Chapter 7: Care for a Croquette?

"So this is... the central city, Gaia Pit."

The main street was a chaotic sea of people. Standing right in the middle of it was a single vagrant, clad in a threadbare robe that hung all the way down to their ankles.

That vagrant, of course, was me.

To any onlooker, I would have looked incredibly suspicious. But before anyone could even think to complain, they simply failed to register my presence at all—as if I didn't exist. It felt like one of the dark clouds hanging over this country had manifested as a localized fog, blurring the lines of reality.

"Well, not like it matters to me right now."

I let out a whimsical laugh and began to push against the current of the crowd, searching for a specific back alley.

"The shopping district off 6th Avenue... go straight down the alley next to the croquette shop the Alters frequent..."

As usual, I didn't have a map to guide me. I had to rely on the delicate threads of my past-life memories, reeling them in carefully so they wouldn't snap.

"Damn... is this it?"

After a few turns, I ran out of clues and found myself well and truly lost. I wondered if I’d have to resort to a one-person search party.

—Meow.

"...A cat?"

I remembered this from an event. The protagonists are lured deeper into the alleys while chasing a cat...

"..."

Instinctively, I started walking in the direction the voice had come from.

I lost sight of it several times at various corners, but I used every bit of my physical specs to stay on the trail.

Deeper and deeper I went, until the humidity in the air began to rise noticeably.

"Meow."

There were some cardboard boxes scattered haphazardly. Inside were three frightened kittens and the one who had led me here.

"I’ve always believed in paying a fair price for honest labor."

I pulled a croquette out of the bag I was carrying, carefully peeled off the fried breading, and blew on it to make sure it was cool enough for a feline palate.

"Here you go. Dig in."

The mother cat took a tentative bite. Once she decided it was safe, she began feeding her kittens. Seeing that, I turned to the other person in the alley.

He was leaning against the wall, looking for all the world like a homeless man. There was a profound sense of melancholy about him, but I spoke to him regardless.

"Hello."

"..."

"Care for a croquette?"

"..." He shook his head.

"Come to think of it, a black cat crossed my path on the main road three blocks back. I wonder if that means something good is coming."

"...Good for you. What color was it, exactly?"

"It was a pure white cat."

After we exchanged a few more words, the man took his cane and tapped a specific rhythm against the wall he was leaning on.

"Thanks. Sure you don't want a croquette?"

"I suppose I'll take one."

I stepped through the passage that had opened in the wall and headed toward the black market. I’d kill some time there before finally going to see the protagonist.

POV - Protagonist

"Good work, Commander."

"Thanks. Are your injuries feeling better?"

"How many times are you going to ask? I fully recovered three days ago."

"Seriously, quit with the long face. Phantasm Girls are just disposable pawns—at best, we're weapons."

"Yellow!"

"But it’s true! Swapping bodies for spares? Getting fixed the moment a part is replaced? Having minor wounds close up instantly? That’s not human. We're monsters!"

"Yellow, you’re crossing a line."

The unusual edge in the normally gentle Blues' voice silenced her. Yellow pouted, looking entirely unconvinced as she slunk away.

"Commander... Perhaps you should get some rest."

"Yeah... I think I will."

I opened the door to my room, leaving the awkward silence behind me.

"I’ll write a bit before I sleep."

Lately, I have taken up journaling again. In an era where everything was digital, paper journals like this—and the companies that made them—were a rare treasure.

The only sound in the room was the scratching of the fountain pen's nib.

"...Did I leave the window open?"

Feeling a draft, I looked toward the window. Sure enough, the glass door was ajar. I went over, shut it, and turned the lock.

Entirely unaware that I had already let an intruder inside.

"Isn't it a bit reckless to leave your window open so late at night?"

"....?!"

Startled by the voice, I spun around.

"Chrono... White..."

"Hey there. Beautiful weather, isn't it?"

"Do you really think this underground world has 'weather'?"

"I was talking about the surface. It was a perfect ten of a rainstorm."

Chrono let out an elusive, airy laugh.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead as I racked my brain for a way to survive this encounter.