Time and space shifted, his vision blurred, and Haizaki returned once more to his rented apartment in Chiba, in the initial world.
A lingering sense of unreality remained in his mind.
As if everything had merely been an illusion.
Shaking his head, Haizaki began asking for more information.
As a C-rank user, he should be able to access more useful intelligence—such as the purpose of points.
"What other uses do reward points have?"
"C-rank permission users may use points to activate skills, upgrade skill levels, and return to previously experienced apocalyptic worlds…"
The voice of the sprite Pepper remained mechanical, cold, unchanged.
"Why didn't you respond to my calls during the 'Solitary Apocalypse'?"
Over the course of that year, he had contacted the system only a handful of times, yet without exception, there had been no response. Especially during the final days when Utaha's condition worsened, he had even pleaded, begging the system to let Utaha live.
But the system remained aloof, without any response.
At one point, Haizaki had even doubted whether the 'Trans-Spatiotemporal Human Civilization Salvation System' truly existed.
"Insufficient permissions. Unable to answer."
Haizaki fell silent. Powerless complaints and curses were meaningless.
All he could do was gain experience and raise his level.
"When is the next apocalyptic world?"
It couldn't possibly be tonight, right?
His current condition was abnormal. His emotions were still immersed in the final farewell with Utaha, and in the reality that Utaha had now lost that memory.
Reason told him he needed to steady himself and escape his current state as soon as possible.
But emotionally… as a human being, he simply could not become completely calm and rational.
"Please wait for system notification."
So he could rest for a few days, then?
He could experience a world filled with people again?
Beyond the familiar sound of wind and rustling leaves, the most obvious sound was the roar of engines from passing vehicles—the sound unique to human civilization.
He… really had returned.
Haizaki went to the bathroom and performed a simple wash-up.
In the mirror, his eyes were slightly swollen, his gaze filled with a gloomy aura.
"No, I need to recover as soon as possible."
He splashed cold water onto his face, feeling the icy chill cool his rapidly spinning thoughts.
With the cold sensation and steady breathing, Haizaki finally regained some energy.
Today was the second day of the new term at Sōbu High, and it was also the day he needed to attend school.
There was still over an hour before class. He had enough time.
"Should I… take a day off?"
The heaviness in his heart made him want to rest in the apartment for a day. The accumulated fatigue from caring for Utaha over consecutive days also pushed him toward wanting a good sleep.
But in the end, he rejected the idea.
He should go out.
Staying in an enclosed room wouldn't help his condition recover properly.
Being around more people might greatly ease his current state.
After all, he hadn't interacted with many people for an entire year.
Haizaki opened the refrigerator.
Instant bread and milk came into view.
"Bread and fresh milk bought a year ago…"
Haizaki chuckled softly, then took them out and bit into the bread.
"The fresh milk tastes pretty good."
Compared to the packaged milk he had drunk for a year, fresh milk was clearly more delicious.
He then organized the contents of the two large backpacks.
Utaha's personal belongings were placed inside the cabinet at the writing desk.
The gold, firearms, ammunition, and components dismantled from various military bases were hidden under the bed.
No one in this world would imagine that this not-so-large rental apartment contained military secrets and technical components involving major powers around the world.
Now that he possessed D-rank hacking skills, he could probably attempt to extract data from them.
After putting everything away, Haizaki changed into his Sōbu High uniform and began recalling the situation on the first day of school.
"There shouldn't be anything special to watch out for."
No appointments, no homework to complete.
He just needed to go to school.
After a full year, he would meet his former classmates again.
Thinking of this, Haizaki smiled helplessly.
...
Haizaki walked slowly toward the nearest train station.
Turning a corner, a flaxen-haired girl with an anxious expression entered his field of view.
As if she had lost something important, she was searching along the roadside.
Isshiki Iroha, his junior.
"It's already been almost two years…"
Seeing a familiar face again, a sense of nostalgia rose within Haizaki.
And he also recalled that a year ago, in the Solitary Apocalypse world, he had discovered a girl's clothing on nearby streets.
Was that related to his actions back then?
As he thought about it, the idea surfaced in his mind.
Could it have been a parallel world along the future timeline of the initial world?
"Um, excuse me. Did you happen to see my student ID on the way here? My Sōbu High student ID…"
Noticing a boy in Sōbu High's uniform walking toward her, Iroha asked tentatively.
On her way to school, she had suddenly realized her student ID was missing, forcing her to retrace her steps to look for it.
"Student ID lost…"
Haizaki froze.
Had he brought Isshiki's student ID from the 'Solitary Apocalypse' back with him, causing the student ID in the initial world to disappear?
Following that line of thought, the other items he had brought back…
A chill rose from deep within, making Haizaki shudder.
Wouldn't intelligence agencies around the world go insane?
Especially the American military base stationed in Japan…
"Sorry to bother you. I'll look around some more…"
Iroha sounded anxious.
She had made plans with classmates to visit a newly opened dessert shop after school.
Student IDs offered discounts, and for a girl with limited allowance like her, that meant saving quite a bit of money.
"Are you in a hurry?"
"Yes."
After all, it was proof of identity. If she couldn't find it, she would need to get a replacement—very troublesome.
"I'll help you look."
Seeing the worry on Iroha's face, Haizaki made a decision.
"Eh…?"
Iroha blinked her large eyes.
There was still less than an hour before class. Time was relatively sufficient. But a peer… or perhaps a senior, had suddenly offered to help her search for the lost student ID. She couldn't help but overthink it a little.
"Isn't that too much trouble for you, senpai…?"
"It's fine. I'll check over there. It looked like someone picked something up earlier. I'll go take a look. You wait here and watch my bag."
Haizaki casually tossed his shoulder bag toward Iroha and ran off, not giving her time to react.
Iroha stared at his departing figure, completely bewildered.
What was that just now???
He threw his bag down and ran off.
What kind of development was this?
He trusted her that much?