"This is…" Renji murmured to himself, his voice tinged with surprise and confusion.
"This is Tokyo, the closest edge to the coffee shop. Is this your first time here, Renji?"
Ding~ Detected Reze's curious emotion, system rewards 10 points.
Reze followed Renji's footsteps and came to his side, asking softly.
"Ah… yes, it's indeed my first time here. By the way, is this where Tokyo and Kyoto are marked in black on the map, outside the city?"
Reze shook her head.
"Not here. Our current location is only on the outskirts of Tokyo. Beyond the outskirts is the countryside, and beyond the countryside is the black area on the map."
"I see."
Renji nodded, looking around at the empty buildings on both sides, and then down at the wide, deserted street beneath his feet.
Gazing at this desolate scene, Renji's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the bustling, lively center of Tokyo. There, people came and went, traffic flowed like a river, and passersby hurried with various expressions on their faces. Compared to where they were now, it was a world apart.
"Speaking of which, this doesn't look uninhabitable. Where did everyone go?"
He murmured to himself, puzzled. Reze, hearing his words, chuckled softly.
"What is it, Renji, you don't even know this?" Reze's lips curved upward, revealing a slightly teasing smile.
Ding~ Detected Reze's curious emotion, system rewards 10 points.
Renji thought, Oh no, I've given myself away again. He always mumbled questions when he was confused. He had to change that habit someday.
He explained,
"Uh… sorry, I rarely go out, so I'm really not very clear about these things. I've only heard about them. This is my first time seeing it like this."
"You don't have to apologize, Renji, I was just asking."
Ding~ Detected Reze's sad emotion, system rewards 10 points.
The moonlight, like water, gently spilled across the silent street, draping this desolate place in a soft silver veil.
Reze, with her hands behind her back, lightly stepped onto the slightly elevated road. Her figure appeared exceptionally nimble in the moonlight. She walked with a light and elegant bounce, as if the ground beneath her feet was not solid earth, but a tightrope.
Renji followed her, watching her beautiful, captivating figure.
"Because everyone can't get out. Just like mice caught in a trap meticulously crafted by humans. No matter how hard they try, they just can't escape. And if it stays like this, the mice slowly gather together, huddling for warmth. Over time, the area around the trap becomes empty."
"Everyone can't get out? Why?"
Reze giggled, turning to look at Renji, and placed her index finger on her soft pink lips.
"It's a secret~"
"How could this be…"
Reze's answer left Renji somewhat speechless. He was indeed very curious about this world. So far, it was full of mysteries.
However, he couldn't directly ask for the truth, because he wasn't sure how much Reze knew about him. Whether she knew his gender or origins were both unclear.
Renji hesitated, wondering whether to make up another absurd lie to get answers, when Reze suddenly leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her cheeks flushed.
"Speaking of which, since Renji is traveling with me, why don't we use this opportunity to go take a look? We can start from here."
"Huh? Now?"
"Yes, now is fine anyway. We've already taken time off. And although it's the countryside, it's only the outskirts. Everyone has already moved into the city, and it's not that far. A short walk will get us there. Don't you want to know this secret? If we go together, Renji, you'll find out."
Renji looked up at the moon as he thought it over. It was nearing Christmas, and the winter moon was no longer full, a small sliver missing. Even so, the moonlight was still bright—clear and cold—like a silver silk ribbon quietly spread across the abandoned street.
For illumination, it was entirely sufficient.
"Alright, let's go take a look together."
"Then it's decided~ An impromptu plan, named 'Midnight Countryside Adventure, Step One!' First, find a usable vehicle that can carry people!"
Reze released him, her gaze scanning the area with anticipation.
"No way, a bicycle? Would there really be one here?"
"Let's look around. Maybe there will be."
Ten minutes later, Renji actually found a dilapidated bicycle in a two-story residential building nearby.
He blew the dust off the front and back seats, then wiped them clean with a tissue. After test-riding it a short distance, he found it was barely usable.
Renji mounted the bike and gestured to Reze.
"Hop on. I'll ride."
Ding~ Detected Reze's nervous emotion, system rewards 20 points.
Reze didn't get on immediately. A faint smile played on her lips as she looked at Renji with a teasing expression.
She spoke slowly, her voice deliberately soft and laced with playful doubt.
"Oh~ what's this~ Is Renji about to show off his femininity~ and pull a lady's gentlemanly move for me? Oh no~ I might actually fall for you like this~"
Renji recalled the strange operating rules of this world, where 'masculinity' and 'femininity' seemed to have been turned into abstract concepts.
"Then fall for it~"
"What~ You say it so easily. I thought you'd be shy."
Reze sat sideways on the back seat, gripping the fabric at Renji's waist.
Renji pressed the bell. The old, unused bicycle emitted a harsh, grating sound—and just like that, the two of them set off into the night.
The bicycle maintained a steady pace as they glided through the silent streets and followed the curve of the river.
The water shimmered under the moonlight, casting silver ripples that reflected their figures as they passed.
Renji could feel Reze shifting slightly behind him, her hands making faint, tentative movements—like she wanted to hug him, but hesitated.
Ding~ Detected Reze's nervous emotion, system rewards 10 points.
Ding~ Detected Reze's shy emotion, system rewards 20 points.
"Just hug me if you want to," Renji said, glancing back with a smirk. "It'll be safer! Just like we did at the coffee shop. It's your turn to take advantage of me this time!"
