Bright sunlight lit up his face.
Birdsong rang out continuously through the morning.
Looking through the window, he could see the scenery of the new day.
Perhaps because it had rained yesterday, the world outside looked like a brand-new reality—as if someone had just replaced an old pair of glasses. Everything was unusually crisp and clear.
"She's already gone?"
When Arato Sora opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. Aozaki Touko was nowhere to be seen.
Following her instructions, he had spent the entire night "adjusting" his body.
His Magic Circuits had been successfully activated—those simulated nerves suspended between illusion and reality. They squeezed out life force and refined it into magical energy, letting the supernatural begin to flow tangibly inside him.
Arato Sora could feel it clearly: even though he understood nothing about advanced applications of magecraft, his body could instinctively use the newly generated mana to briefly reinforce itself.
In that instant, he had stepped into the supernatural world.
There was no going back now.
He got up and walked into the living room. On the table lay a small booklet—something Touko had written straight through the night.
When he picked it up, he found it packed with questions Touko believed he would ask, along with answers.
Because magecraft was inherently private, information such as how to use and maintain Magic Circuits had even been tailored specifically to Arato Sora himself.
Even through the writing alone, he could sense how seriously Touko had taken it.
Beneath the densely written booklet was a note she had left behind:
[Once I reach London, I'll tell you how to contact me. If you have more questions, record them for now and ask them all at once later. If you obtain rare information, you can trade it to me—I'll provide an appropriate return.]
"London… at this hour, she's probably already on a plane."
Murmuring under his breath, Arato Sora stared at the message.
For Aozaki Touko, exchanging words with him was only a small part of her revenge.
And it was the easiest part.
This girl who had lost everything was heading next to London, England—to study at the very center of Mystery.
She intended to use her achievements there to slap the current head of the Aozaki family in the face—the one who had stripped her of her status as heir.
That, more than anything, was what would truly demand Touko's time and effort.
And there was a very real possibility—
That after reaching London, Touko might go from "genius girl" to an utterly unremarkable magus, gradually crushed beneath the weight of the Clock Tower's world.
In the end, pressured by reality, the hatred tied to her hometown could shrink into something like a childish black mark—an embarrassing memory from youth.
It was only natural for Arato Sora to think that way.
Touko had told him that the Clock Tower in London was the place every magus in the world yearned for.
Every year, countless magi went there. And by the standards of that world, there was no shortage of people carrying heavy grudges.
But only a handful ever truly stirred up waves.
The vast majority didn't even live long enough for their hatred to fade—
They died out there, never once returning to their hometown.
But when Arato Sora had questioned Touko about that last night, her answer had been—
"They're just idiots. I'm not like them."
In that moment, the extraordinarily confident girl hadn't shown a flicker of irritation, not even at his doubts.
To Touko, her own talent was simply a given.
Even after losing everything, she still carried a pride far beyond imagination.
"So… should I hope she succeeds," Arato Sora whispered in the morning sun, "or hope she fails?"
Why had he agreed to work with her?
Part of it was the anticipation—the appeal of supernatural power itself.
And another part was likely the "foolishness of an outsider," still lingering in his heart.
As someone newly stepping into Mystery—
No matter how cruel Touko described the world of magi to be, it was hard for Arato Sora to truly feel it in his bones right away.
He found himself imagining he could ease the conflict between the sisters—
That when the day came they finally fought, he could at least help them reach some sort of peace.
Of course, the only reason that absurd fantasy—trying to "hold the center"—had even appeared in his mind…
Was because Arato Sora had something to rely on.
He walked from the living room into his bedroom and retrieved a pure-black cube stored in the cupboard.
It had been more than a year since his memories had awakened.
During that time, he truly had encountered something like a "cheat"—a golden finger.
But unlike the typical cheats that appeared in someone's mind immediately after reincarnation—
Arato Sora's had arrived by mail.
Yes.
It was literally delivered to his doorstep.
Sender: Arato Sora
Recipient: Arato Sora
According to the records he gathered later while investigating, every shipping worker involved insisted the person who commissioned the delivery was… him.
