Sunlight revealed its presence as it streamed through the branches and leaves that shaded the two boys while they walked through the forest.

  Noroi was a few steps ahead of Haruki, deeply engaged in explaining what he knew about the world to the other boy.

  "You must understand that this world isn't as wonderful as you imagine. It's dangerous, and a single mistake could mean the end of your life. That's why you must keep your focus where it belongs…"

  Noroi's voice gradually faded into the background as Haruki's attention drifted away from the conversation.

  His eyes followed the fluttering wings of a small, beautifully colored insect hovering before his face, almost lulling him with its beauty.

  And somehow, it succeeded,Haruki's legs began moving, following the charming little creature.

  The edges of his vision started to darken little by little, leaving only that glowing point,the insect,before him.

  His body swayed unsteadily, leaning right at one moment and left the next.

  He was on the verge of losing consciousness entirely, a result of the gas produced by the creature to hunt its prey.

  But his trance was suddenly broken when his foot stepped onto a pile of gathered leaves.

  The instant he did, a net of ropes hidden above snapped shut around him, yanking him upward.

  Haruki screamed as he was pulled upward, the ropes twisting tightly around him until they formed a ball with no way out.

  He had fallen into a trap set by someone, and his face shifted into sheer panic.

  With every movement he made, the ropes only grew more tangled around him, until he finally stopped, realizing there was no point in struggling anymore.

  His lower lip trembled in sorrow, then he sighed and muttered.

  "Great job, Haruki… always getting yourself into trouble. What am I supposed to do now?"

  He desperately searched for any way to escape, any weak point in the ropes he could exploit to free himself,but there wasn't a single flaw.

  It was as if the one who had set the trap was a master at crafting such snares.

  Haruki glanced down at the ground beneath him as the trap swayed with his movements, his stomach churning until he felt nauseous.

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  "Noroi! Noroi! Noroi!"

  He called out with a shaky voice, hoping the boy would hear him and come to his aid.

  But Noroi was still talking to himself, unaware of Haruki's disappearance all this time, during which the fool had landed himself in yet another mess.

  "And so, Haruki, that's everything you need to know about this world. Do you understand?"

  Noroi turned to glance at Haruki, who seemed quieter than usual. But he wasn't there.

  He looked to the right, then to the left, yet saw no sign of him nearby.

  "So…here I am rambling to myself like an idiot again. Where did that brainless goat wander off to?"

  Noroi sighed in exhaustion and began moving around the area, searching for anything that might lead him to Haruki, before realizing it was nothing but a waste of time.

  He turned his body toward his small flying robot and issued the command.

  "Mini, find that fool and report his location to me."

  The robot, called Mini, emitted a series of short mechanical beeps, then lifted off, soaring above the treetops and scanning the skies for any sign of Haruki.

  Down below, Noroi followed its movements with his eyes, walking steadily in parallel with its flight.

  Mini spotted Haruki from above, who looked utterly defeated and sorrowful.

  The robot lowered its altitude until it hovered beside Haruki's head, letting out mechanical sounds to catch his attention.

  Haruki turned to his right, finding the small robot floating near his face.

  His expression lit up, his lips curving into a wide smile filled with joy.

  "You-"

  But Haruki couldn't finish his sentence; a black figure suddenly lunged at Mini with incredible speed, dragging both of them down to the ground.

  Haruki's eyes widened in terror at the sight…

  ***

  When Noroi noticed that Mini had vanished from the sky without any signal or return, a sense of danger struck him.

  He quickened his pace, then broke into a run toward the direction, but froze behind the bushes when he saw a furred creature,wolf-like around its back,pinning his small robot to the ground as if trying to eat or crush it.

  His hand shot to his wrist, pressing one of the buttons on the metallic device attached there, releasing a hidden blade.

  Noroi burst out from behind the bushes, charging straight at the creature.

  He managed to tackle it down, pinning it to the ground while holding the blade against its neck… only to find it was a girl!

  "Wait… what?!"

  Before Noroi could even process the fact that the creature was actually a girl, she surprised him with a powerful kick to his stomach, sending his body stumbling backward.

  He lifted his gaze to see her standing on her feet again, a wide grin spreading across her lips, while her eyes gleamed with unmistakable excitement.

  The girl bent down toward a massive axe, old in design.

  Its blade was a huge slab of iron, bound with brown ropes around the base of its wooden handle, and it lay resting on the grass.

  Her hand reached for it, gripping the wooden shaft firmly.

  Noroi instinctively stepped back, sensing the danger in her movement, while Haruki, still dangling above, watched the scene in astonishment, a boy armed with modern, advanced tools against a girl whose only weapon was that enormous axe.

  Mini hovered beside Noroi, its small screen glowing red.

  Its sensors identified the girl as a confirmed enemy.

  The sides of Mini opened, revealing its twin laser weapons.

  It locked onto her as a target for elimination, the lasers on both sides igniting and gathering energy, preparing to fire at her.

  The girl tilted her head to the side, unaware of what was about to happen.

  But the instant the red beam shot toward her with force, her body instinctively shifted aside, as if she possessed some kind of sixth sense.

  Her eyes fell on the grass, now charred where she had been standing just moments ago.