Shin'ya gave the peaceful river one last glance.
Then he turned toward the wilderness ahead.
"...Alright."
"Let's see what kind of place you decided to dump me in this time."
He started walking.
And walking.
And walking.
And walking.
...
"..."
And walking.
Another twenty minutes passed.
Shin'ya's expression slowly deteriorated.
The peaceful little adventure he'd imagined was beginning to feel suspiciously like an unpaid hiking expedition.
He pushed aside another branch.
Then another.
Then another.
"...How."
He stopped.
"How is this forest still going?!"
He looked around.
Trees.
More trees.
Even more trees.
"...Did I somehow enter the world's largest forest?"
He stared at the endless greenery ahead.
"...Ugh."
He sighed.
"Fine."
"If the forest refuses to end..."
"...I'll just cheat."
Shin'ya placed a hand over the Ketsugai.
A thin layer of darkness immediately spread beneath his feet.
His body dissolved into the shadow.
ZIIIP.
The world above vanished.
The darkness swallowed him whole as he began moving through the shadows beneath the forest floor.
At first, it was incredibly convenient.
No branches.
No roots.
No walking.
Just darkness and movement.
"...Much better."
He continued forward.
And continued.
And continued.
Until—
"...Hrk."
Shin'ya suddenly slowed.
His chest tightened.
Right.
The restriction.
Shadow Slip was convenient, but it wasn't exactly a free transportation system. Staying submerged in the darkness for too long meant dealing with one very annoying problem.
Oxygen.
Shin'ya quickly emerged from the shadow beneath a massive tree.
"Hah..."
He bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he desperately dragged air into his lungs.
"...I really need to stop forgetting that."
He took several deep breaths.
Then straightened.
"...Okay."
"Round two."
He stepped back into the shadow.
ZIIIP.
Darkness.
Movement.
Air.
Shadow.
Movement.
Air.
Again.
And again.
Until eventually—
The darkness beneath him suddenly became brighter.
Shin'ya slowed.
"...Huh?"
He could see something ahead.
Not trees.
Open space.
He pushed himself forward.
The shadow beneath the final stretch of forest carried him onward before he finally emerged.
Shin'ya blinked.
The forest had thinned dramatically.
And beyond it...
A road.
Not a paved highway.
Not concrete.
Just a wide dirt road stretching through the countryside, with patches of grass growing along its edges.
Shin'ya stared at it.
"...A road?"
He looked down both directions.
Nothing.
"...Okay."
"If there's a road..."
"There should probably be people."
"And if there are people..."
"...There should hopefully be civilization."
He started walking.
The scenery slowly changed.
The dense forest gave way to open fields, wooden fences, small farms, and distant houses scattered across the countryside.
It was strangely peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Shin'ya kept walking.
Then—
RUMBLE.
Something mechanical approached from behind.
Shin'ya turned.
His eyes widened.
"..."
A tractor slowly rolled down the dirt road.
Shin'ya stared at it.
The tractor passed by.
He continued staring.
"...What the hell?"
He watched it disappear into the distance.
"...A tractor?"
He scratched his head.
"Okay."
"Maybe that's normal."
He resumed walking.
"...It's probably normal."
A few minutes later, he spotted another machine.
Then an electrical pole.
Then a road sign.
Then a small convenience store.
Shin'ya's pace gradually slowed.
His eyes moved from one familiar object to another.
"...Wait."
He stopped.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
The countryside wasn't just familiar.
It was Earth-like.
No.
Not Earth-like.
It was beginning to look exactly like Earth.
"...Maybe..."
He looked toward the distant buildings.
"...Maybe I somehow ended up in a world that's similar to mine."
He tried to laugh.
"That would be pretty funny."
But something about the thought made his stomach twist.
He kept walking.
Eventually, he reached a small train station.
Shin'ya stared at the platform.
"...A train station."
A train soon arrived.
The doors opened.
People stepped inside.
Shin'ya glanced around.
Nobody seemed particularly interested in him.
He looked at the train.
Then at the tracks.
Then back at the train.
A tiny grin appeared.
"...Well."
"I could walk."
He glanced at the enormous distance ahead.
"...Or."
His hand moved toward the Ketsugai.
Darkness spread beneath his feet.
"...I could be a responsible citizen."
ZIIIP.
He vanished.
A moment later, Shin'ya's head emerged from a patch of shadow on top of the train.
He climbed onto the roof and sat down.
"...Public transportation."
He looked at the countryside passing by.