And the address it had been shipped from was even stranger:
It was his previous-life family address—
An address that didn't exist in this world.
When he lightly tapped the black box, a kind of understanding would naturally form in his mind:
The item was currently in a state of insufficient energy.
It needed to be replenished before it could be used.
He had tried powering it with electricity, heating it, and other methods.
Nothing worked.
But now—he had a direction.
A faint premonition stirred inside him:
This attempt would succeed.
The Magic Circuits he had opened for the first time began to truly run. The pain of life force being squeezed out came alongside a pale blue glow.
Mana flowed from his fingertips and poured into the black cube.
A screen appeared before his eyes.
[Replenishing energy…]
[User information acquired via mana]
[The Divergent Path Cube will present and operate in the form most familiar to the user.]
On the screen, a cup appeared, being steadily filled with liquid.
As Arato Sora continued feeding in mana, the water rose higher and higher—
Until, at last, it filled the cup completely.
"It's like the opening of a story," Arato Sora muttered, half-mocking himself. "The protagonist can't use the treasure… until an accident finally reveals how. And then it's endless adventures, crises, and face-slapping."
The screen went dark.
Then white text rose into view.
A startup sound played—like a Windows system booting.
[Energy replenishment complete]
[Welcome to the Dream Game System]
[Before playing: A reminder—the meaning of a game is only a game. Fantasy is fantasy; reality is reality. Do not confuse the two completely.]
When he reached out to touch the projection, it felt solid—like there was really something there.
With another tap, the screen darkened further. A simple white icon appeared in the center: a cat curled into a circle.
Then a new window popped up:
[This week's limited-time trial game — "Dungeon World"][
[Synopsis: Dungeon World is a realm filled with monsters. Here, you may become an adventurer who hunts monsters—or a monster among them. Devour prey and strengthen yourself; survival is the only road.]
[Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive]
[Tags: Survival, Multiplayer, Co-op, Open World, Adventure, Combat]
[Countdown: 3:23:23]
[Trial Instance: Giant Bee Nest]
[Participate in this mission?]
[Yes OR No]
On the screen, both [Yes] and [No] were highlighted in bright red.
Beside the text was an illustrated promo image for Dungeon World—
A stick-figure white spider battling a flame lizard high atop a cliff.
"So it really is a system now," Arato Sora said, turning the black cube in his hand with familiar resignation. "If I can't figure out what a mysterious system is made of… that's normal enough, I guess."
He still had no clue where it came from or who had designed it, despite spending a great deal of effort.
Even after many experiments, he couldn't identify the material.
It left him restless—like something was perpetually hanging in his mind.
Honestly, before he met Touko…
He hadn't been desperate to use his "cheat" at all.
His life had been good.
He had his own work, and a girlfriend he liked.
He wasn't lacking for anything.
He had even prepared himself for the possibility that this cheat might never activate.
But now…
"Fine," he murmured, self-deprecating amusement in his voice. "I am a little excited. My 'sister-in-law' suddenly appears and tells me about Mystery. My girlfriend's family collapses overnight. Everyday life is completely broken."
Perhaps it was the influence of his unchanging previous life—reborn once, Arato Sora had actually been waiting for something extraordinary to arrive.
He was satisfied with the everyday.
But if the everyday could be mixed with something transcending reality—some true Mystery—
Then life would become even better.
In a sense, it really was fitting that Arato Sora and Aozaki Aoko were a couple.
Aoko, in Touko's words, was also someone who both yearned for Mystery and resisted it—
Enjoying a beautiful daily life, while still longing for the hidden world beyond it.
It was stupid beyond belief…
But maybe that stupidity was also something every normal person shared.
People always want more.
Arato Sora reached out and pressed [Yes].
[Mission accepted. Please launch the game from the inventory screen.]
A notification popped up: the game had been added to his library.
He switched screens and tapped the button to launch.
Then, with a streak of light—
The black cube dissolved into Arato Sora's body.
-------
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