrr... What the hell are you doing here?
"'You'? Did you forget my name already?"
"'Course not. Sato Yumiko."
Right. Sato Yumiko.
The girl who disrupted my lunch time, preventing me from finishing my bento! I was so unhappy about not finishing it that I ate it during 5th period (I hid it in my desk and whenever the teacher looked away I would sneak a bite. As rude as eating during class might be, I don't regret it one bit! It was delicious!).
Regardless, I do wonder what Sato wants with me.
"Woah, you actually did remember! Even I forget my names from time-to-time so congrats!"
"Haha!" I laugh at her joke.
"What's so funny...?
"...Eh? I thought your joke was funny so...I laughed at it?"
"But, I don't remember ever making a joke."
"???"
Not long ago, I remember reading an article about the most common names in the country of Erbosa and I'm almost sure both ended up in the top five... Are you the bigger idiot for being able to forget two of the most common names in the entire country or for forgetting your own name?
...
Doesn't matter.
You're an idiot either way.
Moving on!
"So, err, what are you doing...outside the locker rooms?
"Actually, I've been trying to find you. A second ago I was out in the field but I couldnt spot you, so I asked a boy where you were and he said you'd be in the locker room."
...
Sato is doing it again.
She's—
"You're lying, again."
"..."
I'm reading her mind, of course—not. Being able to catch her lies isn't a matter of me analyzing her body language or the tone of her voice.
She's just a bad liar.
That's it.
"Hm...?"
This look...and this posture!
Her eyes being hidden by her bangs, her posture droopy, hanging with disappointment.
I"m going to be threatened again!
Her mouth opens.
And—
"No—No, I—I am not—not—I am—I am not ly—not—well—I'm not lying!"
That was probably the least intimidating thing but I still somehow ended up being scared by it!
Not one, not two, but eight total dashes used! And if that weren't enough, she still refuses to admit that she's lying.
Scary.
Like.
Super duper scary.
"How did you know I was lying?"
And then—she admits defeat, even after all that! I might not have known Sato for long (7 minutes and 12 seconds, to be exact) but she has already proven herself to be my most worthy opponent yet...
Get away from me, owl woman.
"This may just be me, but, so far, everytime we've talked I have gotten this feeling that you went on about something totally useless and irrelevant to the story in your narration..."
"No, that's just you."
"I guess it is too strange a feeling for others to feel..."
Yeah.
What are you saying, Sato?
You alright in the head?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
"Anyways," Sato says, her eyes widening with a terrified look in her eyes, snapping back into character, "h—how did you know I was lying?"
"Because a girl wouldn't know if I really were still in the locker room... In fact, nobody in that class would know if I were or weren't."
"Huh? Why?"
"Take a good look at our outfits."
Outfits.
Sato herself wears the attire that the Physical Education class requires you to wear: a white shirt with dark blue shorts. The attire is the same regardless of gender.
"Outfits... Oh! Now, that you mention it..."
Which is why.
"What's with the knee pads? The shoulder guards? And—what are you carrying?" she asks, her eyes directed towards the items I hold.
"A bowgun—or crossbow, whatever you wanna call it—and chest armor."
"The heck? That's not for gym class is it...? If I didn't trust you I'd think you were going to s—"
"Hmph!"
"What?"
"Nothing."
I fear that if she went on with that she'd make a joke that she wouldn't be able to recover from...
"But, yeah, you'd be right, Sato. It isn't for gym class; since I'm not in the gym."
"But how does that… Ah, I see. You're saying the way you caught my lie was because the person I asked couldn't have known where you were 'cause you're not in the same class as them, right?"
"Right; since our class doesn't use the school field to train."
"Then, what class do you have right now, Aikawa?"
"Advanced arcane arts and combat studies."
"Such a mouthful," the look on her face is as if she's experiencing real pain that's hurting her. "'Advanced arcane arts and combat studies'… Advanced? Ehh, so you must be pretty strong."
"I—I wouldn't say that but I'm fairly capable, I guess."
The sudden compliment was out of left field; I can only blush and answer awkwardly.
Thankfully.
Ring!
I was saved by the bell.
"Can't talk to you now. See ya', Sato."
I walk away from Sato in a hurry, not only to make it to class in time—but to get away from Sato as fast as possible.