Ding~ Detected Reze's angry emotion, system rewards 10 points.
At that, Reze bit her lip and finally gathered the courage to gently wrap her arms around Renji's waist. Her cheeks, burning hot, pressed tightly against his back, as if she were channeling all her shyness and uncertainty into that single embrace.
Renji pedaled harder. The bicycle rolled forward, and the gentle murmur of the river faded behind them.
They continued deeper into the countryside, leaving the glittering core of Tokyo far behind. The landscape slowly transformed—the city's edges giving way to dense vegetation and wide, open silence.
Just as Reze had said, the countryside was equally desolate and weatherworn, but the air was fresher here. The quiet, untouched surroundings gave it a peaceful charm.
The breeze from cycling brushed gently against Renji's cheeks, cool and clear. Against his back, Reze's warmth radiated with a soft intensity.
She was clearly excited—and that sensation, this strange joy of quiet freedom, was contagious. Renji felt it too.
He pedaled faster, caught in the moment. But just as he was enjoying it, he suddenly felt a gentle pinch at his waist.
Slowing the bike, Renji brought them to a stop and turned to look behind him.
Reze had already jumped off, rubbing her backside with a deep frown.
"Seriously… my butt hurts so much…"
But as she spoke, she turned her head away—trying to hide the panic flickering across her face.
"No matter how much I called you, you didn't respond. It's really tiring…"
Renji winced. "Sorry, sorry. But… Reze, your ears are so red. Is it because you were hugging me?"
He leaned in with a teasing smile. "They're glowing under the moonlight. Just like when I touched your thigh at the coffee shop. What's wrong? Catching a cold?"
Reze still didn't turn around. She cleared her throat—clearly flustered.
"It's… it's just a little chilly. A-anyway, we're here. Renji, walk forward a bit. The secret's just ahead. Go on—take a look."
Her voice trembled slightly.
After speaking, Reze slowly crouched down, wrapping her slender arms around her knees and burying her face. Her delicate, radiant expression disappeared between her arms, leaving only a few messy strands of hair visible in the moonlight.
She curled up quietly, making no further sound, but her body trembled faintly.
Her 'sea'—her inner world—was experiencing a small high tide, the same kind that stirred quietly at the coffee shop each day.
Renji glanced back at her with concern, but didn't press. He parked the bicycle near the path and walked toward the area Reze had indicated.
It was indeed… different.
Only two meters ahead, it felt like he was staring at a fracture line between two worlds.
Behind him was the countryside he knew: still, clean, maintained—albeit a little weedy in places.
But beyond that invisible line, the environment changed abruptly. A dense wall of trees stood tall, their branches thick and interwoven. Moonlight streamed through the treetops in broken patterns, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.
For some reason, the paved road extended exactly to Renji's feet… and then stopped. As if someone had intentionally ended its construction at that line.
He looked left, then right, following the curve of that strange divide. Even with the dim moonlight, he could tell that the boundary stretched all the way to the far edge of the horizon—sharp, deliberate, and unnaturally perfect.
It was like a natural border—but also artificial. A seamless seam stitching two realities together… while keeping them completely apart.
"Renji… just a few more steps," Reze called softly from behind. "Keep walking… and you'll discover the secret of this world."
Her voice floated through the air like a thread, both calm and trembling.
Renji swallowed hard, a sense of unease rising in his chest.
He took a deep breath—and walked forward.
One step. Another. And another.
Slowly, he crossed the invisible boundary and stepped into the weeds, into the forest beyond. He approached a large tree that stood in silent witness to this border between worlds.
He stopped and waited.
...Nothing happened.
Renji closed his eyes, standing still for a moment, waiting for something—anything—to change.
Still nothing.
He frowned.
"Um… Reze, the secret you mentioned is—"
Just as he turned to glance back at her—
Ding~ Detected Reze's shocked emotion, system rewards 20 points!
Ding~ Detected Reze's shocked emotion, system rewards 20 points!
Ding~ Detected Reze's shocked emotion, system rewards 20 points!
...
...
The system's notifications kept pouring in, one after another, fast and unrelenting.
Renji's words caught in his throat.
His gaze locked onto Reze.
She had risen to her feet—but the expression on her face had completely changed.
The playful, confident girl from earlier was gone. In her place stood someone stunned into silence, her beautiful features frozen in wide-eyed disbelief.
"Reze… what's wrong?" Renji asked cautiously.
No answer.
Reze didn't speak. She only walked forward, step by step, each movement heavy and deliberate, as if carrying the weight of something she hadn't expected to face.
When she reached the boundary line, she stopped.
Lifting one pale, slender hand, she slowly extended her fingers into the air—toward the spot Renji had just crossed.
The moment her fingertips brushed the space before her, the air itself rippled—soft, concentric waves like those spreading across the surface of a still lake.
A barrier.
A translucent, invisible wall.
It shimmered faintly as her touch disturbed it, revealing a hidden threshold that Renji had somehow passed—but Reze could not.
She was trapped.
Rain began to fall—light and cold—its soft pattering mixing with the silence.
Then, from somewhere behind, a low thunk echoed through the quiet.
At the corner of a nearby drain, something shifted.
A dull metallic sound—then a sudden surge.
Water.
Clear and cold, it gushed upward from the drain, forming a swirling vortex that spun in eerie silence beneath the drizzling sky.
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