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"You have to keep your wits about you today."
It was Clara's warning.
It made sense. We were going to do something sufficiently dangerous today.
"Don't worry. When have I ever let my guard down?"
"Regardless of how you usually are, just be more tense than usual!"
I tried to ease the tension with a light laugh, but instead, I got a earful from her. It was sad.
We were going to the <Forest of Screams>. I had been deployed for the operation.
A spatial-type Anomaly. The goal was neutralization.
It was because control was difficult, and the damage caused by it was not insignificant.
It wasn't just Clara and I going alone.
Quite a few more personnel were being deployed.
"O-Oh, it's been a while."
And there were also faces I recognized.
"...."
"What's wrong with this person?"
"I don't know. Perhaps their condition is a bit poor; they've been quiet since this morning."
One of my colleagues was a bit strange.
They were silent, and they were scanning the surroundings with their eyes in an unusually restless manner.
If they were nervous, that could certainly happen. This was actually quite decent for someone who was nervous.
The only problem was that, originally, this person I knew was absolutely not the type to get nervous over an operation like this.
If they were incredibly nervous or in poor condition... seriously, it would be better for them to sit out of this operation.
"There's still time left, so why not find a substitute instead?"
"...."
"Or, since we can sufficiently cover for one missing person...."
I calmly laid out my thoughts.
And they all failed. He shook his head firmly, showing his will to participate.
If that was the case, there wasn't much I could say. If he said he was going, what reason did I have to stop him?
In the first place, if there was a truly big problem, The Company would have excluded him.
I brushed it off lightly. Thinking that a variable of this level wouldn't cause a major problem for the operation.
I approached Clara again and spent time teasing her and helping her relax.
...Well, to state the conclusion first. That variable didn't have a huge impact on the success of the operation.
The operation was quite successful. There were no deaths or serious injuries. There were only some wounded.
It was to the point where the worry I had before departing felt embarrassing.
It was just that the operation had been completed brilliantly.
It was just that the operation 'alone' had achieved a wonderful result.
The problem was what happened after the operation.
"Jin... are you there...?"
"I'm here!"
Looking around, everything was covered in blood. And nothing but corpses.
The only things moving here were Clara and I. At least, in my eyes.
"Where... where are you...?"
"...."
But even the two of us weren't in very good shape.
I, Jin, had one of my legs ruined during the fight.
So I couldn't walk properly. Since all my strength was drained, I could only crawl toward her.
In Clara's case, it was worse.
...She couldn't even move. She couldn't see.
Sprawled on the ground with a blood-soaked body, she was looking for me with a powerless voice.
How did it end up like this?
Did I do something wrong?
No. I did my best to achieve the best result.
Accordingly, the operation was clearly successful.
We were dispatched into the Forest of Screams, divided into several groups.
There were many processes within, but they aren't important. What mattered was that we conquered it successfully.
The red, dark sky cleared. The blue sky was visible.
And so, everyone had to gather at the designated location.
The first to arrive was that strange colleague I saw before the operation started. Then it was me.
Even then, I didn't think much of it. Seeing him looking as clean as I did, I thought his skills were excellent.
The problem was what came next.
Colleagues who were injured and bleeding were approaching this way. Clara was among them.
...The monster woke up. Truly suddenly.
The man standing next to me, his appearance which was clearly fine until just now, collapsed.
Something about that moment was unrealistic and fantastical.
His skin crumbled away and his entire body transformed wildly.
His build grew larger, and it felt like the structure of his skeleton itself was changing.
I couldn't see any more than that. Because it was clearly radiating murderous intent.
I drew my sword immediately. And I lunged.
I swung my sword, and I swung my sword, but I was the one who got blown away.
Seriously, for real, he was fucking strong.
To the point where he was among the top few Anomalies I had seen so far.
In fact, it made me wonder if this was an Anomaly that wasn't meant to be killed.
But just because I was blown away didn't mean I could just lie there.
I lunged again, for everyone's sake.
I couldn't just leave that bastard alone.
Everyone lunged. Even though they couldn't grasp the situation because they were far away, some approached from a distance as soon as they saw their colleagues being attacked by an Anomaly.
And, among them, although I truly hoped she wouldn't, although I desperately wished she would just run away,
"I'm joining in!"
Clara was there too. I saw her figure beside me as I ran with my sword drawn.
I felt like I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell her to get back.
I knew. Just how much power that Anomaly piece of shit possessed.
A power that made it hard to guarantee victory even if everyone attacked at once.
So I wanted to say it. Clara, you at least, run away.
No. Everyone just run away. Everyone, save your lives.
Whether you call for more colleagues or report the situation, just get out of here right now.
I would put my life on the line to buy time. That might actually be the way to minimize the damage.
But I couldn't bring myself to give that order.
It wasn't that I was scared. I had already put my life on the line.
It was just that I knew the others had also put their lives on the line, and knowing the weight of that fact, I couldn't stop them.
Still... Clara, I really hoped that you, at least, would have run away.
