Many words passed through ears. Many eyes slowly began to see the truth. If they wanted answers, they would have to seek them themselves. It was more thrilling that way.
Just like that, the reign of the night came to an end, and the sun rose to rule.
Inside the Black Ribbon Chamber, where the examination was still ongoing, Maki woke from his sleep.
He yawned and stretched his arms upward, then slowly sat up. He looked at the window beside his bed. The forest was illuminated by sunlight. The light blended with the trees, creating a fairytale-like scene.
He stared at it. Amazement was written clearly across his face. It felt like a new sight every time he looked at the forest.
His daydreaming was cut off by a voice behind him.
It was not a normal meow. It was the voice of a male cat.
"Hey. Why did you suddenly stop?"
The cat was asking why he had paused and simply sat there staring outside the open window.
The question brought Maki back to his senses.
"Oh. Nothing. Just appreciating the view."
He turned his head and stood up.
He walked to the refrigerator and took out a cold bottle of water. He twisted the cap and took a long drink. After finishing half of it, he placed it back inside.
He looked down at the cat on the floor. "Are you hungry?"
The cat nodded and walked to the wooden table, sitting there as if waiting to be served.
Maki moved to the kitchen area on the right side of the house. He prepared a simple lobster soup with beans and basic seasoning.
He served the food and gave a portion to the cat, who sat upright like a person and used its front paws to eat the lobster.
After eating, both of them were full.
Maki cleaned the table and placed the used plates into the wooden sink he had created.
If anyone wondered where he got the water, it was thanks to Hashirama's Physique.
He could convert his authority directly into water. He did not fully understand how it worked. He simply imagined water flowing out, and it happened.
Hashirama's Physique granted control over all five elements:
Fire, Katon.
Wind, Futon.
Lightning, Raiton.
Earth, Doton.
Water, Suiton.
Maki could use them at a basic level for now.
It was the greatest reward he had gained so far.
After washing the plates, he made his usual black coffee and took his time savoring it.
When he finished, he left the cup in the sink to wash later.
Then he opened his system again. It had become a daily habit.
What he saw made him freeze.
His points had increased.
From its original point he had accumulated before to 124 points.
His red eyes widened. He rubbed them, thinking he had seen it wrong.
But it was real.
124 points.
"What happened in just one day? How? Why? What did I even do? I didn't do anything. What's going on?"
He was not scared. In fact, he did not care if he changed this world.
But ever since arriving, he had felt as if he were under some unseen manipulation. That was what bothered him.
He felt like a fish caught on a hook.
He knew nothing about this new life or how this world truly worked. And the thing he had been avoiding finally happened.
One of the reasons he had never left Nemuri's condo was to avoid exactly this.
Once a fish is caught in a net, it cannot escape.
By stepping outside and coming here, he had already been caught in this world's net. Or perhaps in its fate.
He did not understand anime plots. But if this were a movie, then before he had been just a civilian, a background extra.
Now he had become a side character who would eventually be forced to choose between good and evil.
Unlike other reincarnated protagonists who believed they owned the world the moment they arrived, who acted like rulers just because they knew the plot, Maki was not like that.
For him, this was simply a chance to experience a new life.
Like someone from a secluded country suddenly placed in a vast city.
What troubled him was the change in the world's flow. He had done nothing, yet he was gaining points.
He felt bound to something he did not choose.
Was he frustrated?
Maybe.
He thought he had control over his new beginning. But it turned out he was just another fish in the sea.
Not the fisherman.
He whispered, "Maybe this is karma for all the fish I caught before."
Or maybe he was overthinking.
"Maybe that's it."
He looked down at the table.
"If this is like those movies… what's my role?"
"What am I supposed to be?"
Silence filled the room.
He lowered his head onto the wooden table.
Questions flooded his mind.
In her cat form, Yoruichi watched him the entire time. She did not understand what was happening to him.
He would suddenly stop, then sink into deep thought.
Fear. Disappointment. A sense of being lost. Even something close to despair flickered across his face.
She recognized those expressions from years of battle.
Something had happened inside him.
But she remained silent. She still have no right to meddle in his worries.
Not yet, she thought.
Three hours passed.
Neither of them spoke.
Then she heard him whisper.
"The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes, the best we can do is start over."
She repeated the words silently in her mind.
And for the first time that morning, her golden eyes sharpened.
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( ・３・)
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Trivia
The quote is from—Peg
"The world has changed and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over." — Peggy Carter (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)