Kazuki's POV
Apparently, I died.
How would I know?
I don't know.
The last thing I remember was seeing something so very unpleasant that it made me go mad, and then all I could see was darkness.
Like... what was that song again?
Hello, darkness, my old friend... 🎶
I just sat here on a chair that apparently blended into the darkness, making me look like a mime doing an act on the street.
Except people didn't throw money at me.
I'm being chased by the police.
Anyway...
What am I supposed to do?
Nothing, I guess.
I didn't know what would happen after you died. Maybe I could finally complain about how much my life sucked.
Like, yeah...
For example, my budget was really tight, and ramen was basically my savior in the form of a financial miracle.
My newspaper part-time job sometimes gave me the wrong routes, and I had to reorganize everything myself because adults sometimes didn't want to take responsibility.
I wanted to punch those people.
My school life?
Yeah.
Being watched by girls just because male students were few, and constantly being suspected of being a pervert.
Like, come on. Why did everything have to suck so much?
At least give me some damn good privilege. Even if it's some SSS-Rank rarity bullshit, like in a gacha game or something.
“Huh?”
I stopped my rant and touched my cheek.
“Why did I cry?”
I touched my cheek again.
It was already wet with tears.
I tried to wipe them away, but somehow, that only made me sob harder.
“Come on, Kazuki,” I said between sobs. “You're a man.”
I wiped my tears again.
“If Asia saw you like this, she'd probably start crying too...” I sniffed. “Then she'd become loud about it, and I'd be the one trying to calm her down.”
I laughed weakly through my tears.
“Yeah...” My voice trembled. “That's probably what would happen.”
I lowered my head.
........................................
Murayama-san...
I'm sorry I hit you in the neck during our first practice. Even though I treated you to ice cream afterward, I still remember it.
I wanted to practice Kendo more, even though I sucked at understanding the rules, and you always tried to help me understand them, too.
Just... always be yourself, even if I don't go to the Kendo Club anymore.
........................................
Katase-san...
I'm sorry I didn't remember you during my first visit to the Kendo Club. And don't blame me. We hadn't even talked before that.
Don't overdo the punishment for the trio of perverts, will you? I know they're peeking at the Kendo girls during training, but that's how teenage males usually deal with their hormones.
Wait... I'm also a teenager.
Scratch that.
Go get 'em, Katase-san.
They deserved it.
And please take care of Murayama-san while I'm absent, would you?
........................................
Issei Hyoudou...
Wait. I don't even know you.
I don't know what you look like, how strong you are, or anything about you.
But Asia seems to trust you.
So... bear with me, just like this.
........................................
Shitori-senpai...
Just don't ask me difficult questions anymore. They make my head feel like they're going to burst.
But Kuoh Academy seems like a good place to study.
Keep up the good work as the Student Council President.
Your performance for Kuoh Academy is... 10/10.
Approved. 👍........................................
Akeno-senpai.
You know, I want to say a lot of things, but all I can think of is...
Thank you.
For everything.
I know, I know. You didn't care about my personal boundaries, kept crossing them every time we met, helped me study, scolded me whenever I made mistakes, and sometimes even treated me to free food and drinks.
What are you?
A goddess for poor, budgetless students?
Just... don't be different when I can't see you anymore.
Many students look up to you.
Including me.
........................................
And Asia...
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
........................................
In the distance ahead of me, a blinding light appeared, forming a path that stretched far into the distance.
It caused me to stand up and follow it.
With every step, warmth spread through my body.
It felt as though the light was welcoming me.
But then...
I saw him.
The person who looked so much like the one from my dreams.
A young man with silver hair stood before me, holding a long lance. Fourteen wings spread behind him, seven on each side. Each pair bore a different color—red, blue, white, black, violet, green, and gold—forming seven radiant pairs that burned like flames as he gazed toward the horizon.
Then the rain began.
The darkness around us slowly changed into another scene.
A black substance dripped from the tip of his lance.
The same substance fell from his feet.
Then I saw them.
Thousands of corpses, piled upon one another, stretching across the land as though they were a monument to his victory.
Yet...
He didn't celebrate.
He was grieving.
“Hey,” I began, as if he could actually hear me. “You seem like someone who just lost everything.”
I walked closer to his side and fixed my gaze on the horizon. The same horizon he was staring at.
“Perhaps...” He answered in a quiet voice. “But I'm still standing here.”
He paused for a moment.
“The same goes for you, doesn't it?”
“Yeah...” I crossed my arms. “I guess we're not so different.”
Neither of us spoke for a while.
We simply stood there, letting the gentle rain wash over us while gazing at the same scenery.
With all those corpses...
Strangely, I wasn't affected by this disturbing sight.
Normally, seeing a scene like this would make anyone want to vomit.
But somehow...
It felt like it was part of my life.
Maybe that's why it didn't bother me.
Still, this silence...
It was heaven.
Especially for an introvert like me.
“Do you regret your life?” he asked. “Anything?”
“Why?” I replied, turning my head toward him. “Why did you suddenly start talking? I was finally enjoying some peace and quiet, and you just ruined it.”
He simply tilted his head in confusion, which made me sigh heavily.
“Regret, huh?”
I looked up at the sky through the gentle rain, as if I were preparing to answer with some profound philosophy weighted with the gravity of the Earth.
“Ouch.”
A drop of rain fell directly into my eye.
“Wait. Let me fix this.”
After rubbing my eyes, I straightened my posture and cleared my throat, pretending that damn water droplet hadn’t infiltrated my carefully prepared articulation.
“I have a lot of regrets, yes. Of course. I’m not some regretless person,” I said calmly. “Was my life perfect? I don’t think so, but…”
My mind began racing, replaying my life from the moment I was born until the moment I found myself standing beside a strange man with a lot of wings, each pair bearing a different color like a rainbow.
What are you, a Pride Flag Back Decoration?
“But?” he asked.
“I’m quite satisfied.” I nodded slowly. “I’ve met a lot of people, and every second of my life with them—whether it was fun, sad, anxious, or anything else…”
I smiled a little.
“I fondly remember every second of it.”
“I see…” He smiled. “I’m glad for you, then.”
Hey, that’s a nice kind of smile, one I’d never seen in my dreams.
Well, good for us.
“So, are you going to take me to the next place?” I stretched a little. “I’m ready to go over there.”
But the man just tilted his head in confusion, which made me confused as well.
“Why?”
“Why?” I asked. “Isn’t that your job? Like… I could see you being some kind of Angel of Death or Grim Reaper. Ah, no, you’re kind of too flashy for that. What I mean is…”
I sighed in frustration.
“Wasn’t it your job to bring me to the next place after death?”
“Nope.” He simply shrugged. “You’re dead, yes, but…”
Suddenly, flames began circling around me.
They spread upward like a pillar before splitting the sky open.
“Fire?” I asked. “I’m going to Hell!? What the heck, man? I’m sure I haven’t committed any atrocities or crimes. I just lived a simple life!”
“So, it’s begun…”
“What the heck do you mean?” I complained. “My eternal punishment?”
The flames grew brighter, forcing me to shield my eyes. I squeezed them shut as a loud explosion suddenly erupted.
I opened my eyes.
My entire field of vision was covered in fire.