The image of Clara I fell for was one that was strong and unyielding, but....
At least right now, it shouldn't have been like that.
...
...
"Jin.... Jiiin...."
"Here, I'm here."
The result was damage close to annihilation.
Many people died. And stepping over those corpses, I finally cut off its head.
Black blood spurted from the cross-section of the severed neck.
But that wasn't what was important. My leg was ruined, and Clara was desperately looking for me.
I approached her frantically. I approached and made my presence known.
Her eyes... were ruined. A grotesque sight.
Blood was smeared and pooled all over her face, so the detailed wounds weren't visible, but that was actually better.
I didn't have the confidence to see her injured state.
"I'll, I'll hold your hand."
"Ah, ah...."
I took her hand as she was falling into a panic because she couldn't see me. Her trembling seemed to improve compared to before. Though it was still severe.
"Jin...."
"Yes?"
"I, I... can't see...."
Clara spoke in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, as if she were terrified.
"It's okay. I'll be your eyes, Clara."
"My face... it must look hideous right now...."
"No. You're the most beautiful person in the world in my eyes."
Truly. She was still the most beautiful lover to Jin.
"Jin...."
"Yes."
"I... can't move my body very well...."
Clara was still shivering as she spoke.
"It's okay. I'll be your arms and legs, Clara."
"I'll just end up being a useless burden...."
"There's no way that's true. Was the Jin that Clara knows the kind of person who would have such trashy thoughts?"
Please, do not be pessimistic.
No matter what the future holds, I will stay by your side and one day bring you hope.
"Jin...."
"Yes."
"I'm so cold...."
"I'll hold you."
Please, don't fall asleep now.
You mustn't sleep now. You can sleep in as much as you want later, so please keep your eyes open.
"Jin...."
"Yes."
"I, I'm having trouble breathing."
"...."
...That.
"What should I do...?"
Truly, what should I do.
Clara cannot move.
With my ruined leg, I cannot move while carrying her.
And, other support cannot arrive before the golden time passes.
What that meant was,
Death.
"W-what should I do...? Me, what do I do...?"
"Please calm down... please...."
"Am I, am I dying...? Am I going to die...?"
"...."
No. There's no way.
—I wanted to say that.
But I couldn't.
I felt my own breath starting to tremble.
"I... don't want to die...."
"...."
"There was... so much I wanted to do with you...."
Me too. Me too.
There were so many things I wanted to do with you. So many that I couldn't write them all down on a single sheet of paper.
But I couldn't say that.
I forced the corners of my mouth up.
I just realized what I should say.
"Don't worry.... There's nothing to be afraid of...."
He said. That death is not the end. That another life will be waiting.
"I am the proof of that."
I confessed. That I actually had memories of a past life. That I came from another world.
It was a fact I hadn't even told my parents. I only spoke of it now.
I told her stories about the other world.
Stories about a peaceful world without Anomalies or monsters.
The world I was born in, the planet, the country....
I told her many good stories. I told her many happy stories.
While not letting go of the hand I was holding, which was gradually growing cold.
"R-really...? Then I... won't go to a place like hell, right...?"
"Of course. You know how kind a person you are, Clara. If anything, you'll go to heaven."
"When I die... there won't be nothing, right...?"
"Yes, you will surely go to an even more wonderful world."
So please don't be afraid.
Please don't decorate the end negatively.
"...Then, you, what about you?"
"Me...?"
"Even without me, you'll be okay, right...? You can... be happy on your own, right...?"
The fear in Clara's voice had diminished a lot.
She hurriedly continued her words. With the corners of her mouth trembling as she forced them up.
...Should I answer yes here?
Should I ease her worries one last time?
"...No."
"...."
"I think it'll be a little, a little difficult."
I'm sorry.
I can't do that.
No matter how much I think about it, I think it'll be very hard without you.
"Make, make a promise with me...."
"...What is it."
"I will work hard to be happy in the other world. So—"
You, please be happy too.
Even without me, be happy in this world. Forget about someone like me.
Meet a new, good person, raise children who look like you, and even see your grandchildren.
Live happily until you're over 100 years old.
"That's a difficult request."
"Please... please make the promise.... It's my last request...."
"...Yes, I understand. Instead."
"...?"
Please don't forget me either.
Because I will come looking for you one day.
No matter what world you are in. I will find you without fail.
I hugged her. I hugged her tight.
Until someone else came.
Until your breath ran out.
Clara.
Clara.
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I buried that name. I buried it in my heart. Just as you requested.
But, because I buried it without being able to throw it away, because I buried it deep in my heart.
I cannot completely forget that name.
I wanted to make it faint even by force, but I cannot even forget the fact that you existed.
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The name I truly loved.
That name, which I won't be able to forget even in the next life....
...
...
A lot of time passed. A truly long time.
Enough time for the wounds in my heart to be transformed into the driving force to move forward.
Jin, who still remained a Watcher, was dispatched to a certain city.
...And only then could I know for sure the fact that I had been possessed into a game, and exactly which game it was.