(Yoiya’s Viewpoint)

  I opened my eyes to a unfamiliar ceiling.

  A flat white surface, about a couple meters above me.

  Fluorescent lights, larger and brighter than the ones at school.

  Beneath me, the softness of a blanket and a firm density comparable to stone. A mattress?

  “Ah, he’s awake! Told you my method would work!” An eager voice said with absolute confidence.

  “I don’t think that’s what woke him.” A feminine voice responded with clarity.

  “Yoiya.”

  A third voice caught my attention. I turned my head to the left, finding the soothing image of a doll-like girl with pale blonde hair, and green eyes— Rea Dola.

  “Rea? Why are you here?”

  Rea did not respond, she simply stared at me with a worried look. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were flushed.

  ~Was she crying?

  I looked to my right to find Ake, gripping my hand. Her face, too, showed signs of weeping.

  Behind her, Raneko gave me a stern look. Yet, in it, I could sense a bit of relief.

  “Idiot.” Ake muttered softly. She pulled herself upwards, throwing her arms around me in an instant.

  My mind felt like it was in limbo, so I couldn’t seem to react the way I wished.

  Rea clutched my other hand as well. Her head bowed and her bangs covered her face.

  “Hey. Are you just going to ignore me, Yuru-kun!? That’s rather rude!”

  I felt the bed bounce, and a weight slamming into my stomach.

  I winced and looked forward.

  Mashiro sat there, mounted on top of me with a pouty look on her face. Her palms were placed firmly on my chest.

  I wasn’t sure what was going on, or how I could have missed her presence.

  I could feel my mind still trying to reconnect to my vessel, yet even so–

  “Uhm. Why are you on top of me, Mashiro?” I deadpanned, staring at her with a blank expression.

  “Oh? Does this not excite you? You should be grateful a wondrous female such as I offered my body to you to wake you u—” Mashiro pumped out her chest and held her head up high as she acted like some villainess from a manga.

  “No, thanks. You’re way too young for that.” I cut her off quickly.

  My mana swelled, as if I was prepared to expel a mana burst to push her off of me.

  ~Wait.

  I stopped myself and felt as the energy flowing inside me begin to stabilize.

  ~I’m not in battle right now. Gotta stay calm.

  I let out a deep breath, and then another as I sighed.

  “Just get off of me already, please?”

  “Alrighty, mister protagonist!”

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  Mashiro lifted herself, and slowly climbed off the bed. With a little hop, she replanted her body to the floor.

  A small thump. A little tap. A single step.

  In the same instance Mashiro left my close quarters, Raneko stepped forward and crossed his arms. He appeared to hug himself and let out a deep breath as if preparing himself for something.

  Ake looked over at him, then at me. She stood to her feet and walked around the bed, joining Rea on my left side.

  Mashiro spun around and saw his expression. She silently backed away and rushed to go talk to Eliba in the far corner of the room.

  “Yoiya.” Raneko began.

  He looked me with exhaustion and worry steeling his usual sternness.

  “What are you?”

  “Huh?” I spoke my answer immediately.

  I was completely dumbfounded, and caught off guard.

  ~”What am I?”

  I could feel my heart pounding loudly, my breath catching, my mana spiking, my body screaming ‘DANGER, DANGER’.

  Everything inside me told me to run.

  My veins ran cold like ice while my skin burned up like magma.

  I could even feel the color drain from my face.

  ~He knows. He knows.

  ~This isn’t good! I won’t be able to stay here any longer if he knows…!

  ~But wait… can I even? I never really did belong here, did I?

  ~Don’t belong… I didn’t… But still… I—

  Something squeezed my left hand.

  I turned my head.

  Rea looked at me pleadingly.

  Ake stared at me with worry.

  ~I… want to stay here…

  ~But can I really keep lying like this?

  I looked up at Raneko’s face again. He was staring rather intently, yet his expression was soft.

  He wasn’t trying to attack me, I could tell.

  There was no malice in him at all.

  “I’m…”

  I took in a deep breath, trying to steady my heart..

  “I’m…” My voice quivered and dropped in volume as I tried to answer. “A god.”

  CLANG.

  We all turned to look at the door.

  There stood a nurse with a tray in her hands and a face that was calm like a rock.

  Mashiro fumbled around the floor, trying to clean up a bunch of food that had fallen, starting with a metal tray that laid there.

  Eliba, however, stared at me with widened eyes. Her fingers clawed at the air wildly as her hands shook.

  “S-sorry! I’ll clean this up real quick!” Mashiro shouted out as she scrambled to clean up the mess. She quickly stood up and touched Eliba on the shoulder. “Are you alright? That was a bit sudden—”

  Eliba knocked her hand away and rushed out the door.

  “Huh? Eliba!!!” Mashiro leapt through the door way to scream down the hall.

  The nurse quickly grabbed her and pulled her inside, covering her mouth. “Please be quiet. We have other patients trying to sleep, little one.”

  Muffled, Mashiro struggled against the woman.

  ~That nurse is… strange… But nevermind that…

  ~Eliba’s reaction…

  ~Is it because… her sister? Serbi died too…

  ~I… couldn’t save her… Not Mia… Not Lois… Not Hati… Not anyone.

  ~I’m a god… yet I couldn’t save anyone…

  The nurse eventually let Mashiro go.

  Mashiro coughed a few times, then looked at the nurse and then at us. She let out a low growl and her cheeks puffed up as she let out a childish pout.

  “Nngh… I don’t really get what’s going on… or any of this ‘god’ business! But I’ll be sure to make you explain it to me later…! But for now… I have something I have to do…” She steps out of the room again and stops for a moment. “It would seem you do, too. Right, my dear familiar?” Flashing a smile, she darted out of sight.

  In response, Raneko smiled and exhaled.

  He then turned to the nurse. “A little privacy, if you would?”

  “As you wish, young master.” The women spoke softly and then silently disappeared as requested.

  Raneko paused for a moment, then shook his head as he pinched his nose.

  With that he turned back to me, walked over to the other side of the bed and grabbed a spare chair.

  Pulling it up beside Ake, he sat down and looked into my eyes.

  “Alright, then. How about some details?”

  I blinked.

  And with a slight nod of my head, I spoke. “Okay.”

  And began to tell them my story.