There was nothing here. One wouldn't need to think about anything. There was only quiet; there was only silence; there was only the void.
Death… if that was how it was, then it was alright.
Koutarou kept feeling this as he continuously sunk lower…
But just as he thought he would eternally remain in this white location, he heard a voice.
"Kou…
"Koutarou… is that you…
"Wake up… you can do it…"
The voice calling out to him seemed unknown yet also familiar. He felt like people addressed him by that name in a certain incredibly long dream he had.
'I am… Koutarou?
'That's right, I'm…
'Who's calling me?'
"It's me… Harano…"
Harano… Koutarou remembered some things once he heard this name. Chaotic scenes, voices, and feelings came back into him as if they were falling snowflakes, making him simultaneously feel chilled yet warm.
'I'm… still alive?'
Koutarou slowly opened his eyes.
He saw a handsome face right in front of him, looking directly at him.
"Welcome back." Seiji smiled gently.
"Harano…" Koutarou blinked. "Didn't I… already…"
"Yes, you indeed vanished at that time. I also thought that you had died. However…" Seiji paused for a moment. "At any rate, why don't you get up first… Can you get up?"
The coal seller grabbed onto Seiji's extended hand, and stood up. He then noticed the environment around him.
"Where… is this?"
This place was filled with thick mist, and had all sorts of colorful orbs floating around. Koutarou was rather surprised by this scene.
"This is the Soul Room, a special s.p.a.ce that's capable of saving spirits and souls. The orbs you see are all remnant souls, or other people's soul shards," Seiji explained. "You were also in such a form before I woke you up."
"Remnant souls… Soul shards…" Koutarou had a confused expression. "I don't understand…"
"Actually, I don't understand it that well myself. Still, judging from your situation… it's highly likely that there are people you know among these remnant souls, or even your relatives," Seiji told him cautiously.
"Relatives…" Koutarou muttered as he then recalled even more memories. "My younger sister… my mom… my younger brother… are they all here!?"
"It's only a possibility. I can't make any promises," Seiji clarified. "You can try to touch and call out to them. But, you need to be careful. The remnant souls are really weak."
Koutarou nodded as he walked over to an orb that he carefully touched.
"Fuyumi… Mom… Jirou…" He tried calling out for his family members, but there was no response.
Koutarou took his hand back in disappointment as he moved on to touch a different orb.
Seiji felt many emotions as he watched Koutarou continuously search for his family members.
"Is this really alright?" a voice spoke up next to Seiji.
This was Natsuya.
Seiji knew what she meant with her question.
He had awakened someone who had died already. Not only that, Koutarou wasn't actually someone with a "human ident.i.ty" to begin with. Was this really alright?
"I don't know," Seiji told her honestly. "It's impossible for me to judge if this is alright or not. But, I couldn't help but do so when I found that he was the first one I might be able to wake up."
If Koutarou had been a real human, it would obviously have been good to revive him. However, "Koutarou" wasn't a real human.
The spirit town that Koutarou had lived in was destroyed. This was the only place he could now stay at. And even if Seiji discovered some method in the future to take him back to the real world, it would be difficult to have "Koutarou" live a normal life like a human.
Koutarou believed himself to be a human. But, he wasn't actually human. Choosing this type of revival from the dead, or letting him die as a human… It was impossible for Seiji to determine which would really be better.
It was just that Koutarou's previous ending had been far too sad. As long as he could save this kind coal seller, Seiji would definitely do so!
He decided to think about what might happen afterwards when it came.
Koutarou tried for quite a while but failed to find his relatives. In fact, he began to feel a headache. He felt like his head was buzzing, with some chaotic scenes and voices occasionally flas.h.i.+ng through.
He then suddenly felt a violent pain as some clear images appeared in his mind. This caused Koutarou to shout out loudly!
"What happened!?" Seiji immediately rushed over upon seeing this.
"Ahhhh! It hurts… save me…" Koutarou collapsed on the ground, and rolled around in pain as red mist poured out from his body!
"I'm right here, I'll help you!" Although Seiji didn't know whether it would be effective or not, he tried to cast healing magic on Koutarou.
The coal seller finally calmed down after quite a while. He panted while clutching at his head. The red mist emanating from his body gradually lessened, and then stopped.
"What happened, Koutarou?"
"I… saw a really scary demon…"
"What type of demon?"
"It was white… it was gigantic… really long… its head… was really strange…" Koutarou furrowed his eyebrows tightly. He couldn't find adequate words to describe what he saw.
"Was it a white dragon?" Seiji asked.
"Dragon… I think I heard someone calling it that…" Koutarou muttered. "What exactly was that?"
Seiji fell silent for a moment before he replied, "I think that might be what truly killed you."
"Eh?"
"Listen to me, Koutarou…" Seiji looked directly at him. "Maybe this will be difficult for you to accept, but everything I'm telling you is the truth. Actually, you have died long ago…"
...
Koutarou was stunned after hearing Harano's explanation.
It was difficult for him to accept what he had just heard. He mentally resisted against it. However, Harano's sincere att.i.tude and gentle tone made Koutarou feel like he had been telling the complete truth.
Koutarou fell into inner conflict, and remained silent for a long while.
Suddenly, his head started hurting again.
Koutarou shouted loudly, and rolled around on the ground again as he saw even more chaotic images… and then he suddenly understood.
These were his memories.
These were his real memories, from his original life as a human, not as the coal seller Koutarou!
Everything that Harano said… had indeed been true!
"Wuuuuaaaaahhhhhh!!!" Koutarou felt so much pain that he felt like he was dying.
'Just… who am I?
'Who exactly am I!?'
'My younger sister… my mom… my younger brother… were they all fake!?
'My relatives were fake! That town was fake!!! Was everything fake!?
'No… NOOOOOO!!!'
Koutarou loudly shouted furiously as red mist poured out from his body once again. The red mist soon turned crimson, and then dark red. The mist twirled all around his body… no, wait! His entire body was beginning to transform into black mist!!
"Koutarou! Calm down!" Seiji shouted.
Seiji sensed danger. He could only force himself to prepare for battle. Natsuya, who had been silently observing, also prepared for battle.
Just as it seemed like the distorting coal seller was about to transform into some type of demon, the dense mist in the Soul Room started moving, and transformed into an almost corporeal silver light that covered the black mist, enveloping it completely!
At the same time, Seiji received a system notification.
[A soul has gone berserk within the Soul Room. The Soul Room's automatic suppression function has now been activated. This will cost Inner World Crystals that are stored within your warehouse.]
It was nice that the Soul Room came with an automatic suppression function… but it wasn't so nice that it would also automatically use up some of his Inner World Crystals.
Seiji and Natsuya witnessed the silver light compressing the black mist and returning it to an orb form.
As this happened, flickering lights kept appearing from within the silver light as if the black mist inside was struggling violently in an attempt to break free. However, it was unable to defeat the system's automatic suppression function.
When the black mist completely returned to being an orb, the system sent Seiji another notification that the suppression was now complete, along with an invoice summing up how many Inner World Crystals had been used up.
Seiji felt slightly pained at this unexpected expenditure.
"Dear system of mine, could you please allow me to do the suppression next time?"
