I think I will end the story here. It’s because I feel like Aoi had already completed his journey, and the second Aoi in another world deserves a different narrative than the original. And it’s a cliffhanger of some sort. I have more stories to tell, which is why I will focus on them and end what I initially started. Pulling more chapters and dragging it far too long would leave a bitter taste in the character’s mouth and mine. I really love Aoi and Hina and My Sniper System, and I hope you’ve learned a thing or two lessons from them.
[Four adventurers have entered the class A portal.] [Quest: Defeat every single monster residing in this place within an hour.] [Reward: Katana (Mythical)] A panel appeared before the party of adventurers who had entered the portal. These were the instructions to conquer the portal and obtain the treasure that lived inside of it. “Get out of the way!” an adventurer shouted, as he slammed his axe against a monster. Another guy with a shield bashed the beast and yelled in return. “We’re already clear! This portal is nothing compared to the ones we had conquered last week!” A woman, who wore a white hat, waved her staff and cast a spell at her teammates. As soon as the woman le
It happened around twelve years ago. I had a great memory unlike any other. Even though I was just a child - ignorant about my surroundings, I still recalled what happened. Multiple golden coloured circles rolled on the side and resonated a high-pitch sound. The air surrounding me changed as if I was in a lavender garden. My heart trembled as it sensed my family’s doom. “Mom! Dad!” I cried, hoping I could reach out to them. But I failed. Their shadows imprinted themselves inside my mind and continued haunting me like a ghost. The temperature dropped. My body shivered. No matter where I looked, darkness devoured my surroundings. And not a hint of light enveloped in the scenes. There was nobody there to help us. According to the government, portals were fabricated by the people who witnessed them on the internet. And the monsters inside were a product of our imaginations. They told us it wasn’t real. However, that portal was a bridge between distinct realities. It was as if various
After hauling us over in our rooms, the teacher placed Midori and me in detention during breaks, lunch, and after class. He told us it was our punishment for attempting to cut classes early in the morning, which we didn’t. Who the hell even thought about this punishment, especially in Japan? Well, it was our teacher who introduced it to our school. Other schools didn’t have one, only in this academy. Detention wasn’t a thing because students had club activities to deal with rather than this. However, the teacher told us otherwise. Our subject stretched longer than we had expected. But none of these students knew what could come afterward would change everything into a forgotten wasteland. Death slowly approached in our direction. Midori and I couldn’t stand still as we continued fidgeting between our fingers and biting our fingernails. Thanks to our fiddling body movements, some seatmates couldn’t concentrate. We kept looking at the windows, thinking that the portal could appear at an
Lucky for me, I squeezed myself into the crowd of students and entered the building. Hina’s classroom was on the third floor, and this academy had four storeys. Fortunately, most students had already left this place. It made room for me. However, Hina was still unnoticed by my eyes and remained trapped on the third floor. “HINA! WHERE ARE YOU! HINA!” I called out her name, hoping I could find her. Everyone I passed by shrieked at the top of their lungs about monsters or whatnot nestling above us. I wasn’t paying attention and continued my hunt for my step-sister. She was important to me. But as soon as I reached the third floor, my eyes widened in dread. And it was my mistake to neglect such an obvious warning from the students. Little did I know it would come back and bite me. The figure in front of me was what
The monster had already targeted me as its next prey as it glared in my direction. While that happened, a voice coming from Hina’s classroom shrieked and sprinted outside. The girl wasn’t Hina, but she wore the same uniform as my step-sister. Tears fell from her eyes as she careened as far away as possible. I could only guess she was a classmate Hina talked about from her earlier message. But I had no relationship with her besides from Hina. “I-I thought help arrived! I-I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna!” The girl kept yelling at the top of her lungs and booked it. I couldn’t blame her. If I were in her position, I would’ve also run away. However, I wanted to protect Hina with my life. So I stayed and hoped I could save her with everything I had. The student ran across the hallway’s opposite side without caring fo
“Hina…” I whispered. “Whatever you do, don’t open your eyes. Run away from here as fast as you can. I’ll catch up.” “I… No. I won’t leave you behind, b-brother!” Those were the words I mumbled to the shivering Hina. She clutched her hands behind my back, refusing to obey my words. Hina told me she wouldn’t run away without me. That girl didn’t like the sound of leaving me to die, even though we barely talked for the past few years. It made me smile. But it also made me terrified of what was about to come. I steeled my fist and wished to take it all. This was my job. I lost my family at a young age and lived with strangers I didn’t know. If there was someone who should live, it was Hina. Her parents saved me from despair when I should’ve already died from hunger or depression. Hina had a life even before me, while
“I-I need to go, big brother! I… I don’t know what would happen if my parents…” “I know, Hina. That’s why I need to go and check them for you. Besides, you can’t do it in your condition. If you could walk, maybe I could accompany you. But once we’re out there, you might get sucked into a portal just like this one. Trust your brother, okay?” “But…. If you die because of this, I…” “I won’t, Hina. Trust me.” “Okay…” Hina had eyes itching to go out and look for her parents. If I were in Hina’s position, I would’ve said and acted the same thing. If my parents were on the line, I would’ve run straight to them and stayed by their side. However, Hina couldn’t, not without getting enough rest from her shaking feet.
“Mom, dad…. I’m sorry…. I’m sorry I’m not good enough…. I’m sorry I don’t have any powers. I… I should’ve been…” I wanted to stop her. My hands almost reached out to tap her back, but I stopped myself from touching Hina. From my observations, this girl needed to let out her emotions… However, not like this. Hina blamed herself for her parent’s conditions, even though she didn’t do anything wrong. It was the portal’s fault, not hers. But I… What else could I do but watch Hina suffer alone? I wanted to be the brother that Hina needed, especially in this dire time. Even so, things weren’t supposed to be like that. “It should’ve been me who’s lying on that bed…. I should’ve been the one wounded, not them…. I don’t want you to die… Please…. I don’t want you to die.” Hina then turned her face towards me and asked, “Bro