3
Ring!
Again, the bell rings.
However, this time, what it saves me from the hellish creation known as school (seriously, who was the man that created such a concept and brought it to light? If I had a time machine I'd kill them).
While everybody immediately heads through the school entrance and takes their leave, I take myself to the side of the school to where the bicycle parking is.
I unlock my bike.
From my inventory, I bring out the earphones that I left there earlier in the day. I put them in my ears; and I start to play music.
I get on my bike, and begin pedaling.
"Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on~"
But.
No more than 5 meters from my starting point.
"Christmas season was last month, y'know."
"I can't just enjoy the song?"
She just spawns in.
From nowhere.
Like a mob in Minecraft.
Did I unknowingly step on a four-leaf clover, or something?
"...What do you want?" I ask, my annoyance at her appearance manages to leak out.
"I'd thought we'd walk home together since that's what good friends do!"
Yeah.
Because all good friends walk home together.
"Alright, then."
I get off my bike. Instead of riding it, I opt to walk while holding the handles and dragging it along. Sato's presence isn't really something I have already become welcoming of, but I'm not one to push people away either so for now I will accept the challenges destiny throws at me.
"..."
"..."
Woah.
The situation is so awkward that we both used two ellipses!
But, anyway.
Yeah.
Compared to our conversation earlier, there is nothing natural about this.
Because the basis that has led both Sato to this point is an artificial friendship. Artificial friendships aren't real friendships so it's not like we can just say anything random then extend the conversation from there—or sit in comfortable silence.
There is a man and a woman.
Walking alongside one another.
And though we have different destinations, we head in the same direction.
Someone needs to say something.
But that sure as hell is ain't gonna be me.
"...What's your favorite color?"
"I get that you want to break the ice but you can at least do a little better than that, no?"
"Are you and that Ninomae girl a thing?"
"Out of everything you had to ask..."
I'm shivering.
"A girls curious! I won't be taking no for an answer."
"If I can't answer it than is it even a question?"
"C'mon. I've been here for no more than a day but even I know what's going on between you guys. It's in the air. Love, specifically. Love is in the air."
"Love is in the air? Like that song by John Paul Young?"
"Don't try to change the subject on me! I am a master in the art of gaslighting so I cannot be fooled by a rookie!"
"I don't think gaslighting is the word you're looking for."
Segueing and redirection are the words you need.
But even if gaslighting was the correct word, you'd just be lying again.
And if Sato were telling the truth, well, I just wouldn't believe her.
"Don't act a fool with me, Aikawa!"
"I think you're the one acting a fool."
And why are you talking in the tone of a shonen jump villain? Aizen, to be exact.
Don't do that. You're the deuteragonist, after all.
"We share a class, actually. Ninomae and I. When the bell rang and everyone got up to get to their next class and you passed by with some friends—it was like her eyes were magnets and they were completely attracted to you! And even when you completely went out of sight, she kept looking in the direction you were going."
"..."
"Whaddya got to say about that?"
"Not to be rude to Ninomae but...well, she doesn't have friends."
"...Oh."
Immediately, my point is understood.
Ninomae Ina'nis.
The girl with absolutely beautiful purple hair.
The girl who sat down in the corner of the classroom. Not a single person surrounded her as she sat. She was simply—there.
The quiet character archetype.
And since I met her—
Bluntly put, she hasn't changed much.
Not to say she hasn't changed at all. Ninomae seems more expressive and confident.
But the girl that she once was, still is.
Which is why.
It's natural for her to try to converse with her one and only friend.
To want to talk to the only person she can trust.
So.
What Sato described is completely different from what she tried to get at.
"Alright. Then—"
"...?"
"What are your thoughts on Ninomae, Aikawa?"
"She's...gorgeous. It's sorta hard to put into words but her purple eyes and hair is otherworldly; it's difficult to believe she's full human. Besides her looks, she's extremely intelligent; she's the top scorer among all of the school's exams! Along with being intelligent, she's totally dependable. Did I mention that Ninomae's very athletic as well? To be honest, I've never been the biggest fan of volleyball but whenever she plays, she makes it entertaining! She's easily the best on our team. We share a similar sense of humor and our tastes in novels and manga are practically the same, so it's always fun talking to her. Ninomae is...cool, I guess."
