Arou suddenly opened his eyes.
He was standing in a boundless space filled with white light and thin drifting mist. There was no ground, no sky—only endless emptiness wrapped in a soft glow.
Arou looked around in confusion.
"Where… am I?"
From within the mist, a familiar figure appeared.
Zata.
Calm as always. Confident. A faint smile resting on his face.
"You were too reckless," Zata said flatly.
Arou lowered his head, guilt weighing heavily on him.
"Sorry… I used 100% of your power."
Zata let out a quiet laugh, his voice echoing through the white void.
"100%?" he repeated.
"Hahaha… the power you used back there was only 0.1% of my true strength."
Arou's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh?! That was only 0.1%?!"
Zata nodded casually.
"Yes."
"And now… welcome to the Fourth Game."
Arou stared at him seriously, his heartbeat quickening.
Zata continued calmly,
"I will free Airi… and erase Akari, Lumina, Shi, Shion, Rei, Nora, Nova, and Feeth."
Arou panicked immediately.
"W-What?! Why are you erasing so many people?!"
Zata looked at him quietly, as if carefully measuring his answer.
"Because they may interfere."
"I'm going to create a story… where you can live peacefully and happily."
Arou frowned, uncertain but curious.
"Huh… a happy life? Are you serious?"
A faint smile crossed Zata's face.
"Yes."
"After thinking about it, endlessly slaughtering the weak has become incredibly boring."
"So I decided to create something new."
He paused briefly.
"And… I'll bring back your parents as well."
Arou let out a long breath of relief.
"Eh… if that's true…"
"…thank you, Zata."
Zata stared at him for a moment before slowly stepping backward into the mist.
"Now go, Arou."
"Begin your new life."
Arou took a step forward.
And in an instant—
he was standing inside a warm kitchen.
The smell of boiling noodles filled the air.
His hands moved automatically, stirring a pot on the stove even though his heart still felt unsettled.
Once the noodles were done, he carried the bowl into the living room.
And there—
he saw them.
His father.
His mother.
And his older sister, Emi.
Arou's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Dad… Mom… Emi…" he whispered softly.
His father quickly stood up.
"Arou? What's wrong?"
His mother looked at him with concern.
"Why are you crying?"
Emi walked closer, her expression worried.
"Arou… what happened?"
Arou quickly shook his head.
"N-No… it's nothing," he answered while trying to hold back his tears.
All three of them smiled warmly at him.
Full of love.
Arou sat at the table, staring at the empty noodle bowl with a faint smile.
Everything still felt unfamiliar.
But somehow—
his heart finally felt lighter.
His father sat across from him and gently patted his shoulder.
"Already had breakfast, Arou?"
His mother stood near the window, smiling softly.
"You seem more relaxed today."
Emi sat beside him while organizing a few books.
"You woke up pretty early, huh? Breakfast's ready whenever you want more."
Arou lowered his head slightly, his eyes growing watery again.
"Yeah…"
"It feels strange… but nice."
Emi lightly tapped his shoulder.
"If you want, I can make breakfast for you every day."
Arou smiled quietly, warmth spreading through his chest from such a simple interaction.
For the first time in a very long while—
he truly felt the peace of ordinary life.
---
That afternoon, Arou walked toward the park.
A warm breeze brushed against his face, while the orange sunlight painted everything in gentle colors.
On one of the swings sat a girl by herself.
Her hair swayed softly in the wind, and her eyes stared blankly ahead.
Arou smiled and approached her.
"Hey, Airi."
The girl turned toward him, confused.
"Who are you?"
"And how do you know my name?"
Arou scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I'm Arou."
"Don't you remember me?"
Airi frowned slightly.
"Arou? I've never heard that name before."
Arou blinked in surprise.
"Huh… so you really don't know me?"
Airi straightened herself on the swing and looked at him seriously.
"Yeah."
"And what do you want?"
Arou smiled, trying to sound casual.
"Would you like to be friends with me?"
Airi looked startled.
"Huh? Why so suddenly? We've never even met."
Arou laughed softly.
"Hehe… I'm just lonely."
"So I thought maybe I should find a friend."
Airi smiled faintly.
"Oh… I see."
"…Alright then."
Arou stepped a little closer.
"My name's Arou. Nice to meet you."
Airi nodded politely.
"Yeah… I'm Airi."
"Oh right, how did you know my name?"
Arou scratched his head again with an awkward grin.
"Well…"
"It was just a guess. Hehe."
Airi narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"A guess? What does that even mean?"
Arou quietly muttered to himself,
"So Zata recreated my friends… but not their memories too."
Airi tilted her head.
"Hey, why'd you suddenly go quiet?"
Arou gave an embarrassed smile.
"Hehe… sorry. I was spacing out."
Airi crossed her arms lightly.
"No seriously, answer me."
"How did you know my name?"
Arou looked at her sincerely.
"Well…"
"I saw your face, and somehow the name 'Airi' just came to mind."
Airi blinked.
"Huh?"
Arou smiled softly.
"Your name just fits you perfectly."
"So I guessed right."
Airi let out a small laugh.
"Oh… I see."
A comfortable silence settled over the park.
The swings moved gently in the wind while two people who had just met slowly began learning about each other.
---
The next day, Arou returned to the park.
He sat on a bench near the swings, quietly hoping Airi would come again.
Not long after, she arrived with a smile.
"Hey, Arou," she greeted warmly.
Arou smiled back, slightly embarrassed.
"Hi, Airi…"
"Glad to see you again."
They sat together on the bench for a moment before Arou spoke first.
"So… what do you usually do here by yourself?"
Airi looked down briefly before answering softly.
"I like watching the birds… and the leaves falling."
"It feels peaceful."
Arou smiled.
"Oh… I like things like that too."
"Sometimes the world moves too fast."
"But here… everything feels slow and calm."
Airi turned toward him with a small smile.
"Yeah…"
"It's nice meeting someone who understands that."
The two of them slowly walked along the park path together, chatting about flowers, birds, and simple little things.
Every now and then, Arou found himself smiling at the way Airi looked at the world—
so innocent, so curious.
"Hey, Airi…"
"Want to walk around the park together again tomorrow?" Arou asked.
Airi smiled brightly.
"Okay."
"I'll wait for you."
The two laughed softly together.
---
The next morning, Arou and Airi strolled peacefully through the park.
Sunlight filtered gently through the trees while leaves swayed in the breeze.
Airi walked beside him with a quiet smile.
"This park feels peaceful like always," she said while admiring the flowers lining the pathway.
Arou smiled.
"Yeah…"
"It's nice taking relaxing walks with you."
They passed a small lake where fish swam calmly beneath the surface.
"Look at the fish," Arou said.
"They're beautiful, huh?"
Airi nodded softly.
"Yeah…"
At the corner of the park stood a small wooden bridge connecting two paths.
"Want to check out the view from there?" Arou asked.
Airi nodded.
"Okay… let's go."
They stopped halfway across the bridge, quietly enjoying the lake and surrounding trees.
Arou looked at Airi and smiled warmly.
"I'm glad…"
"…I get to spend time like this with you."
Airi smiled shyly.
"Me too…"
"It feels nice having a friend like you."
Together, they continued wandering through the park—
past the playground, the flower gardens, and the shaded walking paths.
Their soft laughter mixed with birdsong and the gentle sound of flowing water.
And for that one peaceful day—
everything felt warm, calm, and wonderfully ordinary.