Flashback (1) - 2

"Did I dress too lightly?" The lingering chill of winter air sent shivers down my spine as it stole my body heat. But I had to endure it. The only clothes I could wear immediately were the white one-piece dress I had on when I woke up and this school uniform. I probably had other clothes, but they were packed away in boxes. I didn't know which box had clothes, and I didn't want to go through the hassle of unpacking and repacking each one, so I just put on the uniform I found hanging. "Maybe I should stop by a clothing store if I see one nearby...." I started walking, letting my feet guide me. * Everywhere I went, unfamiliar scenery greeted me. Each place was new and something I had never seen before, so I couldn't help but feel a little excited. As I walked along the road, I saw other students with halos above their heads like me, as well as residents in the form of animals and robots. I wondered where I would end up if I continued to wander aimlessly like this. .... "But where am I?" ...To be honest, I was lost. I was so captivated by the exotic scenery that I had never experienced before that I wandered around aimlessly and ended up somewhere I couldn't return from. "I was originally trying to find my way to SRT..." If I had been on a main road, I could have used a signpost to get my bearings, but unfortunately, I had wandered into a deserted alleyway, and I had no idea where to go. Then, I suddenly remembered something I had in this world. "Oh right! I can use my smartphone to look up a map...." I reached into my pocket and rummaged around. But I couldn't find anything. "..." Only then did I realize that I had left my phone in my studio apartment. "I'm in big trouble now...." I had no choice but to wander around the alleyway until I found a main road. I felt like I had been going around in circles earlier, but since alleys usually lead to main roads, I figured I wouldn't end up back where I started. * ...Three minutes later, I ended up back where I started. I don't know why this alley is so complicated. I thought I was going straight, but there were so many blocked or winding paths that I ended up getting lost. Was I caught in a trap? Instead of going forward again, I decided to turn around and take a different path. "...?" Then, I saw a trash can that I hadn't seen before. Huh, what's this? A dungeon that changes in real-time? -Clatter clatter. "Kyaaaah?!" As I approached, the trash can suddenly started shaking, which startled me. "N-Nanna-chan...." And the trash can spoke to me... Wait, could it be? "M-Miyu?" When I guessed the name of the moving monster trash can, the lid opened as if to say "correct," and I saw a familiar character's face. "What were you doing there?" "I should be asking you that, Nanna-chan...." I know that adding "-chan" to the end of a name is usually reserved for very close friends, but were Miyu and I close? I'd like to think so, but honestly, I don't know much about Miyu's character, so I'm not sure how to act around her. "I was... trying to find my way to SRT, but I got lost in the alleyway... and I can't get out...." "...? Don't you have a smartphone, Nanna-chan?" "Ah... about that~ haha... I forgot to bring my phone." "Your phone... I see. I thought I had been forgotten again...." "So why are you here? No, more importantly, why are you in a trash can...?" When I asked again, Miyu seemed hesitant and avoided my gaze. "I-If I tell you honestly... you won't abandon me, right...?" What is she about to say? No, more importantly, she seems very anxious... Should I try to calm her down first? "Why would I abandon you? It's okay, you can tell me." "Okay... then." Miyu began to explain the situation. She originally wanted to buy me a present for my birthday today and sent me a message on Momotalk, but I didn't read it. So, she came to my house, but she was worried that she might be a bother if she suddenly showed up. Then, she saw me leaving, and she thought that I might have made other friends and was going to abandon her, so she followed me. Oh, and the trash can was for camouflage. "He... hehe... I see... I wasn't forgotten again. You're my only friend since elementary school, Nanna-chan...." Seeing Miyu so happy made me feel a little uneasy. If it were people I had no prior relationship with, I could keep my distance to avoid distorting the actual story, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to be close to someone I already knew from the beginning. "But, Nanna-chan." "Hmm?" "The entrance ceremony hasn't happened yet... Why are you already wearing your uniform?" "Ah, that. Actually, I packed all my other clothes in boxes... so this was the only thing I could wear right now." "Aren't you cold?" "It's a little chilly, but I'm fine." Miyu thought for a moment, then she suddenly stood up and grabbed my hand. "Th-Then... do you want to go buy some clothes now...?" "Huh, uh...?" ...And the fact I wanted to deny was that I was shorter than Miyu. * And so, I was dragged by Miyu to a nearby clothing store. "Haaah... Th-There are too many people...." The one who brought me here is like this, though. It seemed difficult to expect help from Miyu, so I decided to look at and choose the clothes myself. I bought a cardigan, pants, and shirts that were suitable for chilly weather. Honestly, I wanted to try on a skirt, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. As for the size, I tried them on and asked the staff if they had other sizes if they didn't fit. ...It was a little hurtful when the staff looked troubled when I asked if they had a smaller size, but anyway, I managed to buy the clothes and changed into them in the fitting room. "How do I look?" I spun around in front of Miyu in my new clothes. "Y-Yeah. You look cute, Nanna-chan. Unlike me...." I didn't even say anything, but she suddenly got depressed again. "Hey! Don't say that! Miyu is very cute too!" "Ah, uh, ...th-thank you...." She seems to get embarrassed easily, so it seems to be effective. I felt hungry, so I checked the time on my smartphone, and it seemed like it was about time for lunch. I suggested to Miyu that we have lunch together since we were already out. Miyu immediately agreed, and we started walking to a nearby restaurant. * "N-Nanna-chan. How about that restaurant over there? Th-There doesn't seem to be many people...." Miyu pointed to a small ramen shop across the street. Ramen... ramen, huh. Come to think of it, if I go to the Shiba Seki Ramen shop in Abydos now, can I meet Serika? Or is she not working part-time yet since she hasn't started school yet. "Not bad. Let's go there." We crossed the crosswalk and headed to the ramen shop. It had been a long time since I had ramen, both in my past and present life. I couldn't help but be excited. But my expectations were instantly shattered. -KABOOOOOOOOOOOM! Along with the shop that exploded right in front of my eyes. "Huh...? The shop, exploded...?" "Ah...." My ears were ringing from the explosion. "Wh-What do we do... We came all the way here... I-I'm sorry, Nanna-chan." "N-No. I-It's okay. More, more importantly." My heart starts racing like crazy. "N-Nanna-chan...? You don't look so good...." "I, I'm, I'm sorry, I can't breathe...." It becomes difficult to breathe. No matter how much I inhale, my lungs don't fill with air. "N-Nanna-chan?! Could it be...?" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... kaah, keuh, because of, because of me." My legs lose strength, and I collapse on the spot. My vision gradually turns white. Miyu is shouting something next to me, but I can't hear her properly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, because of me, you died, you died." My body and mind start to return to that nightmare of a time. "I'm sorry...." * 'It's okay. Didn't I tell you? No one has been around here for weeks.' 'Yeah, but be careful just in case. You never know.' 'There you go being pessimistic again. It's fine. Who do you think I am? An expert in disarming booby traps.' 'Your boasting, I swear... Anyway, each squad. Move in. Be careful of booby traps.' 'Yes, sir~.' * 'You...' '...' 'You killed them....' 'I'm sorry.' 'If only you had been a little more careful.' 'I'm sorry. It's my fault.' 'If only you hadn't let your guard down until the end, if only you had checked two or three more times...!' '...' 'You wouldn't have caused this outcome....' 'I'm sorry....' * [Don't let the dirty slaughterers into our land!] [War veteran? More like war devil!] [All murderers should die!] 'Ignore them, Captain. They don't know how we fought.' 'Really... Is that really true?' 'Sir?' 'Were we really just slaughterers, devils, and murderers?' '...That's not true. We just fought for our country.' 'I see... Then...―' If that's really the case, I—