While Ren was busy dealing with the problems plaguing the southern lands, his closest friend, Kiriya Asano, was living an entirely different kind of life—as a university student at Starford Academy.
"Urgh… studying on Earth or in another world is equally miserable," Kiriya muttered, running a rough hand through his own hair. The broad-shouldered young man sat slouched on a bench in the academy garden, surrounded by maple trees whose leaves had just begun turning red. His face was creased with frustration, his eyes vacant as they stared at the grass at his feet.
It had already been five months since he and Ren were thrown into this strange new world. Five months of uncertainty, five months that felt like nothing but a test of patience. Deep inside, a question gnawed at him relentlessly:Can I still go back to Earth? And if so… when? In a month? A year? Or… decades?