"???"
"What?"
"I was actually starting to believe that you and her were just friends but…" Sato sighs. "Aikawa, you're clearly in love with her."
"What are you saying? Where'd that come from?"
"...Are you even listening to yourself as you talk about her? You're talking as if she were your girlfriend."
"You're not making any sense."
"It's become clear. You're both longing for the other's love. Why don't you confess?!"
"Shuddup…"
"C'mon! The both of you guys would be so cute together!"
"Shut up…"
"Green and purple—what an unexpected mix! If you could have kids, would they be—"
"Shut up!"
"...Eh?"
"What don't you get?! I'm not in love with Ninomae! Is that so hard to understand? Besides—"
Besides.
If Ninomae were to love Sodachi.
If Sodachi were to love Ninomae.
"—she deserves someone much better than me!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Dammit.
I really should just get on and bike away—leave this stupid and embarrassing scene.
But…that just isn't my style.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to start yelling at you all of a sudden."
"N—No, that fault is all mine. It was totally insensitive for me to continue talking about something you're clearly uncomfortable with; I should be the one apologizing. Sorry."
"...Yeah."
"..."
"..."
"Let's go back to basics."
"…Basics?"
"Like, 'what's your favorite color?'. Want to start?"
"...Yeah! Sure! Then, what's your favorite color?"
"It was just supposed to be an example, but my answer is green."
"Wooooooooooowww... Totally didn't see that coming."
"What's yours?"
"Brown."
"Yours is equally as lame and predictable as mine!"
"Yeah, well, at least brown is a cool color! Green is...uncool!"
"We're basing this off of hair color right? Then, I'd say you're just jealous of me for having such a rare natural hair color, while you have one of the most common hair colors!"
"T—That's not true! And, stop acting like your hair is all green 'cause that just isn't true either! You have just as much black in your hair than you do green!"
"Seems like someone is putting their attention to someone else's hair rather than their own..."
"Next question!"
"I go now, right? Hm… Why move to Nolar?"
"What makes you think that I'm not a resident of Nolar? What if I had just been homeschooled, then decided to transfer to the high school?"
"When you've been living in the same town for 18 years it becomes easy to tell when someones an outsider. And if being homeschooled was the reality of it, I would simply rephrase my question; Why transfer to Nolar High?"
"..."
"I'm sure you know about this already but the whole school has been calling you an idiot and a moron and plenty of other names—all because of your decision to move to Nolar. To be direct, I agree with them."
What reason is there to move to a shithole like Nolar? Is she an idiot?
There's for sure something wrong with her head. No sane person would willingly come here.
The words that you'd hear around the school halls.
Words that I haven't said out loud but were definitely muttered in this head of mine.
Because—what motives could she possibly have to come here? What sort of person does Sato have to be to have such a desire?
So.
I have to know.
I have to pry.
"What's so wrong with wanting to come here?"
"…Eh?"
"I mean, it doesn't seem all that bad around here…"
"…Are you trying to say—you came to Nolar knowing nothing about it?"
"Is that so bad…?"
…
My jaw drops. It hits the concrete sidewalk we walk on. It hurts.
…Seriously?
This woman—
Just who the hell are you?
"Well…" I bring my jaw back to its regular position, sighing right after. "Nolar—"
Nolar, Erbosa.
Ranked as the most dangerous city in the country of Erbosa.
Ranked as the 5th most dangerous in the entire world.
A crime rate of 76 per 1000 residents.
And of those 76, 11 are said to end up—dead.
Gone.
No longer a part of this world.
However.
That's not where the true fear of Nolar lies.
Because.
Because—that's not the only threat to the people.
Between 9 and 18 a month.
Between 3 and 6 a week.
There was one just yesterday, I heard. On the east outskirts of the city. It was said 6 died before adventurers could come in and fight against them; even so, they couldn't protect the life of another.
A 6 year-old girl. Her name was Naomi Haru.
May her young soul, along with the 6 other victims, rest in peace.
…It was a monster evasion.
That's it.
It's monster evasions—that takes the lives of our people. That takes the lives of our lawyers. Our scientists. Our CEO's. Our old. Our teens.
Our—world leaders.
