Chapter 1 (2/2)

However, Hiro had a secret

A symptom that even his physician didn’t know One that remained to this day, even after 3 years

Ever since he stuave up on club activities

Obviously, he had no intention of disclosing this to his physician, nor his close friends and family

After all, he didn’t want to cause them any needless worry

「I see I asked you so I shouldn’t have……」

fukutarou casted his gaze towards the ground

Reflecting on his own rude behavior, the boy fell silent for a few seconds

However, when he next raised his head, fukutarou flashed a huge grin as he spoke teasingly

「But you knoas really surprised back then It was like you had beco, you looked like a fugitive(4)」

「It fell down to my waist, after all Kaa-san was also really surprised」

Hiro and fukutarou, who had just entered the school building, began to head for class, their shoulders lined up side-by-side

「On top of that, your body was quite firle day?」

「I have this special ability, you see If I sleep for one day, ets raised until it reaches Cheat Class」

「Lies!」

fuktarou laughed as he tried to nudge Hiro

And yet, fukutarou’s fist never touched Hiro’s shoulder

――after all, time had skidded to a halt

「……eh-?」

At this tihtly that he couldn’t possibly show it to other people

However, this was unavoidable After all, the surrounding students had stopped in a similar manner

「E-Everyone……what happened, all of a sudden? D-Don’t tell me this is a prank(5)?」

He tried to shake fukutarou, but to no avail

Stuck in le inch

He tried to approach the nearby girls

Yet, with their hands over their irls had also been petrified, their eyes locked on fukutarou as their gazes held conteust

With this, Hiro tried to call out to each and every person However, not a single one responded

He exited the school building, passing the gates before running down the road

Looking towards the garbage du towards the roadside, he could see a cat inti an elementary school student

Raising his gaze towards the sky, he could see the dazzling sun, still floating around in the sky as if it owned the place

As if trying to run away from this majesty, white clouds colored the blue sky

It was the landscape of daily life……but even so, the fact that tie

「Haha-……what the hell」

There was no reason to launch such a large scale prank(5) on a high school student that one could find just about anywhere

Hiro could grasp that his head was beco blank

His feet staggered The throbs in his chest accelerated

Even though Hiro knew that he had to take so

As anxiety began to surge within hih the corner of his eyes

――at a time like this, ould you do, I wonder?

My heart――seeks help froh the battlefield

(If you saw such a pathetic me, I wonder what you would say?)

Would you console , I wonder

Would you scoldso miserable, I wonder

(Wait, who is this you? Who ah, I don’t have a clue I can’t make heads nor tails of it)

Hiro’s vision gradually began to fade away……it was almost as if the boy was suddenly struck by a spell of drowsiness

――when lost, depend on me I shall also depend on you We are brothers(6), are we not?

Your words froo rapidly revived in my mind

Your voice Your face I soon became able to clearly recall them

――I aer brother No matter what happens, I will always be your family

The person who resided in that world, my one and only family

――Seeking salvation Seeking help There is no shame in that

(But you aren’t in this world How am I supposed to ask for your help?)

Leaving behind my one and only family, I returned to this world

That sin continues to weigh heavily on my heart

――now, let us depart What lies before us may be countless difficulties, Yet, there is none who can break our bond

As the figure of an adolescent appeared, Hiro lost consciousness

A dazzling glare penetrated the boy’s eyelids, sti his pupils

Using his hand to create a shadow, the boy’s eyes slowly opened

What first jurand and ancient presence could be felt

Halfway up the tree, which extended up to the heavens, were countless branches that grew casually to the side At the tips of these branches were an infinite number of leaves These leaves, which seemed to crown the branches, made it so that neither the tree’s sue

What reached his ears was the gentle sound of leaves dancing as they were rocked about by the wind

The light of day spilled through the gaps between the trees, causing a faint glow to surround the forest

Looking further in, one could see the darkness spreading about,it impossible to see any further than that

「……haha, this is a dreaht?」

Until just a o, he should’ve been at school

At that tiic someone, but he couldn’t remember

The feeling of touching grass

The pleasantly cool feeling of the earth

The wind blowing against his face

The smell of nature that tickled his nostrils

All of these sensations had a feeling of realness that one couldn’t possiblya dream

「If it’s a dream, then I’ll wake up eventually…」

Hiroto comfort himself

That like always, he’d wake up in his usual room

He’d likely re around in embarrassment

After forcefully convincing hi tree and went forward into the forest

But no et out of the forest

The scenery didn’t change

As always, he was unable to look into its depths

The trees sis

Just as walking began to become troublesome, and Hiro’s heart was about to crurass

『Gurururururururu-!』

Rising froolden eyes, as drool dripped fros

It was about as big as a ouged at the ground, Hiro backed away

As the sunlight illuminated the beast, he came to see the beautiful white fur that it possessed

「A wolf……?」