Kashiwagi Yuuto's POV
After what felt like an endless stretch of training—day after day of swinging weapons, controlling mana, bruising our bodies, and sharpening instincts we never thought we'd need—we were finally told that our first expedition was approaching.
The announcement didn't come with fanfare. No dramatic speech, no heroic music playing in the background. Just a calm statement, delivered as if it were routine. And maybe for the people of this world, it was routine. For us, though, it felt different. Heavy. Numbing. The kind of feeling that crawled up your spine and settled in your chest, making it hard to breathe properly.
Terrifying was probably the right word.
Still, there was no avoiding it. If we wanted to go back home—to our families, our old lives, our familiar world—then this was the path laid out for us. We had to earn it. Fight monsters. Kill things that wanted us dead. Prove that we were worth sending back.
At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