Our—young ones.
Orphanages have been burnt to a crisp.
Schools have been destroyed to oblivion.
Banks no longer stand where they once did.
And most importantly—homes, where a loving family onced lived, are completely gone.
In conclusion—
…
…
…
There is none.
There is no hope for the improvement of Nolar. That one day we'd see ourselves prosper.
There is no hope for its people. We won't ever stop killing each other.
There is no hope for the future.
There is no hope for any of us to—leave.
…
…
…
Stop thinking.
Just…stop.
This doesn't need to be said again.
It has already been said to us over and over.
That—we're all—!
We're all…
…
"That's the gist of it."
"I…" Her face is the most expressive it has ever been. Sato's mouth wide open while sweat drips down her cheeks; the owl feathers that rest at the top of her head are now completely sprung up.
Her eyes—like as if she lost someone dear to her.
…Maybe a bit of an overreaction, I think.
—Actually.
No.
That reaction is totally fit for a character like her.
The mysterious owl girl.
Sato Yumiko.
"...How did it ever get like this?" Ironically, despite being in a horrified state, she speaks clearly.
"...Do you even need to ask that? The answer is the same—to all existing questions."
"Sorry…I forgot."
"...Of course you did."
The answer to all existing questions.
The answer to all remaining questions.
It's all because—
Here's a history lesson for you.
The Silent War.
On a certain day—we, humans, made a discovery. One that would change the course of history. In exactly one century, both Hybrids and Humans will—perish.
That's right.
What humanity discovered was the inevitability that we know of as Death—was coming to all of them.
All at once.
The news spread faster around the world at an unprecedented speed; it only took 2 days for all of civilization to learn the fact. And so. For the following 2 days. Humans and Hybrids—lied. To themselves. They said, It's a lie made to scare us. I mean we did so much to get to where we are...so we can't all die. They lived for these 2 days peacefully, despite it being in the name of willful ignorance.
Then.
The day after.
A woman claiming to be one of the 5 Avatars appeared on the face of this Earth.
Yes.
The Avatar of Chaos—Hakos Baelz spoke.
True to her alias, what she spoke caused Chaos. Because what she said—was the confirmation of the rumor that had caught the world's attention.
The Manipulator will kill us all in the blink of an eye. And when a man asked her if there's anything the Avatars could do to stop it, her answer was—
"No."
And so, with one simple word, the world was sent on a downward spiral.
That day—humanity and hybrids alike suffered a major loss. That day—
2% of the population had given up.
In other words, they commit suicide.
And it said that more than 50% of the population had thought of it.
Despite it not coming in their lifetime, they felt as if all had come to waste. Because if there was no future—what was the point?
The Manipulator promised to kill all of us.
So we killed ourselves before they could get to us.
And.
The people who didn't commit suicide only had one option: shiver in fear.
But not before doing something stupid.
At this point not only were the people scared but they were pushing the blame of the inevitable death of mankind onto the Avatars. Hybrids, despite also being affected by everything that has taken place, were blamed as well; simply because they were an original creation of the Avatars.
By the end of the week.
Humanity declared war on Hybrids.
It was the first time in recorded history that Humanity declared war for one reason and one reason only—
Fear.
Humanity fought because they were scared.
Humanity thought that a genocide of Hybrids would fix the problem.
Though I'm sure deep down—they were lying to themselves. They knew it wouldn't fix anything. But, regardless, they fought.
Despite living in times where wars usually last less than half-a-year—10 years, the war lasted.
For 10 years, Humanity lied to themselves.
And, as a result.
A quarter of the Hybrid population had been killed off; along with a seventh of Humanity.
"Nolar had a large population of people who were against the war, so it served as a place for Hybrids to hide and take shelter. They would hide in the houses of Humans, usually in the basements. For maybe 3 or 4 years the Hybrids were successfully hidden from the war. But, amongst the humans, there was a rat who snitched about everything to the military. That bitch—got the entire military involved."
"So…what ended up happening?"
"A war of its own."
The military's actions weren't to get involved themselves. Instead, it was to send monsters to attack us.
Draugrs. Dragons.
Goblins. Cyclops.
Wraiths. Wargs.
