Chapter 649: 'The Second Stage'

The thing that had suddenly appeared in front of my eyes drew me in, as if it had a gravitational pull.

As I reached for the necklace that had fallen from my chest, I felt a terrible headache. The pain felt as if the me who was trying to pick up the necklace and the me who was trying to stop myself was colliding in my head.

Rather, in the first place, what is this necklace? I don't have any idea when or where I got it…… or even how long I've been wearing it.

[Kuhh!? Uuuuuu…… Guhhh……]

As I picked up the necklace, my hands were shaking and my body was profusely sweating. Therepon, the headache became worse.

It was a strange sensation, as if something was trying to jump out from within my body. However, even with this headache that would normally knock me unconscious, my eyes were still glued to the necklace.

What is this? What's going on? What am I……

[……Ku…… ro———- Agghhh!?]

The moment that word unconsciously came out of my mouth…… It was as if a dam burst, and a large amount of information…… "memories that I had forgotten until now" started flowing in like a gushing river.

[……I was? That's right! I was with Shiro-san and…… Where in the world is this……]

———-Kaito-kun! Please, answer me!!!

[ ! ? Is that Kuro!?]

———-Kaito-kun! I'm glad…… My voice finally reached you.

As I remembered everything, I heard an echo in my head…… That voice unmistakably belongs to Kuro. Hearing me respond, Kuro replied with a voice that contained a mixture of impatience and relief.

———-Kaito-kun. Listen carefully…… Right now, Kaito-kun is in a virtual world that Shiro created. You have a deadline of 30 days.

[30 days!?]

Hearing her explanation, I hurriedly turned my attention to the calendar on the wall. I see, so this calendar was actually showing the time limit…… which means that there's only 24 hours left for the deadline!?

———-If you don't get out of there by that time limit, Kaito-kun will lose all your memories of the year you spent in this world!

[Wha……]

My memory? The year I spent in this world…… Which means, all the memories I experienced since I was caught up in the Hero Summoning will disappear.

That was…… the penalty that I have to pay when I lose? There was something regarding that matter that I'm bothered with, but let's put that matter off for later. First and foremost, I need to escape from this virtual world.

———-Earth God told me that for Kaito-kun to escape from that world…… You need to go to a place where you can clearly see that the world you're in is fake.

[……Clearly seeing that this world….. is a fake?]

———-It's just a guess…… but I'm sure that it would be a place that has something to do with Kaito-kun's parents.

[ ! ? ]

……So that's how it is. I can understand now. This world…… is "my ideal world". A world where my deceased Mom and Dad are alive, and where Kuro, Isis-san, Alice, Lilia-san, Sieg-san and Fate-san…… more accurately speaking, they were different people, but it still feels like a world where the people I love are here.

And perhaps, just as Kuro guessed…… This world is the result of me thinking "if Mom and Dad were still alive"…… No, perhaps, this world is composed of my innermost desires.

[……I understand! For the time being, I'm going to that place that I can think of.]

———-Unnn…… Please, Kaito-kun. Make sure to come…… back……

[Kuro? Kuro!?]

———-Shi…… noti…… huh…… Kaito…… un…… Do……. best……

After that, I didn't hear Kuro's voice anymore. From what I could hear, I guess Shiro-san noticed and cut off the communication between Kuro-san and I.

Anyway, there's no time left! I need to move now!

After wearing the necklace back to my neck, I hurriedly grabbed the bare necessities and ran down the stairs.

On the way, I looked into the living room…… and noticed that Mom and Dad, who were supposed to be home for the holidays, weren't here.

Feeling a little uncomfortable about it, I ran out of the house…… but soon after, I had a bad feeling, so I turned my gaze to the sky.

[……What…… is that? The sky…… is so dark.]

The sky up in the sky wasn't blue, but it's dark…… no, black. As if the sky had been painted over, the sky was pitch-black. However, it still isn't night. The surrounding area was still as bright as day, but only the sky was black.

Not only that, as even though I'm in a residential area at the end of the year…… There wasn't a sign of human presence anywhere.

[………………..]

It's just a guess, a hunch per se…… but I understood. That up to this point, this virtual world had been "a world that was keeping me from noticing its true identity". However, now that I'm aware of it…… no, now that I've remembered, the world's aspect changed.

Yes, perhaps…… it has changed to "a world that's keeping me from escaping".

The world had transitioned to the second stage huh…… Bring it on! I'm definitely gonna go out of here…… I won't lose my precious memories of Kuro and the others!!!

Right after I strengthened my resolve with my fists clenched…… The doors of several houses in the residential area opened almost simultaneously.

[Eh? …..Huh?]

And then, from all those houses, "humanoid beings with all-black body"…… This might be weird to say and too spicy to people's imagination, but they looked like people walking around wearing black full-body tights. These humanoid beings that were clearly not human, appeared in a line, approaching me with slow steps.

[Wait!? Whoaaaaa!?]

No matter how I look at it, there's no way that the strange monsters that appeared in this situation were friendly. Immediately turning around, I started running down the street in a mad dash.

What the heck are those things!? What the heck is happening!? They were moving slowly, but there's an unusual number of them…… Zombies? Are those freaking zombies!? It obviously wouldn't be a good idea if I get caught by them, right!? Wait, they started coming out in every houseeeees!?

Is this the second ordeal? ……When the heck did I become the protagonist of a zombie moviiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!??

<Afterword>

? ? ? : [Shallow Vernal-sama, what a devil you are! Giving an ordeal that would need some sort of combat ability to someone with a physical strength like Kaito-san…… That's the work of a devil! Do you have any idea how physically inept Kaito-san is!? Do you not have blood or tears?]

Serious-senpai : [……In over 600 chapters, we're finally getting one real fight…… moreover, it seems like this is one of those losing battles for the protagonist.]

T/N: 63/187