Chapter Text
Tsukasa ran to school and managed to arrive just before the bell rang.
Thank goodness, he thought as he caught his breath.
His whole body ached, but it was bearable. Thank goodness they didn’t have practice today; that would’ve been hell.
After school, he headed straight home and collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep instantly.
.
.
.
He woke up to a call from Saki.
Despite the ache in his body, he quickly sat up to answer.
“Saki! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Ni-san! Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just called to tell you I’m staying with Ichika tonight. We’re having a sleepover and getting ready for our next concert! I already asked Mom and Dad, and they said yes. Is that okay?”
“Oh—okay! Thanks for letting me know, Saki. Have fun!”
“I will! Bye!”
He could hear the girls laughing in the background before the call ended.
He stayed lying down for a while.
I guess I’m alone tonight, he thought.
It wasn’t the first time. His parents were usually home only a couple of days a month, so he was used to being by himself. At least he wouldn’t have to pretend he wasn’t in pain.
He got up and made himself a quick dinner—he and Saki had bought some instant ramen, so that was good enough.
After eating, he decided to go to the Sekai to see if it would help him heal. He spent some time there with the Vocaloids before returning to his world to sleep.
Honestly, he felt much better afterward.
He probably should’ve gone sooner. Oh well.
How does it even work?
That was a problem for tomorrow-Tsukasa. For now, he just wanted to sleep.
.
.
.
He couldn’t sleep.
“That’s why I don’t nap during the day…” he groaned. But he really had needed it; he’d been completely exhausted.
After failing to fall asleep a few more times, he decided to go out and test his new abilities. Everything that had happened felt like a dream. If it weren’t for the wounds the fight had left, he wouldn’t have believed it.
It was terrifying… but also kind of exciting.
He put on his uniform in case he ran into anything, grabbed his bag, and headed out.
Wait.
How was he supposed to transform again?
“…Miku?” he whispered, not sure if she’d answer at this hour.
“Huh…? Tsukasa-kun? You’re up so early!” she answered from his phone.
“Ah—yes. I want to learn more about my abilities, but… I don’t know how to transform.”
“Ah! Right! We didn’t have time to explain yesterday. Here!”
A necklace materialized in her hand.
“This will help you transform! Just focus on the desire to do it, touch the pendant, and voilà! You can also transform without it, but the necklace makes it easier. Put it on!”
“Great! Thanks, Miku.”
“You’re welcome! Ask if you need anything else!”
“Okay, I will.”
He took a deep breath. “Alright… I can do this.”
He followed her instructions, and suddenly he transformed into his magical self. He looked like himself—yet somehow completely different. It was strange… and amazing.
He began jumping between rooftops, struggling at first to control the strength of his jumps, but adjusting quickly. He practiced the magical aspect of his powers too: he could easily make his sword change size, and even form a small shield.
He was having a lot of fun when he suddenly felt something.
It wasn’t dangerous—his intuition told him that much. It felt familiar.
He followed the sensation, which led him to the tallest building in the city. After several difficult jumps, he reached the top, and there he saw her.
A girl sat on the highest ledge. Long silver hair… and wings?
She doesn’t feel like an enemy.
Another Sekai user.
“Hello! Nice to meet you! It seems you also made a contract, huh?” He extended a hand.
She stared at him, surprised.
“Oh… yes. Nice to meet you,” she said after a moment, accepting the handshake.
“Thank goodness. I thought I’d have to deal with all this alone,” he sighed. “It’s a relief to know there’s someone else.”
He sat next to her. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on.”
“Yes… I suppose it’s a relief,” she admitted. She looked worried, Tsukasa thought.
“I honestly didn’t expect to find anyone out here at this hour,” she said, already more relaxed.
“Yeah, well… I couldn’t sleep.”
“I get it.”
“Since we’ll see each other often, why don’t we introduce ourselves—”
“Wait. I think we should use pseudonyms for now. It’s safer. If everything gets revealed at some point… I don’t want my identity exposed.” She hesitated.
“Oh, you’re right! Okay, let me think.”
“You can call me K…ana. Kana,” she said, clearly improvising the name at the last second.
“Okay, Kana! Then you can call me Pegasus!”
The ground suddenly shook.
Something was wrong this time—he could feel it in his bones.
He looked at Kana. She was already prepared to fight.
A black hole opened in the sky. Before they could process it, it exploded, releasing three plant-like monsters. They were big—but the kaiju behind them was even bigger.
They charged immediately: Pegasus from the ground, Kana from the air.
He swung his sword and easily sliced one monster clean in half.
But when he looked up, he saw Kana firing arrows from her bow. The monsters she hit burst into white flames, burning to ash in seconds.
Whoa, he thought—right before a root slammed into him.
Didn’t he cut it in half?!
Okay, apparently that wasn’t enough.
He charged again, letting his sword glow brilliantly before slashing. This time the creature vanished instantly.
He turned to finish the last one just in time to see it shoot a fireball straight toward Kana.
“KANA, WATCH OUT!” he screamed.
She shielded herself with a wing.
She was unharmed.
Wow, that was so cool.
She descended slowly, and the instant she touched the ground, he slashed the monster, making it disappear.
“Kana! Are you okay?! That was amazing!”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I can use my wings as a shield. It still hurts, and I couldn’t block it completely, but aside from a few burns, I’m fine.” She checked herself over and smiled.
“It seems we make a good team.”
“Yeah! With you attacking from afar and me from the front, we’ll be unbeatable!”
As the sun began to rise, they parted ways—but not before deciding to stay in touch.