( ・`ω・´)And just like that, the turmoil began to die down.
The mentors and the second-years returned to the chamber to supervise the examination. Nezu went to prepare something. The examinees began doing their best, giving their all in the test.
Everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
And the cause of all this was still asleep.
But when he wakes up, he will surely be surprised, because his system keeps dinging.
Many things have happened to Maki. For someone still adjusting to his role in this world, it was overwhelming. At first, he was bewildered by his own existence. He couldn't truly accept that he had died and been brought here. To him, everything felt like a dream, a beautiful fictional dream.
But one must accept change and its consequences.
And that was what happened to him.
He wasn't in a dream. This was his reality now. The fact that it took him so long to accept it showed how detached he was, how unwilling he was to let go of other possibilities.
The cause and effect of his actions were something he could not ignore. He had been running away, isolating himself, trying to hide.
But one eventually grows tired of running. One eventually feels loneliness. An existence like his could not hide forever. He had a role. He was a character in a movie with a part to play. That was the mindset Maki had now.
And the way he thought revealed his mentality. He had been given a gift, and he knew it wasn't free. He had heard it many times in the movies he watched—especially that saying: with great power comes great responsibility.
Since Maki had grown up watching some movies he was picking lessons from them and applying them here as a guide to navigate this unknown land.
He was ignorant and helpless about his situation, and he knew that even his mere existence was already changing the original flow of this world. He knew that because his system kept gaining points even when he did nothing.
That was why he understood things weren't simple, even if he tried to ignore them.
But who was he?
He was Maki.
Which meant True Hope.
If he truly was just a character in a play with a role, then why not enjoy the process until that role ends?
It was as simple as accepting what was given.
He died once. What was there to fear? Was anything scarier than death?
So Maki decided to take the wine, even though he wasn't good at drinking. Raising the wine and saying "good catch" was not something a fisherman did lightly.
The wine represented the challenges the sea would bring. Raising the wine meant he was ready for what was about to come. Drinking it meant he welcomed the challenges the sea had prepared. And saying "good catch" meant accepting the consequences of his actions.
Would he catch a fish, or would the sea swallow him instead?
It was a gesture of his new resolve. A simple thing for others, but for someone like him, it meant something entirely different.
Now that he had drunk the oath of the sea, what this world had prepared for him was still unknown. But he was no longer running. No longer hiding.
He was ready.
His fishing line, hooks, and bait were prepared.
For this sea—no, for this world—the fisherman now only needed to wait for a good catch.
( =＾ω＾)Exactly 7:21 PM. In the UA clinic, located on the second floor, room 0013.
Maki's eyelids slowly opened.
He saw white light. His vision was blurry.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
A white ceiling. A fluorescent light.
He turned his head to the right and saw a white curtain. He turned to the left—another white curtain. He tried to look down to check if his body was okay.
When he did, he saw two women sleeping near his legs.
On the right was a woman with long white hair. Her hands were crossed, and she was resting her head on them. She wore a black kimono.
On the left was a black-haired woman with braided hair. Her arms were also crossed, her side profile pressed against them. She looked beautiful while asleep. She was also wearing a black kimono.
He closed his eyes again, trying to remember what had happened.
A minute later, his eyes widened.
He remembered everything, like clips playing in his mind. He had destroyed appliances he had taken out. He had even slammed his head into a woman.
He really couldn't handle alcohol.
But this time, he was calm. He wasn't panicking about what he remembered.
He had messed up. Badly.
He needed to apologize to them—especially that woman. And to Nemuri for destroying the things she had bought.
Then he remembered the smell of the cat. It seemed he had done something inappropriate to a woman.
"What a mess… really a mess. I need to say sorry," he whispered.
He shook his head and sat up from the bed. He noticed his hair was braided.
He looked at the two women.
"These must be the two who helped me get here," he whispered.
"Well… thank you."
He slowly moved his legs to the left side of the bed so he wouldn't touch the black-haired woman, careful not to disturb their sleep. He placed his feet on the cold white tiles and slowly stood up.
Without waking her, he gently carried the black-haired woman. His right arm supported her shoulders, his left arm under her legs. He laid her carefully on the bed. She was deeply asleep.
"She must be tired," he whispered.
He then moved to the white-haired woman, carried her gently as well, and placed her beside the other woman on the bed.
They seemed truly exhausted. Neither noticed they were being moved.
After laying them down, he covered them with a white blanket.
He looked at them and nodded.
Then he stepped toward the white curtain covering the bed, lifted it, and walked out.
Outside the curtain, he looked around. It seemed he was in a clinic room. There were several white curtains like the one he had been in. The room was wide and spacious.
He noticed a big mirror in the corner with a water dispenser beside it. A cup sat on top.
He walked toward it. As he moved, he could feel the coldness of the floor under his feet.
When he reached the mirror, his reflection stared back at him.
His long dark hair was braided. His black hoodie had cuts in it, as did his black pants.
He grabbed a cup from the top of the dispenser and filled it with water.
Then he walked toward the white sofa near the wide window and sat down.
As he drank, his eyes looked outside.
It was dark.
"It's night," he said quietly.
"I wonder what Nemuri is doing," he whispered.
( ＾Д＾)