"...Just with a slightly different seating arrangement."
The train continued onward.
Fields became houses.
Houses became streets.
Streets became buildings.
And eventually—
Shin'ya saw it.
A town.
His eyes narrowed.
The buildings.
The streets.
The arrangement of the neighborhoods.
Something about it felt...
"...No."
He slowly stood.
His heart began beating faster.
"...No way."
The train continued forward.
Shin'ya stared at the town below.
"No."
"This can't be..."
The train finally began slowing down.
The moment it stopped—
ZIIIP!
Shin'ya disappeared into the shadow beneath his feet.
He emerged beside the station.
Then immediately disappeared again.
ZIIIP.
Right.
ZIIIP.
Left.
ZIIIP.
Straight.
He emerged briefly at an intersection.
Looked around.
"...Still there."
ZIIIP.
Left again.
Then straight.
Then another turn.
A familiar convenience store.
A familiar intersection.
A familiar row of houses.
His movements became faster.
He didn't even need to think anymore.
His body remembered.
Right.
Left.
Straight.
Another left.
A narrow street.
Then—
He stopped.
Shin'ya slowly stepped out from the shadow.
His eyes widened.
There it was.
A house.
His house.
The same shape.
The same walls.
The same little details around the entrance.
For several seconds, Shin'ya simply stood there.
"..."
He couldn't speak.
His chest tightened.
A smile slowly formed across his face.
"So..."
"I'm back?"
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"Hahaha..."
He lowered his head slightly.
"I don't even know why..."
His voice became softer.
"...But this feels really good."
He looked at the house again.
"I never knew my heart missed home this much."
The front door opened.
Shin'ya's smile froze.
A woman stepped outside.
She was young.
Late twenties, perhaps.
She looked familiar.
Far too familiar.
Shin'ya stared at her.
His breath caught.
"...Mom?"
She walked past him.
Didn't stop.
Didn't look twice.
Shin'ya's smile slowly disappeared.
His fingers trembled.
"Mom..."
His voice barely escaped his throat.
"Why aren't you recognizing me?"
He took half a step forward.
"I am your so—"
A hand suddenly touched his shoulder.
Shin'ya froze.
A woman around her thirties stood behind him.
"Are you new here, kid?"
She gave him a curious look.
"I don't think I've seen you around before."
Her eyes dropped toward his waist.
"And what's that in your hand?"
Shin'ya slowly glanced down.
The Ketsugai.
"..."
Right.
The sword.
He forced a small smile.
"Yes, Auntie."
He turned toward her.
"I'm new here."
He gestured vaguely toward the town.
"My dad came here to do something, and he brought me with him for some reason."
He gave an awkward little laugh.
"Maybe I don't get out of the house much."
The woman nodded slowly.
"Oh."
Then she pointed toward his waist.
"But what's that?"
Shin'ya's eyes immediately dropped toward the Ketsugai.
His brain went into emergency mode.
"..."
Think.
Think.
Think.
Then—
"Ah."
He smiled.
"Kendo."
"Kendo?"
"Yeah."
Shin'ya nodded confidently.
"I take Kendo classes."
He casually rested a hand on the sword.
"You know, I got bored of using those flat-looking wooden swords..."
He pulled the Ketsugai free.
The dark blade caught the sunlight.
Shin'ya gave it a few harmless swings through the air.
"...So I bought one that actually looks like a real sword."
He smiled proudly.
"Pretty cool, right?"
The woman stared at the weapon.
"...I suppose."
Shin'ya immediately sheathed it.
"Anyway, if you'll excuse me..."
He gave her a polite little wave.
"I've still got somewhere to go."
He turned.
And walked away.
One step.
Two.
Three.
His smile disappeared.
He didn't look back.
Because if he did...
He wasn't sure he'd be able to leave.
So he kept walking.
His footsteps became quieter.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
The conclusion he'd been trying desperately not to reach finally settled inside his mind.
The familiar streets.
The familiar house.
His mother.
The technology.
The vehicles.
The train.
Everything.
His nerd brain had already connected the pieces.
This wasn't merely a similar world.
It was the same world.
Or something so impossibly close to it that the difference barely mattered.
But there was one difference.
One enormous, devastating difference.
Shin'ya Arata didn't exist here.
He stopped walking.
For a few seconds, he stared at the ground.
Then he quietly muttered—
"...So that's how it is."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Same world."
"Same home."
"Same Mom."
He looked back toward the distant street.
"...Just no me."
He laughed once.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
"...That's messed up."