The ranking board still stood.
Unchanged.
Unmoving.
Untouched.
Rank 1 - Arata Kaito
Kaito looked at it one last time.
Not with pride.
Not with excitement.
Just… understanding.
"…So this doesn't matter anymore," he said.
Nasukawa stood beside him.
"No."
Kaito didn't look away.
"…Six years."
"Yes."
"…And it just stops mattering like that."
"Yes."
Silence.
Kaito let out a quiet breath.
"…Good."
Nasukawa glanced at him.
"You don't sound bothered."
"I'm not."
"…Why."
Kaito smirked faintly.
"…Because if this still mattered out there, then what's the point of leaving?"
Silence.
Nasukawa nodded once.
"Yes."
Kaito stepped forward slowly, stopping just in front of the board.
"…So explain it properly," he said. "What does Rank 1 actually mean."
Nasukawa didn't hesitate.
"It means you completed this world."
Silence.
"…That's it."
"Yes."
"…Not strongest."
"No."
"…Not the best."
"No."
"…Just… finished."
"Yes."
Kaito nodded slowly.
"…That's a better answer."
A pause.
"…Then what replaces it."
Nasukawa looked at him.
"Nothing."
Kaito blinked.
"…What."
"There is no unified ranking system beyond this world."
Silence.
"…That sounds wrong."
"It isn't."
"…So there's no Rank 1 out there."
"No."
"…No ladder."
"No."
Kaito frowned slightly.
"…Then how do people measure strength."
"They don't," Nasukawa said. "Not the same way."
Silence.
Kaito turned slightly.
"…Then how does anything work."
Nasukawa's voice remained calm.
"…Through recognition."
"…Recognition."
"Yes."
"…Explain."
"You won't be given a number," Nasukawa said.
"…You'll be judged by those who see you."
Kaito didn't respond.
"…Your strength will not be written on a board," Nasukawa continued.
"…It will be proven in every fight."
Silence.
"…So it's not fixed," Kaito said.
"No."
"…It changes."
"Yes."
"…Constantly."
"Yes."
Kaito nodded slowly.
"…That's better."
Another pause.
"…There's more," Nasukawa said.
Kaito glanced at him.
"…Of course there is."
"…This world was controlled."
"…Yeah."
"…The rankings were stable."
"…Yeah."
"…Predictable."
"…Yeah."
Nasukawa's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…The next world is not."
Silence.
"…So nothing is guaranteed."
"No."
"…Not even where I stand."
"No."
Kaito let out a short breath.
"…Good."
Nasukawa watched him.
"…You prefer that."
"Yes."
"…Why."
Kaito's expression didn't change.
"…Because numbers are easy."
A pause.
"…Too easy."
Silence.
"…You think you've beaten someone because you're above them."
"…You think you've lost because you're below them."
Another pause.
"…But that's not how it works."
Nasukawa didn't respond.
"…Not really."
Kaito looked back at the board.
Rank 1.
His name.
Six years.
"…This just told me where I was here," he said.
"Yes."
"…Not what I could actually do."
"Yes."
Kaito nodded once.
"…Then I don't need it."
Silence.
He stepped closer.
Then...
He reached out.
And placed his hand against the board.
The surface was cold.
Still.
Unchanging.
For a moment...
He didn't move.
Then...
He pulled his hand away.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"…I'm done with this."
Nasukawa watched him.
"You won't have anything like that out there."
"…Good."
"You won't know where you stand."
"I will."
"…How."
Kaito turned slightly.
"…I'll figure it out."
Silence.
A faint shift in the air.
Not pressure.
Not power.
Just certainty.
"…That's the only way it should be," Kaito said.
Nasukawa nodded once.
"Yes."
Another pause.
Then...
"…There is one thing you should understand," Nasukawa said.
Kaito looked at him.
"…What."
"…Even without rankings…"
A small pause.
"…There are still those who stand above others."
Silence.
"…Of course there are."
"…And they are not labeled."
"…Good."
"…You will not know them until you face them."
Kaito smirked slightly.
"…Even better."
Nasukawa didn't react.
"…You're not worried about that."
"No."
"…Why."
Kaito's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Because I'm not trying to find out where I stand."
A pause.
"…I'm trying to see how far I can go."
Silence.
The wind moved through the courtyard again.
Kaito turned away from the board.
Completely this time.
Not even a glance back.
"…Rank 1," he said quietly.
"…Doesn't mean anything anymore."
"No."
"…Good."
He took a step forward.
Then another.
The space behind him...
Felt smaller with every step.
"…Then I'll make my own way."
Nasukawa stood still.
Watching.
"…Yes."
Kaito didn't stop walking.
"…No numbers."
"…No titles."
A small pause.
"…Just fights."
Silence.
And for the first time...
The ranking board behind him truly felt like something from the past.