They tried to kill us. Fortunately, at the time of the war our Adventurers Guild was at its peak—our adventurers were at their strongest.
It was an equal battle.
Or, at the very least, it was as first.
Humans and Hybrids have many weaknesses alike.
Such as—stamina and emotions.
So.
It wasn't long before the monster got the upper hand.
Still, they fought against each other until the final days of the war.
What remains of the battle—is the Nolar we know today.
Currently, an empty ring surrounds Nolar, which used to be houses and buildings that were a part of the city but were completely dismantled by the fighting, although now is a no man's land where monsters reside. A few years after the end of the Silent War, a wall that serves as a barrier from the remaining monsters was built.
Not that it completely stopped them from attacking.
"The end of the war didn't signify the end of all our problems. The way the rest of the world handled the awkward tension was simply by separating themselves, for the most part; Humans and Hybrids no longer wanted anything to do with one another. Of course, some places, like Nolar, still have a mixed population. But as a result—infighting became the new problem. Some Hybrids felt betrayed by Humans for what had happened, so they formed gangs to attack Humans. Humans retaliated by forming their own gangs to fight back. At first, that's what they did. Simply—fought. Until, over the years—they started killing each other. And, it's sorta evolved as well. Nowadays, a gang isn't formed of just Hybrids or just Humans; usually it's a mix of both. As for why…they just…have killed each other so much that they forgot the roots of why their gangs were created and instead have started to simply—hate each other. For no apparent reason."
The Silent War even left us with a nice gift.
The Post-Silent calendar.
Though, it would be more accurate for it to be called a countdown.
At this very moment in time, it is the 70th year.
Once that number turns into a 90—
"Well, you can probably guess by now."
…How nonsensical.
"Yeah…"
"…"
"…"
"So…"
"…?"
"Why me?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm asking—why me? Why, out of everyone in my class, did you specifically choose to make friends with me? Don't try to deny that you're not stalking me—or, well, that might be too much—but at least you are keeping a very close eye on me. Earlier, during your gym class, you very much were waiting for me outside of the locker rooms. By the way, how did you know I was in the locker rooms? I caught your lie. But you never said how you knew, right? Plus, just a few minutes ago, how did you know that I was coming out of the parking area? It's your first day here—there's no way in hell you knew that I arrive each and everyday to school by bike. So—"
"You're special."
"Huh…?"
"That's my answer. You're special."
"I'm…special."
"Yeah."
"I…"
Don't know how to respond to that.
"…"
"…"
"That was your question, right?"
"Oh—yeah, I guess."
"Then, I'll ask the final question; since we're getting pretty close to my home."
"Ask away."
"At the locker rooms, when you were coming out…it looked like you came out of the men's locker room. Aikawa…are you a pervert?"
"…Sato."
"Yeah?"
"…I'm a man."
"…Ehhhhhhhh???!???!!!!?!!! No way???!???!!!!?!!! But you're so…feminine! The way you look—even your voice is slightly feminine! Just…what???!???!!!!?!!!"
She's genuinely shocked!
"This isn't how we're gonna end the chapter—is it?! I mean, what did you think was going on with me and Ninomae?!"
"I thought you two were lesbians!"
"Like hell we're lesbians!"
Not that I can actually speak for Ninomae, though.
AN: Done! And…woah. This chapter is sorta long. I mean, it was originally supposed to only be around 1k but it's 5k now. What the hell happened?
But, yo! I'm back! I don't really have anything to say so I'll answer some questions before I ask one of my own.
Thank you, Ya boi for another comment! Really appreciate it! To answer your 3 questions quite bluntly: 1a) Yes. 1b) He already lives in such a world. 2) Actually, I would say it's closer to neither. 3) If I think I know what you're saying...youll just have to find out ;)
Now...Do you guys mind if the first arc is filled with OC's? Look, I know that seems like a red-flag but I promise it's for the better; of course, that's not to say it will only be OC's because I've already introduced Sato and Ninomae who will definitely be important. But, I seriously can't see a way to implement Holomembers in the first arc without wasting their characters—and naturally I don't want to throw away members as if they're nothing; I want to treat them all with care. So, do you guys mind? If you guys do have any complaints, please let me know.
Alright, I'm done for now! Favs, Follows, and Comments are appreciated! See you guys later!